A gorgeous but sometimes galling nostalgia trip. [Issue#188, p.81]

It takes a lot for a falling block puzzle game to impress today, but Puyo Puyo Tetris succeeds thanks to its comprehensive set of opinions and satisfying skill-based game design. [Issue#188, p.81]

Getting to the handful of good puzzles Syberia 3 has isn't worth it for all the rubbish you'll have to wade through. This is a jittery, stuttering, mess of a videogame. [Issue#188, p.80]

This game feels a little bit like it belongs on PS3, with its familiar formula, terrible dialogue, dudebro characters, bafflingly ugly cutscenes and cookie-cutter assets...There's a pretty good game hidden somewhere in here, but you'll have to look quite hard at times. [Issue#188, p.78]

For newcomers, it's a good starting point, but for everyone else, the series probably needs a rest or at least a graphical overhaul, because despite being a good-looking 3DS game with excellent direction during combat, we have an alternative handheld console in the Switch now, which can do far better visuals. Over to you, Nintendo. [Issue#188, p.76]

The games that play out as intended - courtesy of the twists that Relic has brought into the franchise this time around - well, those will stay in your mind as some of the most intense RTS games you'll ever have. [Issue#188, p.74]

Animation still feels stiff and robotic and zoning might well be too strong as it is now but in most other respects, Injustice 2 is a clear success...Another cracking fighter from a studio still on the up. [Issue#188, p.72]

Everything Prey needed to succeed is in there, somewhere, but it doesn't gel. The game is too undefined, too broad in its ambition and application of its powers, spaces and weapons, that it fails to find and carve out its own identity. [Issue#188, p.69]

Not quite a Jaffe classic. [Issue#187, p.83]

If you've been flirting with the idea of buying an action-RPG but fear the time commitment, The Lightning Kingdom might just be the compromise you're looking for. [Issue#187, p.82]

An unforgettable journey. [Issue#187, p.81]

An adventure you shouldn't miss. [Issue#187, p.81]

Another unpleasant but entertaining experience. [Issue#187, p.80]

An admirable effort that just falls short. [Issue#187, p.79]

Flawed execution and unrelenting difficulty. [Issue#187, p.78]

A novel idea becomes a bland experience. [Issue#187, p.77]

It's a superb co-op action game in its own right. [Issue#187, p.76]

A pleasant puzzling trip down memory lane. [Issue#187, p.74]

Competent and charming, if a little disappointing. [Issue#187, p.73]

We've waited a while to see Tarsier strike out on its own and it's gratifying to see it succeed with a game as good as this. [Issue#187, p.70]

The definitive edition of the definitive karting game. [Issue#187, p.68]

Just another brick in the wall. [Issue#186, p.82]

Melancholic, wistful and creative at every turn. [Issue#186, p.80]

The kind of racer nobody else seems to want to make these days. [Issue#186, p.79]

A nice collection, but nothing excels. [Issue#186, p.79]

A dated yet enjoyable stealth affair. [Issue#186, p.78]

Ultimately, the rest of the Japanese RPG genre is still playing catch-up....It's stolen our hearts. [Issue#186, p.76]

A buggy, uninspiring and formulaic shooter. [Issue#186, p.74]

A new low for the Mass Effect series. [Issue#186, p.71]

Solid beginner game, but perhaps too casual. [Issue#105, p.85]

The rebirth of true role-playing in games. [Issue#105, p.84]

A refined step forwards, but not a perfect one. [Issue#105, p.83]

Challenging, beautiful and unique. [Issue#105, p.82]

Great fun with friends. [Issue#105, p.80]

At its heart, HW2 is a console RTS that does what it needs to fit the broader appeal of the modern console generation. On PC its approach to game design will keep it off most GOTY lists, but on Xbox One its seamless gamepad control scheme and hefty selection modes make it a must for Halo devotees. Look past the shortcuts and you’ll find the best effort yet to light the real-time strategy fire on console.

Super Bomberman R doesn’t ruin the classic B-Man recipe, but with a price tag as big as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you can’t help feeling this is a digital-only arcade title with the wrong price stuck to its box.

It’s a game that will fit in at any party or family home, but it’s a shame that because of the simple fact it isn’t packed in with the console it won’t necessarily find its audience. For those that pick it up, that first time through, with new people – it’s genuinely magic. After that, there’s little left.

It’s a frustrating reality, but one Ubisoft is already working diligently on a fix for. Like Siege, For Honor is in the beginning stages of becoming something truly unique and brilliant. If you’ve ever struggled to get into fighting games, are eager for a new multiplayer game to try your hand at, or are simply interested in what happens when Ubisoft diverts its resources out of populating open worlds with content and into an experience that thrives because of its nuanced design, then try For Honor – you won’t regret it.

A smartly designed and beautiful puzzle exploration game. [Issue#185, p.81]

Breath Of The Wild delivers a huge world, and one that is interesting to explore even when such escapades prove fruitless. It comes good with satisfying combat and dozens of reasons to carry on playing after the credits. For all of its issues, it’s a game that manages to reinvent itself, comfortably, effortlessly, in a space dominated by the industry’s triple-A heavyweights. This is one of the most creative and engrossing open-world games in quite some time.

It might not be Witcher III level of excellence, but for a first attempt from Guerrilla, it’s impressively close.

A really disappointing waste of the 40K license. [Issue#184, p.84]

One of the most detailed open worlds to date. [Issue#184, p.83]

Charming but leaves you feeling underwhelmed. [Issue#184, p.82]

A delightful surprise that'll warm your heart. [Issue#184, p.81]

It's rarely been so good to be bad. [Issue#184, p.80]

Maintains most of the fun, but loses some style. [Issue#184, p.78]

Captivating stories blend well with new gravity powers. [Issue#184, p.76]

Resident Evil VII is exhilarating and terrifying in equal measure. It’s a brave and bold move for Capcom, feeling quintessentially classic while still feeling fresh and adventurous in its ambitions. Ultimately, Resident Evil VII is a breathtaking return to form for a series we long thought had abandoned any hope of redemption. [Issue#184, p.73]

A clever story married to dull gameplay. [Issue#183, p.83]

Pointless in VR, but still a compelling puzzler. [Issue#183, p.83]

A plot slower than a walker. [Issue#183, p.81]

A plot slower than a walker. [Issue#183, p.81]

A bare bones blaster that runs out of steam. [Issue#183, p.75]

A nicely put-together game with a slightly mixed message. [Issue#183, p.75]

Dragon Quest VIII is a pretty lengthy game, with the total playtime for the main story racking up to around 40 hours. However, despite the somewhat basic battle system, the game keeps itself fresh by letting us explore dungeons, grab loot and givingour characters costumes, it never feels like it’s been padded out like so many other JRPGs...Dragon Quest VIII is just a joy to be in, with the world being the main reason you come, evil wizards and looming destruction be damned.

The final package then is mixed, but the bottom line has to be that Super Mario Maker is still an insanely fun game. It’s one of the best 2D Mario experiences out there and plays great on 3DS. It’s not as complete as we might have liked, but it’s certainly not bad.

It could have been something special, and there’s tremendous potential for a sequel, but for now, Steep feels like a game of two halves. It tries to do too much and fails to capitalise on what it does best, and as such, makes for a tricky game to recommend.

Let It Die is a bit like – and this is meant as a genuine compliment – a budget PS2 curio. One of those games that is a bit rough around the edges and lacking in triple-A polish, but has an idea that is far more compelling and delivered in such a stylish way. Grasshopper Manufacture doesn’t deal in blockbusters, but this is likely to be another cult hit.

Although Nintendo has introduced a few new features since release, Super Mario Run still feels like it’s missing something. It looks and feels like a proper Mario game, but it can quickly become so tiresome that we no longer play. It’s all too easy to exhaust Tour Mode and the Kingdom has no staying power. The free tier will be plenty for most Super Mario Runners, and for the full investors, you’ll soon be reduced to a few daily Rally runs.

It’s disappointing that Dead Rising 4 sees the series take a backward step. While there’s gory fun to be had, the failure to replace the time-limit based gameplay with any kind of alternative mechanic is a mistake. Even the biggest fan of zombie-killing frivolity will find that the endless slaughter wears thin eventually, and most will hit that particular wall much sooner.

An addictive game from a passionate team. [Issue#182, p.84]

Simplistic in scope, but oh so satisfying to play. [Issue#182, p.83]

High on spectacle, low on substance. [Issue#182, p.83]

Entirely unremarkable. [Issue#182, p.81]

Another iterative improvement. [Issue#182, p.81]

It may sound like the weight of the game’s criticism lies too heavily on its story, but that’s where Obsidian has decided to focus its efforts. It doesn’t do anything to ultimately spoil what is a great classic-style RPG, and should be considered if you enjoyed Pillars Of Eternity but wouldn’t consider classic RPGs your typical sort of gaming experience.

Loud and silly, but a little hollow. [Issue#182, p.76]

There’s a lot to love, really – it’s just marred by clumsy controls, one of the worst cameras in recent memory and some odd design choices. Provided you can form a strong enough bond with Trico that the curtain never drops to reveal the rusty old cogs that make the game tick, The Last Guardian is a beautiful and unique experience. But the second anything causes that curtain to budge, it becomes clear that it just isn’t very good at the fundamentals of videogame mechanics, and the beast is slain.

Owlboy’s deceivingly simplistic delivery belies an enviable narrative, tourniquet-tight gameplay, and a cast you’ll fall in love with. Don’t miss it.

It’s the game that makes the entire franchise as relevant as it was in Nineties and early Noughties and it has fulfilled the destiny Square Enix wanted for it in that it has created a new platform from which even better things can be expected from it in the future. Without question, Final Fantasy is once again a giant within the RPG world.

With the franchise celebrating its twentieth anniversary, Game Freak has delivered an adventure that pays homage to the very first quest through the Kanto region while still delivering something fun and exciting. Be you an adult or child, Pokémon Sun & Moon is still the ultimate RPG; the surface adventure is wonderful and engaging, but beneath the surface is still a wildly complex body of systems that allow the game to expand and support deep strategic play.

Ultimately, Sun & Moon feels like one of the first legitimately necessary Pokémon adventures in some time.

Watch Dogs 2 wastes its incredible, realistic world and believable characters by leaning on boring gunplay, basic cover-shooter mechanics and tonal-inconsistencies that upend every part of it. Watch Dogs 2 has the opposite problems to its predecessor then. Acts of aggression (in whatever form they may have taken) made sense for vigilante Aiden Pierce, his mission thrived on it; and oh god now Watch Dogs 2 is making us defend and justify the existence of the blandest protagonist in videogames. But that’s Watch Dogs 2, a game that will make you question everything you thought you knew about open world game design, because clearly something needs to change.

As a story, it may well be lacking, but as a collection of expertly crafted play spaces where design and mechanics reinforce and respond to your agency in myriad delightful and engaging ways, Dishonored 2 is pure magic.

With The Coaltion at the reins Gears is in safe hands, and we're genuinely intrigued to see what happens next. [Issue#257, p.64]

The story and characters are excellent and the game is enjoyable, but the open world detracts from the experience rather than adding to it. [Issue#257, p.62]

Simple fun, but potentially annoying. [Issue#181, p.84]

Too inconsistent to truly shine. [Issue#181, p.84]

A whimsical evolution of the beat-'em-up. [Issue#181, p.83]

A deep, rewarding and addictive experience. [Issue#181, p.81]

A serious contender to the Voxel throne. [Issue#181, p.80]

Fun and frantic, but soon grows tiresome. [Issue#181, p.78]

The most replayable Civ yet, but the AI is a drawback. [Issue#181, p.77]

Solid (if somewhat easy later on) combat mechanics also make up for shortcomings elsewhere, with the stack system presenting some interesting tactical possibilities.

Oh, and there’s a zombie mode. The idea there is that you shoot things that look like how you feel when playing Infinite Warfare.

As a sequel, Titanfall 2 is everything it was supposed to be. By extension, that means it isn’t a game changer; it isn’t as inventive or surprising as its predecessor, but then again, it couldn’t be. Titanfall changed the trajectory of the FPS in a powerful and immediate way, and that success isn’t to be simply re-created but iterated upon dutifully. Despite Respawn’s best efforts, the game’s obvious advancements and its spectacular engagement across multiplayer, Titanfall 2 doesn’t offer the same determined focus and balance that defined its predecessor.

With many games feeling hampered by a desire to try and blend authenticity with sensationalism, Battlefield 1 is a hell of a lot of fun – a visual powerhouse and a fine return to form for DICE that’s sadly hampered by stretches of extreme frustration caused by the studio’s desire to take one step too many into the past.

Too many fruits spoil the broth. [Issue#180, p.85]

An interactive experience unlike any other. [Issue#180, p.48]

A disappointing new step in a declining series. [Issue#180, p.80]

Horizon 3 is the best open world racer in years. [Issue#180, p.76]

The puzzles are intuitive and escalate well, although Uber should have taken more risks with its gameplay to truly standout. [Issue#180, p.48]

It's in desperate need of a rethink in terms of its movement systems. [Issue#180, p.48]

One of those games that will engrain itself in the mind - it's a must-play. [Issue#180, p.48]

As a place to hangout with friends, and cause chaos, it doesn't get much better than SportsBar VR. [Issue#180, p.48]

One of the most inventive uses of VR so far...A unique and entertaining social VR experience. [Issue#180, p.48]

This has little of the charm that make its games so enticing, nor does it offer much in the way of entrancing solitude. [Issue#180, p.48]