The way you can tell a critic liked a game is whether or not they’ll go back to it on their own accord when their review is finished. That is exactly what I’m doing with Yakuza Kiwami 2. It fixes some of the most glaring problems the first Kiwami had and that gives us one of the best Yakuza games on PC. There’s plenty of games to play, dudes to fight and people to help, and it almost never feels wasteful. If you crave an honest-to-god open world without the obnoxious filler of similar games, Kiwami 2 is wonderful for any sandbox aficionado.

Gemini Rue is a truly great adventure game, with its clever mix of puzzles, logic and action, marred only by a convoluted aura.

A willingness to refine its trademark depth and realism with advanced features has provided enough of a leap for those of you well-versed in the game, and the excellent training Academy and on-screen indicators provide a crucial link for everybody else to get to grips.

Stray is at its best when it lets you do the things you’d expect from a cat – sleeping on cozy pillows, meowing, or scratching sofas – but fails to build consistently compelling gameplay around these flavorful bits. Although it creates a believable world, I found it hard to connect with the robots you encounter across its forgotten city, making the game’s admittedly grand climax feel hollow…There’s plenty of attention to detail going into certain areas, but once the credits rolled, I was disappointed to see the cat I played as was just a vessel through which I experienced someone else’s story…Stray works and runs smoothly but is ultimately a fairly inoffensive game with a handful of special moments, that also happens to have a cat as its leading character. You can do much worse, but you can also do much better.

A Plague Tale: Requiem's trump card is the variety of gameplay sequences between which it alternates. At its best, it spices up the original's stealth action-adventure formula with new ways of eliminating foes or holding rats at bay. At its worst, it has you slogging through tedious or frustrating stealth sections. This is a sequel that's bigger, longer, and worth playing if you're invested in Amicia and Hugo's story. But while it successfully avoids repetition, a lack of truly interesting gameplay mechanics alongside disappointing optimization that makes controlling Amicia feel unnecessarily clunky at times hamper the overall experience at launch.

A great Viking game, but as far from a true Assassin’s Creed game as there could ever be.

Aptly named, Blur tries to unclear the line between kart and sim, but in the process may leave many racing enthusiasts of both sorts uncomfortable.

A wonderful last hurrah though, as expansions go. With the new ships and tech, the internal divisions along with everything else, there's hundreds more hours of fun to eek out of this game.

NBA 2K11 is undeniably the best game in the series yet, pushing forward just enough without leaving behind the fans who fell in love with this version of NBA in the first place.

Despite a few annoyances, Darksiders still manages to coax you in with it's scale and scope, proving to be a uniquely enjoyable and involving hack and slash title well worth spending time with.

Cooperative play done right!

A much-needed expansion that sures up the shallowness of the empire building and management. Utopia adds great depth and new layers of progression that make building your interstellar empire a much more unique and enjoyable experience.

Cult of the Lamb is memorable for more than just this silliness, though. While the combat falls short after extended play, developers Massive Monster must be commended for a brilliant blend of ludicrous violence and cuteness that stands tall as one of 2022’s best games.

In mechanics though, the game soars, offering awesome new takes on systems that made the original TTT title a must-have PS2 classic whilst also adding a modern flair and polish that makes it a stellar example that fighting games don't have to all be about gaining extended revenue through costume and character DLC - it can be about packing in a great suite of impressive features from the word go.

Space Marine 2 is an old-fashioned triumph that eschews modern trends and vapid bloat in exchange for relentless, gory action and a fully-featured Warhammer 40K package that’s presented in gorgeous fashion.

Despite a bitch-slap of an ending (setting it up for a sequel no doubt), there's some really great moments in this game.

If you like the series, or enjoy games like Dead or Alive, then this new addition is something that you may enjoy. On the flip side however, the fact that it's very similar to these games might mean that it's not worth the extra cash.

Although notably lacking in enthusiasm for its PC platform, Joe Danger makes an excellent debut on Windows, with enough content to keep you entertained for months.

It takes a while to get going; unlike the very best titles in its genre, it doesn't present complex information to the player in a concise and understandable way, which means it can sometimes be a frustrating experience for new players.

Succeeds and amazes in some areas but almost horridly trips and stumbles along in others. Still I find myself liking the game and am willing to overlook its potholes.

The story falters towards the end, and the fact that the game is so short is the biggest bummer of all. Regardless, it’s a great game that will be remembered for a long time coming.

This could have been a great game, so it's a shame certain things are holding it back - still, it's addictive, interesting, highly enjoyable, and so credit where credit's due.

I didn't bother to mention how amazing the '70s neon cel-shaded graphics are or how spot-on the voice acting is since you should be taking them for granted from Telltale now, but combined with everything else The Wolf Among Us is shaping up to be potentially Telltale's strongest series

Flight Control HD may be a little short on content, but it's still one of the best downloadable Move games available right now.

If you can get over the relative tedium of the dungeons you'll be trawling through, there's a deep indie RPG adventure here. Certainly it's good enough to recommend to old codgers who remember the likes of Eye of the Beholder or Lands of Lore.

A minor gripe would be that the content is a little short, but as this is intended to be another episode for the series, it’s not a serious gripe. A nice taster without being a waste of time, a great introduction to social games without the pressure of eight-player ability fuelled mayhem, and an enjoyable adventure for experienced thinkers and friends alike. Plus, pirates! Try it.

An incredibly welcome breath of fresh air. Never underestimate the simple need to let loose and cause some mayhem, and the skill shot system is exceptionally done.

Battlefield 6 triumphs as an old-fashioned, polished all-you-can-eat of multiplayer chaos, hitting the ground running instead of limping. Its single-player campaign is a waste of many studios’ time and manpower though.