It’s a satisfying RPG with a steady pace and great gameplay. There are also plenty of sidequests if you want to pursue them, but it’s optional. One thing I really like are the raids which will happen on your little castaway village. These happen throughout the game and you can choose to participate in defending everyone from a monster raid. They’re also good for friendly competition with Dogi, and if there’s one thing I think Ys VIII does really well it’s things like this that keep things from ever getting too serious.

OlliOlli: Switch Stance isn’t going to make you rethink anything you thought about them first time around — but if you thought they were great games back then, this package will serve as a nice reminder that they’re every bit as good as you may remember.

Does that mean you should give Samurai Warriors Chronicles 3 a chance if you've previously written off musou games? Probably not; it's different, but it's not that different. It's also, however, a very, very good musou game that was clearly made to be played on the Vita, which means that if you tried one of the previous handheld entries and weren't impressed, that's not a reason to write this one off, too.

Again, it’d be nice if Justice League: Cosmic Chaos allowed you to play through that story with a friend (or, better still, a son/daughter/niece/nephew just getting into gaming), but even as a solo experience, this is a surprisingly good time.

Sadly, I don’t have a Steam Deck. (Note to self: somehow obtain a Steam Deck.) But I do have Rogue Legacy 2, and I can say that even if it’s not portable on the Xbox, it’s still every bit as fun as it was the first time around.

With AI that is light years ahead of EA Sports, a simulation experience that's second to none, and a fun - if somewhat fickle - online experience with Xbox, the serious hockey gamer should only look at one title this year.

It's a great spin on a tired formula, with some fantastic art design and a quality soundtrack to go along with it. Definitely pick this one up and you won't be disappointed.

With smooth graphics and animations, a true feel for the art of street ball, fantastic controls, and a multiplayer mode that brings out the trash talker in even choirboys make NBA Street a must have for owners of any major console.

If you've ever played solitaire in your life, you'll be able to pick Strike Solitare up incredibly quickly.

Aside from the true graphics engine, Square has gone above and beyond the call of duty with FFVIII's Full Motion Video sequences. The CG's quality is unmatched.

All in all, I really enjoyed Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. While the game had always been on my radar, I still find myself pretty surprised with how fantastic it ended up being.

It probably says as much about its competitors and peers as it does about Cursed Castilla itself that things like fairness and non-sucky controls are considered points in its favour. But given the state of retro-inspired gaming, that’s where we are. Cursed Castilla shows that it’s possible to recreate the vibe of 8- and 16-bit games without making those games feel like a chore to play, and for that, I’m incredibly grateful.

The fact that it costs half of my proposed cost-against-value, it's impossible for me not to recommend any fan of platformers or 2D games to wait any longer to play it.

Given the game’s structure will usually lead to short playthroughs, these short sessions won’t feel that empty and with the amount of unlockables means I’ll be playing for quite the while before all the empty jars in the opening area are filled. With this summer having other similar platformers releasing (La-Mulana 2, Iconoclasts, Chasm, Salt and Sanctuary, Death’s Gambit, and Guacamelee 2), Dead Cells definitely will hold its own and it will be in contention to be one of 2018’s finest.

A nearly perfect conclusion to the Child of Bhaal saga, combining deft storytelling , an intelligent abilities system, and the trademark high quality fans of the series have come to expect into one superlative package.

It takes the absolute best of all worlds – features, gameplay, presentation – and puts them in one game. Someone finally removed the flaws from the best games and made one with all the highlights, and that evolution has produced one of the best first person shooters ever.

Just about my only qualm with Laser Disco Defenders is that aforementioned insane level of difficulty. Normally, that might be a dealbreaker for me, but when the overall package is as enjoyable as this one is, that's a problem I have no issue overlooking.

So whether you’ve played Madden year after year, or have been a hold out since the 2K franchise’s demise, all fans of the pigskin will be happy to hear that this is the Madden to own no matter who you are. Not only is this the best representation of the franchise to date, but is quite possibly the best football title to date.

Awesome. The Sonic Team title has it all – 4 player linkable battle, create-a-stage, create-a-character, and some of the best darn puzzles that ever made it to a portable.

To me, that's the real sign that Organ Trail justifies its existence: it doesn't just repackage its influences and call it a day. Instead, it takes that influence and improves on it — and in the process, proves itself to be a pretty good game in its own right.

If I had to sum this game up in one word...that word would be "WOW!"

The first episode shows a whole lot of promise, and I’m very curious to see how this adventure ends up.

It's faithful, it's intelligent, and most of all, a well-designed trilogy that respectfully stands the test of time from when it premiered.

While adding three playable characters might not sound like much, it was certainly the shot in the arm the series needed. It livens up not only the combat, but the story as well, getting different personalities that aren't the same stoic Kazuma we've grown used to.

With airtight controls, improved defensive and offensive AI, more animations, a deep and rewarding franchise that allows you to actually own a team this season, John Madden football looks to big in a great position to continue their reign as the undisputed champs of video football.

A complete package. It combines some fine storytelling, great presentation values on every level, interesting puzzles, and great platforming to make for a fun ride that doesn’t leave too soon or overstay its welcome.

There’s a dramatic war story and fantastic scenary, and the trademark Ace Combat arcade gameplay is more solid than ever.

LittleBigPlanet for the PSP is certainly the charming, playable LittleBigPlanet that we all know and love. It's an impressive achievement on the PSP, even if the lack of multiplayer and more difficult creation controls hold it back a little in the end. Play, Create & Share on the go!