Returnal masterfully makes use of the technical possibilities of the PS5 and succeeds in creating an immersive gaming experience that has rarely been seen before. The end result is a rock-solid game that is not for the faint-hearted, but has raised the bar just that little bit higher for all the games to come.

He lands in theaters next year, with a movie of his own. But until then, Super Mario continues to reign supreme on the Nintendo. 'Sparks of hope' is yet another game centered around the world's most famous plumber. Just a shame that the piping shows more wear and tear than in the previous game.

It is a good game, but also a game that occasionally falters and makes it painfully clear that the Switch is now the gaming equivalent of an old-timer car. Nevertheless, the graphical style masterfully disguises the Switch's technical shortcomings. The music is also incredibly good. And this game is everything its predecessor was and better. With Echoes of Wisdom, you get to play a kick-ass sequel to the previous “classic” Zelda game: Link's awakening. But that's what it is: a sequel.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a textbook example of what a sequel should be. Bigger, better and flashier than its predecessor. The action will titillate any gaming Star Wars-fan and so will the excellent (Star Wars) story. Yet the enthralling Jedi fantasy this game offers is sometimes bogged down by lackluster performance.

In this brand-new adventure, you step into the shoes of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael or Michelangelo, sensei Splinter or reporter April O'Neil and must save the world from the main villain Shredder. You do this entirely in the style of the beat 'em ups of yesteryear. It is a brawling game with wonderfully pixelated retro graphics and a pumping soundtrack, in which just about all the locations, characters and enemies of the past pass by in rapid succession.

Besides the player group that you can put together yourself at one of the 127 clubs and the tactical instructions that you give to your team, there are now also meetings, pep talks and press conferences that require your input. Unfortunately, this is done in such a crooked Dutch that it is disturbing. This is also about the only reason why this niche game does not receive an absolute top score.

Admittedly, ideally we wouldn't write this review. Blue prince is a game best experienced without any prior knowledge. Unfortunately, we don't get paid for blank pages, and honestly: this is a masterpiece we can't and won't shut up about. Underneath the seemingly simple concept lies one of the most intriguing, clever, surprising, frustrating but at the same time best games of recent months.

It’s been a long time since we attended university. When our parents asked what we did when we were supposed to have been studying, we always replied by saying we were making a statistical analysis of To Madeira and Tsigalko. Little did they know they were cult players in the addictive first versions of Football manager.

Kirby and the forgotten land' is a shot of pure fun. A dose of merriment that can thaw even the most soured heart. It is a moment of carefree enjoyment, perhaps a little too carefree thanks to the low difficulty.

Shin Megami Tensei V is not for the lazy gamer. Although you are bombarded with information and grand ideas at the beginning, the story is slow to get going after that. The game is also extremely difficult. A person would give up for less. But those who persevere will be surprised by one of the most intense experiences the Switch has to offer.

‘F1 2021’ builds on the solid foundation of its predecessors and has retained their strengths. The sense of speed is phenomenal, and thanks to the many driving aids, both a beginner, a seasoned simulation racer and everyone in between will find plenty of challenge on the track. The game also takes advantage of the powerful hardware of the latest Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X, thereby also eliminating one of its biggest shortcomings: the miserably long loading times between races are a thing of the past.

The fighting system of Guilty Gear Strive requires tactics and precision, and the solid soundtrack full of roaring guitars supports the epic battles. What we liked most about this fine fighting game is the distinctive graphic style of the cutscenes that is carried through into the game, making you feel as if you are playing the lead role in a great anime.

Warner Bros. announced this game with much fanfare a long time ago, but Hogwarts Legacy lives up to all expectations. You can lose yourself for hours in the world where years later Harry Potter will also have his adventures. If we could take two weeks off just for this game, we would do it in a heartbeat. Hogwarts Legacy has us spellbound and we never want to go back to the Muggle world.

Resident Evil: Village suffers from the same defect as many horror films: after a while we dare to open our eyes, the chips and coke are finished and we wait somewhat bored for the end of the film. So too in Village. As soon as the novelty wears off, the game deteriorates into a kind of slaughterfest that even reminded us a bit of Call of Duty. The tone of the game also changes. Moments of campy horror/humor are interspersed with scenes that are as much seriousness as blood. It seems a bit as if the creators didn't know which way they wanted to go and just took all sides at once. That's a shame for a game in a series that is already a quarter of a century old. These moments are not bad, but the contrast with Village's best bits is huge. Because when everything clicks together, it just crackles.

News Tower is an original addition to the management genre, full of atmosphere and surprisingly addictive. Dutch developer Sparrow Night has made a clever debut with this game. Be prepared for some red numbers in the beginning, because the entry threshold is quite high. Apparently, it's not as easy as we thought to create a high-quality, profitable newspaper. Respect for our bosses.

Is it worth spending your hard-earned money on a DLC? In case of Dead Cells: Fatal Falls, the answer is a resounding yes. You get new levels, new weapons and new enemies in this more than decent expansion of an already great game.

Visually, everything looks top notch, the environments are stunning and the accompanying heavy metal adds another layer of hell. Although there is also sad news: you cannot play against others. Fortunately, this is not a huge loss, as the campaign lasts more than 20 hours and there is a lot of variety. You can even fly on dragons - though we think those are the weakest parts of the game. The game also feels different from the 2016 reboot and Doom Eternal: the environments are wider and you're a little less mobile. We can imagine that some fans might be turned off by that, but not us: Doom: The Dark Ages is a lovingly made game with a lot of new elements, and we can heartily recommend it for anyone who wants to fight demons from time to time.

Describing Persona 5 as brilliant is not even an exaggeration. The 2016 Japanese game won just about everything there was to win, and is considered one of the best role-playing games ever made. ‘Strikers’ is not simply an expansion that offers more of the same, but a standalone game that adds a new and distinct battle system where the focus is more on action than tactics.

A shooting game, but kid-friendly and, above all, rock-solid. Those last two adjectives have been Nintendo's USP since the late 1980s, and Splatoon 3 is brimming with that DNA. A breath of fresh air for those tired of the Call of duty's and Overwatches of this world for a while.

Battlefield 6 means a bit of a return to basics. The code word for its predecessor, Battlefield 2042, was ‘big’, but the latest installment is more intimate—as far as that's possible in a world war. Whereas Battlefield 2042 was solely a multiplayer game with no fewer than 128 players at a time, Battlefield 6 usually has 64 players competing against each other in the many different modes. The campaign also makes a comeback. This high-stakes power struggle plays out like a blockbuster movie, complete with explosions, cliffhangers, and a rousing soundtrack that amplifies the epic battle of your elite unit. We still have to wait a little over a month for the latest Call of Duty, but as far as we're concerned, Battlefield 6 currently has more than a few advantages.

A decent game, but as memorable as its successor - 2017's brilliant NieR: Automata - NieR Replicant is not. The captivating story and the creative use of camera angles that allows different game genres to blend seamlessly show its potential, but the game cannot hide the fact that it is already more than a decade old.

It sounds ridiculous. And maybe it is. But the first ten minutes of Stray broke our heart. We’re a soft-boiled egg when it comes to animals, even when they're completely fictional. A cat who loses his friends and then gets hurt? Enough for an intense feeling of sadness and pity. It is not the challenge, but the experience that is key in this game. You really play Stray for the atmosphere. And that's exactly right.

The game looks like crap, is absurd at times and essentially shitty. And yet, we had a great time with indie game Betrayal at Club Low. Don't expect flashy action, but pointed dialogue and a whole lot of absurdity. Or how about characters who rise to the sky like a rocket with both middle fingers in the air when you've convinced them to give up their seats? After about two hours of this nonsense, you reach the end, but there are multiple possible outcomes that invite you to play again and again. With the funky beats of the soundtrack, this is by no means a punishment.

The space epic, in which you could imagine yourself in Star Wars, Firefly or Dune, is one of the most hyped games of the year but it also lives up to the sky-high expectations. The scale, the freedom and the possibilities in the game are almost unprecedented. It's hard enough to excel at any of these components, let alone do it all well and combine it into one rock-solid game, the best Xbox game in years.

A gripping story, beautiful landscapes and convincing characters. Life is Strange: True Colors looks very promising, but still this game could not fully convince us due to the slow pace and sluggish dialogues.

Rest assured: this museum never gets boring or stuffy. Like its predecessors, Two Point Museum does not take itself too seriously, and is full of corky humor and absurd mayhem. After Hospital and Campus, Museum takes the Two Point series to new heights. It is not only original and funny, but at the same time a fine, strategic management game.

You are catapulted from the top of the food chain to the bottom, and giant ants and spiders simply look horrifying. Although in "Grounded" it does not result in horror, but in an exciting and smoothly playing adventure game in which, thanks to your ingenuity, you must survive long enough to figure out how to get big again.

It's remarkable how much a game series that largely revolves around creatures evolving has little concern for change. For 25 years, the concept of Pokémon games has been virtually unchanged. But then there's Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which breaks with tradition. Hopefully, in doing so, it lays the foundation for the next generation of Pokémon titles. Because after playing Pokémon Legends: Arceus, we don’t want to go back.