A flavourful and inventive 4X full of incredible spells and engaging empire management.

A creative blend of sneaking and shooting that will have squads coming back for more.

Despite its gacha systems, Honkai: Star Rail is an impeccable turn-based RPG with a killer visual style.

A triumph of sinister mood let down by archaic puzzle design.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is an excellent sequel and a fun Star Wars story, but maybe wait for better performance.

A survival colony builder that generates stories of triumph, disaster, and white-knuckle rescues.

Watching your favourite game genres make out sounds exciting, but God of Rock doesn't quite nail it. It leaves a game that feels at odds with itself, sometimes fun to play but mostly frustrating or uninteresting.

A revolutionary tale told with memorable characters, excellent combat, and surprisingly forthright politics.

Dead Island 2 is hampered by dull design choices, repetitive combat, and a painfully weak story, with its only saving grace being its great performance on PC.

Don't be fooled by its drab exterior, Wartales is a deep and richly rewarding exercise in party creation.

An action strategy spinoff that disappoints both genres and misses Minecraft's magic.

An enthralling horror mystery that, outside of its relatively short length, doesn't seem to have suffered at all from the difficult circumstances of its development.

A perfect balance of accessibility and strategic depth, elevated by charming visuals and buckets of personality.

It's a shame that a Last Of Us review has to carry such a low score. It feels like slamming Citizen Kane because its Blu-Ray features aren't up to standard, such is the game's stellar reputation. But the state of the PC version isn't just disappointing or annoying—at the time of writing it's actually a real barrier preventing you from playing the experience properly. There's an all-timer laying dormant behind all the issues, but at present on PC, this one just doesn't click.

So, an expertly crafted space adventure? Yes. One of the best examples of this genre we've ever seen? Also yes, with the caveat that it's a style of game that's been sadly under-represented in recent years. The lack of heavy simulation elements and emphasis on combat makes this a game that's perfect for a quick blast as well as longer play sessions, but it's also a satisfying and, thanks to all the side missions, really quite long adventure that'll keep you looting and shooting through space for up to 90 hours.

The Great War: Western Front is a bleak, conservative attempt to capture the brutal battles of World War I.

The Last Worker's free-flying hovercraft gameplay is inventive, but its most exciting implications are left boxed up.

There's merit in Ravenbound's kinetic combat, but the game's ambition is undermined by technical issues and an empty world.

A small but satisfying strategy puzzler that comes, does its job and leaves without fuss.

Dredge is a fantastically twisted fishing horror full of charm. It snags in parts but still successfully reeled me in from start to finish. A beautifully dreary bite-sized mystery.

A uniquely inventive and chucklesome puzzle game that could do with a little more substance.

One of the best open world games to come along in ages.

A disappointing campaign, and a sandbox rework that shows promise, but feels like it's still some major balance patches away from leaving the game in a good place.

Resident Evil 4 remake is a great game in its own right, but can't hold a candle to the original.

Clash’s brilliantly surreal world is hampered by uncompromising combat and level design.

A slow-paced and overly simplistic take on city building and war waging, but blessed with wholesome looks and a relaxing atmosphere.

Technical issues aside, Wo Long is a master of its craft that future soulslikes should study under.

An exciting concept begging for structural refinements and more meat on its robot bones.

Atomic Heart aims high and, even if it doesn't quite pull it off, is a decent shooter in an exceptionally realised setting.

Company of Heroes 3 is a spectacular RTS that manages to shine even when the main campaign doesn't.

Old-school Yakuza for better or worse, but still a good point of entry for newcomers.

Sublime combat can only do so much to carry a flawed building system, too few monsters and terrible performance.

Demanding but excellent combat and gorgeous visuals sit awkwardly in a half-baked roguelike structure.

Wanted: Dead is an intentionally messy throwback, one that some people are going to adore while others lament. All the AA jank of a PlayStation 3 action game wrapped up in a janky 2023 modern gaming bow.

What could've been a pure moment of celebration for a series that's overdue for a great videogame is complicated by the fact that its success is a win for JK Rowling, and all the bad feelings associated with the desire to play the cool new wizard RPG.

A serious display of sci-fi storytelling talent, even if the production falls short of space age.

While its overbearing narrator robs Season of the wonder and meditation it so clearly aspires to, I still managed to find a little of my own. I just wish its letter to the future was one I got to write, rather than one I only got to carry.

Despite it's killer opening act, Hi-Fi Rush fails to sustain its blend of rhythm and action all the way until the end.

Power Chord’s slick card-slinging combat is weighed down by a gaudy aesthetic and lack of variety.

Industries of Titan starts strong and has some bold ideas, but they just don't really go anywhere.

Forspoken occasionally has small sparks of greatness, but then quickly douses itself in fear of ever being anything other than an upsettingly safe open-world RPG.

A brilliantly energetic and creative platformer that doesn't just do right by its inspiration Wario Land, but actually surpasses it.

The Dead Space remake sets a new standard for the future of the survival horror series⁠, even if it isn't the sequel I've been pining for.

Only for nostalgists and those who love getting lost on spelunking holidays.

Roller Drama is charming but undermined by technical issues and obtuse puzzles.

If you found Slay the Spire's oppressiveness off-putting, Mahokenshi's easier and dressed up in a pretty kimono.

A PSP classic with systems that show age, but P3P's retelling remains a series best for its stylishly eerie world and intimate look at mortality.

Cozy, meandering fun for One Piece fans, but swabbies should set sail from other ports.

The resource management is deep, but the city itself never quite feels like a city.

Lacking the sharpness needed by both shooters and comedy, High on Life is a low point in the gaming calendar.

Dragonflight isn't the most thrilling expansion in the MMO's lineage, but it's a fresh start, which is a rare thing for a 20-year-old videogame to get.

An enticing premise held back by uneven pacing and glaring technical issues.

Some well-judged bold calls in both mechanics and visual direction elevate a familiar arcade racer above NFS's previous monotony.

Though Warhammer 40K: Darktide needs more time to develop, its core gameplay is the best Fatshark has ever created.

Kynseed is gorgeous, fun, and surprisingly impactful. Just don't rush through the prologue.

An excellent remake, prequel, and game in its own right—Crisis Core has it all.

A worthy revision of the legendary settlement sim. Slightly less impenetrable, just as engrossing.

Gory and moody, The Callisto Protocol doesn't mess with the survival horror formula, instead embracing all its beats and clichés to tell a grim sci-fi tale that drips with menace.

Who knew Sid Meier's protégés had a secret, and completely brilliant, Persona game in them?

The heights of Warzone 2’s combat and stunning map design are held down by a rocky launch rife with issues.

Messy, overcomplicated and slow to start, but fun once it picks up speed.

Tense, haunting and beautiful. Inventory shenanigans aside, one of the best survival horror games yet.

Performance and pacing problems mar an otherwise novel and comprehensive survival city builder.

Evil West delivers on its big dumb action game premise, for better and worse.

A totally immersive management experience creaking under the pressure of annual release culture. It needs extra time.

An excellent evolution of its predecessor that, while carrying over some of its weaknesses, has further strengthened its high points.

Goat Simulator 3 neither excels at gif-able joke physics nor at being a structured singleplayer platformer.

Somerville never hits its stride, thanks to flat direction and frustrating mechanics.

While it doesn't fulfil its potential, Flat Eye is an intriguing management sim that's more than the sum of its parts.

A beautiful and beautifully-written narrative game that makes masterful use of its early modern setting. One of Obsidian's finest.

Though slightly tarnished, Tactics Ogre: Reborn is still a tactical RPG jewel.

A fun and engaging RPG with beautiful graphics and a bouncy pace.

After a promising opening, Ghost Song collapses under the weight of its ill-conceived mechanics.

A game that pushes VR’s boundaries. Strange, playful and committed to creativity, but intense if you're new to VR.

LEGO: Bricktales manages to be fun despite some structural shakiness.

Modern Warfare 2 sets a new bar for Call of Duty all over again.

A fitting end to a hilarious trilogy. Frog Detective, you will be missed.

Despite some shallow ancillary systems, Bannerlord is the master of medieval warfare

Vampire Survivors has been an early access sensation, and its full release would be well-worth your time even if it wasn't the price of a large latte.

Gearbox has tried to match the pace and storytelling style of Telltale's Tales from the Borderlands but falls short with a rushed story and uninspiring characters.

Victoria 3's attractive historical sandbox is filled with potential, but it's on you to unlock it.

Dragon Ball: The Breakers is the latest game to cash in on the cat-and-mouse multiplayer boom. Unfortunately, it does so without any of the mechanical depth that makes those games great.

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is an unsatisfying multiplayer experience that lacks the wry character of the movies it's based on.

Gotham Knights attempts to differentiate itself from the Arkham series with new characters and a new canon, but spends most of its length poorly imitating what made those games great.

A challenging and inventive set of mysteries to solve tied together with a brilliant storyline.

Overwatch 2 revitalizes the stagnant hero shooter, but misunderstands what made it great.

Nathan Drake's last outing is still at the top of the action-adventure genre.

Requiem is a masterful sequel and an exceptional action adventure.

Endlessly slick, the battles and story are a joy to play through. No turn-based JRPG feels as good as this.

Underneath the cosy exterior lies a complex, rewarding shopkeeping sim.

Checkpoint woes and a short runtime couldn't keep this body horror sci-fi game from burrowing into my skull.

There's a decent space sim buried within Dual Universe, but you'll need to do a lot of digging to find it.

A masterpiece that will have you soaring like an angel through the depths of hell.

We're in a milsim boom and Isonzo's thrilling, if limiting battlefields fit nicely into it.

A splendid adventure that’s well paced, excellently voiced, and doesn't outstay its welcome.

A simple yet nuanced roguelike packed with interesting decisions, tense fights and lots of digging.

A bland alternative to a genre-defining game millions of people are very familiar with.

Grounded is a delightfully creative and occasionally terrifying survival sandbox.