This trilogy showcases why Shadowrun’s worth remembering. However, narrative ambitions are held back by ageing, limited presentation and mechanics. [Issue#17, p.82]

A sleekly presented, satisfying selection of sorting and stacking puzzles is let down by stressful wobbles. Still, this cat sparks joy more often than not. [Issue#39, p.83]

A throwback platformer that feels innovative rather than derivative, Penny’s world and joyous movement is infectious. You’ll be back for another spin. [Issue#39, p.84]

A new dungeon with some trimmings, only the new boss fight truly impresses. The rest offers some fine though non-essential worldbuilding. [Issue#36, p.77]

Slick, full of things to do, and boasting an admirable level of variety. If you’re okay with multiplayer being the weakest link, then this is an easy recommendation. [Issue#33, p.74]

Fantastic monochrome style and chilling writing makes this a great horror to spend time with, though it struggles to maintain the mood across lots of runs. [Issue#35, p.75]

Drinkbox’s wonderfully daft action RPG is supported by smart systems that ensure you keep mixing characters and abilities while exploring its colourful world. [Issue#14, p.90]

A solid soulslike, with some cool ideas in the combat. Despite a few technical flaws and some less-than-original takes, Asterigos is still worth your time. [Issue#21, p.89]

There’s nonetheless a delight to interacting with this cheery colourful world, including a separate sandbox where you can spawn objects and build to your heart’s content, though it’s the silly but good-natured story that keeps you invested. There’s something amusing about trying earnestly to contribute to society one moment and then deciding to fling it all into the sea the next, safe in the knowledge you can always pull a lever to reset. [Issue#26, p.81]

Literally the old games running under new skin. The Modern controls are dreadful and III is stretched and frustrating, but the first game remains a masterpiece. [Issue#38, p.94]

Optional photo opps for your album keep you curious, and most puzzles are fun to work out while rarely being taxing. Combined with a gorgeous art style, these memories are worth revisiting. [Issue#44, p.89]

Improvements across the board see the FIFA era left behind. Gameplay to sate purists meets fun fantasy elements – like teams featuring men and women. [Issue#33, p.90]

The best gunplay in the series struggles in the face of a poor plot. What you do in the campaign is nicely varied enough, but there’s very little substance. [Issue#21, p.84]

Full of love for the characters, and crunchy to play, you owe it to yourself to give this a go – though the monetisation methods are off-putting. [Issue#18, p.89]

While you can appreciate Boundless Trails’ handheld roots, this is a fun action romp that transcends the platform it was originally created for and delivers an adventure worth undertaking. [Issue#34, p.82]

A bite-sized RPG with a twist on turn-based combat, worth the emotional damage. Smartly written and with a winning personality, this one’s a genuine charmer. [Issue#35, p.89]

Although the effort to make the series fresh and accessible is admirable, it’s backfired. Fans will be disappointed, newbies will wonder what all the fuss is about. [Issue#3, p.144]

The best game in the series in over two decades. Its downsides are minor, making it a wholeheartedly recommendable, classic JRPG experience. [Issue#45, p.80]

Characters you love to be around, a truly thrilling story, and some decent puzzles make for a fun, if perhaps sometimes too frictionless, ride. [Issue#27, p.84]

Good Star Wars vibes quickly begin to feel wasted between stiff platforming, clunky insta-fail stealth, and a crew we just don’t learn to love. [Issue#45, p.76]

A perfectly portioned final course. Just as witty as everything that came before, with plenty more to chew on. Sometimes bigger really is just better. [Issue#15, p.82]

A unique, atmospheric adventure with a character that it’s never less than a joy to control. Wondering feather or not to dive in? We say go for it. [Issue#5, p.90]

While everything is perfectly playable, for a game that absolutely nails the toy’s aesthetic it’s almost remarkable how removed the gameplay feels from the fiery, fast-paced action that has come to embody the brand. Never mind hot, these little wheels are lukewarm at best. [Issue#7, p.90]

Working your way through the world with your miniature army solving these environmental puzzles is a lot of fun, but having to plan exploration around the game’s day/ night survival cycle, lacklustre crafting, and particularly tough enemies dampen that excitement. The Wild At Heart’s beautifully crafted world and spriteling critters are great, but not enough to distract from this fantasy adventure’s other headaches. [Issue#10, p.86]

The novelty of grappling with gravity has never been this fun or challenging. A gorgeous, if demanding, patience-tester that makes every manoeuvre a thrill. [Issue#10, p.80]

A fun brawler that’s peppered with enjoyable over-the-top action sequences and deeply edgy and cheesy writing, which you’ll either love or absolutely hate. [Issue#19, p.97]

More fantastical situations are a plus, but its lofty ambitions get in the way, feeling less tight than the first game. Worth playing, but you’ll have a tougher time. [Issue#20, p.79]

Sable is a great attempt at making an open-world game without combat, but both on a technical level and in scope it comes up against its indie limitations. [Issue#23, p.76]

The premise seems silly, but thought has gone into this chess-shooter mashup. However, difficulty spikes and lack of replayability mean it struggles to hold attention. [Issue#32, p.81]

A rather old-fashioned bike sim that focusses purely on racing beautiful bikes in a solid and smooth game engine. It’s not riotously fun, but the quality’s there. [Issue#32, p.91]

Any story may have been exorcised, but Ghostwire: Tokyo's collection of Japanese mythology, plus the potential for exploration, will spirit you away. [Issue#13, p.82]

Choppy performance aside, while there’s nothing particularly revolutionary here it’s hard to lament a lack of meaningful changes when beating up bad guys still feels this good. [Issue#24, p.75]

Atelier’s roots remain strong. The slight friction still feels fresh, with the structure and brief length drawing you back for one more go-around. [Issue#31, p.76]

The strongest aspect of the game, however, is its storytelling, both in the main narrative and the smaller human stories seeded throughout the world. It may feel familiar if you’ve experienced other titles by creative director Yoko Taro : you can expect macabre character stories and moments that recontextualise the game’s events in dramatic ways. If there’s a reason to tolerate the parts that feel sluggish, it’s the story’s shocking third act and hidden endings, which deliver narrative payoff to the mysteries and moral quandaries you’ve encountered up to that point. This is a slow burn in every sense of the word, but offers a lot for those who stick with it. [Issue#8, p.94]

Despite significant technical and in-play improvements for this PS5 version, much of the game’s core remains unchanged. Quest design and storytelling, though not without their moments on the critical path, too often feel rife with unrealised potential. Cyberpunk 2077’s abrasive personality is still clear as day too, inescapable in its script and blaring out from Night City’s many questionable billboards. If you choose to venture into Night City, we hope you find what you’re looking for. [Issue#12, p.72]

Delivering 1v1000 hack-and-slash goodness, this is a more promising reboot than Dynasty Warriors’ last attempt. It leaves us curious about the series’ future. [Issue#5, p.76]

It’s hard to ignore this spin-off’s squandered potential – or the deafening silence of Midgard. While we have great fun mixing and matching a wealth of combat options, we can’t recommend it based on that single verse when this game boasts an epic poem’s price tag. [Issue#21, p.83]

Adds so many ingredients to the proverbial pot that ultimately you can’t really taste any of them, resulting in a forgettable dish on an already crowded table. [Issue#41, p.88]

Though the game grows on you with time (more like mould than a friendship), so too does the feeling that it lacks what made the originals great. [Issue#39, p.76]

A game like this lives or dies on its script, and the writing is excellent, supported by some great acting. [Issue#10, p.86]

The devil is in the detail in this demonic platformer. It’s worth mastering everything that’s asked of you – side-activities too – to experience everything. [Issue#8, p.92]

The hand-drawn graphics enhance the 7 atmosphere of what is essentially an interactive indie arthouse horror. Not perfect, but far from mundane. [Issue#1, p.79]

All the games here are nicely presented versions of the classics as they stand, without too many frills. [Issue#34, p.82]

An ambitious but often confusing game, further held back by an unsatisfying remaster serving neither old fans nor new adoptees adequately. [Issue#14, p.86]

This all sounds great in theory, but things fall apart somewhat if you ever accidentally stray from the beaten path. The lack of a detailed map, even for areas you’ve already visited, makes navigation more frustrating than fun until you eventually stumble back on the intended route. And as the puzzles grow in scope as you progress, this issue becomes more stark. It’s not what we’d call a dealbreaker, but it’s enough of a nuisance to hold this short yet unique adventure from greatness. [Issue#6, p.81]

The activities are pretty simple, but charming characters accentuated with manga techniques makes your brief time in this Japanese seaside town a memorable one. [Issue#43, p.100]

Trepang2 certainly delivers as a single-player FPS when it comes to loud, bloody action and tactically smart enemies, but it’s a little short on personality and variety. [Issue#34, p.94]

Not as consistently inventive or as funny as we’d like, but still a great physics playground to mess around in and get used to what PSVR2 has to offer. [Issue#25, p.67]

The Mageseeker’s cameos from other League Of Legends characters leave Sylas in their shadow, making this missable for all but the most dedicated lore nerds. [Issue#28, p.85]

Tactica lovingly translates Persona 5 to another format, but once you grasp the basic activity, the lack of variety both in action and story make it drag. [Issue#35, p.87]

With its in-depth, interlocking systems, Rune Factory 4 offers you many hours of entertainment – but not all you can and need to do is equally entertaining. [Issue#10, p.90]

This has much to offer aficionados of a certain era, with conundrums aplenty, multiple endings, and (unfortunately) more than its fair share of frustration. [Issue#29, p.83]

Chock-full of loot boxes and ready to be monetised to within an inch of its life, it’s nonetheless built around a superb and fiendishly playable kart racer. [Issue#28, p.94]

A competent and substantial rally experience, but not quite the stuff of legend. It’s the best of Kylotonn’s offerings, and a decent swansong for its WRC series. [Issue#22, p.91]

A stylish sequel that strikes out on its own and wobbles along in its fashionable shoes. 7 Approachable for devil summoners new to Shin Megami Tensei. [Issue#19, p.84]

On the one hand, the combat systems in this collection remain a joy throughout, but on the other the pacing can feel a bit slow, and there aren’t enough modern additions. [Issue#28, p.92]

Windjammers 2 is shallow, but it’s fun – unless you’re playing alone, then things get old fast. Stick to human opponents though, and you’ll definitely give a disc toss. [Issue#11, p.84]

It’s smooth, fast, and sounds cool, but unquestionably lacks the romance and magic of its muse, which remains gorgeous after 35 years. [Issue#15, p.87]

Charming presentation and snappy golf action. But the roguelike structure can hinder more than help, making fresh runs more gruelling than interesting. [Issue#19, p.91]

Strong dialogue plus naturalistic acting makes the supernatural natural. Short but effective, with a final stretch that makes you reconsider all that’s gone before. [Issue#43, p.90]

The most confident Supermassive horror title to date, boasting buckets of blood and a few bright ideas. But we feel we’ve yet to see the formula’s final form. [Issue#16, p.132]

This is a beautiful game with a clever concept and a wonderful soundtrack, but it’s unambitious in its execution. The story is an obvious metaphor for Izzy’s grief when her gran has a stroke, valuable for young players but too on-the-nose otherwise. There are very few magic words to use, and no real puzzles to speak of. It offers a sweet story clearly geared towards children like its protagonist, but the gameplay doesn’t live up to its potential. [Issue#1, p.88]

A welcoming visual novel for genre fans and newbies alike. While it retreads a similar path to its predecessor, the heartfelt writing is worth the price of admission. [Issue#16, p.148]

It’s a mix of almost on-rails boost-based 3D sections with more classic-feeling 2D fare. The physics in the latter are still rough, with a particularly sticky-feeling jump. But Colors isn’t afraid to slow down for the occasional platform challenge. Each of the six stages in the five worlds is super-quick too, focussed on one core idea through each one. More often than not, Colors is a blast (though the meandering ending is awful). [Issue#6, p.88]

Nice retro-modern visuals can’t prevent this bitesize action RPG from the bloat of tedious filler, making Rising a weak appetiser for the forthcoming Hundred Heroes. [Issue#16, p.152]

A frantic, chaotic, visually splendid shooter that plays like it came from the mid-’90s. It can be overwhelming, but when the bosses go down, you’ll feel immense. [Issue#44, p.94]

Lana might be pretty but there isn’t much going on under the surface. Play Inside, Celeste, or the criminally underplayed The Last Guardian instead. [Issue#41, p.85]

The writing and the design butt heads a little too often, resulting in an expansion that keeps getting in its own way. There is gold; just not enough. [Issue#43, p.98]

Odd but alluring in the same way as its source material, Odyssey puts its best foot forward then stumbles. A fun, if slow, RPG take on the anime. [Issue#24, p.78]

Designed specifically to be played as part of an effective team, Rainbow Six Extraction is good fun like this, and undeniably less fun played any other way. [Issue#11, p.80]

Much more than a shooting gallery, Chorus is an enjoyable adventure that stumbles a bit over its own design. Come for a singalong – you’ll soon know the words. [Issue#10, p.88]

Although some rough edges make the early access status clear, it’s already a fast-paced and highly competitive bundle of fun that can only get better from here.[Issue#5, p.92]

Unoriginal but perfect for family gaming, with a child-friendly exterior concealing old-school arcade fun and tough higher tiers of challenge for experts. [Issue#29, p.79]

The performance upgrades make this a fantastic way to experience Skyrim for the first time, but slim content additions won’t enamour returning players. [Issue#9, p.76]

It may lack punch but its satisfying driving and laid-back exploration are ideal if you’re looking for a soothing adventure. Perfect for treasure hunt lovers. [Issue#46, p.93]

A larger, varied zombie shooter sequel with an emotionally resonant story about a man and his dog, but equipment frustrations mean it’s short of VR greatness. [Issue#36, p.74]

While not quite hitting the series high of Modern Warfare, Vanguard is Call Of Duty as it should be: fast, satisfying, and always calling you back for more. [Issue#10, p.92]

Though it lacks invention, the solid narrative approach and satisfying endgame ensures Outriders escapes the repetitive trappings of the loot shooter genre. [Issue#1, p.72]

Tweaks across the series improve on how each ability can be used, and Crysis 3 is a visual *chef’s kiss*. They all, however, fall apart in the final third and that none of these remasters offer online multiplayer is a crime – and oddly, for a game built on freedom, restrictive. [Issue#8, p.90]

What we saw as we sailed by was delightful, but not quite enough to make us want to drop anchor for long. Chart for exploration at your own discretion. [Issue#2, p.82]

Shadows Of Rose isn’t quite a must-play, but it will make you squeal. Some of the series’ most inventive spooks are here, though inevitably in moderation. [Issue#22, p.90]

A snappy length means the horror of The Bunker’s pitch-black darkness and wandering monster mostly don’t overstay their welcome. [Issue#29, p.84]

Does exactly what it sets out to do – deliver a worthy new R-Type – very well, yet a little more ambition (and accessibility) could have gone a long way. [Issue#2, p.87]

It turns out this town is big enough for the two of Weird and West. It’s a combo that makes for a tough but fair, fun, and memorable game. [Issue#14, p.88]

Moving around the map drains your sanity, and running out leaves you open to all sorts of nasty situations. We see party members abandon the undertaking, contract scurvy, and even turn to cannibalism. At least the donkey doesn’t leave us. This is a spirited, challenging, unpredictable scavenger hunt. Succeed or fail, you’ll have quite the tale to take back home. [Issue#13, p.79]

Despite some glaring issues, Sword And Fairy: Together Forever’s likeable cast and fun story makes this action RPG a good entry point into Chinese wuxia fantasy. [Issue#19, p.78]

It’s nice to be able to investigate at street level, but there’s not much there. Buildings are empty, some textures are PS1 quality, and family names are repeated almost as often as advertising boards. A bit more love on the writing side of things would have made a huge difference as there’s lots of opportunity for humour. This, and more clarity on exactly what holds population growth back, could have made a good game great. [Issue#26, p.87]

Just as solid as when it first took horror streamers by storm, now with added content so you can play in the certainty you still haven’t seen every scare. [Issue#45, p.91]

Mixing Dark Souls with Monster Hunter all in 2D sounds like it shouldn’t work. And it 6 doesn’t. This evolution doesn’t shine as brightly as the original. [Issue#16, p.142]

Definitely an acquired taste. It takes a while to make sense of, but once it clicks, it becomes a trippy arcade shooter that gets right inside your head. [Issue#38, p.97]

Neat zombie bashing mechanics are woefully under-served as it loses its way more with each hour, making the shiny hyper-violence yawnworthy by the end. [Issue#27, p.68]

The best entry in the series so far, cursed with uneven storytelling and rare yet unmissable technical issues. Despite these flaws, Yara is well worth a visit. [Issue#7, p.70]

Satisfying tactile crafting and combat systems, made all the better by PSVR2. Rekindled is a prehistoric survival adventure you can fully immerse yourself in. [Issue#26, p.80]

This WW2-set XCOM-a-like is a really pleasant surprise and a massively confident first title from its developers. Let’s hope we see a lot more from this studio. [Issue#39, p.78]

Neither particularly exciting nor even safe, Superstars’ greatest Sonic sin is being really quite boring, and not very suited to multiplayer antics at all. [Issue#34, p.70]

Excellent tracking and tactile controls makes this an easy, swashbuckling adventure to get lost in, even if that’s mostly all it delivers. Far away? Far out. [Issue#25, p.68]

Almost ten years on from its original release, All-Star Battle may well be the definitive JJBA game to play if you want to feast on all the series has to offer. From tweaking taunt animations to an in-depth glossary and illustration archive, it’s as much a fan package as a fighter. Though that’s almost a shame, as we yearn for something truly new to challenge this upgraded enemy Stand user from our past. [Issue#20, p.75]

For a puzzler like this, some sections are surprisingly freeform when it comes to the route you can take to progress (occasionally this confuses the button that shows your objective, though). At times it feels like this freedom chafes with the potential for great puzzle design, like a level where you’re navigating by sparse light and few shadows, while cracks of lightning shift them dramatically… though it’s almost a non-factor as a navigational challenge. Even at only a couple of hours long, it can feel overstretched, but it’s well worth jumping into even so. [Issue#44, p.89]