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]

Everyone enjoys a tropey anime from time to time but Dyschronia pushes its luck. Familiar beats gain a new lease of life in VR, but it can’t keep its head above water. [Issue#31, p.84]

It’s not often that games are genuinely too short, but Neurodiver is over before any of its ideas or characters can develop, making it oddly dissatisfying. [Issue#42, p.96]

An interesting curio from Japan that’s too short and shallow to carry any real weight today, though it hasn’t aged at all badly considering it’s from 1992. [Issue#42, p.97]

Lacklustre if played solo, but if you can reliably scrape together a squad of friends for online play the budget asking price isn’t a complete robbery. [Issue#30, p.88]

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]

Altair Breaker’s replay value leans heavily on weapons looted from chests and the joy of seeing numbers go up, but these things can’t take the weight, and so the game falls with great force onto its blankly staring face. It’s not bad, but it’s certainly not good. If you want to pretend to hit robots with a sword and get some light upper body exercise, then great, this will do the job, but don’t expect much more than that. [Issue#26, p.87]

The gap between what Lightfall promised to deliver, and what it has actually provided, is unacceptably wide. There’s plenty to do, but you’ve done most of it before. [Issue#26, p.78]

Being able to use sheep as transportation across rolling fields is a real highlight – however, hearing ‘Yeah, Baby!’ every single time you boost your fluffy friend will haunt you in your dreams. [Issue#8, p.94]

Some extra touches, such as camera repositioning and a cheat menu, are nice, but this trip down memory lane has lost some of its charm. There’s no doubt the foundations of a great platformer are here, but after three decades Zool’s ninja skills aren’t as sharp as they were. [Issue#28, p.84]

All of this could be pretty much forgiven if the game offered a quick dose of eccentric JRPG fun, but our biggest issue is with the pacing. Elements outstay their welcome before even getting anywhere. The narrative (with frequently bloated dialogue) is painfully slow, and even its Imaginary Chain battle gimmick2 drags. While the idea of previewing your characters’ moves and shuffling them around so they interact like layering tracks in an audio mixer is thematically on point and great in theory, you’ll probably find yourself mashing (X) or using auto-battle just to save some time. You can teach an old musician new songs, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be a hit. [Issue#8, p.90]

The premise (a WW2 FPS with an interest in realism and a limited HUD) is sound. But snipers have an unreasonable advantage over every other unit, and while communication is important to the experience, there’s no decent alternative to voice chat (which almost nobody uses). For a large-scale WW2 shooter, try Enlisted instead – it’s more fun and is free to play. [Issue#8, p.97]

COH3 plays out not with a bang, nor a whimper, but with an indifferent shrug. There’s very little spark for something with so many explosions. [Issue#29, p.88]

Fairly fun writing and shooting let down by almost everything else. This is merely a live service treadmill looking for a reason to exist that doesn’t yet satisfy. [Issue#38, p.70]

In terms of visuals and tone, Frogun is a delightful tribute to PS1-era platformers, but a clunky core mechanic makes this upbeat adventure fall flat. [Issue#18, p.78]

There’s fun here, and you can maybe add a point if you got this for ‘free’ on PS Plus. May be worth checking on later, when hopefully it’s scrubbed up a bit. [Issue#38, p.98]

There’s some enjoyable fast-food gaming in here, but it’s buried beneath a painfully unfunny script and unambitious mission design. This ET should go home. [Issue#19, p.80]

Dusk Diver 2 offers the idea of cool systems and a fun combat system, but never really delivers on it, despite some wonderful waifus and husbandos. [Issue#19, p.90]

The concept of a melee-focused battle royale has promise but in such a competitive genre Rumbleverse pulls too many punches to survive in the ring for long. [Issue#19, p.98]

he character creator still shines, but frustrating mission design and a disappointing plot make this reboot difficult to recommend. Far more sinner than saint. [Issue#19, p.92]

Thymesia makes us feel like the soulslike genre is completely played out already. A poor and needless Bloodborne substitute. No substance, little style. [Issue#19, p.81]

One of the most generic open-world racers ever made. Add in server issues, uneven AI difficulty, level grinding, and visual woes and there’s very little to love.[Issue#46, p.84]

Ultimately this lacks variety and depth, despite the cute idea. [Issue#2, p.73]

It’s a shame, because Wonder Boy is fantastic to look at, and the original soundtrack is sweepingly sumptuous. This title opens up a dialogue as to whether these games should mechanically look to the past, or partly adapt to modern gaming conventions in order to make for a more pleasing experience. [Issue#2, p.83]

Altogether, this is not just a keenly disappointing full-price PS5 exclusive, it’s also particularly discouraging as a female-fronted production with a story focused on the magic of relationships between women, and a rare triple-A game with a Black lead. Its message is almost entirely lost in the pyroclastic flow of missteps and missed opportunities. [Issue#25, p.78]

Kamiwaza just isn’t interesting. What was fun in 2006 feels shallow and dated now. Stealth fans might get a kick out of it but with a high price and bare-bones remaster, we’d struggle to recommend this. [Issue#21, p.88]

Gungrave anime fans might be able to crowbar some fun out of this, but we strongly recommend that they don’t even try. Destined to become dead and buried. [Issue#22, p.86]

While Jay and Silent Bob diehards may get some enjoyment out of this, possibly with the aid of certain cigarettes, most people will struggle to do so. It’s often difficult and frustrating, more down to a rigid determination to mimic 30-year-old game design than by intention. Even when things are going smoothly, it’s all too simplistic to have much fun with. It’s memorable for the wrong reasons. [Issue#3, p.127]