Gunborg: Dark Matters excels with engaging gameplay, approachable difficulty buildup, and a wonderful visual style. The game is unfortunately all too brief and doesn't get the kind of time it deserves to truly bloom. Equally so, Gunborg places itself well high in the chaff of the side-scrolling genre, even though it doesn't quite reach the same full excellence as the greats.

Saltsea Chronicles is a great point and click adventure game that does a fantastic job at capturing the spirit of the classic genre. An intriguing story with an endearing cast of characters does a great job at encouraging players to experiment and explore the various interactions that are open to them. The ambition of this scope occasionally leads to some cracks but these are generally fleeting moments of annoyance in a game that was otherwise a quaint and comfortable experience throughout. Saltsea Chronicles was a refreshing excercise in a game that encourages taking your time with the story you are given, rather than a rollercoaster from setpiece to setpiece.

Teardown is superb. The perfect mix of creative gameplay, sandbox destruction and a rewarding gameplay loop add up to something truly special. I could not put it down, as I was constantly thinking about how to complete each objective and it let my creative juices flow. Teardown is one of my favourite games this year and is truly unique in an increasingly repetitive medium.

At its best, RetroRealms: Double Feature makes me reminiscent of 2D platforming greats like Shovel Knight - and at its worst, it's a frustrating and less-interesting platformer than what is available to 2D fans today. The difference lies in whether or not you pick the right games to buy, with only two out of four really standing out. And even then, it all works a lot better if you're a horror fan. If you're just looking for a good platforming time, your time might be better spent at a different haunt.

At its best, RetroRealms: Double Feature makes me reminiscent of 2D platforming greats like Shovel Knight - and at its worst, it's a frustrating and less-interesting platformer than what is available to 2D fans today. The difference lies in whether or not you pick the right games to buy, with only two out of four really standing out. And even then, it all works a lot better if you're a horror fan. If you're just looking for a good platforming time, your time might be better spent at a different haunt.

Slightly clunky platforming and inconsistent visual presentation isn't enough to meaningfully detract from one of the most emotionally affecting and innovative action platformers on the market. If you enjoyed the likes of Inside and Limbo, you'll love The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories.

Not every idea in Nightreign lands cleanly, but its willingness to push Elden Ring’s mechanics into unfamiliar territory is admirable. It’s a game made for a specific kind of player—those who crave a punishingly difficult challenge. If that’s you, this detour is worth the journey.

Starfield plays as you would expect an RPG to play in the sense that the inputs do what you want them to do. Performance also works well enough, particularly for a Bethesda game. Odds are, however, that you won't want to play for very long anyway. In this game, you get nothing but residual information about the world around you and humdrum experiences for you to play. Even in Dark Souls, you receive a challenge that faces you head on and you get rewards for surmounting that challenge. Whether it's the plot or the gameplay, Starfield puts any interest you may have on the back burner for something much more mundane to take its place.

MLB The Show 22 stumbles for the first time in recent memory. This is understandable with San Diego Studios' ambitious goal of releasing the game on five platforms if we count the last generation consoles. Nevertheless, The Show 22 is still the best baseball sim you can buy and one I can't put down. From the attention to detail to the number of different game modes you can play through, The Show 22 continues to improve on last year's game, even though it's not to the degree we are used to. If you're a baseball fan, I cannot recommend MLB The Show 22 more.

Minor shortcomings aside, Elite Dangerous delivers with aplomb on its promise of a massive galaxy for players to explore and write their own stories within. There are very few games on PS4 that will devour your social life as completely as Elite Dangerous.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX is the best HD collection yet produced, a passion-fueled love letter to patient fans, and a visually arresting introduction to characters, worlds, and gameplay that deserve every beautiful pixel.

Starhawk gives new life to the very generic online shooter genre by requiring careful teamwork in this Build & Battle combat system. Don't expect much from the single-player adventure, but get ready to enjoy a truly exhilarating online experience.

Trail and error approach can frustrate, but Puddle's attractive aesthetic and increasingly difficult challenges make it one of Vita's top puzzlers.

Iron From Ice could have been The Walking Dead in a Westeros winter coat, yet it is a fresh and faithful addition to the Game of Thrones universe. The story, is of course, as well written and compelling as we’ve come to expect of Telltale, but it’s the frantic decision-making that makes this latest series another hit in the making.

Mega Man 9 is a great game with a huge amount of old-school appeal. Unfortunately, it is unlikely to resonate with everyone, primarily due to its excruciating difficulty.

Though structurally identical to the previous Capcom Arcade Stadium collection of retro goodies, Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium nonetheless remains an easy recommendation thanks to its assemblage of still enjoyable and well emulated classics that are given the sort of love and sheen that each has long deserved.

My Dog Zorro has knocked it out of the park with this deceptively simple and deep puzzler, and I can’t wait for what they’ve got in store for us next. It’s easy to overlook title like this with so much amazing AAA-fare going around like NieR: Automata and Horizon: Zero Dawn, but make no mistake: Linelight is not to be missed.

Life Is Strange 2 Episode 4: Faith brings back all the feels of the first episode in this compelling instalment that introduces you to the boys' mother and an evil cult that wants to exploit Daniel’s powers. Despite its short length, Faith does an excellent job in preparing for a phenomenal conclusion of the series.

Refining and building on what came before, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is a wholesale improvement from the original game. From casual multiplayer mayhem to a surprisingly robust single-player offering, effort has been poured into every facet of this title to deliver a memorable time that will absolutely be appreciated by fans and non-fans alike.

Visually astounding with a weighty handling model and some super clever design, Need for Speed Unbound is easily the best Need for Speed in years. Though the single-player story campaign is a little less inspiring than it needs to be both in terms of its plot and content, Need for Speed Unbound nonetheless sets a resoundingly solid foundation for the Need for Speed franchise to evolve into the future and is essential for fans of both the series and the street racing genre at large.

Back 4 Blood stands as a new standard in co-op shooters. With vibrant, intricate level design, solid gunplay, and intense moments brought on by a variety of dizzying enemy types balanced through a deep card system, it stands as a great achievement. The difficulty wall is annoying and other in game choices feel odd, to say the least, but that doesn't stop you from having an absolute blast, especially playing with friends.

A high quality re-package that gives series newcomers the best bang for their buck while remaining lots of fun for competitive and casual gamers alike. Still, the Ultimate edition perks aren't substantial incentive for current Dead or Alive 5 owners.

Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 remains a superb fighter, and one that is at the peak of its power in terms of performance. Beyond that there’s nothing much for the pre-existing audience, but anyone curious about the series heading into next year’s Marvel vs Capcom Infinite may well be tempted to start here.

Boasting a wealth of challenge and a litany of well considered changes, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 feels like a Grandmasters Tour of series architect Toru Iwatani’s magnum opus. Accessible and compelling, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is one of the finest arcade games you can buy on PS4.

A solid ending to the powerful Life is Strange prequel series, Hell is Empty delivers all the emotional beats that you would expect as Chloe and Rachel’s adventures come to a close.

When Street Fighter V is at its best, it's untouchable. A fantastic fighter with layer upon layer of depth. At its worst, it feels hollow and cheap. A work in progress that hasn't quite managed to complete the parts that are there.

For $3.99, how can you afford not to find out why over 50 million people have downloaded Angry Birds?

If you're looking for an action RPG with a sophisticated martial arts slant that unfolds in a fantastical alien world with a driving central narrative that invests you in the key protagonists with ease, then Clash: Artifacts of Chaos is absolutely deserving of your attention.