Turn 10’s 8th kick at the Forza Motorsport can should have plenty of appeal to gearheads looking for a photorealistic, physically accurate simulation of high speed racing. And since it’s included with Xbox Game Pass, there’s no reason for subscribers not to take it for a test spin.

It may be comparatively short, but it begins and ends with an emotional bang and stuffs the second half full of surprises and gut-wrenching choices, all while setting the stage for a climactic finale poised to deliver revenge, war with those despicable Whitehills, and – for better or worse – some sort of resolution.

I think there’s an amazing amount of fidelity and love shown here to the source, and it’s one of the few adaptations of the material that seems to specifically get what made the 1979 film special. It’s certainly better than the atrocity that was last year’s Aliens: Colonial Marines. It’s just that it overstays it’s welcome a bit. A lot.

Sometimes all a person wants is a way to forget about the rest of the world while mindlessly ripping mancubuses to bloody shreds. In this modest ambition, and others, Doom Eternal succeeds sparklingly.

So to experience all the good of Deathloop you need also suck it up and suffer a bit of bad. Nothing too stinky, just enough to make you intermittently wrinkle your nose. But it’s worth it. Arkane’s newest isn’t perfect, but I suspect it will end up one of the most memorable games of 2021 simply because it’s so unlike everything out there at the moment. In a season of sequels and various licensed properties, it’s a treat to get to play something as original and unexpected as this.

It’s a member of a relatively rare breed of games the primary appeal of which is comedy. And in an industry slowly drowning in its own tropes and rehashed ideas, a fresh concept and some authentic laughs make for a nice change of pace.

It’s polished and fun – easily one of the top side-scrolling platformers yet released for Nintendo’s handheld – but there’s just not much significant new material here.

Strider is a great meaty throwback worth the $15 offer price.

My biggest gripe with Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS is that it’s not designed to be shared between more than one person playing on different consoles.

Don’t even bother registering your Amiibo. That way you won’t be tempted to use them. And you’ll be able to play the game the way it was meant to be played for people who have to muddle through without any Amiibo. Do that, and Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam has potential to prove as satisfying as just about every other game in this great series.

It looks great, plays beautifully, can be surprisingly challenging, and puts a fresh and fun spin on toys that come to life inside games.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is undeniably distinctive within the Call of Duty family. But it might take a game or two for Sledgehammer to start delivering on the same scale as its sibling studios.

In creating a scoundrel of our choosing, we might actually end up learning a little bit about ourselves.

Ni No Kuni offers players an experience unlike almost any other RPG. At once, you are transported back to the innocence of a childhood filled with monsters, magic, and mysticism; but at the same time you find yourself immersed in an emotional story about a protagonist dealing with his innermost emotions.

It’s unlikely Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE will attract much more than a niche audience outside its native Japan. Not only is it exclusive to Wii U – sadly, a poor selling system that now feels like it has one foot out the door – but it also seems as though little was done to prep it for Western audiences beyond translating dialogue.

It’s inspiring to see a video game series make a leap from the 2D realm to 3D this seamlessly. Gaijin Games has made a quality experience that can have you hooked — if not a little addicted — after only a few minutes of playing.

While it might not be the perfect gateway drug to the series for players just getting to know Kratos, for die hard fans of the franchise, Ascension should provide an ample fix as they wait to see what the next generation of consoles holds for their favourite Spartan anti-hero.

It’s not so much what has been added that makes Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag good — but rather, what it lacks. Assassin’s Creed III was a grim game. The world was grim, and its protagonist grimmer. Strip away the environment, and you’re left with the sea. Strip away the American Revolution, and you’re left with humour and plunder of a lawless pirate war. It’s a welcome change — but it also deviates a little too far from the Assassin’s Creed DNA. The core mechanics are there, yes, but after ACIII, it’s been hard not to wonder how much is left to say?

Like Bram Stoker’s famous book Dracula, the source material on which the series is based, Castlevania continues to evolve and reinvent itself for new audiences.

It is at times dauntingly difficult, but there’s no denying Simogo’s slightly deranged Year Walk is among the most daring and innovative gaming experiences yet available for iOS.

Mr. Meier has come up with a smart and innovative game of turn-based tactics for gamers on the go. Now it’s your job to be a smart consumer and show him what you’re willing to pay for – as well as what you’re not.

Players swarm to new Fire Emblem games not to see the latest in graphics and mechanics innovations, but rather to enjoy a bit of classic Japanese RPG-style melodrama mixed with captivating tactical combat. And that’s exactly what they get here. The added bit of nostalgia that comes with revisiting past heroes is just the gravy on the side.

There is, in other words, a lot more to this seemingly casual console RTS than meets the eye. Legions of Halo fans are likely to drive its initial popularity. They won’t have any trouble figuring out the basics and giving the Banished a good pounding. And a few months from now many of them may still be playing Blitz. But I won’t be surprised if Halo Wars 2 also develops a strong and faithful following of serious RTS fans who regularly wage epic multiplayer matches well into the wee hours.

Last Voyage may be less than an hour long, but that time is enjoyable and thought provoking. And paying a dollar for something like this seems a small price to avoid the sort of bland, carbon-copied free-to-play junk currently clogging most app stores.

I was utterly flummoxed by the last boss, and there were lots of frustrating sequences through the game. On the other hand, those moments of victory made me feel ecstatic and invigorated for beating a challenge like I haven’t in a long, long time.

Ultimately, Until Dawn is a clever romp through horror movie tropes that is good for those who want fun interactive narratives. It’s cheesy, and there’s perhaps less to do with it once you’re done than I’d like, but it lacks the rough edges of many other narrative-first games...Personally, if we got a few more of these each year and a few less samey shooters, I wouldn’t mind one bit.

Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom remains a flashy fun time for fighting game fans and pop culture junkies who love “who would win in a fight between X and Y” arguments.

Which isn’t to say that these build and smash missions aren’t fun. They are loads of fun. I just didn’t get that same feeling of personal progression I did when I played WoL; I felt when I was done with that game I was better at StarCraft. Here I felt like I had just completed some enjoyable levels.