Battlefield 2042 is disjointed and incomplete at launch, but it's impossible to deny it still has that magic spark that made past entries thrive. There aren't enough maps and one too many bugs and glitches get in the way of the fun. However, with the excellent Portal mode to bolster it, Battlefield 2042 does just enough to get us on board. While we wish so many things were better, nothing else does it quite like Battlefield.

While its campaign is enjoyable in the moment, Destiny 2: Shadowkeep never manages to truly shake the fact that we already went to the Moon five years ago. For better or worse, this is just more Destiny, and that’s a positive for those enamoured with the franchise, but anyone who was hoping for a more dramatic overhaul of its core systems and mechanics will be left wanting. Bungie has huge plans for the future of Destiny 2, but Shadowkeep only delivers a small piece of that vision.

The writing is a bit of a letdown. The character interactions are solid, and seeing their interplay is a delight. There’s also an impressive level of detail paid to the minutiae of film-making that we rarely see. Unfortunately, this level of care doesn’t touch all corners of the experience. The character's connection to the primary narrative is tenuous. Outside of the very first mystery, the protagonist's motivations for remaining involved in these murders don’t feel warranted. This is especially problematic when it comes to Rintaro’s chapters, which comprise the brunt of the game’s 15 or so hours. The writing is able to somewhat successfully sidestep this problem, through sheer force of intrigue, but it’s not wholly successful. The lack of agency doesn’t help either, as there's almost nothing for the player to do other than sit and read. This makes the experience feel barren, even by visual novel standards. This passivity allows for it to be the kind of experience you can do other things while playing, though the lack of a dub may leave some people feeling left out.

Floor Kids is a stylish and fun breakdancing title, with an intuitive control scheme and unique look and feel. There's a good chance you'll enjoy its scribbly presentation and Kid Koala's tracks, but the game unfortunately comes apart after a few hours of play. With no real increase in challenge, repetitive music, and lack of variety in the cast of characters, there's little reason to keep playing once you get to grips with it. There's plenty to like here, but there's just not quite enough of a game here to keep most engaged in its fun, freeform gameplay.

Mass Effect deserves better than Andromeda. The series has stumbled into a new generation, weighed down by tedious open world tropes and a catalogue of performance issues on the PS4. That said, it's not quite the disaster that some would have you believe. There really is a good Mass Effect game here, complete with endearing characters and great combat, but it's buried beneath a mountain of unnecessary clutter. In time, patches may sort many of its problems out, but until then, we can only recommend Andromeda to the BioWare faithful.

Cabela's Adventure Camp brings the fun outdoor activities of summer camp right into your living room all year long. If you've got a cabin full of rambunctious children this winter that are itching for summer camp to finally arrive, this just might be your ticket to get them off the couch.

Unfortunately, neither mode really does a good job of giving you a real reason to progress deeper. The combat, though weighty and satisfying, gets monotonous fairly quickly. The motivation to explore is almost entirely up to you, as the game really doesn’t see fit to tell you much. Yes, the environments are gorgeous, but Below winds up having the opposite problem of many games, in that there isn’t enough hand-holding. We found ourselves constantly craving more information, only for Below to not provide it.

The vision of reconciling nuances of more recent 3D action-adventure titles with well-loved elements from adored classics is undeniably a heartwarming one. There’s great enjoyment to be had in playing through this nostalgic nod to the past, but the lacking presence of a challenge truly robs Effie of its oomph. Simplistic puzzles and brainless brawling almost completely eliminate any real sense of gratification or accomplishment. This is most certainly a game better suited for those who don’t appreciate being staggered by more intense difficulties, or a younger gamer seeking a vibrant, spellbinding world to frolic in.

Dangerous Driving is a decent effort to bring back the boisterous, fast-paced racing of Burnout, and while it somewhat delivers on that promise, it's not without its fair share of problems. Technical issues hinder the experience, and one or two issues with handling stop the game from being a top arcade racer. However, the chaos and tension within the various event types makes for some good, old fashioned, adrenaline-fuelled action, and fans of this breed of racing will likely be able to burn a few hours here.

You won't be feeding from this particular trough for all that long, but if you're willing to splurge on a headache-inducing afternoon of idiotic entertainment, then – incredibly – there are worse options out there.

We can't fully recommend Crimson Desert in its current state on PS5. Far too many technical issues — of varying shapes and sizes — hold the experience back. But given time, and despite its obvious narrative shortcomings, Pearl Abyss' fantasy outing has the potential to be something truly special. As an open world adventure, it can be utterly engrossing; a smorgasbord of systems and mechanics that somehow — against all odds — form an intoxicating whole. For better or worse, there's simply nothing like Crimson Desert.

Lost Eidolons is a fairly ambitious outing that just about sticks the landing, despite some seriously rough edges.

This is a game made to be played many times, with you building your skill with the controls and your knowledge of the stages, but both these things feel slightly clumsy. Still, there's absolutely fun to be had here, with some sequences that truly do feel great to play, and collectable gameplay modifiers that let you go totally bananas.

There's enough ground work laid here to pave the way for future instalments, but a lot of the good is undone by lip sync issues and some of the most mind-bogglingly bad dialogue that we've heard in recent memory.

Other than the online tournament mode, it's a bare bones experience. Longevity of this will hinge on future content and more diverse play options (couch co-op in particular). In its current state, though, the bite-sized events offer a welcome alternative to the rat race of other party royale titles.

Forest Legends: The Call of Love is a short but solid point-and-click adventure. Its story is nothing new, its character animations are atrocious, and the voice actors will assault your ears at every opportunity – but there are enough fun puzzles and beautiful vistas stored within here to make the call of love just about worth answering.

With a clumsy but empowering track editor there's certainly no danger of this racer running out of gas – it just depends how long you're willing to keep up with the quest to be the best.

NHL 22 surprises by making its debut on a new console without removing any of its modes, but those who played NHL 21 may find this version a little too familiar. X-Factors on paper should be a game-changer but are mostly underwhelming. The switch to Frostbite does massively improve the fidelity of the rink – even if character models still look downright demonic – but should that really be the biggest change to the game? The ultimate question is: can the price increase be justified on the PS5? And given how little really has changed from last year to this year, the answer has to be a “no”.

Sure, this is not a full release – it even adorns the word 'Alpha' on its title screen – but for a few cents it's a fun throwback to the old SEGA arcade days, with an undercurrent of black humour bubbling beneath the surface.

This is a competent game, but it’s barely a refinement of a release that you’ve almost certainly already played.

Ultimately, F1 2015 feels pretty lightweight in terms of content, and if you place it side by side with F1 2014, it's clear as day that what we have is little more than the bare-bones basics.

While the game is an exercise in trimming the fat, there are a handful of bonus modes once the story mode is over. Despite the barebones menus, these extras are quite the sweetener. One of the modes is vertical-only, which means you essentially get Galaga shoved in there as an add-on, then a mode where you have to rescue trapped astronauts. But all of these modes feel like they build up towards “Shield Maiden”, which is where the real challenge in the game lies. With low health and weak weapons, your goal is to survive, and after finishing up the main mode, this is where we found ourselves wanting to spend most of our time. Overall, Habroxia is a neat little arcade title with some cool ideas.

If you’re not already familiar with the series, though, there are better RPGs on the Vita to consume your time.

Things are looking up for Trials players – literally and figuratively. Empire of the Sky is far better than Riders of the Rustlands, and stands out from the base pack as well. Furthermore, RedLynx still has another four DLC drops planned, and this latest offering has us feeling just a little less sceptical about that.

Outward may aim high but is most definitely flawed, constituting a ga me just above par that's most ideal for RPG enthusiasts.

For those who relish bizarre interactive experiences, The Good Life is an essential oddity that can't be missed. For everyone else, this is a barely functional chore that is all but guaranteed to frustrate and bewilder. Still, you've got to hand it to SWERY: no one else makes games quite like this.

Dialogue between characters can often feel a tad overzealous considering the game's light-hearted approach to comedy, making it hard to recommend to anyone unable to stomach an inoffensive, self-aware fantasy romp of this fashion.

There's no mechanics, really, to speak of. There's no combat for us to discuss. You can't even jump on command — only at specific places. Submerged is a chillout experience about exploration with a slight story and basically nothing else, and honestly, we're okay with that. Not everything has to be explosions or sad-times-my-kid-died-and-now-I've-grown-a-beard depressing drama. Pop on Submberged as a palette cleanser between more involved titles or as an escape from the horror of reality and you'll be fine. This is fine.