The season ends with a cliffhanger of sorts – of course – which sets it up for Season Two; still, I’m still left wondering what exactly is happening. Perhaps played all at once, Hitman‘s story would make sense, but this episodic system has done nothing for it.

For the sheer size of it, the beauty of the hundreds of different landscapes you can explore and the always engaging missions, Starfield is a massive technical achievement.

True Colors is a fantastic narrative experience, filled with rich characters and taking place in a beautiful, enchanting world. It is heartfelt and at times powerful, touching on the nature of grief, loneliness and belonging. True Colors will delight fans of narrative games, but is unlikely to win over the doubters. You probably know if you’ll like this one, and I’m here to tell those people that they won’t be disappointed.

Controls move from the Vita to the PS4 easily, though gameplay itself seems better suited for a portable console. Gameplay is incredibly taxing at times — especially courtroom scenes — so it’s one you’ll likely play for short bursts rather than a marathon. Still, this is a great package for those without a PS Vita — Danganronpa is a must-play.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 isn’t a bad game by any means, but it’s one that only die-hard JRPG fans will love.

Re-Boot Camp is a loving recreation of a pair of games that fans of the series have been wanting to return to for years. It’s extremely good at what it does, and with added features like multiplayer and a map creator, you can even go head-to-head with friends in a streamlined battle of wits.

It feels like greater attention has been paid to bridge the gap between her understanding of the world’s technology and that of the general public.

The whole business model leaves a bad taste in my mouth and otherwise tarnishes a near-perfect, joyful experience. It also makes it that much harder to recommend — I’m loving it right this second, but that won’t be the case in a couple months. When my Unlimited trial lapses, I’ll then be locked down into a library that admittedly has bangers like Todrick Hall’s “Nail, Hair, Hips Heels”, Beyonce’s “Run the World (Girls)” and Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” but also has songs I’ve never ever heard of. Lots of those, actually… and simply knowing a song exists doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll enjoy it.

While both Astro Bot and The Plucky Squire are about creativity and joy, the latter manages to get in its own way in comparison. The result is jarring.

Midnight Suns is long and overloaded with systems (I didn’t even mention the light/dark faux-morality system, or new game plus, or levelling up your dog), but it is fun, both its combat and its superhero friendship simulation. The combat is good enough to keep you wanting more, and the story and character moments interesting enough that I didn’t mind how much they punctuated the flying fists and swinging swords. Making fighting alongside Wolverine as interesting as having a fireside chat with him is a tough ask, and Midnight Suns has nailed it.

For most players, nostalgia won’t be enough to save it; the games are good enough, but not great. These three titles would have been better suited as straight up re-releases on the upcoming PlayStation Classic rather than as a set of remastered games.

While The Journey fizzles out, the addition of UEFA competitions including the Champions League makes FIFA 19 an obvious upgrade for a passionate group of football fans.

It adds new elements to the franchise’s recipe that I enjoy, and some of the story beats look to be leading future instalments in a really interesting direction.

Don Bradman Cricket 17 expands on its pioneering predecessor with the fundamentals of cricket translating to fun, challenging gameplay. Batting and bowling are similar, but better rounded, and the introduction of female cricketers has been given the utmost care.

For oldies like me, this is a brilliant hit of nostalgia that doesn’t ruin my original, warm feelings about the games it brings to today. For younger fans of the RTS genre who haven’t delved this far back in time, now’s your chance — just be prepared for some (good) bad CGI and FMV.

Watch Dogs 2 is the game that the first one should have been and is a shining example of Ubisoft’s already proven ability to respond well to feedback. It offers true freedom and creativity to play the way you want, laugh out loud moments found in scripted events and self-made fun in a virtual city that needs to be seen to be believed. Starring characters that you’ll genuinely care about the more you get to know them you’ll have no trouble finding motivation to see this one through to the end.

If you want to accuse a town mascot of robbery, befriend a bunch of street cats or infiltrate a ninja dojo, Lost Judgment is for you.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is more of the same Tomb Raider experience we’ve known since 2013, and that’s precisely why you should be making the trek to Paititi.

If you’re an NHL fan who’s skipped an entry or two in the last couple years, this is a definite yes. For the rest, it really depends on how you’re planning to play it — grab it if you’re planning on a lot of online play (read: and you’re based in North America). If you’re sticking to offline, bide your time and wait for a sale. Kudos to EA Vancouver for doing what they could all the same.

Ultimately, Donkey Kong Adventure is more Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, even if it overstays its welcome just a little bit. While its core gameplay is enjoyable, it does tend to get a bit repetitious, especially after long play sessions. Enjoy this one in smaller chunks and you’ll be just fine.

With a simple rogue-like mechanic offering a near-endless gameplay loop for those who choose it, it’s hard to go wrong with this DLC.

With a stellar soundtrack a tight story and a fresh take on the farm management sim, this is an enjoyable — if short and sometimes shallow — ride. I rolled credits in just shy of twelve hours on normal difficulty, and that was with a fair chunk of time in the middle devoted to my devotees. While your mileage will undoubtedly vary, Cult of the Lamb is an easy recommendation – now excuse me while I get back to vibing to River Boy’s banging soundtrack.

I think I'm in the camp of gamers sick of remasters and instead wanting proper remakes. It's worked for Crash Bandicoot, for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, and it looks to have worked for the upcoming Mafia Definitive Edition. I'd imagine that 64 and Sunshine with some modern sensibility would be spectacular as well.

Requiem has refined and improved the formula that made the first game so intriguing. Amicia and Hugo are not the timid children they were at the start of their journey, and while the goal used to be just survival, things have changed: it’s now about making sure that the people they want to be will survive this new hardship.

Death Stranding is an irredeemable piece of garbage that should serve as a warning to publishers who give developers carte blanche to create ‘art’.

It takes the Far Cry blueprint and expands the highlights while changing the sliders on aspects that became overused to craft not only the best Far Cry game, but one of the best open worlds to explore this generation, whether alone or with a little help from a friend (or AI dog).

The themes of The Evil Within 2 are redemption and forgiveness, though there’s nothing this iteration of the franchise needed to do to redeem itself and certainly has nothing to be forgiven for. It’s a solid, emotional romp filled with challenge and scares alike. It’s certainly recommended.

Mortal Kombat 11 is a great fighter tarnished by Warner Bros.’ willingness to test the limits of customer satisfaction using nickle-and-dime tactics. It’s truly an embarrassment for the franchise and one I hope is truly corrected soon. Come for the fighting, be dismayed about all the cosmetic stuff.

If the initial DiRT Rally was a no-nonsense rally racer, then consider DiRT Rally 2.0 very much a continuation of the same thing.

Priced at $80 AUD, you know what you're getting into with Super Mario Party Jamboree. If you need to freshen up your party game experience, this one should be a good fit.

Rather than sticking to its guns, Battlefield 6 diverges from the formula. We could have had a steaming hot meal of scrumptious all-out warfare, but instead we’ve been served a lukewarm plate of I-Can’t-Believe-It’s-Not-CoD.

While some parts of its narrative had me emotionally invested in the relationship between boy and beast, constantly fighting against the game’s broken mechanics left me unimpressed. My frustrations with Trico often ignoring my commands made interacting with the world more difficult and time-consuming than I wanted it to be. There are moments in The Last Guardian with potential, but ultimately, it’s more flawed than the authentic experience I was hoping for.

Who knows how long it will last, but Rivals had me clearing a permanent place to store the plastic drums and guitar once again, items that were long ago retired from the lounge room. It took Harmonix a year and an expansion pack with a hefty price tag, but Rock Band 4 is once again a headline act.

Fans of the Monster Hunter series – even the main games – will have a real hit on their hands here, with a pleasant change of pace from the usual Monster Hunter antics. That doesn’t mean that there’s not plenty here for the layman too, and if you’re looking for a fun, if a bit easy, title to run you through to that huge release window in October than this is definitely worthy of your consideration.

If you enjoy board games, card games or dice games and own a Nintendo Switch, this one’s really a no-brainer. Priced at $60 AUD, you’ll certainly get more than your money’s worth from this collection.

The basketball gameplay in NBA 2K19 is brilliant, and it has been for the last decade that I’ve been reviewing this series. But the way VC is used in the game needs to be re-evaluated, as it has become ridiculous and is blatantly pay-to-win. This greedy freemium model within an already fully priced game needs to disappear.

Dragon Age The Veilguard is the epitome of 'better than the sum of its. It’s been so long since I experienced this level of joy in a long-form RPG; I have a compulsion to keep playing and finish one more quest.

This one’s for fans of the franchise and fans of the genre. After a long drought on consoles, Tekken is back — and with a vengeance. Innovative enough to keep long-time fans happy, this release manages to stick to what it does best. Get ready for the next battle.

Mega Man 11 certainly isn’t for everyone. It constantly teeters on the edge of being too hard to be fun which poses the risk of new players giving up on it too quickly.

A clever puzzle game that’s finally found a more suitable home on Switch, as it always felt like a handheld game that played best on the Wii U Gamepad. It’s a collection of bite-sized levels that compel you to tick all of the boxes, and an ideal game to play in short bursts. While the Switch port doesn’t improve much aside from the change in platform, and is too expensive to warrant a repeat purchase, it’s certainly worthy of a re-release for those who missed it last-generation.

My prevailing feeling on WWE 2K23 on the whole is that it’s a welcome, if small, step up. Nobody who is coming over from WWE 2K22 will really be wowed by anything here, but the cumulative minor updates, iterations, additions and improvements are all very good and very welcome. Your mileage will vary depending on how worthwhile an overall modest update to last years title is to you, but for my money the few dozen hours of excellent sports entertainment that the pair of new MyRise stories and the Cena Showcase provide are worth the price of admission on their own, and WarGames is the juiciest possible cherry on top.

In all, there’s a surprising amount of content, but it’s only the story mode that’s worth playing.

Shadows is best played with hidden blades as a stealth-action game reminiscent of what Assassin's Creed used to be, but its greatest strength is choice.

The gripping single-player Star Wars game we have been waiting for all generation. Challenging combat is broken up by interesting platforming and exploration, and it’s all held together by a narrative I genuinely cared about.

LEGO Party is a worthy contender to Mario Party; you’ll need to decide if its strengths and weaknesses appeal to you. With noticeable framerate drops during fly-throughs, even on PS5 Pro, I’m also a bit concerned about how this will actually play on a Switch.

We played the sequel on Nintendo Switch, and it has equal amounts of positives as negatives. We found the smaller screen presented in handheld mode made it easier to focus on tasks in single-player mode, though it did require pixel-perfect moves that meant the different between grabbing, placing and chopping or nothing at all. While players can huddle around the Switch’s screen in a pinch, couch (or online) co-op works best on a TV.

Overall F1 22 continues Codemasters roll of making excellent Formula 1 games. The series has gone from strength to strength with its past few iterations, and with some more simulation focussed work could really become the best way to experience Formula 1 in a video game. While the inclusion of F1 Life is a weird step, it can mostly be ignored and ditching Braking Point sheds some weight from the game. 22 brings a whole suite of improvements to what was already a very good series, and I look forward to it consuming my life for the next few months at least.

Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia is really fun and easy to play in short bursts — just like any good handheld game should be. Some of the new gameplay mechanics are cool, but it wouldn’t be a huge loss if they disappeared in the next installment.

Shadow of War is Shadow of Mordor 2.0. If you liked the first, you’ll like the second – though hopefully you’ll be provided with a day one patch to smooth off rough edges. Though that’s highly unlikely.

While Marathon hasn’t grabbed me yet, I’m going to keep plugging away at it before bolting a score on to this review and calling it a day. There’s a lot here, most of it good, and as long as Sony backs Marathon through this teething phase I think we could have a gem on our hands – with some aggressive polishing, of course.

Like inclusion of Rin, Catherine itself is a tricky one; you’ll love it and hate it almost in the same thought. That’s not necessarily a terrible thing though — it’s an extremely unique experience that you owe it to yourself to at least try if you haven’t already. That said, consider that you can get the initial experience on a multitude of platforms for a fraction of the price.

Rollerdrome isn’t going to be for everyone. If you’ve got better reflexes than I and find things to be less of a challenge than I did, you can test your meddle against other real-world players thanks to online leaderboards in addition to an unlockable “Out for Blood” mode that amps up the difficulty (no thanks). If that excites you, then you certainly shouldn’t hesitate.

While I may not think of this personally as a true Final Fantasy title, that doesn’t make it any less of a good game. Despite all my above quibbles, I still haven’t been able to put the controller down for any longer than it takes to visit the bathroom or refuel my needy human body.

The biggest single-player draw card is Adventure, the game’s story mode, and one we’ve specifically been told not to spoil.

Origins is an Assassin’s game that’s been gutted to the bones and refurbished for a completely new Animus experience. The game is much better for it, all across the board.

Laser League is a budget-priced gem. An instant party favourite, I could see this developing into a proper Esports phenomenon like Rocket League.

Unlike the previous two Zelda remasters on Wii U, Skyward Sword HD is more about updating a game designed for the Wii’s waggle to work well on a handheld and with a conventional controller. With that focus, it delivers a version of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword that is much easier and more natural to play from start to finish.

Moonlighter is a wonderful combination of Zelda and Animal Crossing that easily commands your constant attention. It looks beautiful with a lovely, pixelated style; music from the shop and the dungeons will be stuck in your head for days. The only fault I could find with Moonlighter it’s relatively short — I wanted more dungeons, more enemies to topple, more items to sell.

NHL 21 is a tight little package -- years in the making -- but that's because EA Vancouver is doing everything it can to refine a polished hockey game year-on-year.

Local multiplayer is where Fast RMX slots in nicely as part of the launch line-up. At $28, it’s got the price right.

The strategic polish of two decades is on display in Age of Empires 4, both in the history of this series and the pedigree of the developer. Relic has wrapped an interesting if slightly flawed single player experience around what is a superb strategy game. You’ll probably know if you want to play this one, but if you just think medieval warfare is pretty cool and you really like the centuries where England and France just kept invading each other, I recommend you put aside any fears of fast clicking and micromanagement and just jumping in, just avoid that multiplayer menu until you are absolutely ready.

Immortals Fenyx Rising is fresh and fun, offering up an exciting new IP I hope to see more of. That said, its endgame pacing issues certainly don’t do it any favours, nor does the timing of its release.

These little bothers don’t matter in the end, as Banishers‘ rough edges are easily compensated by its charm. I had a ball meeting the inhabitants of New Eden and making judgements accordingly. I reckon you will too.

While it definitely departs from the usual formula for the series, Like A Dragon Ishin is undoubtedly worth your time. While this isn’t a story of true history, the game is happy to educate you on Japanese culture of the time – a helpful Glossary option will pop up for many terms unfamiliar to an English-speaking audience, so you’ll be able to tell your joshi from your goshi and shishi – and suddenly, Final Fantasy XIII’s naming conventions make a lot more sense. Becoming a badass, unstoppable samurai seems only right for someone who looks like Kiryu, and the story will keep you guessing to the end. Also those cucumbers are almost ready to harvest, so don’t forget to stop by the villa soon.

If you haven’t experienced the open world, stealth extravaganza that is Sniper Elite, this is the time to jump in. For those returning to the franchise, buckle up — and play about two difficulties higher than you were planning. You’ll thank me later.

Senua’s Saga Hellblade 2 is a video game only on its surface. Scratch that away and you’ll see that it’s a deep, thought-provoking, interactive experience; it proves games as a form of art, demanding skill and talent. Ninja Theory should be very proud.

The bottom line is this: adjust your expectations about Black Myth Wukong as a proper Soulslike, and jump on in if its setting and mythos interests you.

Perfect pick-up, put-down play.

It’s a throwback to the way things were, perfectly recreated for today’s audience.

The first Gears foray into RTS is one that genre and franchise fans alike will enjoy.

Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes feels like a great return to spending time with a gang of characters who drew me in over dozens of hours, but with an all-new tale keeping me on my toes at the same time.

After dozens of hours traipsing around the world map of Elyos, I’ve found myself pleasantly surprised with what I’ve found. The shift in tone and style helps set the game apart from what came before, and the new mechanics bring a breath of fresh air to combat while paying tribute to all the games that came before. I was surprised to find a level of difficulty that Three Houses had, for the most part, not showcased – paired with a story with enough twists and turns to keep me interested. While players may be tempted to judge Fire Emblem Engage on the art style alone, I strongly suggest giving it a try before casting judgement; you may just find that this is one of the best Fire Emblem games to date.

This is an unofficial celebration of (nearly) 20 years of Phoenix Wright, and it’s a damn good one at that, even with its failings.

Alan Wake Remastered is a remasterpiece. I caught myself audiably saying, “man, I love this game” over and over while playing. I’ve dipped back in to Alan Wake’s American Nightmare to continue on, and I have a feeling I’ll be scheduling another replay of Control when this silly season quiets down. Remedy’s universe has captured my heart; Remastered certainly holds its own in 2021, but also serves as an impressive reminder of how far the studio has grown since 2010.

This one’s a no-brainer; The Artful Escape is on Xbox Game Pass and you absolutely, positively have no reason to miss it if you’re a subscriber. If you’re not and you enjoy warm fuzzies, either get on board or buy it outright as you won’t be disappointed.

Snipperclips requires thought, co-ordination and timing in a combination that means friendships will be tested.

If a two-year cycle can work for golf, it can also work for a review. Two years ago, I wrote that, “small improvements to an existing formula mightn’t be looked highly upon in a yearly cycle, but PGA Tour 2K23 gets away with it because of its cadence.” The same is true for 2K25. If you’re into golf, this is for you. The same is true if you’re curious.

While I went into Guardians with a good feeling I’d enjoy it, I was surprised by just how much fun I ended up having. Moreso than the combat gameplay or even the stunning world design, what really cemented my enjoyment was its writing.

As it did on Wii U in 2012, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe offers a genuine challenge and is the closest game in the New Super Mario series to the golden 16-bit era of Super Mario World with its open map and pitch-perfect difficulty curve. It’s arguably the best in what has been a great, but very safe, series and it doesn’t do anything to change that notion. The co-op is still frustrating, but its roots lie well within the single-player experience.

When things are working, Ready or Not can be a lot of fun. The problem, is, Ready or Not rarely works, either as expected, as intended, or as I’d like it to. Some may enjoy its edginess, and others may find a completely different experience engaging in multiplayer. I’m frankly too concerned about toxicity from what I’ve heard in single-player to dabble in this exercise with randoms on mics.

Prison Architect is an excellent sandbox, a throwback to the days of Bullfrog’s Theme series that forces you to balance an eye for aesthetics with pure functionality. Those who don’t need to be led by the hand to explore the deep systems at play will find an excellent simulation to lose themselves in, with online sharing options providing a huge selection of prisons to explore, tear down and rebuild.

Metro Exodus feels like a solid simulacrum of someone else trying to make a Fallout game, for all the benefits and drawbacks that entails. Its maps are fun to explore, and effort has been put into making the side areas rewarding in both narrative expansion and bonus upgrades to your gear. That said, Exodus doesn’t have the same handle on ambient storytelling and visual interest to drive you to investigate every corner of the map.

Due to its niche nature, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown won’t be for everyone. You’d really need to love this style of game to get the full benefit of it.

RiME is exactly the game I like to slowly work my way through. A deeply atmospheric world with some challenge, without frustrating me with its obtuse inner logic (cough cough, The Witness, cough). The boy is endearing as an avatar, shouting and scrambling his way along with you, and the soundtrack would put anyone at ease. Sit back, relax, and shout some urns apart.

Crash Bandicoot was the game that started many into a lifelong addiction with Sony’s home console, and the N. Sane Trilogy only helps to reinforce this.

Tetris Forever is the most joyful and wondrous experience I’ve had with a video game all year and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone and everyone. Its only crime is that it does such an intensely good job of getting you keen to consume every weird version of Tetris that’s out there that it can’t help but bring a twang of disappointment at its inability to deliver most of them as playable builds within itself. The folks at Digital Eclipse are doing remarkable and important work with these collections and I hope we continue to see many more of them.

While nothing that The Rogue Prince of Persia offers is genre-defining, its pieces combine into an experience as rich as the Persian kingdom itself. Controlling the Prince is a joy, the progression path is smooth and the dopamine hits are delivered with a rhythm matching the thumping soundtrack. It might not have the depth at the highest levels of play to match the titans of the genre, but if you want a fun, beautiful and largely frustration free experience, spending some time with the Rogue Prince is well recommended.

Despite all these negative qualities, you can get back to basics with select side-missions, ghost challenges and unfettered exploration.

Darkwood is a very unique experience that relies on darkness and silence frequently, causing your own imagination to run wild and fill in the horrific gaps. There’s a bit of a learning curve to get comfortable with how the in-game world operates, but once things click, you’ll be enamoured. Survival horror fans definitely need to give this one a go.

Persona 3 Reload is the best kind of remake: it honours the core of what makes the game great, but isn’t afraid to modernise the experience at the same time. It’s nostalgia done well, because it plays onscreen the way the original felt in my memory (without having to squint at a 4-inch PSP screen). It’s honestly a joy to see a game I loved brought to a whole new audience, while still giving me a deluxe version of something I already know I’ll enjoy. While it may not include every ingredient that every version of Persona 3 has ever had, it’s a confident and complete version all its own – and I can’t wait to keep climbing that tower.

Pokémon Let’s Go mightn’t be for hardcore, competitive fans, but it will certainly win over everyone else. A vast majority of the changes are certainly for the better.

Eventually, and with a lot of googling, I found my groove and started to enjoy what Resurrected has to offer. Just make sure you go in prepared for the clunkiness.

Mario Party Superstars returns to basics to deliver the best iteration in years. By returning to the golden era of boards and leaning upon an accomplished roster of proven minigames, it can focus on what has already made Mario Party great.

With a new open world focused on exploration, a revised combat structure and a greater emphasis on plot, The Origami King firmly establishes Paper Mario foremost as an action-adventure game, drastically slowed down by the pacing of turn-based combat.

A Way Out mightn’t be all I wanted it to be, but it is competent and different. That’s enough to recommend you try it — Hazelight’s latest might not be perfect, but it represents a genre and new mechanics I’d be keen to try again.

Little Nightmares 2 is certainly polished and beautifully stylised, but it didn’t offer me a new experience. While many on-screen antagonists snared me in their traps, it itself didn’t grab me.

Ultimately, Ninja Gaiden 4 is fun, but not memorable -- something that extends into its general narrative. You're not there for witty banter though, nor for its plot twists and turns -- but instead to decapitate enemies as a bad-ass ninja. In that sense, Ninja Gaiden 4 does exactly what it says on the tin.

If you’re a massive Kirby fan, this is for you. If you’ve got a passing interest, wait for a sale. It’s not that this is bad, or unpolished… it’s just another repacked game with a value proposition that lacks.