Great fun, a solid golf game that should provide hours of enjoyment to those wanting to climb the Tour ladder or merely get out for a hit.

Ultimately, I completed Battletoads in 3 hours and 45 minutes and have no intention of ever going back.

Flight Simulator‘s not only great for a trip through your past, but critical in making new memories and connections in the middle of a pandemic.

Cross-play doesn’t work because of it — getting paired with Steam players using keyboard and a mouse mean you’ll get crushed. Pairing with Xbox-only players, I found long gaps in matches. I’m happy to go with my gut and chalk it all up to the problem of price. It’s a shame, because First Strike really was on to something here.

Destroy All Humans isn’t bad, per se, it’s just bland; a fresh coat of paint on a dated game, clunky in some areas and polished in others. If you received a free code (like I did for review) or are gifted this, jump on in. Would I recommend you purchase it? Not unless you’re a huge fan of the franchise or you like some relatively easy Achievements.

Despite its flaws, Carrion is immensely enjoyable, though I would imagine its grotesque nature will turn some away. If you can stomach the gore, it’s well, well worth the play.

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.

In (very) short: like the initial entry in Assassin's Creed, the franchise it unashamedly copies, Ghost of Tsushima is good but not great. I finished it to complete it, not because I was invested in the mixed bag that was presented.

These slight changes improve upon an already unbelievable base, stylised and polished.

Iron Man VR… offers up some neat refinements on PlayStation VR at the same time it makes some grave mistakes.

The only real negative I can find for Rehydrated is in its multiplayer offering, a tacked on mode that feels soulless and unnecessary. A horde-style affair, players will mindlessly jump from one island to another, dispatching waves of robots. Combat’s the least appealing bit of single-player, so a whole multiplayer segment dedicated to it falls flat. Thankfully, the campaign will quickly wash the bad taste of MP out of your mouth.

While Naughty Dog has valiantly tried to accomplish the seemingly impossible, it has fallen short and in doing so revealed the bag of tricks used to exploit our emotions so effectively back in the day. The result is a polished, enjoyable romp that plays superbly but gnaws at the back of your brain in all the wrong ways.

Disintegration seems like it would have been my jam, but it proved to be the complete opposite. There’s a lot of squandered potential in both this title and the franchise itself, and I hope that V1 Interactive is able to salvage this release in the weeks to come. Some much needed focus will greatly improve the package.

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.

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.

We praised the 3DS re-release for its ability to be enjoyed on the go -- something that's great for any long-running RPG, to be honest -- and the Switch version's able to do that while adding a new coat of paint and content at the same time. The end result makes it an easy recommendation to Switch players and RPG fans alike.

While Maneater is certainly a title that works for me in terms of its humour and an engaging core gameplay loop, its graphic nature means it’s not going to be for everyone. If you don’t mine a little gore — okay, make that a lot of gore — this unique experience should be right up your alley.

Minecraft Dungeons is competent, fun in spurts, but not amazing. I had more fun in the Xbox Live Party just catching up with friends mindlessly shooting the shit than I did actually playing. By that point, we’d decided to put the difficulty to recommended levels are were breezing through things, grabbing new gear and levelling up as we went. We basically decided we’d keep playing through the three major difficulties, but really because it seems like some easy gamerscore rather than an activity we’re invested in.

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

While XCOM Chimera Squad may look a bit funny at times -- and the game itself tends to crash every 45 minutes or so -- it's hard to fault it as an RTS available for less than $15 AUD.

Moving Out is a treat, full of charm and busting at the seams with a variety of different shifting-based levels.

There’s more fun to be had here than the past couple of games, and it feels like it’s been made with more passion, by AFL fans, for AFL fans who desperately want an AFL game to play.

All things considered, Final Fantasy 7 Remake is still a polished and worthwhile affair, doing many things for many different people.

In the end, Resident Evil 3 is own nemesis, a remake that's enjoyable but seems a little shallow when compared to the innovations the RE3 that came before it brought to the table.

If you enjoyed what Control had to offer then you should be fairly satisfied with this first expansion. The Foundation doesn’t really do a whole lot new, and it doesn’t seem to learn from its mistakes, especially considering it has one of the worst checkpoints for a boss encounter yet. But if you want to get even more lost in this enthralling world that Remedy has created, then it will be hard not to pass this one up. Just stay clear of all the cats.

While objectives are straightforward, it’s teamwork that generally lets a team down. From my playthroughs, you can almost immediately identify a team that will work at a unit – or, ideally, in a handful of coordinated ones – compared to teams with individuals that will rush to an objective with a strategy in mind. Games where individuals are blindly rushing at a group of bad guys are frustrating beyond belief, and sadly, they’re happening often at this point. [Review in progress]

I can’t emphasize how much fun Doom Eternal is to play and that's what really counts.

I'm not sure I'd recommend Royal to those who've just finished Persona 5. Even with homophobic scenes cut here in the west, and gun ammo refilling after single battles, it's ultimately still the same (long!) game with a little more to do. Though if you're a fan of JRPGs and didn't get into Persona 5 yet, than Royal is a no-brainer.

Nothing comes easy, there’s a lot to learn and you’ll struggle for hours on end at times -- but if you’re ready for a rogue-like experience, Nioh 2 has perfected the genre.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps follows the Blind Forest as a special game that is unrivalled in its class.

I’ve been exposed to Dreams for more than two years, and I still can’t create for shit. Luckily, I don’t have to – I’m more than happy to self-identify as an avid Dream Surfer with zero creativity (unless someone reads a writer to really bring their work to life?). Bring on your creations, folks.

If you ignore the presentation, there’s something in here for dungeon crawl fanatics, but you’re better off going with something like Darksiders Genesis for a far more enjoyable experience. Like Darksiders isn’t for the younger gamer in your life, neither is this. Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl – Gold is available now on Nintendo Switch.

Zombie Army 4 is indeed better with friends. While the early levels really lack enough zombies to get into the groove of things, once you’ve reached the climax of the third episode most of those problems fade away. Zombies do remain a bit underwhelming however, with only the elites presenting a real threat most of the time. Overall, Zombie Army 4 does more right than it does wrong, and while your mileage will definitely vary, I certainly had fun while romping through a zombified Europe.

Darksiders Genesis truly surprised me, a game I was hardly interested in after the mess that was Darksiders 3. While I highly recommend it to franchise fans and those who enjoy a good ol’ dungeon crawler, I’m confused by two huge release decisions: to first put this on PC and Stadia far ahead of a Switch, Xbox One and PS4 release, and to optimise the game for a controller even then. With a console release just days away – and expect an update on this review with our thoughts, by the way – I’m still left thinking this new format would have been perfect for the PC’s keyboard and mouse.

Journey is something unique unto itself; a better version of No Man’s Sky, complete with purpose and a wicked sense of humour.

While some of it feels a little dated and the side missions don’t diverge as much as they could, the overall package is a deeply engrossing fresh way to experience an old staple for any Dragon Ball Z fan.

While the original AO Tennis released in a horrendous state, the same isn’t true of AO Tennis 2. While there are some niggling issues here and there, they certainly don’t detract from the overall experience. As with the original — especially its AO International Tennis iteration — this is a title we’d recommend to fans of the sport.

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.

Need for Speed Heat is ultimately enjoyable, an experience that can provide some high highs alongside some fairly low lows. Those looking for a new racing experience will certainly enjoy it, once mastering its quirks.

Set your expectations accordingly and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will likely provide some fun and frivolity as you eagerly await the real thing next year.

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

A bargain price benefits Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz HD; while it's better without motion controls and a majority of uninspired mini-games, there's not a terrible amount to do in the end.

Despite its annoyances, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a hauntingly good time, packed with charm everywhere you look.

Afterparty should be commended for its diabolical sense of humour and elegantly crafted conversations.

For those entering in here for the memories of a beloved game, I don’t want to knock the experience for you. This is the game you love! But unlike aforementioned remakes, nostalgia seems like a necessity to enjoy MediEvil rather than just being a bonus. Let all brave knights beware.

While I'll admittedly take Fallout 3 over New Vegas any day, I'll happy throw the entire Fallout series to the side for The Outer Worlds, Obsidian's own original IP.

As a multiplayer mode, Ghost War is fun enough — I got destroyed in my first 4v4 games before realising I had to play like the realistic military shooter I was expecting in campaign. Once you get your head around things, you’ll enjoy working as a team to best your opponents. But whether or not I’d choose Ghost War over, say, the Crucible? Hands-down, I’m out. Sorry, Breakpoint.

For an RRP of $20 USD, John Wick Hex is a no brainer. It’s a layered strategy game perfect for long sessions or short stints. As a bonus, it runs on my potato of a work PC too (albeit a bit choppily), so it’s perfect for a little lunchtime leisure.

Despite the gimmicks, Concrete Genie is beautiful, endearing, charming and simply adorable. It’s far more fleshed out (and lenghty, though still over overly long) than Entwined. At a $40 AUD price tag, you simply can’t go wrong; it’s extremely relaxing after a stressful day.

Shadowkeep is a big stride forward for Destiny 2, and it shows that Bungie cares about its game. Sure, there are some stumbling blocks like a bare bones story and some wonky design choices, but those don’t get in the way of enjoying the core Destiny experience. I love Destiny, and the breath of fresh air that Shadowkeep has brought to the series has me hooked once more.

While I’m annoyed that the Lair itself is more frustrating than fun, it’s that very quality that keeps you coming back to beat it.

Ori and the Blind Forest is still an exceptional game, it handles beautifully and the audio/visual presentation is simply stunning.

The Switch version of the game plays largely like the original console release, though offers some motion controls that should be turned off. As with most re-releases on Switch, it’s definitely worth a look if you’re a fan of the genre/franchise and haven’t played before.

I was posed the question before I began – “could WRC dethrone DiRT this year?” WRC 8 certainly boasts engaging, fun and challenging gameplay. The vehicles handle with a sense of realism, they sound fantastic and the variety in locations and stages is second-to-none. Sure there’s still some work to go from a graphical perspective, but it’s not something that would impact replayability if you’re a rally/racing fan. So is the answer to the question a ‘yes’? Not entirely.

Despite some of the technical issues and difficulty scaling, The Surge 2 is a fun game that should satisfy those looking for a souls-like experience. The combat is rewarding, and the directional blocking system is definitely something I would love to see implemented into other action games. The Surge 2 shouldn’t be seen as a Dark Souls clone; instead, it’s a great game standing on its own feet that has done some exciting things to expand the genre.

Despite being over a quarter of a century old, the gameplay holds up remarkably well, especially the short and sweet dungeons and delectable puzzles.

NHL 20 is a decided improvement over NHL 18 and a step up from NHL 19, though you’d also be forgiven if you skipped out for a year.

Campaign was sold as an open-world vehicle for Kait and that takes a bit of time to actually be upheld; trust me though: it's worth the wait.

It’s hard to settle upon an audience for MXGP 2019, especially on Xbox One — MXGP3 will work just fine for casual players, and those looking for a hardcore experience are better serviced with MXGP Pro instead. With the variations in naming conventions in the franchise, I’d recommend Milestone marry the two steams — casual (or more casual) and professional — to present a killer app that could someday carry the same weight as a yearly FIFA or Madden. Otherwise, Milestone will need to go back to the drawing board to truly differenciate the streams like Forza has done with Motorsport and Horizon.

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.

While the story didn’t live up to expectations, the actors' performances are fantastic as Man of Medan delivers its quota of horror tropes in chapter one of The Dark Pictures Anthology.

While Astral Chain's storyline is filled with anime archetypes and familiar plot tropes, it all works well as an overall experience.

Play Control for its lore, its sense of exploration or its combat, but the bottom line this: you simply need to play it.

Wolfenstein Youngblood is largely forgettable. It’s not bad, per se, merely competent. I’m happy to set this one aside and wait for the next proper Wolfenstein sequel, far removed from half-baked RPG mechanics and Nazis who conveniently design door switch and secret mechanism to be completed by two people instead of just one.

With a visual handheld-to-console upgrade that puts Pokemon Let’s Go! to shame, Fire Emblem: Three Houses shows how to do a console glow-up right.

I’ll be honest: the single corridor thing keeps up for most of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3. A ridiculous roster makes this one for Marvel fans; each hero and villain gets their moment in the spotlight as the overarching story plays out.

Sea of Solitude is as unique as it is charming, and certainly a title to check out if you’re looking for a break from looter shooters and multiplayer.

If you’ve played Super Mario Maker, you already know this Switch sequel is a must-buy. If you’re a Switch owner, Super Mario Maker 2 needs to be part of your collection. Easy as that.

The Sinking City is a mixed bag; a riveting mystery that’s far less linear than anything Frogwares has ever done. It’s very rough around the edges however, likely to cause as much frustration as it does enjoyment. Fans of Cthulhu or Frogwares’ past titles will definitely want to go for the ride, while others might want to wait for a week or two — at that point, you’ll at least have some guides to walk you through some of its head-scratchers.

Despite missing the mark on a difficulty that feels consistently challenging yet fun at the same time, Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is an utter delight.

Like Ashes Cricket before it, Cricket 19 takes a good thing and touches it up. Its strength is definitely when bat meets ball, which is largely the same as Ashes Cricket, but its focus has been on enhancing everything around that. While there’s still room for improvement, once again it has topped itself to become the best cricket game on the market. The fully licensed Ashes mode is fantastic, the quasi World Cup delivers a faithful alternative to the real deal, and the Career mode will keep you invested long term.

While Layers of Fear was a jaunt into the unknown, Layers of Fear 2 has a strong sense of déjà vu that you carry with you from beginning to end; you’ve the feeling you’ve seen this before, and likely, more expertly done. Despite that misstep, it remains a must-play for horror fans who’re looking for a polished, atmospheric little fright. Emphasis on “little fright”, though — don’t expect too many scares. If you’ve not played the original, I’d recommend it over its sequel.

Despite those occasionals falter — and a somewhat polarising, disappointing ending — I was desperate to complete Observation to get to the bottom of its mystery. I enjoyed it so much that I immediately went out to acquire No Code’s last game, Stories Untold.

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.

Overall, Team Sonic Racing is... fun. I wouldn’t say it’s a top-of-the-line title by any means, but little tweaks to the formula give it an edge over others in the same field.

Combat is by far the biggest selling point of Rage 2, and Avalanche Software should be proud of a title that continually draws comparisons the super-tight Doom reboot in my mind. I live for combat within Rage 2 and get sad when I have to get into whatever shitty vehicle I’m driving to get to the next combat experience. The open world represents boredom and padding to me, but it’s worth the slog for the combat.

Despite dated mechanics, Sniper Elite V2 looks gorgeous – I preferred 60 frames per second over 4K resolution – and is a must for the collection of fans of the franchise. If you don’t count yourself in that camp but are looking for a unique and challenging shooter, I’d suggest heading over to Sniper Elite 4 first.

Perfect pick-up, put-down play.

This sordid state of affairs leads me to believe that Days Gone was either rushed out by Sony to fill a gap in releases and buy time for the likes of The Last of Us Part 2 or that Bend Studio, a veteran of PSP and PS Vita titles, simply cannot develop for a bona fide console.

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.

There’s plenty of fun to be had here for fans of the show. It’s a AUD $20 interactive puzzle game that expands The Grand Tour beyond the confines of an hour of television each week. It isn’t trying to be a fully fledged racing game, and it isn’t priced like one. Just as The Grand Tour show isn’t really about the cars, The Grand Tour Game isn’t really about the gameplay.

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.

It’s a good game with equal parts brilliance and head-scratching stupidity, though definitely fun to muck around in.

That’s not to say normal levels aren’t good, they’re just rather bland. They’re safe, much like the game itself. Yoshi’s Crafted World is not going to win any awards, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless. Things are easy for far too long before ramping up near the end; I wish that challenge was present throughout more of the levels. If you’re after a cute time rather than a genre-defining one, this’ll work just fine.

Unless you’re an absolute die-hard Power Rangers fan who foams at the mouth when it comes to new content (and has patience to wait for online matches), give this one a very easy miss.

Sekrio: Shadows Die Twice continues FromSoftware’s dominance, showcasing that it’s on another level when it comes creating action games in fantastical worlds. You’re going to die, and you’re go die a lot. But these brilliant gameplay systems that come together to form experiences that we don’t see in other triple-A games is why people get excited for what Hidetaka Miyazaki is doing at FromSoftware. Between Bloodborne, Demon’s Souls, the three Dark Souls games and now with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Miyazkai has all but solidified himself as one of the greatest game directors of this decade.

I only wish that endgame content came in the form of unique missions, not reskinned ones.

People come to the franchise for combat and, despite its flaws, that's precisely what Devil May Cry 5 excels at. I personally still prefer Ninja Theory's take on proceedings and hope we'll see a continuation of that world next; I definitely appreciate new ideas and takes on this well established franchise.

Trials Rising is exactly what I wanted from a Trials experience. Anybody who enjoys, or has ever enjoyed, a Trials game owes it to themselves to check this out. Folks out there that just really enjoy challenging themselves should probably give it a look too, just make sure you’ve got a spare controller or three on standby.

Bioware have all the pieces of the puzzle, but right now Anthem isn’t living up to its potential. It’s bad, but not so bad it can’t be fixed.

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.

Crackdown 3 feels too similar to the game that came before it; it’s like Sumo has made Crackdown 2 again, ignoring everything it could have learned from the last decade of open world titles.

Despite changes to the formula, New Dawn is still very much Far Cry at its core.

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.

The traditions of survival horror have been modernised, resulting in something that’s all-too-familiar yet always manages to keep you on your toes. The Raccoon City that you’ve always envisaged by filling in the blanks and making up for the failings of 32-bit graphics is now real.

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.

Start playing The Grand Tour Game after work tonight and you will be done with the single-player campaign before your Uber Eats order arrives.

Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes ultimately fails in its implementation of a quirky idea, and that’s a real shame because combat sequences — specifically bosses — are a real delight. If you can stomach (all) the filler, it’s a decent title to go and have a hit in. That said, I’d much prefer a proper No More Heroes 3, Grasshopper.