Bridge Crew — even after two delays — reeks of unfinished promise. The campaign’s main goal is discarded almost immediately, replaced by a shoot ‘em up premise far removed from the Aegis’ specialisation. It’s the opposite of both Red Storm’s intentions and those of Starfleet itself.

AFL 26 is for the fans who love their footy enough to forgive the rough edges, push through the clunky gameplay, and accept the long-standing frustrations that have plagued AFL games for decades and likely always will, to chase their dream of lifting the Premiership Cup.

No More Heroes 3 is kind of a mess – but it is a FUN mess. If you’re looking for some fun sword fights against aliens with designs too weird for Katamari Damacy, you might just find your sweet spot.

While Raidou himself is a silent protagonist, he’s still given a lot of character in the way he moves and dresses. I had a great time unpacking the game’s wild story, and knowing that a sequel to this game already exists has me hoping it will receive the same love in the future – because I want to see what Raidou the 14th gets up to next.

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.

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.

Here, the question isn’t whether or not Kojima’s works are good, it’s if Konami should have repackaged them. Again. I’d argue not. Or at least, I’d argue not in this fashion.

This is the best use of PlayStation VR that I’ve seen currently available.

Superhypercube is my favourite game of the PlayStation VR launch. It is the game I continue to come back to, the game that leaves me weary from ducking and weaving around neon shapes for hours at a time.

As conflicted as I am about Starlink Battle for Atlas, one thing is clear: if you’re buying it, you should definitely get the Nintendo Switch version. Not because you get the extra Star Fox content, but rather two in-game starships — that advantage means your chances for survival instantly double without breaking the bank.

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.

I Am Setsuna is the good kind of nostalgic. It utilises the best elements of the past to its benefit, rather than to excuse an otherwise lacklustre game. And yet, while playing to the nostalgia it also makes sure to do something different to set it apart. The more sombre tone of the story means you’re not going to be adding a chivalrous frog knight to your party here, but the package you get it doesn’t suffer as a result.

While the main story does feel a bit shorter compared to the other Kiwami games, the sheer volume of “stuff to do” in the world more than balances that out. By the time you’ve cleared the main story, bested the Coliseum, completed every bizarre sub-story, completed the photo rally, fought every beatdown target, unlocked every costume item AND forged a deep, emotional connection with every child in your care? You’ll wonder why Kiryu ever left the life behind.

Through an oversimplification of systems compared to previous entries in the franchise, everything in Far Cry 6 feels too safe…There isn’t any challenge to the combat, the exploration is mindless and the story that unfolds is completely unsatisfying.

I’m not trying to yuck anyone’s yum here and realise that there are many Fatal Frame fans who will be as pumped for this remake as I was Resident Evil 2. To those people, I truly hope that you have a blast. To many others, most of whom have just experienced truly desperate and bleak survival horror through Grace Ashcroft in Resident Evil Requiem, I say simply that this ain’t it. You’ll end up far more frustrated than entertained.

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.

While Super Princess Peach on the DS was criticised for reducing a female lead to being very literally controlled by her emotions, Princess Peach Showtime only works to allow her to embody so many different roles because there isn’t really a defined character underneath it all. For all its faults, 2023’s Super Mario Brothers Movie at least gave us a Peach who was driven, confident and capable – if Nintendo needs tips on how to build a Princess who could helm a game on her own, they should just ask Anya Taylor-Joy for tips. For now, I don’t see Showtime making it to Broadway – but I might still check out the matinee if there’s nothing else going on.

Attack on Titan: Wings of Freedom knows exactly what it is. It has perfected the most important elements, seemingly at the cost of other systems. The story closely follows the anime series and adds a little extra, so if you’re a fan you’ll be happy with the accurate retelling. If you’ve never watched the series, this could be a good way to dive into the franchise.

In the grand scheme of things, I’d say that NHL 22 is a skip overall, though long-time hockey fans will certainly find enjoyment. And hey — just like NHL 15 before it, this is one of those years that means double Achievements/Trophies because of its cross-generation release. Quite honestly, though, I’d prefer cross-gen play and one Achievement set instead, and that’s a lot coming from Mr 600,000 Gamescore over here. It’s very likely that the matchmaking problems I’ve encountered have been exacerbated by the lack of current-gen console availability; while the Xbox One version is near identical to Xbox Series X in terms of gameplay, I’ll stick to playing the prettier-looking one.

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.

It’s immersive, compelling, yet is extremely respectful of your time. It can be a big exercise in survival, in shooting, or exploration — or any combination therein. I hope to see more of this from Rebellion.

Its gameplay loop means you’ll be able to have an entirely different experience with each playthrough — despite somewhat single-minded races — and a new story to tell with each run. If you’re into the genre or looking for a potential time-sink, jump on in.

Ultimately, Super Mario Maker is paired down on 3DS, but not to ridiculous levels.

Mafia The Old Country, visually, is a stunning success. Unfortunately… gameplay is best described as mediocre; serviceable, if not particularly enjoyable. Its story is a tragedy -- dull, linear, and so full of tropes that nothing feels new or fresh. Characters are flat cliches, generic representations of genre stereotypes, and nothing more.

While telling its tale, 11-11 does a tremendous job of showing players what the world was like in 1916; news travels extremely slowly without the likes of smartphones, and even Harry’s photography is impacted – it’s too expensive to be able to take and process more than 16 photos per day.

AWE replicated that feeling. Remedy continues to tell unique and extremely interesting stories, and in relation to how AWE concludes and what that means for the future of the Remedy Connected Universe, is just so damn exciting.

Just Dance 2017 is a massive step in the right direction.

The fact that STALKER 2 is complete and ready for an imminent release is nothing short of a miracle. It’s just a shame that my experience... is damaged by a constant stream of ever-present bugs and issues. [Provisional Score = 50]