Despite a history of disappointing delays that nearly doomed Dead Island 2 to obscurity, it’s here, and it’s both confident and capable in almost everything it does. Arduous quest design and the occasional repetitive tedium is a flaw, but you’re often too drowned in zombie guts and cringe-inducing creativity to care. Dead Island 2 isn’t going to change the world of zombie games, nor does it intend to, but the fact it has emerged from the ashes in a state this immaculate is a miracle in itself. Hammer some nails into a metal baseball bat, set it on fire, and start swinging. I guarantee you’ll carve out a good time beyond all the viscera.

I didn't get my socks blown off by Beyond Light. But it did have its moments, and it did convince me that there will be plenty more of those moments yet to come.

Far Cry 6 is a game that understands the importance of fighting back against fascism and taking a stand as part of your own personal revolution, yet it’s often held back by gameplay that wants to distance itself from that idea as you fawn over cute puppies and fire off outlandish grenade launchers. Yet it’s still a start, and a bold step forward for a company that has long sat on the fence of political discussion. If you’re after more Far Cry, this delivers and pushes the formula forward into exciting new territory.

Outriders would have been a much better game had the campaign been half as long and the end game had twice as much content. I had fun exploring the dozen or so environments throughout the story mode, but the game doesn’t start firing on all cylinders until the gear you get becomes meaningful. The disposable nature of gear during the campaign/leveling process makes the game feel a lot more shallow than it actually is, and getting players to that end-game grind sooner would likely have exposed a lot more players to the best that Outriders has to offer. I hope that Outriders gets DLC, but only if it’s content that builds out the end game even further. If an Outriders expansion is just another story-driven campaign, I likely won’t even bother playing. If I do, I’ll almost certainly set the difficulty to easy, skip all the cutscenes, and rush to the new end game. If you’re playing Outriders for the first time, I highly recommend you do the same.

I eagerly await the day when Primal Game Studios announces a sequel or a spiritual successor. Built on the wisdom earned with this project, I could easily see Mandragora’s sequel becoming a must-play for action RPG fans. But I’m not reviewing potential. What’s currently here is an ARPG that nails its setting and core gameplay; everything else is underbaked. Fans of ARPGs will likely have a great time with Mandragora as I did, but those who are more interested in a nail-biting Soulslike or a clever Metroidvania won’t find it here.

Sonic Superstars isn’t holding back the series after the positive reception to Frontiers. It’s more than enough to keep it trucking along. Sega is sensible to be cautious about shedding too much of Sonic’s retro identity, but it needs to realise that none of us have hung around this long for Knuckles’ terrible recovery speed, or the strange instances where a single hit reduces our ring count to zero. Sonic Superstars brings us so agonisingly close to the definitive 2D Sonic game, but for now, it’s a good foundation to build on.

The problem is that these are very good remakes of Diamond & Pearl and excellent games in and of themselves - they’re just nowhere near the best Gen 4 remake. Given that Platinum is still superior to Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl in almost every conceivable way, it’s difficult to comprehend why these games even exist aside from making them available on a modern console, in which case… just port Platinum. That’s the main takeaway I have from my time with Shining Pearl: it’s brilliant and it shines, but not quite as brilliantly bright as a game that came out 13 years ago.

It has some issues, like its slowed-down movement and some annoying encounters in the arcade and campaign mode, but the massive facelift, improved combat mechanics, and reworked fighters make for a much stronger second round.

The best throwback games borrow aesthetics, iconography, and mechanics from the past, and blend them with modern sensibilities. Evil West does the first part beautifully, but can’t quite pull things together for audiences today.

Ultimately, Mario Strikers: Battle League feels like Liverpool’s trophy cabinet this year. An FA Cup and a League Cup are nothing to sniff at, but it feels below par. With no cup final goals and two victories on penalties, they didn’t even underachieve with style. Battle League is very similar. It’s Mario Strikers again, and the football itself is pretty good, but the stuff of legends? Not even close.

I wouldn't necessarily call this high-art or a gaming masterpiece, as it's rich with horror movie cliches and light on actual gameplay. But if you liked Until Dawn or Man Of Medan, then you're sure to enjoy this. Just make sure you have those fingers ready to go because some of these QTEs can be deadly.

Best Served Cold doesn’t revolutionise the genre, but it does tell an incredibly compelling story about class, power, and people desperately trying to find their way in a world that’s not that different from our own. It’s not perfect, but it’s valuable nonetheless.

Overall, Brain vs Brain is exactly what you’d expect of Big Brain Academy on the Nintendo Switch. It doesn’t feel like it has changed all that much in 14 years, but maybe it didn’t need to. It’s the most gamified title in this genre, and to mess with it too much might have diminished the appeal, but it’s a little disappointing that a decade and a half of studying leads to the same B+ grade.

Ultimately, Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts 2 is a really strong stealth shooter in an unfortunate package.

If bringing Sakura Wars back means sacrificing tight, strategic gameplay, good characterization, and memorable storytelling for a sloppy heap of half-melted vanilla ice cream, I'd rather it stay dead.

Ultimately, HAUNTED: Halloween ‘86 (The Curse Of Possum Hollow) doesn’t necessarily bring anything revolutionary to the genre, but it really doesn’t need to. The game feels like a game I played years ago, and that’s what makes it so much fun.

The music, composed by Marble Machines creators Wintergatan, is definitely one of the highlights of the game. It enhances the already charming aesthetic of the game and managed to put a smile on my face the entire time.

There are a couple of faults with the pack, but for the price, the value it offers is very high. What it will ultimately come down to is how much you enjoy building and if the new items are to your taste. For me personally, this pack is superb and will add a huge amount to my game for a long time to come.

Prison Princess, just like any meaningful hookup, is a quick and good time. It probably won't be something you'll remember for years to come. But for a few hours, it'll be a lot of fun.

The sheer amount of references in Jay and Silent Bob: Mall Brawl made me want to rewatch all of Kevin Smith’s catalog of films, probably while replaying Mall Brawl to find any I missed (I know what you’re thinking, and yes - Dogma is in Mall Brawl). A serviceable beat ‘em up makes it a fine enough game for fans of the genre. Mostly, it’s a game for fans of Jay and Silent Bob as a way to pass the time until Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch makes its way into our loving hands.

The best thing I can say about House of Ashes is that its story didn’t make me feel betrayed in the end. There is no “it was all a dream” twist that creates a dozen plot holes, and it doesn’t pull away from the supernatural elements at the last second to reveal that the characters were hallucinating. Rather, it uses its monsters to connect together its themes and create a closed loop that only the best horror stories can effectively execute. For once it feels like The Dark Pictures bit off exactly as much as it can chew, and House of Ashes is so much better off for it. This is where I would recommend newcomers start with the series, and it's a great indicator that the anthology is just going to keep getting better.

Meet Your Maker is a killer concept, but it feels empty despite building up a miserable world I so desperately want to know more about. For as boundless as the content may be, shallow progression makes it all feel disposable and vapid. It might be great in a year’s time, but right now it’s little more than a cool idea.

Frustration aside, if you're a fan of old-school horror in both film and games, Mundaun may be a place that's worth visiting. Just watch out for headless goats.

I have a lot of conflicting feelings about Dragon Quest Treasures. It’s a perfectly serviceable game that accomplishes what it sets out to do in creating a laidback gameplay loop of treasure hunting and monster collecting, but it’s also a shallow experience that feels like too big a departure from the Dragon Quest formula. It’s missing too many things that make these games so compelling - the severe lack of monster variety being the biggest disappointment. While Treasures has high points, the low points outweigh them and leave the game a middling experience.

Zombie Army 4 brings back the hallowed art of the "B game" with a gleefully campy story backed up by solid mechanics and a co-op campaign packed with loads of silly, gory replay value.

Helping the Grumpuses reconnect with each other and overcome their character flaws is a worthwhile experience. I may not have loved catching bugs, but I came away smitten by Beffica Winklesnoot, Chandlo Funkbun, and the rest of the Snaktooth Island Grumpuses.

Phoenix Springs deals with the abstract, from its twist on genre mechanics to its narrative, and I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I’ve tried to find examples to compare it to and come up short. The point-and-click genre may never be the same, and neither will I.

As someone who spent countless childhood holidays roaming these same Cumbrian hills before returning to a static caravan or family tent, Atomfall perfectly captures the British countryside. Combine that with a brilliant quest system and the tension of survival combat, and you’ve got a recipe for success.