Toxic Commando never really manages to be more than the sum of its parts. It's enjoyable, and the big horde set pieces remain a gaming highlight, especially at its peaks in the finale, but like a 90s family holiday, there's also just a lot of time spent looking at a map to plan your route, and then driving to the next sightseeing stop while the kids in the back pretend to shoot stuff out the window.

A satisfying end to the story of Max and Chloe, Life is Strange: Reunion is a mature tale of the uncomfortable truth that you can’t truly go back, only learn from your mistakes and go forward.

Playing Star Trek: Bridge Crew is every Trek fan’s dream, giving you the opportunity to sit on the bridge of a Federation starship. It’s a great co-op game for VR, but takes a few direct hits when played with AI and when you think about the balance between roles and the mission structure. Even so, with the Trek license lending this game an awful lot of atmosphere and the paucity of must-have VR games right now, this is still a near essential buy.

If you’re eyeing up the PlayStation 3 version of Xtreme Legends then I can’t strongly recommend it. New characters are always great, as are new stages, but the lack of thought put into the addition to Ambition Mode is disappointing to say the least.

It does that single screen shooting very well. I would have liked some variation in the level design, and the graphics can get rather muddled at some points, but overall it’s a polished little package.

The mixture of side scrolling stealth with the cover-based 3D shooting is quite an ingenious one, but simple enough that when combined with the randomly generated levels, you can hop into the game for a few minutes and, ignoring a few flaws, find yourself staying for an hour.

However, Sons of Winter is certainly a more enjoyable episode than the previous two, with some decent character development. It often gets to the point much quicker with a lot less filler in between, while also taking characters to new places and surprising you along the way as we head towards the series’ conclusion.

Despite the various caveats and areas that Hello will look to improve upon over the coming months, you can so easily lose hours at a time landing on a new and interesting planet for the first time, giving the local flora and fauna idiotic names, before falling down a hole and getting lost in a sprawling cave system, only to do the exact same thing on the next planet over. There’s nothing quite like it.

Elderand is a worthy addition to the wider Metroidvania genre and offers plenty of bang for your buck. It takes clear inspiration from the best of Castlevania and marries it to challenging combat. That being said, there isn’t anything particularly new here, and there is a lack of consistency across the level design. The result is a solid indie game offering plenty for genre fans.

Arcade Spirits is a successful experiment in creating an inclusive and immersive visual novel experience, it just needs to nail the "novel" part of that experience. Yet, for as flawed as the line-to-line writing of Arcade Spirits can be, I still found myself really enjoying the overall story of the game. Arcade Spirits already won a lot of points with me for being a relatively bite-sized adventure, but I also loved the cast of characters and the casual nature of the entire experience. Unfortunately, a lot of rough writing and dialogue in the game keeps me from truly loving it.

The Order: 1886 features a wonderfully crafted and realistic alternate history setting with the greatest visuals and production values so far on the PS4. While the first half or so of the story really works, it’s let down by the final few hours, which abandon things shouting out to be explored in favour of introducing forced plot points which do the world and the main cast a disservice.

Warhammer: Chaosbane is a good, solid dungeon crawling action RPG, but outside of a well executed Warhammer theme it's just not doing anything new. I feel bad for underselling Chaosbane, as I did enjoy my time with it. However, it’s standing in the shadow of Diablo III, a titan that's been doing it for a long time and that you can’t help but make comparisons with. Warhammer: Chaosbane is good and it could mature into something great, but right now it pales next to its daddy.

All round, it’s a solid point and click adventure game that combines that familiar old-school formula with a couple of clever quirks. It has a decent story to boot as well, though there are slight issues with pacing, both in terms of the how the narrative unspools combined with some of the more obtuse puzzles. Together, these create a barrier that will stump players while ultimately holding Yesterday Origins back from greatness.

Kirby: Planet Robobot is a great addition to the franchise, adding a mechanic that doesn’t feel forced and is overall not a terribly shallow package. But looking under the hood the game uses a lot of the same tricks that Kirby Triple Deluxe did and will probably captivate your time about as well. It’s certainly one that younger audiences will get a kick out of, but it’s no Kirby’s Fun Pak.

There are various secrets and written pieces of lore scattered throughout the game and I found probably around 75% of these in my playthrough of just under 6 hours. The replayability mostly comes from the different endings that are hinted at by the achievement list and I do want to revisit Moroi to find out whether these hidden endings provide more answers.

It's tricky to see how large a market there is for a game like this but if, by some chance, you're a fan of vintage air combat from the WWII era then this is likely to have great appeal.

A fantastic game, held back by some frustrating design decisions. For every moment spent whooping in delight as you vanquish a foe, you'll spend two more grimacing as you have to mow someone's lawn, or try and pry yourself free from a lamppost. When it's good it's almost unbeatable, but the filler in-between is exactly that.

Whilst it never thrills, Dungeons and Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara is a perfectly enjoyable experience for those who are looking for a quick blast that doesn’t involve taxing the old grey-matter.

Blasphemous is a great little 2D Souls-like which will definitely appeal to fans of dark and difficult games. It doesn’t have the polish of the likes of Dead Cells and is more linear than true Metroidvanias like Hollow Knight, but follows in the bloodied footsteps of titles like Death’s Gambit and Slain: Back From Hell. It isn’t a game for everyone but there is plenty here to get your teeth into with lots of secrets and some excellent and challenging boss encounters. All in all, it's bloody good fun.

Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory could have easily been a simple rhythm game with nothing but a huge set of Kingdom Hearts songs going for it. The fact that it goes out of its way to emulate the visuals of the series and recaps major story moments elevates it to something more. It's a shame that the new story elements of the game are held off until the very end, and that Kairi isn't even a playable character despite being on the cover of the dang game. Those issues alongside a surprising amount of missing Kingdom Hearts 3 music and a tacked-on item system add some awkward wrinkles to an otherwise magical, musical, melodic nostalgia trip for Kingdom Hearts die-hards.

The motion controls aren’t the best and I wouldn’t recommend using them, while the stuttering on the loading screens also needs addressing. If you’re looking for a small game to play though, and like first person runners, then Infinity Runner could well be for you.

Though it lacks some of the nuance and complexity to make the most of some of its ideas, Deserts of Kharak captures the essence of the Homeworld series. Fans of the classic originals will find a familiar form of real time strategy adapted to a new setting, and telling another tale of a lonely carrier fighting through to its destination against the odds.

Whilst Everspace does repeat itself, you can quickly brush through the more repetitive aspects in favour of its combat. This is where the game focuses and it is pretty great, with plenty of options to choose from when you happen upon them. If a little repetition doesn't put you off, then you could probably do worse than Everspace on Switch.

The Lego Ninjago Movie Game does a great job of bringing the full film experience to your console and wrapping it up with the next step in Lego gameplay . It’s fantastic to see a return to the style of the Lego Movie Videogame, as opposed to the Lego Batman Movie’s half-accurate Lego Dimensions pack, but it’s bittersweet when all of that good work is somewhat undone by last-gen technical flaws which have somehow found their way back in.

While some of its gameplay diversions miss the mark, Dustborn is an excellent example of how to craft engaging characters and wrap a story around them. The game is filled with surprisingly natural sounding conversations, whether they’re serious and detailed or funny and light. It’s very rare that I encounter characters that are so believable in a game. Quite the achievement considering one of those characters is a gruff, bearded New Yorker with dwarfism who heals people by reciting poetry, who I honestly wish I got to spend more time with.

For fans of extreme sports it’s a confident, expansive game with lots of potential and if the developers can push out some DLC down the line the multiplayer side of things will be more than an afterthought.

I was more excited than a mouse starting on a cheese-dinner to finally play Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter, particularly after I had such a great time with the original game, but this sequel left me underwhelmed. Sure, the same gorgeous world to explore and brutal combat to endure is present and correct, but it is bogged down by poorly implemented and unnecessary new gameplay mechanics hold it back.

It lends itself perfectly to the kind of gaming which is most popular on handhelds - short bursts of easily accessible gameplay with uncomplicated controls. The multiplayer systems are great and Cross Play works wonderfully...It's a shame that the additional game modes, which arrived as DLC on the PS3 version, aren't in there from the start but this is affordable enough that optional DLC isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Looping back to the beginning of this review, we already have a solid stable of go-to VR shooters. Killing Floor: Incursion definitely makes it onto this list though, trails towards the bottom half. It’s a great adaptation of the series but lacks longevity, mainly thanks to its reliance on using the same swarms of braindead cannon fodder instead of adding more diversity to its firefights.

Skater XL softens some of the more technical aspects of the sport, but empowers players with the ability to pull off stylish tricks with a swish of the analogue sticks. Even with a lack of content and polish, Skater XL stands on its own four wheels in a soon-to-be-crowded marketplace, providing players with an experience that prioritises fun over simulation.

Although the new 1970’s setting and bland, dark visuals leaves Poirot a little out of place, Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile gives video-gaming detectives a fresh perspective on a well-known plot and some fantastic mystery-solving menus and maps to get stuck into.

Chaos;Child delivers a disturbing and engaging story that not only stands on it’s own, but helps to expand the worlds of other parts of the Science Adventure Series. It’s just a shame that it takes so long to experience that story, and that the choices you make to find every piece of info and characterization are weirdly designed. Chaos;Child isn’t as good as Steins;Gate at the end of the day, but a more memorable cast of characters and a more distinctive art style would help future entries stand alongside Steins;Gate instead than behind it.

Root Double: Before Crime * After Days Xtend Edition is a stellar story full of incredible twists and well-explored themes. It's just a shame that it hits a few bumps as it gets to those moments. Mind-numbing exposition dumps, vague narrative decisions, and some inconsistent pacing sour the experience a fair bit. Even so, there's an incredibly memorable visual novel experience here as long as you've got the patience for some nagging issues.

Cat Quest is definitely good fun for a few hours and can be quite humorous, but a lack of depth to the basic gameplay loop means it gets repetitive and it’s easy to lose interest. Once you reach that point, tolerance for cat puns wears thin and the bright, cheerful aesthetic, while nicely realised and attractive enough, isn’t enough to keep people coming back. The only thing left to look forward to is the quirky side quests, which can be written well enough but again, are based around cat puns.

With its barmy riff on a medieval dungeoneering game show, there's something very likeable about the odd world of King of Meat. The platforming, puzzling and combat is a bit too woolly for my tastes, lacking a bit of staying power, but with UGC gaming more relevant than ever, King of Meat provides a great onramp for players to explore their creativity in a constrained setting.

Need For Speed feels like a plucky contender, that is close to greatness but tragically falters at number of key moments.

Yuki's Wish and Zagan's Ritual are two good pieces of DLC that adds to the overall lore and gameplay of Shadow Gambit. Both provide quite a few additional hours of content, with six missions each, plus their badges to earn too. If I were to pick one of the two to go with first it would be Yuki's Wish.

The Wheelman isn’t perhaps the prettiest game on the PlayStation 3, but it’s certainly not ugly: Barcelona looks fine, there’s plenty of variety and lots to explore but everything has a slightly flat feel to it.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is not the perfect Iga-vania, but it is a worthy entry in the genre. It's clearly Castlevania in all but name and long term fans will find much to enjoy here, but it's lacking in polish and refinement with a few niggles with the controls and too many unwelcome bugs at launch. With a few more patches, Bloodstained should be the game all us fans wanted it to be.

Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is a well-crafted game and a major step up from the prior entry, but it isn't the kind of groundbreaking or unique experience that will get casual fans or non-fans invested in the series.

Blue Reflection is a good start for something even greater. It manages to perfectly capture the atmosphere of classic magical girl anime series, and does so with some of the prettiest visuals I’ve seen in a Japanese PS4 game. Unfortunately, it fails at making a truly engaging JRPG to go with it. The lack of a focus on combat is interesting, but it ends up making combat feel more like an afterthought than it ought to be. I hope Gust is willing to put out a sequel, because with some of these issues tackled, this could end up being my new favorite JRPG series.

Mafia III is a game with a great plot, great characters, and great setting, but it’s hamstrung by the repetitive nature of its mission structure. Having to go through the same tasks in each territory means a sense of fatigue enters quickly, and there isn’t much in the way of distractions within New Bordeaux to break things up. The pieces of a great game are all here, but they just don’t quite fit together.

Jackbox Party Pack 2 still offers one of the best multiplayer experiences I’ve ever had on a console.

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is a huge amount of great 2D Mario (and Luigi) platforming and it’s at its easiest to pick up and play on Switch, but even with the sheer volume of content this doesn’t really feel like a ‘Deluxe’ game. Toadette’s easier gameplay comes at the cost of a regular difficulty fourth character, and makes for a token appearance of Peach as a playable character, while the best all round multiplayer fun has been left behind with the Wii U’s GamePad.

It's by no means a brilliant game, but it is a good piece of interactive fiction and a new approach, which we'll happily welcome with open arms. Six of them.

Milestone's MotoGP series has taken some significant steps forward in recent years; expanding the career mode, making the bike handling more realistic and lively, but it's a little tougher to see the signs of progress in MotoGP 21. This is a slighter evolution of the series, with the biggest changes the ones that you can see from the jump to the new generation consoles and, if you're on PS5, feel through the DualSense controller.

It's not rocket surgery by any means, but there's enough LSD inspired mind-melting on show to make it at least worth a look.

Despite the welcoming gameplay and often outstanding graphical representation of the courses though, enthusiasts and series stalwarts may soon feel that while progress has been made in some areas, this may not be the experience they expected from the first PGA Tour of a new console generation.

Little Nightmares 3 is a gorgeously crafted collection of grim visuals, memorable creatures and fear-inducing horror. The co-op play is a natural and understandable evolution for the series, but it does alter the overarching atmosphere, albeit it subtly.

Unfortunately, so much of my love for this game is ruined by its choppy frame rate on PS Vita. If this were simply on PS3 or PS4, it would be a nearly flawless experience. As it stands, Atelier Shallie is the best version of the game available in terms of content, but having to suffer through a poorly optimised experience for those benefits is too steep a cost.

Fox n Forests is a really enjoyable throwback to its 16-bit inspirations. It takes the style, gameplay, and mechanics of early platformers and produces a game that both feels like a lost classic and remains fun and involving to play. Its main negative is perhaps an inevitable result of its close adherence to historical precedence as it is fairly short. It’s a bit short but there is increased longevity in finding all the collectables or playing through at harder skill levels, but the challenge is generally gauged well enough on normal that the latter didn’t appeal to me

I did like going back through the four games on offer with Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 overall. The features included are exactly the same as the first Legacy Collection and the way saving works now makes for a fairer challenge that doesn’t make things too easy. It’s just a shame the enhanced version of Mega Man 8 wasn’t used and Mega Man & Bass was not included, as it gives the impression Capcom’s heart wasn’t quite in it. It’s a decent collection, but plays things far too safe.

Worms: Revolution Extreme has made the jump to Vita nicely, but it’s a shame that the opportunity wasn’t taken to polish and improve on what Revolution delivered the first time around. It is, however, a quite comprehensive package of one of the biggest shake-ups to the Worms formula in years.

Look, I'm going to be honest with you, despite its flaws I still really like One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows, it's just so far removed from what it feels like it could have been. There's a vast gulf between the unique ideas that make this feel special and the basic gaming stuff that it doesn't quite get right. It's a real shame because this could have been one of the best anime games to date.

Compile Heart set out to prove they could do something different by making Death end re;Quest, and they absolutely succeeded. Unfortunately, the interesting ideas at the heart of the game are undone by the groan-inducing and lengthy dialogue that often tries too hard to be taken seriously. Edgy writing aside, Death end re;Quest has marvellous gameplay that kept me glued to my controller. It's a strong package for JRPG fans, but you might end up wanting to use that skip button during cutscenes.

Fast RMX is practically a must buy, but it’s a purist take on the genre and damn difficult without many, if any of the bells and whistles of other racers. That said, if you’re looking to scratch a certain F-Zero or Wipeout itch on Switch it’s absolutely worth a look.

Simulacra 2 is a worthy sequel and an immersive take on the role that our digital presence has in defining who we are. The different playable characters help to give a different perspectives to the sotyr and the suspects are sufficiently flawed to keep you guessing as to where blame may lie, but the wider cast of characters don't feel as focussed as the original. While the virus in question here is completely digital, it's uncannily topical given our enforced switch to virtual interactions.

Class of Heroes 3 Remaster is the kind of repetitive, dense, and often punishing dungeon-crawler that won't be for everyone. For the people who enjoy that kind of experience, though, it's a must-play blast from the past.

It’s always nice to see Marvel and Capcom working together on a fighting game and Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite is still a great fighting game with neat ideas. Infinity Stones are a breath of fresh air, and going back to a less chaotic 2v2 format makes it more playable at a lower level, but ultimately some of the silliness and wonder has been sucked out of its DNA. For the hardcore audience, it’ll still play wonderfully and I had fun, but casual players will find little to sing and dance about.

Whether being completely cut off from civilisation is a fantasy or a nightmare to you, Stranded: Alien Dawn includes everything from base building as hunter-gatherers, to rediscovering technology and eventually making a successful escape, or setting up a rugged military base. It's just a bit limited in terms of thematic variety, and needs a little more work on the console controls and UI, but constructs a compelling sci-fi take on the survival management sim genre.

Assassin's Creed Mirage will appeal to anyone who's been pining for a return to the old school open world stealth of the earlier games. It's pretty much exactly that with a few extra refinements and additions. Some of those additions are a bit distracting and immersion breaking, but nothing gets in the way of some good old fashioned assassinations.

GRID Legends builds on the foundations of the 2019 reboot, improving the driving experience in certain areas, adding a big new story mode, and throwing more variables and variety into the mix. There's enjoyable, pulpy action racing to be had here, but some of the fundamental weaknesses from the last game remain, and as the racing game community increasingly looks toward sim racing, it feels like this franchise is in need of another reinvention.

Morkredd is an interesting experiment in the use of light and dark to solve puzzles. However, the constraints of all the shadowy deaths and the occasionally frustrating movement of the ball stops Morkredd from being a better game. Through the great artwork there are hints this could have been something more.

If you’re a fan of on-rails shooters, Redout: Space Assault is an enjoyable, if limited, addition to the genre.

Trek to Yomi is a game that really does evoke the style of Kurosawa films, with a good story and good characters. However, it is let down by a combat system that can feel clunky and unresponsive against enemies that are a little too straightforward to defeat. If you enjoy sidescrollers and samurai then it may be worth spending the few hours it takes to play through it.

It's not nearly as strong as it could have been but there's enough here to provide a day or two's entertainment and – given the nature of what EA were trying to do – it at least succeeded on that level.

Think of it as a modern-day underground refresh of Maniac Mansion with the wit of Guybrush Threepwood's adventures (with a much smaller inventory) and you're probably not too far off.

Butcher is a game that will mainly appeal to those who like hardcore shooters, where one wrong move can cost you progress. For others, that style of play could prove frustrating, especially when testing your platforming skills. Though it’s built around the idea of being a relentless killing machine, that doesn’t really feel fully realised with most enemies on a par with you when it comes to dealing damage. Butcher shows potential, but it doesn’t reach it in its short campaign.

While there’s nothing particularly poor about Songs and Shadows’ story or battle system, the way they come together leaves an unwelcome void in between. When playing, it’s hard not to compare it to bigger, better games like Baldur’s Gate or more recent RPGs like Pillars of Eternity and Divinity. Masquerada just doesn’t have the same level of rewarding complexity or seamlessness, bogged down by constant stopping and starting.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of the Wolf has a lot of promise, starting out very strong but it's ultimately let down by what feels like a very rushed last couple of chapters. The characters, the setting, the atmosphere and the writing are all on point which is what makes this feel like a sadly missed opportunity to make an all time great. Here’s hoping they flesh out the next one.

Unlike the invention of the wheel or the utilisation of fire, Caveman Warriors is hardly likely to revolutionise our world, but then it wasn’t intended too. Instead you get a solid and fun side scrolling platformer that harks back to the console classics of yesteryear. It’s gorgeous to look at, and whilst frustration can be caused with several technical issues, I nonetheless enjoyed my time with Caveman Warriors.

Outriders Worldslayer brings a fresh campaign and endgame to People Can Fly's game, but likely won't move the needle for those not already gripped by this third person looter shooter. The chaotic front-foot combat is fun, the boss battles challenging, and some of the weapons and abilities gloriously excessive, but many of the underlying flaws remain.

You can see the passion and care put into Aragami from a mile away. Everything about the game shows a love for the stealth genre and the games that made the genre so great. Unfortunately, it isn’t until you get up close and start to play the game that you also see all the cracks.

ICARUS is a good survival game that is held back by the way technology is effectively time-gated behind levelling up. The actual experience of playing is good, provided you can ignore a handful of bugs, deal with the UI, and don't mind burning time for the sake of earning XP.

Destroy All Humans is a faithful remake that retains the charm of the 2005 original, while dramatically overhauling the visuals and making some improvements to the gameplay. Perhaps a bit too faithful, with missions that now feel too simple and limited to the point of just being a bit boring.

The Sinking City promises a nightmarish journey through a Lovecraftian townscape filled with monsters and threatening cults, but too often falls into a loop of forced combat and resource hunting. The investigative parts are excellent, and this is probably the best Lovecraft adaptation since Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth, but it still never really lives up to its potential. Close, but no Shoggoth.

Rainbow Cotton is an interesting peak into the history of Dreamcast gaming, but it lacks the gameplay upgrades and presentation flourishes to make it a genuinely enjoyable game outside of that context.

INK is an ambitiously simplistic platformer that creates its own identity with its level splatting gameplay. The only problem is that despite the attractive colourful visuals at various points, the game’s simplicity can get tiresome in long sessions. INK is worth picking up if you’re a puzzle-platforming fan, but those looking for a bit more depth may find other 2D platformers more enjoyable.

I would like to give this game a higher score to reflect this, but the bugs mentioned in this review are unforgivable and can ruin an otherwise great gaming experience.

The saying “Too many cooks spoil the broth” certainly rings true with Sonic Forces. It’s a game where despite it’s many level types none of them quite leave a lasting impression. As a result, it comes off as merely average in all departments with the sole exception being the visual design. Sonic Forces is far from the train wreck that Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric was, but it doesn’t come close to reigniting the series’ magic in the way Sonic Mania did.

New arcade racers have been few and far between over the last half decade, and Gravel is just one attempt to reignite the genre. There’s some good racing to be found here, with plenty of licensed cars to take through some lovely scenery, but it doesn’t get your heart pounding with excitement. Gravel might be a fairly decent racer, but its biggest sin is that, despite the fireworks and exotic locations, it’s just a bit boring.

While we would have preferred to see an adaptation of the grunnier 90s tabletop game, Necromunda: Underhive Wars is still a thorough, faithful adaptation of a Games Workshop classic. Its strategic skirmishing gameplay can prove rewarding, but it's clunky and gets bogged down by technical issues and stodgy pacing. Necromunda fans will delight in being able to create their own Underhive mob though casual fans of the genre may want to stay clear if they’re not particularly fussed about Warhammer 40K.

Despite it’s flaws, I still found Need for Speed: Payback quite a likeable arcade racer. Just having a narrative sets it apart from the other, more serious offerings this year, even if it’s not delivered with much panache. Sadly its attractive visuals, and alternate take on the genre, can’t disguise a gamut of poor design decisions, some of which serve to make the enjoyable racing less than enjoyable.

Sonic Superstars is a decent Sonic game, but it is not the return to former heights that some would expect. It offers entertainment and fun, but is marred by the action being slowed down quite a lot, interrupting the flow, and boss fights that drag on and feel like a throwback instead of an evolution.

Structurally, Blaster Master Zero is a significant step forward for the franchise, but provided you are actively avoiding getting hit, the game is just too easy. Mildly more interesting when driving around in a tank than gunning down mutants on foot, it’s probably a great entry point to the series for more inexperienced gamers. It’s just a shame that this reintroduction doesn’t provide much of a challenge.

I am left conflicted with Hotel Barcelona. It absolutely oozes the kind of style you’d expect its leading creators and there is real potential in the setting and story, but the actual game just isn’t that fun to play. The clunky controls stand out against the many similar action platformers and the multiple currencies make upgrades an unwelcome grind. I can’t help but think the story would be better suited to an anime rather than its current form. It’s worth a look if you can see past the jank (and many longtime fans of Swery and Suda51 are well used to that) but its shortcomings make this a booking you might regret.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins - Visions of Four Heroes galvanises the rebirth of a fan favourite franchise that had started to show signs of fatigue. The expansion helps to further expand the story through additional character perspectives while supercharging the hack n’ slash gameplay with new features. However, with the DLC costing almost as much as the core game on some platforms, it's a tough sell, only suitable for those die-hard DW heads who simply can’t wait for a sequel.

With only a few hours of focussed gameplay, this is a little light on lasting appeal. Don't let that put you off though, Michael Jackson's music has a timeless quality and the presentation of this game is top notch.

It’s not a taxing game by any means, but the asynchronous flow and bold unusual will rub against common multiplayer mindset.

Detective Pikachu is a deceptively small game with simple cases and not a heck of a lot else. As someone whose detective itch is usually scratched by the Phoenix Wright games, this felt like solving the really easy introduction cases in each, rather than challenging logic and reason. It certainly has the presentation chops, but the people who’ll get the most out of Detective Pikachu are diehard Pokémon fans and younger gamers.

Conway is a solid detective game that ticks a lot of the right boxes and fulfils standard sleuthing expectations. It leans well into the crotchety-old-protagonist stereotype which more often than not creates an interesting tension between Conway and his ensemble cast of neighbors, as well as with you as a player. It’s not tremendously challenging in terms of hard solves, but it’s more about the journey. You could do worse than spend 10 hours immersed in the small and all too human miseries of Dahlia View.

There’s a lot of depth to the combat and managing your party in Tears of Avia, whilst still remaining user friendly. However, while the effort put into the game's design can't be denied, it has a large amount of problems and rough edges. If you can get past the initial lacklustre visuals and pacing issues, Tears of Avia is a solid turn-based strategy world to explore.

There's a satisfying strategy experience to be had here though one that comes with quite the learning curve. Even once you have a grip on the basics, tangling with ROTK's new grid-based system and overall pacing can often put a few awkward steps between you executing your next cunning plan.

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves struggles not only to understand what it wants to be, but which audience it wants to be for. While the game can be a sweat-inducing treat at its highest level of play, casual gamers might not get a lot out of it and the bevy of distracting guest characters and stage song composers in the game make it hard to see the title for its own merits.

Hungry Giraffe is a fun game. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it's a compulsive, replayable game in which you'll always be aiming to beat your high score. If it were an expanded game, it would be much better, though for what it is – a minis title – it manages to do what it set out to.

Lara’s original trilogy has been lovingly restored with the launch of these remasters, offering a definitive collection that bundles the core games and their expansions. However, dusting off these old relics in the name of nostalgia may come with a nasty surprise. Don’t worry, there are no mummy curses, snake pits, or swinging pendulum axes, though the clunky controls will definitely take some getting used to (again).

Monster Truck Championship bravely tries something new and very nearly succeeds. The movement of the trucks is difficult at first, yet ultimately rewarding, but what's built around the driving is sparse and unimaginative. I could see this developing into a fun sequel that rewards patience, but this first effort is a little rough around the edges.

Phoenix Point is a good try at capturing some of that XCOM magic, but it falls short of being great. I found myself enjoying the experience, but at the same time, couldn’t help feel that something was missing. Hopefully it’s something that can improve in a sequel, if it ever comes.