It’s fluid, the new mechanics all make perfect sense, and there are plenty of interesting builds to mess around with and try and figure out. If you liked Monster Train, you’re going to love Monster Train 2. [Review in Progress]

Arkane Austin should never be underestimated for putting their own spin on a genre, with Redfall offering enough surprises and memorable moments so far to set it apart from the open-world crowd. [Review in Progress]

There are also more than a handful of bugs at this point, but that’s to be expected. I think if you’ve been waiting for this game for ages, then you’ll likely enjoy what’s on offer at this point. There’s a lot of fun to be had right now, even if it’s not complete. However, if you’ve been on the fence about the whole thing, I don’t know that this iteration of the game is going to do later versions justice. If you’re one of those people. it might be best to wait for a bit for more updates first. [Early Access Review]

Towers of Aghasba is an approachable gateway into the genre that doesn’t hold back on features while introducing some quirks of its own. Its mystical setting is also deeply alluring, inviting you to unearth ancient secrets while restoring life to Aghasba’s derelict landscape. [Early Access Review]

Nintendo Switch Sports is a fun reminder of the Wii Sports craze, bringing back some classic sports and adding some new ones that make use of the Joy-Con and motion controls in more advanced ways. It's all just a bit shallow, though, and difficult to wholeheartedly recommend unless you expect to play online a lot or constantly break it out for local head-to-head battles. [Review in Progress]

From crisp visuals and flawless performance to the bevy of control options available, it’s a beast of a package. Combining all of that with the ultimate thrill of having Okami on the go thanks to the portability of the Switch, this is a no-brainer grab for anyone who calls themselves a fan of action-adventure games.

What you get out of Everything will depend entirely on you. You may get bored within minutes just as easily as you could spend hours wandering around alien continents as a slice of pizza. I’m not sure it can be described as fun in a traditional sense, and it sometimes feels like you are being forced to sit through through a complex lecture mixed with a dash of group therapy, but other times it can be utterly hilarious as you make baby tractors by dancing.

Whilst not as divisive as the film they are based on, The Last Jedi tables are certainly polar opposites. You’ll find an incredible cinematic pinball experience with the Last Jedi table, but the Ankh-To Island table just gives you good reason to keep on playing The Last Jedi table instead! Overall, with one good table and one poor one, this new pack feels too insubstantial to be a must have.

Mantis Burn Racing is a solid top-down racer that really just wants more tracks and less repetition to be considered great. As it comes to Nintendo Switch, VooFoo have done a great job with the port, making a handful of sacrifices to hit the 60fps target the vast majority of the time, and preserved local split-screen for which the Switch is so well suited. It’s just a shame that there’s barely a pulse when looking to play online.

Oblivion Remastered is the perfect nostalgia hit for fans of The Elder Scrolls eagerly awaiting the series’ eventual sixth instalment. It’s a revival that respects those gamers who loved the original, while sprucing it up enough to entice a new generation of players.

We’re only two episodes in on the eight-episode arc, but Dispatch is already making a bid for one of my favourite games of the year. If you’re into Invincible or a fan of Telltale’s best works – that’s The Wolf Among Us, just so we’re clear – then you owe it to yourself to get onboard with Dispatch. You’ll still be in time for the water-cooler chat. [Episodes 1-2 review]

Perhaps the most successful aspect of the game is how well tension and fear are crafted, and Resident Evil 4 is still a terrifying experience, even for an audience who know what each twist and turn in the game will bring.

As far as nostalgia goes, plenty of aging gamers will fall for Shenmue’s shonky charms all over again, and revisiting Ryo’s tale of revenge can be a deeply enjoyable experience. However, newcomers will face an uphill struggle to get past the poor controls, terrible English voice acting and grinding repetition. It’s still a great primer for the third game, but only if you’ve been here before.

Octahedron was easily one of the standout indie games of 2018 – that it wasn’t featured in our Game of the Year voting was a real shame. It’s not quite on the same level as the blend between sound, music and player actions as the work of Tetsuya Mizuguchi, but it’s easy to immerse yourself in the neon lights and trance. Whether you’re now picking it up on Nintendo Switch or playing on PS4, Xbox One or PC, it absolutely deserves your time and attention.

Ultimately, so long as you don’t go in expecting a hyper-realistic tactical simulator, Rogue Point is a good bit of fun. It’s a bit rough and ready, it’s fairly unserious if you have a gung-ho approach, and you can end up with some wild difficulty swings, but there’s an enjoyable shooter to play with the right group of friends, and only some of it is in drawing willies. [Early Access Review]

Zombie Army Trilogy for Switch is a solid port of a solid zombie co-op shooter. It’s not really more than that, but then it’s not trying to be. Just make sure you turn on motion controls, try to bring friends with you, and accept that you won’t have the same whizz-bang toys you would have when playing Zombie Army 4.

Ratatan is exactly what I wanted it to be. In Early Access this is a fresh, modern take on Patapon’s iconic action with an invigorating visual design and awesome soundtrack. All I want now from the journey to 1.0 is even more of this. [Early Access Review]

If you enjoyed Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, then picking up Donkey Kong Adventure is a no-brainer. In some ways it’s even better, with Donkey Kong and Rabbid Cranky two great new characters that work so well together and even more flexibility in battle. If the main game’s main meal was a lovely mushroom risotto, then Donkey Kong Adventure is a large serving of banoffee pie for dessert.

We’ve still got the bulk of the game to go, but it already feels pretty clear where this game will land for people. If you enjoyed the first game and still adore Rick and Morty’s ad-libbed humour, then this is absolutely for you. This brings plenty more of that same tone, but there’s a sprinkling of new ideas and fun diversions that could make it appeal more broadly. [Review in Progress]

A port that’s far more breathtaking in its presentation, even if it’s the same game from nearly five years ago. It’s a shame not to see anything new here for the gameplay, but the 4K visuals and orchestral soundtrack do a lot to drive home the point that VanillaWare make good looking and sounding games. It’s a decent sign that their next original project will be stunning in its design.

All of the inherent strengths of Indiana Jones and The Great Circle remain in place on the Switch 2, and it performs surprisingly well overall. If the team can improve some of the lighting and shadowing issues, it would be a nigh-on perfect port, of one of the best games of recent years. [Switch 2 impressions]

All of that gameplay polish is wrapped up in a slick and stylish aesthetic that delivers some of the best fighting game music and most memorably characters in recent years, which is all basically to say this: if you haven’t played Under Night In-Birth yet, what the hell are you waiting for?

As it stands, then, Assetto Corsa EVO is not yet an essential buy. It’s got a cut price for the Early Access launch, so it’s tempting to grab the game now and dabble with it, but as usual, you’ll also need to accept that it’s a rough draft – and rougher than expected at this point in time. It might not take too long, but there will be a wait for this to start to realise its potential. [Early Access Review]

ORX is already a whole heap of fun, melding a batch of ideas together in convincing fashion. With the benefit of more development time this has the potential to become a bonafide classic. [Early Access review]

Death Stranding Director's Cut is not a Director's Cut, it's Death Stranding Plus Some Frivolous Extra Bits, but for five quid or ten dollars you can't really complain. If you've never played the game then you are getting the best version, so it's win either way.

So far, Aethermancer is proving to be a fun roguelike that seems to have a lot of potential depth to it, essentially forcing you to experiment with different party members to find different ways in which they can support each other in battle. I am looking forward to what will come next for the game, and anyone who enjoys roguelikes, creature collecting and battling should be keeping an eye on Aethermancer too. [Early Access Review]

Metroid Prime Remastered is fantastic. We’re just a couple hours in, but it’s every bit as good as I remember it being, without the disappointment that can so often be felt from revisiting a childhood favourite.

The Mad Ones’ episode lays the foundation of a potentially intriguing mystery narrative, part An Inspector Calls, part Murder on the Orient Express. The Social Influence system, if implemented well through the rest of the episodes, really could be a game changer for narrative adventures, evolving a genre that has needed fresh ideas for a while.

So, praise all around then, and I guess that means you should purchase it immediately, right? Well, maybe not. It took me a fair few restarts to actually make any progress, during which time I suffered a broken camera, broken progression, treasure chests not opening properly, and a few more bushels of assorted Early Access jank. When things did get going, it was generally smooth, but I can’t fully recommend jumping in until the first round of big patches get rolled out. I also had some save issues, and I’m not sure how much this was down to intentional roguelike restrictions, and how much was just bugs and glitches. So, proceed with caution. [Early Access impressions]

It has a ton of content, bundling the base game with all its DLC, so there is plenty to do in Steelport, hopefully letting you see past the rest of a dated, unpolished open world game.

This episode marks a clear turning point for the boys. Instead of going from one safe harbour to another on their journey down to Mexico, there’s a clear shift to simply being on the run once more. The dynamic between Daniel and Sean will be clear to see once more, especially as Daniel’s powers grow stronger and stronger. I just have to hope that I can still remember their names at the end of August.

Beast Of Winter is a fantastic slice of everything that Pillars of Eternity does well. The world building and the writing are so good it can make you interested, even if you have fallen out of love with it before.

The Frozen Wilds enhances an already excellent game. The improved dialogue for a number of the characters shows that Guerrilla have clearly taken onboard the criticism levelled at Zero Dawn, while the additional enemy creatures are welcome and make the game feel well rounded and complete. I really enjoyed returning to the world of Horizon Zero Dawn and simply can’t wait for the next game.

It Takes Two on Nintendo Switch is a welcome and solid port of a modern co-op classic. The usual caveats around the game graphics apply – if you can play on a higher-powered console, then you should – and you’ll have to figure out your own voice chat solution if playing online, but this is the same great game that Hazelight released last year.

An incredibly successful port. The game runs silky smooth and with a powerful gaming rig it’s noticeably sharper than it was on PS4. With perfect controller support and wide variety of graphics options to boot, it’s obvious that care and time was put into this port.

Nintendo Labo VR Kit is the most creative use of virtual reality yet .

Cloudheim’s first steps into Early Access are very enjoyable, and there’s a lot more here than you might find in other games taking that step. As it stands, this is a great-looking action-adventure, with seriously enjoyable combat, and one which is already well worth getting on board with. [Early Access Review]

If you’re looking for your first Yakuza game, you’ll be far better served by picking up one of the more modern titles like Yakuza 0, and if that sinks its hooks into you, rest assured there’s no longer a void in the story on PS4 between Yakuza Kiwami 2 and Yakuza 6. More experienced Yakuza veterans will also be sure to enjoy experiencing these hits again with a fresh coat of paint and solid frame rates.

Shin Megami Tensei V is a classic JRPG that leans heavily on the series’ past. It’s nonetheless engaging, interesting, and consistently draws you further into its spiritually-charged narrative. While it’s still not as relatable as its sublime Persona spin-off series, it is a welcome addition to the pantheon of Switch RPGs. [Review in Progress]

We can confidently say Dead Space fans will delight in its bloody mutant-shredding carnage, Striking Distance Studio using the classic 2008 horror as a template while inventing new and interesting gameplay ideas of its own.

Playing on PC brings sharper resolution and a much more stable and smooth framerate, for sure, but none of it amounts to a night-and-day difference. Go with your heart and play the game on whichever machine speaks to you the most, because at the end of the day, you’re guaranteed to have a good time no matter how you play this game.

While it’s wonderfully experimental, Octo Expansion isn’t an essential purchase, but will give diehard Splatoon fans hours of often rock hard challenges to overcome.

Sadly, there’s one control scheme for Worms WMD on the Switch does get a bit cumbersome, though really this isn’t the fault of the developers. Moving the camera if they’re using the Joy-Cons turned sideways requires players to adopt a rather interesting position with their hands, positioning one finger behind the controller as it were. It’s probably more convenient to have the game as a hot-seat experience if you’re running low on controllers.

It may be ten years late to the party, but there’s still a solid JRPG here to be enjoyed, whether discovering it for first time or revisiting it after a long hiatus. Square has made some clever, non-intrusive revisions to The Last Remnant and is pitching this remaster at a sensible price. It’s by no means essential, fans of the genre will definitely want to take a look.

The Labo Vehicle Kit is simply wonderful, and really brings Nintendo’s cardboard-filled vision to life. The inclusion of a meaty game to sink your teeth into makes all the difference, and it feels as though the weighting of the different aspects is designed to keep you constantly interested and entertained. While it was easy before to write off Labo as a cardboard demo set, or a craft project with a lacklustre robot game tied to it, the Vehicle Kit is a perfect demonstration of what Nintendo achieve time after again.

Nintendo’s continued run of Wii U ports has to have a finite end, but while Switch players are getting games like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker then its best just to bask in it. Gloriously cheerful, charming and enthralling, it’s only diminishing features are its slightly short length and lack of difficulty for seasoned players.

If you had to pick a console family to buy the game for right now, it would have to be Xbox. The game is only played through backward compatibility on the new generation of consoles, but as we’ve seen on plenty of occasions, that leaves Xbox Series X owners able to play at 4K, while PlayStation 5 players are running at last-gen resolutions and frame rates. In this case, the game is stuck at 1080p on PS5, and even then the frame rate has been a bit variable. That’s improved through pre-release patches, and will hopefully continue to improve. [Review in Progress]

Certainly, The Grand Tour Game is hard to recommend if you are looking for the final word in virtual racing. Technically, this is far from polished. It also wouldn’t be appropriate to give it a score either though, seen as at the time of writing on a Thursday evening less than 30% of the game is available. What I do know is that in the morning there will be a new episode to watch and a new episode to play through. The trailer has pick-up trucks and explosions, and you know what? I can’t wait.

Farthest Frontier is one of the most compelling city-builders we’ve seen in a long time. [Early Access review]

We’ve been primarily reviewing the game on PlayStation 4, twiddling and tapping with our thumbs while patiently waiting for the ability to upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version of the game, but have also had access on Xbox Series X. While it looks as good as you’d expect from the recent series on PS4 Pro and performs nicely, there’s a healthy step forward for resolution and frame rate with the next-gen console. Load times are shorter, shrinking down to around 10 seconds of Eivor standing in a watery void, while the world is crisp and sharp at 4K and runs with a 60fps target. The only real blemishes are some light, but noticeable environmental pop-in, and ripples of screentearing down the screen that seem to occur more commonly during cutscenes, but can also happen during regular gameplay at times.

Crimson Desert is certainly one of the most impressive open worlds we’ve ever seen in games. I really need to decide how I feel about the inherent jankiness, and while the storytelling is helped by the excellent voice acting, it’s still weaker than you’ll find in the best examples of the genre. So far, at least. With all that said, this is still an experience that’s well worth checking out one way or another, just to see the world that Pearl Abyss have built. [Review in Progress]

Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training for Nintendo Switch is a solid return for the series, mixing classic minigames with a handful of new ones that use the Switch's various capabilities – and which exclude those with a Switch Lite. Just as with the original, it's going to be easy to drop in for a few minutes a day and test yourself, but this isn't really doing much more than the DS games.

I’m still discovering all the mechanics and systems at play in F1 Manager 2022, and while it may not have captured all the exciting and dynamic elements of Formula 1, it’s an enjoyable experience in its own right. It provides fans like myself with a deeper glimpse into the real nuts and bolts of the sport, while giving die hard fans almost limitless access to running their own F1 team. The only thing I would really have liked to see is the ability to create your own team from scratch. [Review in Progress]

Monster Hunter World on PC offers the same awesome experience that console gamers have been enjoying, and brings one of the best games of recent times to a slightly different audience. With the right kit you’ll be able to push the game further than anywhere else, and with the promise of future updates it’s likely to become the definitive version, even if it’s not quite there yet.

The Switch version of Dark Souls simply lacks the polish that the remaster brought with it, and even added in a few issues that aren’t present anywhere else. The ability to play the game on the go isn’t something that you can get anywhere else, and it is hard to quantify just how much that makes up for the issues. Souls Remastered is still a very worthwhile game, but it is hard to justify this version over any other given the weaknesses that are unique to it.

Aragami: Nightfall adds a wealth of new missions and stories to Aragami that are worth checking out if you missed the game the first time around, and doubly worth checking out if you never picked it up at all. Some performance issues and technical faux pas still affect the game, but it’s overall a much more engaging experience than it was back in 2016 and worth giving a go if you’re at all a fan of classic stealth games.

Having spent a couple hours with the final release of Roller Champions, it’s definitely a future sports game that’s got some juice to it. It’s reductive to say it’s just Roller Derby Rocket League, but that’s also how it’s going to get people’s attention so it can showcase the kinds of skilful play and team-based gaming that could make it a success. Will it stick around for the long-run? Well, for that we’ll just have to wait and see.

Despite how enjoyable the game itself is, what Rockstar Games has deigned to deliver to PC players can only be described as a big old mess.

Cuphead was already one of the best games of the past couple of years before Studio MDHR started tinkering with it, but here on Nintendo’s console, it’s proved the recent adage that everything is better on Switch.

Sadly, during our playthrough we encountered a number of frustrating bugs, some of which severely hampered our progress, others breaking the game entirely.

Skyrim and Fallout 4 had a space baby and named it Starfield. As with every child, there’s the hope that it will better its parents as it grows into adulthood, and from the time spent with Starfield, I’d say it’s right up there with Bethesda’s best. I’ve certainly enjoyed what I’ve seen so far and the new setting, but there’s just no getting away from the fact that it has its mother’s eyes and its dad’s nose. [Review in Progress]

Divinity: Original Sin II Definitive Edition is another in a growing list of outstanding ports to Nintendo Switch. It’s everything that you can get on other platforms, but now you can take it (and your Steam save) to play wherever you want.

In our experience, you’re not relying too heavily on dynamic resolutions and upscaling to high the graphics presets provided by Sony, but there’s plenty of scope to tweak settings and apply some upscaling to get core ray tracing features and a solid 60fps performance that matches or betters the game on PS5. All in all, Spider-Man 2 on PC has proven to be a reliable performer in both of our use cases.

Disney Dreamlight Valley is already proving itself to be a feature-rich and engaging game, with a really addictive “one more quest” feel to it. Once the issues are fixed, and with some more characters added to the game, this could become the best Disney game in years. Now, if you excuse me, I’m off to continue plugging hours into the game until I get Stitch in my valley as they’re teased in the loading screens and I want to befriend them.

I’ve been waiting for Skate. Tony Hawk’s frantic take on the sport is cool, but it doesn’t feel as good as this. The freedom, the variety, and the community, are already in place, the only thing missing, is you. [Early Access Review]

Being able to take this huge adventure with you everywhere you go is fantastic, and, if you thought that Skyrim took over your life before, now it actually can.

Basically, Assassin’s Creed 3 Remastered is better looking, but that’s about it. It’s the same game for better or worse, complete with all the bugs and awkwardness that were disliked the first time around, but also with the stuff that people enjoyed. The bugs are too numerous for me to really recommend it, but they were there last time round as well. If you could ignore them then, you can probably ignore them now and enjoy the game’s positives, but it’s still a shame that Ubisoft couldn’t have rounded off more of the rough edges in this remaster.

Whether or not it sticks, I’ll have to let you know, but it’s done a good (if initially repetitive) job of feeding a range of exercises into my daily life this past week. It’s not just for beginners though, and could easily appeal to those looking to gameify their workouts.

There’s a lot to love about Red Dead Online – it’s remarkably stable, vast in scale, and completing storyline missions in co-op is a delight – yet, the unremarkable combat is really a sticking point. Essentially it is identical to what was found in the original Red Dead Online, and how Rockstar adapt to this over the coming weeks and months will prove vital in how long this virtual wild west remains populated. [Beta Impressions]

Episode 2 continues the strong start that Life Is Strange 2 made all the way back in September of last year. Once again, while this is a story that features the supernatural, it’s a very human drama at its heart and one that’s well worth enjoying. Given the long wait between episodes, though, you might prefer to hold off until the season has been concluded.

Little tweaks are all that Pioneers of Pagonia needs to really shine, and the Early Access release is already a fantastic starting point for the game. Some quality-of-life improvements, like being able to click on an objective to take you directly to the building it wants you to put down would save a lot of searching through menus, though the more you play the clearer it becomes. It feels as though these things will be well in hand, There’s a long list of things on the early access roadmap, and I can’t wait to see this idyllic settlement continue to grow. [Early Access Review]

Grounded 2 already has a clear advantage over its predecessor, taking everything that worked well in the original while making smart changes to various mechanics, making things more natural and easier to live with. I can’t wait to see where it heads over the coming months, as it feels like Grounded 2 could be another essential title for Obsidian and Xbox. [Early Access Review]

Considering that Shieldwall is in early access, it’s remarkable how solid the experience is. Barring one glitch that saw an enemy’s gate permanently shut, it runs smoothly, with the action already feeling more accomplished than Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator. I can’t wait to dig further into it over the coming months. [Early Access impressions]

There’s not many wholly new ideas within the mix of Payday 3, but it’s a sensible refinement of what those games tick, bringing in some interesting tweaks and gameplay changes to smooth the experience a little. All in all, Payday 3 is a welcome return for the heist ’em up series, and a reminder of why the first two games were so popular. [Review in Progress]

The Swords of Ditto has matured, it’s grown, and it’s kept and even added to the original charm and style. It’s still a bit of a slow burn to get started with, but the changes made in Mormo’s Curse have made it a much better game now than it was a year ago.

Overcooked and the Nintendo Switch are really a perfect match of frantic co-op cooking and a games console that’s all about taking games on the go and sharing them with people. Right now it’s difficult to wholeheartedly recommend this version though, given the widely reported frame rate issues. Here’s hoping they can cook up a fix sooner rather than later.

More importantly, it’s proven that traditional games, no matter how big, can work in VR.

Lightbearer is a marked improvement on the main game, and it feels as though the DLC is the kind of story-driven experience the team behind We Happy Few wanted to make all along. It somehow makes the main game retroactively worse, while also being intensely confusing. The story is short, which is a mercy, but it’s very hard to say this DLC is the reason to jump into We Happy Few and give it a shot, because there still isn’t really any reason to do so.

The Foundation is a nice addition to the Control-verse, clocking in around 4-5 hours to complete. It’s not doing anything groundbreaking, but it is more of the same, which is a damn good thing in Control’s case. Yes, it would have been nicer for the missions to have been a bit more dynamic, but the world-building and the storytelling continue to be one of Control’s major selling points. With the next expansion set to expand the lore even further with connections to Alan Wake, it feels like Remedy is in it for the long haul.

Valheim’s realism is so apparent that it’s easy to recognize, but not too much so that it would turn those looking for a similar experience to, say, Minecraft, away. Survival games are what you make of them, and that’s the beauty in it. [Early Access review]

It’s clear that these are direct ports of the Wii U games, bringing across the touch controls that were added to the mix for those who wanted to tap at the screen of the Wii U GamePad instead of press buttons. Though not the best way to play the game, it’s actually nice to see some games making use of the Switch’s touchscreen instead of pretending that it doesn’t exist, even if it’s just because all of the hard work had already been done.

Morbid Metal is an action-packed arena brawler, and even though the roguelike subsystems under the hood are currently a bit lacking, it’s still an absolute joy to shred through metallic foes while equally metal music blares in the background. [Early Access Review]

Online play then is clearly the meat and potato of the game, promising both ranked and friendly matches. At the time of writing, there are precious few people to play against online – something not helped by the game’s lack of cross-play between consoles. Indeed, just winning a single match saw me rocket to the position of 6th ranked Windjammer in the PS4 world. What I can tell you is that online play was both smooth and lag-free, a positive start to Windjammers 2’s odds of finding a lasting online audience.

Long after Nathan Drake hung up his holster for the last time a half decade ago, Uncharted’s legacy still remains. This collection crams two genre-defining prestige hits together - the kind of linear AAA action games we rarely see today. Let’s hope for more treasure-hunting adventures to come.

On the whole, I’m enjoying Moonlighter 2’s Early Access release. It’s a decent mechanical upgrade over the original game in the majority of areas, but it’s also fair to say that it’s losing a little something in the transition, and I find it a bit less whimsical. If you want more stuff to do and love a meta-grind though, then this game should satisfy that nicely. [Early Access Review]

As a newcomer to the franchise, you’ve got a $60 game packed with the most content I’ve ever seen in a Dynasty Warriors entry. For fans who already own the original game, though, you’re faced with purchasing a $40 upgrade kit that comes with two new story chapters, seven characters, one replayable game mode and a handful of gameplay updates. It’s an easy sell for brand new players, but I think only the most hardcore of Warriors fans will feel like the price-tag of the DLC update is worth it for Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate.

Rise of the Tomb Kings is a great first expansion for Total War: Warhammer II. Stepping away from the Eye of the Vortex campaign to embark on a book hunt is more than just a thematic shift, especially with the way in which the Tomb Kings can play on the campaign map, thanks to their free recruitment and only needing a modest empire to fill their armies with elite units.

While stunted, there’s still plenty to hack and slash your way through, Friday the 13th proving to be one of the most unique multiplayer experiences available on any platform.

For under a fiver and with around five to six hours of content, the Mask of Darkness is practically an essential addition for fans of The Lost Crown. Offering an intense experience; as well as a surprisingly compelling story that fills in many of the blanks from the original game. Recommended.

The Escapists 2 for the Switch is a great prison escape game, which stays true to its intention of bringing 8-bit sandbox games into 2018 and while there may be other ways to create a game of this genre, it is still hard to imagine other prison escape games being as fun as this both for a single player and multiplayer experience.

With a compelling historical story as its inspiration, multi-faceted train management and tough small-scale tactical battles, there’s a lot for strategy fans to like about Last Train Home, and I’m keen to keep chugging away with my own journey through the game. [Review in Progress]

If you’re looking for this year’s most innovative, genre-splicing indie, then Cataclismo has set a standard that looks unlikely to be beaten. [Early Access Review]

Hopefully Bethesda can get some more oomph out of the Nintendo Switch in the coming months, particularly in docked mode, and show that the Switch can be a home for major third parties. However, I know that I’d personally have held off given the daunting compromise in visuals and performance, even if it is a really good shooter on the go.

Heavy Metal is an impressive DLC update. It might be hard to justify if you’ve already stripped the game clean of everything to do, but if you’re a new player or still have some stories to conquer, then dropping ten new mechs and eight new devastating weapons to your arsenal is just what the doctor ordered.

With the game releasing today for PC and PS4, I’m very much looking forward to diving further into its fascinating combat and exploring the world that lies shrouded in mystery. There’s a great amount of depth here that will appeal to many, be they Destiny-like online action RPGs, fans of fighting games, or simply those looking for a cool new game from an unexpected quarter.

There's so much going on in Heretical, and I love basically all of it. [Early Access Score = 80]

PC gamers with a passion for action need to check these games out, and existing Yakuza diehards might want to consider grabbing a PC copy of Kiwami for future playthroughs. With a gamepad.

It has a steep learning curve, it will punish you, it will reward you should you persevere. Dark Souls Remastered is perhaps the best point to jump into a franchise that has defined a genre, but in at least some ways it is the most definitive version we now have, even if some details still need refining in the lighting department.

Hyper Light Breaker is still rather moreish. A sick fascination with dying might be required for entry right now, but the world is incredible, the action sharp and varied, and it really comes alive in co-op. I hope that Heart Machine have the time and commitment to pour into it, as a few tweaks to the formula could utterly change the way it feels, and remove some of the current frustrations it seems so ready to dole out. [Early Access Review]

Bringing Apex Legends to Switch is another quite remarkable accomplishment for Panic Button. They’ve made the necessary compromises to get a decent high 27-30fps in most situations, and the game stays at that target for large portions while playing. The game is still one of the best battle royales out there and having it on Switch is great, but the added input latency, the inherent feel of the Joy-Con analogue sticks in an intense first person shooter, and the lack of cross-progression mean that if you’re already playing the game on another system, you should probably stay there.

Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition takes a great game and makes it greater, though it’s fair to say that for anyone outside of Legend of Zelda or Warriors series fans it will undoubtedly feel less special. Combat and the rhythm of gameplay can become repetitive as you progress, but there’s obviously so much affection for the source material that it almost falls over itself as it strives to keep you involved. As a love letter, and as a merging of two iconic franchises, there are few games as thoroughly enjoyable as this.

Super Alloy Crush is one of the most promising side-scrolling action games I've played in a long time. It's clearly a labor of love, and obviously in a very Early Access state of development, but I can't wait to see what it becomes as it heads toward a full release. [Early Access Score = 70]

A fairly well-rounded and solid entry in Milestone’s franchise, Ride 4 makes a similarly well-rounded and solid jump to the new generation. There’s no need to compromise on resolution or performance anymore, with the PS5 able to power the game to look its very best, but it’s really the smart take on how to use the DualSense haptics and adaptive triggers that will enhance how the experience feels.

Just like its forbear, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is an oppressive, powerful and haunting example of the power of video games, and one that sets its own parameters for what a digital experience can be. It is a game that must be experienced, not least because, there’s nothing else quite like it. [Review in Progress]

Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Definitive Edition had to go through a lot of visual changes to be able to find a home on the Nintendo Switch. They aren’t pretty changes at all, but they’re changes that helped ensure the gameplay was unchanged and remains as smooth as ever. It’s tough to have to pick between sharp visuals or consistent performance, but when it comes to this kind of game, performance is key, and they nailed it with this port.

While there are certainly a few tradeoffs that have been made in order to make The Witcher 3 run on the Switch, it’s hard not to be impressed. This is arguably one of the most comprehensive experiences to date on the Switch and one I still can’t believe actually works on the console. Though there’s a few caveats, The Witcher 3 on Switch is well worthy of your time, whether it’s is your first chance to play it or your twenty-third.

As much as OlliOlli Switch Stance brings back the greatness of these games, hopefully exposing them to a new audience on Switch, I hope it’s a gateway to seeing what Roll7 can come up with in a third game.

Yakuza Like a Dragon is an enjoyable new twist on the series, although it’s not hard to imagine that many long-time fans of the series will be put off by its slow pace. In a day and age where video game companies rarely take risks, Like a Dragon is a refreshing change of pace for a series that risked starting to feel stale. [Review in Progress]

Through all the little quirks and the awkwardness of the game on console, Portia remains a delight that surprises in so many ways. The world that Pathea have created is offbeat and quirky, wrapped in an art style that still works so very well, even at the Switch’s reduced quality. This is a big, sprawling slice of life simulation, and is an easy recommendation for fans of the genre on console.

There are also multiplayer and co-op online modes as well as weekly challenges where you can share your mixes online. Although you still use the same set of tracks and instruments they are scored quite differently, but as the game has not yet launched I could not find anyone to play against, hence this is a review in progress. We will update this review with a score once I’ve had a good stab at the online modes, but for the moment, despite my DJ diva heckles being raised to the highest point, I can say it’s pretty good.

Whether I will be able to devote the time to really get the most out of it is another matter, but I am certainly keen to finish the story at least once. It doesn’t have the depth or range of other similar games though, so I’m not sure if it’ll attract enough players to stay viable.

I’m already sold on the Surge 2’s combat, with a final verdict hinging on how the increasingly intriguing narrative unfolds, and how much more enemy and boss variety I encounter. Jericho City is filled with side quests and odd characters, some more interesting than others, but I’m yet to see how it all comes together to provide the Surge 2 with the same character some of its more interesting visuals and story mysteries hint at.

Half a decade later, Ni no Kuni is still a must-play adventure for fans of JRPGs and Studio Ghibli films. That we get to play it once more without having to plug the PlayStation 3 in again is a treat in its own right, but seeing it remastered in 4K is simply magical.

There’s something very compelling at work in Bladesong. The sense of desperation, danger and destitution run through the opening hours of the Campaign with alarming force, and in some ways the smithing and swordmaking is simply the means to explore and experience more of this world. I love the writing, and the classic adventure threads that run through each moment really help to pull you onwards. [Early Access Review]

Die hard fans of MK should definitely consider picking Aftermath up. The campaign is short but sweet and the new characters are fun to experiment with. It really just depends on your wallet.

Rocket League is still a fantastic game, and one that I’m glad I’ve taken the opportunity to return to with a port that ticks all the boxes. Playing online has been as compelling as ever, even if I’m just as vaguely bad as usual and spend entire matches marvelling at some people’s rocket car skills. Of course, then there’s the ability to pull out your Switch on the train and get a couple rounds in against bots on your daily commute.

007: First Light goes far beyond being a pleasant surprise for me. You can certainly see where IO Interactive has adapted key aspects from Hitman, but it’s been done with such a deft touch, using them as highlight moments that fit with a different kind of covert action star. You should put this straight to the top of your wish list. [Hands-On Impressions]

My complaints about the scenario editor and the slim number of bundled scenarios aside, Natural Disasters is great. This is another big step forward for what was already the best city builder around, lending it a fresh impetus and giving you more reasons to keep playing.

Hand of Fate 2 is a welcome reminder that RPGs don’t have to fall into one of two categories, and its heady mix of deck building and Arkham-esque combat make for a unique experience. Arriving on Switch it’s found its perfect home, and its bite-sized story and action that are ideal for gaming on-the-go.

The action on the pitch is really rather good and if you want a challenge in a sports game (or are a lifelong Juventus fan) then eFootball PES 2020 may be exactly what you need.

To put it simply, Sniper Elite V2 feels older than it actually is.

Titan Quest II makes a great first impression in Early Access. Its enveloping world, tough but fair combat and deep loot and experience trees, are perfectly weighted to pull you ever deeper into myth and legend. [Early Access Review]

It might not be the best example of the genre, but if you’re going to play it then the portable option makes the Switch the best place to play.

The Council’s second episode doesn’t manage to hit the highs of the first, which could be down to it being smaller in scale in comparison. Hide & Seek’s murder mystery does bring you in and advances the overall plot in a big way, but at the same time it feels like more could have been made of it. There’s some story threads dangled for you to grab, but those threads could have been expanded upon more within the context of this episode.