At times it feels like the game’s incredible art direction, music and visual style deserve a game that’s better mechanically, but when it all comes together, Ghostwire Tokyo is one of the more unique games in the triple-A space, if you can ignore its gameplay stumbles.

Mario Tennis Fever is another solid enough sports game from Camelot, but a disappointingly short single-player offering and a real risk of imbalance – whether using Fever Rackets or not – means what could have been fantastic will have to settle for simply being good.

While not short on ideas, Skybolt Zack’s combination of fast-paced action platforming with rhythm-like colour coordination may be too frustrating for some.

As the first entirely new Monkey Ball game in 12 years, fans of the series will at least be happy to have a selection of new stages to play through. Performance issues and a relatively sparse multiplayer offering prevent it from being considered among the best the series has to offer, however.

For retro enthusiasts with access to likeminded friends and family, this Switch challenge collection is a genuine local multiplayer hit. For solo players and those looking to compete with others online, however, it’s a far less impressive package.

Equal parts stunning achievement and terrible mess, for every wonder in Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4 there’s a handful of frustrations. Performance issues affect not just how the game looks, but how it plays and feels, constantly taking bites out of what would otherwise be an impressive and exhilarating experience.

Those looking for a more solid FPS might want to look elsewhere, but it’s a fine alternative to the team shooter, where you can have the camaraderie without the people.

Bayonetta Origins sometimes feels like an idea half explored. In combat, two sets of fists are better than one, but adventuring never ignites in the same way. There’s a level of invention and style we’ve come to expect from the studio, but this isn’t quite Pure Platinum.

Detective Pikachu is full of simple puzzles, witty dialogue and Pokemon to discover. It won't thrill older fans from a gameplay perspective, and it's visually inconsistent, but it will likely introduce thousands of young fans to a whole new genre of video games.

Super Rush plays a great game of golf but is somewhat more restrained than other Mario Golf titles. Future DLC could potentially change this, but at launch it's merely entertaining, not essential.

The Russo brothers have turned Marvel in to cinematic masterpieces. If you’re looking for a gaming equivalent, Ultimate Alliance 3 isn’t it, though that was never its intention. But if you’re looking to get your favourite heroes together to kick ass with friends then you’ll have a Hulk-smashing time.

Evil Genius 2 captures the spirit of the original and still provides plenty of entertaining moments as a result, but the fiddly interface and the lack of any options to manually control its often moronic minions makes it a real exercise in patience at times.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is caught in a web of trying to bind two conflicting genres together, with the expectations and norms of each half damaging the other. The beauty of its art design and precise, joyful feel of its movement are inarguable wonders, but the tiring and demotivating nature of its sadistic approach to challenge ripples throughout the entire experience of exploration and combat. It's more of what was good about Hollow Knight, but it failed to avoid some very clear pitfalls in design on its long path to release.

Concord is an enjoyable shooter, kneecapped by a $40 price tag and a bland cast of characters. When it arrives on PlayStation Plus, which feels almost certain at this point, its worth picking up, but only with the enthusiasm you'd treat any other free-to-play fare.

In a franchise that doesn't change much year-to-year, EA Sports FC 26 takes that to the extreme. While it's by default the best football game on the market, and competing at the highest level of Ultimate Team remains enjoyable, we expected a more revolutionary entry. Promoted as the game that would fix years of issues that have plagued players, most of them remain. Cynical changes to Ultimate Team make the mode worse for free-to-play players, and the game's other modes are barely looked at.

Rise of the Ronin is a fine open world adventure that never elevates itself to greatness. Fun Team Ninja combat will drag you through, but pointless open world fluff and questionable visuals sadly result in 'just another' open world game.

Snow Day is a fun enough co-op action game while it lasts, but its repetitive nature (both in terms of its environments and its low number of stages) means you'll tire of it eventually. Dialogue is typically fantastic and the art style works better than we expected, but its low price is a key indicator of how relatively light it is on content at launch.

Demon Turf looks fantastic and its platforming mechanics are brilliantly satisfying, but it's let down by boring combat and occasionally confusing level design. It's still worth a look, but it's not the best.

Oddworld: Soulstorm is an advancement on previous games in the series in every way, but that’s both its biggest achievement and the source of its problems. The complexity and variety in its locations is commendable, as is the wealth of tools at your disposal for dealing with its many tricks and foes. But many of its systems don’t work together reliably, or don’t respond with the necessary speed, which leaves an experience that’s rarely as entertaining as it promises to be.

I honestly feel silly for getting my hopes up and expecting more from a remaster, such as finally having the ability to jump, but love makes you do stupid things, even if it is just a video game.

WarioWare games require precise controls to ensure their microgames can be navigated without frustration. Move It's motion controls introduce inaccuracies that are frequent enough to dampen the experience, turning what should be a brilliant game into merely a good one.

While it’s weird to see Nintendo deliver such a safe sequel, there’s no denying the continued pull of Splatoon’s splotchy skirmishes. Seasoned inklings can dive straight in; casual dabblers might find it a bit bare.

EA Sports FC 24 isn't the huge departure that we'd hoped for. While Ultimate Team devotees will likely be happy, the rest of the game feels like an afterthought in the transition away from the FIFA license.

Mario Strikers: Battle League feels like it will be an excellent single-player offering in a year, once much more content is added. At the moment, it’s incredibly thin, and while the online modes are fun, those looking to play alone will be left wanting.

As the third game in the Famicom Detective Club series, Emio: The Smiling Man is a faithful entry that fits perfectly alongside the 2021 remakes of the first two titles. It fits in a little too well, however, because its gameplay hasn't changed much from the 1980s originals, meaning its 'choose every option until you move on' dialogue system ends up feeling like a boring box-ticking exercise rather than an intuitive investigative process. The story is great but it's strictly for those who love visual novels, no matter how linear.

The tactical flexibility in Bravely Default 2 is among the best in class, and tinkering with its possibilities is a fine pass-time in itself. But it gets bogged down in a churn of routine battles, wayward balancing and humdrum fantasy. While the original game’s compact focus felt comfy on a 3DS, the Switch magnifies the blemishes of the sequel and leaves it looking a little underdressed.

In full flow, Daemon X Machina can be exceptional... But it’s a thrill that fades with repetition, in a structure that falls uncomfortably between a Platinum style linear action game and the long haul loop of a Monster Hunter.

Drag x Drive is a lovely little multiplayer game let down by a dearth of content. As long as you get get to grips with its control scheme you'll have a great time on the court and will likely get your $20's worth, but Nintendo needs to update this game with new features or modes if it doesn't want to see the community moving on after a couple of months.

Cronos is a perfectly acceptable survival horror that looks astonishing at times and has an engaging plot (albeit a very confusing one) to ensure players reach the end. That said, there isn't a lot here that hasn't been seen in other survival games before it, and the combination of annoying enemy AI and no real difficulty settings mean some players will have a frustrating time of things.

Star Wars Outlaws is a pulpy, Uncharted-style adventure that doesn't quite fulfill its potential. Kay and Nix lead a great cast through a well-paced, punchy story, but the game's Reputation system, and syndacite storyline in general feels undercooked.

Call of Duty Black Ops 7's multiplayer is some of the finest the series has had to offer in years. It's just a shame it's tied to a baffling, turgid, ridiculous campaign that makes a great argument for stopping Call of Duty campaigns all together. 7 games is plenty. The Black Ops series has run its course.

Mario vs Donkey Kong offers a notable step up in visual quality from its 20-year-old source material, but the same can't be said for the gameplay mechanics, which remain largely unchanged. While it will no doubt appeal to purists who loved the GBA original, those discovering it for the first time may find it too easy and not up to the same standards as modern, similarly priced Mario releases.

Fast, colourful, robustly made... but Team Sonic Racing’s seven-year-old predecessor was more transformative in every sense.

As an RPG, Miitopia is about as light as it gets, meaning anyone looking for a modicum of depth will be let down. It's content being a light-hearted, laugh-focused piece of entertainment that doesn't require much thought or skill, and as long as you're content with that too you should have a good time.

There’s nothing wrong with a game about doing simple things, and enjoying a relaxing journey in between, but in Sable, we could never relax.

New Colossus fans will probably dislike its unfocused narrative and fussy levelling system, but Youngblood offers plenty of blood and thunder if you give it time.

With improved presentation and controls, Donkey Kong Returns is the definitive version of a classic platformer. Though it lacks the variety and bold ideas of its sequel, and offers little new content, it's a worthwhile experience for those who missed it the first time around.

More of a side-step than an evolution from Nioh 2, Wo Long is inventive and an adventure worth taking even if it’s technically suspect on PS5, but won’t live massively long in the memory once you’ve slain your final boss.

A clever and neatly crafted puzzle game that could do with some richer presentation and another layer of intricacy. Not quite a blinder, but worth a peek.

It seems backhanded to say that a game is only worth playing if you can find people to distract you from the actual game, but if your group wants something mindless to wind down after an intense night on Warzone or Rainbow Six: Siege, Back 4 Blood is ideal.

Judgment is plenty entertaining, but it is just a muted Yakuza game in disguise. And after so many games of smashing faces into concrete, we hoped for a little more than that.

TMNT Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants is a perfectly servicable beat 'em up that hardly redefines the genre but is solid enough, particularly if you can find some like-minded TMNT fans to play local co-op with you. Given its arcade origins it's extremely brief, so players will need to be pwilling to replay it multiple times to get their money's worth.

Dying Light 2: Stay Human feels like it lost its direction somewhere along the way. It begins as an interesting zombie game wherein the threat feels tangible, your character feels weak, and the world feels primed for a dynamic story. However, the further you get into the game, a lot of its early ideas feel sidelined for a generic zombie plot, uninspiring combat, and the absence of any kind of danger.

As a sequel, The Outer Worlds 2 doesn't strive to reinvent its past foundation and does little to stand out in the RPG genre. If you're looking for new toys to play with, you'll find plenty of weapons and a much-improved gunplay to boot. Just don't expect to carry many memories of your time in Arcadia with you.

At its core, Ultimate Sackboy is a fun mobile platformer with charm and responsive controls. Its progression system, however, has that tell-tale restrained feel of a free-to-play game, where progress is slow if you keep your wallet in your pocket.

South of Midnight is a gorgeous adventure with wonderful performances, striking visuals and solid platforming gameplay. Its combat, however, is repetitive and reductive in equal measure, letting the overall package down considerably.

Solar Crown is a perfectly enjoyable open-world racing game with solid handling and plenty to do, but its world map is too large to maintain a consistent level of detail and it loses some personality as a result. This, combined with occasional frame rate issues even in Performance mode give the game an unpolished feel. If you're looking for a new open-world racer we'd still recommend it, as long as you don't expect anything particularly innovative.

Hellblade 2 is a mechanically dated game carried along by its incredible presentational flair. For a game shown alongside the debut of Series X, it's not reflective of the story Xbox is trying to tell with its first party. As a result, it's disappointing.

At launch, Call of Duty Vanguard feels like a solid step-up from Black Ops Cold War, but falls short of the benchmark that was Modern Warfare 2019. Together, Vanguard's three pillars make for a game that we’re frankly surprised is as cohesive and enjoyable as it is.

It will take time, but if the teams at Hardball Games can add some variety to the formula, Outrage: Fight Fest has all the makings of a champion. For now though, despite a strong idea, the experience is pulling its punches.

A charming and entertaining resurrection for a much-loved retro series, with a fun multiplayer mode and clever level design. It’s a very short adventure, though, which makes its premium price point difficult to justify.

Fire Emblem Engage is a great strategy game, but we don’t think it’s a great modern Fire Emblem game. Whether the reverence for the social elements of Three Houses came as a surprise to the team or not, the dearth of those moments in Engage makes it feel like it’s missing half of its core at times.

If you can suffer through the clunky menus, endless dull dialogue and 100 visits to the cafe, then there’s an excellent racing game somewhere hidden in Gran Turismo 7. It’s baffling that the game does its best to impede you from getting to the track, but when you actually get there, there’s a lot of fun to be had.

Elden Ring Nightreign is an overly clumsy attempt to graft multiplayer antics to one of the best RPGs ever. While its rougelike elements may entertain, a lack of variety and uneven combat system ultimately make for a curious sideshow that doesn't come close to the series that shares its name.

An entertaining wrestling game buried underneath a mound of technical issues.

Stalker 2 could be a great game in a few years, but what's presented at launch is a technical mess that doesn't capitalise on its best ideas. Compelling side stories and a brilliant setting do a lot of the heavy lifting, but at launch Stalker 2 isn't an adventure we'd fully recommend embarking on.

Scorn has one of the most beautiful worlds you'll see in a game (if you can see beauty in the grotesque). It's just a shame that world is also home to a frustrating puzzle-heavy adventure filled with aimless wandering.

Out of the 4 modes available at launch, 2 of them feel redundant and unbalanced. The single-player content is slim and if you want even a crumb more, you’ll have to pay, which leaves Destruction Allstars feeling like a clumsy, hollow product whose fun moments go by in a blur.

Days Gone is far from the worst specimen of its genre but in a year already packed with 50 hour+ endeavours, it rarely makes the case for its own existence.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is a sometimes compelling adventure weighed down by poor technical performance, and simple, frustrating and repetitive gameplay.

While admirable in its intent, Jupiter and Mars' watery wonder is marred by repetitious activities and a lack of detail and direction.

There’s an intriguing game buried somewhere in Anthem, lying broken beneath its loot and structural frustrations like chunks of fossilised dinosaur bone.

Marvel’s Avengers offers a reasonably entertaining campaign, but it’s highly derivative. Everything in it has been done better elsewhere. And the longer it goes on, the more it’s hampered by desperately repetitive missions and a mindless upgrade structure.

In stark comparison to previous Ghost Recon iteration Wildlands, Breakpoint feels as though it has no real sense of what it’s supposed to be or what players want from it.

Though bold and colourful and accompanied with a dazzling score, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games 2020's clumsy gameplay lacks the polish we've come to expect from games emblazoned by that iconic little plumber.

Slitterhead isn't very good, but it is very interesting. In an age of remakes, sequels and safe bets, it's heart-warming to see something that's so clearly such a singular vision. We're disappointed that vision is sold short by basic combat and a focus on the game's ugly characters, but we're glad it exists and would welcome more attempts like it.

Few games have had such a lasting impact on how games were made, or have been quite so successful. People who weren’t into games played those three games. Sadly, if they were to pick them up on Switch now, they'd probably wonder if they were ever good in the first place.

Clive 'N' Wrench is game with its heart in the right place, but its myriad issues – its frustrating jumping, its annoying combat, its all too frequent bugs – constantly drag down the experience.

Alone in the Dark's promising atmosphere is let down by annoying and repetitive puzzles, poor combat and frequent glitches. There's a good game in there somewhere but you have to put up with a lot of frustration to find it.

Outriders is its own greatest victim. There are some decent ideas in here – an absorbing cauldron of combat variables, some majestic geography, even a few guns worth holding onto – but they're dragged down and suffocated by a game that doesn't want to entertain you but hypnotise you with the prospect of another trinket.

Fans of the original need not worry: this sequel’s tone is spot on. Unfortunately, its technical issues are among the worst in living memory.

It may look better than the original MediEvil, but the improvements stop there. This could have been the beginning of a new breath of life for a cult favourite, but instead it’s probably the final nail in the series’ coffin.

Good characters, strong performances and well-engineered dual timeline storytelling are let down by pacing that’s utterly arhythmic and gameplay that’s fighting you at every step.

The only saving grace is that some of the elements it lifts from much better games are recreated adequately, so fans of those titles might find some of the fun of going to see a cover band of your favourite artist. You’ve likely not only played Immortals Fenyx Rising before, you’d played a better version of it.

There are some foundational bright spots in Scars Above, such as some interesting puzzle-solving and a story that, while somewhat predictable, was well told, but it isn’t enough to justify the criminally stiff movement, huge technical issues and the ugly, lifeless animations. At the end of the day, even the best parts of Scars Above have been done far better, almost two years ago.

It’s a below average open world game that’s stuffed to bursting with bugs, and the best thing we can say about it is that making our Tobias Fünke-inspired character crouch over and do the wanker gesture while he walked down the street made us laugh. Probably not quite worth the price of admission.

Biomutant’s feature list seems to include everything a successful open-world action RPG needs. But journey through its towns, fields and bunkers, and there’s no intrigue in its exploration or weight in its relationship building. Not even a worthy combat challenge to hold everything together. With so many ideas left under-developed, it wastes a setting that had far more potential.

For better or worse, Balan Wonderworld feels like an HD take on a PS2-era platformer. As long as you manage your expectations accordingly and accept the limitations that come with this, there's some enjoyment to be had with it. By modern standards, however, the game falls far short of expectations.

While admirable in ambition, Du Lac and Fey's unfocussed story and maddening mechanics are frustrating at best, and unplayable at worst.

If you’re interested in another Far Cry game that does the Far Cry stuff the way it’s been doing it for 10 years, you’ll probably have a good time, but if you’ve already hit your limit with this kind of game, Far Cry 6 is the ne plus ultra of why open-world game design is so badly in need of a revolution.

A Call of Duty game of this low quality released a decade ago would have been a scandal. Now, it's emblematic of an approach to a franchise that's in desperate need of a reality check.

This remaster finally brings the fourth Fatal Frame game to the west, but the problem is it was a clunky game in 2008 and its upgrades aren't enough to improve its frustrating feel in any meaningful way.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a sad microcosm of the state of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio: a developer spinning its wheels, no longer caring for quality, content to chew up old assets and discard what made the original special in order to spit out a yearly release that cashes in on love for what the series used to be.

There is no one that we would recommend Babylon’s Fall to. It’s visually dated, consistently dull and features the most average PlatinumGames combat we can remember. On paper, the concept of a game like this bathed in the studio’s signature style is an appealing one, but sadly there’s nothing about the Platinum shine that’s evident in Babylon’s Fall.