With excellent combat and traversal mechanics and a unique atmosphere, Naraka: Bladepoint stands out from the battle royale crowd. Cluttered interface, controls that require some tweaking, the bad implementation of microtransactions, and general lack of content, however, damage the experience a bit, preventing it from becoming a must-buy for fans of the genre. The foundation is still extremely solid, so with proper support, Naraka: Bladepoint definitely has the chance to rival all of the most popular battle royale games on the market.

Starpoint Gemini is not a bad game. It’s not even really an average game, so long as you’re part of the small group that will get the most of it. But it is difficult to enjoy, difficult to learn; in short, it’s a niche title and there are glitches and boredom aplenty. This isn’t a great title by any metric except maybe the most important one: those that love it will be utterly engrossed.

Not Tonight is a surprisingly deep and engaging game that will suck you in. If you let it. Of course, the politics aren't to everybody's liking, but the game more than makes up for it with great wit, as it tackles - to an extent - deep subjects. The gameplay can be artificially difficult at times, but is still as engaging as the obvious inspiration: Papers, Please. Should you play Not Tonight? Yes, yes you should.

Crayta is yet another game that serves as a platform for user-created content. Despite the competition, it still manages to stand out and not just because the game is on Google Stadia. With its focus on multiplayer experiences and experimental design, this could become a fantastic library of titles once the community starts generating its own products.

The Sinking City is probably the Lovecraft inspired game currently available on the market, thanks to its oppressive atmosphere and its story, which utilizes the lore masterfully without deviating from the canon. AI and technical issues, as well as the clunky combat, are often immersion breaking, but the excellent investigation mechanics and exploration features make it easy to look past these issues. Highly recommended to survival horror fans and those who live and breath Lovecraft.

Don’t get me wrong, despite the relatively negative tone of this review, Little Nightmares III does have its moments and can be fun with another human player. The game just doesn’t stand out in any particular way and with a relatively brief 4-hour runtime, this will likely be one of those dreams that fades from your mind not long after you wake up.

Summon Night 6: Lost Borders might be a contender for one of the most cringe-worthy dubs in recent JRPG's, but don't let the audio choices fool you. There's still a solid strategy RPG filled with cameos that fans of the long-running series can fully appreciate.

Detective Pikachu is a mystery game built for kids, and that is clear throughout, though adult gamers can still have fun with the mysteries and world of Pokémon. Simple, charming, though certainly far from essential.

Confirms all the issues that have emerged in the previous episodes. With very little character development for secondary characters and villains, uneven pacing and short total play time, The Walking Dead Michonne fails to become a truly compelling experience.

With a few adjustments and improvements, the Sherlock Holmes formula could become the standard for adventure games of the future, as achieving such gameplay variety is no small feat. Highly recommended to fans of the series and adventure games' fans.

39 Days to Mars is a short but funny and compelling trip from Earth to Mars with you and another person, or you and a pet cat. Designed for couch co-op, it doesn't penalise you for being a misanthrope like myself and offers a good amount of replay value with varied paths to take. It's well worth taking this trip to the red planet.

With its unique premise and setting, Atlas Fallen could have been one of the best action games of the year, but its mediocre combat system, dull open-world areas, and lack of interesting characters drag the experience down. The full package ends up being just a decent game for those willing to look past its most critical shortcomings.

Layers of Fear 2 is an extremely gripping first-person horror game that keeps players engaged from beginning to end thanks to its story, which touches some very interesting themes. The game, however, is far from a masterpiece that could appeal to a wider audience due to its simple gameplay mechanics, linearity and excessive similarity to its predecessor. A solid game and a must-have for fans of psychological horror stories, but definitely not for everyone.

Lego Horizon Adventures carries over a lot of the things previous Horizon games did well, offering lush visuals, a likable cast, and a wide range of robo dinos to take down. Unfortunately, not everything survived blockification, with an overly-simplified story, sometimes-unsatisfying core gameplay, bland level design, and an overall lack of content resulting in a Lego game that’s a few bricks shy of a load.

Even after four years, Deadlight could still use some polish to be a truly great experience. Still, this Director's Cut provides the best possible experience if you want to play the game.

Starship Troopers: Terran Command is most certainly the game of the film. It gives off the same feel like the film and sticks very close to the source material with the use of bugs, the actions of the empire and the tactics of the Mobile Infantry; all that is an unequivocal positive. However, there are a few issues in gameplay. It feels like an older strategy game than it is, lacking some modern sensibilities, limited game modes, and featuring poor pathfinding. Still, despite these issues, it is a genuinely fun and strategic title that fans of the franchise will thoroughly enjoy, and general strategy fans should also enjoy.

I AM Setsuna is a fine short little experience that brings back nostalgic feelings for the 16-bit era of role playing games, but doesn't do much to explore the twenty years of depth since then.

Pacer is a fun, difficult, and fast racing game that marries some sensible simplicities to an often overwhelming genre. That said, some little oversights can still hamper new players' experience.

For those looking for some (not so) clean fun in the sun, Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash gives the series a reason to return the beach and wish this summer vacation would never end. It's an enjoyable shooter, as long as you don't expect it to be a serious one.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is an enjoyable and highly accessible Soulslite. A44 created a great entry point for the genre, not to mention an exciting fantasy setting that mixes black powder, magic, and influences that go beyond the usual European medieval style. The combat is fun and won't cause you to break any controllers. The story is also worth following, although the game perhaps end up too soon, leaving narrative and gameplay possibilities to be explored by a sequel.

Darksiders III is a fun game with an engaging combat system that can be very satisfying, particularly thanks to the dodge and counterattack system in place. All of this is surrounded by a surprisingly compelling storyline with interesting characters. There are issues in the game, with a few bugs and other technical problems as well as a pretty damn cheesy script, with the biggest issue being some downright irritating puzzle sections which are less about logically working something out than slamming your head into a wall repeatedly until something gives.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York left me feeling hungry. The game is certainly well-written, but its truncated story doesn’t quite do its complex, captivating world justice. If you’re a dedicated VTM devotee, Coteries of New York is a solid appetizer, but you’ll have to wait until next year for something to truly sink your fangs into.

Bloodline expands on Watch Dogs Legion's London, with new missions, returning characters, and a slightly different setting to explore. While it doesn't add much in the way of new features, it's the perfect reason to come back to the Old Smoke and give it the middle finger once again.

Minecraft Dungeons is a bright and colourful dungeon crawler, with interesting enemies and fast, frantic combat. It doesn't bring anything new to the genre, and takes away quite a lot of its complexities, leaving us with a simple, accessible, unremarkable yet still fun game.

Gods Will Fall is a well-focused action-oriented dungeon-crawling soulslike with procedural generation. Only the procedural generation is on the difficulty, allowing for developers Clever Beans to have handcrafted each dungeon in a stunning hand-brushed art style and have each playthrough feel that bit different, as the increased difficulty of a particular dungeon brings new creatures, paths, and opportunities. While not perfect, some things like the rather barren overworld as well as some bugs standing out, the character development, emergent storytelling and tight combat does more than enough to let this stand out.

Fe is by no means perfect, but it is a delightful experience that stays with you long after you've put down the controller. Plus the little pup is very cute.

Have you played Hyrule Warriors on Wii U? Do you own a Wii U? If the answer to either of those questions is "Yes" then you shouldn't bother with Hyrule Warriors Legends.

Nobunaga's Ambition: Taishi is an interesting, but painfully slow and uninvolving strategy game that I want to praise more, but in comparison to its contemporaries, I can't help but feel it still needs work. Shame, as the strategy flavor of Nobunaga's Ambition has always appealed to me, but in practice it feels sluggish and makes me yearn for strategy games I'll enjoy that much more.

Streamlining many of the typical strategy game mechanics while adding more depth with the cards system and tactical battles, Immortal Realms: Vampire Wars is a game worth playing for all strategy games and role-playing games fans. While the experience tends to become a little repetitive over time, the different factions and the many customization options provide all the tools for players to make the experience feel fresh even after tens of hours.

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire “Beast of Winter” gives fans more of a good thing, and presents a handful of interesting ideas and story beats. That said, anybody expecting this Pillars of Eternity II expansion to be anywhere near as vast, vibrant, and varied as the core game are likely to be left cold.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla - Wrath of the Druids is a more than worthy expansion to the latest entry in the series, featuring a new beautiful map to explore, an engaging story, charming characters, new abilities, and plenty of other new content in the form of new gear, abilities and cosmetics. The new mechanics don't fundamentally change how the game plays, so those who didn't like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to begin with will not change their mind with the expansion. Everyone else, however, will love every second of their time in Ireland as they did with their time in Norway and England.

REVEIL feels like a game that tries to be like its inspirations but fails to deliver on what makes them stand out. The game doesn't appropriately do much with the potential it has and the atmosphere and tension it builds doesn't really go anywhere. The twist at the end also comes out of nowhere and exists only to deliver a shock that really isn't deserved.

Halo Wars 2 is an ideal strategy game for beginners. There's little doubting that the action is solid and it looks fantastic, but other strange choices mar what would be a great title. From downright bad writing, to the inclusion of pay to win microtransactions in a premium game, there are some absolutely perplexing decisions.

Code Vein II is a bloody good successor to the original game. While it's not a sequel in the traditional sense, it builds upon the strengths of what Bandai Namco was trying to achieve with combat the first time around.

Despite its appeal to nostalgia and the phenomenal success of the first game, Super Meat Boy Forever fails to deliver its promises and ends up undermining the IP and design of the game it's based upon.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning finally gives a second chance to one of the best role-playing games released in the previous console generation, making the gameplay even better with select balance tweaks that increase the challenge level and make it easier to engage with side content. Despite some issues and a dated gameplay design, the game's battle system, great writing and extremely deep lore make Re-Reckoning a game that most role-playing game fans will enjoy. Especially if they like juggling enemies to death.

Pokémon Unite is a genuinely fun and charming game, with quick and accessible combat with enough tactical element to keep it interesting, while not overwhelming newcomers to the genre. However, it is predatory in all the worst ways, copying the worst tactics of pay-to-win free-to-play games, such as five currencies, loot boxes, buyable (with real-money) boosts, and items that influence battle, and more. While the game can be fun, the predatory tactics leave a nasty taste in the mouth.

More of a sidequel than a true sequel, Sniper Elite: Resistance delivers the core experience of Sniper Elite 5 with a new protagonist, fresh maps, and the same solid stealth mechanics that made the previous entry enjoyable. While it may not offer the evolution some fans were hoping for, the game still provides plenty of fun thanks to its well-designed levels and satisfying gameplay.

Destroy All Humans! is a respectable clone of the 2005 original, featuring impressive visuals and moments of explosive fun, but painfully-dated writing and some frustrating missions bring the game back down to earth. Destroy All Humans! is like a pristine 4K Blu-ray re-release of a campy cult movie – a certain niche audience will appreciate the effort, but many may question the point.

Warriors All-Stars digs deep to bring together a roster of unlikely Koei Tecmo heroes, but the roster just isn't large enough to build your perfect five-person dream team.

Mario Golf: Super Rush is the plumber’s best sports outing in a good long time, featuring smartly-revamped core mechanics, beautiful, varied courses, clever new modes, and a single-player Adventure full of fun twists. The game may be a bit light on content (something Nintendo is promising to address with free updates), but aside from that, Mario’s form is close to flawless this time around.

Dynasty Warriors Godseekers manages to capture the spirit of the series with its tactical experience, but sadly fails to stand out from the competition and the classic games of the past due to the lack of any real innovation. Despite this, there's still plenty of fun to be had for fans of the Dynasty Warriors series and tactical RPG, as the experience is quite solid. Just don't expect to remember Zhao Yun's journey six months from now.

Dontnod worked hard to create an immersive, dark world to explore and it succeeds in doing so. Despite some boring conversations, most of the world of Vampyr is an exciting, dangerous place and if nothing else, being a vampire in here is also very fun.

I thought I would enjoy Pathologic 2, but its needlessly mundane and cruel systems take too much away from its otherwise interesting and strange world.

Ironically, AER Memories of Old doesn’t leave much of a lasting impression. It feels like a prototype you might show a publisher to convince them to fund a full game. What’s here is charming, but it feels underbaked compared to the games it patterns itself after. If you’re looking for a laid-back Zelda-like adventure and don’t mind spending $15 for a single play session, AER Memories of Old is a pleasant-enough distraction, just don’t expect to be swept off your feet.

Sudden Strike 4 is a sound tactical game with a great depth of units and tactical options. It is, however, let down by limited AI which leaves missions feeling more like set problems to solve rather than dynamic battlefields, limiting any replay value.

Born of experimentation and a combat system quite unlike anything else from its time, The Last Remnant Remastered takes all of the PC enhancements and balance changes that were never previously available on console and adds in a few graphical filters to appeal to another generation of console players.

Not the best Resident Evil game by a long shot, but Resident Evil 0 had loads to offer fans of the series. Newcomers are best to look towards the original game, though.

With its excellent level design, challenging gameplay, and twists on the classic formula, Contra: Operation Galuga offers a compelling reimagining of one of the most beloved arcade games ever made. However, despite its strengths, the game's short campaign length, limited amount of content and lack of online multiplayer may deter some players, especially considering its price. While the inclusion of extra characters and a Challenge Mode adds some variety, they fail to provide a good reason to continue playing the game after having gone through the eight stages multiple times.

Touhou Genso Wanderer packages together one of the most approachable roguelikes and one of the more mediocre Castlevania type titles into one complete package for any tourist of Gensokyo.

As a remaster, Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered leaves something to be desired, offering minimal visual improvements, no graphics options on PC, and no gameplay enhancements. However, it's still a worthwhile purchase for fans of Suda51, Shinji Mikami, and third-person shooters., as the quality of the original experience still shines through, with its relentless pace, engaging story, memorable characters, and a dark humor that's hard to find in games today. Garcia Hotspur's war against Fleming to save Paula remains just as captivating now as it was in 2013.

At first, Tokyo Dark seems to be little more than a pale replica of better Japanese adventure and horror games. The game’s presentation is amateurish, its characters are stereotypical, and its depiction of Tokyo doesn’t break any new ground. Thankfully, the game’s innovative SPIN system and focus on player choice heightens what would otherwise be an uninspired homage. Tokyo Dark falls well short of greatness, but hardcore point ‘n’ clickers looking for something a bit different may want to give the game a stab.

Immortals of Aveum makes a solid early impression with engaging magic-infused FPS action and eye-catching Unreal Engine 5 visuals, but a predictable plot, irritating characters, and repetitive, by-the-books level design dims the game’s razzle-dazzle. Immortals of Aveum will be worth it for some shooter and fantasy fans, particularly at a discount, but don’t expect your memories of the game to live forever.

Blair Witch is, undoubtedly, a very good horror with an enjoyable, albeit a little predictable story, great atmosphere and more involving gameplay, which all take full advantage of the license. Despite some issues here and there, like the excessive linearity, little replay value and technical issues, the game is definitely among the best titles created by Bloober Team. Recommended to all horror games fans.

At its best, Man of Medan is every bit as gripping, beautiful, and giddily silly as Until Dawn, but technical issues, a rushed story, and a confusing approach to player choice betray the limited resources the game’s creators had to work with. Man of Medan is currently the best option for those desperate for more Until Dawn, but I'm hoping Supermassive Games can scare up something a little more substantial for future The Dark Pictures titles.

Archangel puts players into the cockpit of the only giant mech capable of resisting a global terrorist threat. It's a great way to spend an afternoon, although the higher price tag might turn off some players. If you want a finely crafted shooting gallery with a compelling story to match, climb aboard and prepare for battle.

It's cute, it's colorful, it's Chocobo and you've probably already played Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon if you've owned a Wii in the past decade.

With an excellent and mature story going over current themes, Deliver Us Mars is the game to get for those looking to be immersed in a believable and personal space opera. While the gameplay is a definite improvement over that of its predecessor, the simplicity of some puzzles (which often feel like a distraction from the story), the excessive linearity, and the many technical issues prevent the game by KeokeN Interactive from being a proper masterpiece.

As the first episode of a new series, In Too Deep is a very strong start. The gameplay formula isn't any different from past The Walking Dead games, sure, but Michonne is a great character and the story has the potential to be very good. Unfortunately, the first episode has no real story payoff, due to how the whole series is structured, so it will be Episode 2 and 3 that will make The Walking Dead Michonne great, or just another adventure game based on a popular franchise.

Ashes of the Singularity is a beautiful game, but that's sadly the best that can be said. It's just shallow. It will offer some enjoyment, but the game just doesn't hit what it wants to be and stumbles too much along the way with even the basics, even punishing you for doing what the developers tell you to do.

Fallout 76: Wastelanders is a clear improvement on Fallout 76, with NPC's actually making West Virginia feel like it's worth exploring and doing things in for the first time since the game was released. The new quests are entertaining and engaging, featuring characters that are genuinely enjoyable to interact with and will put a smile on your face. Sadly, these are still too far apart and the core problems that held Fallout 76 back remain, particularly as a new character has to play the interminably dull and lifeless original content just to experience what was brought in with Wastelanders. It also doesn't help that this is riddled with bugs and the game has a number of issues with the mechanics that are only fixed by microtransactions and a subscription service.

Song of the Deep’s experience stays faithful to the game’s name in more ways than one. The game by Insomniac does indeed feel like a melancholic yet enticing song from a time long gone, awing the listener with its grace and tales of mysteries which may not exist. In the end, it’s the journey which is truly important, and the enjoyment one can get out of it. And there’s plenty to be had in Song of the Deep, despite some issues here and there.

What turns out to be a fun JRPG with a big world to explore and good combat is marred by bad story, bad quests and some diabolical pacing. Only recommended for SAO fans.

Scars Above offers a great shooter experience that's a bit rough around the edges in some areas when it comes to realizing its vision and potential. While these problems are noticeable, I don't feel like it takes too much from the full product while offering a haunting survival horror experience with a unique gimmick that makes players think about the best approach to the way they face the environment around the enemies.

Unfortunately God Eater 2: Rage Burst just drips of mundanity. Boring combat, characters, environments... It is not a bad game, just not a particularly good one.

Ride 2 is far from perfect, it has flaws with both the visuals and, more importantly, the AI. However, the AI isn't always bad and it doesn't stop the game from being enjoyable. What helps the game is that it has such a huge roster of bikes, extensive customization options and a variety of tracks and race types to experience.

While Livelock doesn’t take any exceptional leaps in the twin-stick shooter genre, the blending of familiar concepts from Diablo and Destiny with the hectic action make this a fine cooperative experience.

Hard Reset Redux is not a bad game, but nor is it something you'll feel particularly satisfied putting an afternoon into. Its dreary setting has been better explored in games like Deus Ex and its combat has been better exploited in Doom. If this year hadn't already been so stellar for amazing releasing, Hard Reset would be more welcome, as it stands, there's a lot better to spend your time on.

Ghost Recon Wildlands is just another in the long line of Ubisoft's vapid open world games packed full of content (collectibles and quests) with no real meaning. The setting is absolutely stunning and a joy to view, but there's nothing in the world to actually incentivise you to travel around. It's a sturdy, but average shooter with no variety. At the end of it all, it's mostly boring interspersed with moments of fun.

Outcast - A New Beginning is a missed opportunity, abandoning the unique elements of its predecessor for a conventional open-world design that doesn't work well. With uninspired open-world exploration, clunky movement, lackluster combat, and mediocre quest design, it's a hard sell for everyone but Cutter Slade's biggest fans who wish to know how the character's story continues, as there are far superior titles on the market that have executed similar concepts much more effectively.

Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water is a strange release. It's not a remake, nor a remaster, feeling more like a re-release with a few added features. Visually, it's barely different to the Wii U Release, so if you've already played it, then there's not much I can say. However, considering the original was limited to the Wii U, with a limited audience, this version brings it over to modern consoles and the PC, keeping the excellent atmosphere and different combat system and making it control better than expected. Is it worth buying? That is very dependent on if you like horror games.

Pokémon Sword and Shield's Isle of Armor Expansion gives the game the best environment and world design Pokémon has had in any 3D game, mainline, or spin-off, but very little else. If you're a Pokémaniac who is dead-set on completing another Pokédex, you'll love this, but if you want to do something other than filling out a list, this is not for you. This is not the whimsical world-traveling adventure mainline Pokémon games are, this is just boring.

Even if far from flawless, Star Ocean: The Divine Force is undoubtedly a return to form for the series by tri-Ace. The game delivers a solid JRPG experience that both fans of the series and newcomers will enjoy, thanks to the best battle system in the series to date, likable characters, and an engaging (though a little slow and fairly predictable) story. Some technical issues and by-the-books game design have to be noted, but for those looking for a traditional JRPG with plenty of heart, Star Ocean: The Divine Force is the game to get.

Override: Mech City Brawl features a fun and engaging combat, featuring giant mechs facing against each other, or against giant aliens. It's slightly marred by an unwieldy camera which loves to obscure your view of the fight and limited single-player options. However, this is made up by it being one of the better party or online games out there, when you have the people online, particularly as you can group up with up to three other players to control the same or different mechs.

The Callisto Protocol, throughout all of the tension and suspense, can't mask the terrors within might only be surface deep.

For a choice-driven experience, Bathora: Lost Haven leaves something to be desired. While it does do some clever things with the choice and duality themes, the experience falls somewhat flat due to excessive linearity, clunky and unsatisfying combat, and way too fast pacing that detracts from the emotional weight of some of the choices. The nice-looking visuals and the engaging puzzles that break the monotony of the experience and a few story beats make the experience enjoyable at times, but it could have been so much more.

Nintendo Labo Vehicle Kit is another fascinating, clever step in Nintendo's Labo line, one that still managed to be as enjoyable as the first time I started folding cardboard months ago. The building is still far better than the playing, and adults will likely find it too simple, but kids and creatives will once again find loads to while away their time with here.

The game is solid and feels good to play. The plans for the game's first year sound interesting, with each Season introducing new content revolving around a theme and new quality of life features. Hence, the ball is literally on Ubisoft Montreal's court now. Will they be able to complete their three laps of the arena and score five points? We will just have to wait and see. [Review in Progress]

Star Fox Zero is great. It’s loads of fun, even more fun with friends, and I can’t help but recommend it. Another Wii U essential? Well, it might not be for everyone but Star Fox fans will adore it.

Jurassic World Evolution is lavishly produced and sporadically engaging, but it fails to infuse the park simulation genre with much big-screen excitement. If cloning cool-looking dinosaurs and dealing with a few light management elements is enough for you, Jurassic World Evolution should satisfy, but if you’re looking for a deeper level of strategy or true dino chaos, you’ll likely be disappointed. I’d recommend most Jurassic Park fans wait until this one, uh, finds a way to the bargain bin.

LEGO The Incredibles 2 isn't the best platformer, or even the best LEGO game, but for younger gamers, big Pixar fans and those just wanting more from The Incredibles, it's a decent choice, by no means essential for anyone, but absolutely packed with a good few hours of fun with family members.

While The Outlast Trials is a game that can be completed, it has many issues that currently keep it from being a fun experience. The game is very repetitive and cumbersome while the balance that it has is all over the place. Unfortunately, these issues seem to be only fixable with a lot of reworks and massive patches. Even then, it still won't address the boring gameplay loop and the lack of actual challenge outside of modifiers that only exist to make the game even more frustrating. This is a game that only hardcore Outlast fans can be invested on and thus, it is hard to recommend.

Lost Sphear is a competently assembled retro product that may dredge up fond memories of older, better JRPGs, but it lacks a personality of its own. The unique, melancholy world of I Am Setsuna has been replaced by soulless tropes, and incrementally improved battle mechanics and dungeons don’t make up for that loss of identity. Sadly, the makers of Lost Sphear have lost the thread.

Oninaki is a heartfelt mess. Its unique world and challenging themes are more memorable and moving than anything Tokyo RPG Factory has done before, but it’s hard to fully recommend the game given its humdrum action and strange design choices. Depending on how much frustration you're willing to put up with for a good story, Oninaki may be worth owning, or perhaps better left beyond the veil.

High on Life is likely a divisive game. While the gameplay is more than sufficient - if you're happy with an unrefined, almost arcade-style shooter - you then come to the dialogue and "comedy", which, to me, was overdone to the point of annoyance. Funny to begin with but repeated so much that a drinking game would lead to liver failure. Fortunately, being on game pass, you don't have to fork out too much to see if you like it.

AO Tennis 2 is most certainly a great step in the right direction, with large improvements to animations, physics and general gameplay. In addition to these improvements, the career mode here is one of the more personal and engaging career modes you'll find in a sports title, up there with any other sports title, especially thanks to the extensive character customisation which lets you create just the person you want. AO Tennis 2 isn't perfect though, there are still some issues with the general feel of the fall and some game mechanics like movement being tied to the aiming of your shots, causing an overlap, but the improvements are there and there's no doubt that Big Ant Studios are making large strides.

Fire Emblem Warriors on 3DS isn’t a bad experience at all, but any gamer with the option of purchasing the Switch version instead would be foolish to pick this up. The lower character count, vastly downgraded graphics and less ergonomic design of the 3DS all factor together to make this a less-worthwhile version of a game that only dedicated Fire Emblem or Dynasty Warriors fans should buy, even in its best state.

Pride Run is a catchy, engaging and altogether good rhythm action game that's let down by one thing, the game doesn't tell you to follow the beat - rather, it misleads you by not mentioning it at all. Once you get into the swing of things and follow the music rather than simply pushing buttons, the game is at its best, with a funny, even self-deprecating sense of humour. Also, it just looks and sounds great. While not perfect, this is certainly a game worth picking up.

Hey! Pikmin is a fun 3DS game, one of Nintendo’s better handheld platformers recently, but still not up to the quality and polish we’d expect from console Pikmin titles. Pikmin fans might be a bit disappointed by this one, but anyone willing to give it a shot will find a surprisingly deep and fun little adventure to while away the hours.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is not a good minigame collection. While the minigames here aren't absolutely atrocious, none of them are particularly good or outstanding. Disappointing motion controls and a boring minigame selection really hamstring this crossover, and when games like Super Mario Party are available, I just can't bring myself to recommend it at all.

A great addition to the franchise despite minor problems that might annoy new players or those that are playing for the source material. It won't convince anybody that has hated the many, many games up until this point, but it doesn't really even need to.

Moons of Madness is the best of the recent rash of Lovecraft games. It isn’t as dark or atmospheric as some of its macabre competitors, but it’s well-crafted, nicely varied, and builds to a satisfying, pulse-pounding crescendo. If you don’t mind your Lovecraft with a touch of Michael Bay, don’t hesitate to blast off for the Moons of Madness.

With a story that fails to go beyond serviceable and some not particularly inspired characters, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris fails to reach the heights of the Wrath of the Druid expansion, basically offering more of the same in a somewhat uninteresting setting. The Infiltration Missions, a nice callback to earlier entries in the series, are not enough to salvage an experience that only the most die-hard Assassin’s Creed Valhalla fans will thoroughly enjoy.

State of Decay 2 is every bit as fun and rough as the first game was in 2013. It feels like a game that would have massively benefited from additional resources during development given its numerous technical shortcomings, but even so, its core (improved in this sequel) remains unique and fun to play, especially with friends. It's one of those titles that can be described as being more than the sum of its parts.

RiMS Racing is a decent first attempt into the racing simulation genre by Raceward Studios, with good racing, a detailed career mode and attention to detail on the bikes higher than any other game in history. On the track, it's rare to find a game that gives you the feel of a bike as good as this. However, with this attention to detail comes an inherent need to feature accessibility, which the game lacks with a terrible tutorial, and a need to balance and reduce the indulgence. The biggest culprit of indulgence comes with bike customisation, which - while valuable for those who want to know about bike parts - acts as a barrier to fun and the playing of the game. This is one I recommend to fans of bikes and racing sims, just go into it warned that there are things that could get in the way of your fun.

Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is certainly the prettiest insect-splatting simulation to grace the PlayStation 4 and there are a number of innovations to appeal to a Western audience, but Iron Rain still falls into that campy B-movie aesthetic.

As a middle chapter of what was supposed to be a four-part series, The Walking Dead: The Final Season Episode 2 gets the job done just fine. It gets a bit bogged down in plot, but still delivers some moving scenes and interesting new and returning characters. As possibly the final statement of one of the best narrative video game developers of all time, it's a crushing disappointment. Here’s hoping the remainder of The Walking Dead: The Final Season can somehow rise from the grave.

Pokémon Go is unlike anything else I've ever played, and for that reason alone I implore you to play it. I'm not sure it will keep the current momentum, but for now it feels really good.