A much-needed change of ammo in the way-overused gun barrel of 'survival horror.'

While both halves of this schizophrenic shooter play very differently, they share many of the same general qualities: they're solid, immersive, and pretty, but suffer from a severe lack of originality.

Given free range to vent their most outrageous, vivid, degenerate, and depraved fantasies on an unsuspecting player, Bethesda's developers have crafted a unique world that shares the same quality of writing and attention to detail as Oblivion itself. Appropriately enough, only the most insane Oblivion addicts could refuse such an opportunity.

A thoroughly humorous and entertaining game with a few rough edges. Camera problems and a lack of voiceover acting are the only real flaws.

Hardcore opportunists and lone-wolf types have a vast cosmos to win here, but more casual gamers are advised to tread cautiously... to research, manufacture and carry a big stick.

Crustier, more seasoned gamers may grumble a tad at the general lack of progress, but we'll bet they'll be up at ungodly hours playing Shine Thief, just like the rest of us.

Ultimately, The Shadow of Aku's excellent controls, just-right fighting action, humor, and easy-on-the-eyes visuals do the Samurai Jack license proud.

If you don't mind a lot of banging around, and are looking to expose your family to some musical challenges, Taiko: Drum Master is a good choice.

It's a fast-paced online deathmatch game with few bells and fewer whistles, featuring essentially the same weapon lineup it's had for ten years.

Although it could use a tad more variety regarding game options, it's a brilliant start to the franchise and one of Xbox's best single-machine multiplayer games.

The quality story, strong voice acting, vast landscape, and competent combat make for an all round solid action-adventure experience.

Prince of Persia's stunning delivery yields quite a few breathtaking moments. Flaws aside, credit this prince for breaking many of the rules his ancestor set forth some two decades ago. He's just not quite ready to wear the crown.

But for those that love simple, arcade shooters that blister thumbs and leave permanent marks in your D-pad, this is the pinnacle of the genre. It's great, quick fun that can be played for five minutes just as easily as five hours, and the animation contains huge amusement value.

With all the attention given over to the performance and presentation, it's a shame that V3 features such lame audio.

Imaginative players will find all kinds of ways to extend the game, and there's a virtual certainty of downloadable extras too.

Features the same aesthetic and attitude as its renowned predecessors but lacks some of their soul. On the plus side, the game is a heck of a lot better suited to mobile gaming.

While it's not without its own small issues, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle should be on the short-list of Switch games every player should own.

On the whole, Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga's got a solid Zelda vibe: it's polished, it flows nicely without being too restrictive, and it offers a distinct style of gameplay, all presented with a lot of charm and a laidback sense of humor that doesn't try too hard.

The pendulum has swung the other way and the game now favors arcade stylings... but it hasn't lost sight of its sim heritage... A great improvement over the original, Lethal Skies II is one of the better arcade-style aerial combat games out there.

The added feature of housing and storage alone makes it well worth its price tag, but the many new quests, island and monsters all making their debut are really the tasty icing.

In a refreshing change of pace, the story in Suikoden V is what kept us playing; typically it's the best reason to quit an RPG.

When Midnight Club II frustrates, you'll want to snap the disc in half and feed the pieces to the nearby watchers... But when Midnight Club II is fun, it takes you by the throat in such a manner it's impossible to stop playing.

While it's very much an evolution of the preceding Armored Core games, it's certainly an improvement, and there's enough new here that players of the older games won't feel ripped off.

While Battle for Middle Earth 2 has taken a step back from its more avant-garde predecessor, it's a welcome one. If it wasn't for the woefully sub-par AI, this game would earn an easy, unreserved recommendation. But rolling over the AI time and time again in single-player just gets old, and if you don't have the appetite for online play, you'll end up pushing it to the back of the drawer and hoping for a patch.

Dedicated Sim City players are probably saying, "Yes, of course I need that level of detail!", and that's why City Life isn't going to appeal to them too much. But plenty of folks will be glad of a little more abstraction and a little less overwhelming detail.

It's one of those rare games that manages to combine detail, historical accuracy and playability to make a truly engaging and entertaining strategy game.

As the pedigree of the series suggests, Warlords IV's AI plays a very mean game indeed. The different difficulty levels are well balanced, going from a pushover at the easiest setting (good for getting to grips with the rules, and what constitutes a good army) to a very real challenge at the upper ones.

Cap that off with a tournament-style four-player option that runs through competitive versions of a selection of the mini-games, and you're looking at a package that's an easy recommendation for gaming families.