Like ABZU, Oure wants to be your next Journey, but Heavy Spectrum's work falls short of the mark.
It's hard work following a sleeper hit, and at times Shadow of War looks like it's trying to do too much over too wide an area for a bit too long. Its storylines run the gamut from deftly handled through to daft, and ludicrous liberties are taken with Tolkien's characters and lore.
Cuphead will be too tough for some players, and you'd have to look to the likes of Nioh or Dark Souls to find something as brutal and unforgiving. It's going to take some serious skill and experience to beat those bosses, but Cuphead keeps on bringing you back for more until you do.
Despite more work on accessibility, this is a dauntingly vast and complex strategy game, but it's one with an equally huge sense of fun.
Echo is both an impressive debut game for Ultra Ultra, and one of the smartest, most innovative sci-fi action titles I've played in a long time. It's one thing to have a great concept and a brilliant core game mechanic, but Echo makes it an integral part of the storytelling, fully tied into the characters, the narrative and the art.
Like most US-centric sports games NHL has a reputation as an acquired taste, but really it shouldn't be. It's a thrilling, accessible sim of a thrilling, accessible sport, with the varied online and offline modes you'd expect from an EA Sports game, plus a real slap shot to the back of the net in the form of Threes. Bring on the Frostbite engine and an equivalent to FIFA's Journey mode, and EA might have a classic sports game on its hands. As it is, it's still absorbing and a lot of fun.
Too weird and repellent for a mainstream audience, too brilliant for any serious gamer to ignore, The Binding of Isaac has found a surprisingly natural home on Switch. It's ideal for short bursts and longer sessions of handheld play, and the sort of title that only gets richer and more interesting the more hours and effort you put in. Edward McMillen's cult classic isn't for everyone, but if it's for you there's no better way to play it.
It’s a bit buggy and prone to repetition, but Path of Exile is a free-to-play Diablo clone that’s seriously worth playing. It’s dark and stylish-looking, with a rich and interesting progression system – and the cycle of slaying, looting and upgrading is as compelling as it is in Diablo 3. Given the price, it’s hard not to recommend. Grab some friends if you can, then join the trail.
Everybody's Golf looks good and has the same fun, breezy feel as previous versions, combined with intriguing online modes and a surprising amount of depth. The new open-world, online focus creates a new energy in what has always been a conservative series.
Mario + Rabbids gives you the action and strategy of XCOM in a way that does justice both to Mario and to the Rabbid's kooky style. Ubi's big E3 surprise is an unmissable Switch game.
It might be shorter – as reflected in the price – but The Lost Legacy is a great Uncharted and a dazzling example of a studio at the top of its game. To be honest, I wouldn't have believed that Chloe and Nadine could make such fantastic, sympathetic protagonists or that Naughty Dog could stretch the formula out for another 10 hours, yet it has and I loved every minute.
MatterFall is crammed with interesting mechanics and there's something really lovable about its Metroid-meets-Contra-meets-Bullet-Hell style. It's just a shame that the levels aren't memorable enough or the enemies distinctive enough to make it another retro-arcade great. Throw in boss battles that go on way too long, and it's a solid shooter that will please enthusiasts, but not quite up there with Resogun or Nex Machina.
It doesn't have the colourful personality of Overwatch, but give Lawbreakers a chance. Get beyond the steep learning curve and you'll find a team-based shooter packed with smart ideas and interesting mechanics, where great movement capabilities and a fine mix of weapons keep the action furious and fun.
Hellblade triumphs equally as action game, mythic quest and psychological character study, bringing together some amazing visuals, great performances and ingenious design. It's short-lived but perfectly paced with a blend of action and puzzles that grows in richness and complexity as the game goes on. While some might prefer Enslaved or the DMC reboot, I'd call it Ninja Theory's best work yet.
Square-Enix hasn't pulled off any miracles with this remaster, but The Zodiac Age gives players one of the great Final Fantasies, looking sharper and playing better than it ever has before. The battle and progress systems that once infuriated aficionados haven't become less abrasive with time, but they also help give the game its pace and a feel that's unlike any other game in the series. More immediately entertaining than FF13 and surprisingly innovative and forward-looking for its time, FF12 has worn very well. If you didn't get a chance to play it a decade ago, now's your chance.
Talk about a squandered opportunity. There's nothing much wrong with the graphics or the rough-and-tumble arcade racing, but the new Micro Machines hasn't got the single-player mode to pull players in or the multiplayer content required to keep them there. There's a sorry sense of ‘will this do?' about World Series. While the nostalgia factor is high, the rest is a letdown.
Think you're tired of Diablo III? Rise of the Necromancer will soon change that. The revamped corpse-raiser is a blast to play and a smashing way to revitalise both the campaign and Adventure Mode. Newcomers to Diablo 3 won't find it so essential when there's so much content and so many classes to get stuck into already, but this is one more good reason to get into Blizzard's epic, cementing its status as an all-time-great action RPG.
Intense doesn't even cover it. Nex Machina is every bit as tough, exciting and absorbing as the eighties arcade classics that inspired it. There's something about its gameplay that seems perfectly honed and balanced, pulling you into ever-more-challenging scenarios and pushing you to make the grade.
While it's reminiscent of Journey, The Wind Waker and Ico, RiME is so much more than a grab-bag of borrowed ideas. Combining art, craftsmanship, enigmatic storytelling and engaging gameplay, it does what the likes of Bound and ABZU couldn't: wrap a powerful experience inside a compelling game. I'm still working out whether RiME is a masterpiece and, if so, where it sits in the pantheon of greats – but one thing's for sure: if you love the games it's inspired by, you're going to love RiME as well.
For all Eugen's attempts to position Steel Division as an action-packed RTS, it's still a niche game aimed primarily at wargamers, where complex strategy and historical accuracy matter more than cinematic action beats. That's not a criticism. While it could do with an easier difficulty curve and some sensible streamlining, there's a place for a World War II strategy game where authenticity and detail count. If you think you can handle the workload, sign on up.