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There’s no story to discover, no complex rules to learn; just instant, appealing fun. It’s fun you’ll have already experienced if you’re a Mario fan, but with enough novelty and unexpected twists to prevent it from feeling over-familiar. And for those new to Mario – kids just ageing into video games, friends or family members tempted into a multiplayer session – this is a wonderful introduction to the fizzy creativity and attention to detail that has made Mario a family staple for nearly 30 years.
This is what mainstream action adventure video games should be: a big, wholehearted fantasy, invested with rewarding details and loaded with conflict and emotion.
Microsoft; PC, XboxWith the spin-off series eclipsing Forza's original game, Turn 10 has upped the ante with a return to Motorsport after six years that might even win over some Horizon fans
Involving narrative game reveals little by little the complex relationships of a ship's crew seeking their kidnapped captain
Set in ninth-century Baghdad, this latest iteration of the murderous mega-series has cleared out recent bloated extras, leaving you with just a sword and dagger
The latest game in what was previously known as the Fifa series has some added RPG elements for upgrading players' skills
Fans of the fighting game's cast of lunatics will enjoy this nostalgic reboot, but its combat fundamentals have remained largely unchanged
CD Projekt's stylish RPG has undergone a radical transformation, and the expansion starring Idris Elba makes the best of the game's new features
This hack-and-slasher clings to its Soulsborne heritage too tightly, but does creative things that no other Soulslike until now has managed to pull off
Nacho Rodríguez's point-and-click is like an old kid's cartoon, a cavalcade of imagery where Lucasfilm meets Dalí
Bethesda's long-awaited space epic is a vast interstellar canvas full of glorious sights to see and intriguing threads to pull – if you can keep patience with its fussy systems
Playing a professional diver maintaining undersea oil pipes may sound like an odd premise for a game, but it's so peaceful down there
]A sushi waiter is on a mission to bring exotic fish to the table in this stylish, satisfying game that delivers a vital message on sustainability
This homage to classic Japanese RPGs picks from the best to create something original, and its rich, engaging world makes it feel like a classic in its own right
This spiritual successor to Jet Set Radio has the same stylish look and feel, though with better gameplay for the outlaw street gang
This is Tobe Hooper's putrid amoral universe in film perfectly replicated as an interactive terror ridePC, PS4/5, Xbox; Sumo Digital/Gun Interactive
This role-player in which you have to solve the murder of a Muse by battling Gods through song presents a new form of storytelling and all the charm of the Buffy musical episode
Cédric Babouche's exquisite landscapes evoke the lost land of childhood as a woman in her 30s explores her late grandmother's home
Expanding on the basic role playing structure with seemingly limitless reactivity and options, this game is so varied you'd swear it was sentient
This new visual novel from the creator of One Night Stand is an engrossing, emotional study of digital relationships that will hit a raw nerve with gamers