It's not the world's most radical sequel but Train Sim World 4 is a sizeable update for the virtual train set, with plenty to please new fans and old.
Impressively well produced and extremely playable, but there are few changes from last year and the microtransactions are still obnoxious.
Classic co-op party-gaming fare that's unpretentious and very quick to pick up. It may be just a little too similar to Overcooked. but given how rare local co-op games are this is a welcome riff on a familiar theme.
Not the high-end remake that some fans would have been hoping for but even as a, at times, too faithful remaster this is a fascinating second look at one of gaming's great unsung heroes.
A prequel to Road 96, that adds skating mini-games but removes the procedural generation of the original – but it's still engagingly written, and has a lot to say.
A short but sweet VR romp that replicates the Peaky Blinders universe perfectly, even as it runs up against some of the intrinsic limitations of VR gaming on the Meta Quest 2.
Easily the best of The Dark Pictures anthology series, with a horror story that is deliciously chilling, surprisingly well acted, and far more interesting to play than its predecessors.
A welcome sequel to the original Tales From The Borderlands, that negotiates the franchise's loud mouth humour to deliver a surprisingly nuanced and intelligent slice of interactive storytelling.
The most approachable and the most realistic train simulator ever made, and it does a good job of making that more appealing than it sounds to non-fans.
A highly original, dark gothic thriller whose lack of compromises will restrict its audience but are hard not to admire.
Gearbox Software's latest game is a hilarious good time, but still has a few flaws.
However, such considerations are minor, and there's an awful lot of pleasure to be had from Volume. Its uncluttered gameplay emphasises the puzzle-solving aspect of stealth, the level design is brilliant, the gadgets are sometimes clever enough to make you chuckle out loud and the whole experience is both surprisingly meaty and absorbing to the point of distraction. It may not be as wildly inventive as Thomas Was Alone, but it's a wonderful homage to what constitutes the very essence of stealth games.
If you somehow missed out on the Borderlands games in their original configurations, then the Handsome Collection is the proverbial no-brainer. It offers the very essence of pure gaming pleasure (as long, that is, as shooting outlandish comic-book characters in the face is something that floats your boat). And not just as a short, sharp burst – thanks to all that DLC, it should keep you occupied for months on end. Combine that extreme meatiness with gameplay that is never anything less than irresistibly addictive, and you've got a recipe for waving goodbye to your social life. You have been warned.
A bonkers collection of epic adventures and side-quests sprinkled with puzzles that fans of the Japanese pop-cultural behemoth have been crying out for
Strategy game preserves the structure and jokey vibe of the 2004 classic but adds 2021 slickness and scope
Navigate Mono's surreal, gothic world in a bid to free the adults from their TV addiction
Offering a unique brand of tongue-in-cheek escapism that should induce a laugh roughly every five minutes, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a perfect lockdown game. The one unintentionally amusing element is the voice acting, which you can thankfully eliminate by opting to keep the original Japanese dialogue with subtitles. Sega’s Yakuza games have always seemed like a well-kept secret, but they’ve recently been enjoying much more appreciation abroad. If you like the idea of a very Japanese, gangster-themed, interactive comedy soap opera, you’ll absolutely adore it.
PS4, Xbox One, PC; CapcomDealing with a deadly virus seems relevant in this remake, which adds a multiplayer mode, though it's not as meaty as Res Evil 2
A group of magical youngsters do battle on the streets of Tokyo in this endearing, addictive anime-like role-playing game
Superpowered government agents fight interdimensional invaders in this bizarre but utterly compelling sci-fi blockbuster