I don’t think I’ve seen half of what Forbidden West has to offer. It bored me sometimes with endless dialogue and exposition, but is equally generous with things to do and places to explore and creatures to unwisely provoke. Unlike many open-world games it is continually offering you something new, and a couple of the tools you acquire later in the game really open the whole place up. It’s got the spirit of a Metroid or Tomb Raider-style puzzle adventure on the scale of an Assassin’s Creed. And once again: by god, it is beautiful. I’ll happily endure 10 minutes of being lectured about terraforming, in exchange for marvelling at these sunken caves, forbidding plains and mechanical T-rexes.
Uncharted 4 and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy get a joint re-release reminding us of the greatness of these bombastic action adventures.
It looks and sounds basic, but the amount of effort, knowledge and understanding of the topic (and of game design and history more generally) that has gone into this mini museum is abundantly evident, from both the exhibits and the text that accompanies them. Like listening to someone talk about the PhD research they’re doing on a niche topic, it might sound boring at the outset, but by the end of an hour, you’ll come away with something you definitely didn’t know before.
These remasters feel less stable than the glitchy originals, with a lack of attention to detail that undermines the games' character
Take a supercar for a beach challenge or drive into the Mexican jungle in this racing game that's exactly as fun as its last version
Interactive possibilities make this dorky tale about a small-town psychic musician strangely absorbing
This peaceful circuit is perfect for the kind of person who tries to observe traffic laws when playing Grand Theft Auto
The warped worlds inside people's minds are yours to explore in a bold and beautiful sequel that never fails to surprise
The innovation of players running around after their shots is fun but you may find yourself longing for a leisurely stroll over the course
This Star Wars-influenced action game about two furry aliens elevates the spectacle and fun to a new dimension
Exceptionally hostile creatures are round every corner on a glorious, punishing quest through the perilous landscapes of another planet
Trekking through forests and meadows in search of quirky creatures to photograph is a serene but repetitive experience
This new iteration of the escape-to-the-country fantasy replaces all that was charming about earlier versions with an average adventure game
Its mix of planetary scavenging, alien-hunting and funky artwork ought to be a smash, but sluggish mechanics and onerous mission demands diminish the fun
One of the brightest and cutest Mario games with a novel adventure as a side dish
This game made me feel like a swashbuckling stranger in a foreign land for a couple of evenings, and left me wanting more. What’s there is lean and sometimes exquisite, but there wasn’t time to fully explore the different weapons (or try on all those dapper hats) before Faraday’s adventure came to an end after around six hours. I could have spent twice as long exploring this beautiful and mysterious creation, but I’m grateful nonetheless for the journey I’ve had.
Precision and playfulness made the original irresistibly difficult, but this vindictive sequel feels more like a punishment
This free-with-the-console game is a ridiculously cute and charming tribute to 25 years of PlayStation history, games and hardware
I haven’t played a game as odd as Legion in a very long time. Unlike the glossy, beautiful, but samey open-worlds that have dominated the genre in the past few years, it is ambitious, imperfect and unashamedly weird. To me it’s a fascinating, flawed, well-intentioned experiment in what a game can have to say, and how it can say it, while still conforming to the established fun-first template of an open-world action game. London’s landmarks are all here, from the Tower to the Eye, but rather than reducing the city to a pretty backdrop for generic madcap violence, it lets you find your own fun – or even your own meaning – in what you do there.
This gripping adventure set in a hellish realm filled with gorgeous gods and monsters is well worth the years it took to make