This gloriously messy, medieval-flavoured silliness will give you the best adventure you've had in years. There's nothing quite like it
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.
Playing a professional diver maintaining undersea oil pipes may sound like an odd premise for a game, but it's so peaceful down there
Occasionally a game comes along that makes you look at life in a whole new way. This glorious, hilarious, utterly absorbing Zelda instalment is one of them
Plumbing the depths of our fear of the ocean, this clever and compelling video game will suck you in for hours at a time
Even the most fervent millennial fans will find little here beyond being able to wield a wand in the hallowed halls
This imaginative sequel is a blast, as Kratos and his wayward son fight their way through the nine realms trying to avert the war to end all wars
Never mind the spectacularly colourful paint battles, this is quietly one of the best and most inventive action-puzzle games around
This fascinating game provides an interactive film trilogy, complete with behind-the-scenes footage, to help solve the mystery of missing movie star Marissa Marcel.
This unusual game has you managing your dad's launderette while running a secret arcade out the back.
A branching thriller played out from different perspectives, including characters' histories, is clever though at times repetitive
Pattering through a ruined city, being petted by robots and watched over by a friendly drone, cat lovers may regret finding the escape
A noble environmental message provides the basis for this delightfully uncomplicated adventure, but elements of performance are amiss
It's been a while since a video game got us up and moving like this, and happily it's as entertaining as ever
A game that wants us to think about the contradictions and complexities of being alive, but not very deeply
Zelda-like adventure game starring an adorable fox recalls a pre-internet era when games felt like secret worlds
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