Tristan Ogilvie
Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection is a supremely spirited comeback for the old-school action platformer series.
Resident Evil Village is a genuinely engrossing and increasingly combat-heavy continuation of the Ethan Winters story.
Road 96 is a fascinating and frequently tense adventure that manages to keep its story on track despite the odd bump in the road.
There hasn't been a guitar-based adventure as excellent as The Artful Escape since Bill met Ted.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga provides some rollicking reimaginings of Star Wars' most iconic moments and seats them inside a series of interplanetary playgrounds that are dense with discovery and entertaining diversions.
Immortality is a thoroughly mesmerizing mystery and one of the most surprising video game stories of 2022.
Spellbindingly surreal and stimulating to the end, Viewfinder is the freakiest form of photo mode in which every snap is a happy one.
Moving Out 2 is a colourful and chaotic co-op sequel that tasks you with bending at the knees while consistently splitting your sides.
It may take place at the bottom of the ocean on a distant alien planet, but Harold Halibut’s story is an entirely human one, both in terms of its carefully handmade environments and its strong emphasis on empathy towards its eccentric cast of characters. While I wish that there was a little more interactivity to be found throughout its subaquatic setting, and Harold’s shuffling run could have been boosted to a sprint to reduce the time spent repeatedly schlepping from one end of its levels to the other, I nonetheless remained captivated by his whimsical quest to unite his community and explore the spectacular surroundings of his sunken home. Consistently funny and full of surprises, Harold Halibut is a wholesome, handcrafted adventure with plenty of heart.
A smartly redesigned controller and addictive song streaming makes Guitar Hero Live a largely enjoyable music game.
The Hong Kong Massacre is an action movie fan's dream played out in stylish slow-motion.
Strider is an unbalanced yet extremely stylish platformer, and the series' best game since the original.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life presents the most detailed virtual chunk of Japan the series has managed to date, and its story provides a satisfying end to the Kizama Kiryu saga. However, as far as gameplay goes, Yakuza 6 doesn't make enough of an effort to break new ground, making it weaker overall than last year's Yakuza Zero.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy is a solid collection of courtroom dramedies, but far from essential for fans.
Ion Fury is an authentic throwback to Duke Nukem 3D that certainly hails to the king but can't quite dethrone him.
The Golf Club is a fun way to hit the links for golfing purists and would-be course creators.
Powerstar Golf has last-gen looks but incorporates forward-thinking features, and is a fun way to hit the links.
Despite its improved HD veneer and tweaked controls, I just didn't find the Amplitude of 2016 to be as addictive or long-lasting an experience as the Amplitude of 2003. I had some fun with it for as long as it took to play through its hypnotic campaign and unlock all its tracks in the quickplay mode, but the samey soundtrack and meagre selection of modes meant that I had little motivation to return to it thereafter. Committed high score-chasers will probably stick around in an effort to top the online leaderboards since the challenge is most certainly still there, but for everyone else Amplitude will likely feel like a commendable cover of a classic, but a mere cover all the same.
While it’s a shame that its dungeon dwelling enemies are far too easily exploited, Blaster Master Zero is ultimately an enjoyable reimagining of a largely overlooked 8-bit classic thanks to the rewarding exploration-focussed structure of its side-scrolling overworld. There are enough secret rooms and power-ups to seek out (including an additional ending), that I was compelled to scour every last inch over the course of my eight-hour completion time. It’s a good reboot; just not a Masterful one.
Like the gaming equivalent of binge-watching a playlist of the funniest Vine videos, WarioWare Gold provides some enjoyable short attention span shenanigans, particularly for newcomers. But in the absence any substantial new additions and a paucity of worthwhile extras, WarioWare Gold is more like a runner-up silver for long term fans of the series.