The Sinking City is well worth playing for the initial rhythm of its casework and the freshness of its setting, but its mechanics, like its mystery, end up flooded.
A Plague Tale: Innocence has some clunky writing in places, and its play gets stale after a time, but it prevails with a compelling mystery and a beautiful world.
Days Gone is a grim, beautiful B-movie; its action and writing are full of pulpy thrills, and by the end of it, I found myself liking a character called Deacon St. John – an achievement in itself.
RICO has a cracking central idea, but it's strained by awkward mission design, shaky performance, and a whippy aim that often misses the mark.
Devil May Cry 5 revels in its own gleeful stupidity, presenting a world in which the most valuable commodity is style.
Metro Exodus injects life and light into the series, but its mechanics are still starting to creak; it's a good end to Artyom's journey, even if the story seems muffled.
Kingdom Hearts III is a beautiful hunk of sugary writing, convoluted plotting, and repetitive combat that's reliance on beloved IP exposes it's shallow core.
Below's moody gloom and atmosphere is spoiled by mechanics that really cramp its central quest.
Just Cause 4's thrills give way to repetition and a dull mission structure, but it's a ridiculous roller coaster while in full swing.
Fallout 76 is an ambitious game that's burned by it. The online features hamper what could have been a great Fallout game.
Despite the lack of a campaign and any tonal consistency, Black Ops 4 boasts a thrilling entry into the battle royale space.
A slow start and and a shifting tone give way to a strong central relationship and some tough choices. The road ahead intrigues.
A beautiful Britain, an exuberant driving engine, and generosity of spirit make Forza Horizon 4 a masterclass.
A seductive art style, hazy synth sounds, and some well-designed puzzles give The Gardens Between a pleasant mood, but it doesn't stay in the mind long after the credits.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider takes the series' formula and pushes it, polishing the platforming and bolstering its tombs, but the game's power ebbs as the main quest is bloated with distraction, and the writing is still patchy and dull.
Rebellion has wrought a breezy shooter, angled it towards multiplayer, and burnished it with wit, but its minute-to-minute action is repetitive and feels imprecise.
Tanglewood presents you with a beautiful world to platform and puzzle through, and delivers a potent rush of nostalgia, but it's merit is tied inseparably to its hardware, and risks gimmickry.
The originality of its vision and the thrust of its narrative more than excuse some sci-fi clichés, and you're left with a breezy adventure game which compels with its ideas, if not always with its play.
Dead Cells is, at times, constrained by the genres it so heavily draws from, but its vibrant pixel art, furious combat, and rigorous execution make for a winning formula all its own.
An intriguing taste for what's to come in Life is Strange Season 2. The series' formula shows its age here and there, but what shines, as ever, is sensitive writing, and an excellent setting.