It builds on the winning design of Armageddon, makes well-thought out and balanced new additions, and presents it all to you in a charming and vibrant cartoon style that lives up to your lying memories of 1999.
It is easy to come away from Virginia inspired and reeling from the vision that the team at Variable state have conjured; it is impossible to come away unchanged.
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun will have you plotting the art of war like a master tactician. You will forge elaborate plans and test them in the fires of a a beautifully realised Edo-period Japan.
If you’re a console gamer and you haven’t played these, then The Collection is an easy one to recommend.
Islands: Non-Places is a game for certain kinds of players, and if you’ve read this review you may well have an idea that it might speak to you; I implore you to go and play it.
When your time with The Final Station comes to an end, you might feel like those pistons – firing over and over until you reach your terminus, bound by looping gameplay as they are to the track. Though it might thirst for challenge, it’s a surreal tour through a beautiful, brutal world – one underscored by loving attention to detail and an atmosphere unlike any other I’ve played. Despite the mechanical motions that get you there, the journey and the destination stay with you long after you disembark.
The Sexy Brutale nods back to ancient tradition while wrapped in the trappings of the 20th century, taking notes from some of the best adventure games there have been. At the same time, it looks forwards, unwinding to its own tempo, creating a game that feels distinct from any other.
Deck Nine has shown an extraordinary understanding of a delicate formula. For fans, it's a return journey to one of the most vivid, joyous settings in gaming. For them, and for everyone else, it's a brave effort which, at times, surpasses the original.
With Assassin's Creed: Origins, Ubisoft has found an oasis in the desert. It's refreshing, blending sensible new mechanics with an established formula; moreover, it feels as though it was designed by a team with their eyes and ears open. The rulebook was far from thrown out, but it's been burnished to an impressive sheen, and this is the best the series has been since Ezio's heyday.
Vostok Inc. is a moreish slice of rampant capitalism, an adventure in both space combat and middle management, sewn together with cute ideas and clicker-style mini games. Once you have that initial bump you'll be hooked, but if you can go cold turkey for even a short time you might struggle to go back, even though it felt amazing. Vostok Inc. is here for a good time, not a long time.
Codemasters has tweaked and refined a Formula one driving experience that is, as of writing, unrivalled. Project Cars 2 lurks just round the corner, but it would require an awful lot to overtake this.
Sega reminds us that, with Yakuza Kiwami, not only is its heart in the right place, but it hasn’t missed a beat.
A powerful central relationship, an enigmatic plot, and terrific writing all elevate Before the Storm above the original series. This is fantastic adventure gaming, and some of the best writing in games at the moment, held back only by slightly shallow mechanics.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It's easy to be skeptical of Ubisoft, but I happen to find much to revere in reliability. It's a solid shooter, with a happy churn of loot, elevated by Jon Bernthal. Fun for the few days it holds your attention.