Ninja Gaiden II Black is an impressive remaster in terms of sheer visual fidelity, but the gameplay and design haven't aged quite so gracefully. It's an important relic of the past, but just that.
Nobody Wants To Die punches well above its weight as an visually stunning if flawed interactive story in an intriguing future noir setting
Call of Duty: Vanguard unabashedly apes the style of 2019's Modern Warfare, with a multiplayer that is fun though familiar, but featuring a campaign that largely misses the mark.
The Ascent nails the cyberpunk aesthetic but doesn't really attempt to capitalise on its themes of corporate slavery. The solid audiovisuals and competent action-RPG twin-stick shooter hybrid gameplay manage to glue the experience together, even when glaring flaws such as lacklustre quest design and an overreliance on backtracking threaten to derail it.
Some devilishly clever puzzles shine in a unique take on the point-and click genre, but the game waits to the end to make its story truly interesting, which might be a little late if you're looking for an emotional investment to get you through some of the more tedious moments.
This third-person action game is a little rough around the edges and tries a little too hard to be serious, but its premise and combat is compelling enough to get the job done.
The beating heart of the Call of Duty experience in terms of multiplayer feels like a solid return to the classic formula, but abundant technical issues make this a worrying stumble into a new generation
Issues are prevalent, but fun and accessibility make this a good casual romp in the online scene
Although it borrows heavily from the house that Left 4 Dead built, World War Z is a fast-paced fun time with a great sense of progression
It's light on content, but it's a fantastically frantic mutliplayer brawler with style and some great gameplay ideas
An enjoyable if by-the-numbers adventure game, whose formula is beginning to show its cracks
Its knapsack may be bursting with brilliant stories, but it can't quite sing for its supper in the gameplay department
While overly simplistic puzzles are a pity, there's an engaging narrative in Peregrin that keeps this indie adventure ticking along
Dishonored's tried-and-true gameplay returns and serves as a decent vehicle for an interesting narrative that gives the series a sense of finality
Great combat and decent story ideas are largely squandered by a game that buckles under the weight of its technical flaws
A significant visual upgrade makes this faithful remake the best way to engage with this tragic tale, even if its simple themes still lack a little nuance.
Modern Warfare III does even less this year to shake up the multiplayer formula, but mechanically it's the same finely honed beast that sets the bar for fast-paced multiplayer shooters
While this sandy action RPG is somewhat lacking in technical and visual polish, Atlas Fallen is still a strong outing from Deck13, with the outfit continuing to prove it's got the chops when it comes to crafting interesting mechanics and fun combat.
Wo Long is another solid entry into the hardcore hack and slash RPG genre, but some wonky difficulty and questionable enemy AI spoil some of the design nuances and mean it doesn't quite hit the heights of Team Ninja's previous efforts
Strangers of Paradise is a loveable action-RPG despite its best efforts to spoil itself with a story that only becomes interesting in the last hour. The action is a little messy and not all of the moving parts gel together perfectly, but it's got a compelling janky charm that is hard to ignore.