Disappointing, that's the best word to describe Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown. Its handling is solid and it has a large open world filled with a variety of events and activities for you to explore, but technical issues, poor visuals and other frustrations just bring it down.
Engaging from start to finish and full of wonderful touches that take your breath away, Astro Bot is a phenomenal experience that will keep you glued to your screen.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a good game but not a great one. Its campaign is very linear and feels balanced around multiplayer, which is disappointing if you're planning on playing solo. Needless to say, it's more rewarding when played in co-op, and additional multiplayer modes add to the fun. But however you play, performance issues might frustrate.
Featuring a cute cat protagonist with a foul-mouth sentient hoverboard sidekick, Gori: Cuddly Carnage is a good, old-fashioned, stage-based action game that's a blast from start to finish. Though be warned: with lots of gore and plenty of bad language, this certainly isn't a game for kids despite its bright and colourful visuals.
Star Wars Outlaws perfectly captures the essence of the much-loved franchise, making you believe you've actually stepped into its world. Locations are densely packed with things to do, and whether you're sneaking around or engaging in an all-out firefight, it's always a blast. Add in the Syndicate system which means your actions have consequences, and you have one of the best Star Wars games yet.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime - ISEKAI Chronicles is likely to be enjoyed by fans of the franchise, but it won't wow them. It's a basic action RPG with fun 2D hack-and-slash sections that quickly become repetitive, and basic village building elements that feel underdeveloped.
Cygni: All Guns Blazing is the best-looking shoot 'em up out there, and along with its epic soundtrack, it's a treat for the eyes and ears. But a number of issues, such as its stages being too long and the screen often being simply too busy, mean that it doesn't fulfil its potential.
Thank Goodness You're Here! is a game that's quintessentially British, inviting players to explore a Northern English town and rub shoulders with its bizarre locals. It's weird, it's clever, and it's utterly surreal at times, but it's always entertaining. It's just a shame that your visit is over so soon, but there's perhaps reason to return to it a time or two. In any case, it's an absolute delight while it lasts.
Roguelike fans who love fast-paced first-person shooter action are in for a treat with Deadlink. Its combat encounters take heavy inspiration from DOOM Eternal, and with four combat shells to choose from, along with a wide range of upgrades to acquire, there's plenty of variety to be found from one run to the next. A new time trial mode complete with global leaderboards adds even more fun into the mix.
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a unique game that brilliantly blends together action and strategy, resulting in a game that makes you think and keeps you on your toes. Add in sublime enemy design and a wonderful soundtrack, and you have a game that rubs shoulders with the best of 2024 so far.
Anger Foot is essentially Hotline Miami played from a first-person perspective, with your foot being your most valuable asset. As fun as kicking things with a variety of effects is, however, the action gets repetitive pretty fast, the difficulty feels unfair at times, and the soundtrack may drive you up the wall.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door looks great on Switch, making it exciting to move from one location to the next, each interesting in its own way. Its writing is brilliant, too, with some genuinely funny jokes that will have you grinning as you play. It's just a shame that its turn-based combat gets old quite fast, and is devoid of challenge.
EA Sports F1 24 is undoubtedly the most authentic representation of the sport yet, with stunning visuals and responsive handling. You can play as Icons for the first time in career mode, too. But versus last year's release, the improvements are slight, meaning some might want to sit this one out.
Inspired by horror classics such as Silent Hill 2 and Eternal Darkness, The Glass Staircase is Puppet Combo's most ambitious release yet. This surreal and atmospheric experience will keep you on the edge of your seat for the entirety of its brief playing time, though checkpointing and aiming issues may frustrate a little.
A 3D platformer with an exhilarating techno soundtrack and stunning graffiti-inspired visuals, RKGK will win you over with its fluid movement and challenging gameplay. It's destined to be one of 2024's hidden gems.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 improves on its predecessor in numerous ways, making it a must-play for fans of dark, cinematic adventure games. Visually it's unparalleled, offering photo-realistic characters and environments, and its audio design is spectacular, too. It's just a shame that its combat gets repetitive all too quickly – but in the grand scheme of things, it's a small price to pay.
Inviting you to be the star of a vintage anime, Mullet Mad Jack is a fast-paced first-person shooter with roguelike elements that's basic at its core but still manages to be captivating — partly because of its impeccable presentation, and partly because it's simply so much fun to play.
Sclash is a simple fighting game featuring samurai that can beat their opponents with just one hit. Battles are tense and exciting as a result, but disappointing single-player options and a lack of overall depth let it down somewhat.
A massive improvement over its predecessor, The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication is an absolute treat for horror fans, combining tense exploration, enjoyable puzzles, and some effective scares.
Heading Out doesn't fulfil its true potential. But while its story isn't as gripping as it should be, and its driving mechanics aren't anything special, together, along with an eye-catching black and white comic book visual style, they make for an enjoyable time on the whole.