Vikki Blake
Against the odds, Bloober Team has delivered a remake that both expands Silent Hill 2 in just the right places, and gives careful attention to what it preserves.
Though a tad slow to get going, Gears 5 has reinvented itself in ways many of us didn't dare dream was possible, blending what we loved about the franchise with a fresh story, personable protagonists, and some of the best visuals and shooting mechanics we've seen.
Without saying a word, FAR: Lone Sails conveys a poignant tale of hope and perseverance, masterfully balancing style with substance for an experience that feels every bit as sublime as it looks. Sure, you could grumble about the shortness of the experience, the occasionally obtuse puzzles and the very, very minor control issues, but these problems dissolve away once you're invested in the journey. We highly recommend that you give this a spin.
Amnesia: The Bunker corrects the missteps of its predecessors and adds in a sense of invention, creating a truly unsettling adventure.
Remnant 2 is an ambitious sequel stuffed with delightful - and deadly - surprises.
Gory and exacting, Children of the Sun mixes the highs of tactical precision and cracking a killer puzzle.
More than just its nostalgic visuals, Crow Country is funny, self-aware, and extremely hard to put down.
I Am Your Beast is a sensationally rapid-fire action game in every sense, but there's also a surprisingly well-realised thread of narrative running through.
Slitterhead can be a slow-burn to begin with, but once its combat clicks, this is an action horror game like few others.
Sniper Elite: Resistance may not innovate much on the series' standard blueprint, but it's still a challenging, rewarding, and deeply satisfying adventure.
Watch Dogs 2 is a solid, satisfying sequel that successfully addresses the weaknesses of its predecessor.
Simultaneously both full of heart and unapologetically in-your-face, it takes everything you loved about its predecessor whilst gently – almost invisibly – buffing the things you didn't like so much, too. What a treat.
As the credits roll on this brief but powerful experience, you'll realise a lot is left open to interpretation. For some, that's to be expected. For others, it'll be infuriating. Prospero rarely seems to be in a hurry – even when he bloody should be – and as such, his plodding pace is very much a gamer's Marmite; you'll either love it or hate it… but good grief is this a mystery worth solving.
Never before have Guardians had such agency, and the ability to choose between well-balanced PvE components and PvP modes means there’s now good options for all, regardless of individual play style or weapon choice. Whether you play as a clan or as a lone wolf, there’s plenty to do… and best of all, a myriad of ways to do it, too.
Despite some occasional frustrations, Cookie Cutter is a gory, gorgeous, and bloody good Metroidvania.
It’s beautiful, it’s polished, and it will likely be a smash hit for anyone who’s been waiting all these years for a complex and challenging Mario tennis game.
Despite the strikingly different premise from Life is Strange studio Dontnod, the team’s expertise in characterisation and world-building dovetail neatly into this vampire romp.
The Outlast Trials is excessive and frantically enjoyable - but can occasionally tip over into frustration more than fear.
A delightfully macabre homage, this asymettrical horror could finally threaten Dead by Daylight's crown, if you didn't spend more time fighing the servers than Leatherface himself.
A shallow shooter that doesn't offer anywhere near enough bang for your ill-gotten buck.