Dominic Leighton's Reviews
Ravenbound is a striking Scandinavian fantasy, and one that's often a delight to experience. However, this particular open world can often feel too empty and lifeless, relying on a player's thorough involvement in its collection of gameplay ideas to stay engaged.
Clash: Artifacts of Chaos is an idiosyncratic adventure, managing to be jaw-droppingly beautiful, fun and often mesmerising while hanging on to some of the Souls-like genre's most frustrating elements.
I was genuinely surprised to find myself enjoying Cereza and the Lost Demon even more than I did Bayonetta 3. The laid-back exploration, the beautiful visuals, the unique control and combat scheme, and the fact that this is a fresh take on the franchise make it an altogether different experience, and one that furthers the series' lore while ensuring it opens itself up to an all-new audience.
Wild Hearts has proved to be an immense surprise. It navigates the line between well-worn ground and exciting new innovation immensely well. It's the best non-Capcom hunting game we've ever had, and a hugely enjoyable action RPG in its own right.
Despite its clear and comprehensive flaws, Wanted: Dead is still weirdly likeable, and will undoubtedly find a similarly strange and unique fanbase to worship at its feet.
Hi-Fi Rush is an utterly beguiling new take on rhythm-action, combining some of this generation's most impressive visuals with music and mayhem.
Jurassic World Aftermath Collection brings the tense experience to Switch mostly intact, but the Quest version - and the upcoming PSVR2 port - remains the best way to play.
Season: A letter to the future is a melancholic and touching ode to the things we leave behind, while the world continues on regardless. It's beautiful, and those of an inquisitive nature should step into its world to create memories of their own.
Fire Emblem Engage balances the series' past and its future, offering a renewed focus on the tactical gameplay, an endearing cast of old and new faces, and the best visuals the franchise has ever seen.
Monster Hunter Rise remains one of the best action-RPGs of recent years, and the PS5 release is a perfect example of what should be going into this kind of port.
All in all, the Dominion Malta DLC adds a welcome batch of extras to your park building inventory, while its campaign mode adds further context to a world where dinosaurs present both a capitalist and a conservationist proposition.
Blacktail is a beautiful adventure steeped in Slavic dark fantasy, though this setting sometimes sits at odds with its pan-Atlantic voice acting and script.
Darktide is an absolute blast. Its heavyweight blend of melee and gunplay ensure that the flow of frantic runs into the hive city just keep on coming.
Need for Speed Unbound is the best arcade racer of 2022, and a real statement from EA and Criterion. Why it's snuck out with so little fanfare will be one of the mysteries of the year.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a lovingly rebuilt remake, and one that all tactical RPG fans should experience.
With a revelatory open world to zip around and entertaining boss battles alongside the more traditional Cyber Space levels, Sonic Frontiers is the best that Sega's hedgehog has been for years.
A beautiful, great-sounding narrative adventure that loses its way with annoying and idiotic characters, drawn out exposition, and a distinct lack of challenge.
A crazy, over-the-top spectacle that's uproariously enjoyable, with its only restraint being Nintendo's handheld hardware.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection gives PC gamers their first taste of Nathan Drake's amazing adventures. It would be nice to have the original trilogy remasters on PC as well, but this is still a great chance to experience two of the best action games of the last decade.
Dakar Desert Rally promises a lot, and delivers on a good portion of it, recreating the renowned rally event in spectacular fashion. While players may have to wait for all of the features on their wishlist, there's a huge amount of enjoyable rally racing to get stuck into.