LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is an absolute celebration of a galaxy far, far away. TT Games have been at this one for a long, long time and now we absolutely know why. They’ve made perhaps the most complete, expansive and nerf-herdin’ entertaining Star Wars game there’s ever been. Didn’t think they could pull this off? I find your lack of faith disturbing.
Return to Monkey Island lives up to the near thirty year long wait with a modernised take that feels fresh, unique and brand new. Nostalgia naturally fuels a major proportion of its endearing qualities, but the new puzzles, the sumptuous music and the glorious performances bring the series back to life in ways we couldn’t have imagined. An absolutely stellar return for a franchise we thought we’d never see again.
Chalk down Hexagroove: Tactical DJ as one of the year's biggest surprises. A wholly unique take on the rhythm genre, it's challenging and enormously rewarding. The feeling of creating your own music for a virtual crowd to respond to is addicting, and while the multiplayer ultimately offers very little to the package, the single-player and the seemingly endless Freestyle mode will have you coming back to best those scores again and again. This is definitely one for headphones or a very loudspeaker system, and a must for rhythm action fans.
Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas seems to have found its rightful place on Nintendo Switch and I'm delighted I can add it to my collection on the system.
Runbow is yet another great port for the Switch and offers a fiendishly difficult but hysterical time. Grab some friends and get the best out of this game by playing with others.
1979 Revolution makes you think, and makes you thank whomever it is you believe in that the majority of us are born in a time and place of peace.
Radial-G: Racing Revolved provides the kind of VR experience you were hoping for when you bought your PSVR. Strap in and hold on tight.
SpeedRunners has finally made its way to consoles and we're very happy about it. It's not perfect, and is very much one experience, but it's going to keep you busy as hell if you stick at it and is a cracker of a local multiplayer. Don't miss it.
There's little else on the Switch that can match the chaos that Worms W.M.D. creates, making this new edition a game worth picking up as soon as possible.
You’re going to want to take some time to learn the mechanics of Death Road to Canada. It’s surprising and tough, charming and intricate, full of depth and stupidly fun. No, it won’t be for everyone, if you want a game where you just straight up bash some zombies into kingdom come then go play Dead Rising, this is far more nuanced and focused on achieving an RPG-esque roguelike adventure that I was ever expecting.
The ultimate top down racer hits the Switch. Mantis Burn Racing – The FingerGuns Review;
For newcomers, Lock's Quest is a solid tower defense/strategy/RPG/action game that should merit your attention. If the old school aesthetic doesn't appeal then well, it's all over this game so you may not have the wherewithal to dig and see what else this game has to offer. At times it's tough as balls and will certainly test your skills, however the lengthy campaign ensures you get enough bang here for your buck.
Agents of Mayhem is a whole lot of fun but we've seen it all before.
Super Cloudbuilt is a game that I was expecting to be fun, but I absolutely didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I have. It's tough as balls and frenetic, fun and full of life. The narrative running throughout is unexpectedly challenging and rewarding and visually, is about as wonderful as cel-shading has ever been.
I don't think you even have to be a fan of the genre to really get to grips with The Darkside Detective. It does more or less everything very well, but it's definitely aimed at a niche audiences in terms of references and in-jokes. There could be an argument too that it doesn't quite hit the dizzy heights of Thimbleweed Park, but there's certainly nothing else on the system currently that is any closer to reaching that goal.
Subsurface Circular isn’t just a good game to kill time but a great all round experience that you can have done in no time – about the length of two TellTale episode. For less than fiver you can get transported into this future dystopia where robots fear the wrath of humans and discuss this on train journeys away from their gaze. What a terrifying thought.
Ruiner is terrific. The story is a bit of a misfire and the characters are difficult to engage with, but the solid gameplay, the terrific visuals and the cracking soundtrack should get you through. The difficulty levels are overwhelming – at least for me – but it doesn't take away from the fact Ruiner is just a great game.
L.A. Noire remains a fully unique experience, and a game that deserves its second round.
The most frustrating part of the game is the ‘game’ itself, and when absolutely every other aspect of The Red Strings Club is so strong, it’s really frustrating. Thankfully, the terrific characters, the strong narrative, the gorgeous visuals and the moral questions the game poses at you tip the game into the ‘must-play’ review score. The brilliant story drags you in and doesn’t let go.
Octahedron is a delightful puzzle platformer with the best soundtrack of the year.