It may be following closely in the slipstream of the hero shooters that have come before it, but by doing so Marvel Rivals has firmly placed itself in a strong position to take the crown for itself.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 plays it safe but is otherwise exactly what Call of Duty multiplayer should be: fast, fun, and a little on the ridiculous side. An excellent string of missions that offer variety and flexibility come together to make Black Ops 6 the best Call of Duty campaign in many, many years. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Zombies mode is absurd and campy fun in all the right ways, with two interesting maps and a welcome return to round-based gameplay. [OpenCritic note: IGN separately reviewed the multiplayer (8), single player (9), and zombies (8) game mode. Their scores have been averaged.]
A very inventive platformer in its own right, Astro Bot is particularly special for anyone with a place in their heart for PlayStation.
A deck-building poker roguelike of endlessly satisfying proportions, Balatro is the sort of fun that threatens to derail whole weekend plans.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a repetitive and bland looter-shooter that, despite an engaging story, never stays fun for long enough.
Underbaked, rehashed, and cobbled together from multiplayer parts, Modern Warfare 3’s single-player campaign is everything a Call of Duty story mode shouldn’t be.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 delivers Insomniac's best tale yet, and despite its open world falling short, is a reliably fun superhero power trip.
A couple of poor boss battles aside, Burning Shores is a great new chapter with enough creative new bells and whistles to keep Horizon fans more than happy.
Horizon Call of the Mountain’s exciting highs elevate it just enough above its often monotonous climbing mechanics to create a fun first blockbuster entry into the PS VR 2 library.
An enthralling spectacle to behold and an even more exciting one to take the reins of, God of War Ragnarok melds action and adventure together to create a new, unforgettable Norse saga. Impeccable writing, pitch-perfect performances, knockout action – it’s a complete work of art from top to bottom.
Overwatch 2’s switch to a 5v5 format breathes new life into what was once the sharpest shooter around. It just hasn’t quite recaptured all of that glory – yet.
FIFA 23 on Switch is a prime example of minimal effort for maximum profit.
PowerWash Simulator's simple yet therapeutic style of gameplay provides an enjoyable way to chill out across its numerous generously sized levels.
Yes, at least eFootball 2022 does now have a fully-fledged mode to take it past the point of being a demo, but it's still lacking so much more than you'd expect from a 1.0 version of a game.
A triumphant combination of enthralling combat, top-tier creature and character design, and a captivating open world, Horizon Forbidden West is an absolute blast
Call of Duty Vanguard's highly polished campaign provides a healthy amount of fun, even if its brief length and lack of variety lead it to fall short of the classic pieces of war cinema it's trying to emulate.
FIFA 22: Legacy Edition on Nintendo Switch is another infuriating release in the series.
Speed Golf is a fun addition, but a poor adventure mode, a slight selection of courses and low replayability results in Mario Golf: Super Rush being an underwhelming entry into the series.
The Final Cut elevates Disco Elysium from an already phenomenal RPG to a true must-play masterpiece.
Destruction AllStars can provide fun bursts of frantic car combat action, but never adds up to much more than that.