Never quite impressing on any level, MotoGP 20 offers up an enthusiastic licensed release, which will please fans of the sport and motorcycle lovers but may fail to inspire everyone else. A less sterile approach to simulating the sport with a more impressive feeling of speed would be enough to crown Milestone as kings and queens of MotoGP.
An enjoyably sedate outing around the suburbs, marred by the antiquated and dull visuals, Bus Simulator nonetheless provides a good chunk of all too real simulation of public transport.
An old-school turn-based rpg with a charming visual style, plenty of deadpan ironic humour and many hours of content awaiting discovery. Unfortunately, despite the humour, there's a strange xenophobia to the representations of 'natives' and colonial plundering which makes the whole experience feel a bit grubby. If you can get over this, there's a satisfying and deep experience to be had.
Faultless presentation, an absolute raft of superb vehicles across 9 categories, 130 brilliantly rendered circuits in 22 international locations and a 6 hour story mode alongside a huge career and promising online play. But there's nothing here that hasn't been done before and there's a soulless tedium involved as a result which begs the question - why?
A unique and highly original survival adventure inhabited by a host of outlandish creatures in which you constantly struggle to guide your hapless Trebhums to safety and away from The Cylinder. While the design and concept can't be faulted, the lack of direction and excessive busywork bog down the gameplay and detract from the experience to the point of patience testing. If you can handle a fiddly challenge which rewards a great deal of patience with some outstanding originality, it's recommended.
A charming, gentle take on the Wild West and stealth genres aimed at all ages, but with occasional spikes in difficulty which may trouble younger players. The art design and narrative are both captivating, so providing you have the patience for stealth and puzzles, it's highly recommended.
While CSD3 retains the frenetic pace of its predecessor, there aren't enough new additions to make this an essential update. The huge library of recipes is mightily impressive and the presentation is as good as ever, so if you can handle the crushing difficulty, give your flabby fingers a work out in the back of this mobile food van.
A highly entertaining and accessible racing simulation which given additional content, better AI and improved framerate would have made an essential purchase for racing fans.
Despite a hugely flawed single-player campaign and some control issues, Trailmakers succeeds commendably with the Lego-style vehicle building and online template sharing. Get stuck into the Rally mode and enjoy modding your vehicles to win races, then compete online in the sandbox modes and you'll have lots of fun.
Headliner: NoviNews tries something new in gaming - managing a news desk and influencing the welfare of the citizens with each day of published and suppressed articles. With a good balance of moral decision making, 2D exploration and interaction with NPCs, the only thing really missing is any depth. After a few repeat plays, you'll have had enough which is a shame as the few hours when the material is fresh is both enjoyable and thought provoking.
An inspired attempt at something new, like an Americana graphic novel read through at a snails pace. The lovely meditative quality to the gameplay eventually becomes somewhat frustrating because of repetition, the limitations of the concept and how much the player can interact with the characters and stories. Regardless of these shortcomings, anyone looking for some fresh ideas in their games should give it a try.
With absolutely nothing new to bring to the table except the pointless 'Nemesis' feature, GRID treads water in spectacular fashion. It looks and sounds amazing, and plays like an arcade game which has aspirations to be a simulator, but with no realistic car damage to penalise reckless driving, it becomes a long drawn out affair.
Magic mushroom design, endearingly wacky NPCs and visually plush environments are mixed with simple and fun gameplay countered with patience testing level repetition adding up to a fairly unique short and sweet FPS.
A gentle and relaxing vet simulator for young kids, with a fair bit of content stretched out over quite a few hours wrapped up in a loveable and bright veneer. If it hooks them, they'll love the playhouse vibes and pet stroking and ignore the repetition and grinding to upgrade the clinic which would normally bother adults.
A surprisingly enjoyable off-road licence which never impresses visually, but manages to combine good handling and a wealth of tracks and arenas to create the right chemistry for a shallow but very playable dip into an ironically droll and niche motorsport.
If you're looking for an arcade-sim with buckets of content which combines all the best bits from Gran Turismo, Forza and DriveClub, look no further. If you're a Project Cars 2 fan hoping for an update to their favourite sim, forget it. Key sim elements are now missing and although it's a fine arcade-sim racer, it should have been rebranded rather than gutted for a mainstream audience.
Descenders offers up some excellent arcade biking thrills in short bursts, with the multiplayer prolonging the fun. The simplistic nature of the gameplay will grate eventually, but it's worth investigating for those who want a two-wheeled adrenaline rush without too many frills.
An old skool arcade racer wearing a brand new pair of breeches - get past the tough learning curve and get into the zone and you'll be a happy futuristic drifter.
Fans of the sport will love the authenticity and vast tweaking options onboard, while the rest of us can enjoy a decent two wheeled off-road racer which looks the part. It's just a shame about the tedious loading times.
A deceptively difficult puzzle game hiding behind a chilled aesthetic which will be appreciated by those who are up for the challenge.