Resogun really is that rare kind of arcade game that feels like an entirely different beast when played on the toughest setting. It's also the closest the PS4 launch line-up gets to offering a genuine next-gen thrill. Granted, Housemarque's not offering the shock of the new, perhaps - all of the developer's best ideas are actually reassuringly elderly - but it's working with energy, enthusiasm, precision and love. Oh, and voxels. Look at them scatter!
If you wanted to be uncharitable, you could voice the suspicion that a great many baseball caps were turned backwards in the echoing board room where this project was greenlit, but with the campaign done and the city freshly filled with challenges, I don't really feel like being uncharitable. Beneath the glorious tech, and once the writing relaxes a little, Sunset Overdrive's wonderfully lurid and heartfelt - a bit like playing an old 4AD album sleeve. If you get that reference, you'll probably get this, too.
Kuru Kuru Kuruin meets gleefully silly FMV in this wonderfully tactile arcade game.
Civilization has always had something to say about this stuff (and civilisation has always had something to say about this stuff) but Beyond Earth goes further than ever, suggesting that even if we do eventually live on Pluto, the distractions will have joined us there, and will probably have multiplied. When we get into space, the real danger - and the real wonder - will be the fact that we have brought ourselves along.
A tale endlessly retold, wrongs endlessly righted, a map endlessly tweaked and embellished and folded back on itself. If, heaven forbid, this was the last Zelda ever, I couldn't think of a more fitting tribute to the series' strange ritualistic preoccupations than this cheerful, slight, and ultimately rather strange game.
Lead a river of humans through complex levels in this delightful, ingenious and generous puzzler.
A beautifully crafted side-scroller with a restless puzzle imagination.
Prepare yourself for a mixtape of lurid brilliance.
Wander and chat through a night of spooky possibilities.
Bullet hell games bust through into wild new territory with this fidgety arcade treat.
Eerie and loving by turn, Bomb Rush Cyberpunk is a gloriously haunted video game.
Crack a handful of languages and then wield them in this mesmering adventure game.
Arkham-esque combat and lovely platforming combine in this joyous and colourful game.
Demake visuals are the perfect match for a game that's both direct and gloriously weird.
Golden Age Baghdad, along with a return to a more focused, stealth-based design, makes for a rich and characterful adventure.
A thrilling arcade pool game with a lot of leeway for making your own blend of rules.
The game that kicked off Mario's RPG adventures retains its charm in this cheerful remake.
Ubisoft ditches its normal formula and finds the ideal way to bring gaming's original Prince back to life.
Psychedelic stylings accompany a game of transformation and discovery.
This charming puzzle-platformer makes a welcome return.