Guardian's Reviews
Set during Ecuador's 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign, this fascinating, semi-autobiographical game gives you control of the life of a soccer-mad eight-year-old
This prequel takes a blunt force trauma approach to problem-solving and demon-killing, with a slower pace but more spectacular weaponry
Build a card deck of landscape features; organise your territory on a Tetris-like playfield; battle enemies and bosses to progress. It might sound complicated, but this is an ingenious experiment in game design by combination
Thoughtful design details and puzzles will keep you returning to an atmospherically uninhabited family mansion to search for a hidden room and family secrets
A spell-casting high-school athlete ventures into the heart of southern folklore in this distinct yet uneven action adventure
A fallen warrior trades in fighting for putting the kettle on, wandering round gardens and watering plants. Much more than cosy – it's healing
This humorous management game puts you in charge of cultural institutions, creating entertaining displays on everything from natural history to the paranormal
Obsidian's huge, heavily detailed fantasy world has a lot of variety and texture, and interesting people to meet - but the combat and exploration wear thin
In a year that has given us not one but three Mario-themed RPGs, I was ready to be underwhelmed by Brothership. Yet thanks to captivating combat, varied platforming and well-judged difficulty, Brothership not only lives up to my childhood nostalgia for this series, but improves upon it. It is an inviting serving of sun-soaked delight at the beginning of a gloomy November.
There is lots to do in this huge and beautiful fantasy world, but inconsistent writing and muted combat dull its blade
This bundle of 50 new games from the creator of Spelunky offers an electrifying range of retro genres rebooted, from point-and-click horror to Pong
This remake of the 2001 hit is frustratingly slow, long and filled with one-dimensional characters
Bethesda's gigantic space RPG's first major expansion only highlights the game's fundamental limitations
This voyeuristic life simulator depicts Arthur’s lonely life in his unassuming flat as he gets dragged into danger – but you’ll get the biggest thrills just from washing his dishes
It's great to finally get to play as Zelda, but working out how to take an active part without being able to fight is rather hard work
Meta spin on arts-and-crafty games has you helping an eccentric trio able to access the world outside their story to battle the evil Humgrump
PC; Strange Scaffold Deep in the woods, hardbitten spec ops soldiers are having a proper falling out in this gleeful piece of pulp brilliance
Fun-packed and brimming with personality, this full-length Astro Bot outing pays tribute to PlayStation history while pushing the console's capabilities
On the verge of World of Warcraft's 20th anniversary, Blizzard appears to have pulled off a tentative return to form for this historic game
Prior to this release, few would have heard of Chinese developer Game Science, but the studio has produced a totally original epic