Rock, Paper, Shotgun's Reviews
Its improvements might be slightly overshadowed by the more extensive overhaul coming next year, but this latest and last iteration brings the best version of its match engine yet, a superbly refined set-piece creator, and, finally, the ability to transfer your saves.
A bright and breezy turn-based RPG that flounders as a skateboarding simulator, but excels at depicting the horrid awkwardness of being surrounded by disappointed family and jilted exes.
Alan Wake 2 is a stylistic tour de force and one of the most unique and confident horror games in recent years. It might not hit every beat perfectly, but Remedy's daft and over the top sense of humour help bring much-needed levity to its genuine thrills and jump scares.
The Lord Of The Rings: Return to Moria is less frantic than other survival games, and your wins take longer, but despite some charming jank this is a very cosy adventure to take on with friends.
Jusant's tale unravels through concrete, satisfying climbing that contrasts with ephemeral hints at the past, in a game that marries function, form and story in a most beautiful way.
A heartfelt, winsome platformer that doesn't require any knowledge of League Of Legends to enjoy, Song Of Nunu is a simple, but pure kind of delight.
If you're entirely composed of fast twitch muscle fibers and boundless patience, you'll love this first-person cyberpunk slasher. You probably won't otherwise.
A charming mash-up of golf and pool that's stuffed with great ideas, but is a touch slow in revealing its best to keep you coming back for more.
An engaging zone-based city builder that balances simulation with ease of play, but offers little that feels substantially new or improved enough to warrant a sequel.
A small but perfectly formed puzzle game about building tiny cities on even tinier boards that keeps you coming back for more.
Repetitive combat in World Of Horror can't entirely mar a unique, stylish and layered horror adventure that makes you want to play more the more that you play.
A very satisfying tower defence roguelike, except the "tower" has legs.
A Soulslike elevated by a magnificent realm-hopping twist, yet chained down by a host of irritating little flaws.
An undemanding but enjoyable large scale 4X, with an emphasis on exploration and remixing possibilities in a familiar but somewhat flexible setting.
A beautifully written tale about loss, friendship and the ties that bind us together, set in a sumptuous oceanic post-apocalypse. It might not quite stick the ending, but it's the many journeys you'll take getting there, not the final destination, that really make Saltsea Chronicles sing.
Every single change Pharaoh makes to Troy is for the better, and some changes are so good that it's going to be difficult to play any Total War without them going forward. But the fundamental issues of Total War - mainly enemy battle AI - are far too entrenched to fix in a few years, and the bronze age setting doesn't allow for enough unit variation to make up for them.
A strong turn-based foundation and colourful setting held back by grind, blind chance, and a need for efficiency over tactical variety.
Assassin's Creed Mirage takes some of the best bits from the whole series and puts them together in a smaller, more focused, stealthier package. This is how big companies can make better games.
Big patch energy and some glaring omissions aside, it's still an FPS that generates thrilling moments and has the framework in place to supersede its predecessor. Just give it time.
Station To Station is a short but lovely train-themed puzzle game, perfectly balanced, and you'll play it in pursuit of a more beautiful engine.