Rock, Paper, Shotgun's Reviews
Vanguard's multiplayer does just enough to be fun, but is largely unambitious. Zombies is a similar story and lacks any weight. This is a package that feels designed to be filler.
The overarching story is a little muddled, but for the most part Moncage is a smart and elegant puzzle game that frequently harks back to the mechanical wizardry of The Room.
It may not be a radical change, but it's still one of the best management experiences around.
The systems for uncovering clues and solving crimes are fabulous, making Sherlock Holmes Chapter One Frogwares' best game. But the crimes you investigate are sometimes very, very stupid.
Jurassic World Evolution 2 makes significant changes to the DNA of its predecessor, but ends up right back where it started: a magnificent feat of adaptation stretched over the bones of an inconsistent management game.
A classic locked-room mystery set in a sleepy post-war community. Crack the case, and your neighbour's privacy, through a series of engaging investigations.
A short frolic through a stunning apocalypse, with combat that compellingly blends katana strikes and gunfire. Just don't think about the story.
Not the best racing game ever made, but a contender for best driving game. While perhaps overly familiar, everything here is very slick, refreshingly wholesome and easy-going.
An unremarkable FPS story set in World War 2. Has moments of spectacle and is largely quite fun, but feels like you're a gun on-rails, hardly a war hero.
This compact little puzzle-story-game has care in every line. It tells a lovely story without words, leaves you room for interpretation, and invites you to be playful. It's absolutely lovely.
Voice Of Cards isn't so much a card game as it is a JRPG in card game clothing, but its simple, repetitive battle system fails to make much of an impression. Far from being a winning hand, this is sadly one for the discard pile.
It harks back to 3D platformers of yore, but Demon Turf is so much more than a Banjo Kazooie-like. With its inventive platforming, packed to do list and great sense of humour, the latest game from the creators of Slime-San is devilishly good fun.
Top marks for its detailed, voxel artwork and neat twist on turn-based combat, but Echo Generation's tired collection of retro story tropes leave the whole thing feeling a little undercooked.
A chaotically structured open world racer, Riders Republic feels like the free roaming SSX sequel we never had.
In the transferral to true roguelike, Darkest Dungeon 2 has got a little lost in the woods. But from what I've glimpsed through the trees, it'll be a handsome coach when it finally arrives, done and dusky. I'll happily hop aboard then.
It could still be friendlier to newcomers, but Age Of Empires 4 is an assured step in a genre whose comeback is long overdue.
A heroic action adventure that's simple, but full of surprises and little details. Unmissable for Marvel fans, but also a solid buy if you're just after a good time.
A little frustrating in places, but Moonglow Bay is mostly a chill fishing RPG that digs into its themes of community, resilience and rebuilding in surprising and consistently interesting ways.
A rough-hewn roguelike that fails to stand out
House Of Ashes gets closer to being a silly 00s survival horror than previous Dark Picture Anthology games, but it's still trying to be too serious for its own good, especially with the paper-thin political theming.