VGC's Reviews
Demon Turf looks fantastic and its platforming mechanics are brilliantly satisfying, but it's let down by boring combat and occasionally confusing level design. It's still worth a look, but it's not the best.
Age of Empires 4 is a brilliant sequel to an RTS classic that plays it safe while streamlining some of the series' more tedious mechanics.
It seems backhanded to say that a game is only worth playing if you can find people to distract you from the actual game, but if your group wants something mindless to wind down after an intense night on Warzone or Rainbow Six: Siege, Back 4 Blood is ideal.
If you’re interested in another Far Cry game that does the Far Cry stuff the way it’s been doing it for 10 years, you’ll probably have a good time, but if you’ve already hit your limit with this kind of game, Far Cry 6 is the ne plus ultra of why open-world game design is so badly in need of a revolution.
With a near-perfect balance of nods to the past and fresh ideas, Metroid Dread brings cinematic flair, fast-paced action and a surprising story to the side-scrolling classic. This is the comeback fans have been waiting for.
An uneven action experience gets by on a huge amount of charm and a gorgeous visual treatment that more than holds its own ten years later.
Banana Blitz is a joyous celebration of what are still arguably the three best games in the series. There are a few slight performance issues and we have no doubt die-hards will argue about the overall feel, but there's a wealth of entertaining banana-hunting here regardless.
FIFA 22 is the best in the series to date, even if its revamped animation isn't as revolutionary as billed. As a standalone title it's fantastic, even though avid players will likely feel that changes are negligible compared to last year.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a completely inoffensive, if somewhat bland adventure that will mildly entertain for the duration of its runtime, but won’t live long in the memory.
There’s nothing wrong with a game about doing simple things, and enjoying a relaxing journey in between, but in Sable, we could never relax.
Lively combat and engrossing social clubs keep you busy, but it’s the much-improved detective story that elevates Lost Judgment above the original.
Deathloop is slick and inventive, with a delicious sense of style and humour. One of the smartest and most outright entertaining games of the year.
Get It Together’s attraction is the same as it’s always been for the WarioWare series – personality, replayability and humour – with the added bonus of a strong multiplayer suite.
An impressive remaster of an already entertaining Sonic game, this should keep Sonic fans busy until we get something new (as long as you're happy replaying levels for S-Ranks, because otherwise it's pretty short).
If you loved the previous games, you’ll love this. However, it doesn’t offer anything new to improve on the series’ flaws, meaning anyone who isn’t a devotee may want to try the original first to see if its quirky, sharp-tongued style is for them.
It’s always a risk creating a sequel to a cult classic so long after the original, but in Psychonauts 2, Double Fine hasn't only made a game that respects the original and takes its characters to new heights, it has set itself, and new owner Microsoft, up with a platforming franchise that can thrive for years to come.
Iki Island is a visual treat whose story adds layers to Jin’s character that feel so essential, it makes us wonder how they were ever cut from the original game. Completing every objective on the island will take some time, but if you’re only interested in the main story, your time on Iki may be briefer than expected.
The Ascent is a superb action game that looks as fantastic as it plays. Its plot and dialogue can be pretty hard-going but its gunplay is deeply satisfying. On Game Pass it's a no-brainer, but it would be worthwhile at full price too.
Skyward Sword HD is a superb remaster of the decade-old Wii game that not only gives it a much-needed visual upgrade but also throws in so many quality of life improvements (not least of all a free camera) that it immediately makes the original version obsolete.
Monster Hunter Stories 2 is a solid and thoroughly entertaining turn-based RPG. As long as you can put up with some bad jokes and relatively low difficulty, there's a lot of fun to be had here.