Messy, varied and inadvertently hilarious: A Way Out is an unusual but uneven tandem ride.
A one-trick pony of a multiplayer fighter, Gang Beasts is sometimes hilariously messy but often just a mess.
Capy's tough-love approach and well-worn survival systems makes it harder to appreciate Below's singular look and feel.
A JRPG for people who haven't played one in a while, basically. Well-made, but disappointingly safe.
Tim Schafer's warm, humanist adventure is a game of two halves, but its triumphs outweigh the flaws.
A fascinating and absorbing headspace in which to spend a few hours.
An otherwise strong season drops the ball at the death. Clementine deserved better.
Without these problems, I'd have no hesitation in saying this is the best LittleBigPlanet game to date. The deeper integration of creative elements into the story is a big plus, as is the superior level design, and the new characters are very welcome, even if they're ultimately underused. But in its current state, it's hard to recommend without some serious caveats. Held together by Sellotape rather than superglue, LittleBigPlanet 3 is in constant danger of falling apart.
It's a real pity. Wii U's eShop has been starved of decent fare of late, and Nintendo should be leading the way. Yet it's easy to see Dr Luigi as a symptom of the current malaise affecting its home console business. It features a strange gimmick no one's really that interested in, it highlights an increasing reliance on past glories, and most will find it somewhat overpriced. The outgoing Fiscal Year of Luigi draws to a close with a whimper, then - here's hoping the coming months see Nintendo offer a more convincing tablet-based cure for what ails it.
Never quite the sum of its parts, Octopath Traveler is a game with brilliant moments rather than a brilliant game.
Despite the much-needed visual overhaul, if you spent 100+ hours with the PlayStation original there’s maybe not quite enough in this 3DS update to tempt you back. But if Dragon Quest VII doesn’t always justify the significant length of its journey, anyone looking for some good story content to last them well into the winter months will find a portable RPG that dwarfs most of its console counterparts.
An exceptionally pretty if otherwise conventional JRPG with diverting combat. Not an all-timer, but worth a (re)visit.
Busy friends list but short of local pals? This safe but solid sequel was made for you.
Lacking fluidity and dynamism, football's reigning king has lost its crown.
Familiar, lightweight but almost impossible to dislike, this is an effortlessly enjoyable action RPG.
Marrying astonishing spectacle and overwrought drama, The Wonderful 101: Remastered is one of the most memorable action games you'll ever play. Its delirious excesses come with a price, and it's one that's at little harder to forgive this time, with the original's flaws remaining untouched, and a few compromises made to accommodate the Wii U version's dual-screen set-pieces. But for all its minor frustrations, it's a game that rewards patience and perseverance. Grit your teeth through its control quirks and camera foibles and relish the giddy spectacle of a game that doesn't know when to stop.
Kazuma Kiryu's final outing is an emotionally charged tale of familial bonds and the violence that threatens to rip them asunder
The series' dwindling popularity has proved a tough nut to crack for its publisher in recent years; COD: WWII proves that maybe a Sledgehammer really is the right tool for the job.
This unorthodox take on squad-based strategy can be muddled and mulish, but it’s also thrillingly distinctive.
An injection of speed and creativity results in the best Skylanders game to date.