Dominic Leighton's Reviews
Gazzlers is a fun-filled arcade blast that gives VR fans the perfect opportunity to switch their brain off. It's not the kind of thing you'll want to play in one long sitting – few VR games are during a rather summer-like October – but returning to it day in, day out, is the perfect way to get your daily endorphin hit.
The Crew Motorfest provides plenty of fun arcade racing, though it does very little to break new ground for the genre. There's plenty to get your teeth into, but there are some annoying design decisions and a few technical issues that take the shine off it. Still, I can see it finding plenty of fans, particularly on PS5 where the only competition from a 'Horizon' game involves robotic dinosaurs.
Baldurs Gate 3 is an exquisite example of a role-playing game, and an incredible recreation of the Dungeons & Dragons experience. It is, in a word, unmissable.
Madden 24 takes some big steps forwards in terms of the underpinning technology, and it continues to play a good game of American football. For all those steps taken technically, it feels as those the rest of the game has stayed firmly in place, and there are far too many bugs to hinder the experience at launch.
Legend Bowl is a fantastic retro-infused football game with a host of fan-friendly ideas that truly shows the passion of its one-man development team.
Remnant II is a fantastic fantasy shooter, offering a dark and enticing series of worlds to explore, loot and conquer. Whether you're playing solo or in co-op, this is easily one of the game experiences of the year.
Exoprimal is a multiplayer shooter with bags of potential. A good round has all the thrills of Overwatch's PvP wrapped up with the brain-massaging mayhem of Earth Defense Force or Dynasty Warriors, but it's so slow about getting you invested that some players might simply never get there.
Thumper remains a true VR classic, and its upgrade for PSVR2 makes it the best place to experience its violent audio charms.
Despite its simplistic setup, Kingdom Eighties will hoover up hour after hour of your time. There's a captivating quality to its pure, focused strategy, and combined with its more narrative-driven focus Kingdom Eighties is a must-play game in 2023.
Dordogne is a delight. A picturesque and poignant journey that will touch your memories and your heart in equal measure.
Storyteller is a delightfully different indie puzzler, and its accessible tale-telling is well worth settling down with for a few hours.
Synapse is a phenomenal VR game, bringing striking visuals, meaningful progression and true power fantasy together to craft a game that's begging for one more go. It stands as an immediate must-buy for PSVR2 owners.
Park Beyond is a hugely enjoyable park builder that thrives on accessibility, personality and creativity.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a brisk, brutal boomer shooter and another great reason for a visit to Games Workshop's science fiction theatre.
Lego 2K Drive does an incredible job of bringing Lego racing to life; it's unashamedly creative, consistently energetic, and confidently amusing. It's the kind of game that can bring families together in front of a screen, and away from it.
Grindstone is a puzzle classic, and Capybara Games have ensured that its transition to PS5 is flawless.
The combination of open-world and supernatural foes has become increasingly wearisome in the last few years, and immediately after playing through Dead Island 2 I wasn’t particularly looking forward to Redfall. However, Arkane Austin should never be underestimated for putting their own spin on a genre, with Redfall offering enough surprises and memorable moments so far to set it apart from the open-world crowd.
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp takes a strategy classic and buffs it up for a modern audience – the fact that it is so faithful to the originals only reinforces how brilliant they were in the first place. Re-Boot Camp is essential for fans of tactical warfare, and a perfect companion for Nintendo Switch; hopefully its release will rekindle interest in the series, and bring us a long overdue new entry.
Minecraft Legends captures the magic of Minecraft in a wholly new way. It's chaotic, it's creative, it's competitive and it's an absolute blast.
Mile High Taxi brings a huge chunk of Crazy Taxi's frivolity to the futuristic skies, and it's clear that solo developer Cassius John-Adams has put their heart and soul into making this a truly Crazy ride.