Steven John Dawson
A huge open world, filled to the brim with life, death and everything in between. It truly is a sight to behold. CD Projekt Red have done great things with this title and RPGs all-round should take note.
This is the pinnacle of Formula 1 in videogame form. In a year fraught with difficulties for real world motorsport, Codemasters have delivered a solid experience that should keep you in the hot seat, especially with the immersion factor of the new My Team mode.
The best modern rally game to date, packed to the brim with big stages and plenty of cars. With updates like the Central European course coming later, as well as VR support down the line. If you're a fan of rallying in general, you owe it to yourself to have this one in your library.
Action Henk is the perfect combination of easy to learn, but difficult to master gameplay with a massive helping of nostalgia in between. You can pick it up and play for 10 minutes, sure. But you’ll still want to know what’s happened with the last three hours.
FRU delivers the game that the Kinect needs to remain as a viable device. The clever set of mechanics that are on offer means that if you have a Kinect currently gathering dust, you owe it a game of FRU.
Excellent. If you're a fan of rally and want an accessible game, go out and buy it. If you want DiRT Rally's level of simulation with more to do, go out and buy it.
Playground have managed to extract the awesomeness stored in the collective hive-mind of every "big-kid" out there that wants to be able to play with their Hot Wheels sets without strange glances from onlookers. It's a fun outing for the series as a whole and something I hope to see more of down the line.
Delivers what a sequel should be, with more of... everything... on top of the solid foundations they had with the predecessor. Fans of shoot-em-ups that aren't straight up bullet hell titles should be looking into the Sky Force franchise.
Categorically the best “spiritual successor” to anything I've seen in quite a while. Takes a beloved franchise and brings it smack up to date with features and gameplay elements that fit in the modern landscape of gaming. It isn't diagnosed with a case of microtransaction-itis either. Just clean, sterilised fun.
A worthy sequel to the DiRT Rally franchise, that updates, upgrades and uplifts most aspects of the original. Still a few little niggles that could be better, but hopefully the paid content strategy can be converted into ongoing support and updates for the title.
Another solid entry into the F1 franchise for Codemasters. It's nice to see them expanding the game to represent how drivers work their way up into the F1 roster from the F2 feeder series. Being able to build your driver up from (an albeit short) F2 career really lends credence to the story of your driver making their way up through the ranks.
A fitting return to form for the GRiD franchise, especially given the five year gap since Autosport. Doesn't take itself too seriously, so it's a title anyone can pick up and play. Would be just as at home in an arcade cabinet as it is in the console under your TV or on your PC.
It's easy to see why Phantom: Covert Ops received the commendations it did at E3 2019, and it's now taken the second spot on my personal recommendation list of must-have VR titles. Here's hoping this isn't the last we've seen in the Phantom line.
A blast to play, and brings back much needed separation and personality to the numbered series of DIRT games that that DiRT 4 seemed to lose by blurring the lines too much. Playground mode will absolutely keep me coming back for more to beat not just my own, but friends' times as well, because there's nothing better than beating a time within mere hundredths and restoring bragging rights.
Another smashing entry in the F1 series, and has left me wondering what more they could add for 2022 when that inevitably rolls out of the pits next year.
A return to arcade, a return to the docks, a return to drifting, and a return to putting fun above all else. This is what Grid should be about, enough fun to be had with the story and career modes, but an absolute hoon with a couple of mates in multiplayer.
Although slightly saddened by the omission of a story mode this time around, it's more than made up for by the new vehicle physics. The concern of "F1 Life" having any bearing on gameplay being quashed makes F1 22 another flying lap for Codemasters.
Another fastest lap under for Codemasters, the predictability of the cars makes it a lot easier to handle than previous years-especially for those using a controller. Wheel users might not benefit so much from the changes, but the cars still feel more planted.
Great 2.5D take on the world of Teslagrad, with a fun puzzle dynamic and plenty of head-scratchers within. Well worth a look in if you're after a modern take on the early Zelda games.
A proficient sim-racer that brings a lot to the table - both in content and playability. Would have been great to see the base Xbox One version maybe lose a bit of the graphical sparkle in exchange for a 60 FPS lock, but that's more commentary of the power of the Xbox, rather than the game.