Its generation-long strengths hold true, and just about prevail over an increasingly cynical microtransaction creep. My Career's jump to an open-world setting throws a new gauntlet down to the rest of sports gaming.
For the first time in years, Need For Speed has remembered why people used to play it so religiously, and recognised the more recent elements that put them off.
NBA 2K19 is a masterclass in simulating the mechanics and culture of basketball, but it loves to needle you for money
Size Five offers both classic platforming and point-and-click adventuring in this self-aware and deeply anglocentric caper
This fun D&D-infused cooperative shooter treads a line between fourth-wall prodding and juvenile, with unicorn queens and hi-tech weaponry
Nacho Rodríguez's point-and-click is like an old kid's cartoon, a cavalcade of imagery where Lucasfilm meets Dalí
There's a firm foundation for a great competitive shooter here, but the rest of the house needs to be built on it sooner rather than later. LawBreakers needs ultra-skilled players to come in and show the rest of us what's possible, but they need a competitive format to entice them in. Until that happens it's a dizzying and consistently exciting shooter, but one whose long-term appeal isn't yet locked in.
In the end, Ark's ambition pulls it in the right direction with more force than its clunkiness tugs it the other way. It's always more enjoyable to spend time with a game that tries something new and exciting, stumbling along the way, than a game that tries to tick focus group-inspired boxes. If that game also happens to simulate an entire prehistoric ecosystem, and produces bewildering emergent scenarios like clockwork, all the better.
As Imperator grows in scale from its Clausewitz cousins, so too it grows in depth and ultimately in unwieldiness. But there's a grand strategy with aeons of play in it for you.Phil Iwaniuk
Much like the sport itself, the driving is as impressive as ever. But the worries about management's business practices endure, too. Fundamentally, F1 2021 is worth it for the handling model.
Still recognisably Borderlands, but the sense of place and improvisation elevates Tiny Tina's Wonderlands beyond expectations. The overworld map feels tacked-on, but Gearbox commits to the bit in every other aspect.
Turns out it's possible to be a turn-based Warhammer 40k game and still retain user-friendliness and pace. Who knew.
A story-led shooter that's heaving with ideas and boasts a distinct sci-fi setting in its doomed USSR. There are cringeworthy moments and occasional design missteps, but the way your abilities and the enemy ecosystem combine is a constant thrill.
A clear and distinct spin on 4-player co-op FPS with atmosphere, ingenuity… and real navigational problems.
Tense and involving, if just slightly lacking smarts and spectacle. A firm foundation to build a series on.
No, really-they've actually changed things this year, and the football feels better.
Forza mimicry aside, the improved handling and visuals, along with Grand Race mode, are a revelation.
Often obtuse in its puzzle design and not that artfully told, The White Door is still effective at taking you to another place.
A documentary format worth expanding and repeating, more assists, and the same rough but rewarding racing.
Some well-judged bold calls in both mechanics and visual direction elevate a familiar arcade racer above NFS's previous monotony.