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If you loved Zero Dawn and simply wanted more, warts and all, this is easy to recommend. But if you were looking for something groundbreaking with a lot more polish, then Horizon Forbidden West is really a mixed bag.
It’s symbolic of the question that some PLA players will be left with. Did Game Freak’s reach extend its grasp? But for us, when it works its magic, it really works. It’s certainly the most exciting Pokémon game in years, and even if it’s a little overambitious – wouldn’t we rather have that experimentation over the same journey we’ve been on many, many times?
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and The Lost Legacy are two unmissable experiences for PlayStation players. They're huge, bombastic, and rich stories that go toe to toe with some of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters around – and with their upgraded graphics it's hard not to say this collection is worth a look. If you've yet to play either game, this is a must-buy. Ultimately, however, these are a fairly barebones repackaging. So if you've already experienced both games, the high price tag might not be such an easy sell.
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain shines as a party game, adopting a family-friendly approach that evens the playing field regardless of each player's age and experience. We had a lot of fun with our family and friends across the 20 puzzle activities featured in this accessible and budget-priced package. It's just a pity that there aren't a few more minigames (or a slightly more substantial single-player component) for greater replay value.
Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl struggle on both these counts, meaning they can only really be recommended to die-hard fans of the originals. Luckily for any newer fans of the series, there are plenty of other, much better, Pokémon games to dig into.
Mario Party Superstars is the strongest outing for the long-running franchise since at least the early GameCube days. It doesn't take many risks and admittedly lacks imagination, but this party leans on nostalgia and understands why these games are so popular among longtime fans. It's a well-executed and highly enjoyable return to the series' roots while remaining largely accessible to first-time players.
It's also a shame that this game isn't a co-op experience to give you a chance to play along with a buddy or two and role-play as your favourite heroes, but we understand why the game is a solo experience. You have this chaotic mix of guns and banter as you feverishly button-mash to kill your opponents – this is exactly what we expected from a Guardians of the Galaxy game when we heard about it, and we love it.
Samus Aran's latest 2D mission boasts consistently high thrills in exploration and combat to provide a worthy sequel to a highly-regarded game that came out 19 years ago.
Tetris Effect remains the best version of Tetris on the market, and the Nintendo Switch port is hardly compromised, successfully retaining what made the game stunning in the first place. The added portability of the Switch version is more than enough reason to double-dip, and it looks wonderful on the OLED Model's new screen if you're fortunate enough to have the upgraded console.
Let's face it, if you're already well invested into the FIFA carousel, you'll likely not need that much convincing to pick this one up. It's basically everything you've loved for the past two decades with better graphics. Even if there's not that much that's actually new to get excited about, there really isn't that much that needs fixing.
True Colors makes an extremely strong case for the best Life Is Strange game yet, with an affecting story that tackles themes such as loss and belonging and featuring the series' most likeable protagonist to date in Alex Chen. The town of Haven Springs is also a standout, and by the end of the game, I was sad that I had to say goodbye to the cast of characters. Hopefully this isn't the last time we see Alex.
WarioWare makes a welcome return, providing the familiar fast-paced microgames action that fans will be accustomed to. Filled with quirky charm, this Switch entry doesn't disappoint. The new character gimmick, however, does get in the way slightly despite adding a neat twist to some of the microgames.
If you've experienced the game already, then your mileage may vary, as there's probably around six hours of new content in the expansion. Although there’s something to be said for exploring Tsushima once again with the PS5’s technical prowess elevating the visuals, and the controller's technology adding some subtle, but nonetheless enjoyable, elements to the whole experience.
It's a breezy, short and fun run through a series of bonkers planets, tense boss-fights, and heartfelt cutscenes. With Sony's exclusives like the upcoming God of War sequel being delayed further beyond 2022, we only have a few games to enjoy, but we think you'll cope if you've got Rift Apart to play.
New Pokémon Snap is a delight, and a big part of that comes from how the Pokémon are brought to life, from the animations to their behaviours and the way they inhabit the world. Each unique creature is afforded their moment to shine, contributing towards making the Lental region a vivid and fulfilling place to explore.
Super Mario 3D World on the Nintendo Switch is the definitive version of an already stellar game. More than seven years after the original release, Mario's Wii U adventure hasn't aged a bit – oozing creativity and providing platforming thrills at nearly every turn. Bowser's Fury is a nice little companion, and although not quite as consistent, it combines with 3D World to form an outstanding package.
Minor issues aside, Little Nightmares 2 is a spot-on sequel, delivering more of what made the original so great in the first place, while adding that little something extra thanks to its AI companionship with Six. The story is well paced, giving you just enough of each environment so we weren't left desperate to move on before being whisked to somewhere new and each new creature offered a fresh challenge and opened up new ways to think about the tasks at hand.
We could wax lyrical about how good this game is for another ten years, and we still think the conversation would be relevant - so yes, we think Cyberpunk 2077 is the game of the decade. This is an event, and a big moment in gaming, because the brilliant Cyberpunk 2077 is laying down the stepping stones for greater feats in the future.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's campaign is tight, slick, and lots of fun, it almost avoids getting totally bogged down with militaristic mumbo jumbo, thanks to a barmy plot, and fun, albeit cliched characters, and most importantly, genuinely creative and impressive gameplay mechanics, that don't involve shooting. Sure it's as short as ever, but given it's one part of the package that includes zombies and multiplayer, it's easily the best Call of Duty story for many years, and perhaps one of the best shoot-em-up campaigns, too.
With Insomniac Games likely planning DLC to extend the campaign, Miles Morales is a brilliant follow-up to a fantastic PlayStation-exclusive franchise that will likely tempt over many gamers on the fence to buy the PS5, just so they can experience this wondrous story.