Despite leaning a little too heavily on fan-servicing familiarity, Payday 3 proves there's still fun to be squeezed from its well-honed heisting template yet.
A deep dive into an emotionally resonant, thematically intriguing, and visually striking abyss, Under the Waves' waters are choppy at times, but there's pearls to be found amidst the turbulence of its enthralling ocean.
Much like its title character, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is compromised, inelegant, and a bit of an eyesore. To everyone except the most fervent of Tolkienites; you shall pass.
"It shouldn't come as a surprise to hear that Goat Simulator 3 is a game best enjoyed with friends"
"Requiem's delicious vistas and atmospheric environments stand toe-to-toe with the visual might of many of its contemporaries"
Grounded has always been a solid idea on paper, but Obsidian brings that potential to full fruition for launch, delivering on the thrills and fun of its brilliantly Spielbergian conceit.
The question you have to ask yourself before picking up Part 1, then, is not only whether a feast for the eyes is a meal worth paying for, but whether that meal is going to completely satisfy your appetite, particularly if you've already had your fill of the original recipe.
Legion royally shakes up Watch Dogs' open-world template with a Play as Anyone mechanic that just about outweighs any headaches left by its rough edges.
A sequel with smarts and style, Crash Bandicoot 4 proves there's still life in the old Bandicoot yet. It's about time indeed.
Naughty Dog's PS4 swansong is an astonishing, absurdly ambitious epic that goes far and beyond what we could have imagined for a sequel to an all-time classic.
Mojang's smartly streamlined dungeon crawler makes for a more accessible alternative in the action RPG space.
Firaxis lets its hair down for a fun, ragtag twist on XCOM's proven recipe of tactics and tension.
Performance problems aside, Subnautica will rekindle your faith in the overcrowded survival genre, and scare you senseless.
Not as drastic a change up as its WW1 predecessor, nor as wild or wondrous, Battlefield 5's deliberative design sidelines its strengths as a simulative sandbox.
By channelling community feedback into an all-encompassing package, Forsaken finally makes Destiny 2 feel essential again
Fleeting, forgettable fun at its most flamboyant, you'll likely enjoy Strange Brigade for a jiffy before shortly moving on to bigger, better things.
A successful sequel where it counts the most, only a few potholes slow The Crew 2 down in its drive to become the ultimate road trip.
State of Decay 2 confidently reaches the series' potential as the ultimate zombie survival sim, even if it hits a few familiar bumps in the road on the way there.
A touching finale for Kazuma Kiryu, Yakuza 6 manages to surprise and delight in equal measure.
There's still life in this old Rogue Trooper yet, but the limitations of its time makes Redux a fun but inessential addition to your library.