But take that initial pass as a warm up lap, inuring yourself to some frustrations to come, and what follows finally delivers on the fun of the cyber ninja fantasy. Death number 1424 beckons.
While it's possible to get into the retro groove of Prinny's perilous platforming, neither game does anything interesting enough to earn your patience. And collecting two games together only reveals how much of the same ground is covered by both. If anything, additions in the sequel water down the formula. If you simply must experience an unathletic penguin falling to its death again and again, stick with the simpler original. Or better yet, search for 'penguin falling over' on YouTube. Cheaper and a lot more entertaining.
It didn't have to be this way. WayForward has worked minor miracles with licensed fare before – see Aliens: Infestation and The Mummy Demastered. But this is work for hire of the most rotten kind, showing total contempt for the fans it hopes to lure in with a bright, likeable licence. Trollhunters is one of the less enjoyable things to happen to us this year. Given what a year it's been, that is quite a feat.
The Last Campfire is an unusually freeform puzzle adventure that stuffs its six-hour playtime with conundrums of every kind. While a few puzzle designs deserve more time in the spotlight – or could support whole games by themselves – the game's commitment to new ideas makes for a refreshing change of pace. This is proof that Hello Games don't have to build a universe from scratch to entertain. More of this, please.
Still the best of Monolith Soft’s three Xenoblade games, tweaked and polished to perfection.
For better and for worse, Shenmue III is a perfect continuation.
Back in the day, we gave the Wii version a crushing 4/10 score and said 'if the controls were good then you could double the score'. Little did we know that over a decade later, our words would ring (almost) true. With more usable controls you can finally enjoy this batch of 100 levels for what they are, but the wider game is let down by weird leaderboard decisions and those lacklustre mini-games. The best monkey-in-a-ball game since Super Monkey Ball 2, sure, but not quite a return to the series heyday.
An intelligent port that shrinks one of the best RPGs of recent years without losing the scale and magic.
When it gets on with the bun-lobbing antics of classic BurgerTime, this is a great reminder of an arcade gem. But too many co-op cooks spoil the broth, and the recipe is overstuffed with extras that detract from the core flavour. That said, any game that lets you leave a trail of murdered pickles as you fight up the online leaderboard can't be all bad. Just a tad overcooked, perhaps.
Gears 5 left my belly nice and fat, and keen for the next course.
A one of a kind combat experience and Platinum’s most well-rounded adventure to date. A killer combo in every sense of the term.
Obra Dinn asks you to tease out social lives from a freeze frame of murder. It doesn’t take the little grey cells to realise this is remarkable stuff.
The most freeform Zelda yet, without sacrificing the charm, fun or quality you expect from the series. Nintendo’s finest work since Super Mario Galaxy.
Under the cheery looks is a surprisingly gripping shooter; one that, second time round, offers a healthier spread of modes and an addictive breadcrumb trail of hero progression.
While it's good to see Nintendo stepping out of its comfort zone, Captain Toad isn't versatile enough to compete in the big leagues. It'd be a budget no-brainer, but feels too slight at a higher price.