Bayonetta Origins sometimes feels like an idea half explored. In combat two sets of fists are better than one, but adventuring never ignites in the same way. There’s a level of invention and style we’ve come to expect from the studio, but this isn’t quite Pure Platinum.
Like any swordsman learning their craft, Ishin! starts unsteady and builds in confidence. Some ideas struggle to earn their place in the overstuffed mix, but with a propulsive tale, told by some of our favourite gaming characters, it’s easy to get swept up in Like A Dragon: Ishin!’s samurai cool.
Learn to move at Tassing’s sedate pace and patience will be rewarded as a seemingly simple murder mystery makes way for a rich portrait of village life and the difficult choices that come to define it.
While some ideas get lost in Bayonetta 3’s endless sprint to keep you entertained, there’s no other action game with this imagination, wit or style. Prepare to explore its mad depths for weeks.
While it’s weird to see Nintendo deliver such a safe sequel, there’s no denying the continued pull of Splatoon’s splotchy skirmishes. Seasoned inklings can dive straight in; casual dabblers might find it a bit bare.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 delivers a massive world, and more than enough story and character to fill it, combined with the series’ most reactive combat system to date. While certainly a monster commitment, Aionios is an incredible place to live for a month or two.
The platforming won’t give Mario any restless nights, but the exuberant creativity around it makes for a bold, buoyant adventure.
Open world Tokyo hosts ghost-fighting, soul-collecting and a little too much flimsy busywork in between.
Some will find it agreeably smooth, I’m sure, but you can only sand so much off of chaos before it becomes ordinary. Come the real zombie apocalypse we should all be so lucky to face a world this trudgingly well behaved.
Strip away the framing and this is a throwaway JRPG that never finds its bite.
An uneven action experience gets by on a huge amount of charm and a gorgeous visual treatment that more than holds its own ten years later.
Lively combat and engrossing social clubs keep you busy, but it’s the much-improved detective story that elevates Lost Judgment above the original.
1200 years before your dad did that booze cruise to Calais, a viking travels to Paris for some solid assassination fun, and all the usual flab that comes with it.
One man’s musical mission is an audio visual delight, but there’s not enough room for expression or mastery.
Improved platforming underpins a glorious return to one of gaming's most inventive and empathic universes.
This remastered game from the Wii-era remains a wildly imaginative and magical experience created by Nintendo's brainiest puzzle architects
IO continues its tug of war between Hitman: The Story and Hitman: The Assassin Simulation. For the most of Hitman 3 the latter wins out and delivers classic hit after classic hit. Wobbly conclusion aside, it’s a must for existing fans and a great introduction to gaming’s boldest, baldest stealth series.
An already spectacular game breaks free of its solo constraints to become the definitive Tetris experience.
A hugely entertaining love letter to Breath of the Wild let down by uneven performance that scuppers the game’s ludicrous highs.
Yakuza’s new direction maintains the series signature drama and deckings, while finding rich new comedy in its weirdest beatdowns yet. Hugely entertaining stuff.