Adam Starkey

“A skateboarding sim which transcends the genre through its dazzling psychedelic presentation, smart design, and comedic lightness of touch.”

“An awful campaign and a lack of innovation drag down the most content-stuffed Call Of Duty game to date, with an eye largely locked to past glories.”

“A multiplayer driven dungeon crawler with flashes of comical entertainment, but which neither excels as a party game or as a captivating solo grind.”

“A fascinating cosy experiment, packed with memorable characters and sharp writing, but which occasionally stumbles in the execution.”

“A semi-successful pirate take on the Like A Dragon formula, held back by its lack of focus, drawn out length, and surprisingly weak story.”

“A successful evolution of Yakuza: Like A Dragon, which makes great use of its Hawaiian setting and an almost endless array of distractions and mini-games.”

“An occasionally spectacular follow-up to one of the best action platformers of the last few years, which unfortunately dilutes some of its appeal by shooting for a wider audience.”

“An affectionately crafted prequel to The Expanse which, while worthwhile for fans, fails to evolve Telltale's tired gameplay design in any meaningful manner.”

“An ambitious magic-themed shooter which, despite its impressive, flashy combat, buckles under the weight of its influences and slapdash execution.”

“A fantasy musical adventure which has big laughs to match its big heart, while being built around charming, if shallow, gameplay mechanics.”

“An ill-conceived attempt at bringing competitive deathmatch to Resident Evil, that has turned out to be just as terrible as everyone always assumed it would be.”

“A stylish replication of survival horror's roots, which manages to capture and refresh the unsettling horrors of the genre's 90s origins.”

“An uninspired retread of Resident Evil Village's best moments, which squanders the opportunity to experiment or provide a hint about the franchise's future.”

“MultiVersus has some shortcomings; stages feel uninspired and the controls don’t feel quite as tactile or satisfying compared to Nintendo’s fighting king, but this is an impressive foundation for what could become a genuine competitor.”

“The best and most balanced Mario Strikers title yet, undercut by limited modes and a lacklustre sense of progression.”

“An absorbing mix of tabletop inspirations and sci-fi storytelling, that makes for one of the most unique and well-written games of the year.”

“An appealing riff on the Pokémon role-playing formula which, while a little too safe, has enough small deviations and improvements to justify its existence.”

“A perfunctory kart racing spin-off that has a few unique charms but falls well short of its far superior competition.”

“An admirable refresh of a cult classic, with excellent presentation and thoughtfully implemented new mechanics, but it's held back by its reluctance to modernise in other areas.”

“Probably the best ever use of the Jurassic Park licence in a video game, marred by repetition and exploitable systems.”