Finger Guns

The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu's suffocating atmosphere and devious tricks initially delight, especially if playing alongside others. Unfortunately, its repetitive design sullies most of what it does best, and going it alone on these expeditions is akin to madness itself. While there's the promise of riches on this continent, the dangers are far more apparent.

An over-the-top, no-holds-barred, on-the-rails trip through an insane world where you can flip trains, Denshattack! combines the Jet Set Radio aesthetic, music, and graphics with a modern bite-sized, gameplay loop and a fun story. Most impressive of all is the games' finely tuned control scheme, tweaked and perfected to maximise fun and minimise frustration.

Dark Scrolls is, in a nutshell, a blast. It hits that nostalgic itch for simple, retro concepts and pulls it off with aplomb. If you're looking for depth and strong narrative, it's not here. No, this is straightforward run-and-projectile with friends, or solo, that has a fair bit to unlock for those that persevere.

Hard to pick up and even harder to master NBA The Run offers a light amount of game in service of a deep level of systems for die-hards to appreciate. The core gameplay performs perfectly, rivalling games of the same sport with a huge budget. However, with a standoff-ish lack of tutorialisation and only three versions of one mode to play, this'll only be for you if you love the sport.

UFC 6 is, to date, the most complete mixed martial art gaming experience available. Visual pleasing, with enough content to keep players going for many rounds. New accessible play options are a massive bonus, and whilst it does suffer from "EA bloat", it's not so overwhelming as to ruin the experience.

Smudged on all sides with technical bugs, crashes, audio failures and performances mishaps, the best of Gothic 1 Remake's qualities only just manage to shine through the grime. While there's a truly compelling game nestled under the surface, this nugget of ore needs more sprucing up before it's ready to be sold on.

Hollowbody is a fantastic homage to 6th-gen survival horror, whilst maintaining a distinct style and knowing when to utilise those retro mechanics. The push and pull of conserving resources and embracing what lurks around the corner make for a tense experience throughout. Whilst the plot is forgettable and the menu can be too cumbersome sometimes, the atmosphere, worldbuilding and moment-to-moment make my problems ring hollow, as everything else is so great.

Whilst initially impressive in its concept, Yerba Buena falters in its longevity. The puzzles soon become attrition, with slight mistakes setting players back, as well as a plot and overall tone that tries too had to be subversive. Fun if this is your go-to genre, but unlikely to draw in the unitiated.

IO Interactive have delivered their vodka Martini shaken, though it causes plenty of stirs along the way. It's a rip-roaring, globe-trotting adventure that delivers thrills galore, with a shockingly good emotional core to deliver on the premise of 007's origin story. One of 2026's best games has arrived, and what a privilege it is to have James Bond back in full, unapologetic confidence.

Mina the Hollower is a fantastic addition to the pantheon of soulslikes. It has a concept so vivid and a style so different to anything else out there, that it sits almost as a must-play for fans of the genre. I had no end of fun with its intricate puzzle areas only traversable with the fine-tuned skills of a Hollower who has spent hours with the game already...I found the combat really was not that far away from Bloodborne. I appreciated the angle towards aggression for healing, and it really emulated that genre feel of only taking on one enemy at a time, rushing back to your hole with your accumulated bones etc. I also found a world that felt well-conceived, well-written, and well-loved by its developers. Being a soulslike that actually places emphasis on its plot and had a named character, should put it on a pedestal before you even consider the rest of the package is verging on perfect.