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Despite being disappointed by The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales in its opening hours, the experience gave way to something far more engaging in its second and third acts. Its shallow narrative deepened as it unravelled the grand tapestry of time in Philabieldia, its combat more fleshed out by greater enemy variety and buildcrafting potential with magicite, all accompanied by a presentation and art direction that Square Enix have nailed at this point.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Nintendo Switch 2 is another impressive technical achievement. The visual compromises are obvious but not egregious, and portability changes the equation. Much like Intergrade before it, this feels like a little bit of handheld sorcery.

I still think that the game won’t be for everyone based on the gameplay, but I think with the added story elements, and how great the game looks, these will both go a long way to making Star Fox a household name alongside the likes of Mario and Zelda, especially on the heels of the Super Mario Galaxy Movie. [Hands-On Impressions]

Mina the Hollower feels like the result of a studio completely confident in its abilities. Its exceptional movement mechanics, rewarding exploration, challenging combat, and dense world design constantly make discovery feel exciting. Despite it being a little hard for some players, Mina the Hollower is an easy recommendation and very likely Yacht Club Games’ next classic.

007 First Light is all things a Bond game should be. It’s exciting, unpredictable, and delivers a jet-setting adventure full of that hallmark intrigue. As a spy game, it’s expectedly solid. But as an action game, it’s somehow even better as IOI declare themselves the go-to for spy thrillers, and Patrick Gibson, in a time where new blood is badly required, declares himself Bond, James Bond.

Bubsy 4D isn’t the great mascot claw-back tale it could’ve been. The movement toolkit occasionally shines, the self-aware humour can zing, and there’s enough chaotic energy here to entertain OG diehards for an afternoon. Unfortunately, shaky camera work, pussyfoot combat, inconsistent platforming systems, and a tiny runtime stop the whole thing from properly landing.

While Yoshi and the Mysterious Book won't be for everyone, the people that is is made for will adore it. It's entirely focused and uncompromising in its vision - it isn't trying to be something it's not. That, at the very least, is admirable in the broader landscape of the industry.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight might be the best LEGO game yet, delivering a fun, family-friendly take on all of the brooding bat’s biggest moments, plucked from every medium, and lovingly recreated brick-by-brick in an epic open-world capable of matching even Rocksteady’s best. It’s the Batman game Gotham deserves, and it absolutely is the one it needs right now.

Like the franchise’s other many iterations, Forza Horizon 6 is an exceptional masterclass of car racing, genre-defining in terms of both arcade and simulation, set within a spectacular, abridged open-world of Japan that’s begging to be explored. Although it’s not an all-expenses paid return trip, the game not only bulges at the seams with its usual, familiar checklist of things to do, but it serves as a wonderful snapshot of Japan’s people, its sights, and its love for car culture.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle delivers both high calibre adventure, story and performance in spades, to the point it feels as though it’s wading into “uncharted territory” for its publisher. The decision to bop a Nazi should be a foregone conclusion, however the lack of balance in stealth and combat systems kept me in limbo, and left Indiana Jones and the Great Circle just a stone stele’s throw from true greatness.