Latest Reviews
Criterion takes the reins once more for an arcade racer that’s capable of going toe-to-toe with the all-conquering Forza Horizon.
Bayonetta goes big for the series' most stupendous adventure yet, but also its scrappiest.
There are few surprises to be found in Splatoon 3's multiplayer or campaign, but it is the best Nintendo's spectacular series has been to date.
Monolith Soft caps its loosely connected trilogy of epic RPGs with its most adaptable, malleable and high-spirited adventure yet.
The new generation of F1 gets a video game run-out that's at times overly familiar, but one that's nevertheless fully-featured.
A masterpiece of absurdist theatre, and a damn fine double-A mech game too.
Ignore the nonsense, though, and it can still be electrifying. Take an Audi R18 e-tron away from the messy drone of the career and set about beating a Rivals hot lap time around Spa and it's sublime: the diesel engine roars stealthily, the sun streaming through the Ardennes' thick forest. With Forza Motorsport 5, Turn 10's created a driving experience both accessible and beautiful - but it's been stripped back to make Xbox One's launch, and augmented with a host of ugly extras that only serve Microsoft's bid to make a few dollars more.
It's another small step forward for the series, but that's not quite enough to dispel the suspicion that Codemasters' F1 team doesn't have the resources to create iterations compelling or different enough to justify the annual churn. F1 2012 is a good game, but it's some way off from being the classic it could be.
At the outset Red Dead Redemption promises to be GTA on horseback. Several hours later it goes on to fulfil that promise and then top it. This is so much more than a mere retooling of Rockstar's tried and tested open world formula – it's an artful take on a world long lost, an evocative paean to not only the Western genre but also to the beautiful expanse of the American landscape. Even better though is that under that remarkable feat is a game that's been refined and revitalised, setting the open world genre free and creating an experience that's quite likely to be one of this year's very best.
It’s unfortunate that the gameplay doesn’t scale the heights of the production values, for while the gunplay is solid its relentlessness becomes weary towards the finale. But any misgivings aren’t enough to derail the immensely enjoyable rollercoaster ride and Uncharted 2’s wealth of character easily overcomes our gripes. As a spectacle it’s without compare, its epic vistas and rip-roaring set pieces combining with writing and pacing of a quality that’s alien to most videogames, helping to create one of this generation’s most charming adventures.