Astro Bot leads PLAY’s Hot 50 games

(Image credit: Future, Sony)

Who says it’s a quiet period for gaming? This year’s annual Hot 50 might be one of the hardest we’ve had to put together, with so many we wanted to put on the list, and loads we couldn’t find room to include (though we’ll have more in issues to come, of course).

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Astro Bot

What wasn’t difficult was our picking our top game, which also features on the cover: Astro Bot. The little guy isn’t just back to set another platforming high bar, he also represents a resurgence of family friendly fun that’s been lacking in the high-budget space for a while. PS5 owners must agree too, given pre-orders seem to be going strong.

We’ve gone hands-on with the little guy’s big new adventure and we’re impressed so far!

Lego Horizon Adventures

It’s not a solo sea change either. We also came away impressed by Lego Horizon Adventures, which makes PlayStation history by launching on PC and Nintendo Switch simultaneously with PS5.

The more who get to play PlayStation’s medium-leading games, the better, we say – and the blocky take on the series is a superb new approach. Playing some of the game ourselves, dare we day it might be Aloy’s best yet?

The Rest Of The Hot 50

That’s far from all. We’ve finally got in-game footage and a release date for Dragon Age: The Veilguard; Lost Records: Bloom & Rage continues to impress us with its narrative; and Monster Hunter Wilds is taking the beastie battler to a whole new level. Plus Star Wars Outlaws, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and Marvel Rivals, and a lot more.

The only thing we’re more worried about than finding the time to play it all is the critical hit to our wallets – there’s so much to play.

Blumhouse

We also take a closer look at Blumhouse Games, the gaming division of the horror movie film distributor that’s backing indie creators to bring us a new generation of terror. With five new games in the works from a variety of developers, there's plenty to get excited about.

Reviews

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance — (Image credit: Atlus, Sega)

Reviews are all about cutting-edge updates too. SMTV: Vengeance is a stunning PS5 debut, Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree is FromSoftware’s biggest and best DLC to date, and Alan Wake II: Night Springs delights with bite-size episodes. And that's just the start!

Crazy Taxi

Ya ya ya ya! Crazy Taxi drifts into view to pick us up for another ride. This might be a classic game feature, but it still feels as good to play now as it did back then.

We also celebrate 15 years of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sneak back to the PS2 with Sly Raccoon, as well as spotlighting other past favourites.

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Games Editor Oscar Taylor-Kent brings his years of Official PlayStation Magazine and PLAY knowledge to the fore. A noted PS Vita apologist, he's also written for Edge, PC Gamer, SFX, Official Xbox Magazine, Kotaku, Waypoint, and more. When not dishing out deadly combos in Ninja Gaiden 4, he's a fan of platformers, RPGs, mysteries, and narrative games. A lover of retro games as well, he's always up for a quick evening speed through Sonic 3 & Knuckles or yet another Jakathon through Naughty Dog's PS2 masterpieces.