Astro Bot leads PLAY’s Hot 50 games

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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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!

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?

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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.

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