As per usual, Madden NFL rings in the yearly slew of annual sports updates. While critics are seemingly in agreement that it’s the best Madden in years, the Metacritic score (82%) is currently on par not just with last year’s edition, but also the edition before that. Read into that if you will.

There are plenty of other new releases of note this week. Highly noteable, in fact. Dead Cells, Overcooked 2 and Flipping Death are all worthy of both your time and money, with lofty 9/10 review scores popping up all over the place.

The 2D Dark Souls/Metroidvania hybrid Dead Cells is on track to become one of the highest rated games of the year, while Overcooked 2 improves on the already brilliant original, adding a new – game-changing – throw mechanic.

We’re slightly worried that Flipping Death – which retains the quirky visual style of Stick it to the Man – will be overshadowed by the above. If you like your adventures on the silly side, do give it consideration.

Currently, we’re waiting on reviews of We Happy Few – from one of Microsoft’s big E3 acquisitions, Compulsion Games – which is mildly concerning. The 1960’s set adventure has undergone a radical overhaul since it was first revealed, going from a survival game to a Bioshock style endeavour. Under Gearbox’s wing it also went from being a smaller ‘AA game’ to a fully-fledged full price release, deluxe edition and all. Hopefully it has survived its somewhat turbulent development cycle.

Finally, if you were put off by Atari’s pricing of Tempest 4000 then you’re in luck. Well, sort of – it’s available as a retail release from Friday. Shop around online and you can easily find it for a few quid less than the digital version. Now there’s a thing.

New release showcase:

Dead Cells

Reviews:
9.5 – EGM: “Its excellent melding of roguelike mechanics with tight platforming controls in an odd and quirky world is just what I love. I’ll be playing this game for years, and I can’t see it missing the mark with other fans of the genre once they get to play it”

9.0 – GameInformer: “Dead Cells is one of the more approachable and rewarding roguelikes I’ve encountered. Dying is never fun in games of this ilk, but the well-designed reward loop softens that blow and bolsters all subsequent runs, making the experience more about exploration and time committed than just player skill”

8/10 – VideoGamer: “Dead Cells is, at times, constrained by the genres it so heavily draws from, but its vibrant pixel art, furious combat, and rigorous execution make for a winning formula all its own”

Overcooked 2

Reviews:
9/10 – The Metro: “A delicious mix of old school multiplayer gaming and modern convenience, with a sequel that improves the original recipe in all the right ways”

9/10 – Destructoid: “If you enjoyed the original or skipped it purely because you needed online multiplayer support, Overcooked 2 should be a no-brainer. While the sequel runs the risk of being slightly too familiar and lacks any big surprises, it’s still a winning formula. Co-op gaming doesn’t get much better than this”

8/10 – GameSpot: “Overcooked 2 undoubtedly shines in local co-op and the versus arcade modes. New recipes and obstacles provide a fresh challenge for veterans, but it remains approachable for new players with simple controls and short playtimes”

Madden NFL 19

Reviews:
4.5/5 – GamesRadar: “A stunning return to form for the annual football franchise – and one of the finest all-round Madden packages in years”

8.9 – IGN: “Madden NFL 19 finds a new foundation for football gameplay on the back of its feel-good player handling”

8/10 – Push Square: “You’re right to be sceptical of EA Sports’ buzzwords by now, but Madden NFL 19’s headline Real Player Motion really does result in a more fluid game of football. The presentation may be familiar, but the game feels great on the field, and that consequently enhances all of its headline modes”

Flipping Death

Reviews:
9/10 – Nintendo World Report: “Flipping Death is Zoink’s best game to date. The humor is top notch like usual, but the game is such a refined product. The puzzles are clean and easy to grasp, there is some solid replay value, and every character you possess does something unique”

9/10 – Nintendo Life: “Flipping Death does share plenty of DNA with Stick it to the Man! – ranging from the floatiness of its platforming to the ability to read the minds of other characters – but that doesn’t stop it from being a far superior offering in almost every way”

New digital multi-format releases:

We Happy Few
Defenders of Ekron – Definitive Edition
Hyper Universe
Tetra’s Escape

New on PSN:

The Perfect Sniper (VR)
Electronauts
Word Search by POWGI
Desert Racing GST

New on Xbox One store:

Megaton Rainfall
City of the Shroud
TerraTech
Your Toy
ACA NeoGeo Metal Slug 4

New Nintendo retail releases:

Runbow Deluxe Edition
Overcooked! 2

Next week: The Walking Dead: The Final Season, Airheart – Tales of broken Wings, Fernz Gate, State of Mind, Treadnauts, Drunk-Fu: Wasted Masters, Death’s Gambit, Phantom Doctrine, TerraTech, Hero Defense, and a retail release of Dead Cells.