NEAR MISSES

Pokémon Scarlet/Violet Switch We say ‘near’, but in truth at the time of going to press The Pokémon Company was still withholding review code, a calculated choice that naturally raises suspicions – not least with some retailers having broken the street date by a matter of weeks. We’re still looking forward to the finished games, but friends of the show have reported that its technical issues are worse than the noticeably choppy Legends Arceus. Review next issue.

What The Bat? Quest 2 Triband’s VR follow-up to What The Golf? is, well, pretty much exactly what you’d expect a VR follow-up to What The Golf? to be like. With baseball bats for hands, you must complete a series of short-form tasks, each set of levels offering a string of playful and amusing twists on the first. From playing fetch to ironing underpants to smashing a neighbour’s windows, it has the same anarchic spirit as the WarioWare games. And there’s a degree of baked-in clumsiness that only adds to the slapstick appeal.

Frog Detective 3: Corruption At Cowboy County PC This third hour-long mystery for Grace Bruxner’s amphibious investigator is as full of off-kilter humour and surreal moments as its predecessors. With a palpably larger world to explore, a scooter provides an entertaining way to get around (the camera shifting to thirdperson as you do), while the hit rate for gags might be a new series high. A special mention for composer Dan Golding, too, whose soundtrack might just be one of the year’s best – the country-tinged ‘Slippery Pond’ proving that Bruxner can sing, too.