A squad drop, three characters, a rallying cry, and the match is already underway.

When the community picks on gut feeling, no thinking, Apex lands ahead of nearly two games in three, on still few votes. Solid, but look at the detail and it shades in. Fun stays in the middle, the kind of session you stretch out. Art direction, though, sits low, ahead of barely three games in ten. And above all, rediscovery crashes near the bottom, ahead of only a tenth of titles. Makes sense for a battle royale: it's a game you replay on a loop because it shifts every match, not one you dream of living for the first time again.

Against the other heavyweights of the genre, Apex stands out for its nerve and its team play more than for a visual style that sticks in the mind.

So, for who? For you if you love the tension of a tight squad, snappy movement, the adrenaline of the final ring. Much less if you want a visual punch or an adventure that leaves a one-of-a-kind memory.