Ninja Gaiden: The Master Collection is a fascinatingly violent time capsule that shows off the best and the worst of Koei Tecmo's fan favourite shinobi. It's as barebones a collection as can be, packing all three games together with a sprinkling of DLC, but it's still a fine showcase of brutal difficulty and white-knuckle thrill power that is inimitable by anything else on the market. Just don't expect anything more than that.

Boring narrative aside, Sniper Elite Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 is superb at delivering its bread and ballistics gameplay. Focused purely on the art of the kill, CI Games has crafted numerous detailed sandboxes to become the ultimate long-distance predator inside of, resulting in a game that forges ahead and doubles down on its own unique brand of hold-your-breath gunplay. Pure cathartic and exhilarating action with every squeeze of the trigger.

This week isn't just about Ratchet and Clank, but also ratchet and crank as the Playdate handheld console is coming soon! Preorders for the quirky little console, which has a crank on the side for…stuff, will go live in July. Here's the important stuff: The console itself will cost you $179, plus you can buy a few other accessories to go with it.

Developers at Insomniac Games have begun talking about their experiences working on the game, with several employees highlighting regular 40-hour works and a managerial climate that encouraged people to avoid burnout while putting the new game together.

Free Lives, the studio that made the 1980s cool with BroForce and introduced the world to the joy of Genital Jousting, is going for a more relaxing approach in its next game. Sort of. Called Terra Nil, the concept is easy enough to understand: The planet has been blighted by all manner of catastrophes, and it's up to you to introduce some green to the scorched landscapes of the world, restoring it to near-mint condition. Nature is healing, with a little bit of help from you.

There's a new Rainbow Six game on the horizon, and this one might just be packing the most valuable resource of all within its digital frame: Big read-the-room energy.

Purveyor of digital fisticuffs and NetherRealm studios boss Ed Boon asked Mortal Kombat fans on Twitter which of the classic games from that series they'd be interesting in seeing updated for more modern consoles and PC. Surprisingly, nobody wanted Mortal Kombat Mytholigies: Sub-Zero, but there was an overwhelming majority who did want to see Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks resurrected.

And here…we…go! E3 week has officially kicked off, with an indie showcase from the lovely chaps over at the Guerrilla Collective that focused on smaller games with big hearts. This was just the first part of the showcase though, as part two will take place on June 12. There was no shortage of games and updates on display, with dozens of trailers playing out over the course of a 90-minute show.