Ultimately, Epic Mickey Rebrushed is a warm welcome, even if several aspects leave you wanting more improvements. This game deserves to be played by more people and beyond the confines of a multi-generation-old game system with an awful control scheme. Particularly with this game’s historical significance to a massive company like Disney, Epic Mickey Rebrushed does Mickey Mouse justice in a light that we rarely see the famous mouse. But, instead of being a modern classic, it just feels like a fun piece of Disney history.

By the time I reached the end of my journey and my nation stood above all the rest, I was left with one of the most satisfying gaming victories I’ve ever experienced. While Ara: History Untold asks a lot of players, it rewards those willing to put in the hours with a deeply rich gameplay experience that makes them feel like every choice they made shaped their nation and helped their people achieve greatness. From large-scale design innovations to the smallest details, the game delivers an almost flawless experience.

Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis – The Answer serves as a challenging, combat-heavy epilogue to Persona 3, that can be a divisive experience. While it, at the very least, provides closure for the characters and story and includes some new and fun elements, its focus on grinding and dungeon crawling at the expense of the series’ beloved social elements leaves it feeling incomplete.

EA Sports FC 25 looks, feels, and plays like a truly upgraded version of the franchise. It isn’t a perfect sports simulator, but it does a great job of making the game feel alive and takes another step forward for the franchise.

What is most impressive about Frostpunk 2 is how well it blends its emotional narratives with its gameplay mechanics. It challenges the player on an emotional and moral level while also challenging them to grapple with some of the most intricately linked and well-refined gameplay the strategy genre has seen in years.

The whole third act will especially leave you smiling like a fool, because at its core, The Plucky Squire is good, simple fun. It presents an earnest story with enough twists, fun references, and jokes to keep you looking for more, and it inspires us all to be more than we are.

While not without its issues, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is an impeccable remaster that feels more like a remake and offers hours of great entertainment.

Enotria: The Last Song is a solid entry to the genre. Its beautiful design, deep customization, and satisfying gameplay invite players to experience its take on the soulslike formula.

I Am Your Beast is a fantastic action game, one that really hones in on speed, adaptability, and efficiency. Memorizing levels and finding creative ways through them is a necessity for top times.

NBA 2K25 radically improves gameplay and presents the most authentic NBA experience to date. It builds on systems introduced in last year’s version to give a more complete package for players to enjoy.

If this is how The Worldsoul Saga is kicking off, then this new WoW era will be its best yet. And if you’re thinking about returning to Azeroth, there is seriously no better time because The War Within is just that good.

While the experience is marred by its many drudging moments, Emio—The Smiling Man is a highly entertaining, engaging, and well-produced entry that fans will likely enjoy.

The Ace Attorney Investigations Collection does an excellent job of bringing the spin-off titles to a new audience through great features that support both games’ stellar narratives and gameplay experiences.

Considering the entire package, Space Marine 2 sets a new high bar for Warhammer 40k games. It showcases the setting with more intricacy and beauty than even its most successful kin. Its gameplay is extremely rewarding and uniquely engaging. It has been a long wait for Space Marine 2, but the emperor is good, and the wait has proven more than worth it.

Gundam Breaker 4 lets players live out their Gunpla creation dreams in a well-made package. A repetitive gameplay loop and mediocre story are a bit of a letdown but the creativity and action help make the experience worth checking out.

Visions of Mana simplifies modern action RPGs to fit the classic brand for better or worse. On the one hand, combat can be exhilarating as you get in the groove and make every character work in the best way for you. On the other hand, the story, while beautiful, is too paper-thin for its own good. But this culminates in a game that feels like any player of any age can enjoy it.

Even with the hiccups, Star Wars Outlaws is a fantastic story that effectively uses the heist genre and never keeps its characters in focus.

Black Myth: Wukong is an incredibly engaging and entertaining action RPG in many ways. While the overarching narrative leaves a lot to be desired, and the technical and balance issues can be a hindrance, the game still provides an epic, unforgettable gameplay and cinematic experience that not many games can rival.

Dustborn’s narrative beats are also the most enjoyable part of the game, but there’s too much stopping it from reaching its full potential.

Thank Goodness You’re Here! is one of the most creative and zany gaming experiences out there. It grabs at you constantly, surprising the player with every narrative beat and new character.

With Stormgate launching in early access, there is always the chance that it will improve with sufficient development time. As it stands at release, however, it is difficult to see why an RTS player would pick Stormgate over more established competition. Its simplistic mechanics make matches grow boring quickly. Its story and world are so poorly developed that they are not even worth mentioning. With its heavily in-progress state, it seems better to wait and see if it improves before investing time in checking it out. [Early Access Review]

Cat Quest 3 pulls off a balancing act that few games manage to. It is accessible enough for nearly anyone to jump in while being fun and engaging enough for players who prefer more mechanically dense RPGs to still have a ton of fun. It is oversaturated with personality and charm, making every minute of playing it filled with something funny, interesting, or unique.

Creatures of Ava, even with lots of rough edges, deliver an impactful message. How can we help those who we don’t understand? If you’re looking for a game with a new take on the conservation topic, there is no better game to represent it than Creatures of Ava.

SteamWorld Heist 2 is set to be a great new entry for dedicated SteamWorld fans and a great jumping-on-point for newcomers and strategy fans alike.

Dungeons of Hinterberg is a fantastic adventure with an addicting gameplay loop based on exploration and wonder, tight combat, and an exciting cast of characters to interact with.

While some of its changes are more impactful than others, most of what is on offer in the Dynasties update for Total War: Pharaoh are net positives. The additions and tweaks bring some much needed depth to the game’s campaigns and help keep things fresh on subsequent playthroughs. However, it does not address some of the core issues that longtime fans have voiced and will likely not be enough to bring them back to the Bronze Age despite it being free.

F1 Manager 2024 pushes the franchise forward and is more realistic and exciting for players in different and challenging ways. The gameplay remains as fun as ever as it tries to continually tweak the winning formula as the peak of racing management games.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn tries to chart its own path down the ever-growing souls-lite genre. In some ways, like exploration and its reputation system, it succeeds. In others, especially with its late-game combat, Flintlock shows more rust than polish. More balance felt needed in the grand scheme of things. Simple amounts of grinding or just getting into the groove of things trivialize most challenges that previously made you sweat. Everything together creates a package that at first feels hopeful and intriguing but ends in a chamber full of wet gunpowder.