Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is one of the better returns to a classic tactics series. Both individual games have aged exponentially well with campaigns that are more enjoyable and charming than you’d think, and just as many thrilling fights to match. Developer Wayforward deserves credit for earnestly including quality of life and approachability options for more players, but it can ever so rarely leave a difficulty imbalance from level to level. However, that is hardly a scuff on the excellent product provided. Smart battlefield design accompanied with engaging objectives make for some excellent missions to chip away at. Similarly, the colouring and model design is superb, further immersing the player in commanding a battlefield as an ultimate strategist. Players are in excellent hands with Re-Boot Camp. It’s up to them to use those tools to triumph in battle and come out on top. Hoorah.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective now being playable on modern platforms is an incredibly exciting occasion worth celebrating. Its involved puzzle mechanics are as satisfying to unfold as ever as you glide between interaction points, moving that last piece to create a thrilling domino effect of a solution. Complimentary to this are the quirky character design and animations, along with the involved storyline that wraps up without any loose threads. Tying this all in a neat bow is the return of a fantastic soundtrack now with incredible rearrangements to further immerse you in the noir setting. Ghost Trick is back and the gaming world couldn’t be any better for it.

Even though Nintendo has now come out with a modern Advance Wars game of its own, Wargroove 2 stands as more than a mere homage. With a grander scale and more units, Commanders, and other gameplay features than ever, Wargroove 2 is an excellent strategy experience. The new Conquest roguelike mode feels like a complete experience packed within an already feature-rich game. Even after the campaigns are over, the Conquest mode, missed optional objectives, and future custom content will ensure plenty of reasons to stick around. If you enjoyed Wargroove or Advance Wars and want another fantastic strategy offering, Wargroove 2 is not to be missed.

The Centennial Case: A Shijima Story is a great game hurt only by its length and occasionally convoluted mystery mechanics. I’ve been around the block and then some with the FMV genre. This particular experience has certainly climbed up there in the ranks for me. With ambition and potential reached avidly, this is frankly a type of foray I haven’t played before. Provided are mesmerising set and costume designs, along with excellent character working and acting. Topping it all off is an enticing mystery and gorgeous cinematography to immerse you further. This is one for the books and a case worth investigating indeed.

Overall, Kaizen: A Factory Story is a brilliantly made game that creates a difficult, but satisfying experience with likable characters and an engaging story to boot. It’s always exciting when it offers up a new tool to use, and you can figure out all the different ways it can be used. On top of that, the character interactions were always fun to read. Maybe this is better than a boring job in sales after all.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes shines bright in the long lineage of games in the Musou formula. Miles better than its predecessor, this is one of the smoothest Warriors-style games yet. Barring a rare example, its mission and gameplay loop holds up. The narrative does the best it can in a genre not particularly known for stellar stories, but will still remain a little oddly paced from time to time. Provided is a joyous occasion to revisit some treasured familiar faces and engage in riotous combat and a smooth experience not too barred down by menus. If the series continues on this trajectory, it’s all smooth sailing ahead. For Fódlan!

If you told a past me that 420BLAZEIT 2, the game with many a meme and weed reference, would secretly be an incredibly endearing, competent and even sentimental shooter, I’d have laughed in your face. Yet here we are. A riotous blast from the past, this FPS adventure is far better than it has any right to be, with tactile shooter action and sights and sounds that’ll tickle your brain. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time smoking, blazing, rinsing scrubs and getting rekt in the process. Sure it’s irreverent and far from high art and won’t land for all, but it’s also something special. Find yourself within the weird and wonderful niche it’s catering to, and I promise you damn will enjoy that time too.

Neon White is a truly unique first-person action experience. With its clever level design and Soul Card system, chaining together demon-slaying and platforming to get to the goal the quickest is a breeze. The game’s compelling cast and setting draw you into its story, and the wealth of side content and drive to improve on one’s scores will keep you coming back. Even its sluggish boss fights and somewhat samey visual style doesn’t do much to hold the game back. If you are looking for a truly unique indie action title, you should definitely check out Neon White.

Frog Detective 3: Corruption at Cowboy County is a sweet ending to the investigative series. Playable by all audiences, it’s a clever, humourous experience that plays with and parodies the adventure genre tropes incredibly well. Plenty of whimsical characters and interactions await thanks to the writing chops provided. This is further exemplified by true mood-setting in the colourful environments and masterful music work from Dan Golding. The final reveal may be a little predictable, but who cares? The series’ final chapter is closed ever so intricately and they even managed to add a ridable scooter. Farewell Frog Detective. I’ll miss you.

Getting absorbed into the world of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is easy, thanks to its gorgeous presentation, thrilling action-movie moments and delightfully tactile puzzle-solving. Exploring ancient temples and foraging for artefacts beneath the surface as you solve intricate conundrums gives Indy a really satisfying sense of place, as he cracks jokes almost as often as he cracks his whip, no matter what danger might lurk around the corner. While combat and stealth can be a bit clunky and forgettable, at its heart, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a thrilling globetrotting story with plenty of tantalising secrets to uncover. It’s yet another strong entry from MachineGames which will, hopefully, spawn a whole darn series of Indy games from here on out.

Need For Speed Unbound is easily one of the best racers I’ve played in recent years and a modern highlight of the series. Through great gameplay, a true sense of progression, an engaging visual style, and a well-crafted open world the game manages to cement itself as one of 2022’s most unexpectedly shining stars. A few knocks for cliché story beats, a samey soundtrack, and a few minor bugs shouldn’t be enough to keep players from driving over to the streets to Lakeshore for some stylish, speedy fun.

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands surprises and delights with its evolved gameplay and stunning world. There’s a confidence and charisma here that goes beyond what came before it, with spells and class abilities weaving themselves effortlessly between the cathartic gunplay. A cast of likable main characters and a storytelling technique that’s unique and smart both go a long way in creating a world that’s just fun to be a part of. Minor glitches and a rather unfortunate online matchmaking system do hurt the title, but the successes here far outweigh any inconveniences. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands stands out as a great title, even amongst the many we’ve seen already this year.

Solium Infernum finds itself perfectly situated to fill a multiplayer niche that other 4X games can’t, with its asynchronous multiplayer option allowing those without much time to play a game with their friends. That’s not to say the singleplayer is not just as good, however, with enough here for hours upon hours of fun just by yourself if you have the ambition to take it.

Spirit of the North 2 is a visually stunning open-world adventure that confidently stands apart from its predecessor, featuring an emotionally moving orchestral soundtrack that wraps around the vivid scenery like a loving embrace. Making progress and completing puzzles feels rewarding, and even just exploring the vast environments feels like a reward all the same. The story is engaging and emotional, and it’s easy to grow personally attached to the little fox as they learn just how big their world truly is.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection delivers some incredible experiences for fans of the series, with memorable characters, intriguing mysteries, twists and turns that you won’t see coming, and gorgeous remastered visuals. While the second game is undoubtedly stronger than the first, both deliver some excellent adventures. Ace Attorney fans rejoice, for Miles Edgeworth’s finest cases have finally made their way here.

The Roottrees Are Dead is a triumph of investigative fiction, offering a compelling yet grounded family mystery within countless articles, websites, and archives waiting for you to uncover. The game has been much improved over its original iteration on itch.io, and the extra content “Roottreemania” adds a cool follow-up mystery to the main one. Any fan of investigation games will have a great time with The Roottrees are Dead.

As a franchise newcomer, I found my entry point with The Legend of Heroes: Trails From Zero utterly fascinating, tantalising, and enjoyable. Within are some of my favourite blending of mechanics and tidbits within turn-based combat I’ve seen yet. It’s a comfy RPG that you can lose plenty of time to, sinking into the moving character narrative, all set within the colourful world of Crossbell. Character models will occasionally show their age and menus are a little funky. Still, it’s easy to forgive and just hang out with Lloyd and friends, saving the better part of humanity. Team SSS forever.

Among the many great arcade racers out there, Screamer sets itself apart with its TV-worthy campaign, The Tournament, which highlights its roster of compelling characters across a tour of a futuristic urban setting. For those who just want the racing, its Arcade modes offer more than enough challenge with unique driving controls that really make you feel like you’re behind the wheel.

If you haven’t picked up a Splatoon game before, then Splatoon 3 is a great place to start. It takes a lot of steps to make it easier to play with friends and has a variety of different modes to play, meaning everyone will have something they enjoy, even if they just want to play single player. The game is more customisable than ever and you are free to change the appearance of your character at any time if you find yourself wanting a new look. The only real problem with the game as it stands is the connection issues. When it works, the game is amazingly fun and you will find yourself playing match after match, only for the connection to drop again out of nowhere. Hopefully this gets fixed soon so I can be playing Splatoon 3 for even longer during my next session.

Wild Hearts takes the hunting action to the next level with vicious beasts, a vast world to explore, and an array of powerful weapons. But that's not all—the magical Karakuri crafting system seamlessly blends with combat and exploration to offer an awe-inspiring experience. It's so fluently integrated into the game that you'll be amazed at how much it advances combat, exploration, and the engaging gameplay loop. Still, the adventure suffers from visual issues and a waning grind. Even so, Wild Hearts is my new monster-hunting addiction.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is both a worthy sequel to a sleeper hit, and a brilliant game on its own. Asobo Studio have shown their knack for using believable human relationships as the basis for an unrealistic supernatural horror story. The next chapter in Amicia and Hugo's story deserves to be seen, if anything because the narrative is both unique and powerful. Despite the increasing brutality of this world and minor mechanical issues, you'll be in safe hands with this game, unlike our young heroes.

Hell is Us is an impressive milestone for a small team of developers, with the player-plattering design resulting in a strong vision. Whilst simple combat and mechanically shallow traversal hold the title back, there’s an undeniable clarity of vision that creates an overall cohesive package. Each of the game’s many elements feeds into one another to elevate the true star of Hell is Us, Hadea. The way themes are handled with such care should also be applauded. Few places in all of video games feel so present and fully realised, especially in a debut entry. So despite Hadea’s ongoing problems, I would highly recommend you consider crossing the border and staying a while.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe only improves on the original. It's great to be able to play as Magolor in the new epilogue, which changes up the platforming gameplay simply but effectively. There's even more fun to be had playing subgames in Merry Magoland with your friends. If you're playing solo, there might not be as much to keep your attention, but it will still be a short and sweet adventure.

Figment 2: Creed Valley is a story about letting go of the stress that life might throw at you. It reminds you that you’re not too old to play the ukulele and that you too can dance like an idiot. Admittedly, the lack of visual progression is a shame. But the art style is fantastic, with each brush stroke looking uniquely gorgeous. Not only that, but the music feels like its own character, as though it lives in the world. The story itself is an emotional rollercoaster, and by the end, you can reflect back on the great journey you’ve taken.

The key to any great roguelike is capturing that “just one more run” feeling, and Into the Restless Ruins nails it right on the head. A successful run feels great, and a failed run only pushes you to dive back in and do better. I’m almost glad there’s no mobile port, as my productivity would be in some serious danger. It’s a genuine indie gem that should be in the library of any avid roguelike fan.

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake faithfully recreates the experience of the original titles in this iconic JRPG series, polishing their roughest edges for a modern audience without losing their unique magic. From the simple compelling grind of the original Dragon Quest to its sequel’s broad character-centric adventure, both titles are lovingly realised in a colourful, vibrant art style and brushed up with a number of quality of life enhancements. While not all changes will please the most diehard fans, this is undoubtedly the definitive way to experience these classic titles.

Have a Nice Death is a well-put-together and polished game with crisp controls, an engaging story, and an adorable hand-drawn art style. The soundtrack is an endless string of bangers that makes the runs engaging. With over 600 lines of dialogue, 9 departments, 10 bosses, and heaps to explore, there is plenty of content awaiting. The script, soundtrack and art style really set the tone for the game and ties everything together in a neat little bow. Have a Nice Death is a welcomed addition to the rogue-lite genre and sets a high bar for future releases.

Street Fighter 6 provides the fast and furious action you’d expect from the refined fighting series, offering a dynamic cast of characters, new control modes to make it more accessible, and a variety of features to keep you busy. Its story mode is a campy take on the Street Fighter universe that doesn’t always land the winning blow, however; while it’s filled with distractions and civilian fighters to take on, it can be a little repetitive and shallow. Still, the technical foundations that Street Fighter stands on are as solid as ever, and with a whole world to battle online, there’s a lot of fighting on the menu in what is once again a polished, exciting fighting experience that will keep fans engaged for years.