Assassin’s Creed Shadows doesn’t feel like a step forward or a step back, it feels like a sidestep for the series. For every improved feature – like stealth or combat – there’s something that feels worse, like exploring the world and climbing to a high place for a vantage point. At the start, you’re embarking on a bold adventure, and in the midst of it all, it feels like trying to complete a shopping list in a new supermarket with no signs. It’s directionless, overwhelming, and tedious. You can’t even ignore the dozens of optional objectives, otherwise you won’t be high enough level to take on the main challenges. If you want a game that you can play for the next year, AC Shadows is it, but if you want a tight, narrative-driven stealthy ninja adventure, look elsewhere.

So I leave Haste having got exactly what I wanted from it, no more, no less. Its momentum-based platforming mechanics are great fun that tap into that sense of satisfaction I love from the genre. While it could’ve done with a bit more variety in terms of boss and level design, the core gameplay is so much fun that I struggled to put it down, and I’m sure the endless mode will keep me hooked for quite a while.

If you are a fighting game fan, have friends who are fighting game fans, or just want a deep dive into one of the best parts of fighting game history, then Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is a clear winner. It’s worth buying even if you ignore the underwhelming curio that is Capcom Fighting Evolution, which I completely neglected to mention here. There are at least three distinct games here that different audiences will return to time after time for multiplayer sessions, and everything else is just a bonus. Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is a firm reminder that Capcom and SNK have developed some of the best fighting games of all time, and with this compilation, you don’t even need to be an old-head to know it’s true.

The simple fact is, if you played the first game, you know exactly what you’re getting with The Outer Worlds 2. There are some mechanical improvements, but the story doesn’t impress, and the side-quests lack enough bite or consequence to create a world I want to spend more time in.

Weird and wonderful ideas with a handful of mechanical imperfections is sort of Double Fine’s whole brand when you think about it. In Keeper’s case, it does such a good job of creating a compelling and beautiful world with a sweet, if simple, story of two unlikely creatures bonding and saving the world, so the minor frustrations just wash away when I consider the experience as a whole. You keep being you, Double Fine.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma stands as one of the better life-sims out there, striking a good balance between the village, its people, and the outside world you can explore. The town-building elements make it really feel like you’re regrowing these places into prosperous societies, and it’s a lot of fun getting to know all of the colourful personalities that reside there. Combine that with simpler farming and a solid main narrative, and you have the perfect place for Rune Factory newcomers to start.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time isn’t up to the quality of a big Animal Crossing release, and it doesn’t quite have the depth of dedicated farming and life sims, but it makes up for it with a breadth of activities that are simple, but so hard to put down. This isn’t going to replace the likes of Animal Crossing or The Sims in your heart, but Fantasy Life i is a genuinely heartwarming RPG adventure that scratches the social sim itch.

Image quality aside, Fast Fusion is a speedy racer with a lot of content, and it’s also one of the cheapest Switch 2 launch titles, only being beaten by Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour. It’s a minor shame that there’s no real online matchmaking, but at the price point, Fast Fusion still presents the best deal you can get at launch on Switch 2. If you’re still eager for a new F-Zero, Fast Fusion will fill the void in your heart for now.

In an era where Sony insists on remastering games that feel like they’ve just come out, to see something almost 20 years old brought into the modern era is a joy that has clearly won back fans who were drifting away after Starfield. If Bethesda feels like printing money, then it needs to move similar remasters of Fallout New Vegas and Morrowind up the agenda.

Its own story is indeed almost negligible, but Sunderfolk shines in its ability to be a catalyst or stage for self-generated stories and connections between you and your fellow players that will resonate even outside of the game. In this way, the devs at Secret Door truly succeeded in creating a digital, more approachable version of the TTRPGs we all love, even if it’s one with room to improve. I’m very excited to see where they can push this concept in the future.

If you’re someone who loves this kind of logic puzzle, then Is This Seat Taken? is a must-buy. It uses simple rules to create complex scenarios that feel great to solve as you untangle the web of conflicting desires. It only makes me wish I could do the same whenever I have to get on public transport.

Elden Ring: Nightreign is more Elden Ring, but it also isn’t. It’s a brave new multiplayer experiment, and a bold recycling of older assets, to mixed results. Parts of Nightreign will likely define your fondest gaming moments of 2025, while the frustration caused by others might haunt your dreams. Nightreign’s budget price indicates that this isn’t the next big FromSoftware Souls experience, but it is something incredibly special. If you’re a FromSoft fan that wants an interesting co-op experience with no Ultra Instinct Comet Azurs, Elden Ring: Nightreign shouldn’t be missed.

Arcade Archives 2 Ridge Racer is a near-perfect version of the arcade original. It plays great, runs smoothly, and the new Time Attack mode is a great addition. Once the price drops or goes on sale, this will be an arcade racer that everyone should have.

Sonic gives me hope that my 34th year will be my best year too, and Sonic X Shadow Generations feels like a great way to send off the old era of Sonic while welcoming a new one.

As it stands, Digimon Story: Time Stranger is a massive step up from Digimon Story games before it, improving on just about every aspect. Huge amounts of work have gone into streamlining frustrations seen in prior entries, and it mostly delivers in its presentation, combat, and storytelling, but it falls short of feeling like the triple-A game it’s trying so hard to be. It’s a step forward for the series nonetheless, and likely the best Digimon game to date, which will hopefully lead to better, more polished, and better-funded games in the future.

Chrono Gear: Warden of Time is a fantastic love letter to Hololive and platformers alike. While non-Hololive fans will have a lot of the fun go over their heads, the 2D platforming gameplay is still creative and refined enough to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience. That said, it is definitely made for fans, with references, in-jokes, and loving tributes stuffed into every corner, which makes it a simply joyous ride.

Even though I have my frustrations with the controls and I was left wanting more from the puzzles, I still very much enjoyed my time with Lego Voyagers. While it had potential for greater things, the puzzles are still good fun and strike at the elements that make co-op play uniquely enjoyable. At a tight three hours, it’s the kind of game you could easily play with your partner or kid to spend a cozy, lazy evening together.

RoadCraft is a great concept that needs at least another year of development. In a few patches, it’ll be the best game of its type, but it’s impossible to fully recommend with its sentient semis, borked physics, idiotic AI, and base technical issues.

Despite a few annoyances, the key areas where Pokémon Legends: Z-A experiments are a big success. The new battle system is great fun and makes for a unique challenge compared to what the series normally offers. While I think there are still steps to take to strike a better balance between that system and the catching mechanics from Arceus, I’m just thrilled to see Pokémon be a franchise willing to take risks again. I can’t wait to see what fresh idea the team at Game Freak tries next, as so far, it’s two-for-two in terms of Legends successes.

I don’t dislike Cronos: The New Dawn, but the minor frustrations coupled with the overall tedium wear on you. It’s a polished game that works well, but shooting zombie mutants gets old, and raiding boxes for batteries isn’t that exciting in the first place. A decently atmospheric horror for the Halloween season, but not quite the new era of Bloober Team that I was hoping for.

Ultimately, Marvel’s Deadpool VR could use a few patches – or perhaps even a release on an entirely different platform – before it plays its best, but even if everything were perfect, it’s just fine. It’s a good game, but it doesn't feel like the best a VR superhero game can be, and it didn’t make me feel like Deadpool. It’s middle-of-the-road, inoffensive, and contains silly fourth-wall breaking references to everything from Cheers to One Piece. If that sounds like a good time to you, then there’s nothing else quite like Deadpool VR.

Dear Me, I Was… is a short but incredibly bittersweet story about life, the things we all love and fear, and human connection. If you’re a fan of animation, then it’s hard not to recommend.

While the exploration didn’t give me the sustained sense of joy and wonder I was hoping for, Revenge of the Savage Planet keeps things light and brisk, making it an enjoyable survival crafting adventure you can charge through with a friend. It may not do anything revolutionary in the genre, but I certainly wouldn’t mind if similar games took some lessons from it on how to tighten up this kind of experience.

It’s messy, as it should be, because life is messy, and creating art is messy. I’d probably stop short of saying that Surgent Studios has created a masterpiece, but if ever there was a need for proof that games can be art – something that has been proven countless times before and will be countless times again in the future – then Dead Take is as good a proof as any. It’s an unmissable, tense experience, and one I’m glad I got the opportunity to have.

If you’re eager to get closer to the Onimusha series ahead of Way of the Sword, Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny is a great way to do that, but it’s an awkward action experience in 2025.

Baby Steps is simultaneously brilliant and genius while being one of the most immature games in existence. It shouldn't be missed.

I quite like Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, but when I’m not playing it, I’m not eager to return. Soulslike games are a dime a dozen in 2025, and need a truly unique aesthetic or hook to capture an audience. I’m not sure Wuchang has enough of either, and the changes that are present don’t really elevate Wuchang’s combat and progression above its contemporaries. There are far worse Soulslikes than Wuchang, but there are better ones too.

This is one of the most inventive, exciting multiplayer games in years — a proper remedy for all the copycat hero shooters we’ve had to contend with. It might look like one of those at a glance, but Wildgate is something else, an experience we haven’t had before. Get three mates, choose a ship, and head out into the rift for the most fun you can have online right now. If Wildgate's post-launch plans come to fruition, it's only going to get better.