The changes that Frogwares made are impactful and make this a significantly better experience than it was at original release. It still has its quirks, but the positives far outweigh the negatives and it’s easy to recommend this game to anyone who has yet to check it out.

‘Hot Wheels Unleased’ is as close as you can get to a kid’s dream (or at least mine). There are some slightly clunky things like the track builder at first, but once you get past the learning curve you’re able to set sail and take the wheel. It handles like a dream.

Moonlight Kids have a hit on their hands with The Wild at Heart. It brings a strong narrative, some clever puzzles, and enough of an endearing journey to make it one of the better releases this holiday season on the PlayStation.

Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator is just that: cozy. There’s little reason to strive for perfection in a game that merely wants players to dabble in its goal of building whatever kind of idyllic flower patch desired. This kind of directionless aura may be a turn off for those seeking a different kind of simulator but what’s on offer is hard not to enjoy.

Regions of Ruin: Runegate, from developer Gameclaw Studio, is an absolute treat to play. The story is great, the action is simple, and the open-world questing and RPG elements make for a worthwhile gaming time.

Everything is Crab: The Animal Evolution Roguelite from developer Odd Dreams Digital is a marvel to behold. It’s fun, enormous in the number of directions the player can take the gameplay, and it’s easily replayable. It’s one of my top 10 games of 2026 so far.

For people who are not afraid to sing (or rhyme in this case), and are tired of Duffy and Britney Spears, give Rapstar a go.

The omission of online features is a shame, however, as the system is made for communications with others. Still, if you're in for a solid racer this launch-season, Ridge Racer 3D is worth the price of admission.

A significant amount of new content and a new home on the Vita makes the Plus version of one of the best Atelier games a compelling release for Atelier fans as they await the next release from Gust.

Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story is an excellent candidate for your holiday gift list, if not a candidate for something to play this holiday season. It excels in crafting an emotional tale that hits all the right notes of childishness and the wonders of childhood while also encouraging players forward. It’s not the deepest game, but it is a masterclass in storytelling and worldbuilding. Don’t worry if you’re unfamiliar with any of Riot’s previous games – your yeti pal, Willump, will give you a gigantic hug either way.

Overall, Project Wingman is a wonderful flight game. If you’re looking to get your wings, but Flight Sim is way out of your realm, this is the next best thing. The story is forgettable through a lot of the game, but that isn’t the full selling point really. The actual flight and gameplay is the main event. Once you get over the steeper learning curve, the game is honestly a blast to rip around and fly in. Combat lacks some, and honestly, I feel like just a free mode for flying would be a nice addition for the game as a whole. It’s a really good game, and though the overall presentation lacks at times, it redeems itself with gameplay.

For the past few years, ZeniMax has been bringing wonderful stories to The Elder Scrolls Online and done amazingly with building out Tamriel. To see them bring Oblivion into the fold is fantastic. I can’t wait to see what the rest of Gates of Oblivion has in store for us.

For accessible, deep, fun, and nostalgic-rich fighting, you’d be hard-pressed to do any better than MK11: Aftermath.

Ghostwire: Tokyo is a brilliant experiment in the clash of style and substance. Tokyo exists as an open world reminiscent of older games whose design may now feel ancient. Yet Tango Gameworks infuses nearly every aspect of the journey with a new, weird twist that no developer has thought to do before. Combat is striking and frenzied, even if it never reaches true complexity. And while the side content and the story may falter in their variety, enough praise cannot be heaped on the handling of Japanese folklore and the devotion towards cultural expression. Ghostwire: Tokyo may not be for everyone but I guarantee there is something in it for every single player to love.

Mafia II is the opposite of Portal, taking no risks, putting forth no new ideas, and settling for the status quo. Mafia II didn't have to reinvent a genre, but it could have avoided littering itself with such dreadful mission design that is sometimes void of refinement and full of average mechanics.

Overall, if you liked Patapon 2 back in the day, you’re going to enjoy this release on the PlayStation 4. It doesn’t do anything particularly special other than giving you the game you might have loved in 2009 on a bigger screen.

Expressed as a product, Gravity Ghost is an inventive platformer with a precarious and affecting narrative.

It's a powerful survival horror experience that I won't soon forget.

Black Mermaid’s Moonscars is a tough game that has a thick amount of creativity in both story and presence. Not all its pieces work perfectly, but enough work to warrant a hard look at this title.

Syndicate's guise is thoroughly unoriginal and yet irrefutably stylish. Its guns aren't distinctive but feel great with every pull of the trigger. Breaching is debatably necessary and still every time it's engaged. Cooperative plays feels more like beating the game than beating the intended challenge, which somehow makes for a better feeling of elation. In conforming to the first person standard, Syndicate has turned in a wave of contradictions that, almost in spite of itself, typically emerge on the right side of social order.

Victor Vran is a very competent and solid game that dungeon crawling ARPG fans should not miss.

Far from a bad game yet short of greatness, The Night of the Rabbit is worth your time and money if you enjoy the genre.

AK-xolotl is a difficult yet highly engaging roguelike that will make you fall in love with its charming woodland creatures while laughing at its absurd violence. Seeing my goofy little AK-xolotl with a giant gun made me grin from ear to ear. It’s the roguelike fever dream I’ve always wanted. Once it gets in the hands of players and additional content is added that can smooth out its presentation of information, I’m confident that folks will enjoy this game.

That last statement actually bears true for the whole of I Am Setsuna. Everything from the length of the game (around 25 hours), the battle system, difficult, art, music, characters — this has proven to be a treat of an experience for me and one I would happily recommend to any Switch owner.

I haven't had a game hit me emotionally quite as Concrete Genie has. An emotional story blended with beautiful artwork and seamless gameplay creates an incredible experience. I am beyond impressed with Pixelopus's work and you can easily see all the blood, sweat and tears poured into the game. Concrete genie may not scratch the gameplay itch that you have but rather it delivers an important story to tell. I highly recommend it for any hardcore gaming fan as well as the creative types.

LEGO Rock Band has a place in this industry: it’s a Rock Band for families concerned about the appropriateness of the content.

Codemasters did an outstanding job by delivering a medley of racing options and styles with GRID Autosport. It’s not perfect, but it’s damn close to a perfect experience when you want to try everything on the racing menu.

Off the top of my head I can’t think of another game with a backstory like Cyberpunk 2077. It’s fortunate that CDPR were able to spend the last year-plus continuing development of the game, listening to feedback, adding content, and fixing tons and tons of issues. Many games would simply not have gotten the extra time and money spent that Cyberpunk got, but this time CDPR got it right. Now is the right time to play this game; I’m not saying it’s flawless and perfect, but it’s nearly so, for such an elaborate, massive game. This is the game we were hoping for back in December 2020, but I’m reminded of the adage ‘better late than never.’ And that certainly applies here.