Fading Serenades is a charming delivery game you can finish in an evening, leaving you wanting more. By the time you get to the end, it feels abrupt, and a little rushed, as the quests also become slightly repetitive. You're left wondering more about the neighbors you spent the game delivering for. Still, for a solo-developed game, it's very impressive. If you're looking for something short, cozy, and enjoy the delivery gameplay loop, Fading Serenades serves it well.

Keeper is a very slow burn, but ends up culminating in one of the coolest and most surprising third acts in recent memory. It does feel like more of an experience than a video game at times, but it's still absolutely a journey worth taking. Going into it completely blind is recommended, as the game is actually hiding way more beneath the surface than you'd ever expect. The puzzles are dead easy, and there are some camera/control/performance hiccups at times, but it's still a title that truly takes you places that will amaze you by the end if you're willing to stick with it.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 had the potential to be something special, but instead of offering the sweet taste of vitae pulled from the neck, it has only the porridge-flavored final drips of a blood bag. While the combat and boss fights can be satisfying, the game’s shallowness in pretty much every other department, as well as Fabien dragging the entire experience down, left me hungry for the game it could have been. While it has the trappings of the World of Darkness, this game does a disservice to Vampire: The Masquerade.

Ball X Pit is far more than just a game that riffs on the Vampire Survivors formula. It's a game that offers a little something for everyone, with incredibly addictive bullet-hell action, thoughtful township building that doubles as a Roguelike progression system, and on-screen chaos through insane power-ups that make it nearly impossible to track every projectile racing across your screen. It's a hands-on and involved version of its contemporaries, and a truly unique option for anyone who loves the genre. Don't expect jaw-dropping visuals or a tearjerker of a story. But the trade-off of epic gameplay is more than worth it here. In short, you'll have a ball. In fact, you'll have tonnes of them.

Little Nightmares 3 is a solid addition to the beloved franchise, and Supermassive did a fine job with the project. The atmosphere is on point as it does a great job at telling a story, creating a sense of dread, and is genuinely exciting to venture through. Unfortunately, the game has minimal horror, and I wouldn’t go into it expecting to be scared. As for the gameplay itself, it’s really basic to its benefit and detriment. It’s a great game to pick up and play in a weekend, especially due to its short runtime, but it won’t offer any challenge or thought-provoking puzzles. Still, Little Nightmares 3 feels right at home in the franchise and I wouldn't mind seeing Supermassive Games take another crack at a sequel, especially if they learn from their mistakes on this one.

Escape From Duckov does a lot right while keeping an adorable identity, but it demands too much time without offering enough thrills in return. The game's biggest failings come from being inspired by a title that is fundamentally a bad game that somehow works in spite of its design, not because of it. If the game had taken notes from Escape From Tarkov's atmosphere but fundamentally changed the quest design at the very least, it would have been a hit. For now, Duckov is a lovely tribute with fun moments that overstays its welcome, but its generous price tag will get you your money's worth.

Despite faltering in single-player content and gunplay mechanics, Battlefield 6 finally brings back what made the franchise famous: epic combined arms fun with natural teamwork and a grounded setting. My crystal ball is broken, so I can't say whether it'll sell the lofty 100 million copies expected by the previous EA management, but this feels like a new era for a genre that has been stagnant for far too long. It's not the best shooter ever by any margin, but it is the first Battlefield that is ready to dominate the multiplayer scene after years of Call of Duty tyranny, and I for one welcome our new rulers.

Digimon fans starving for a game with a proper budget can finally have their fill. Digimon Story: Time Stranger is everything that those who grew up alongside Taichi and Agumon once dreamed a game could be. The story, though it sometimes stumbles with its time-travel theme and clunky script, has a glorious conclusion, and there's nothing better than filling your roster with 400+ Digimon. However, those who are just looking for a new turn-based JRPG might not find much here to hold their attention, especially since the first hours feel unappealing for anyone who doesn't care about Digimon.

Although Ghost of Yotei lacks a cohesive and well-executed main story, it makes up for that with its vastly improved combat and world design. It obviously doesn't do anything mind-blowing for the open-world genre, but it refines nearly every aspect that made Tsushima special while carving out its own unique identity. Atsu’s journey delivers both emotional depth and visceral action through her mastery of various weapons, supported by a beautifully crafted world that feels alive without overwhelming you with a boatload of recurring side activities. It’s a love letter to revenge tale media rather than the traditional samurai cinema and players who still adore the gameplay-focused prowess of Sucker Punch—moreover, it's also a reminder that sometimes, a safe sequel can still be satisfying to play.

Absolum is a game that will be remembered not only for its incredible scenery but also for its fantastic gameplay. From the very first moments, it's clear that Absolum is something special and unique. A mix of powerful mechanics and expert game design will make players leave every session wanting more. Absolum will undoubtedly make a name for itself as one of the greatest games of the year. Whether it's with a friend or solo, beating up hordes of enemies has never been so much fun.

Bye Sweet Carole is an ambitious game that shoots for the moon and ends up among the stars. The Disney-style presentation is damn near flawless and evokes a sense of childish nostalgia that hardly any game has managed to do before. Not to mention, it's a pretty competent puzzler that feels cut from the same cloth as LucasArts classics in many ways. However, due to a slew of technical issues and some of the most cumbersome and unsatisfying platforming, stealth, and action sequences I can recall enduring, the game undoes a lot of its fine work to ultimately end up being a unique, but rather average experience.

Yooka-Replaylee feels like one of the best Nintendo 64-era collect-a-thons ever, but with every bit of shine, polish, and refinement that a 2025 release allows. Each level and character design is gorgeous, the orchestral soundtrack is incredible, and there's a ridiculous amount of activities and challenges jam-packed into every single nook and cranny of the game. The whole thing handles as smooth as butter and is a top-tier platformer experience that's oozing with heart, charm, joy, fun, and humor.

Blood of Mehran is a game that might look the part from the outside looking in, but if you spend any extended time with it at all, you'll see that it's far from a polished Prince of Persia clone. The visuals have that Unreal Engine sheen to them, but the animations, voice acting and overall design let the side down. However, nowhere near as egregiously as the wafer-thin plot, the derivative, the wonky gameplay, or the aggressively linear format. It's one of the most predictable, uninspired, and underwhelming action RPGs you'll likely ever come across. There is a certain level of cozy comfort that comes with that, but all in all, this is not worth your time or money.

Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is a refreshing roguelite tactical RPG with thoughtfully crafted character design, challenging turn-based combat, and customizable playstyles. While I'd like to see additional ways to interact with the environment during battle, and possibly more variations of routes to take at forked roads, these are very minor things that could hopefully be added in later. Overall, I've had an absolute blast with Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch; there's a lot of replay value and exciting possibilities.

Shrine's Legacy takes pretty clear influence from classic SNES-era 16-bit RPGs, with a fun blend of Zelda-style puzzles and action-based combat. Fortunately, it does an admirable job of using that inspiration to create its own identity, and doesn't rely too much on the nostalgia of your youth. The combat does feel a little stiff, while the magic and jewel system is unnecessarily complicated. But even so, if you're looking for an action RPG that scratches that retro itch, Shrine's Legacy is definitely one worth diving into.

King of Meat is effectively like one of the most eye-catching and elaborate LEGO kits you'll ever see. The composite parts are excellent, with soft-play-like visuals, a world that is wacky, silly, and engaging, and surprisingly nuanced combat and progression. Not to mention killer animation, a sublime creation kit, and cosmetic items that actually feel worth grinding for. However, like all LEGO kits, they don't come assembled, and you get out what you put in. As a solo experience, this game is hollow and quite one-note. Meaning that this game will only be successful and enjoyable if it gains a following, as community creations will be the lifeblood of this title. If the game gains that player base, it could be great, but it's a huge 'if'. The game doesn't have that lightning-in-a-bottle feel, and there's a genuine concern this game could be dead on arrival.

Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny is loaded with nostalgia, callbacks to famous scenes and lines, but ultimately isn't as good as it could be. The limited fantasy setting, monotonous combat and underwhelming world map are helped slightly by its wonderfully authentic voices and fun story. If you grew up watching these cartoons, chances are you'll be charmed by the respect paid to them like I was, but find that the quest itself is not quite as good as just watching your favorite episodes again.

CloverPit is very much a “What you see is what you get” situation. If you just like seeing numbers go up, its gameplay is more than simple enough to facilitate that with a high degree of variability and kit potential, though there’s also plenty of room to experiment with builds and perk loadouts, moreso as you play the game and unlock more of its large charm catalog. There’s a goal to reach if you’re so inclined, but it’s also just a great game to turn your brain off and enjoy while watching a YouTube video. The only real nitpick I could offer is that the descriptions of some of the charms are a little dense and percentage-heavy, but that becomes progressively less of a problem as you play the game and pick up more of what it’s putting down. Frankly, it’s a wonder I was even able to put it down long enough to write this, and I’m gonna go start another run as soon as I’m done. The first step is admitting you have a problem, and the second step is pulling the dang lever again.

Sworn is an incredibly fun action Roguelite to jump into, especially if you have friends to play with. While it certainly isn't perfect, there's enough here to at least give it a shot. Sworn in its best moments is a game that engages you on several levels and forces you to make difficult decisions while rewarding your hard work. In its worst moments, it's a bit of a slog that will have you questioning your strategy and build. If you like Arthurian legend and thoroughly enjoy Roguelite action with meta-progression, you'll find yourself very pleased with your time in Sworn.

LEGO Party! stands tall as one of the best games ever in the competitive board game-style genre. Sure, it's derivative of Mario Party, but it also improves on many games in that series in a multitude of ways. Almost all of the 60 mini-games here are truly great, the game boards are creative, and the player customization options feel endless. I do wish it had a couple additional modes and maybe another game board or two, but that's really just because I want more of this awesome title. Regardless, LEGO Party! is such a blast, and a game I sincerely hope catches on so we can keep getting more content and sequels.

For the vast majority of both Suda and Swery’s works, you don’t really show up for a high-quality gaming experience. You show up for the weird vibes, and indeed, Hotel Barcelona is rich in delightfully weird vibes that are appealing enough to get me through. However, there's a certain point where a game cannot carry itself on vibes alone. No More Heroes 3 had some visual jank, but was still a solid game. The Good Life ran terribly on my computer, but still had an engaging core loop. With Hotel Barcelona, I feel as though both Suda and Swery's typical shortcomings are multiplying against each other, resulting in a game that has good bones and a fun, wacky premise, but falls well short on actual execution. If a game with this kind of slow, sticky gameplay and graphical shortcomings came from any other directors, it probably wouldn't be on my radar.

Topping the original Hades was a damn near impossible feat, but Supergiant Games pulled it off. While it still has some of the accessibility issues of its predecessor, Hades 2 manages to improve upon the combat, world-building, and content of the first game, making Melinoe’s journey stand out. It may not surprise or shock Hades fans with originality, but it upped the stakes in a way that makes it a must-play game.

The developers of Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles went above and beyond in not only recreating the feel of the original game but also upgrading nearly every aspect of it. It’s hard to improve upon a masterpiece, but Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles accomplishes just that, and I hope that it doesn’t get ignored come awards season, in such a stacked year full of great releases.

I tried hard to be in on the joke of Baby Steps for the first hour, but it lost me insanely quickly. The thing is, I don't think it even cares. The QWOP-iness of the movement actually is well-done, and there are some moments of absurdity that worked for me. It then just shifts too far from a stupid but fair rage game, to a stupid but cheap-feeling rage game with no redeeming qualities. You'll painfully wander aimlessly for hours. You'll cringe hard at the "humor" that gets way too gratuitous, gross, and vulgar completely unjustifiably. This becomes a mostly mean-spirited game that even wants to drive you insane with the soundtrack. Laugh and watch someone else experience it if you want to, but do not play it yourself.

Silent Hill f is completely distinct from any other entry in the franchise, but also firmly committed to being faithful to Team Silent's visions, and it carried out those visions wonderfully. Not only is the game a horror masterpiece, it's a Silent Hill masterpiece, finally giving veteran fans the long-awaited relief we've been craving. While being a commentary on feminine fears and oppressive societies, Silent Hill f gives much for players to chew on, and even more to swallow, in the most visually striking and grotesque entry the series has seen yet. The first new Silent Hill entry in over a decade is everything fans could ever hope it to be and then some, cementing itself as an instant classic not just for the franchise, but for survival horror overall.

The icy hellscape of Frostpunk 2 translates surprisingly well to Sony's sleek console. The PlayStation 5 occasionally has hiccups, and the DualSense controller is far from ideal for a strategy game this intricate, but the game does a brilliant job patching over these issues to let you enjoy a strong narrative experience. I got to build what I thought were thriving civilizations, and then watch them fall apart through my own shortsightedness. Frostpunk 2 is a beautiful, honest depiction of how far humanity can go when survival is the only ambition, and it makes my multiple political downfalls worth living.

The yearly nature of EA Sports FC typically gets in the way of selling new copies because of just how similar the versions are. FC 26 bucks that trend by giving the single-player side of things the love it had been badly craving for years. Without the shadow of multiplayer balancing looming over things, you have gameplay that is likely to stay the same until FC 27 inevitably comes along. I've been having a blast with the current implementation, and was quick to uninstall FC 25 after a single match. If you like to play it slow, pass around, and fist-pump after tight wins, this is the football game for you.

Back in the day, Trails in the Sky hinged on its story and world-building to make up for its other lacking characteristics. Twenty years later, Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter not only brings back the full heart of what made the original a classic, but it can now stand tall beside any other heavyweight JRPG. The visual presentation is beautiful, the mix between real-time and turn-based battles is a blast, and the quality-of-life additions adhere to present-day audiences. I can confidently say that Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter is a quintessential JRPG that should be cherished by every fan of the genre.