Another year, another MotoGP title that refuses to take any significant steps toward improving the experience. The graphics feel more obsolete with each annual release, while the content remains limited. The physics engine is still excellent, but it’s no longer enough to compensate for the lack of meaningful progress.

The second season of The Dark Pictures Anthology begins with a strong premise, sending players into space with clear inspirations from The Thing and Alien. Directive 8020 is yet another example of Supermassive Games reaching the limits of what this anthology format can offer, with the production’s budget constraints becoming increasingly apparent. Despite that, it delivers an effective horror story with well-written characters and impressive lighting effects. However, it stays a little too close to its inspirations and struggles to establish a truly unique identity. The stealth segments also feel overused and would have benefited from being shortened or replaced with interactive cutscenes.

Ground Zero offers a generous amount of content, with large maps and plenty of replay value. However, it often leans toward quantity over quality. While the level design is solid, movement feels clunky and oddly favors tank controls over modern ones. On top of that, its puzzles, enemies, and setting play things too safe, relying heavily on nostalgia.

Invincible VS does justice to the visual identity of the comic and TV show, something fans will definitely appreciate. Its alternate take on the story is also intriguing, even if it’s on the short sied at around two hours. That said, the pacing of the fights feels slower than expected, particularly with its tag-team mechanics, and some unusual changes to established genre mechanics end up feeling unnecessary and offer little benefit.

The Occultist is largely focused on building a series of atmospheric, Lovecraftian-inspired stages, and it succeeds in delivering a visually engaging aesthetic. The experience is supported by simple yet satisfying environmental puzzles. However, its storytelling feels bland, the voice acting is subpar in many cases, and the stalker-type enemies should have been removed entirely.

As far as transitions from 2D to 3D go, the new Super Meat Boy proves that this is not inherently an improvement. Although there is a decent variety of levels, its serious lack of depth perception results in gameplay where you struggle more with the controls than with the level design itself. The bland visuals don’t help either.

There are myriad ways to customize the Miis and shape their lives through a variety of humorous situations. However, the game moves at a very slow pace, which proves to be its biggest drawback, as players are often left simply waiting for something to happen.

In the long line of so-called simulator games arrives Crime Simulator, another entry marred by repetition, questionable AI, and technical issues. While there’s some freedom in how missions can be approached, and a bit of fun in co-op, it ultimately delivers only the bare minimum expected of its premise.

Somewhere within Greedfall II lies a compelling blend of an intriguing story about colonisation and a well-designed real-time-with-pause combat system. However, it becomes difficult to appreciate its world-building and combat when the real battle is against a myriad of bugs and game-breaking issues, some severe enough to force a complete restart.

Everdark is an honest indie addition to the horror genre. While it doesn’t compete with big-budget productions, it delivers a brutal, nostalgic experience through well-crafted gameplay and effectively implemented survival horror elements. It’s on the shorter side and has some technical issues, but overall, fans of the genre will appreciate what it offers.

Screamer is a truly unique racer, standing out thanks to its charming anime aesthetic, both on the track and in its well-crafted cutscenes. The characters are well written, even if the story is somewhat predictable. Thankfully, the driving model is up to par, offering a variety of nuanced mechanics within its arcade feel that keep the challenge high but fair. Unfortunately, it’s dragged down by a limited selection of courses and vehicles.

Anyone expecting a faithful transition of the God of War franchise into 2D will be sorely disappointed by Sons of Sparta. It lacks the raw violence of those games and the weight behind their attacks. Ultimately, it feels like a very typical metroidvania that struggles to stand out in such a highly competitive genre.

Crimson Capes is a modest indie metroidvania that earns plenty of personality points thanks to its use of the rotoscope technique, which gives it uniquely smooth animations. The combat is well designed, akin to the original Prince of Persia games but with more depth. Subpar platforming holds it back somewhat, hurting its exploration aspect, however, it still offers solid action with plenty of boss fights.

RIDE 6 builds on the strong foundation of the series, enriching its content with an impressive roster of motorcycles from many different disciplines. The newly introduced dirt bikes are its weakest addition and their presentation still needs improvement. Nevertheless, its rich career mode and well-designed driving model will keep aficionados busy for a long time.

Crisol: Theater of Idols can be succinctly described as a budget BioShock. That may sound harsh, but few modern FPS games evoke this kind of nostalgic design, and despite its shortcomings, the developers earn the comparison. While limitations in enemy variety and loot are evident, Tormentosa remains an intriguing place to visit and explore.

While barebones in modes and lacking tutorials, Aces of Thunder still delivers a great VR experience. Its highly detailed warplanes, excellent audio design, and realistic physics will convince you to push through the steep learning curve and take part in its intense dogfights.

The original Animal Crossing: New Horizons remains an excellent game, but the Switch 2 update is a clear disappointment. The promised technical improvements are almost negligible, and the game remains “stuck” at 30 FPS. Moreover, the new mouse controls are a mixed bag. Helpful for interior decoration, yet strangely omitted during exploration. All in all, this paid update is not worth the price.

A beautiful and full of nostalgia remake of the original classic from the '80s, albeit with poor controls that can damage the overall experience.

Our Adventure Guild doesn’t attempt to reinvent the tactical RPG genre and struggles with repetition in both its quest design and recruitable characters. That said, it could still serve as a welcoming entry point for newcomers to the genre.

Once more, Tarsier proves it knows how to craft a horror setting that feels torn from the darkest corners of a child’s imagination. Compared to the Little Nightmares games, Reanimal features a far more dynamic camera that heightens tension and amplifies its intense chases and moments of awe. However, these striking set pieces are the exception in an experience that remains largely reminiscent of the studio’s previous work. As a result, Reanimal stands as a satisfying new entry, but one that ultimately plays things a little too safe.

A highly uneven experience, Code Vein 2 is ultimately saved by its likable characters, clever use of time travel in the story and some tense but fair boss battles. The open-world design hampers the pacing, with drab environments that discourage exploration and uninspired regular enemies. Yet those who stick with it may find themselves genuinely invested in the fate of its central cast.

Fear the Timeloop has solid fundamentals that closely follow the survival-horror template established by Resident Evil, while also serving as a welcome ode to the genre’s golden era. It delivers effective scares, a good variety of enemies, and strong level design. However, in its current state, the experience is marred by numerous technical issues and aggravating, game-breaking bugs that frequently undermine what could otherwise be a solid, if slightly derivative, experience.

I Hate This Place feels like a project that began with a far more ambitious vision for its world. The lackluster survival and crafting systems make little sense given the game’s short length, which leaves no room for these mechanics to properly breathe. While its dungeons are engaging, featuring effective horror elements and enough loot to encourage exploration, the open world, flat characters, and mediocre combat significantly hinder the overall experience.

A-RED Walking Robot is charming and quite unique, putting players in the role of a small mechanical toy robot. Its well thought out level design, using everyday environmental objects and rooms, gives the game a much needed personality. However, its frequent reliance on trial and error leads to unfair situations that more often than not become frustrating.

Old School Rally fully justifies its name, taking players back to the era of the legendary first Colin McRae Rally and staying extremely faithful to that inspiration. While it successfully hits the nostalgia it aims for, that same devotion becomes a hindrance once the feeling wears off, leaving behind a derivative technical experience with little effort to establish its own identity.

This new DLC for Pokémon Legends Z-A is something of a double-edged sword. While it adds a wealth of new main and side missions, legendary Pokémons, and a strong cast of new characters that can keep players busy for hours, the bland new Hyperspace area and the excessive grinding required to unlock its missions ultimately drag down the experience.

If nothing else, Dreams of Another is a unique third-person game. Its dreamlike visuals and intriguing “no creation without destruction” gameplay concept immediately draw attention and pique curiosity. However, its experimental nature doesn’t fully pay off, as the tiring gameplay, sluggish pace, and a story that fails to make sense quickly wear down that initial interest.

Ultimate Zombie Defense is at least honest about its B-movie philosophy, offering simple gameplay that can hook you for several mindless gaming hours. Decimating hordes of zombies is certainly fun, but the limited content, highly derivative visuals, and lack of depth prevent it from rising above a guilty pleasure.