Despite its design flaws and City Trial misses, Kirby Air Riders offers enough substance and charm to make it a game you’ll keep coming back to—whether for quick bursts of fun or to teach your friends something new when they come over.

Project Motor Racing feels like a game in the very early stages of Early Access, rather than a title ready for its 1.0 release.

Dispatch is one of the most charming, engaging, and well-written games of the year. It might be a comedy, but it doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects. You must take on the role of a mentor to a team of misfit heroes, all while navigating your own demons, not to mention the actual demon on your team. The character arcs and the team's overall arc are so satisfying and effective. I knew early on that this was a game I would play multiple times to see where different decisions would lead me. AdHoc Studio has instantly made a name for itself with this debut game.

While it suffers from occasional repetition and blandness, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment stands as the best Hyrule Warriors entry to date—and one of the most enjoyable Zelda spinoffs we’ve gotten so far.

The latest Black Ops 7 not only pales in comparison to Battlefield 6, but it also doesn't measure up to the previous Call of Duty games.

If you enjoyed Syberia in 2002, this is the best way to experience it again. If you’ve never heard of Syberia before this, it might not hit the same way. There is a compelling story, world, and cast of characters at the heart of Syberia - Remastered, however, it’s hard to recommend to everyone. Not all modern players will have the patience to get through Kate Walker’s clunky movement, the puzzles that will have you repetitively running back and forth, and the easy-to-miss objects and interactions that will frustrate you and slow you down. This is certainly the ultimate way to play Syberia now, but I’m not sure everyone will want to.

For Anno fans, it's a must-have. For new players, this is a great chance to dive into the series - the fascinating ancient Rome setting and the deep mechanics make it totally worth pushing through the initial learning curve. Anno 117: Pax Romana will be consuming my time for weeks, months, maybe even years to come.

Is Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines 2 a worthy successor to the first game? Yes and no. It is an interesting game with many good features, but it is also riddled with problems and strange gameplay solutions.

Jurassic World Evolution 3 is just a small evolution of ideas from the previous installment. It may not be much, but it still allows you to create the Jurassic Park of your dreams. It's a must-have for dinosaur fans, but not necessarily for fans of tycoons and complex economics.

The new Painkiller is not a good game. This is not a title that almost succeeded or has untapped potential that modders will fix. This is a short production, poorly made and ill-conceived at almost every level.

Obsidian’s brilliant use of their flaws system in The Outer Worlds 2 makes it stand out as one of the best examples of how to encourage roleplaying in video games. Playing through this game really felt like I was breaking out of the shell that most other RPGs put me in. The world, its various factions, and characters all enhance this by encouraging you to make your own choices about who to be and what to do. Ultimately, this makes the game well worth your time, but also flawed in its own way, with occasionally frustrating combat, and a serviceable story to follow.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is another bold experiment from Game Freak. It may not fully succeed in building a cohesive, immersive world, but its innovative battle system and exciting new Pokémon make it a fascinating step forward.

Ninja Gaiden 4 is a full-blooded action game that delivers plenty of adrenaline from overcoming tough challenges. Even in light of a few missteps, it cannot be denied that PlatinumGames has created a strong representative of a heavily neglected genre.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the team of veteran beat ‘em up developers made another great beat ‘em up game. Absolum evolves the best parts of classic beat ‘em up action and weaves it with an original story, a compelling world, and roguelike elements. This doesn’t seem like a game that should work as well as it does, but it’s some of the most fun I’ve had with a co-op game this year.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is a flawed masterpiece. To the right player, it can be one of the greatest games of all time. But that’s only if they are able to look past or easily overcome the grueling, unforgiving challenges that come up regularly. From the world design to the music, characters, and animations, this is a monumental achievement, but had I not been working on this review, I would have given up on Silksong a long time ago. That certainly says something about me as a player, but it also says something about the game, too.

Battlefield 6 may not be a perfect game, but it is definitely the best game in the series in a long time, and it's hard to describe just how good it feels to play Battlefield again.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the team of veteran beat ‘em up developers made another great beat ‘em up game. Absolum evolves the best parts of classic beat ‘em up action and weaves it with an original story, a compelling world, and roguelike elements. This doesn’t seem like a game that should work as well as it does, but it’s some of the most fun I’ve had with a co-op game this year.

Little Nightmares III is a darkly beautiful follow-up that captures the series’ eerie charm but plays it too safe, offering an experience that feels more familiar than frightening.

In the end Hades 2 is an extremely successful sequel to the cult game. Both the seasoned pros and those new to Supergiant games are going to have a blast with it. Although it's still a roguelike, with all the advantages and disadvantages of the genre, the excellent dialogues and hypnotic music make it worth the effort. The visuals, refined down to the smallest detail, are stunning, and characters such as Dora and Artemis will stay with you long after the game ends. Hades 2 isn't perfect, but it's still ready to take on Clair Obscur, the new Silent Hill, and Silksong.

At its core, Ghost of Yotei is another tale of revenge, but it’s the way it frames that theme—through Atsu’s humanity, the land of Ezo, and the people within it—that makes the experience truly worthwhile.

After many long years, Silent Hill has received its most exceptional installment, reintroducing the series to the Premier League of horror and regaining its reputation as the pinnacle of virtual terror.

Dying Light: The Beast is neither an expansion nor a sequel. However, it is another good opportunity for an extremely spectacular extermination of zombies in a beautiful, open world of reasonable size.

Crossworlds has a really unique concept, combined with an arcade style, great dynamics, and solid gameplay, making it a strong competitor to Nintendo's Mario Kart.

Although Cronos: The New Dawn doesn't revolutionize the genre, fans of survival horror games set in unique settings will be satisfied. A dense atmosphere, a mysterious plot, and a solid dose of anxiety define this new game from Bloober Team.

Hell Is Us makes bold choices: no hand-holding, no maps, no shortcuts. That design philosophy is both its biggest strength and its biggest frustration.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a stunning, faithful remake that beautifully preserves the 2004 classic, but its reluctance to add anything new makes it feel more like a remaster than a reimagining.

Mafia: The Old Country is a solid return to the series’ roots. Despite a few minor flaws, it delivers an engaging story that’s well worth experiencing. The game also packs in plenty of fan-service moments that longtime Mafia fans will definitely appreciate.

Though not without its faults, Hinokami Chronicles 2 is a visually stunning and faithful follow-up that builds on the original with more characters, polished storytelling, and just enough style to keep Demon Slayer fans hooked.