If Coal Supper had ended up with a gameplay model that was as interesting to engage with mechanically as it is downright magnificent to look at, experience and listen to, then this would have been one of the best games of the year.

It took me about four hours to play through Mullet Mad Jack and after about half of my playing time, I felt pretty fed up with the monotonous environments and the corridors that everything takes place in.

It's been a great pleasure for me personally to experience one of the modern classics that are considered seminal to the conventions of the genre, and I have to applaud much of Bloober Team's work here. That doesn't change the fact that there are aspects of Silent Hill 2's foundation that appear slightly shaky to me, and your immersion and enjoyment will be dictated by how forgiving you are of a story that becomes a little too thin as the game progresses.

Nioh 3 is simply a good game because it's more of Nioh and Nioh 2 with a few extra dashes of different playstyles, a few new enemies, bigger environments, and some tiny gameplay tweaks. Those of you just looking for more Nioh/Rise of the Ronin/Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty are getting exactly that. Everyone else will forget this even came out by the time Game of the Year awards start in December, because I'll exaggerate a bit by saying this is what AI would have made if you asked it to develop Nioh 3.

All the practicalities: the combat system, the enemies' actual attack patterns and manoeuvres, progression, and upgrades, and the game's item economy. All of this seems less polished, less precisely defined, and for that reason it is easy to recommend Silent Hill f as an experience, but somewhat more difficult as a gaming experience.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is still one of the finest 2D platformers in recent memory, so there's still that going for this upgrade and pack, but at the same time, if you can save yourself close to £20 and simply buy the base game and leave it at that, I wouldn't discourage doing so, as Meetup in Bellabel Park and the Nintendo Switch 2 Upgrade is simply not must-have content.

Pragmata simply works too well not to recommend it, and the magic lost in the empty spaces may not be as obvious to you as it is to me. That's why I'm giving in and recommending Pragmata on the strength of its strong gameplay profile and well-constructed loops and structures, even though part of me would have liked there to be a bit of edge beneath the cool exterior alongside all the great design.

If you liked this team's previous works and tactical games like Fire Emblem, The Hundred Line: Last Defence Academy is a recommended choice. However, I'm left with the feeling that it's a good idea that missed an opportunity to be something even more unique.

There are parts that impress, features that you will embrace and enjoy, there are also other elements that you will come away from frankly bewildered. It's an odd balance, an end-product that in the days after wrapping it up I still cannot quite wrap my head around in places. But this does mean it's memorable and unique, so if you enjoy indies that push the boundaries of creative expression, Skate Story has a lot going for it.

The game is relatively monotonous and really quite boring in its gameplay loop. The reason I'm giving it a recommendation is because Keep Driving is very much a "vibes" game, and you'll know if you're in tune with that after watching the trailer. The pixel art graphics are gorgeous and the soundtrack features a couple of Swedish indie bands I've never heard of before, but which have been on repeat in my music app ever since.

I was excited to see what The Game Kitchen could do with Ninja Gaiden. Unfortunately, the answer is a bit disappointing. Ragebound is rock solid and feels really good in your hands, but it lacks spark, passion, X-factor, surprises. I could go on. At a time when sharp 2D action games are not exactly in short supply, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is a solid revival of a classic series that will probably make the old core happy, but I would start somewhere else, Katana Zero, for example.

This collection is specifically designed for the most die-hard purists, and I think it's a shame that M2/Konami didn't take the opportunity to build the perfect, definitive Gradius collection. Gradius for the NES should obviously have been included, as should Gradius 4, Gradius V, Gradius Rebirth, and Gradius Gaiden. That didn't happen, and there's nothing wrong with the package we got instead, but it does gnaw at me a little that Konami, after the absolutely fantastic Contra collection, didn't quite hit the bullseye here.

Do you need to buy Football Manager 2024 if you already play last year's version? Nah, not at full price. There's not enough new content.

When it works, Laika: Aged Through Blood is top-notch entertainment in prime time, and proof that suddenly there is pure innovation on the indie scene worthy of mainstream attention.

So, is the expansion worth it? Much more than Mario Party, but at the same time don't expect a lot of content or innovation. For me, it's more like a nice icing on top of what was a memorable adventure, as a way to expand on the original experience with the recipe of "more and better". If the Switch title was among your favourites, go swallow the expansion and bump it up a notch in our score, because you won't be disappointed and you'll enjoy a new story with a few additions. If you don't already own the original, you'd better give it a try before jumping straight into the €80 edition.

So, the key thing to take away from my experience with 30 Birds is that this game is a colourful and rich puzzle game that excels thanks to its unusual narrative and beautiful art direction.

Ultimately, Moomintroll: Winter's Warmth delivers more of what we saw in Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley. It's an accessible adventure for a younger audience where the charm of Tove Jansson's stories meets simple gameplay mechanics, and it's easy to recommend this if you enjoyed its predecessor. Admittedly, the adventure on offer this time around may not be quite as grand in scale, and much of it can feel a little too familiar and repetitive at times, but a quiet, atmospheric winter's day can, as we know, be just as inviting as a warm and lively afternoon in the sun. Hyper Games continues its tradition of respecting the source material in the very best way, and if you like Finnish little trolls, these digital fairy tales are the very best on the market right now.

As it is now, it is an entertaining action spectacle that is definitely best when played with others. Despite the repetitiveness, I have had a lot of fun with it and I look forward to diving into new planets to save humanity.

If you're into adventure and puzzle games, Killer Frequency is a nice and slightly different take on a game in that genre. But it's not a game for everyone.

The problem I have with MLB The Show 24 is nothing on the pitch, where it is fantastic. Instead, it's that it's starting to feel old. Every year I get a sense of deja vu. It's the same game as last year. I'd love to see the series get a real fresh start next year.

It's a modest visual upgrade that doesn't take advantage of today's consoles, even if wet surfaces, dirt, and textures are slightly more defined, in addition to tighter game controls and a handful of new tools than last time around. If you liked the first game, you will feel at home here as it's more of the same, but if you didn't like it last time, it's unlikely to win your heart this time either.

It's a good game - in many ways better today than it was then, with lots of content and a racing curve that anyone can handle, whether they're just starting to learn to drive or drifting on a daily basis. However, the lack of a proper online mode where you can play with or against others is a missed opportunity. Instead, you have to battle it out on leaderboards that invite rivalry. The AI-controlled opponents tend to behave strangely aggressively at times, with proper PIT manoeuvres that send you spinning, which of course has no place here.

Sonic Racing: Crossworlds is a good game that has something for everyone. But it also has its obvious problems that will be difficult for the developers to correct in retrospect.

This is another title that reinforces the "just one more round" feeling in an extraordinary way. It's very entertaining, and you always know how you can do a little better next time, by making a design a little more efficiently. Even though you can move on to a new island once you've reached a certain score, you can also stay where you are and try to increase your score for as long as possible, then move on to the next one when you can't build any more where you are. It's meditative, relaxing, enjoyable, and very cosy, although perhaps a little too familiar for those of us who played the predecessor.

Ninja Gaiden 4 thus gives a rather mixed impression, but nevertheless one that leans positively. There is a familiar charm to the way the adventure is structured, and although I don't want to brush aside the criticism of substandard graphics and outdated design and defend it with rose-tinted nostalgia, the concept of simple action, built with equally simple game code, works surprisingly well. It's not a game that will go down in history in the same way as its predecessors, but it's still an adventure worth playing through if you're craving more frantic ninja action.

Marathon’s foundations are solid, strong, and well-functioning, and although the game might lack a hook, or simply maps that build on this solid foundation, I feel confident enough, even without Cryo Archive, to recommend Marathon solely on the basis of this rather fantastic loop. That doesn’t mean Marathon is a fantastic game in itself, but it could very well turn out to be one, and that’s more positive than for a great many other live-service games.

While I won't deny that Saltsea Chronicles has a slow pace that often leaves a little to be desired, this indie adventure game does have its moments.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 has a very strong combat system, a visually appealing world, and the huge amount of monsters you can find and command in battle make up for some of its more uninspired elements and a rather dull story. Hardcore Monster Hunter fans, displeased by the "casualification" of the series in Wilds, may find a good excuse to return to the Monster Hunter universe here, but that will depend on how much they enjoy the turn-based JRPG genre, with all of its quirks and clichés.

Depending on how you look at the Switch 2 version of Star Wars Outlaws, it's either a subpar version and a disappointment compared to other formats, or it's a technically impressive feat that almost shouldn't be possible. Both of these statements can be true at the same time.

I am left with a somewhat vanilla taste in Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar. An adventure that certainly won't disappoint those who know what they're going for, but may feel a little empty to new farmers if they don't connect with its routine. Country life in Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar is not for everyone, but it's not bad at all.

A low introductory price, a simple structural premise that allows for mechanical quirks and a well-constructed aesthetic - what's not to like? Well, as with some indie games there's a slight mismatch in the amount of mechanical variety, the number of active systems and the overall length of the experience.

Darkest Dungeon II is still promising, but lacks meat around its bones. The 3D art style has been a success, but many changes to core mechanics are either underbaked or too plain, and the user interface needs more love.

Ultimately, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero feels like a game made for the fans, above all. It oozes fan service, and the amount of content and characters proves that the developer wants to satisfy the needs of as many people as possible. It's because of this that the playability comes across as a bit of an imprecise slap in the face, as this otherwise competent action game sometimes struggles in practice.

Convergence: A League of Legends Story is a really solid platformer, and an even better story. There are some minor annoyances throughout, and the game peaks fairly quickly with a slow middle section, but the end payoff certainly makes it worth sitting through in its entirety.

Jagged Alliance 3 pays homage to its predecessor and is one of the stronger turn-based titles of the year. It's intense, difficult and manages to enchant with its addictive gameplay. If you are completely new to the genre, it tries very hard to dissuade you to keep playing, but if you get comfortable with the set-up, everything changes.

For the first time in many years, I feel like the Madden series is going somewhere. It's been stagnant, it's had major problems with all sorts of things, and it's mostly been frustrating. That feeling has mostly not been present in Madden NFL 26. It's definitely not problem-free, but it's the best this series has produced in a very long time, which in itself, is nothing to brag about.

With its vibrant visuals and looping roguelike elements, Ultros is a Metroidvania that dares to be different and for that alone, it earns my respect.

You're hardly reinventing the wheel here, and were it not for Braking Point and the new LiDAR-scanned tracks, it would in all honesty be hard to recommend F1 25 to anything but the most dedicated. And at the risk of sounding like a broken record, my final conclusion is much the same as last year. Does there need to be a new F1 every year? No, absolutely not.

Paper Trail is a really nice puzzle game, but it didn't quite blow me away. There's nothing wrong with it as such, and the various puzzles should provide a good amount of challenge, but it feels like something is missing.

It's dark, it's exciting, and at the same time difficult which is hugely appreciated. At least during the first act, which is reason enough to play through to experience something new.

Not without its clear flaws but good enough to follow Iori and Saber's long story all the way to the end.

Promenade is a great game that I still find just as solid and engaging as when I first encountered it. If you're interested in a platformer that's different and offers an extra dose of puzzles, this is definitely one of those indies you shouldn't miss.

We found more weaknesses than strengths in its features, especially the narrative, which is rather lacking. For its target audience it may be a good choice, but for the average user it is a title where you will not find what you expect from it.

If you enjoy Two Point games, and management simulation titles altogether, you'll no doubt have a lot of fun with Galacticare, but don't expect an experience of the same degree of refinement as some of the other titans in this space.

There's quality and genuine brilliance in this game, but at the same time I can't help but feel as though it'd benefit from either having more interactivity and player-geared gameplay or rather a complete focus on narrative and letting a hand-crafted and highly refined story flow of its own accord. Perhaps we'll see a change in the future of the series, but whatever ends up happening, one thing is clear and that is Reunion once again nails the core elements of what makes a Life is Strange game special, so credit to Deck Nine on that front once more.

Even though it isn't flawless in any sense, the concept is unique enough and the gameplay engaging enough for the most part that I found The Bookwalker: Thief of Tales to be a really interesting indie title.

On one hand it has an excellent appearance and overall ambience, but then lacks narrative development and compelling gameplay.

Lies of P brings some exciting new ideas to the table and is well worth checking out for Souls-like fans looking to scratch that Bloodborne itch.

Fast Fusion costs £13.49 for Switch 2 and for that minimal amount of money, German Shin'en Multimedia offers a clearly enjoyable Wipeout clone that also includes a very elaborate split screen mode for up to four players, locally. If, like me, you always miss Wipeout and F-Zero, you're right to spend your money on this.

EA Sports UFC 5 is the best game in this sport. The new graphics engine has brought new life to the series, but otherwise not much has changed in the three years since the last game was released.

Escape Simulator 2 is a well-built, solid, and fun game that suffers from a flawed hint system and a difficulty curve that is far too steep.

On the one hand, there's a simple charm in this and all the elements, however unoriginal, work just fine. But Khazan's journey also feels very monotonous. Despite the new elements that are introduced during the game, it feels mostly without finesse and never anything more than just okay. Now, The First Berserker: Khazan does capture the very essence of an action role-playing game and doesn't try to be much more than that. For me it's a bit too simple but if that's what you're looking for and have been longing for, there are definitely reasons to give it a chance.

It's a bit of a shame that Pepper Grinder doesn't stick the landing because there are elements of brilliance here, and the drilling platforming, the boss battles, the art direction and the world that Ahr Ech has created is all fantastic, it just needs that little bit extra to take it from being good to being something great.

The Pillars of the Earth misses an opportunity to become a sublime game. The new features that were present at the time of its first release still feel fresh and modern, but the game's core remains archaic.

If you're a lover of the musou genre, this is a must-have title for you. But if this is going to be your first time playing this type of game, it's good to know that repetition and "routine" combat is part of it. In any case, you will feel like a truly "unique" hero.

I would have liked to see Afterimage get at least six more months in the oven before being released to the world and my recommendation is to wait and see what the developers decide to do with the title. Because more work is clearly needed here to really do the game's potential justice and bring it to the finish line.

If you're not exactly a die-hard RPG fan, People of Note can be a nice, accessible and cosy little RPG that tries to do things a bit differently by adding musical abilities to a traditional RPG, and if you buy into the slightly simple premise, it actually works.

Is it a massive improvement on the Dying Light formula or a step up on what Dying Light 2: Stay Human recently offered? No, not at all. But is it still a blast to play, a simple, easy to pick-up title that has enough depth to make you want to return and continue playing. Yes, without question. The Dying Light formula remains a highlight, even if it is getting closer and closer to requiring big innovation.

Ultimately, though, as I said, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an incredibly difficult game to review and rate; quality-wise, it mixes heavily between high and low, and the whole can't be described as anything but extremely scattered from start to finish.

Nightreign is, in my opinion, a highly successful experiment at a fair price, and while there are some obvious kinks to iron out - the lack of new enemies and maps other than Limveld being the most acute - the gameplay foundation is rock solid, and that's what matters most.

Duck Detective falls short, even though it works in a way. It's not bad, but the whole thing reeks of unrealised potential, and I really hope Happy Broccoli gets the chance to give this formula another shot, because the concept is downright brilliant. It's also much better than the actual game that sprang from it.

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is a dedicated hardcore game with a lot of mechanics that make it feel like a response to Street Fighter 6, which is a bit of a hilarious thought considering its predecessor 25 years ago was a response of sorts to Street Fighter III: Third Strike.

I wish Wanderstop's actual gameplay elements had been given an extra coat of paint, a little more focus. It's not that I'm demanding that the game prioritise differently than it does, but even if you fall in love with the therapeutic, calm, and introspective atmosphere, you'll probably end up getting bored before the end credits roll, and that's a shame.

It's an incredibly atmospheric journey, where every room feels important to your progress, slowly but surely bringing you closer and closer to madness, but perhaps also to the truth. Routine may not write a new chapter in the history of horror, but it retells the old ones in a stylish way.

Horizon Call of the Mountain showcases Sony's shiny new hardware very well taking you on an entertaining and varied romp through the lesser known parts of the Horizon universe, but it isn't a system seller.

Wax Heads is a cosy, relaxing little game and especially if you're a music fanatic, it's lovely to potter about running the little record shop. The simple gameplay is perhaps a bit too simple, and the challenge lies in the vague clues the customers give, so it can all get a bit monotonous. However, I think Patattie Games deserves credit for trying something new, and it's actually a great idea they've come up with here and the fact that it's all been created by just two people with help from only a handful of external contributors is even more impressive. If you enjoy good music and are looking for a relaxing and cosy game that's particularly well-suited to your Switch or Steam Deck, then Wax Heads could be a really good choice, and you can try a demo on Steam if you'd like to check it out before you buy.

No Sleep For Kaname Date is still a good game. It just suffers from following two masterful games. Judged on its own merits, it's still a Japanese adventure with sky-high production values, a fascinating story, fun characters, and, in my opinion at least, fine English voice acting. Just be careful not to set your expectations too high.

It's full of content, and fans of the series should definitely check out this instalment as well. Because if you've immersed yourself in the Like a Dragon series, this is probably an essential to add to your gaming library. I would have liked it to feel less dated and stiff. But for now, there are a few too many small details to get hung up on.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger is very half-baked. After an incredibly slow start, and I'm the first to say that role-playing games take time and often grow enormously after a few hours, the colourful Digimon world is certainly fun to explore, but the disappointing technical aspects, the simplistic battles, the dull story, and the boring gameplay moments mean everything feels like half-baked fun at best.

If you're looking for a competent Souls-like game with brutal boss fights, lots of cool weapons, and armour, and not least a gorgeous art style, then Tails of Iron 2 is a strong choice. For the most part, I enjoyed my 10-15 hours with the game, even though I was constantly nagged by the feeling that something more than just a solid game was lurking around the corner.

Despite the disappointment that this didn't reach higher heights, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is still okay, but doesn't reach past that except for a few points. It's mainly my personal experience with the game's story and how it's presented that is the biggest obstacle for this to reach the same kind of feeling I got from the adventure I took part in seven years ago. The predecessor simply felt much more memorable than this, which can be seen as a small failure.

Ride a motorbike across the sand with a worm biting your bum, fly your own ornithopter high in the sky, set down a combine harvester to collect spices. There's so much to do here even though it's all sand. Anakin Skywalker would hate it here.

With severe pacing issues in the first and third quarter, with frequent let-downs, and with a lukewarm ending, only fans like me will want to complete it, and even if there's some great talent involved here, the best news is that the technology is now ready to maintain more, and hopefully much better, games in the future.

It's a humorous action game that relies heavily on the fact that it feels funny and unique in its presentation.

Despite a disappointing ending and some irritations with the dialogue and combat, Beyond Galaxyland is an RPG that will remind you of the heady days of your first Final Fantasy, mixed with a Pokémon blend.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is cosy and full of creative joy for anyone willing to take the time to build a Mii community with personality. I would argue that it requires a fair bit of imagination on your part as a player to get the full value out of the experience. By that, I don't just mean a desire to create visually, but also an overarching concept of who your characters are and what their relationships with the other residents should look like. Essentially, build your own story and see what happens. For me, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is primarily a great tool for creative thinking, whilst it's then up to us as players to decide what we want to create.

Big Hops has plenty to celebrate and reasons to check it out, but it is also worth remembering that it's quite the traditional and familiar 3D platformer in many respects.

There's no way to dislike this, Red Dead Redemption was a fantastic game and still is today, but this is a shameless cash grab like no other.

Our impressions are generally positive, partly because it works more often than not, partly because it creates great gaming memories, and partly because it improves on many of its predecessor's gameplay systems. It's the amount of technical issues that prevent this from reaching higher heights than its predecessor.

I will not explain away or excuse Game Freak's bizarre way of constructing their games, nor will I claim that it makes sense for these AAA titles to be so incredibly stingy with rudimentary details such as 3D-modelled balconies in a city inspired by Paris, or voice acting. But at the same time, this is fundamentally a game that is once again about collecting, developing, and battling with Pokémon. That's what you do most, and that's what works best.

NeoSprint is a charming game in a retro genre already overflowing with games. It does nothing to stand out from the crowd, but at the same time it offers what is most important in a car game: driving pleasure.

Into the Restless Ruins actually offers something new and fresh that helps enrich the beloved rougelike genre. Although it borrows liberally from other rougelike giants, Ant Workshop has really borrowed from the right places and created something unique that is very addictive and offers an insane amount of replay value.

MotoGP 26 remains a very strong game in a series that does justice to the real-life MotoGP, and gameplay-wise it's entertaining, but unfortunately it feels as though the series is starting to slow down a bit too much. There simply isn't enough new content, nor does it feel sufficiently different from last year's title.

For once the smoke has cleared and the blocks have fallen into place, Drop Duchy offers a charming adventure where cute graphics blend with interesting and engaging gameplay. It may not be a ground-breaking take on the puzzle genre as a whole, but it is nonetheless an exciting concept with a great many clever touches. If you enjoy tactical thinking and relaxing puzzle-solving, this is an obvious purchase, and if you're willing to get to grips with all the complex choices on offer, you'll also find a game that you can spend countless hours playing over the coming summer months.

Titans of the Tide begins as a "great" platformer and steadily slips into "good" territory, perhaps even "mediocre" at times…

Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is still the most fun I've had with the series in over 20 years, and I'm actually at the time of writing looking forward to taking my Switch with me on vacation to break my own records. I just wish Sega would scale back production, as less is more here. Trying to add a story in this case is as relevant as trying to improve Tetris with a tale of missing blocks, rival gangs and Tetrominos speaking in fake children's voices in a made-up language. It wasn't for their delightful personalities that I once learned to love AiAi, MeeMee, Bano and GonGon - but because they were in an incredibly good game.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership just lacks some of the magic, the flavour, and the secrets those games bring, it drags considerably, and it gets a tad too dreary a tad too often. That being said, kids love it, it's good to see the return of a series many thought dead, and it does set the foundations for a new branch that can feel different to the Paper games going forward.

It's still a pleasant platformer with interesting gameplay mechanics, varied and detailed unique locations to explore, a broad list of enemy types to face and overcome, and lots of secrets to find hidden in nooks and crannies. But at the same time, this HD remaster is inferior to Luigi's Mansion 3 in pretty much every conceivable metric, and there's not a strong enough sense of nostalgia here to save it.

Synapse has very nice game mechanics that are the basis for everything, but since everything only breathes "glorified tech demo", it is difficult for me to really spew out any real praise.

Pacific Drive could one day be something special, one of those wonderful indie darlings that really puts the studio on the map. Keep an eye out for it, because this idea is just so damn cool.

It’s crammed to the brim - overflowing even - with content, works quite well with a gamepad, has serviceable and often impressive graphics, and full crossplay between PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S so you can team with your friends regardless of where they play. But, it’s not without its limits and issues, and it’s for these reasons that New World: Aeternum could do with a bit more refinement and adjustments to ensure it nails the task at hand of being an exhaustive and unimpaired console MMORPG effort.

As a whole, it's just a little too stripped down and without directly surprising or offering anything that feels directly exciting. The game comes with a low price tag and true hardcore fans of the genre can certainly get themselves a few hours of perfectly fine entertainment.

Studio Tolima has created an emotionally complex and memorable story that stands out for its narrative and audiovisual direction. It lacks a bit from a gameplay perspective, serving up mechanics that either feel overused or simply don't quite draw in the player, but otherwise, for a short two-to-four hour story, Koira does enough to leave a lasting impression.

There is clear quality and potential with Nobody Wants to Die, whether it's the aesthetic and worldbuilding, the performances and mysterious narrative, even the striking and detailed visuals, however, the gameplay itself leaves much to be desired. After four hours of completing what are essentially quick-time events to use many of the tools and systems in place and following a story that may as well be on rails, you begin to lose interest.

South of Midnight is a good game - nothing more, nothing less - one that storytelling-lovers will find enjoyment from and one that fans of tight and refreshing gameplay will find a bit repetitive and flat.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is a decent kart racer. The gameplay works well, you can easily do long powerslides, the many vehicles feel and sound different and the tracks are quite well designed.

Ultimately there are a lot of things about Zenless Zone Zero that I enjoy, but unfortunately a lot of my own experience stumbles because of the genre it has chosen to embrace and the playability it then tries to adapt to.

It's very easy to recommend Power Rangers Rita's Rewind. It's an incredibly loving tribute to the phenomenon and a fun game that's well worth playing through, even for those who like beat 'em ups or retro games in general but have no relation to the brand.