Fatal Frame II: The Crimson Butterfly Remake certainly has its flaws, but it also manages to show an uninitiated player like myself why the series has earned its place in horror history, even if it can't quite measure up to the latest offerings from its famous relatives.

Although it lacks the complexity you find in Anno or The Settlers, it stands on its own with a unique setting and well-crafted game mechanics.

Code Vein II pales in comparison to many others. If you've experienced the best in the genre, this simply feels several levels below. It's not just about the enormous strengths of those games, but unfortunately more about the weaknesses of this game and the fact that the areas that needed to be more polished unfortunately aren't.

If, like me, you enjoyed Scott Pilgrim as a kid, and always wanted more of this unserious, nerdy franchise, then Scott Pilgrim EX is a perfect dose of pixel graphics, evil exes, and enemies that burst into coins when they're defeated.

This is soulless, unimaginative and stupid in its design and just a way for Gameloft and Disney to try to make a quick buck on an ever-growing sub-genre.

Despite the fact that Princess Peach: Showtime! has some brilliant elements and is effortlessly fun, it is clear that it feels like a safer and more rudimentary offering from Nintendo. But, for younger folk or those less familiar with gaming or the world of Mario, there is heaps of fun to be had with this game.

Ruffy and the Riverside is a charming little tribute to the classic 3D puzzle platformers of the 1990s, and it has a nice ace up its sleeve in the form of the swap feature. However, it is also a bit limiting, and I think the visuals may be a bit of a hit or miss for many.

The Cub is an ideal game to work through in an evening or two, and for that matter, and considering the interesting storyline and pretty graphics, it's a decent showing from Demagog.

In many ways, Tiny Glade's strengths are also its weaknesses. Of course, it's a very difficult balance to strike because it's easy to wish endlessly for more things. At the same time, I really wish there was a bit more to the flora options and better abilities to change the landscape and introduce greater intricacy in the terrain. However, these small flaws do not prevent Tiny Glade from being a little gem in many ways that I am convinced that those who want to build small cute scenarios can have incredible fun with this game.

Croc: Legend of the Gobbos was a really joyful experience to play once again after almost 30 years. Despite its shortcomings, the game presented a really lovely feeling, and while it's undeniably old-fashioned in its structure and requires a lot of patience in places, for those who played the game previously, it offers a pleasant nostalgia trip.

The graphics are spectacular, the gameplay smooth and the world interesting, but there's still something off about it. The dark and gloomy gameplay experience quickly takes its toll, especially when physical nausea is present throughout.

It's a shame that Cities: Skylines II has performance woes because it is undoubtedly the best of the year in its genre.

The pace is fast, there are any number of enemy ships to shoot, plenty of content and a successful framing of a space war that I learn just the right amount about. There are definitely parts of the upgrade system that didn't need to be there in my opinion and parts of the game's soundtrack that don't quite fit, but those are small complaints for a game that on the whole entertains on the grandest of premises.

Darwin's Paradox! may be here for a good time, not a long time, but what a good time it is. Bringing classic platformers up to more modern standards, it proves a short, sweet, mechanically sound experience that I'll gladly take more of if ZDT Studio wants to bring this plucky octopus back to our screens.

Volgarr the Viking II feels like a pretty niche game in that it's mainly trying to appeal to those who want this kind of challenge in this suit of pixels, and the whole combination feels absolutely retro in every way imaginable in just the right way. So, if you know you're that gamer, it's certainly worth checking out, but for me it didn't really stand out.

Mafia: The Old Country is a perfectly decent action game. It's clear that the ambition was to offer some kind of hybrid between linear and open world gameplay. The developers wanted to tighten up the experience to make it engaging, well-directed, and grandiose, but even though I personally worship open worlds, I would have preferred to see them lean even more towards streamlining this. In an action game of this kind, which is also quite short, I simply think that there should have been more variety and a significantly higher tempo to make it feel more engaging in the end.

If you have a penchant for crime novels or detective games, this is a game you can't afford to miss.

It's not a flawless project and it has its vices, but the setup, the simplicity, and the minor elements that all work hand-in-hand to make this feel more premium.

EA Sports FC 25 is a better game than FC 24 was in many areas and metrics, where much has been improved, and the addition of Rush is absolutely a highlight. However, I can't turn a blind eye to the technical problems. The game has more bugs than I can remember, the menus feel very sluggish, and I've also seen people get completely black screens when they enter matches in certain game modes. These are things that ruin the gaming experience in what is otherwise a good football game.

Bugs and performance issues aside, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an excellent game. Despite all the hurdles, GSC Game World has matched and exceeded expectations with this dystopian shooter. An addictive game world, satisfying and challenging gunplay, combined with plenty of characters that bring the Zone to life makes the whole package an experience I won't soon be forgetting.

Slots & Daggers is a great game - through and through. It's addictive enough to keep you coming back for a few nights in a row to keep spinning out the right symbols and getting further and further on the map, unlocking more and more new things. It's also got a great atmosphere, a great jazz beat, and a very accurate and beautiful aesthetic.

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream is a welcome return to the golden age of point-and-click, despite some shortcomings. Like the characters themselves, the game is flawed and you have to go through quite a bit of agony to get to the end of the game. But at the same time, the game does deliver a truly haunting tale, going places where few other games dare.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure's sense of surprise doesn't hit with the same force as Life is Strange did nine years ago, but it has managed to re-engage me for a few hours to catch up with a character I've long wanted to see, and leave me with a sense of personal enrichment after playing it. A tempting title for anyone in need of a story in the cold autumn nights ahead.

Metal Eden is the most ambitious project from Polish developer Reikon Games, who previously created the small top-down isometric cyberpunk shooter Ruiner. They've done a pretty good job here, but there's definitely room for improvement on the technical side. However, if you can overlook the occasionally uneven graphics, Metal Eden is a good, solid sci-fi action experience.

To a T can probably be classed as a cosy little game with a nice story, but there's nothing new here. Katamari Damacy offers so much more fun, and the only thing that To a T has that makes it even slightly unique is the premise that orients around the T-pose.

If you've been dying for monster trucks and to do tricks and race with them, Monster Jam Showdown fills the need quite well without being directly exciting or revolutionary in any way. It's pretty fun and it's above all stylish and ultimately a perfectly fine racing game with cool vehicles.

While Disney Illusion Island isn't a particularly long game, it is one that feels instantly memorable. Dlala Studios has captured the charm that Disney has been missing for years and offered it up in an interactive medium that never fails to be fun and overflowing with charisma.

X-Out: Resurfaced is faithful to the original in most ways, both good and bad, and does what you would expect from a remake of this type of game. The game mechanics won't blow you away, but it's a classic, difficult shoot 'em up that won't leave fans of the genre dissatisfied.