There's not much bad to say about Mio: Memories in Orbit, because it works really well, it plays well, it feels good, and it seems really well thought out too. It does a lot of things right and ticks all the important Metroidvania boxes, while at the same time adding something new to how such a game should be put together. If I had to point out one thing, I would have liked to see a few more enemy types but that's really the only thing of significance, because I think the rest fits together really well. If we were to give it the highest score, we would probably have liked to see a little more innovation in the gameplay that could have really moved the genre forward, but that said, I would like to emphasise that Mio: Memories in Orbit is a really successful game.

Drywall Eating Simulator is a game that talks about the present without understanding it. It's not subversive, not provocative and definitely not funny - just tiresome. So by all means, stay as far away as you can from Drywall Eating Simulator, don't even get it for free. Spend what little time you have on this earth on something more sensible.

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.

It requires patience and multiple runs before everything truly clicks. If you jump in solely because everyone is praising it, you might bounce off it entirely and end up wondering what all the fuss is about. Ball X Pit is best enjoyed at your own pace, by understanding and embracing its roguelite nature. Do that, and you'll eventually find yourself immersed in the addictive chaos it brings to your console or PC.

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 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.

Octopath Traveler 0 is as much Final Fantasy from the past as it is something new that sharpens and tweaks a familiar concept with fresh features. This is new old-school in all the right ways.

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.

Admittedly, the game is definitely not for the faint-hearted, who don't like being as powerless as Katja is at the beginning, but if you like exquisite dystopian horror atmosphere, then this is one of the best games in the genre since Alien Isolation, in my opinion. In any case, I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through.

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 not rewriting the script for what a beat em' up should be in any sense, but it's good and solid fun that fans should appreciate wholeheartedly.

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.

Neon Inferno is in many ways that delightfully cosy, action-packed, gorgeous tribute to all things 16-bit, and it's so obvious that the creators of the game love the genre, love the old classics, and have sprinkled this love and passion into every little pixel.”

The Berlin Apartment is a touching little story and a glimpse into Germany's turbulent history, from the pre-war period to the end of World War II and the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Apartment does not try to be more than it is, but if you are the type who enjoys good stories or simply likes to peek through the "virtual keyhole" into other people's lives, then we can easily recommend The Berlin Apartment.

Considering it's an early access game, it's actually one of the most polished games I've played in a long time. It's super cosy and deep, so the fact that it's only in early access is pretty impressive. I can't imagine what it will be when it hits version 1.0. If you're into real manual labour in an age where everything needs to be automated, try Tavern Keeper.

My play sessions, which have lasted roughly twenty or thirty minutes at a time, have all ended with me realising that I'm not having much fun in the end. It's a bit too simple and quickly becomes mostly repetitive. So even if the content that is available still works and each short dose offers a game session where reflexes and patience are properly tested - everything falls into oblivion the second I switch off.

I have hopes that perhaps we, the gamers, are more open-minded than 20 years ago, and we are more eager to accept different proposals, that defy our genre expectations, that feel unique. Will that still be enough to convince my non-Nintendo-hardcore friends to try this game for game nights instead of the classic Mario Kart (or even Smash Bros.)? I doubt it. That doesn't mean you shouldn't bother trying.

Black Ops 7 might be just what you've been looking for. Maybe the frantic pace will appeal to you after the much more heavy-handed alternatives from competitors on the market, maybe the chaos will take shape as a challenge, an Everest that you and your friends must climb. Fair enough. For me, though? I think this feels miscalibrated.

Dispatch takes a great leap above Telltale's former experiences, keeping the strong writing while elevating a sense of player agency and pushing out an incredibly addictive gameplay loop. Dispatch is simply one of the best pure narrative experiences we've had in gaming in years, and it's another game among many that deserves a 2025 GOTY nomination.

It can feel old-school and a little rigid at times, but it's also a game that burns itself into your memory. It's brutal and beautiful at the same time, and GSC Game World now has a worthy successor to the 2007 original.

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

Don't expect smart puzzles and gadgets here, as this is an upfront, unapologetic massacre, and it's the new Quest game you'll want to show your friends this Christmas (as long as they're 18+, though there's a Kidpool mode, mind you).

Apart from a few minor glitches, mostly concerning how Storage works, it's a well-functioning game in its genre. It may be too simple for some, but if you are looking for a cosy and relaxing game to sit and warm yourself with on dark evenings, perhaps together with your partner, then Winter Burrow is a pretty good bet.

My only quibble would be, perhaps more harshly, that these versions don't offer any new cutscenes or content for the returning player. They are the nexus that will connect the past to the present of the franchise and the future Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, but if you've played them in the past (even in the near past on Nintendo Switch, in the case of Kiwami 1), I don't see too much urgency in returning to this Kamurocho. For anyone who doesn't mind reliving two classics, you're in for the best possible version of them.

My only quibble would be, perhaps more harshly, that these versions don't offer any new cutscenes or content for the returning player. They are the nexus that will connect the past to the present of the franchise and the future Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, but if you've played them in the past (even in the near past on Nintendo Switch, in the case of Kiwami 1), I don't see too much urgency in returning to this Kamurocho. For anyone who doesn't mind reliving two classics, you're in for the best possible version of them.

Possessor(s) offers an interesting touch on an established Metroidvania formula, but in my opinion it's best played in shorter sessions. In addition to a story that is slowly unravelled through memories and flashbacks in the main characters' shared inner lives where it's anything but black and white, a message is also conveyed about commerce and obsession where even demons are not allowed to be left alone as raw materials without being exploited and extracted. It's a bit tragic to see the developer hit with layoffs just before launch after three years of development, something that hopefully does not affect the planned improvements that have been promised. It deserves to be played by those who have no problems with a little challenge within the layout where the controls could also have been a little tighter, but where it ultimately demonstrates in a creative way that pride comes before a fall.

If you're looking for a puzzle game that does things differently by mixing deep puzzle gameplay with a hard-pumping soundtrack and wild visual effects, Lumines Arise is a really good direction to look in. I love the combination.

It's a viral success that says more about us than about itself. We no longer want to arrive. We just want to watch the journey. We want to watch everything go wrong, preferably in real time. And in that way it feels like a game for our time.