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.

This is the best city builder of the year set during the glory days of the Roman Empire. If you are interested in history, enjoy building cities, managing logistics, and want to see something grow in your capable hands, this is for you. It's a natural continuation of the Anno series and feels modern despite the fact that we've travelled back in time. I highly recommend this if it sounds like you'd enjoy it and you have a capable computer at your disposal.

It's not often that you get the feeling that you want to descend into the "realm of loot" again and again, survive all the dangers once more, and return to your home planet with your pockets full. It has been a pleasure to play such a polished release, and I don't think the excitement will fade anytime soon.

With Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, Koei Tecmo reaffirms that it delivers some extra quality when it comes to Nintendo IP, and this is an even better game compared to Age of Calamity. Production values are once again through the roof, sometimes competing with those of the mainline Zelda, while both narrative and gameplay got deeper and somehow more interesting despite the potential fatigue of the setting and the loss of charisma. The many new additions to the combat system also compensate for a more linear level design, and the strong performance and loading times make it a joy to play for just too many hours on both TV and handheld. It has a couple of peaks to its story I won't spoil here, but to me this is the best way to celebrate the end of an era.

Jurassic World Evolution 3 is exactly what you'd expect: Frontier taking note of fan feedback (longer and deeper story mode, deeper management options, introduction of full customisation of buildings and terrains) and surprising us with baby dinosaurs, which is a very cute and well thought-out addition, even if it doesn't change much about the way we play the game. Naturally, it lacks the element of surprise and innovation, and some would argue that this is little more than an update on what was before, which is also what we said about Evolution 2.

I think the core of Europa Universalis V is terribly impressive. Europa Universalis has never been this complex, easy to play and offered the possibility to automate parts of the game you do not want to deal with. The latter feature lacks some configurable options for the computer, which controls what you have automated. Despite small performance problems, a lack of settings in the campaign mode and a computer opponent who does not always impress, this is without a doubt my favourite in the series. There are countless gameplay systems and things I haven't had time to give my opinion on in this review. The whole experience is really good though and I look forward to the continuation with updates and expansions. This is a little deeper, a little more complex and offers you powerful tools you can use to navigate, influence and change the course of history. If you liked the predecessor or are curious about the fifth iteration, I can highly recommend this to you.

I think the biggest sign of whether someone likes a Football Manager game is how addicted they are to that "just one more game" feeling. In previous years, I would get that at 9PM and suddenly it would be 4AM, but I haven't had that feeling with Football Manager 26. I now have no problem turning off the game when I think it's time, and that's very telling.

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake only completes what Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake already established a year ago, with the same excellence as then. Frankly, as long as the classic instalments of the series keep coming back like this, I'm in no hurry for Dragon Quest XII.

It is very easy for me to recommend Simon the Sorcerer Origins to all fans of adventure games and of course this series in particular. Its story, humour, and puzzles are worthy of its name, and although I miss certain shortcomings in the final product, it will give you a few hours of fun and nostalgia.

The development team shows signs of quality and development prowess in some of the title's features, but at the same time, Painkiller asks quite a lot from a consumer and doesn't give a whole lot back in return.

Beyond the shrine copies, though, I lack the real drive to want to keep playing. The cheap framing means that there's no spontaneous joy of discovery and the skill tree never fundamentally changes the battles; but at the end of the day, pure knock-off copies like Kaku: Ancient Seal aren't designed to be very good. It's enough that they're just good enough to keep the grandchild from crying on Christmas Eve and to keep the grandmother confident enough to buy games in the future.

All in all, Wreckreation is an arcade racing game that takes good advantage of the "creation" part but does less well when it comes to actually competing and driving. After cruising around the large map and discovering most of it, playing with the objects at my disposal, I've parked my car for good and don't regret doing so.

It wasn't enough that mechanically Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition is an over-the-top yawner, but when gameplay and narrative-wise the game doesn't really have any logic, let alone much sense, I don't know what the creators were thinking.

Even with some of the aforementioned rough edges, the overall package is almost outstanding, for a team as small as Tiny Bull. You can tell they've given it their all in The Lonesome Guild, and it almost feels like so much lore, so much history, and effort put into each set, even if you only pass through that area a couple of times, is "wasted", when in other titles it would have been replicated. So the sum of its already remarkable parts make this adventure one of the hidden gems of 2025. For me, a candidate for indie of the year.

If you enjoyed The Outer Worlds and were one of those who thought it ended too soon, then The Outer Worlds 2 is for you. It may be bigger and different from the first game, but there is no doubt that this is still, thankfully, The Outer Worlds.

This is Plants vs. Zombies as you know and love it, in the same manner as you can still easily access it elsewhere, meaning it's not really necessary to blow £18 to get that same experience once again, even if it does now have a shiny coat of paint brushed over it.

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.

So, all in all: should you play Persona 3 Reload on Nintendo Switch 2? If you've been waiting for precisely this version to dive into its world, the answer is an absolute yes. And I envy you: you're in for dozens of hours of genuine fun and a quality that's in short supply in the usual release rate. However, if you've already enjoyed P3R on PC, PS5, and/or Xbox Series, you're not going to find anything new here.