Despite some minor shortcomings, anyone who loved previous tactical role-playing games from Intelligent Systems will quickly fall in love with Fire Emblem Engage. Especially in classic mode with permadeath switched on, the well animated battles are in top form. The new gameplay mechanics fit in perfectly, the battlefield design has nice surprises in store, the story is peppered with some interesting twists and the online multiplayer mode provides additional long-term motivation.

We would have loved to continue playing after the 100 levels were over. You can really feel the passion the developer put into Dungeons of dreadrock, and its puzzle design, presentation and well-delivered story make it a game that puzzle fans should not miss.

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a nice prequel that mixes storybook with elements of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and suggestively parallels the Metroidvania genre, including a high focus on combat, by being much more linear than this. But there are many things providing the game to be a must-have. The main reason for that is the low aspiration for being at least half-way tough, especially in terms of fighting.

Of course Alan Wake Remastered does not outbid the visuals of the current gen references, but Remedy does a great job bringing the graphics into the year 2021. Everything looks much better, sharper and more detailed, without distorting the special and intense atmosphere of the 360 original. Beside that, Alan Wake remains a great mixture of horror story and action with tactical light use and a huge dose of kaboom. If you don't know Alan Wake yet, you need to play the Remastered right now. If you are a fan of the original, the remastered version is a great opportunity to revisit Bright Falls.

Spirit City: Lofi Sessions is a game that can be easily integrated into everyday life. The game can help you to work in a more structured and productive way without forgetting to take the necessary breaks. It's cute, fun and offers a variety of different music and sounds and if that's not enough, you can even integrate YouTube.

The Sims 4 - Landhaus-Leben lets you become self-sufficient and cuddle a lot with cute animals. Despite the lack of breeding possibilities, a successful add-on with many innovations.

We had high expectations for Tempest Rising and the game largely fulfilled them. The real-time spectacle looks top-notch and evokes fond memories of the halcyon days of Command & Conquer.

The good news: Compared to previous years, Codemasters is once again bringing a breath of fresh air to its annual racing game series. The changes to the career options, the next instalment of Braking Point, the integration of the "F1" movie, and the many small technical improvements all fit the latest instalment very well. The gameplay remains top-notch and, in many respects, even feels a bit more mature than before.

Stray makes the port to the Switch and the orange ball of fur lets us immerse ourselves in a dystopian world full of drones and robots. If you like cats, you should take a closer look at the game and be patient with the awkward controls.

PGA Tour 2K25 takes some noticeable steps forward compared to its now two-year-old predecessor: PGA Tour 2K25 looks and plays great. No reason for criticism? Yes, there are. The career is suffering of the tedious interviews and the overall very staid surroundings. In addition, minor balancing problems and the still very present microtransactions are annoying.

Even 13 years later, Sonic Generations is still one thing above all else: pure and, most importantly, lightning-fast platforming fun! The great levels are packed with little details, the graphics and soundtrack are beautiful and Shadow's appearance makes the experience even better. Despite some minor flaws, this game is absolutely worthy of SEGA's video game legend.

Vertigo 2 is an entertaining, colorful and over-the-top trip through a half-life-esque world. A wide variety of enemies, ambiguous dialog and cracking boss fights make it a must-have for VR fans.

With Expeditions: A Mudrunner Game Saber Interactive takes a new spin on the beloved offroad franchise. With a much lesser focus on transportation over exploration, this time more than ever the journey is the goal. A more guided structure eases new players in, while veterans can discover plenty of challenging side missions off the beaten path. While there are some technical issues at launch and the multiplayer is sorely missed (to be added via free update later), the package as a whole is still a solid game for those who don't mind taking it slower.

The Prince of Persia franchise has a long history across various genres. This metroidvania entry is an absolute blast to play and hits all the right notes along the way. Fast-paced gameplay, engaging puzzles and of course an interconnected game world to discover step by step as you progress. A must-play.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is crafted with passion, runs incredibly smoothly technically, and tells an entertaining, charmingly staged story peppered with pleasant humor that should delight genre fans, especially younger audiences. While there are no real plot twists, the 14 different professions are well-integrated into the overall structure and invite you to continue playing even after completing the story. But: There's definitely room for improvement in the multiplayer mode. Nevertheless, anyone who enjoyed the predecessor and generally enjoys RPG life sims will have a lot of fun with this one.

Nearly as fast as Sekiro dye, but still with a lot of tactical options in its duel-based fights, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty delivers a unique mix of different Soulslike attitudes. If the first boss wasn't a little too hard and the difficulty curve flattening more and more afterwards, Wo Long maybe could have beaten Nioh 2. That way it's not outstanding, but just a well done action RPG that can easily be recommended to any fan of the genre.

In the aspects where it counts, Skate Story absolutely rules. It’s a joy to play once you get used to the controls, it oozes style, the vibes are tremendous and the soundtrack is out of this world. It suffers from the aforementioned control issues and its enormous weirdness might be a turn some people off but overall it’s just a genuine blast to play.

A nicely told story of life and its ups and downs completed with hand drawn art and well picked indie music by a local band.

Last Train Home tells a gritty and emotional story of Czechoslovakian legionnaires trying to reach their distant home after the conclusion of World War I. As foreign armed forces in a now war-torn Russia, players not only have to manage scarce resources, but also their allegiances. While the core elements of RTS gameplay and survival management sim work well together, a large part of your enjoyment will depend on the balance of those two. For large stretches of gameplay, Last Train Home isn’t an RTS with management sim elements, but a Surival Management game with occasional RTS missions.

Atelier Yumia introduces many new gameplay elements that will influence the entire Atelier series. Some still need polishing, but we can certainly see where it's headed.

Temtem follows a rather simple premise. What if Pokémon’s first generation was made today? The result is an excellent dose of nostalgia with many modernized features such as campaign co-op and a rich endgame. It’s about time Nintendo’s stagnant franchise gets serious competition and as things stand now, Temtem is the game for those who have dropped off the main Pokémon games for lack of innovation and challenge. A relatively low price and a ton of very polished content makes this an easy recommendation.

Cool, stylish and with an action-packed combat system: NEO is refreshingly different and, despite small weaknesses, convinces with a (reaper) game of life and death.

Similar to the Metroidvania spin-off The Lost Crown, The Rogue Prince of Persia is far more than just a nice consolation prize to bridge the wait for a "real" sequel to the Prince of Persia series. It features fast-paced combat, fluid platforming, and a motivating progression system, complete with attractive graphics. If you like the genre, you can't go wrong with it.

Although Nikoderiko: The Magical World doesn't quite match the class of its great idols, this playable love letter to the platformer genre is a title that fans can give a chance without hesitation.

Tales of Xillia Remastered is one of the best in the series in terms of fighting gameplay – if not the best. The story, as always, offers plenty of content, while the world itself is somewhat less extensive. The quality-of-life improvements and a few extras definitely make this Tales of highlight from 2013 very playable now.

Building your own team could be a huge benefit for F1 Manager 2024. But because of the too risky finance system, is too easy to run into problems you cannot correct later. Beside that, F1 Manager 2024 is more or less the same game like last year, but with some minor improvements on- and offside the track, making it just a little bit better than its predecessor.

Cat Quest III is an extremely charming pirate adventure that will quickly cast a spell over you and reward your thirst for discovery. Due to some weaknesses, the action RPG may not be purrfect, but the Purribean will certainly give you a good feeling.

SNK's legendary fighting game series celebrates a highly successful comeback with Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. A complex combat system, unique characters and action that simply feels great are the main reasons why. So rev it up and unleash your fury.