The new direction has also resulted in tweaks that prioritize depth over width. [Hands-On Impressions]

There have been some great 007 games before, but none of them have managed to capture the experience of a full Bond adventure and the way it ebbs and flows between explosive set-pieces, grounded action, and quieter moments like IO Interactive manages here. 007 First Light just gets James Bond. [Hands-On Impressions]

Invincible VS brings the hyper-violent aesthetic of the source material to an exciting, easy-to-learn fighting game, with a healthy roster of playable characters and a decent amount of game modes. While the story falls short of Invincible's peak, and some actors from the show don't feature, it's still a must-play for Invincible fans.

Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is a triumphant return for the legendary strategy RPG series. Even in early access, this is the best entry since the iconic Heroes 3, combining the appeal of the classics with slick modernization and plenty of fresh ideas. This launch is a terrific starting point, and is already incredibly feature-rich, offering near limitless play. While the campaign is incomplete, what's there is a solid entry point for this deep and unique turn-based take on the genre.

Coming from Don't Nod, it's a shame that both Aphelion's storytelling and climbing mechanics feels so lackluster, with Uncharted-like sci-fi action failing to make much of an impact at all. Some gorgeous alien vistas and a decent premise fail to interest for long when simply controlling characters feels clunky and uninteresting.

A lean fusion of sci-fi action and eldritch horror that alternates between introspective narrative and madcap combat, Saros is Housemarque's largely successful attempt to broaden the appeal of previous roguelike Returnal without sacrificing anything along the way. The final result is pure atmosphere, and sticks with you in all the right ways.

Titanium Court is a jazzy, off-beat corpcore roguelike that blends match-three with RTS battles in a way that feels effortlessly simple rather than overwhelming complex. Infused with a joyously weird sensibility that extends into each roguelike war, this is snappy enough to keep me coming back to see what could possibly be next, all with an overarching mystery that keeps me compelled. This is so oddball it couldn't possibly be like anything else, and this fusion is so unique it'll keep me hooked for many more hours to come.

Tides of Tomorrow is a narrative adventure set in a gorgeous but deadly ocean beset by a plastic apocalypse. Filled with episodic adventures across each island, weighty story decisions are placed within those made by a community of players. At times, this makes it feel like a theme park ride with cast members – but a really good, well-crafted one. Unique, vibrant, and a genuine thrill, this is a stunning journey that'll stay with you.

Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss is an ambitiously detailed Lovecraftian detective story that makes great use of its supernatural horror source material. Open-ended puzzles across each chapter challenge in all the right ways, giving you the tools to sort through the mountains of evidence. Sometimes overly fiddly, and with more than few technical issues, pondering can be replaced with bursts of annoyance, but this is more often than not a great chin-stroker.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a worthy sequel that I can't put down. It's weird, surreal, and a great evolution for Nintendo's iconic social simulator - even if it feels repetitive at times.

With a skilfully written story in a small but immersive world filled with charm, emotion, and more than a few blush-inducing jokes, Dosa Divas takes a warm and meaningful approach to linking food, family, community, and memory. You'll be sweet on this.

Pragmata is nostalgia wrapped in a shiny new spacesuit with plenty of cool tricks up its pressurized sleeve. It's good to see Capcom returning to its quirky action beat, with an impressive host of weaponry, upgrades, combat hacks, and base-building as the sci-fi adventure moves through beautifully-conceptualized biomes. The visual and stylistic elements definitely give me deja-vu at times, and I could do without its heavy-handed themes battering me over the head, but beneath all that polished titanium sits a profound tale of humanity I'll not soon forget.

Life is Strange: Reunion wisely walks back Double Exposure's biggest eyebrow-raisers, and it's nice to see the return of Chloe Price and Max's rewind powers, but they add little to this muddled story. An arson attack mystery initially compels, but Reunion's plot quickly becomes disjointedly paced and bogged down with past drama.

Darwin's Paradox is a charming and good-natured adventure that struggles to stand out in the puzzle-platformer genre. Octopus abilities are a nice idea, but ultimately add little to this simplistic adventure that often feels like it's treading water.

Marathon steals the breath from your lungs. An intense shooter that thrives on PvP encounters and a well-realized setting, Bungie's extraction shooter is off to an exceptional start

Crimson Desert is messy, but as you untangle its mechanics and compensate for its flaws, elements of genius and wonder make the experience worthwhile. Take time to leave the beaten path and find out which of its many facets appeals to you, and you'll discover a game that's far better as a sandbox than as a story.

1348 Ex Voto starts with a wealth of potential, and unfortunately manages to squander it at every turn, creating a hollow, rage-inducing, and disappointing experience, with its beautiful depiction of Italy and talented performers being its only saving graces.

What Toxic Commando does, it does very well – but most of it has already been seen elsewhere. Carving through zombies is fun, but by failing to leverage the idea of superpowered protagonists, the threat of fatigue after completing the story for the first time looms large, which isn't ideal for an online game like this.

A firm improvement on its predecessor even at this early stage, Slay the Spire 2's slight twist on its deckbuilding philosophy might not appeal to everyone, but makes for a rewardingly complex alternative. [Early Access Review]

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection may not supersede the thrills of an action-packed hunt, while other JRPGs have made more significant evolutions in comparison. Nonetheless, it's still an improvement for this sub-series with production values, mechanical depth, and challenge that makes it a worthy companion piece to its mainline apex.

World of Warcraft: Midnight is a smart expansion that builds upon The War Within and improves on strong MMORPG foundations. As before, this is an evolution rather than revolution, but I'm excited to see this icon still has room to grow. Small improvements really add up, making me want to spend far more time returning to this world than I expected.

WWE 2K26 is a brilliant wrestling game where it counts – but I recommend waiting a couple of months to purchase, to see how MyFaction and Ringside Pass rewards play out in the medium-term. For now, action in the ring is solid, and some of the best in the series, but it can sting when rewards feel so miserly and centered on monetization over skill.

Scott Pilgrim EX has all of the makings of another great brawler on Tribute Games' resume, gorgeous art, charming dialogue, and great soundtrack make it worth a run through. But, despite the fantastic varied roster of fighting-game inspired characters, there really isn't too much to do with them in the game's weak quest design and open world.

Pokemon Pokopia is like a brilliantly bizarre blend of Pokemon, Animal Crossing, Dragon Quest Builders, and Viva Piñata, and despite its many influences, manages to be a unique spin-off for the Pokemon series that's also an accomplished life sim.

Resident Evil Requiem is the most cinematic, bloody, surprisingly emotional moment for the franchise to-date. Its two protagonists complement one another for a balanced experience that feels more narrativized than ever before, with bombastic combat and strong set pieces amping up the nostalgia without feeling gimmicky. Requiem sees Capcom drawing from 30 years of terror to expand its lore, chart a path forward, and pay homage to a gilded survival horror legacy – one with plenty of life left in it.

Demon Tides invites me to a sunny vibes open world filled with platforming islands to master, and allows me to build my own kit of platforming vibes to break them apart. At times, a bit more structure would be appreciated, especially when it comes to progression, but otherwise the looseness is all part of the charm for this super slick jumper. Demon Tides has easily become a high watermark in my 3D platformer pantheon.

Naturally I couldn't resist the chance to revisit Avowed a year on, with the PS5 launch giving me the perfect excuse. But I don't feel like I'm repeating history by replaying the same game at the exact same time in 2026, because its big anniversary update alongside its release on Sony's console really does change things for the better – and after sinking 20 hours into a fresh playthrough, I've never been more convinced that now's the time to play Obsidian's RPG (no matter what platform you're on).

God of War Sons of Sparta struggles to deliver on the best of God of War or the best the Metroidvania genre has to offer. Combat is dull and lifeless despite a handful of nice ideas, and it's visually ugly and muddy. Even lacking in brutal finishers, this all feels quite tame. It's not bad, but serviceable struggles to excite – and that's a sin for God of War.

Styx: Blades of Greed takes this dark fantasy stealther open world further with fantastic results, slotting together complex bases to create dense settings for sneaking that neatly expand in complexity as you progress. Some tech problems and guard simplicity can irritate, but the huge array of creative problem solving, from decoy clones to fireplace scuttling, makes this a world worth getting lost in.

Funny in bursts, regularly creative, yet held back by distinctly average combat and poor exploration elements. High on Life 2 is a surreal trip well worth taking, although you'll need to adjust your expectations accordingly. Do that, and it'll regularly put a (sometimes guilty) smile on your face.

Reanimal is an enjoyably disturbing horror fairy tale full of beautifully designed scenarios, landscapes and creatures that just doesn't quite bring itself together as a whole.

Neither great nor terrible, Crisol: Theater of Idols lands with a wet, inoffensive plop precisely between the two. It largely fails as a horror and struggles as a shooter, but stands solidly as a curiosity that follows its own rules.

Nintendo serves up an immediately accessible and hilariously chaotic multiplayer experience, but a duff single-player campaign and hodgepodge assortment of other modes leaves you feeling that Mario Tennis Fever hasn't quite aced the complete package.

An oddly emotional game, Romeo is a Dead Man is Suda51's best in years, marrying entertaining combat with pop culture references and constant creativity. Get through the game's somewhat flat start and you'll find auteur game design at its best, idiosyncratic, strange, and thoroughly enjoyable.

When Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties has me gunning for max daddy rank or using over-the-top brawling moves to smash gangster skulls on behalf of my orphan children it's a sunny adventure like little else. Many great remake choices shine, but a few hold them back, like an edgy and dull bonus campaign that adds very little to the narrative or the series in general.

A dense, detailed, and hugely varied strategy roguelike, Mewgenics borrows much from its iconic predecessor with an imaginative and rewarding gameplay loop. Occasionally harsh RNG can be a buzzkill, but doesn't prevent this from being a worthy successor to The Binding of Isaac.

A triumphant evolution of the series for existing fans, and the best possible jumping-on point (though far from an easy one) for new ones. Nioh 3 demands care, planning, and patience – and gives immense satisfaction in the form of a brutal but engrossing adventure in return.

Cairn is a zen, meditative survival game defined by the intentionality of its movement and the way you interact with its world - when its protagonist can be prevailed upon to act like the elite athlete she's supposed to be. When it works, it's excellent, but its core system is often too clumsy to bring to bear with the precision required to ape top-level climbing.

Code Vein 2 feels like the first post-Elden Ring Soulslike to try something of a similar scale, but it's made too many compromises to get there. Inspired moments are trapped in a bland, repetitive experience with far too much padding to recommend seeking them out. Time travel back six years and play the first Code Vein instead.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon iterates on the excellent hybrid action and turn-based combat that's defined the last few entries, continuing to evolve beyond Metaphor ReFantazio's own take. Yet, frustrating pacing in this JRPG epic's pivotal entry makes it one that only the most ardent and patient fans are likely to see through for now.

Skate Story is a beautiful and unique skateboarding game with great, stylized visuals and interesting characters. The movement might make you queasy and the skateboarding element could have been developed further, but it does a lot with its premise and refuses to pander to convention, which is refreshing. A wonderful creation, but not always a great game.

Although retreading a familiar nostalgic path, Octopath Traveler 0 improves its JRPG formula, while also being an enhanced and unabridged adaptation of the series' mobile spin-off without the grubby monetization. The cast may not have the same limelight as the original (flawed) premise intended but they still shine in turn-based battles that are among the genre's finest.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is finally here after an 18 year wait. At its best moments, it feels like no time has passed at all, as I'm awed by the melancholy and mysterious vibes of this exploration-focused FPS. But, at many other moments, it's bogged down by odd new features that detract from what's almost one of Samus' best. Being so close to greatness can sometimes be the bitterest feeling of all.

With some very good puzzles, a solid story, and a consistently strong atmosphere, Routine is doing anything but going through the motions. You may not feel over the moon about the stealth elements, but there's not a trace of the protracted development period.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion finally gives the comic icons the beat 'em up they've so-long deserved. The Marvel Vs Capcom-inspired tag-team combat makes comboing hordes of villains ultra satisfying, but a lack of meaningful character progression and an abundance of MCU-style quipping hold it back from being a true brawler legend.

The prototypical extraction shooter, Escape from Tarkov is a shooter I've been playing for the past decade and will be playing for years more. Sublime firefights and just-complicated-enough mechanics make this a great game to lose yourself in, but the immersion only lasts until you need to check the Wiki, which is constantly when you're just starting out.

Constance is a beautiful and enjoyable Metroidvania that doesn't outstay its welcome. Filler free, the game instead throws plenty of well-designed and enjoyable boss fights at you, interspersed with tight, challenging platforming action. It follows the formula too closely to make it remarkable, but what it does it does with charm and flair. And the ending is a 'chef's kiss' moment.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is a highly ambitious FPS that delivers on its promise to be the biggest Black Ops ever, wearing its psy-op weirdness proudly, but is an uneven package overall. Multiplayer is fast, frenetic, and polished while Zombies feels like a trip to Black Ops 2's good old days, but the co-op campaign and new Endgame mode stretch the definition of a Call of Duty campaign a little too far with repetitive and underdeveloped design that, both in terms of narrative and gameplay, ends up falling flat.

Kirby Air Riders is perhaps an ideal video game in that it's easy to overlook its flaws because it's just fun enough to play over and over again. Despite the fact that, taken on their own, each section of the game largely leaves me cold or indifferent, the entire package together is shockingly solid with plenty of charm.

Morsels' gnarly, gross visuals pair well with a dreamy VHS visual style – you'll immediately be hooked or feel a little sick. Collecting different playable creatures you can swap between is a nice idea, and mastering the chaos of this roguelike shooter can be satisfying. Yet, hewing too close to The Binding of Isaac, annoyances stack up to the point where I end up just wanting to play that instead – an ever present danger in a genre where replayability is the appeal.

Demonschool makes punching a parade of gloriously grotesque creatures an absolute riot. An approachable tactical RPG with a radioactive amount of style and flair. However, for a game about punching demons in the face, there's not a lot of crunch.

Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault's early access launch offers entertaining dungeon-crawling and smart inventory and management minigames, even if the devs are still figuring out exactly how those systems all combine. [Early Access Review]

Some of Where Winds Meet's many minigames and stealth systems could use a polish, but it doesn't Suck-iro – this martial arts action-RPG is well worth your time. If future updates focus on its strengths and reign in the gimmicks, this joyous open world will be a pleasure to fight your way through.

Dispatch might be the best superhero TV show of the year, even though it's a game. Incredible acting talent pulled from Hollywood, Critical Role, and beyond bring this hopeful yet deep world of heroics to life, filled with enough interaction to really help you feel like a part of the narrative yourself. Each episode is smartly pitched to be TV-length, making it impossible not to binge with how wonderfully focused each story beat feels.

Possessor(s) takes a good story idea and builds its world well, then stretches it far too thinly over a mundane, buggy, and depressing Metroidvania template that just isn't fun for far too many hours. The story's decent, but so many similar games are demonstrably better.

Lumines Arise is just as effective as Tetris Effect, block matching to a beat becomes a transcendent experience with a radically different ruleset. This is an excellent evolution of the PSP original that uses a wide game board and a musical wipe to create a constant sense of teetering on the edge, daring you to build big combos even when they take you close to wiping out. Lumines Arise's brilliant visuals and synesthetic grooves wonderfully fit this already musically minded puzzle ruleset.

While not particularly revolutionary, there's a lot to like about Anno 117. If you get your teeth into the game's complexity, you'll find yourself investing a lot of time into spreading Roman ways across your islands and growing your settlements from tiny villages to grand cities.

Battlefield Redsec very clearly copies Call of Duty: Warzone's homework, offering a familiar and safe Battle Royale experience that, admittedly, does feel streamlined in places but is largely uninventive. Paired with the exhilarating Gauntlet mode, this free-to-play experience is a sound framework for further developments, but it strays from Battlefield's core identity and its ambitions for the future fill me more with dread than excitement.

By sanding down some of the roughest edges of the genre, Arc Raiders delivers an extraction experience that manages to be approachable while still being palpably tense, incredibly dramatic, and occasionally kinda heartwarming. If you're new to the genre, this is the place to start.

The Séance of Blake Manor is an incredibly detailed supernatural mystery where every guest is laden with secrets to unravel. Set across a weekend where every minute of every hour matters – each magical attendee having their own schedule – few detective games feel this immersive and rewarding to pick at. Weaving together mythology, magic, and historical detail, each case you solve fairly sticks to the rules, no matter how supernatural. This is a hotel worth checking into.

Carimara: Beneath the Forlorn Limbs is a fairy tale mystery packed with character and a gorgeous sense of aesthetics. Magical card-based conversations make unravelling what happened satisfying, and though this is a short but sweet vignette it'll stick with you.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment manages to find exciting stories to tell as a Tears of the Kingdom prequel, with Princess Zelda taking the lead to spend plenty of time with some all-timer characters old and new. But, while action and performance is an upgrade from the last Hyrule Warriors, strangled battlefield and mission designs become dull, holding this back from true magic.

The Outer Worlds 2 is bigger and better than the first game in every respect, with deep, rich role-playing and plenty of freedom to tailor your experience. Every world feels curated, and exploration is always purposeful and rewarding. Topped off with a vast range of weapons, brilliant writing, and a story and character that's yours to shape, this is Obsidian doing what it does best to deliver an engrossing RPG you'll want to replay again and again.

Evolving arcadey mechanics that have already been perfected is a tough challenge that Once Upon a Katamari rises to meet. Time travel and set pieces across Edo Japan, cowboy escapades, and more make this the most inventive evolution of the series yet. Katamari is on a roll.

A strong park builder whose charm is generally enough to make you see past its issues. Jurassic World Evolution 3 could have been even better without the busywork and bugs, which hold it back just enough to stop it from being an instant classic.

Ninja Gaiden 4 takes the torch from the second game, runs with it, and impales the nearest hulking demon. This is a genre triumph that delivers slick, over-the-top action that rewards patience and mastery, and a blood power system that adds a combat layer that allows you to push yourself beyond your limits. A deadly delight, action doesn't get much better than this.

Keeper is one of those rare birds that the less you know about it, the better. It's a stunning, bizarre, and totally unanticipated game that isn't afraid to subvert your expectations at every turn. It's so good I wish I could wipe my memory and play it again.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is the definition of a crying shame. Clumsy writing and flat, repetitive world design expose a handful of good ideas that never take root, while its poor technical quality and unstable performance will render it unplayable for some. The result is a half-baked, blunt-toothed action-mystery hybrid that disappoints at almost every turn, struggling to leave even the ghost of a good impression.

True to its central idea, Ball x Pit is a great blend of Breakout-style combat and frantic, Vampire Survivors-esque progression. At its height, it's a flow state-inducing assault on the senses that makes great work of its Evolution mechanic to craft deeply stylish builds, but it eventually grinds to a halt thanks to a bloated progression system.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A offers a true slice-of-life Pokemon experience thanks to its anime-style real-time combat system and wholesome worldbuilding elements. While its single-city setting can sometimes feel a bit samey, Lumiose is densely packed with things to do and discover. This is a world worth getting lost in.

'Little Nightmares 3 nails the mood and atmosphere series fans are expecting, but in most other respects it's a let down with clunky pacing and awkward puzzles. Co-op, rather than breathe new life into the series, ends up feeling more like a burden than anything. A little nightmare indeed.

Battlefield 6 offers a carefully-crafted and layered multiplayer that strives to be its least threatening self, with innovation and creativity played down in favor of refining all the proven successes from the military genre. What's there will surprise nobody, but thrives when all those components come together – even if the single player can feel fairly threadbare as part of the package.

Not just a thrilling throwback, but a thoroughly modern spin on a classic genre, Absolum proves the arcade beat 'em up and the run-based game are a perfect pairing. Combat is fast, fun, and deliciously flexible, and with new discoveries on almost every run, there's more than enough to keep you playing.

With its smooth and charming anime visuals, solid story, and deep monster battling and raising, Digimon Story: Time Stranger feels like an excellent evolution that stands alongside greats like Pokemon, Persona, and Final Fantasy. If the Digimon games keep going in this direction, the series may finally get its rightful recognition and a firm place on the monster-collecting genre map.

Ghost of Yotei is a vast, sprawling adventure with one of the greatest protagonists in gaming. While some dated climbing segments and a nagging sense of artificiality prevent it from reaching perfection, Sucker Punch's historical RPG is a must-play revenge fantasy.

Hades 2 is a hugely ambitious sequel that occasionally stretches itself too thin in an attempt to make up for its increased scope, but that only distracts temporarily from a game that's intricately crafted in every facet of its existence. Impeccable combat and flawless characterization across a huge roster make for a follow-up that surpasses even its excellent predecessor.

Two distinct gameplay styles see EA instil genuine change. Manager mode is great, and many areas of Ultimate Team are improved too, with attacking gamers rewarded in particular. EA Sports FC 26 serves up all the teams, all the kits, all the players – and all the goals, all the time.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles is a lovingly touched up classic full of plot twists and betrayals that can hold its own against modern RPGs. Minor elements are starting to show the game’s age, but it’s still a standout tactical RPG that genre enthusiasts will love with fantastic enhancements that elevate the original. There's never been a better time to experience this legend.

If you like the idea of QWOP and Getting Over It but bounced off the difficulty, Baby Steps is perfect for you – most of the time. But, if you relished the frustration of those games, then this is absolutely the game for you. With a similar hiking allure to Death Stranding, Baby Steps is all about putting your best foot forward which, more often than not, the game does just as well.

Despite springing from minds that are obviously clued in to horror, Hotel Barcelona never manages to escape genre cliches and become its own beast, resulting in an experience that vanishes from your mind as soon as you close it. Leaden combat and poor dialogue put the final nail in this game's coffin.

Silent Hill f is thick with a terrifying yet beautiful foggy atmosphere and truly gnarly monster designs, combined with incredibly well-judged, smart, and gut-wrenching writing. Grueling combat encounters can become more irritating than scary thanks to an overengineered system that still traps you with plenty of stun locks. Still, unravelling the fears that haunt Hinako makes for some of the best horror I've ever played.

Dying Light: The Beast is a staggering achievement, recapturing the series’ spirit and elevating it tenfold. The result is a game that, while occupying a much tighter space, manages to feel more alive than Harran or Villedor combined. Techland isn't reinventing the wheel here, but by revitalizing its own playbook, The Beast is Dying Light in its prime.

Sonic Racing CrossWorlds is a slick, ambitious racer with loads of tracks, primed and ready for future, licensed crossovers. At first too slow and then suddenly extremely fast, the racing lacks finesse, but it gets better as you play. A strong offering that's compulsively playable, but a bit grindy in single-player and not quite S-tier on the track.

Lego Voyagers is a brief, delightful puzzle adventure with a sweet, simple narrative and a disarming soundtrack. While playful by design, its linear nature and sometimes clunky controls make this a less-than-perfect outing, but it's hard to fault the game too much considering it's ultimately satisfying and not long enough for the few rough edges to cause much friction.

Borderlands 4 extracts the essence of a finale shootout and spins it across an entire game, with a staggering amount of guns allowing for pure carnage. While the game's story and tone fall far from those heights, at times it simply doesn't matter as much as shooting six robots out of the sky with an electrified explosive gun.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is a near perfect followup to its justifiably revered predecessor. Unfurling from its cocoon, this Metroidvania has evolved on just about everything I loved about the original. With a gorgeous, labyrinthine world full of secrets, and twitchy acrobatic controls, Silksong can be rewarding when it's not being overly punishing. It's a bit tougher out the gate than last time around – but Silksong has been worth the wait.

Cronos: The New Dawn is an unabashed mash-up of survival horror's greatest hits, from Dead Space to Silent Hill, and its references make it a thrillingly familiar experience for fans of the horror genre. The only problem – which is, at times, significant – is a frustrating inventory system that can make combat feel more irritating than tense. Still, this is an atmospheric and uniquely introspective adventure for those who value a game's story as much as its action.

There's some really snappy and interesting combat hidden within Lost Soul Aside, but it can be hard to appreciate after its slow, dull opening and drawn out chapters. With a transforming multi-weapon that's also a dragon, combo possibilities can be really fun to explore, but you often don't have enough reason to do so.

It's a harsh world full of woe, yet making your way through Hell is Us still manages to be enjoyable. A lack of hand-holding and some great puzzle design regularly provides a sense of achievement, with frustrating moments unwelcome but just about rare enough to forgive.

Shuten Order is a multi-genre mystery that can feel like a real celebration of its gaming legacy as you unravel a pleasingly head-scratching conspiracy. Switching genres, however, means each can feel like a light touch. Still, with wonderful art and plenty of narrative variety, this is a gripping yarn more often than not, though one that struggles to stick its lengthy landing.

The Rogue Prince of Persia can be a bit too conventional for its own good, lacking any real unique qualities in a crowded market, but it's certainly good-looking and there's a fluidity to the platforming that will carry most players through to the end. I confess I hoped for more from the Dead Cells developer, but I won't say I'm disappointed.

Fantastic controls make an incredible first impression, and an execution-driven battle mechanic gives combat a unique feel. Unfortunately, the level design can't keep up with the quality of the basic gameplay, stretching a great core to its breaking point. The foundation of an incredible Shinobi revival is here, but bland levels can't keep up with the strength of everything else.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is so close to the original that you probably already know if you'll like it or not. Some controls and visuals have been modernized, but even those built so closely on pre-existing foundations that it doesn't attempt to bring it into the modern conversation. Even so, I can't begrudge a faithful recreation of one of my favorite games ever made.

There are a few bumps along the road, but overall, Sword of the Sea is an effortless ride. The majesty of Journey, the action of The Pathless, and the tranquillity of Abzu are all present here. Sword of the Sea’s release marks the end of a four-game odyssey that started in 2012 and has reached a simultaneously exhilarating and meditative crescendo.

OFF is a cult classic RPG thanks to its surreal world, strange cast of characters, and bizarre enemies. Inspiring Undertale and many other indie genre icons, OFF manages to still feel like a titan, and incredibly digestible thanks to its tight design and bite-size zones. Revised combat is a huge plus, making every scrap pack plenty of impact in this definitive release.

Drag x Drive makes a solid case for the Nintendo Switch 2's mouse control scheme, but it fails to make one for these wheelchair basketball matches themselves. Elegant steering doesn't mesh well with comparatively imprecise and messy tackling and shooting systems that range from too tricky to far too simple.

Madden 26's presentation and franchise improvements are authentic, fantastic, and worth a sustained play. It's still narrowly edged out by the fun and flair of College Football 26, but the gap between these sibling games is closing, inch by inch.

Is This Seat Taken? is an incredibly charming and beautifully designed puzzle game that makes its truckload of logic puzzles tactile and fun to play with rather than intimidating. Despite the variety of location types, some core parts of the challenge can become repetitive, but there's more than enough to keep you going to credits.