For all the interesting and novel things that Gord brings to the city building genre, it's just not coherent nor determined enough in what it's trying to do to create something with the necessary confidence to compete with the countless options available to genre fans these days. The result is a game with a strong start and a compelling world, but one that cannot build upon those strengths to retain interest over each new settlement and its repetitive gameplay.

Baldur's Gate 3 is the most successful and authentic take on D&D in the tabletop franchise's 50-year history. Its complexity and size might be daunting for novices, but the breadth and depth of Baldur's Gate 3's world make this a once-in-a-generation achievement.

If you were asked to imagine a truly average open-world action-adventure in 2023, you'd likely come up with something like Atlas Fallen. If very little here is actually dreadful, not much more is original, or imaginative, or genuinely entertaining either, nor is it even especially polished. You've likely seen it all before, in other words. And if you haven't, there are better places to start.

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical puts on a memorable performance with a star-studded cast that demands to be experienced more than once. With novel branching musical numbers and a diverse cast of characters, Summerfall Studios lives up to its roleplaying name.

Venba is a must-play experience, an enthralling tale of immigrants across multiple generations, all backed by a brilliantly absorbing puzzle game in the form of cooking.

A cute My First Metroidvania with charming characters, wrapped up in some fairly basic and uninspired platforming levels. It's not Illusion at its best, but should entertain kids.

It all combines to create the most approachable Pikmin entry ever. It's not removing the challenge entirely though, as there are plenty of moments that force you to make quick decisions or make small Pikmin sacrifices in the name of the greater good – or greater Dandori. The later stages of Pikmin 4 are formidable if you're looking for 100% completion, and with my current play time now sitting at almost 50 hours, there's plenty here to see and do and so much fun to be had along the way.

Sad Owl Studios has delivered a puzzling experience that's both instantly approachable and inventive enough to keep you guessing throughout. Viewfinder is simply wonderful – a breath of fresh air that shouldn't be ignored.

Oxenfree 2 is a disappointing sequel that takes the flawed gem of a first game and rubs out almost everything that made it shine. A reasonable plot and neat audiovisual effects find themselves submerged under ponderous navigation, flat characters, and overly regimented dialogue.

An encouraging debut for the big new rival to WWE, with loads of welcome throwback nods to No Mercy and Fire Pro, and a career mode you won’t be able to resist playing through multiple times.

In ditching turn-based combat for combo-heavy melees, Final Fantasy 16 recaptures the spirit of reinvention that the series lends itself to. This new approach to action coalesces with a world you'll want to explore, and an endearing story which is powerfully executed by its voice cast. Overall, Final Fantasy 16 is an experience that stands alongside the series' greats.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a fresh and fun take on the series, with great tactical action supplemented with unique concepts like stress management. The writing and characters sadly don't amount to anything memorable, and boss battles can feel incredibly jarring to the pacing and tension.

Amnesia: The Bunker is a bold new direction for the series, and it chiefly pays off with brilliant scares and disempowerment of the player. The bottlenecked level design can be frustrating though, as can the nature of do-overs with the beast hot on your heels.

Diablo 4 is a diabolical assault on the senses. Sharp refinements to combat, gear, and loot systems make this one of the best action-RPGs in years, and the expressive open world shows there's still room for Blizzard to expand on the core Diablo concept.

Whether you're a hardcore fighting game player or a casual Street Fighter fan who hasn't touched the series for a generation or so, Street Fighter 6 has something for you and, not only that, manages to offer enough reason for both sides to dip their toes into the other side's water. It's a strong package – arguably the best overall fighting game package ever made – but it'd all be for naught if the fighting system that underpins it all wasn't up to much. It just happens to be the most flexible, versatile and expressive combat in a Street Fighter game to date. Street Fighter 6 is a perfect place to start or a brilliant continuation, an exceptional time for those who are looking to play 30 hours or 3000 hours.

An oddly pitched remake that has its moments but adds very little to the original beyond a visual upgrade.

Ultimately, it's difficult not to come out of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum with a sour taste in the mouth. You can see glimmers of Deadalic's intent to create a different kind of Lord of the Rings game throughout, particularly in the ways it manifests its unlikely hero's unique psychological state, but those bright spots are quickly lost amidst all the other ways Gollum stumbles in its execution. Perhaps there is a Gollum game that could work at both a narrative and mechanical level, one that reframes our relationship with the iconic character to the point where people think twice before doing their terrible impressions of him at parties. Alas, The Lord of Rings: Gollum is not that game. I'm sorry to say it, but those terrible impressions are here to stay for now.

After Us combines stunning vistas of environmental decay with a dreamlike flow to its light platforming challenges. Despite some missteps, such as ill-fitting combat, exploring and affecting its world is a gratifying process that comes with a wave of emotional ups and downs.

Planet of Lana is a beautiful cinematic adventure full of mystery, suspense, and charm. With stunning hand-painted backdrops, an enchanting musical score, and characters you care for, the companion-based mechanics and bond between Lana and Mui make this one very special adventure.

An intricate, playful Metroidvania set in the worst that League of Legends' universe has to offer, Convergence brings its dystopia to life by knitting weighty platforming together with excellent time-winding combat, and is only held back by its slightly cartoonish take on its source material.

Imagine Forza Horizon 5 rebuilt with LEGO and that's pretty much what you're getting with LEGO 2K Drive. Visual Concepts has delivered an exemplary open-world racing game that's family friendly without being too simplistic, and one which works superbly in split-screen co-op.

Though almost intimidatingly big at times, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom manages to keep focus and provide a rich, robust experience that builds on what came before.

The Last Case of Benedict Fox could be a great game, but it's let down by its own confused execution.

Not even awesome vampires and world design can redeem Redfall's repetitive gameplay, which becomes progressively more monotonous the longer you play.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is an excellent sequel that sometimes struggles to reign in its ambition, but takes everything great about Fallen Order and builds on it. Cal's new adventure is a mature, twisting narrative that establishes a new group of heroes and challenges what a modern Star Wars story can be.

Zombie hacking at its purest, Dead Island 2 takes some simple ideas and works them to perfection in a well-made and fun game. It's a one note thrill, but does well to make that note absolutely sing.

Minecraft Legends has good ideas, but it's ultimately held back by the decision to root its strategy action around a central hero. With a limited field of view, few command inputs, and uninteresting AI, Legends fails to generate compelling combat cycles or opportunities for creative thinking.

An excellent realisation of a brilliant pitch, Dredge nails its core ideas and never strays too far from what makes it great. Progression means that later chapters struggle to maintain the early game's impeccably creepy vibes, but this is still one of the tightest indie creations I've played in a long time.