The Lamplighters League's stimulating turn-based battles encourage you to carefully consider your actions each turn. Use your agents unique abilities in just the right order and you can go well beyond the default number of action points, while taking down entire groups of opponents. Pairing different agents allows you to unlock ability combinations that, aside from being outright satisfying to pull off, also help even the odds, given how you're always outnumbered. While its ambitions as a global adventure aren't quite fulfilled, its – admittedly good – writing feels pushed to the side, and the procedural generation it employs doesn't always keep things fresh, taking control of this group of unlikely allies and helping them save the world is well worth it.

A minor gripe would be that the content is a little short, but as this is intended to be another episode for the series, it’s not a serious gripe. A nice taster without being a waste of time, a great introduction to social games without the pressure of eight-player ability fuelled mayhem, and an enjoyable adventure for experienced thinkers and friends alike. Plus, pirates! Try it.

Atlas Fallen is perhaps best summed up by one of the later powers you add to the gauntlet. You are given the ability to raise ancient structures, the capacity to uncover a lost world, its towering buildings and long forgotten relics. You spend the next few minutes pulling empty boxes and planks of wood out of the sand. Want to raise all of the history from the mythical siege of the gods that lies beneath your feet? We’re going to go metal detecting for pennies down the local field instead…Such letdowns underpin a game that I initially really liked and quickly grew weary of. There’s fun to be had, and co-op may open up the enjoyment even more. But heed the warning; most of Atlas Fallen’s positives are tapered by the sense it hates its players and isn’t willing to give back on the effort put in.

Remnant 2's revamped archetype system and improved world generation breathe new life into what otherwise remains an iterative sequel that sees no need to fix what isn't broken. Great gunplay and creative weapon mods fuel its addictive moment-to-moment gameplay, while offering enough reasons to keep clearing dungeons, grinding materials, and upgrading or trying out new guns...But as much as it's a better game than its predecessor and one whose action scratches that itch for a challenging third-person shooter, less than ideal optimization, forgettable characters, and clumsy writing, alongside a suite of hit-or-miss bosses keep it just shy of greatness.

Age of Wonders 4: Dragon Dawn offers a satisfactory amount of content at its price point, focusing on a beloved element of the fantasy genre. The inclusion of mixed affinity tomes adds intriguing twists to gameplay, although witnessing the evolution of new units can prove challenging due to their inherent fragility. The larger dragon units and Dragon Lords themselves appropriately embody a sense of awe and power on the battlefield. However, while these additions be an asset in any playthrough, Dragon Dawn does not fundamentally alter the overall feel of the game, serving primarily as a flavorful addition. As a result, the DLC may not be considered a crucial purchase.

An impressive remake/reimagining of the series from a technical standpoint, and there are some welcome changes to the way each game plays. It’s unfortunate that efforts to tie the individual stories together don’t always land, but it generally does the trick.

It’s a sequel that plays it safe, but in doing so provides a polished, refined take on the series’ formula that caters to both veterans and newcomers. It offers hundreds of hours of monster slaying at release, while also providing a sturdy foundation on which Blizzard can build as it revs up its post-launch support.

Amnesia: The Bunker continues Frictional Games’ smart evolution of the series with an intense survival horror/immersive sim cocktail that almost balances its ideas perfectly.

Much like the evolution of trains in Railway Empire 2’s history-spanning campaign, the game itself has learned lessons from the original and forged ahead with a stronger outing all around. While it has a compelling competitive edge to it, the game is best when things are serene.

Drenched in retro nostalgia, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a straightforward boomer shooter with a 40K skin. Its minimal story is as bog-standard as Warhammer gets, but is enough to justify the on-screen slaughter, while allowing for a pure focus on satisfying action. Crunchy weapon sounds and plenty of pixelated gore make turning enemies into giblets something that doesn’t get old. Its main drawbacks come in the shape of how easy it is to get lost in some of its levels, a handful of frustrating encounters, and its decision to introduce most enemy types during the first part of its campaign. Yet, even so, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun delivers enough awesome action to keep you engaged and eager to make sure the Emperor has a thousand or two fewer Chaos servants to worry about.

Ash of Gods: The Way is a compelling card battler RPG with a visual style and story that carries the game through its later lulls.

It's very much an assumed systems-first approach that won't resonate with all fans of the series. But if you count among those who fancy sinking deep into the innards of how everything works, you'll find a lot to love.

Dead Island 2's visceral combat can effortlessly pull you into the zone as you slash, shoot, and kick zombies while making sure they head into the afterlife with fewer limbs attached. A simple but effective upgrade system gives you the means to counter any foe, while its varied arsenal of melee and ranged weapons keeps things interesting for a good while. Repetition inevitably sets in well before you roll credits, being reflected both in its uninspired mission objectives and how you eliminate opponents. Its disjointed and confused narrative doesn't do it any favors either, but, as long as you focus on slaying zombies, there's certainly fun to be had here.

Minecraft Legends is a genuinely impressive RTS effort that has the potential to convert Minecraft fans into enthusiasts of the genre. Although it's not always a seamless blend, most of its issues can be resolved through understanding and patience.

Total War: Warhammer 3: Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs introduces a much-needed new race and units, potentially signaling a faster pace for post-launch content. While not every mechanic introduced is as impressive as the flames of Hashut and the campaign revisits some familiar tactics, it never truly disappoints. The diverse roster of units is the true highlight of this expansion.

Although Resident Evil 4 is a superb remake, it still exists in the shadow of what made the original so important. However, the parry system stands out as the most welcome change to the largely familiar proceedings. At its core, the game remains the same stupendous spectacle of action horror it always was, but with arguably even higher intensity.

Although Resident Evil 4 is a superb remake, it still exists in the shadow of what made the original so important. However, the parry system stands out as the most welcome change to the largely familiar proceedings. At its core, the game remains the same stupendous spectacle of action horror it always was, but with arguably even higher intensity.

For better or worse, Project Zero: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse brings an underplayed fifteen-year-old horror game to Western audiences in a well-preserved state. There's a fantastic atmosphere, and the horror is well-framed and executed with impressive restraint, but control issues of the time carry through to this remaster.

Aware of its past yet looking towards the future, Company of Heroes 3 offers something for everyone. The dynamic map of Italy is a great experience, although it's slightly marred by passive AI, abilities that don't always work, small UI issues, and a gameplay loop that doesn't encourage the use of all available tools...Apart from the two campaigns, Company of Heroes 3 presents more options than ever before with its four factions, including the Deutsches Afrikakorps, which is an outstanding addition to the roster. Although it still relies on past strategies, the modifications to tactical battles and the addition of new units demonstrate that almost two decades after its inception, the formula that helped Relic Entertainment become a household name in the strategy genre still holds up.

Atomic Heart is a shooter with some fantastic ideas, excellent presentation, and a fair bit of variety. Although it doesn't excel at any one thing and flatters to deceive at times, it still has enough to offer a compelling adventure.

SpellForce: Conquest of Eo is a good reason to return to the universe, but it feels far less epic in scale when compared to the previous titles.

Deliver Us Mars offers a refreshing sci-fi adventure with an entertaining, emotional story at the forefront. It ups the scale from its predecessor and manages to reach for the stars relatively unscathed.

A pretty funny romp that never quite finds its speed both as a shooter and as a comedic story. It’s unlikely you’ll be bored with High on Life.

The Callisto Protocol is one of the year’s biggest letdowns. It is joyless, contrived and feels unfinished, as if the studio rushed it out prior to Dead Space Remake’s launch on January 27, 2023. Like Black Iron itself, I can’t help but feel the project was abandoned at some point. It feels so wrong for a game that looks and sounds this great to be so devoid of spark and quality control. It’s fitting that after traversing every tight nook and cranny, the only feeling left once the credits have rolled is that of having life squeezed from you.

Blacktail isn’t going for revolutionary status, and most of the things it does do are slight by comparison to the hitmakers of the genres it inhabits, but as a package, it’s a delightfully dark fairy tale-infused adventure that keeps you invested throughout.

Darktide’s incomplete crafting system doesn’t allow you to efficiently refine gear. Its rewards are scarce and unsatisfying, especially going into the endgame. Optimization is not great, while its cash shop holds hostage any remotely worthwhile cosmetic upgrades so far. It’s a real shame, because all of these missteps cast a dark shadow on its excellent, visceral combat – that evolves Fatshark’s addictive co-op action formula – alongside what’s quite possibly the best depiction of the grimdark universe to grace video games to date.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is very much a superior sequel in so many ways. It’s still a bit of a brick wall to get past in terms of understanding its finer points, but keep hammering away and you will find them.

Evil West’s old-school sensibilities aren’t what drags it down, although its linear levels might not appeal to everyone. Its combat feels glorious when it clicks, but it struggles to find its stride, resulting in a fun but rather unremarkable adventure. Fights range from exhilarating to boring and outright frustrating, its story is entirely forgettable and lacks memorable characters, while a lack of polish in terms of smaller details like NPC models and cutscenes makes it hard for it to properly stand out. But if you’re looking for an excuse to brutally execute vampires with an arsenal that looks, sounds, and feels great to use, there’s enough fun to warrant picking up Evil West, as long as you keep its flaws in mind.