Tekken 8 is a shot in the arm for the genre, advancing the setting while offering addictive combat, exceptional presentation and a suite of features to attract new and experienced players.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is a great modern re-release of the later half of the original Ace Attorney series. The narrative and gameplay choices in these games make them well worth playing, and the bonuses and QoL features included make these the definitive way to play these games.

New Cycle is nowhere near delivering a mix of resource management, city-building and humane stories like, say, Frostpunk. As repetitive as its core gameplay can get, it is appealing, and hopefully, early access will expand on it while ironing out all the issues. [Early Access Review Score = 60]

Palworld is equal parts charming and dark, with a massive world and no restrictions on exploration. Combat needs some fine-tuning and the survival crafting may not be for everyone, but it's early access release is a solid starting point. [Early Access Score = 70]

With a campaign that's only gotten better with time, a fantastic new roguelike mode, and a host of other new bonuses, The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered serves as an excellent excuse to jump back into Naughty Dog's stellar magnum opus.

The Lost Crown is a fantastic game. Not only does it capture the biggest strengths of Prince of Persia's earliest sidescrolling instalments, it also reinvigorates the series in spectacular fashion with its Metroidvania design structure. From level design to combat, from the platforming to its visual style, from the exploration to the soundtrack, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is an impressive accomplishment in more ways than one, and one of Ubisoft's best games in years.

For almost everything that Trinity Fusion does right, it fumbles equally in some other crucial aspect.

Custom Mech Wars is an underwhelming mech game that's plagued by issues like repetitive mission design, a boring story, and an underwhelming visual presentation.

Unfortunately, despite the flashiness of it all, combat ultimately gets repetitive, and the lack of interesting enemies only exacerbates the issue.

Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising improves on the original in almost every way, and while not quite at the level of the very best in the genre, it still offers enjoyable fighting experience.

God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla is not only a fun and addictive roguelite mode where the game's excellent combat is allowed to shine brighter than ever, it's also a rewarding, introspective narrative experience, and one that's especially unmissable for long-time series fans. Given that it's free, there's really no reason not to play it.

There's a reason the phrase "Buyer beware" remains relevant, and it's because of games like The Day Before. The only bright side to its miserable existence is you can no longer purchase it. [Early Access Score = 1/10]

Final Fantasy 16: Echoes of the Fallen offers some high-octane boss fights and a gorgeous environment to explore, but the exploration remains as linear as ever. Those looking for something more substantial in terms of story may want to wait, but there's plenty for combat fans to enjoy.

THE FINALS has room to improve, but it shines in all the ways that matter. If you're keen on a new first-person shooter that mixes chaos with strategy in a sleek package, it's worth a look.

Blood West is an excellent game for fans of stealth games. It makes use of classic design ideas from games as wide ranging as the seminal Thief titles, to more modern ones like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. in order to shape its mechanics and general gameplay loop. The progression system encourages exploration, which is made all the better thanks to excellent level design.

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is an unremarkable experience that feels like a faint shadow of the games that clearly inspired it.

Though Arkham Trilogy on the Switch serves as an excellent excuse to dive back into Asylum and City, its Arkham Knight port is nothing short of diabolical.

Paying extensive homage to the source material while weaving a compelling tale of its own, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an involving experience with fun combat and memorable characters.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora may not be for those suffering from open-world fatigue, but it delivers an immersive experience for fans with some solid gameplay and storytelling.

Gunfire Games' first paid expansion for the shooter offers a decent new quest and some worthwhile items.

Whether you're a fan of the series or looking for a well-made city-builder, SteamWorld Build has much to offer, even with the odd annoyance or two.

Flashback 2 could have channeled the first game's spirit while presenting a new spin on the action. It fails spectacularly, lacking polish and nearly any redeeming qualities.

The biggest problem in Realms of Ruin is its lack of any real depth.

Despite a strong premise and decent progression, this survival sandbox title falls flat in the gameplay department.

Calling it one of 2023's worst games wouldn't even begin to describe just how much of a mess The Walking Dead: Destinies is.

Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections is the best way to experience the story of Naruto, both for long-time fans as well as beginners. Naruto's story mode offers a host of content in itself, and the versus mode can be plenty of fun if you have friends that like the series. Just don’t expect much in the way of actual gameplay depth.

Teardown on the PS5 is a great adaptation of the mayhem filled sandbox simulator that fans loved on the PC. It plays well, performs great, and while there are a few minor issues like the cumbersome user interface, Teardown is a great time nevertheless.

Better-than-expected Zombies, decent Multiplayer with flaws and one of the worst campaigns in the series mar this year's Call of Duty, making it difficult to recommend, even to the hardcore.

Dungeons 4 is pretty safe as sequels go, adding new features and bigger maps while upping the visual quality. The story is forgettable, the humor dreadful and the performance on Xbox Series X is questionable, but it still offers some addictive gameplay.

Risk of Rain Returns is an incredible game and a well-rounded package that will have you running it back to an unhealthy degree.

Achilles: Legends Untold is a game that definitely has some interesting ideas going for it, but unfortunately, none of these ideas really come together well enough to form anything but a game that, at best, will help you waste a few hours.

Those itching for a solid rally racer with plenty of modes and features backed by solid gameplay will find plenty to like about EA Sports WRC.

Dead Island 2's first of two expansions delivers some flashes of enjoyment, but it feels a bit too repetitive, in spite of how brief it is.

While not on par with Kiryu or the franchise's finest outings, Like A Dragon Gaiden is still a good enough game that does the job of priming you up for the next big entry in the saga.

The Invincible isn’t really a game you play for its core gameplay. You play it to experience an interesting story that takes place on an alien planet with technology plucked right from the early 1900s.

Football Manager 2024 builds on its predecessors with a number of granular improvements that come together to elevate the experience in notable ways.

Jusant mixes rock climbing and platforming with a calm atmosphere and an interesting story.

RoboCop: Rogue City may not have the expected level of polish, but it's undoubtedly an experience crafted by the hands of RoboCop fans.

Despite having an interesting story concept, Quantum Error's underwhelming gameplay, terrible cinematics and horrendous voice acting drag down what could have potentially been a great horror experience.

EA Sports UFC 5 is a solid, if not particularly inventive, follow-up in the series. It can be fun, warts and all, but long-time fans will want for more.

Dave the Diver was a big hit when its 1.0 version hit PC earlier this year, and it manages to remain a standout experience now that it has launched on the Switch as well.

Despite some impressive visuals via Unreal Engine 5, Stray Souls feels utterly uninspired with awful story-telling and laughable horror.

Alan Wake 2 is a fantastic horror game with some excellent atmosphere and an incredibly interesting story.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 brings three classic stealth action games to a modern generation of players, and along with it, brings a host of goodies and books that are quite fun to dig through. The extra gameplay goodies, like different versions of classical games, are also fantastic additions.

Ghostrunner 2 sticks to the fast-paced formula of "Live, die, repeat" while adding new mechanics, excellent levels and additions like the motorcycle. Some areas could use more polish, but as a whole, it's a futuristic rollercoaster from start to finish.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder lives up to the “Wonder” part of its name.

Skull Island: Rise of Kong, more than anything else, feels like a hollow attempt at cashing in on the Kong brand.

If you’re keen on a new setting and don’t mind the performance issues that come with it, Wildmender may be worth checking out while taking a break from other titles. Otherwise, it’s a serviceable but ultimately forgettable sandbox experience.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 does a great job of overcoming the original's shortcomings, and comes out as a more complete and well-rounded racing game. While it isn't immune to scrutiny and criticism, it's still a great arcade racer that's well worth trying out.

Overpass 2 attempts to bring racing fans a complete package at a seemingly discounted price. What players will find with this experience is that this is one case where the old “you get what you pay for” adage rings true.

Endless Dungeon is a fun roguelike experience.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is exactly the sort of sequel you'd want it to be, and though it stumbles here and there, ultimately, it improves on its predecessors in almost every way that matters most.

Front Mission 2: Remake holds up better than the original game, and while it still occasionally remains an exercise in frustration, it's a compelling and genuinely entertaining experience.

Sonic Superstars started so well and with such potential but quickly fell off a cliff due to its irritating Zone design, forgettable soundtrack and odd aesthetic choices.

While it isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel with fresh new ideas, it instead acts as more of an evolution of the genre, refining ideas and concepts that have been tried and tested by other games.

Gameplay updates enhance the on-ice action, and despite some of NHL 24’s touted new features not being new at all, the game’s atmosphere is still electric.

Detective Pikachu Returns is a great ride for younger players, with its straightforward gameplay and fun story, but layers on enough edge and bite into the writing that long time series fans will enjoy what it has to offer as well.

Cricket 24 builds on its predecessor with better visuals and presentation but could have used more fine-tuning. If you're happy with Cricket 22, there's little reason to play the sequel.

Assassin's Creed Mirage looks to the franchise's past, and delivers a strong, focused entry that is exactly what it says on the tin, nothing more and nothing less.

Turn 10 Studios' flagship racing series has never been better. With exceptional gameplay, gorgeous graphics, a compelling Career Mode and a swathe of options, Forza Motorsport is simply incredible.

COCOON brings together its vibrant visuals, chill vibes, and minimalistic approach to gameplay and storytelling together to create one of the most interesting puzzle games in recent times.

Witchfire hopes to meld gameplay inspired by Soulslikes and extraction shooters while trying to forge its own identity. [Early Access Provisional Score = 80]

The on-pitch gameplay in FC 24 remains as fun as ever, but its failure to make any real, meaningful changes is a real disappointment, especially because almost none of the few changes it does make come anywhere close to sticking the landing.

Starbreeze Studios' Payday 3 improves the series' base gameplay but falls behind on progression, matchmaking, quality of life and more. The lack of social options makes it an even lesser co-op experience.

The grappling gun makes Ada feel much more nimble, and combat encounters much faster, lending a sufficiently different taste to the gameplay experience.

The console release of Gloomhaven continues the trend of making it one of the best board game-to-video game adaptations out there,

NASCAR Arcade Rush could have been an interesting real-life inspired take on a Mario Kart-style racer, but it doesn’t have the ideas or the content to pull it off.

Phantom Liberty is an incredible expansion that boasts a gripping story, compelling characters, engaging moment-to-moment gameplay, and significantly improved progression mechanics.

Super Bomberman R 2 delivers a solid enough take on the tried and tested classic Bomberman formula.

Aside from the expected graphical upgrade, the list of material improvements in NBA 2K24 is particularly short this year.

This is the best, most balanced Mortal Kombat game to date.

This blast from the past is finally localized for the West and provides some compelling gameplay to go with its intriguing plot.

Lies of P succeeds in almost everything it sets out to do. Not only do we get a wonderful new setting in the form of Krat to explore and dissect, but we also get some great gameplay to go along with it. While the story sets up some interesting things, it takes too long to get it rolling. The game ultimately relies too heavily on the gameplay to keep you intrigued. Not that we’re complaining.

The Crew Motorfest embodies the spirit of the Forza Horizon franchise in more ways than one, and though it doesn't ever quite touch the same heights, it does deliver what is easily the most enjoyable game in Ubisoft's open world racing franchise.

SYNCED's endless grind can eventually grow tiresome due to poor incentives despite superb gameplay mechanics.

Ad Infinitum emphasizes adventure and tragedy as much, if not more, than its myriad of horrors with above-average results.

Under the Waves is an impressive first game from Parallel Studio that tells an emotionally charged story of protagonist Stan overcoming his grief. The writing and performances are quality stuff, and while the gameplay doesn't feature any notable mechanics, it is a surprisingly solid experience that's worth playing through to the end.

Baldur's Gate 3 is a landmark release in the RPG genre that has instantly cemented itself as one of the best games of its kind, and an absolute must-play for all PS5 owners.

Daymare 1994: Sandcastle is far from the perfect game. Plagued with technical problems as well as issues with fundamental design, it manages to be an average game thanks to its somewhat competent combat system.

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk may come across as nostalgia bait and falter with the tagging, combat and difficulty. However, as a homage to Jet Set Radio, it succeeds while offering some neat little twists.

As unfathomably vast and boundless as the subject matter it covers, Starfield raises the bar for its genre and for the medium as a whole in countless ways.

Trine 5 treads the same ground as its predecessors and falls prey to the same shortcomings, but it's a solid co-op puzzler that has some gorgeous visuals and is a great time.

Sprawl isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to retro-inspired shooters, delivering a rather by-the-numbers fast-paced shooter experience.

Immortals of Aveum starts promising but quickly suffers a litany of flaws. It does have some good-looking visuals but is often awkward when it's not downright unwieldy to play.

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is a wonderful return to form for a franchise that has been dormant for a very long time. Its unique mission structure that encourages experimentation, coupled with an insane level of customization is one of the game’s major highlights, and while its story takes time to get started, no two missions ever really feel the same thanks to varied objectives and excellent encounter design.

If you were hoping for a more robust re-release, sadly, this isn’t that. It’s hard to tell if Rockstar will ever put in the time and money needed to do justice to a Red Dead re-release. But even if they don’t, at least we now have the original classic playable on all modern consoles.

Madden NFL 24 is yet another instalment of what has already existed in previous years with a few notable improvements.

Though light on engaging gameplay mechanics (and gameplay in general), Fort Solis is an accomplished narrative experience. Boasting a compelling story, an atmospheric setting, and excellent acting performances, it's an accomplished first outing for indie studio Fallen Leaf.

Motorbike racing fans will no doubt enjoy the bulk of what RIDE 5 offers. It’s an improvement visually with excellent haptic feedback for PS5 players, and quality racing simulations. However, it may be a bit harder to convince newcomers or players content with RIDE 4 to spend their hard-earned dollars on RIDE 5 without a more expansive or engaging career mode. RIDE 5 lacks the push in great modern sports games to create more value for the fans behind simply simulating the sport.

Rockstar's magnum opus still holds up after all this time, but its re-release leaves much to be desired with its lackluster "improvements."

Despite the crashes, limited content and lack of practice modes, Gun Interactive's new horror multiplayer delivers tension-filled fun.

Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is an excellent game. With its wonderfully realized fantasy pirate setting, it instantly pulls you into its world, and with a combination of tight and perfectly implemented mechanics, excellently designed stealth sandboxes, and a colourful cast of characters that's an absolute blast to play as, it delivers a consistently fun and inventive adventure where the stealth, tactics, and experimentation never lose any of their charm, right up until the credits roll.

Quake 2 Enhanced Edition is an exceptional remaster, turning a beloved classic into one of the better old-school shooters available for what's essentially a steal.

Even after a year of major updates and new regions, Tower of Fantasy still has fundamental issues which hinder it to a painful degree.

Moving Out 2 is a great game that excellently builds upon the strengths of the original and adds even more creative levels to the mix that will constantly challenge you in new and interesting ways.

30XX carries with it the legacy of the Mega Man X franchise in its aesthetics and general gameplay.

Atlas Fallen has legitimate strengths in its quick, snappy sand surfing, but with clunky movement, inconsistent combat, and just an all-around lack of polish, it ends up being weighed down by far too many issues to be able to live up to its proper potential.

WrestleQuest takes the classic idea of a video game based on pro-wrestling and flips it on its head, giving us an RPG instead of the typical fighting game.