The glory days of Super Monkey Ball may be far behind, but Banana Rumble is a new beginning. Tight stage design, responsive controls and an appealing aesthetic make it one of the series' best in years.

Need for Speed Unbound feels like a breath of fresh air. The arcade-style racing has seen quite a significant improvement from its predecessor, and the game’s general styles and sensibilities definitely make it one of the most unique-looking racing games out there.

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.

Frictional Games' signature psychological horror is applied to a compact but tense sandbox setting with fairly strong results.

Mario and Luigi: Brothership delivers yet another solid Mario RPG outing. Riding high on waves of clever writing, charming humour, engaging exploration, and addictive combat, this is an odyssey well worth undertaking.

There's a level of expertise on display in Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider that makes me quite excited to see what’s next for JoyMasher.

While this remaster doesn’t do justice to this game’s significant legacy, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is still a good way to play a very addictive game.

While it lacks online play and is missing a few major titles, Capcom Arcade Stadium's incredible emulation, wonderful UI, and plethora of accessibility and difficulty options make it an excellent way to play several of yesteryear's best games.

Luigi's sophomore solo adventure is still an absolute blast, and even though this is a fairly conservative remaster, it makes for a welcome return to the haunts of Evershade Valley.

EA Sports FC 26 refines the formula with Authentic mode and better defending, making it a strong entry for fans. Still, it’s an iterative release with limited appeal for newcomers or those seeking major changes.

An incredible aesthetic and solid combat make for a surprisingly solid Souls-like, with room for improvement.

A promising set-up and gorgeous art direction aren't enough to mask the shortcomings of Odd Bug Studio's sequel.

Forza Horizon 5 continues to deliver excellent racing content with its newest expansion.

Alan Wake 2 signs off on a typically strong note with The Lake House, which is a strong expansion that delivers an engaging new survival horror chapter while also setting up the future of the Remedy Connected Universe.

Every mode, except Ultimate Team, has been enhanced with more engaging systems and streamlined features. The presentation feels livelier and more dynamic, with a welcome dose of college football DNA. Unfortunately, sluggish load times and a few poor interface choices continue to plague the yearly series.

Tales of Berseria Remastered makes this harrowing adventure much easier to experience, but it still doesn’t do enough to fix the issues that plagued the original release.

Blade Chimera is one of the most good-looking and engaging platformer titles out there. It easily taps into its classical influences while still maintaining its own identity. At worst, it can sometimes be an annoying game that hides crucial information. If you can overlook some of its flaws, Blade Chimera will be well worth your time.

Playtonic's remaster of its 2017 platformer offers a litany of improvements, but its level design still barely passes muster.

Herdling continues Okamotive's reputation for unorthodox titles that resonate in unique ways. Desolate and survival-driven, yet warm and freeing, it's an adventure unlike any other despite the occasional hiccups.

As a game, Ultimate Showdown does little to convince you to choose it over the newest Tekken, Dead or Alive, or Mortal Kombat game. But given how well its core gameplay holds up with its various enhancements, it’s certainly worth a look for fighting game fans looking for something a little different.

Tchia has some interesting things going for it with its beautiful rendition of New Caledonia and fun traversal mechanics, but poor mission design and cookie-cutter side activities mar down those strengths by a significant margin.

There are few games that commit to their central conceit and framing as much as Empire of the Ants does.

Crimson Desert is as expansive as promised, dwarfing pretty much every other open world currently with its scale. Its content doesn't always stick the landing, but the combat shines, and the sense of discovery is hard to deny, even with the lackluster story.

Bramble: The Mountain King is worth a single playthrough, but the lack of any real depth to its gameplay makes it a difficult recommendation to those that might not be drawn in by its gorgeous visuals and atmosphere.

It’s not the worst beat ‘em up game you could spend your time on. But it’s most definitely not the best, either.

The Bloober Team's latest outing is a trip to places of the past you might not choose to visit. But duty calls, and the Travellers must answer.

Palia is far from a bad life-sim, and the Elderwood expansion adds meaningful content to the experience. That said, it definitely demands a significant time investment.

Compulsion Games' action-adventure title manages to stand out in spite of by-the-numbers gameplay.