MLB The Show 21 doesn’t quite knock this one out of the park. Instead, it’s one of the most well-hit doubles I’ve ever seen. The foundation San Diego Studios has cultivated over the years has allowed them to almost seamlessly transfer over to the next-gen and has me excited to see where the series goes from here.

With its dreamlike visuals, great writing, and addictive gameplay, El Paso, Elsewhere it's an action-packed odyssey by way of David Lynch. The compelling narrative, mature themes, and engaging combat make it a standout title that should not be missed.

Inkulinati is a wonderfully quirky strategy game with a great sense of humour and plenty of room to grow. Yaza Games have certainly done something interesting with medieval manuscripts.

While it ticks all of the boxes for a decent MMA fighting simulator, UFC 5 fails to improve by any significant margin from its predecessor. It will enable you to play as your favourite fighters in the organisation, but will not likely be a memorable title from 2023.

Despite fantastic gameplay improvements and a fun CM Punk Showcase, WWE 2K26 is ruined by predatory monetization. By locking standard DLC behind a grueling "battle pass" grind and selling tier skips to bypass it, 2K has prioritized greed over player experience. Even with its mechanical polish, the "pay-to-not-grind" tactics make this a disappointing entry to avoid until a major sale.

A decent enough game that fails to innovate in the same way Legends Arceus did, Pokemon Legends Z-A feels like a wasted opportunity that may only be worth it for die-hard fans.

After years of struggling to get into the series, Borderlands 4 finally hooked me. The fresh world of Kairos, a mostly new cast, and refined gameplay make exploration and combat genuinely fun. Side quests, collectibles, and boss battles are rewarding, and the story sneaks up on you when you least expect it. A soft reboot that works for both newcomers and longtime fans.

Unlike last years release, there aren't too many noticable issues that need improving on either. EA have been afforded more time to get this game to where they need it to be, and they seem to have done exactly that. On the other hand though, there are still modes with untapped potential that EA have to put more focus on in order to appeal to their full market of players. It's a strong release from EA, one which will keep them at the top of the footballing sim market, but without a leading competitor to challenge them, that isn't awfully difficult.

Unsurprisingly, Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is the best way to experience a JRPG classic. If you're not enthralled by the story, the game can feel like a bit of a drag, but even then, it's got a strong hook with its deep RPG mechanics and an ace up its sleeve that is mech combat and exploration, making the journey absolutely worthwhile.

Synapse is at its best when you are flinging enemies around and shooting them from the sky. Unfortunately, poorly paced-difficulty changes and an unsatisfying endgame left me wanting a little more.

Hell is Us is a fascinating yet strange game, weighed down by its own risks. While it has the atmosphere and mythology for a great sci-fi experience, its ambitious “no objective markers” system turns exploration into tedium. Coupled with a story that ultimately goes nowhere, it stands out as one of the year’s most bizarre cases of wasted potential.

Back 4 Blood is fantastic fun - in the right circumstances. Hopefully, Turtle Rock plans on augmenting Swarm and solo mode in future updates. If you've got at least a couple of friends interested in partying up, though, taking down a few thousand Ridden for an hour or two is a no-brainer.

Read Only Memories: Neurodiver combines point-and-click exploration with an emotionally intelligent cast of vibrant characters. While clumsily paced at times, with minor bugs and errors, the overall experience is punchy, evocative, and memorable.

Overall MotoGP 21 is a triumph and celebrates the fastest bike series around in all its glory. Accessible for new players and challenging for experienced ones, it’s a can’t-miss for race fans everywhere.

Milestone’s follow-up to 2021’s Hot Wheels Unleashed is a worthy successor, but the lack of the first game’s DLC cars is an uncomfortable sore spot.

Gimmick is a delightful retro platformer, brimming with challenge and quality-of-life features to make it worth trying.

Brimming with style and boasting slick combat, Zenless Zone Zero’s few stumbles are easy to look past. While it’s much smaller than the massive open world of Genshin Impact or the galaxy-spanning tales of Honkai, it's all the better for it.

You’ll only need several hours to complete it, but The Big Con’s one adventure worth looking into. Offering a vibrant presentation brimming with nostalgia, there’s an enjoyable story about 90’s America which kept me hooked. Though the pickpocketing mechanic lacks depth, that’s made up for by a fun narrative and good sense of humour, keeping the action entertaining. If you like indies, The Big Con’s a breath of fresh air that comes recommended.

Gold Road is an exciting expansion in isolation, though it disappointingly passes up the perfect opportunity to innovate on The Elder Scrolls Online's now-predictable formula.

While As Dusk Falls’ story is full of thriller cliches and tropes, if you can look past the unique animation style, playing around with the well-written characters’ lives can be a lot of fun.

The sniping in Sniper Elite 5 is still as gruesomely satisfying as in previous games, but various aspects of the game’s design actively take the spotlight away from it, making for a clunky and frustrating shooter.

As a creative suite for kids with game design ambitions, Game Builder Garage is top class. Sure, It has a few technical drawbacks, and it’s not a replacement for industry-standard game engine experience. But regardless of its faults, this is a fantastic visual scripting on-ramp for budding designers without coding experience. The engine is also incredibly versatile in the right hands, offering serious scope to help gamers of all ages realise their visions.

So what we're left with is a slightly uneven collection. The core material is still brilliant, made exponentially more so with the stellar soundtracks and built-in music player, but you'll be a bit disappointed if you were hoping for anything other than the core material.

Screamer is an amazing game for those yearning for a classic arcade racer with an anime-inspired coat of paint that includes high production values and very deep mechanics that will be hard, yet satisfying to master. A puzzling lack of a proper tutorial, a lackluster narrative despite strong character designs, and uneven track selection bog down the experience a smidge.

MotoGP 22 is a faithful and challenging entry in the two-wheeler series, though it may not convert those put off by its gruelling difficulty spike.

Bravely Default 2 is more of the same from the series. The game still keeps what it’s great at, namely its battle system, Job customization, and music. Fans of JRPGs will find familiarity here, but with the transition over to Nintendo Switch, I was hoping that there’d be more sizable improvements. Its tepid story as well as the puzzling omission of quality of life features that were present in previous games left me feeling a bit underwhelmed overall. Bravely Default 2 is a good game, but there are aspects that keep it from being a great one.

I loved playing Invincible VS. It's something fans of the IP will likely get a kick out of for a few hours despite the disappointing length of story mode, and those deep in the trenches of fighting games likely trying to come up with the most degenerate strats you could conceive. If Quarter Up can build on the early excitement shown by both the FGC and the casual Invincible audience, they might have a big hit in their hands, one I hope they aim to improve and make a more complete experience in a fighting game market that's surprisingly starting to feel a bit overcrowded.

Mario Tennis Fever is a visual powerhouse that showcases the Switch 2’s potential with vibrant graphics and lightning-fast load times, yet it struggles to find its footing on the court. While the "Fever" mechanics and chaotic multiplayer modes make it an instant party-night favorite, veteran players will be disappointed by floaty physics and a lack of mechanical precision compared to Aces. Without the heart of a deep story mode or a robust tennis engine, it stands as a polished, high-octane spectacle that prioritizes casual fun over competitive depth.