A fun tactical RPG for newcomers and veterans to the genre, Persona 5 Tactica is a must-play for any Persona 5 fan thanks to its wonderful cast of new and returning characters, alongside an approachable yet deep combat system. Whilst the story and gameplay aren’t as gripping as its source material, Tactica is still the best Persona 5 spin-off by far. If you’re starting to feel the itch waiting for Persona 6, this latest stint with the Phantom Thieves will help make the holdup a little bit easier and will have you come away smiling.

The Pale Reach is a brief but brilliant stop on an outstanding expedition. It’s side content you can tackle at any time, and it’s easily on par with the rest of the game. For DREDGE fans it’s a must-play, and for anyone else looking to get into the game, it’d be hard not to recommend such an effective dose of frozen fear. I can't wait to see what Black Salt Games is cooking up for us next.

Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer is the shining light of this year's Call of Duty offering and is without a doubt the glue holding the whole package together. Unfortunately, it's hard to ignore the glaring cracks in what should have probably been an expansion for MW2.

Risk of Rain Returns might not be quite as free-flowing as its 3D successor, but it's a brilliant recreation of the original title that started it all. It hooks you and keeps you playing, dying, then playing again.

WarioWare is a bonkers collection of blink-and-you’ll-miss-them microgames that are brimming with creativity and humour. It’s one of the few Switch games that truly makes use of the Joy-Con’s features, and it’s a real laugh with friends. I just wish it had a bit more content - and space to let its ideas breathe.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a throwback and a step forward, putting a potential end to what came before on the way to something new. As it does so, it is a shorter, but still truly excellent example of everything that has made the Like a Dragon series so great for so many years.

The Invincible might have its minor problems, but they don’t do much to draw from the fact that Starward Industries has proven that the direct adaptation of The Invincible was always destined to be a video game.

Football Manager 2024 is a true return to form for the series. Every addition we have seen feels important, more so than in the last couple of years, whilst the frustrations of FM23 have been left behind. The debate about annual releases will always rage on, but in this case, it’s justified. The narratives that develop throughout a save, the relationships you create with players and the joy of a last-minute winner are as prevalent as ever. Sega and Sports Interactive often tout this series as the most authentic, complete footballing experience - and this year, it's hard to argue.

My Time at Sandrock is a game that you’ll have no trouble getting into if you’re a fan of the genre. If you’re new to cosy games on the whole, though, it’s also one that is easy to pick up and play - making it a great entry-level title for those checking out something slower in the colder months and dark nights.

With a unique art style, gorgeous soundscapes, and a world you’ll want to keep exploring, Jusant is one game I’ll likely remember and regard highly for quite some time.

If we could ignore the bugs and glitches, there's one thing we can say for certain - Alan Wake II is Remedy at the height of its powers. On a personal level, Remedy's games have meant a great deal to me, leading me down the halls of the Federal Bureau of Control time and time again, and to see their work refuse to dwindle with time is truly a sight to behold.

From the moment you fire up Robocop: Rogue City and see his cruiser’s bumper scrape up the ramp, it is clear who the game is for - if you’re a fan of the 1980s classic you’re in for a treat. Otherwise, the poor performance and uninspired gameplay make it hard to recommend the game to someone who isn’t already a fan of OCP's finest. One thing you can’t take away from Teyon is they have delivered a true-to-the-film Robocop experience, but whether you'd buy that for a dollar is up to you.

Overall, Little Goody Two Shoes is a lot of fun, but may not be what you’re looking for if you’re on the hunt for a more traditional horror experience lending more to a slow-burn style of game with a lot of different elements tossed into the mix, from resource management to quests, and mini-games. It's a little unfocused, and while that works for its unique visual stylings, I found myself wishing for more horror than the constant diversions it offered.

Song of Nunu will certainly be a fun and cosy adventure for players looking to get started with League of Legends, veterans of the series excited to see the story expanded, or a younger audience looking to experience a family-friendly platformer.

For hardcore competitive players, the gameplay improvements might be enough to coax them across. As for the regular fans who want the next evolution in UFC games, I'm not so sure they will find enough here to justify the purchase. If you have been away from MMA games for as long as I have, UFC 5 is a fantastic way to jump back in - but UFC 4 might be just as good.

The more I played Super Mario Bros Wonder, the more I fell in love with its whimsicality and endless redefinition of what Mario can be. It’s a glorious reimagining of Nintendo’s most iconic franchise. It takes the ingenuity and innovation that made Mario’s 3D escapades some of gaming’s greatest achievements and finally introduces them into the side-scrolling world. Wonder is everything I wanted it to be, and might be the most inventive 2D platformer Nintendo has ever made.

Endless Dungeon is generally a quality rogue-lite adventure. It’s constantly throwing hordes of enemies at you and feels genuinely challenging. With more variety and better weapons and upgrades it could’ve been an excellent sci-fi romp to replay. It's still a lot of fun at times, but some restrictions hold it back. Descending each floor of the dungeon and reaching the reactor will keep you hooked for a while, but at its core Endless Dungeon’s flaws hold it back from being a truly memorable advancement for the genre. It does more for tower defence than it does for rogue-lites, which certainly isn’t a bad thing, but it never quite makes the impact I was hoping it could.

For the first time in many years, the Metal Gear Solid trilogy is available on modern systems. The Master Collection gives us the experiences we remember with three of the greatest games ever made and includes the majority of the content ever released for those games - including some new content for dedicated fans.

Ghostrunner 2 is exactly the kind of sequel you'd want after the first game - expanding on the concept with more gameplay options, encounters, and mechanics to great effect...Not all the improvements are straight home runs, and some bugginess does occasionally frustrate - but they aren't big enough deals to distract from what is an overwhelmingly fun gameplay loop.

Lords of the Fallen has a lot to offer but is largely held back by technical issues throughout, and the further I progressed through the game, the more striking these problems became, escalating from a few dips in framerate to hard crashes and glaring pop-in.

Cities Skylines 2 is more of the same in the best possible way, giving players an abundance of quality-of-life improvements and new adjustments to keep the city-building fun going for years to come. While it doesn't quite have that one new blockbuster feature, nor does it revolutionise the genre in the same way that the original did back in 2015, it is still a brilliant game that you should not miss out on. Unfortunately, it does come with a barrage of performance issues that dampen the experience in a number of ways and only get worse the bigger your city grows.

While Hellboy Web of Wyrd is not the strongest example of a roguelike, the depth of its combat and themes more than make up for it. As perfect a representation of the Hellboy comic art as you could get in a 3D video game, Web of Wyrd is the best Hellboy game ever made, and an excellent entry point for new fans.

Sonic Superstars ultimately gets bogged down in how it regularly sidetracks the player, tripping them up at almost every conceivable opportunity. There are glimmers of brilliance that occasionally shine through, but the overall experience was a tiresome one to play through.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the triumphant continuation of an already spectacular series that raised the bar of superhero games. With a story that takes turns that I wouldn’t have expected, fluid combat with haptic feedback considerations, and an expansion of an already flawless and dynamic way to traverse the map, I was smiling all the way to the end from a thwipping great time.

Total War: PHARAOH presents an interesting window into the time and place of a tumultuous historical period while handing you the reigns to make your own story out of it.

Detective Pikachu Returns is a charming sequel that relies on its beloved IP to get by, delivering a story that's more engaging than most Pokemon adventures but falling flat with uninspired gameplay and dated visuals.

COCOON is a triumph, and if it's a benchmark of what to expect from its development team going forward, then they're about to be the smartest video game team on the planet.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is the definition of a return to form. It’s stripped out all of the franchise's accrued bloat and brought everything back to basics, resulting in the first truly stealth-focused Assassin’s Creed game in years.

Presented in a way that is truly player-first, and wrapped up in one of the most fully-fledged packages of cars and tracks I’ve seen for a long while, Forza Motorsport sets a whole new standard for racing games.

There still remain many of the progression problems with Ultimate Team that are likely to never leave though, and while we are all used to them now, it doesn't make it any less frustrating to deal with as a 'free-to-play' player. Menus are also a big sticking point that I hope improves soon, and fans of Career Mode and Clubs will once again likely feel left out in favour of the bigger brother that is Ultimate Team.

Overall, there are better games that achieve the same and more. Deceit 2 is worth picking up perhaps, once there have been some balancing adjustments and once more maps, Terror mutations, roles and skins get introduced.

The Lamplighters League is a fun turn-based strategy game that keeps things fresh with its pulpy aesthetic and characters, boasting a solid gameplay loop that's not afraid to dish out the consequences of your actions. While the decision to add a real-time element to missions doesn't fully pan out, it's not enough to diminish the game's best qualities.

Time will tell if Starbreeze can build upon the baseline it has built. As it stands, PAYDAY 3 is worth dipping your toes into for the curious, but almost certainly worth waiting a while longer to see if it reaches its full potential.

The Resident Evil 4 Separate Ways DLC is a polished piece of fan service that delivers the promise of the original DLC, and more.

Comparisons to the Forza Horizon series are excruciatingly apparent in The Crew Motorfest, with it almost sharing more DNA with its competitor than its own predecessors. That said, the learnings are almost all for the better, with Ubisoft presenting an arcade racer that’s very close to being just as fun and comprehensive. If you’re an Xbox player, Forza Horizon remains top dog. However, The Crew Motorsport is undoubtedly one of the more pleasant surprises of 2023, cementing itself as the best arcade racer option for those on PlayStation.

From its breathless opening hours to its twisting narrative, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty would be worth the price of admission for its plot and characters alone. That it also offers an impressive new district, open-world dynamic events, and even more ways to build your own Cyberpunk mythos makes it an even easier recommendation.

Mortal Kombat 1 is the most complete package I have ever seen in a fighting game. It is an excellent new chapter for returning fans and a great jumping-on point for new players. In this new golden era of fighting games, where more people are playing them than ever before, Mortal Kombat 1 is exactly what we need. A fighting game for everyone, and a beautiful reminder of why we play.

If you’re the type of Pokemon player who isn’t bothered about a game’s technical shortcomings, you’ll have a good time regardless. Otherwise, you might want to wait for the next batch of patches Game Freak have surely added to its to-do list.

To some, Starfield may feel like more of the same in space. To others, that’ll be exactly what they’re looking for. When you give it time to breathe, the game shows you its strengths and invites you to play the way you wish. Not all of its features work out but most do, and the control you have over your journey makes it an excellent trip all the same.

For a game based on a story that's been told what feels like an endless number of times, Lies of P feels one of a kind.

NBA 2K24 showcases a franchise in need of going back to the fundamentals. Its clumsy implementation of VC is nothing new, but it's now actively hampering the rest of the game - especially given the disappointment of MyCareer. And yet, on the court, NBA 2K24 remains the finest basketball sim I've played in years - it just needs to find its form again.

While far from shallow, Under the Waves doesn’t quite reach the depths that it could have. Its ambient score, gorgeous stylised visuals and emphasis on tackling issues such as mental well being, ocean conservation and how we deal with grief illustrate just how much love has been put into the game. However, some of its more striking moments quickly come undone as a result of a lacklustre protagonist, whose monotone line delivery and poor lip-syncing can break you out of the seafaring spell, as well as the occasional bug. Nonetheless, despite Stan and some technical hiccups here and there, Under the Waves shines when you are roaming around the ocean, taking photos of the various ecosystems and cleaning up the environment to later put to use for crafting materials. Spending your days exploring the ocean may seem like a quiet task, and it is, but it is a meditative one that you should allow to wash over you.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 4 is largely forgettable, following the same blueprint of the previous episode: a slog of dull gameplay that occupies most of the runtime before a brief end finally picks up enough momentum to jolt you awake for the credits. However, this time you aren't even presented with a single meaningful choice set piece to ground the events in your own interpretation of the character, displaying such a stark lack of player agency that it doesn't even feel much like a Telltale game.

Fae Farm is an incredibly cute cosy game that makes for a great title to play alone, and while we didn’t have the opportunity to play multiplayer, we’d wager it’s even better when exploring with others, too. From farming to cooking, decorating, getting to know and build relationships with NPCs, and a beautiful art style that gives Fae Farm plenty of individuality, there’s likely something here for everyone. While it doesn’t reinvent the wheel and some activities like fishing and navigating dungeons can feel a bit of a slog, this is one cosy game that knows what it’s trying to achieve and something fans of the genre should absolutely check out.

While The Texas Chainsaw Massacre's longevity will likely be drawn into question - and only time will tell if it will stand tall in the genre six months from now - for now, taking up the mantle of victim and family is raucous and riveting. Maybe this won't be the last hitchhiker we pick up, after all.

Madden NFL 24 feels like it needs a team talk that'll ruffle some feathers, but without it, the franchise feels like it'll be doomed to repeat the same season again, and again. It's time for EA to break the cycle, but if history is anything to go by, we could be approaching a redemption story.

While its choice-based gameplay is starting to feel meaningful, it's all dragged down by a narrative hook that's already been presented arguably better in the show and dull gameplay. Sadly, my confidence in the direction of the series is not going in a positive direction anymore - and most of my thoughts are looking back on what could have been, rather than ahead on what could happen next.

All in all, Armored Core 6 is an exceptional return for the series after such a long hiatus - keeping the core of the game true to its mechanical origins while integrating much of what has thrust FromSoftware into such overwhelming critical acclaim.

Immortals of Aveum, in many ways, is a game about ambition. From its development as a new IP during the pandemic, to the overarching goals of the heroes and villains respectively. In its ambition, it has created a first-person magical shooter that looks and feels like everything it set out to achieve in forging its own identity. However, in its attempt to create a bold new world, it also sometimes falters under the weight of that same ambition. This results in some convoluted concepts that don’t quite hit all the right notes and narrative pacing that tries to cram in too much all at once.

Baldur's Gate 3 is a gold standard for RPGs, setting the bar incredibly high for future games in the genre - and it's something I know I'll be coming back to time and time again in the future. With a cast of fleshed-out, fully realised characters; tactical turn-based combat that presents an opportunity to stop, think and plan your attack strategically; and a dizzying amount of customisable choices, BG3 is truly a roleplayer's dream.

If you’re committed, RIDE 5 can be a helluva lot of fun. Its challenging yet rewarding racing mechanics are best in class for this genre of game, and the selection of tracks and bikes on offer are second to none. Despite being marketed as easy to learn and hard to master, Milestone still has a long road ahead if it truly wants to make the RIDE series properly accessible to the wider market. A lack of a training mode is a sore oversight for the fifth iteration of the series. However, if you’re deadset on becoming the best motorcycle racer you can possibly be, then you’ll find no better game to get your knee down in.

Through all the beauty and bloodshed, Blasphemous 2 is a game that demonstrates why the pixel style endures and should be recognised as one of the best-looking games of the year. As you find yourself entrenched in its eerie environs, you will undoubtedly find it hard to put down.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 2 is a step up from its predecessor as the series begins to settle in and takes advantage of interpersonal drama to really elevate the choices. It does suffer from some of the same issues as Episode 1 and doesn't quite land an attempt to try something new with its gameplay, but it highlights what makes Telltale unique, and why I'm glad they are back.

Atlas Fallen isn’t a game that will push the action RPG genre forward, but it's so much fun to play it doesn't really matter anyway. The gameplay loop is satisfying and the aerial dash and sandglider mechanics are smooth enough that you'll be happy just exploring the world of Atlas, even if you're not progressing through the main story. Its clunky plot holds a certain charm, and with enjoyable combat and traversal it's worth a look for anyone looking for a meaty adventure before the Fall deluge.

Pikmin 4 is a tiny titan, another triumph from Nintendo on a console that has gradually become the best place to play many of its most esteemed franchises. It looks great, plays great, and should appeal to all players regardless of their Pikmin proficiency. With captivating gameplay, a beefy postgame and tons of things to collect, this game has earned its place as one of the best Nintendo games in years.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a triumph on PC and should set an example for how ports should be - not just for PlayStation games, but for every other game on the platform, too. The game wrapped up in the port is very close to perfect, too. After finishing the main story, I’m still aching to go back to grabbing collectables, zipping around the planets and mashing enemies with ridiculous weaponry at the same time. Boss design can get a little stale in the closing stages, and the illusion of dimension jumping is broken slightly on even relatively powerful PC specs. However, there’s no doubt that Rift Apart is a must-play on PC if you haven’t had the pleasure of trying it on PlayStation yet.

In Aliens: Dark Descent's best moments, it's a rich real-time tactics game that represents the Alien mythos from a refreshing gameplay perspective, revelling in stressing the player out with difficult choice and consequence gameplay. If the game managed to consistently ride this line, it would be in with a shout of dethroning Alien: Isolation as the best adaption in this medium yet. However, cracks begin to reveal themselves in a few key places that can drag down the gameplay, and sometimes outright contradict Dark Descent's goal of seemingly challenging the player to accept their actions and the results that come about from them. It's not enough to negate the best Aliens: Dark Descent has to offer, but it is enough to lament how it just missed the mark.

Frontier has consistently one-upped itself throughout the development process of F1 Manager 2023, making for a consistently engaging, impressively nuanced take on a sport that's all about sweating the small stuff. F1 Manager 2023 is a lap ahead of its predecessor in nearly every way, and one of the best management sims around.

Overall, while The Expanse: A Telltale Series Episode 1 doesn't get off to a great start, it shows enough promise and faithfulness to the franchise that has intrigued me as to what twists and turns it will inevitably take later on. While some choices here feel like they kneecap the purpose of Telltale's choose-your-own-adventure formula, there are enough well-needed improvements that I can see the game opening up as time goes on. We'll have to wait and see how The Expanse shaped up with the release of the next episode.

Ultimately, The Sims 4 Horse Ranch feels more like a Game Pack than an Expansion. If you're mad about horses, then you'll get immeasurable joy from the DLC, and it will be well worth your time just to see your foals take their first steps on your ranch. However, if you're expecting a full-fledged Expansion with everything that comes with that, full neighbourhoods, activities, storylines and more, you may feel disappointed.

With a shortage of co-op games to play, we need to take what we can get, and Remnant 2 handily fills that role. You’ll find plenty of fun here if that’s all you want, but it’s not quite as masterful as the games it’s so heavily influenced by.

Exoprimal isn't something anyone really expected, but landing on Bikitoa Island with no expectations may have made the game more enjoyable - at least in the earliest hours. Sadly, it doesn't tend to evolve past that, with its explosive opening volley followed by repetition that, while still fun, feels unfinished. While I'm hopeful more game modes are on the way, what's here right now that's enough bite to convince you to stick around for long.

Jagged Alliance 3 brings back the franchise's classic blend of strategy and RPG gameplay, with a distinctly millennial aesthetic and feel. All the while, the game plays like a modern game, incorporating the best elements of the past and the present to make a worthy successor that fans will love.

If you’re looking for a couch co-op game that’ll bring your loved ones closer together for a sweet-natured bonding session, Manic Mechanics probably isn’t the one for you - but what I can say is that if your family is anything like mine, then bonding over the anger and frustration will definitely make for the perfect night in...With a little bit of patience, some engine oil and a whole lot of vendetta against Betty and the gang, Manic Mechanics is a perfect addition to your family Switch library.

All in all, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals provides an experience that fans of the original will no doubt love. With refined gameplay features and a truly stunning presentation, there’s a lot here to keep fans of the genre happy for hours…However, a few technical issues and new-generation oversights keep Oxenfree II from being a game that truly stands out from the crowd, which is disappointing given the rest of its potential.

Crash Team Rumble is fun in short bursts, and if you and your friends are looking for a new multiplayer title to check out, it’ll definitely keep you entertained for a few nights. Much of its longevity will be decided by its support, however, and while what’s here is fun at launch, it’s hard not to feel like it’s a little barebones.

At its heart, AEW: Fight Forever feels like a celebration of the AEW brand and a culmination of the promotion’s achievements. While it may be hindered by its graphics and sparse career mode, AEW: Fight Forever shines when it is paying homage to the history of the company. It may not be the game changer like the wrestling promotion it is based on, but it is certainly fun and feels like the classic wrestling games from a bygone era.

With a stunning art style, unique puzzles, and a one-of-a-kind concept, Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a puzzle game. While not without its frustrations, it’s a journey to the afterlife worth taking - and one you’ll be coming back to.

Despite the weight of expectations from a series full of gaming hallmarks, Final Fantasy 16 stands tall as an outstanding experience that you won't want to miss out on.

If you’re looking for a slick John Wick-style shooter to delve into, this game will be right up your street. If you’re looking for a successor to F.E.A.R, with action and horror combined in one package, it’s all here too. In the moment-to-moment action, Trepang2 pretty much delivers on all fronts. It's sheer fun, a joyous bloodbath where creativity in combat reigns supreme, and well worth a look if you’re not averse to a few scares.

There are things to love here, and there is visible potential within reach. A lot of the major problems with this game could be fixed. That said, with combat as poor and as prevalent as this, Stray Blade is very difficult to recommend to anyone.

Whether you're wanting to get down to the nitty-gritty of it all and submerge yourself in graphs and statistics or kick back without restraint and build to your heart's desire, the sky is the limit in Park Beyond.

While F1 23 mostly feels iterative in its execution, it’s still the best F1 racing experience you can get for your money. The racing experience feels more lifelike than ever, with the subtle tweaks to the car handling resulting in a far more engaging drive. Breaking Point 2 is a bit of a melodramatic dud, but then again, so is the source material that it’s based on. There’s definitely more scope for innovation, but fans of the series will likely feel satiated with this year’s entry into the F1 racing series.

MotoGP 23 is a completely competent motorbike racer that those who know and love the sport will likely get all the enjoyment out of it that they can hope for. A fabulous customisation system and best-in-class racing mechanics mean there is very little competition out there right now. However, a lack of beginner-friendly tutorials keeps this game from being enjoyable to the masses. It’s a sim racer by design, and as such, casual fans are better off looking elsewhere.

Decarnation is an impressive journey through a difficult lens of strife and toxicity, and despite its more passive gameplay, is an easy recommendation for psychological horror fans. Its topics are handled well, and given enough room to breathe that there’s reverence paid to each, while not overwhelming the player.

Shifting toward a more open-ended structure, Amnesia: The Bunker's dynamic encounters and emergent gameplay allows it to remain freshly terrifying and tense throughout the several hours your first run will likely take. Beyond just claiming the title of the best Amnesia game to date, it's also one of the best survival horror experiences of recent times, and a perfect entry to spearhead the future of the franchise into a new direction.

Diablo 4 has taken everything that fans love about the ARPG format and elevated it to new heights. With a fascinating world to explore, a strong cast of characters, and purposeful combat, it sets a new standard for the genre…The wheel hasn’t been reinvented, and it remains to be seen how the series will adapt to a live service model. Nevertheless, anyone picking up Diablo 4 at launch will find themselves playing a very strong package with plenty of promise.

Return to Grace is an immersive yet charming retro sci-fi adventure, engaging you with its plethora of personality and lore from start to finish.

With a slew of fighting games on the horizon like Tekken 8 and the recently announced Mortal Kombat 1, Street Fighter 6 is leading the charge in the most vibrant way possible. With a series of character guides, story campaigns for classic characters and a fantastic open world for you to take the fight to the streets, it feels like everything I could have asked for from a modern Street Fighter entry. Despite being the sixth game in the mainline series, Street Fighter 6 is easily one of the most accessible and makes for a fantastic entry point for newer players, while still resonating with series veterans.

Although it can take some time to sink its hooks in, System Shock it is a fun, challenging, and occasionally spooky experience that's worth putting time into. Solving puzzles and piecing together where to go next feels rewarding and enemies can be as challenging as you feel comfortable with, and SHODAN is an eccentric antagonist, that flits between horror and comedy with ease. Exploring the dissonance between man and machine is not a new theme, but 29 years on from the original System Shock manages to offer a story that's fresh and engaging, nonetheless.

It was always going to be tough to pull off a Gollum game, but there’s simply nothing precious about this amateur stealth adventure. A general lack of refinement lurks in every shadowy corner of LotR: Gollum, a game disappointingly barren of interesting ideas or substantial gameplay. Even the most loyal Lord of the Rings fans will struggle through it. If you value your time, do yourself a favour and avoid it like the Eye of Sauron.

In a time when retro graphics have been done to death, Warhammer 40K Boltgun still manages to impress with its visual style. Better still, it feels amazing to play. Your Space Marine feels weighty, but also extremely quick. You get to be just as deadly as an Ultramarine should be, and you will need to be to take on the horde of classic Chaos monsters this game throws at you. Many fans regard Warhammer Space Marine as the gold standard of games from this setting, and I can say wholeheartedly that this game belongs in that conversation. The upcoming Warhammer Space Marine 2 will have to fight to get my attention away from Warhammer 40K Boltgun, because I cannot imagine it having as good a Boltgun as this game does.

Blooming Business Casino is very fun and has a lot of potential, especially with the story elements and its unique and charming art style. Here's hoping the rough edges of its tutorial can be smoothed out to make it a more consistent experience throughout.

Miasma Chronicles is a promising strategy game with satisfying but challenging combat, a generous skill tree with sci-fi elements and intriguing lore. The characters and writing are somewhat cheesy which you'll either love or hate and the story doesn't set any new ground in the crowded post-apocalyptic space, but it's still a fun romp.

LEGO 2K Drive delivers everything fans have come to expect from LEGO games and it translates well to this challenging genre. The maps are full of things to do, it looks amazing, and it's approachable for everyone regardless of their age. The store and microtransactions leave a bitter taste, but only feel so out of place because of the game's family-friendly nature.

Tears of the Kingdom is an impossible feat. It manages to one-up perhaps the most influential game of a generation, masterfully surpassing it in areas I never thought possible. This is undoubtedly the most impressive title on Switch, and one that will be talked about for a very long time to come.

Though there are flashes of fun in Tin Hearts, it ultimately fails to follow through on its promises to supply intriguing puzzles at the same time as telling an intimate story. Of course, there is still the VR version of the game to come, and while there will presumably be some positive changes, especially when it comes to camera angles and the slowness of movement, it's also hard to expect that Tin Hearts may become the next VR must-play.

Crusader Kings 3 Tours and Tournaments adds a lot of new flavour and role-playing opportunities for characters of all kinds, putting an increasing emphasis on the presence and social life of your ruler.

Darkest Dungeon 2 takes everything about the first game and amplifies it. It's darker, and more brooding, but oozes more personality. It's not easy, but the long exhale after a successful expedition is difficult to match.

Disney Speedstorm, even in its early access form, is shaping up to be a great kart racer that can shape up to other top-tier titles within the genre. With plenty of challenges, racers, and modes to try out and unlock, completionists out there have a multitude of reasons to hop into the game again and again while burning rubber as your favourite Disney or Pixar character. While the sheer amount of quests and challenges to complete can get overwhelming at times, personally, I can't wait to see what Disney Speedstorm has in store for us - and I'll be right there at the finish line cheering them on.

Redfall tries to bite far more than it can chew and delivers a package with a middling presentation, a lack of interesting mechanics, and some pretty woeful performance. Despite its issues, and perhaps like its cultists, I want to love it - it just won't love me back.

De-Exit is a game with some things to say, which is always refreshing to see. It has a positive message about life and accepting death and says that the most important thing in life is to do as much good as you can with the time you have. It is a very sweet game, with excellent voice acting and some truly beautiful music. There is a visual juxtaposition between the fairly simplistic voxel graphics and the lighting and cinematography. These things come together to create an otherworldly feel that serves the game. The unusual visual style reminds me of seeing Another World for the first time, not fully understanding why it looked so different but knowing there was something special about it. There are a lot of parallels to be drawn between De-Exit and Another World, so much so that the game could have been called "Another Life". Fans of one of the most classic adventure games in history are likely to find plenty to like if they check out De-Exit.

Overall, if you're a Final Fantasy fan who has never had the chance to play most or all of the titles in this collection then you should jump at Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, as it provides the best way to play all six entries to this day. My own gripes about the font aside, there has been remarkable care taken in restoring these six titles, giving them a proper chance to shine on modern consoles. However, for those who aren't quite die-hards it might be a better choice to select certain games individually as opposed to the whole collection, as some titles have stood the test of time far greater than others.

The game has been immensely enjoyable and is a must-recommend, providing us with hours of gruesome, deadly fun in the void of space.

As it stands, Meet Your Maker is a really fun game. It is a new and unique concept, one that is executed excellently. Invasion gameplay is fun, building gives plenty of room for creativity. There is a concerted effort here to make sure neither mode is ever frustrating, whether you are robbing or being robbed, you are never losing out. The game as it is pre-launch is more than interesting enough to have me excited to see what players will come up with.

It's fitting that after six years of being a haven for turn-based strategy titles, the Nintendo Switch is finally getting an Advance Wars game with Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp. The lack of online matchmaking is a shame, but there's so much else on offer here that it's tough to say the package isn't tremendous value regardless.

With small gripes aside, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is everything you could want from a Star Wars game. The only thing truly holding it back from perfection are some bugs, but this truly feels like the best Star Wars game in decades.

Cassette Beasts feels very genuine. Whilst you can tell where the inspiration for certain choices has come from, the soundtrack, characters and story are all entertaining and heartfelt in a way that separates it from being just another Pokémon clone. Whilst the retro 80s design feels like a comforting warm blanket, the game isn’t afraid of inflicting a tonal shift into more Undertale-like otherworldly horror. You'd be forgiven for getting distracted in the gameplay loop of adventuring and collecting cute beasts, but underneath is a compelling and much more sinister story waiting to come out.