The best part of the new port is the potential for all the upcoming mods. All of my complaints can be fixed by the community through mods, although Square Enix should address them directly first. Overall, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth looks and runs better than its PS5 counterpart on PC. The amount of options and scalability is enough to satisfy most PC gamers with modern hardware, and certain quirks can be fixed with quick updates.

1000xResist is different to anything else I’ve played and mostly because it’s a narrative-based game that tries as hard as possible to obscure the story from the player. But just like those fans who see the goodness in Iris despite what she shows us, interpreting what you are shown – and what you aren’t – is part of the gameplay. I can’t tell you what 1000xResist is. You’ll just have to see for yourself.

There’s something to be said for remasters preserving games largely as they were with a higher resolution and image quality, bugs ironed out, and some optional quality-of-life additions. Sometimes you just want to play the game you remember, warts and all, and experiences like Tales of Graces f Remastered offer exactly that. While that may make for a great remaster, it doesn’t necessarily make for a great game in 2025.

Indika isn’t a game you will enjoy playing, but you should do it anyway. Whether you agree with it or not, it will ask you to question the status quo, who has the right to judge others or decide right from wrong. Video games can be a form of escapism, a power fantasy, or mindless fun. Indika isn’t that. It’s something you won’t understand right away. It’s one you’ll want to discuss with others after you finish. It’s one that could change your worldview.

Ultimately, diving into big battles over and over again still gets tiring, but Dynasty Warriors: Origins executes those battles so well that I don’t mind. Seeing hundreds of enemy soldiers fly back from my swings is still wonderfully satisfying, and Origins does it better than almost any other game in the series. The seven years spent developing a bunch of successful spin-offs has allowed Omega Force to experiment, and now Dynasty Warriors: Origins feels like a fantastic reboot and second wind for the mainline series. Dynasty Warriors is back.

Freedom Wars is the best game that was never ported from the Vita, and the remaster makes all of the quality-of-life changes we could reasonably expect it to. It looks more beautiful than ever, with some flashy cutscenes, and though it pains me to say, the remaster is the best way to play. My only worry is that it isn’t enough. While it surpasses the 150GB games of today in terms of innovative gameplay mechanics, fast, fluid movement options, and fourth wall breaks, it lacks the accessibility and variety modern gamers have come to expect.

While it’s made its ring walk slightly too soon, The Thrill of the Fight 2 is still an incredibly advanced boxing simulation that doubles as a sweat-inducing workout. The finished game will comfortably out-box its predecessor, but Early Access still needs a bit more time in the gym.

Omens of Destruction puts three of the most destructive factions in Total War: Warhammer 3 in the best place they’ve ever been on top of offering two of the most unique campaign experiences available in the game – and that, I think, is the theme for this DLC, aside from the obvious angle of smashing armies and empires to pieces. Omens of Destruction is a mechanically innovative reminder of the beauty and wonder of Total War: Warhammer 3.

You get what you expect from Monument Valley 3, but that isn’t a bad thing. It’s a beautiful, whimsical journey through plenty of impossibly pathed levels perfected for mobile play, and honestly that’s all it needs to be.

Pokémon TCG Pocket is a truly fantastic mobile game that will keep you opening the app daily — and as long as it stops at once a day, you’ll probably love the experience. If you’re going back for more and more, like me, you’re inevitably going to run out of things to do. Pace yourself, enjoy the experience, and I promise you that Pokémon TCG Pocket is one of the best card games a casual TCG fan can play. At the very least, it’s better than Twitter.

Nightdive has simply made it look nicer on modern screens, run at approximately a bajillion frames per second, and updated the controls so they don’t make the modern player’s brain fall out of their head. Lovely stuff. I hope Nightdive keeps wearing other game studios’ skins.

Infold Games built a beautiful world I’d not be unhappy to live in. It’s a world in which creativity, passion, and empathy are the highest of virtues and can make a real difference – a message that’s more important than ever. Strolling through the landscapes of Miraland, you can forget about everything, reinvent yourself on the spot if you’d like, and simply space out as you veer from melancholy to wholesome vibes. If such a sandbox, such a retreat, is what you’re looking for, then Infinity Nikki hits the mark dead-on – but it falters the moment you crave a little more substance...For the moment, that is. Infinity Nikki will evolve over time, as live-service games tend to do, and many of its starting issues are in the realm of being fixable.

None of those issues take away from the fact that Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 is an incredible game. It’s packed with gorgeous pixel art, charming character design, great audio design, and some of the best puzzles in gaming. It’s a fantastic sequel, a wonderful standalone game, and everything I could have asked for.

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle is the first true triple-A adventure game we’ve had in ages and one of the best games of 2024. People jumping in expecting it to be Wolfenstein in everything but name might be disappointed, but settle into its pace and you’ll be treated to a whirlwind world tour that only video games can deliver. Actually, cancel that. This is a fash-bashing experience only MachineGames could deliver – an unforgettable adventure that easily outdoes the most recent movies it’s based on.

The ending didn’t sour me on Visions of Mana overall, but did leave me pondering its squandered potential. This is a game that could have brought the Mana series back to its former glory, but it appears that the development team weren’t given the room to shine. If you decide to try it for yourself, you’ll still find a beautiful game befitting of the Mana series, with some of the best battles it has to offer, but just be prepared for a story that goes nowhere.

A few months on, and Star Wars Outlaws plays better than ever thanks to patch 1.4, and the Wild Card DLC might be the best example of everything this game can be. It certainly isn’t a masterpiece, but when compared to other recent Star Wars or Ubisoft games, I’d much rather be cruising around the Outer Rim in the Trailblazer than be anywhere or anyone else in the galaxy far, far away.

As a visual novel connoisseur Emio – The Smiling Man doesn’t go to the top of my list. However, it does gain points for taking risks with how horrifying the story is willing to go, and for the few instances of breaking the fourth wall. The pacing and characters are strong, but the way you interact with the world can be repetitive and ultimately frustrating. It’s one for those who love a mystery and don’t mind occasionally hitting a brick wall.

Void Crew is some of the most fun I’ve had in co-op. The structure of a roguelite really lends itself to a Sea of Thieves-style co-op game. I wish there were more ship types, performance gets a bit choppy when you’re using the in-game computers, and I’m not a huge fan of how piloting works, but I’ve already put 40 hours into Void Crew and I reckon I have another 40 in me. Now give me some more ships to play with (please). And let me crash them (please, for non-scamp reasons).

The atmosphere is close to perfect, and the weather effects are some of the best I’ve seen, but the game that takes place inside the world doesn’t live up to the brushstrokes...I really wanted a win for this development studio. The Ukrainian developer has weathered a pandemic, escaped a warzone, and developed this game while under unprecedented pressure. If I could score a game for heart, it’d be a ten out of ten. Maybe one day it will be, but it’s not there yet. One for the sickos.

Götterdämmerung is German for “twilight of the gods” – the Ragnarök of Norse mythology. Far from being the end, however, this DLC breathes a lot of new life into Hearts of Iron 4 after some more disappointing expansions. Though it comes at a steep price – $24.99 USD – this is very much a return to form for Paradox, providing massive replayability and detail to one of the most pivotal nations in the setting and some of its close neighbors. Both special projects and raids are neat systems that can be expanded in the future and they more tightly connect the map with the research and army screens we look at so often.

Two years on, Stray is still a beautiful game. A point-and-click platformer with a unique concept. The Nintendo Switch is possibly the worst way to experience it, but if you value portability over performance then this is still the version you’ll want.

I really enjoyed Ark of Charon’s concept and love the art style of the game, but its lack of polish in terms of onboarding, user interface, and general quality-of-life features make its brutal difficulty a frustrating experience rather than a rewarding one. Protecting this tree is just as tough as fighting climate change and in many ways this 1.0 release does not feel like it brought the game out of Early Access.

Mind Over Magnet is the exact kind of puzzler I love the most. It picks one idea and makes it the focus, constantly finding new ways to make you think about it from new perspectives and combing those ideas to make challenging puzzles, rather than relying on constantly introducing new mechanics. It doesn’t break the mold or revolutionize the genre, but it accomplishes what it set out to do, making me scratch my head just the right amount to make each puzzle satisfying to solve while keeping up a good pace that never let the experience drag.

I so badly wanted to play the story of a teenager collecting a party of misfits, traveling all over the globe, throwing weapons into volcanos, and discovering the truth behind their father’s disappearance, and I wanted to do so with all of the comforts of modern gaming. I wanted to be able to save before a big boss fight, to quickly input the moves I wanted to make, and to keep in pace with enemy levels even without hours of grinding. I love Dragon Quest 3, I love the HD-2D art style, but I hate that the remake didn’t bring the quality-of-life changes the old boy so desperately needed.

LEGO Horizon Adventures is a cute game that successfully translates most of the franchise’s characters and mechanics into the joyful world of LEGO.

With management games, there’s always a worry that a sequel just feels like the same game again, but prettier (hello Cities Skylines 2), however, I can say with confidence that Planet Coaster 2 avoids falling into that trap. The changes made to the game’s core systems, the additions to the management side of the game, and the new attractions like pools and flumes – which I have no doubt will be expanded upon in DLC – make this game an ideal sequel that improves on the original in almost every area.

Slitterhead is quite possibly the single most interesting game of 2024, but prospective players need to be aware of the journey that’s ahead of them. If seeing some genuinely bold and indulgent game design decisions is worth fighting against a bit of jank, then this game is absolutely for you. If you want to always know where to go and what to do next, maybe not. Even then, I think you should play Slitterhead, simply because you’re unlikely to see anything like it ever again.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a great Call of Duty game when those are growing fewer and further between. It’s the best Call of Duty game on the latest generation of consoles, and it’s available to play on Xbox and PC via Xbox Game Pass. Last year’s COD might’ve been the biggest rip off of 2023, but Black Ops 6 stands as the most robust FPS release of 2024. Enjoy it while it lasts, because there’s no guarantee the series will reach these highs ever again.

A unique genre mix, Empire of the Ants positively surprised me with its beauty, story, and smooth controls. Tower Five and Microids didn’t deliver perfection, but something thoroughly enjoyable.

Stellaris: Grand Archive neatly builds on already existing gameplay systems without adding any unnecessary busywork for the player and does so overflowing with flavor – it’s a strong addition to the space strategy game, though quite pricey for what it offers on paper.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered updates the original game with mixed results from an artistic perspective, but its abundance of accessibility options, improved performance, and technically improved asset quality make it an unnecessary but worthwhile upgrade.

There are moments where The Veilguard is BioWare’s best game, but it’s bogged down in everything else. I’d recommend skipping the throwaway side content and mainlining the brilliant main quests, but you’ll be punished in the final mission if you do. So you have no choice but to fast-travel from combat encounter to combat encounter, all while wondering where the moral dilemmas are in a series known for its player choice. Like the character I created at the start of this journey, I can’t separate The Veilguard from its history, and this isn’t the Dragon Age I remember.

Shadows of the Damned was developed under restrictions, and Suda 51’s unique ideas were reused, not allowing them their time to shine. The remaster was the perfect opportunity to add quality-of-life changes, remove repetitive parts, and add in new sections. The difficulty settings also don’t appear to reduce the number of bullets each enemy requires to take out, leading to further repetition in the gameplay. I love Suda 51’s work and really wanted to love this remaster, but it just misses the mark in so many ways.

Putting that divide into a score is somewhat difficult because it’s going to be a compromise that won’t accurately represent either side. An old-school fan who simply wants to bask in nostalgia will rate Sins of a Solar Empire 2 very highly, while someone expecting a little more will inevitably feel disappointed by the wasted potential. I’m counting myself toward the latter group, but I have to respect Ironclad’s commitment to remaining faithful to the original.

The Pristine Cut has made one of the best “choices matter” games of all time even better. The new routes weave into the overall narrative perfectly and add more depth to an already excellent game. Black Tabby Games is going back to finish Scarlet Hollow before working on a new game, and I’ve never been so excited to see what’s in the kitchen.

Yakuza Kiwami is the best starting place for the Yakuza series, and the Switch is a great way to experience the start of Kiryu’s journey. While minor problems persist – both in terms of the game itself and its presentation on Switch – there’s not a whole lot holding it back. It’s Yakuza Kiwami, and it’s on Switch, and that’s all it needs to be.

At its core, this is still Sonic Generations, so I can’t say I had a bad time playing it, and if you’ve never played it before then I’d absolutely recommend picking this up. However, if you already own Sonic Generations – which I’m willing to bet most people interested in this game do – then I certainly wouldn’t be willing to pay $50 for a handful of new levels that are okay at best.

Citadelum successfully channels the spirit and charm of classic genre entries like Pharaoh and Zeus, bringing this iconic style of city-builder to the modern era, but lacks the variety and content to remain engaging for long. Abylight’s take on this style of game is excellent for those seeking a rush of nostalgia, but merely solid for everyone else.

Reynatis tries to tick many boxes, and in the process ends up ticking very few. Despite some strong presentation and some genuinely fantastic ideas, the execution is lacking in just about every department, with a story that goes nowhere and gameplay that’s more frustrating than fun.

If you love Against the Storm and simply want to add some more spice to your runs, because you already know every cornerstone and event like the back of your hand, then Keepers of the Stone is a no-brainer for you – it brings a variety of new content, a slight increase in challenge, and minimal mechanical add-ons that will feel impactful to someone who plays the game a lot. If you’re new to the game anyway, then you’ll be completely fine without the added investment into the DLC for a long, long while.

There’s a saying in the sport: you don’t play boxing. It’s a serious sport with dire consequences. Undisputed treats it the same way - it forgets it’s a video game.

Impressive writing, a wonderfully atmospheric soundtrack, and meaningful gameplay additions all come together to form what is possibly the strongest DLC offering Owlcat has ever published. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader – Void Shadows should put this great CRPG onto your radar, in case you somehow held off on it so far.

Taking the Persona formula and putting it in a different setting could’ve crashed and burned, but the team behind Metaphor: ReFantazio understood exactly what needed to change to make it work. The result is a game that has a sense of familiarity in its mechanics, yet innovates in ways that make it a distinct experience. On top of that, it pulls you into this brand-new world which is expertly crafted with larger-than-life personalities that pop off the screen and make for a thrilling adventure. I don’t know if Metaphor is planned to be a one-off or the start of a new series, but either way, it’s something special.

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero isn’t a competitive fighter or a story-driven adventure; it’s a toybox. It’s a place for you to play and experiment with the Dragon Ball universe, toying with its timeline, characters, settings, music, and more. It’s not the sort of thing that manages to charm me, it’s a bit “10 hours of jingling keys,” but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a big smile on my face when I finished off Perfect Cell with an Instant Transmission Kamehameha before Gohan even got a turn. Wish the lads from the playground could see that now.

The Va'ruun are beyond boring when you get to know them, Dazra is small in the scope of the grand cosmos, and your ship just sits there beckoning you despite there being no new way to customise it, nor anywhere interesting to go. Combine that with annoying enemies and scant new loot to discover and there’s not really much reason to blast off again.

With its story, new class, and the permanent changes it brings, Vessel of Hatred improves on an already very good base game that has been refined over the last five seasons since launch. Striking a delicate balance, it succeeds at tweaking the systems and gameplay to please both casual and hardcore players.

It might not have you sold in the first few hours, but stick it out until Brookhaven Hospital and you’re in for a white-knuckle ride straight into Hell.

Edgeflow Studio has managed to create an immersive deckbuilder that really knows how to make use of its setting and connect it to the gameplay. This quality greatly enhances the heart of the game, which is the thrilling and intricate turn-based space combat that’s already fantastic in Early Access. The same can’t be said for its roguelike layer, which requires more variety and incentives to become similarly engaging. Breachway is not quite Faster Than Light, yet.

A year on, and Mortal Kombat 1 is still plodding along. If you’ve felt a bit gore deprived recently, Khaos Reigns is a great way to refresh your sicko meter and have some fun with friends, but even with infinite combos and a variety of new characters, MK1 still feels stuck in the mud. Hopefully, the next MK game will take place in a timeline where the gameplay doesn’t feel stiff, though I’m not sure even the Kamidogu can help with that.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a lovely way to return to Hyrule, and the echo system revitalizes the experience of exploring this world. From combat to exploration, your approaches will be wildly different from any Zelda game before, and that’s what makes Echoes of Wisdom worth playing. While it’s not quite a Zelda masterpiece, it’s definitely an essential Nintendo Switch game.

When you engage with it on a deeper level Shadows of Doubt really sings, and that wouldn’t be possible if they sacrificed that complexity just to widen the appeal. It knows exactly the kind of experience it wants to be and doesn’t compromise its ideas to make sure that’s what players get. The result is one of the best mystery games ever made, and I hope they continue to develop these systems even after this 1.0 launch.

For me, Roads to Power is an incredibly flavorful Crusader Kings 3 DLC – it’s a game changer in the literal meaning, because it introduces a way to truly play this title as a RPG as opposed to a strategy game, though I would recommend a healthy mix to get the best out of the experience, and it really spices up empire-level gameplay. Even if you’ve conquered the world, keeping your dynasty on the throne is now much more intense thanks to Administrative Realm politics. Now even more roads lead to Rome, and what could be better? [Recommended]

The result is a game that I want to love, but I can’t look past its most glaring issues. Beyond Galaxyland is definitely worth trying because I really enjoyed the story, but the lackluster gameplay drags it down to the point where eventually my drive to see how the narrative plays out was overwhelmed by the fact that I simply wasn’t having any fun.

Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a frustratingly faithful remake of a game that was already pretty decent. It looks great, and the quality of life additions make it much more enjoyable, but if you didn’t click with the original, there’s not much here that will change your mind.

Ara: History Untold feels really fresh, immersive, and innovative with its deep city-builder influences being the standout feature. It doesn’t nail the landing in all aspects, but provides the most exciting foundation for further expansion we’ve had in this genre for a long time.

EA Sports FC 25 has cut the amount of innovations to the bone compared to last year, although the scope of some of them is bound to make a lasting impression on hardcore soccer aficionados. FC IQ might be the strongest new feature in years, but it's also so easy to miss it that people will probably dub it yet another more of the same - and understandably so, given the shortage of surface-level additions.

Ultimately, Frostpunk 2 is something very rare: A sequel that manages to substantially reinvent itself and innovate on the foundation of its predecessor without losing what made it great in the first place – in itself, this boldness is deserving of applause.

The Plucky Squire gives you simple combat and clever puzzles, all wrapped up in two gorgeously colorful art styles that stand out from anything I’ve played in a long time, with a story that made me smile at every turn.

Dead Rising is a silly game that’s secretly very smart. The boss battles might’ve aged, but the decisions you’re forced to make under a 72-hour time limit feel as impactful as a well-timed flying wall kick. You’ll be alerted that survivors have died when you were never even aware of them, and new ones pop up all the time. It’s just as tense and sometimes overwhelming as making that crossing through the packed shopping center on Saturday, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

This is one of the hardest games I’ve ever had to review, and not only because I spent 40 hours playing it and felt I had only just scratched the surface. It’s a game that’s meant to be discussed. The mystery of games like Mooncat, Divers and the curious Terminal continues to confound me, and I can’t wait to see people inevitably figure it all out hours after launch. However, the way that the collection spans so many genres while still feeling cohesively linked is impressive, and I cannot wait for launch to uncover all the parts I couldn’t possibly figure out for myself.

DeathSprint 66 could’ve been an amazing platformer, but it makes for a disappointing racing game.

I don’t know if I Am Your Beast will be one that I ever come back to, maybe it was better as a one-night stand, experiencing its whirlwind of action and excitement for a little while before moving on to something else. Either way, I’m very glad I got to spend time with it – not many games get the blood pumping like this one does.

Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is an intensely unwieldy name, but it’s a hearty collection of some of the best arcade games Capcom ever made. If you’re a fighting game fan or an arcade nostalgic, you owe it to yourself to play Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection.

Despite all of this, Episode Aigis is still The Answer at its core, and its core is Twotarus. There are a few interesting story beats here, but you could just as easily experience them from watching a cutscene compilation, rather than running around the dungeon listening to them exclaim, “Oh, a treasure chest” and “A shadow. Should we fight it?” on repeat between being jumpscared by enemies that body you off screen. Episode Aigis is undoubtedly the best way to play The Answer and see its story, but if you don’t like Persona 3’s combat, you really need to ask yourself if it’s something you want to play at all.

I still haven’t learned to play Seal’s Kiss From A Rose, by the way. It’s a fair bit tougher than I expected, but I’m not giving up yet. Rocksmith+ has taken my money for another month – and on the laggier PS5, whether I like it or not – and I’m going to make the most of it. I’ll at least clear through the Intermediate piano lessons, and play bass to a few Mobb Deep tracks. This arrogant fool has been humbled through this whole process, but it’s been great to drop the ego and go back to basics. Nothing quite makes you appreciate how far you’ve come like going back to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

It makes Demon’s Mirror a harmony of interlocking systems that all shine brightest when you’re forced to bounce between each one to make the most efficient turn. The cards may be more simplistic than Slay the Spire, but that’s only because having the board involved adds so much innate complexity. If you try to always have a game like this on hand to kill some time, then Demon’s Mirror is a great addition to your rotation, offering you something familiar while bringing ideas to the table that no one else in the genre has.

Astro Bot has set a new benchmark that all 3D platformers now have to reach, and I’ll be waiting excitedly while they try.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a bombastic celebration of the setting, a must-play for its fans, and a bloodlust-inducing third-person shooter experience for everyone, though anyone looking to engage with single-player content only will find themselves chewing on bone a little too soon.

If you’re hoping Star Trucker will be the kind of game you can play indefinitely, then this isn’t it. It’s fun to play through until you finish the story and unlock all of the different areas, but what it lacks in longevity, the added personality helps make up for. It does a great job of capturing the physics of its setting, almost too well, leading to a steep learning curve, though overcoming it is very satisfying.

It comes with a lot of fun extras too. It’s nothing game-changing, but if you’re a long-time fan you’ll appreciate the galleries, character profiles, and music selection. Plus, there are a bunch of fun achievements involving little easter eggs of fan in-jokes that all made me smile when I found them.

Age of Mythology: Retold truly teleports the RTS classic into the modern era: It’s the definitive way for fans of old to relive childhood memories and dive deep into the nostalgia of it all, but it’s ready to welcome a new audience thanks to its gold-standard approachability measures – a good myth may undergo changes along the way, but it never dies.

I can’t help but love this game. Star Wars Outlaws looks, sounds, and feels like what a Star Wars game should be, without ever invoking the feeling of “Star Wars”, the multi-billion-dollar Disney-owned franchise. It forges its own path through the galaxy, determined never to step in somebody else’s footsteps, and it does so with magnificent confidence. It’s that confidence that pulls it all together, taking the best parts of Star Wars, combining them with the best parts of Ubisoft, and casting everything else aside.

Madden 25 is an apt representation of the broader games industry. The push for greater realism and immersion leads to some impressive achievements, but it comes at the expense of everything else, including a sense of ambition. Meanwhile, you’ve got EA College Football 25 over here with goofy mascots, over-the-top spectacle, and a greater sense of fun, and it isn’t afraid to do things differently in the pursuit of making play more interesting. There’s only so much you can do to make football play and feel more realistic, and once you reach that goal, you need to start looking elsewhere to make things worthwhile. Madden feels like it’s at that point, and I think for the sake of polish as much as creativity, EA needs to take more than a year between releases to get Madden back on track.

Tactical Breach Wizards is a wonderfully refined turn-based tactics game with fantastic humor and clever combat design that offers challenges for casual and hardcore players – and a lot of defenestrations.

Black Myth: Wukong is one of the best non-FromSoftware games in this genre, joining the likes of Lies of P in the pantheon of excellent Soulslikes. Instead of copying Dark Souls’ homework, it carries you through this journey with plenty of ideas and charm of its own.

Dustborn may be one of the most difficult games I’ve ever had to review. The core of the game, the characters and story, is one of the strongest I have seen since Telltale’s era, even if it fumbles towards the end. I love how dynamic and realistic the dialogue is, but hated what that did to the pacing. I adored the political message about speaking up for your beliefs, but wish it had been delivered with more subtlety and nuance. Dustborn makes missteps, but its victories more than compensate.

Despite tackling so many sensitive topics, Closer the Distance never feels out of its depth and shows a surprisingly well-rounded understanding of human nature. Angie might push Conny to be the one who helps others, but her friends in the village have her needs in mind as well. And sometimes they don’t, because sometimes, people just suck. How you deal with that is up to you, and the way you do or don’t resolve the village’s issues will have lasting effects on the people who live there. There’s plenty of replay value, but like with Spiritfarer, I don’t think this is a game I can ever play again.

It’s never going to be on the main stage of Evo, but SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos is fun for fighting game fans who don’t take themselves too seriously. Jump into online lobbies while playing as a boss character and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

Consistency and quality underline not only SteamWorld Heist 2 but the series as a whole. From a game design standpoint, everything is polished and you’ll never feel frustrated. When you lose you’ll know why, and you’ll bring this knowledge to your next attempt. Despite this, consistency comes with its downsides. SteamWorld Heist 2 doesn’t take risks and doesn’t revolutionize the genre, but it doesn’t attempt to. Instead, it offers players a quality game that doesn’t disappoint, while never reaching that ‘must-play’ status.

Thank Goodness You’re Here! is the most interesting and innovative game I’ve played this year, featuring ideas and absurdist humor I have never seen in the thousand-something games I’ve completed. It’s a true slice of British culture, and a great insight into the things we find funny. It doesn’t have the mass appeal of triple-A games, but it is exactly the type of game that makes me excited that indies exist. People need to buy this entertaining curio so more developers will take a chance on games like these in the future.

Cygni: All Guns Blazing isn’t a SHMUP essential, but it’s damn good fun once you start shooting and completely forget all of the cutscenes.

Tokyo Xanadu is a very competent RPG and dungeon crawler with enough systems in place to make it as easy or as challenging as you like. The characters are well-written, and while the story is a little clichéd, the secret ending more than makes up for it. Tokyo Xanadu was originally released in 2015, and I’m glad the upgraded version has finally returned to handheld consoles. Playing on the go is the best way to experience it, and now you can, even without a Vita obsession.

Arranger is a unique concept and adds something truly special to the puzzle genre. The level design and difficulty curve is excellent, adding just a little more challenge with every step. Movement is some of the best I’ve seen in puzzle games, and I wish more thought and attention had gone into other aspects of the design. A lot of my criticism comes down to respecting your audience. Respect them to draw their own conclusions, and to be able to solve puzzles themselves, even if they need a little nudge.

Cataclismo is built on a fantastic foundation thanks to solid fortress construction mechanics that capture your imagination. Build your Helm’s Deep, build your Minas Tirith, and hold it against the tireless forces of evil – that’s the simple and yet so very seductive promise of Cataclismo, and its Early Access launch already executes the idea brilliantly. Once the developers have gotten around to adding more spice, this meal will delight any strategy fan. [Early Access Review - "Recommended"]

The narrative and character writing carried me along from dungeon to dungeon, where the clever puzzle design kept me entertained from start to finish. There’s room for improvement as far as the platforming controls and combat are concerned, but the more I played the less those complaints mattered to me as I became enamored with everything else it had to offer.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn simply isn’t memorable in any way. It has perfectly fine combat, but it’s filled with little frustrations that bury the few innovations that work. Movement outside of combat is often unreliable and satisfying, and it’s all backed up by a story that failed to grab me at every turn. There are glimpses of good ideas, but none of them ever get fleshed out.

The Tribe Must Survive is a solid pick-up for those who love a battle against the odds and have the patience to overcome unfair circumstances by puzzling things out over a long time – for the rest of us casuals, it’s not a fun experience.

It may eventually run out of steam, but everything up until that point is a joy to play, even if it didn’t make the smoothest jump to consoles. If you’re a fan of management sims or a school setting, then this will satisfy both points, just don’t expect it to be the kind of game you’ll be constantly coming back to.

While it needs some finessing, the base of Flock is extremely solid, and hits its aims of being fun, cozy, and relaxing. The rarity of some creatures and minor bugs might make you stressed, which is my only complaint in an otherwise compelling and unique gaming experience.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is one of the oddest games we’ve seen from Capcom in a while. It feels like an indie idea, given a reasonable budget, the kind of game we haven’t really seen since the PS2 era. Because of that, it almost feels hard to recommend. I can’t say, ‘if you liked X, you’ll love Kunitsu-Gami’, because there’s nothing else quite like Kunitsu-Gami. And that’s probably why you should play it anyway. If you’re not an action nut or strategy master, that might be even better, as it doesn’t fit neatly into either of those genres either. It’s weird, it’s wonderful, and it’s well worth your time.

For a game I was so quickly sold on by its trailers, I came away disappointed by Schim. It very rarely showed glimpses of the great game it could’ve been, but never committed to that level of fun puzzling gameplay. Instead, I was left bored as I hopped around the shadows. While the story and overall aesthetic are fun at first, they can’t carry the entire experience when the gameplay has very little of substance to offer.

I’ve always loved Super Monkey Ball, and for a while I thought Banana Mania was the best we were ever going to get. Banana Rumble is everything a new Super Monkey Ball should be, and if you’re able to discern which game is which, then you should pick this up for one of the best puzzle platformers money can buy.

Dawntrail is a strong foundation for Square Enix to build on, one with more opportunities for different kinds of characters and narratives and a better balance between its two often-conflicting pillars of storytelling and action. Sure, a few rough edges could benefit from polish in the upcoming patches, and I hope more opportunities for interactive quests show up as well. If Dawntrail represents the future of FFXIV, then it’s a promising future.

Zenless Zone Zero is the best base game HoYoverse has released to date: It’s a step up from its predecessors in terms of presentation, tech, systems, and starting content – and since previous titles have all massively improved over the course of their strict and impressive update cycle, I feel confident that this is going to repeat for this one...Combining charm and spectacle, mechanical satisfaction and approachability, rapid intensity, and immaculate cool vibes, Zenless Zone Zero is HoYoverse’s hat-trick.

I enjoyed my time with Seeing Stars but found it was not as visually satisfying as the base game and first DLC. While I could understand certain solutions, I felt less smug when I looked at them afterwards. There is something beautiful about a perfectly organized shelf, and Seeing Stars isn’t filled with as much symmetry, things fitted neatly into spaces, and perfectly measured gaps. If you enjoyed the base game, you’ll still want to play the DLC as it gives you more of what you love, it just doesn’t offer the big changes and quality of life options we were hoping for.

Trails through Daybreak might not have the wow factor of modern, big-budget RPGs or the nostalgic pull of a retro Final Fantasy, but that works in its favor. Sure, there's room for more polish and meaningful evolution. But instead of chasing trends, Daybreak is just confidently itself, and it's much stronger for it.

Beyond Good & Evil holds up. It’s still an enjoyable adventure that will fill you with nostalgia for the 3D character platformers of the PlayStation 2 era. My only hesitation is that I wish Ubisoft had upgraded the more dated aspects rather than just including cosmetics – that I initially wasted money on believing them to be upgrades – only to create more hype for the sequel that is somehow still in development. It’s great that people will get to experience Beyond Good & Evil for the first time. They’ll just have to understand it in the context of the era it was created for.

Age of Wonders 4: Eldritch Realms superbly serves the power fantasies of wielding evil, ancient knowledge and becoming something otherworldly as well as fighting against such abyssal horrors, finding a nice balance between fresh content and mechanical additions. [Recommended]