Telmari was a game I was excited to get stuck into, but the central mechanic doesn't lend itself to precision platforming and instead leads to frustration.

Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story is a great-looking game, but the loop of crafting and unlocking skills is where it's at its finest.

Matchmaker Agency is a rare video game all about love, which unfortunately is so easy that playing it gets tedious very quickly.

Helldivers 2 is a surprise hit, featuring some of the best moment-to-moment combat and a satisfying rinse and repeat formula.

Mario Vs Donkey Kong is a nice time for all, but those seeking major challenge or wholesale changes to the original might not find what they need here.

If you're here for nostalgia's sake, more power to you, but if you're expecting a sweeping remaster of this beloved trilogy that brings it up to date in a meaningful way, you'll have to keep waiting.

Islands of Insight is one of the most ambitious puzzle games I've played, with a huge open world and progression hooks that make it essential.

Dragon Quest Builders is a crafting game that's a joy to play even all these years later, and it runs brilliantly on both PC and Steam Deck.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a powerful, emotional and compelling tale that shows off a side of Don’t Nod that we’ve never seen so well-lit.

Expect to be confused, bewildered, and visually seduced by Ultros, but don't expect to be too surprised by what simmers beneath the surface.

Airhead wastes no time trying to force itself around a story, and as such it remains a simple but challenging joy throughout.

UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys Celes is a strong fighter with gorgeous visuals that challenges players to learn, adapt, and take risks.

Let's School is a perfectly competent management game, but its focus on getting you to plan out timetables can get a little dull.

Clem is an engaging adventure game with some genius puzzles and a whole lot of charm, but the movement will be a little too slow for some.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League can be a lot of fun to play, but the repetitive missions and lack of depth to its story and endgame content let it down.

Anomaly Agent is a genre-bending, time-twisting, gun-toting, knuckle-crackin’ badass of a game, waiting to chuck you around and leave you breathless on the floor, ready for round two.

Lysfanga: The Time Shift Warrior delivers a fun, creative action-adventure with enough charm and new ideas to stand out.

Hellcard is a decent if unremarkable card-battler with some cool ideas that offers a decent challenge for fans of the genre.

Even if you're not a fan of the mainline franchise, BlazBlue: Entropy Effect will appeal if you like a good side-scrolling action game.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink is not only a gorgeous game, the combat is satisfying with plenty of experimentation when it comes to your party.

Persona 3 Reload improves the original version of the game in so many ways, and is absolutely essential for all RPG fans.

Chronique des Silencieux is a wonderful detective game that never ever holds your hand, and if that sounds ideal to you then give it a look.

Underdogs is a fantastic fighter than utilises its physics-based combat beautifully, with engaging fights and a superb roguelike structure.

Bulletstorm VR is disappointing in every way, and while there are few redeeming features early on, there are better ways to play it.

I’ve played over a dozen hours of Enshrouded’s Early Access build now and I still can’t tell you what it is about Keen Games’ fantasy adventure game that makes it stand out for me amongst so many others. Just recently we’ve had Ravenbound and Frozen Flame, both of which present beautiful fantasy worlds ripe for exploration, and both of which have their fair share of fresh ideas. But neither struck a chord with me like Enshrouded has. [Early Access Review]

Crumbling works well as a roguelike VR, evoking childhood memories while hacking and slashing a range of colourful characters.

Graven has enough puzzles, secrets, weapons, and spells to keep it engrossing and compelling throughout.

Lil' Guardsman is a truly wonderful comedy game, with Papers, Please style border guarding gameplay in a charming fantasy setting.

Go Mecha Ball is a fast paced, fantastic twin stick Roguelike, and as long as you don't mind a lack of items early on you'll have a great time with it.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the studio's best ever work, giving us one hell of a story, and gameplay that remains fun throughout.

Tekken 8 is a welcome return for the series, with a fighting style that feels fresh through its aggressive combat, and plethora of modes.

Ready or Not might feel at odds with itself a little from time to time, but it’s still a solid if unspectacular squad shooter.

Fling to the Finish is at its best when played with friends, and I’ll happily recommend that you break this out at your next gettogether.

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy brings the last three mainline Ace Attorney games to modern consoles, and they're just as good as ever.

Turnip Boy Robs a Bank is a compelling and gloriously silly Roguelike, with plenty of permanent upgrades to pump your cash into.

Another Code: Recollection features two great games in one package, featuring a deep and well-written story, and some excellent puzzles.

The Cub might not be as responsive as it should be when jumping and climbing, it's still a fun game to play with fantastic audio throughout.

The Last of Us Part II Remastered is a dense collection of content that fleshes out the main story, with a rogue-lite that is a lot of fun.

War Hospital is a bleak and brutal management game, but one with an incredible theme and plenty of depth to keep you engaged.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a fantastic return to the franchise's roots, and one of the strongest examples of the genre I've played.

Vertigo 2 is a charming game which had me itching to play more, with great writing and replayability.

Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader is a huge, deep, vast, sprawling CRPG that's sometimes a little too ambitious for its own good.

Wallace & Gromit in The Grand Getaway isn't long, and the controls are a touch awkward, but it is filled with the charm Aardman is known for.

Worldless is a beautiful game that blends the joy of exploring a Metroidvania with seriously compelling timing-based combat.

Sniper Elite VR: Winter Warrior is an achievement in its authenticity and gunplay, providing some great modes and environments to play in.

If you have a Quest and are looking for something to help you relax and wind down, Little Cities VR is the perfect city-builder to while away a few afternoons.

None of Green Hell VR: Quest Edition feels like filler. It takes some adaptation, but it’s still an immersive adventure into the unknown.

The Vampire Survivors: Emergency Meeting DLC adds great new Among Us themed weapons and characters, and is just a blast to play.

Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is a gorgeous looking fighter with a simplistic approach to combat that welcomes players of all skill levels.

Trinity Fusion may not be the most original game, but it’s good looking, exciting to play and features enough new ideas to earn its place at a crowded table.

Sanabi is a wonderful action platformer with great grappling gameplay, but the pacing struggles thanks to the lengthy story sections.

Despite some minor missteps, Cookie Cutter is easily one of the best Metroidvania games of this year, and an absolute must-play.

Asgard's Wrath 2 takes full advantage of the technology on offer, and is one of the best VR titles I've ever had the joy of playing.

In a year dominated by Metroidvanias, huge open worlds, and big budget action, House Flipper 2 is a refreshingly joyous, relaxing experience.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince brings back all the monster raising you could ever need, but the performance lets it down massively.

While the Iron's Hot is a really interesting concept for a crafting game, but it just lacks the hooks to keep you engaged from start to finish.

Blood West doesn't pull any punches and is more than happy to kill you over and over again, but it makes overcoming the odds so satisfying.

It's not without its flaws, but Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is still one of Ubisoft's best games of recent years.

Aviici Invector: Encore Edition on Oculus Quest 2 is a game made to celebrate Bergling's talent, and remember his creations. It's pretty to look at, sounds amazing, and plays well.

Undying offers one of the most authentic survival games I've played, with fantastic gameplay and a story that sticks with you for a long time.

A Highland Song is such a beautiful game, whether you find its charm in the soundtrack, gorgeous visuals, or wonderful story.

Arizona Sunshine 2 doesn't reinvent the genre, but that doesn't mean gunning down waves of zombies with your pooch isn't a ton of fun.

Make Way is a simple yet fun take on arcade racing, with its randomness and creativity being two of its greatest achievements.

If you like your bullet-hell games challenging but fair, you'll enjoy spending time in Tevi's expansive, colourful world.

Backpack Hero makes Deck Building easy by replacing a deck of cards with a backpack, and has some seriously unique ideas.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R is a fantastic remake of the PS1 classic, with gorgeous HD-2D visuals and a ridiculous amount of replayability.

There’s an enjoyable time to be had Gangs of Sherwood, especially with others, but it just doesn’t do anything well enough to stand out from the crowd.

SteamWorld Build is a deeply compelling city management title that adds new mechanics all the time, keeping you hooked throughout.

Flashback 2 is a mind-boggling mess of a game with few redeeming features, and a sequel we just didn’t need.

While the title included might have been good in the 90s, the Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection doesn't quite hold up today. You do get a decent amount of games, some are pretty similar, and other than the SNES version, few are as fun to play as they were back then.

The Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 3 campaign is a by-the-numbers experience with few of the thrills or high-points the series is known for.

Valfaris: Mecha Therion is an intense bullet hell shooter that never takes it foot of the pedal, filled with fantastic gunplay and visuals.

Loddlenaut is a relaxing survival-lite title which offers up a satisfying gameplay loop with a beautiful and important message at its core.

The Tales of Arise DLC Beyond the Dawn still has that fantastic combat from the main game, but it doesn't bring a whole lot new to the proceedings.

The Last Faith doesn't have a hugely original setting, but it’s an atmospheric, thrilling experience throughout.

You’ve got to handle a beloved game remake with kid gloves, and that’s exactly what Nintendo has done with Super Mario RPG. This is a careful remake, adding goodies like a monster list, or the option to play with the original music, rather than taking anything away. If nothing else, it’s a remarkable testimony to the ability of designers from 1996 to make a game this good that still feels as brilliant today, and it bodes incredibly well for the 2024 re-release of Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door.

Risk of Rain Returns an incredibly playable side-scroller that will absolutely appeal to fans of the genre or the franchise.

Invincible Presents: Atom Eve gives the titular hero plenty of room to shine, with a well-written story that highlights how good she is.

DREDGE’s new The Pale Reach DLC is a great excuse to play more DREDGE, thanks to an interesting new area full of water based horrors.

Astral Ascent is a Roguelike that should be mentioned alongside genre greats like Hades and Spelunky, and simply demands to be played.

The Switch port of Persona 5 Tactica is absolutely wonderful, and it's a perfect game to play portably thanks to its lovely bite sized missions.

Remnant 2: The Awakened King DLC is filled with things to do and find, and a promising indication of things to come.

Persona 5 Tactica is a tactics game unlike any other, with really clever combat that requires a lot of thought and that Persona style we all love.

Warhammer: Age of Sigmar - Realms of Ruin is a genuinely likeable RTS game that would benefit from a slightly faster pace.

EA Sports WRC is as good as it gets behind the wheel, with Codemasters once again putting out a racer that feels incredible to play.

Forgive Me Father 2 is a great throwback to the golden age of shooters, pushing you to your limits of your own abilities and your sanity.

Thirsty Suitors is a wildly unique game that blends together a whole lot of genres, but too often it feels like a bit of a chore to play.

Roboquest is just an uncomplicated, fun time that clears the palate after all the Soulslikes and open world adventures we've had this year.

Fashion Dreamer is everything I've ever wanted in a fashion dress up game, with varied activities and well implemented online functionality.

Stranded: Alien Dawn was already a fantastic survival game but the Robots and Guardians expansion builds upon that in intriguing ways to make the overall package feel that much more robust.

Cuisineer is a fun enough food themed video game, but it's a slow starter and has a few issues that hold it back from a Michelin star.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is a really entertaining fighting game with loads of characters, but it does have some issues.

The Invincible is a great walking sim that tells a solid science fiction story, with a likeable protagonist and some strong writing.

Like A Dragon Gaiden has one of the better stories of the series, acting as a love letter to Kiryu that fans are going to fall in love with.

Subpar Pool is anything but subpar, featuring a whole lot of spectacular arcade pool fun and so much variety that you'll struggle to put it down.

There are flashes of a great game in Achilles: Legends Untold, which developer Dark Point Games has clearly put a great deal of effort into it.

Football Manager 2024 has seen some strong improvements to the transfer market and improving your team, making for a superb sports sim.

Whether you played the original or not, The Talos Principle 2 is still a drop dead gorgeous, incredibly challenging puzzle game.