Don't expect meaningful choices that affect the rest of the game, dialogue options that push the story in a different direction, or the ultimate freedom to create a character and explore a vast universe. It's a blockbuster of the best kind. A popcorn movie where you follow an established storyline, but which is so addictive that you lose track of time. True to Marvel tradition, there is a scene in the middle and at the end of the (admittedly interminable) credits that paves the way for another sequel. Although it will be difficult for any sequel to top this game.

After releasing at least one new game almost every year, developer Ubisoft simply fails to surprise with Assassins Creed Mirage. What was supposed to be an homage to the first games feels too much like déjà vu. The same moves, the same controls, the same missions in a similar setting. There is wear and tear on the golden formula of yesteryear.

Whether it's called FIFA or not, EA Sports FC 24 is the traditional, annual soccer game that every fan looks forward to. It's not a revolution, but exactly what you can expect if you've played the previous years. Although it does seem that the break with the World Soccer Federation has been virtuous. The graphical interface is less garish and there is more hierarchy and structure in the menus so you can find your way around more easily. The players' movements have also become just that little bit more natural, making play seem more fluid and realistic than ever. Although the attackers are still favored over the defenders, making it easier to score than to stop goal attempts.

Skeptics who open up and allow themselves to be immersed will thus experience over time what a masterpiece Baldur's Gate 3 has become. The graphics are stunning, the dialogues just make sense and the decisions you make effectively have lasting consequences - no matter how painful they may be at times. It is these subtleties that bring the world of Baldur's Gate 3 to life. This is not just Belgian excellence, but simply world class.

Armored Core VI is a modern classic and quite literally: this is 'just' a rock-solid action game. No open world, no endless stream of side missions or other ballast, and that is very refreshing in 2023. Although there is a steep learning curve.

Pikmin has secretly belonged to the pantheon of Nintendo series for more than two decades. Secretly, because it never managed to reach the general public like Mario, Zelda and Pokémon. Volume four proves once again what a shame that is. The great level design, the colorful world, refined gameplay and the many innovations are the epitome of Dandori: the quickest and most efficient way to fun.

The space epic, in which you could imagine yourself in Star Wars, Firefly or Dune, is one of the most hyped games of the year but it also lives up to the sky-high expectations. The scale, the freedom and the possibilities in the game are almost unprecedented. It's hard enough to excel at any of these components, let alone do it all well and combine it into one rock-solid game, the best Xbox game in years.

A square wheel spins more smoothly and fluidly than this game. If three Pokémon or characters come into view at once, the whole game creaks and falters. Edge-off unplayable. And that's a shame. Because the addition of an open world is "on paper" a puffy idea to refresh the franchise. No more linear walking that takes you past gyms and ever stronger and different Pokémon, gotta catch 'em all. You can go wherever you want. With some tactics, you can take on some very tough challenges with Pokémon that aren't nearly strong enough. Fun! Except this game just wasn't ready. It's shameless that Nintendo and Game Freak are still throwing it on the market. Nevertheless: 10 million games sold in just three days.

A square wheel spins more smoothly and fluidly than this game. If three Pokémon or characters come into view at once, the whole game creaks and falters. Edge-off unplayable. And that's a shame. Because the addition of an open world is "on paper" a puffy idea to refresh the franchise. No more linear walking that takes you past gyms and ever stronger and different Pokémon, gotta catch 'em all. You can go wherever you want. With some tactics, you can take on some very tough challenges with Pokémon that aren't nearly strong enough. Fun! Except this game just wasn't ready. It's shameless that Nintendo and Game Freak are still throwing it on the market. Nevertheless: 10 million games sold in just three days.

He lands in theaters next year, with a movie of his own. But until then, Super Mario continues to reign supreme on the Nintendo. 'Sparks of hope' is yet another game centered around the world's most famous plumber. Just a shame that the piping shows more wear and tear than in the previous game.

"A spreadsheet with soccer players," a friend once called Football Manager. He was right, but it is a damned addictive Excel file: in the meantime, we have invested another fifty hours or so in making our local team virtual champions. If you ask us, Football Manager would be better off switching to a subscription formula, but okay: for about fifty euros you get a whole year of spreadsheet fun.

There are two types of people in life, to put it very simplistically: those who get calm from order and cleanliness, and those who enjoy chaos. Do you fall into the first category? Then "A little to the left" is for you. If not, you'd better ignore this game.

Bayonetta 3 excels in over-the-top madness. In the best possible way. But the story with wacky characters across parallel universes, is just the canvas for the real highlight of Bayonetta 3: the action. The titular witch's lightning-fast attacks are complemented her own magical powers, but you can now also temporarily take control of several enormous creatures, the "Demon Slaves”.

What is successful, however, is the way you are forced to go outside the game. Googling answers, looking up articles on news sites, decoding images and audio clips, searching Twitter, delving into source files and deciphering codes. You do it all, although you have to know your way around the Internet and your PC. Acolyte is an intriguing and original detective game, but due to the high technological threshold not for everyone.

A nice offer for fans, whether they are fans from the very beginning or young newcomers who have gotten to know the blue-haired hedgehog through recent Hollywood films. The price tag of around forty euros is hefty, but you get four excellent retro games in return.

In this brand-new adventure, you step into the shoes of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael or Michelangelo, sensei Splinter or reporter April O'Neil and must save the world from the main villain Shredder. You do this entirely in the style of the beat 'em ups of yesteryear. It is a brawling game with wonderfully pixelated retro graphics and a pumping soundtrack, in which just about all the locations, characters and enemies of the past pass by in rapid succession.

The result is a game with no identity of its own. Redfall simultaneously wants to be a looter shooter like Borderlands, in an open world like Fallout's, with action like Dying light and a lengthy multiplayer experience like Destiny. But it fails on all counts. The game environments are bleakly empty, the gameplay is wooden. Like the vampires from the world of Redfall, the game has no soul.

This Limited edition is a physical edition with a lot of goodies, but it mainly bundles the excellent base game in which you play with Cuphead and little brother Mugman, and the expansion The delicious last course. In addition to a new play environment and new challenges, this one brings with Ms. Chalice - it stays after a cup, mug and now a chalice in the theme of china - also a new playable character. Together they are good for at least 15 hours of proverbial self-mutilation of the funniest kind.

The new American backers of motorsport's king class know damn well what they're doing. After the documentary series Formula 1: Drive to Survive on Netflix brought a touch of drama to the paddock, winning heaps of new souls for the sport, F1 23 does it again nicely. With Braking point 2, the story mode in the new game, even gamers who previously had little with F1 have something to lick their thumbs and fingers at.

In Park Beyond you can rely on a pinch of theme park magic to make your constructions truly spectacular. But for that, you'll have to bite the bullet. After all, on console, controller control is so clunky that it regularly becomes frustrating. And the many crashes we encountered during our play sessions almost made those controllers fly across the room. So Park Beyond, in this state, is mostly for those with a strong stomach and a lot of patience. Which comes in handy on a roller coaster.

No, you don't have to have played the previous fifteen games to understand this story. And yes, FFXVI is an excellent entry point to get to know this long-running series of Japanese role-playing games. Purists denounce how "Final Fantasy" has become less and less "role-playing game" and more and more "action game," but they err. This is a winner.

Land of the Morning Light is a gorgeous and engaging love song to ancient Korea. However, it suffers from the same problems as genre rivals. You don’t just catch up with almost nine years of previous history, and the amount of data to process is almost intimidating.

Diablo IV stays mostly true to its roots. Think isometric perspective, bleak environments and wave after wave of hordes of demons. But at the same time, the game has received a much-needed update in the form of stunning graphics, fluent gameplay and an impressive opening scene that immediately takes the you to your macabre playing field for the next twenty to fifty hours - or more.

Another box ticked on the list. After recent remakes of Resident evil 2 and 3, it was time for Capcom to give the fourth installment in their acclaimed game series a makeover. The bar was set high, as 2005's Resident Evil 4 is considered by many to be the best survival horror game ever. Contrary to what the crosses on the list suggested, they did not deliver a tire job but a new masterpiece.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a textbook example of what a sequel should be. Bigger, better and flashier than its predecessor. The action will titillate any gaming Star Wars-fan and so will the excellent (Star Wars) story. Yet the enthralling Jedi fantasy this game offers is sometimes bogged down by lackluster performance.

Game makers: take note. Metroid Prime Remastered is a masterclass in how to modernize a masterpiece. Twenty years after the series made the transition to 3D, this remains a classic that has stood the test of time. The updated visuals prove that with some optimization and visual tricks, the Switch is really capable of delivering great games. In fact, this is one of prettier – if not the prettiest –Switch games to date.

Thanks to the addition of the Ultrahand ability, Tears of the Kingdom becomes a kind of all-round friend to every kind of gamer. Those who want to can create, puzzle, cook, unwind and enjoy the scenery. But just as well experience adventures, fight and encounter pretty tough challenges that will take even the most seasoned gamer quite a while. It is highly exceptional for a single game to personify the desiderata of all these personas.

Where Odyssey takes the top spot are the turn-based battles. The familiar skills of the Straw Hats are put to full use in a simple but highly effective system of rock, scissors, paper. Luffy's Gum Gum attacks, Nico Robin's many arms, Usopp's hilarious weapons and Franky's blinding nipples, they rarely looked so stunning and never get boring.