Dynasty Warriors: Origins brings the series’ concept of beating up hordes of enemies to a new level due to more varied and better-paced gameplay. While the way characters interact with each other and the protagonist’s own story can feel a bit awkward, experiencing China’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms period as a nameless warrior is extremely satisfying.

Slitterhead’s body-swapping system is unique, and its grotesque monster design is definitely appealing. However, it feels like the choices the team had to make with its limited development budget did not work in the game’s favor. Combat needed more polish, the characters lack emotional expression, and the first half of the story is weak. Things do get more interesting towards the end of the game, but not enough to forget about its shortcomings. While its ambitious ideas deserve praise, it's a shame that Slitterhead was not able to fulfill its potential.

This remake pays the utmost respect to the original, and successfully brings a classic story that depicts human weakness into the modern era. It also brings back the fun of classic survival horror with a nerve-wracking over-the-shoulder combat system. It is a masterpiece that should serve as a benchmark for future installments in the Silent Hill series.

The stellar visual experience of space combat is Homeworld 3’s only real strength. With a plot that’s easy to predict, limited strategies available and a cumbersome UI, Homeworld 3 is a game that we expected more from.

Not just the wide range of new weapons and magic, but also challenging yet well-designed boss battles make Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree an experience well worth your time. However, the lack in variety of new regular enemies and an open world that feels too big for its own good make this DLC feel less polished than the original game.

Black Myth: Wukong’s combat system doesn’t have anything that makes it truly unique. The variety in ways to tackle combat is often lacking, and it doesn’t feel all that good to play either. That said, the concept of creating openings for the enemy rather than exploiting them is interesting, and by rewarding players who take full advantage of the few chances the game gives you, it makes its boss encounters worthwhile despite its lacking combat system. Character customization and exploration is on the thin side too, and the story is hard to follow if you haven’t read Journey to the West. However, the impressive graphics make every moment of the game look like a painting. Experiencing this world based on classic Chinese literature through the game’s unique vision is still worth your time.

Visions of Mana succeeds as a new entry in the Mana series that feels faithful to its identity while bringing it into a modern context with beautiful visuals. Cute characters and a casual battle system make this an action RPG that is approachable for newcomers to the series as well. Small inconveniences and flawed UX design are not enough to hold the experience back, but a story that approves of self-sacrifice narrows its appeal as a whole.

Astro Bot is a fantastic 3D platformer that does not disappoint. Astro and the other bots are always endearing, stages are full of variety and creativity, and the incorporation of the DualSense controller and classic PlayStation characters offer plenty of new gameplay. While the game isn’t very long, top-notch quality shines throughout.

There’s a lot of fun to be had with Stellar Blade’s combat, which is exhilarating and also offers a sense of accomplishment. The unique visuals and soundtrack are of high quality as well. While its game design might not shine with originality, Stellar Blade is a well made videogame overall. That being said, while taking a story-focused approach, Stellar Blade’s scenario and world-building felt clichéd and left us disappointed. With some boss battles being reused and tedious side quests, the experience started to drag a bit during the latter half.

Everything that makes Eiyuden Chronicle great is introduced in the first part of the game. From the 120 heroes that you can recruit to the epic one-vs-one duels, its game systems always make you feel the heat of the story. While the difficult turn-based battles might not be for everyone, as long as you prepare well they are a lot of fun to engage in. The soundtrack is great, but when played with headphones the sound balance seems a little off at times. Recruiting the 120 heroes functions as a rewarding side activity. Not being able to develop your town as you wish without certain heroes can prove frustrating at times, but the way your fate is influenced by the particular set of characters you’ve crossed paths with is a part of Eiyuden Chronicle’s unique charm.

As a turn-based RPG, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an absolute banger. By allowing the player to freely move each character in their party during battles, combat is both more strategic and more exhilarating than the series’ previous turn-based installment. The Hawaii setting is both expansive and dense, with almost too much going on. The story features both protagonists Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu, resulting in a tale that culminates the series as a whole.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink does a great job of incorporating elements from the original game at a high standard of quality. The story could have been introduced better, unlockable characters would have benefited from a bit more care and the lack of a map or mini-map is baffling. That being said, Granblue Fantasy: Relink’s exhilarating action and gorgeous visuals more than make up for its shortcomings.

This expansion successfully blends the fun of synergy through enhancements of the roguelite genre with the unique action of the Splatoon series. It does lack volume, and it doesn’t offer the player enough opportunities to show off the enhancements they made. The art and sound design are stellar as always, but its presentation falls short and the story is not much more than a sequel to the events of Splatoon 2’s Octo Expansion.

As a historical game set during the end of Japan’s Edo Period, Rise of the Ronin is an absolute masterpiece that can not be praised enough. At the same time, as an open world game, Rise of the Ronin is a dated experience that I have many complaints about. For most players who are simply looking for an open world action game, knock one or two points off this score. That being said, its immersive storytelling is something truly exceptional, to the extent that your view on historical games will probably change after playing Rise of the Ronin. As someone fond of history, Rise of the Ronin is a game I won’t forget.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is packed with well-crafted content, and unlike its predecessor, none of it feels like filler. While Cloud’s new and unknown journey isn’t finished just yet, Rebirth already delivers an emotional story that could have only been achieved with a remake. While a small amount of the minigames can be tedious, from exploration to battle, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a top-notch experience. It delivers a surprising amount of quality, quantity and diversity in its content, to the extent that there pretty much isn’t anything like it.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has everything you would want from a Metroidvania game: Both its combat and platforming are quality. However, it doesn’t really bring anything new to the genre, and the story isn’t anything to write home about either.

Super Mario RPG is a great remake that manages to keep what made the original so memorable intact while refining it as well. Not only are the visuals and sound greatly improved, but the tweaked battle system makes it genuinely more fun to play. That being said, this is still fundamentally the same game, and Super Mario RPG does show its age at times.

While its name might have changed, EA SPORTS FC 24 is a new entry in the long-running FIFA series through and through, and you’ll find the series' strengths and weaknesses haven’t changed one bit.

Laika: Aged Through Blood is a blend between motor racing and gun action that feels somewhat similar to the Trials series. While the exploration elements don’t quite hit, shooting at enemies while riding a bike feels fresh and satisfying. Elements besides the gameplay, such as a melancholic soundtrack, are also well executed, and the story that depicts the relationship between Laika and her daughter feels novel in an action game like this.

While there are obviously some differences, Lord of the Fallen is very similar to Dark Souls. Sadly though, Lords of the Fallen is nowhere near as polished or well made as one would expect from a Dark Souls game. Its implementation of two worlds layered on top of each other is more cumbersome than interesting, there is a huge lack in enemy variety, enemy positioning can be too unforgiving, and technical issues like an unstable framerate and bad camerawork can be added to the long list of its shortcomings. On top of all that, the second playthrough is way too demanding and makes the first playthrough feel distorted.

Detective Pikachu Returns takes place in Ryme City, a place where Pokémon live alongside humans rather than being used for battles. This is a setting that every Pokémon fan has dreamed of at least once, and the Pokémon are all portrayed wonderfully. Pikachu can now collaborate with other Pokémon during the investigation, an element that was not present in the series’ first installment. However, as a detective adventure, Detective Pikachu Returns feels overly simple and lacks depth, both in its gameplay and story.

With a fantastic story, interesting lore, and great graphics and presentation, Phantom Liberty succeeds in expanding Cyberpunk 2077’s already rich world even further. While some of the individual side quests can come off as weak, they do a good job in contributing to Cyberpunk 2077’s world. With this DLC and patch 2.0, Cyberpunk 2077 has become a complete and pretty much flawless package.

The Forza series is famous for its engine sounds, which have reached new heights for Forza Motorsport. The graphics are outstandingly beautiful, especially in their rendering of the air. The racing is highly enjoyable, and the powerful assistance makes it more playable with a normal controller. When played with a racing wheel controller, the force feedback is more accurate than before, making Forza Motorsport a simulator that is also fun to play. There is not much to do beyond racing, and if you want to modify your car things can get a little bit grindy, but Forza Motorsport does offer you the chance to learn more about cars.

Sonic Superstars is a good classic 2D Sonic game that shines especially in its visuals. Stages have a wider array of gimmicks when compared to older 2D Sonic games and boss fights are much more complex. However, the game design can feel unpolished and often doesn’t do a good job in communicating with the player. While the addition of local co-op sounds great on paper, Sonic’s speedy gameplay proves to be a difficult match for it.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder implements the recent trend of adding adventure elements to the 2D action genre. The Wonder Flowers cause surprising twists and the new multiplayer contributes to making a new 2D Mario adventure feel fresh again. That being said, we would have wanted Super Mario Bros. Wonder to feel even more wondrous.

Remnant II is a TPS that combines Souls-like hard boss fights with treasure hunting that allows the player to create new builds. The campaign's randomly generated stages and extraordinary amount of secrets greatly enhance the fun of the treasure hunting element.

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical is a unique combination of a Greek mythology murder mystery and a musical. With its sexy characters and variety of memorable songs the musical part is especially powerful, and enough to make this an unforgettable experience.

Enjoy the Diner is a game that fascinatingly depicts a place on the border between life and death. It succeeds in utilizing the inorganic feel of a minimalist visual novel as an expression of the story it wants to depict.