Elden Ring: Nightreign swaps the expansive and striking world of Lands Between for a shorter, more intense experience designed with multiplayer in mind. While the combat remains as incredible as you'd expect, the roguelike nature upsets the balance of Elden Ring, not always in the best way, thanks to an underwhelming meta progression. Some performance problems affect the PC version, but when you're in the company of friends, it's hard to resist the Limveld's appeal, even when you taste defeat.

Like a well-tuned train, Monster Train 2 doesn't deviate from the tracks it laid in the first game. The experience of the sequel is familiar to those who already know the franchise, but the new mechanics and new game modes translate into (another) hundreds more hours of fun.

DOOM: The Dark Ages gives you a whiff of the brakes, but only to fool you. The combat is still deliciously intense and violent, even more visceral, than its antecessors thanks to its melee combos, paired with a satisfying gunplay. The best compliment I can give DOOM: The Dark Ages is that it's a fantastic DOOM, which, without escaping the formula of the last few games, shakes it up enough to offer a fresh and equally violent experience, inviting us to rip and tear demons apart with our bare hands.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took me by surprise and I'm glad it did. Sandfall Interactive has managed to create a delightful RPG that combines modern influences with an irresistible old school sensibility. The story is another of its great assets, enhanced by an excellent cast who, with a fantastic performance, help paint this canvas that I won't soon forget.

South of Midnight is a game with a very strong identity of its own, which prioritizes its artistic and narrative vision above all else. Its moderate length (around 10-12 hours) prevents the repetitive elements of combat from becoming tiresome. Although the narrative doesn't reach the emotional depths that its themes suggest, it makes up for it with a stunning world, a magnificent soundtrack and enjoyable movement mechanics. It's like an illustrated storybook: maybe the story isn't revolutionary, but the pages are visual delights and a window into a fascinating world. For fans of adventure games with a strong narrative and visual component, South of Midnight offers an enchanting experience through a journey full of magic. Its distinct and coherent identity makes it a good addition to any gamer's library.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is a visual spectacle that captures the essence of feudal Japan, but fails to realise its potential. Despite stunning art direction and historical detail, the game is held back by its own ambition to appeal to different types of players. The duality of protagonists, which promised innovation, ends up creating more obstacles than opportunities, with stealth and combat mechanics that don't evolve significantly from previous titles. While the open world invites exploration due to its beauty, it quickly reveals the repetitiveness of its missions. For fans of the series, there are rewarding moments, but Shadows leaves the feeling that it doesn't intend to change the Assassin's Creed formula, remaining hostage to a design that shows signs of fatigue.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition has made a splash among the must-have games on the Nintendo Switch, bringing back a sleeping giant from the Wii U era with various technical and gameplay improvements. It's the ideal RPG for lovers of good micromanagement, it really encourages exploration of a gigantic open world and it knows how to guide the moments of reward with real amazement, either through the dramatic development of the narrative, with surprise attacks and unexpected heroic acts, or through the spectacular combat and the gigantic Skells.

Hazelight Studios gained more attention after It Takes Two, a fully co-op game, surprised the world by winning the 2021 GOTY. Split Fiction is an evolution of that model that made Josef Fares' studio stand out, more refined and much more varied aesthetically and in terms of mechanics, interspersing antagonistic magical worlds with problems and challenges from different gaming genres, all very well structured in a story with a huge heart, that celebrates creativity and friendship.

Overwhelming at first, but incredibly enjoyable throughout each hunt, Monster Hunter: Wilds is a fantastic action RPG. The gameplay is great and relies on various finely crafted elements by the Capcom team, from the monsters to the weapons, not forgetting the game world, which is as big a protagonist as the former. The PC version only suffers from a few noticeable performance issues, but these aren't enough to affect the fun of Wilds, at least in my experience.

Avowed presents itself as a deliberately traditional RPG that, although it doesn't risk innovating, offers a well-executed experience. Its strengths - engaging characters, satisfying exploration and accessible mechanics - make up for its lack of originality and technical limitations. It's the kind of game that, without pretending to be more than it is, manages to provide dozens of hours of fun for fans of the genre looking for something familiar and comfortable.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an improvement on every aspect of the first Warhorse game and is an action RPG in its own right. With an epic story, delightful sidequests, a fantastic hand-to-hand combat system and a world that grips you from the very first moment, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is the crowning achievement of Warhorse Studios.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII is a fearless evolution of a formula that risked becoming static over the years. The result is undeniably positive, but the idea remains that the studio has kept a couple more weapons in its pocket to stretch out the experience with DLCs and expansions. Even so, and despite a few bugs, Civilization VII is an unmissable experience and is more than ready to stand the test of time, turn after turn.

The introduction of a roguelike element in Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap results in a somewhat contradictory fusion. Setting up a defence with traps and tearing apart entire columns of Orcs remains highly entertaining, especially with friends, with constant pressure forcing you to adjust your strategy, wave by wave, map by map. However, progression through the levels is inconsistent and outside of combat it's simply uninteresting. Even so, Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap offers many good moments of gameplay, if its slow progression doesn't bore you.

Made up of highs and lows, great moments and dull ones, Eternal Strands is a real rollercoaster. Still, even its less successful moments aren't enough to drown out the tremendous fun of taking down giant foes, armed with a pocket full of spells and a whole lot of creativity. The pace of the narrative isn't always constant and enjoyable, but the amazing work of the voice cast gives it a lot of vivacity, and fortunately, Eternal Strands doesn't stretch too far to the point of losing its magic.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a fine addition to the Nintendo Switch catalog, the second port of the main series after Tropical Freeze. It's true that it includes very few new features apart from the resolution to justify replaying it if you've played some of the previous versions, but it's also a great experience if you like the genre and are looking for a different, more raw challenge within the platform universe. It has another merit, probably the most important, which is that it reminds Nintendo, especially as we approach a new era, that the world deserves a new Donkey Kong.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins gives us back the strongest and most basic premise in videogames: it's a kind of fun that makes you want to pick up the controller and invest hours in it. On top of that, it fulfils one of the promises made by Koei Tecmo, to present something new from a series that was already well known for a formula that became more boring and stagnant with each iteration. It does, however, fail to deliver on some quality elements for players, and the pace of the game is often overwhelmed by a slow story that takes its time to develop. But make no mistake, once you've finished the campaign, there’s enjoyment to be had as many times as you have enemies to face.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a testament to the perseverance of its creators in the face of extreme adversity. The technical problems are undeniable, but the unique atmosphere, tense combat and deep immersion it offers are unrivalled. It's a game that demands patience and understanding, both of its mechanics and its development context, but rewards the player with one of the most distinctive and memorable experiences of recent years. With the promised updates and fixes, including the full implementation of the A-Life 2.0 system, it has the potential to become something transcendental. For now, it remains like a diamond in the rough - hard around the edges, but brilliant at its core. For those willing to accept its imperfections and fully immerse themselves in its hostile and fascinating world, Heart of Chornobyl offers something that few modern games can.

As far as LEGO's forays into the world of video games are concerned, LEGO Horizon Adventures is a clear positive evolution of the gameplay model and the collaboration between two universes dear to popular culture. PlayStation enriches one of its main brands and introduces it to new audiences, while LEGO evolves the formula of its video games, while studying a few more possible Horizon sets. I wish it was longer, without quickly becoming repetitive for the most demanding players, but it's well worth the hours of cooperative fun. All in all, it's certainly a remarkable representation of the world of Horizon in the plastic format we all love so much.

In short, it was a pleasure to get to know and revisit the different islands of Concordia, but I wasn't enamoured with its inhabitants, too many plug heads and not enough memorable creatures. In terms of new characters, the highlight goes to Concordia's special forces, but the truth is that Mario & Luigi: Brothership shines most brightly when it uses a few powders from the mushroom kingdom. I'm not sure I could do without them, at least not until the combat starts to get really challenging and the interesting choices multiply, a good ten hours into the adventure.

Slitterhead demonstrates admirable creative courage, and functions less as a final product and more as a creative manifesto - a glimpse of future possibilities. However, the forced cyclicality raises questions about how such a promising concept - a time loop of supernatural horror - can be simultaneously so expansive in its ambitions and so claustrophobic in its execution. For an independent studio on its first flight, there is something courageously poetic about creating a game about a formless entity that seeks to define itself through others. Perhaps, in the end, that's Slitterhead's real victory: not so much what it achieves technically, but what it tries to suggest.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a return to form for BioWare. Assuming itself to be more of an action game, some RPG elements have been pushed into the background as a result. The history of the world of Thedas mixes with the history of Solas and our companions, in a plot that seems unappealing at first, but blossoms in the middle of the game. With breathtaking scenery and a very competent combat system, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is yet another fantastic RPG in a big year for fans of the genre.

It's true that Sparking Zero becomes repetitive once you get to know the different characters and their methods, but the advantage is that with so many characters and modes, it'll take a while to get to that point. I don't think it's ideal for long sessions, but it's one of those games that, within its genre and style, is guaranteed to be relevant for years to come.

Mario Party is the Monopoly of videogames, we don't always dedicate many hours to it, but it's important to always have one "on hand". I believe that the main stage for this Super Mario Party Jamboree will be the living room with groups of friends jostling for scraps of digital glory, the pinnacle of the social gaming experience, but investing in the online element makes sense in order to increase its relevance and longevity. It's already the third in the franchise on the Nintendo Switch, a console that continues to enrich its catalogue for this Christmas. Regardless of the rumours, if you don't have one yet, this should be the best option.

Silent Hill 2 Remake is a masterful modernization of a survival horror masterpiece. The depressing narrative and oppressive atmosphere combined with the haunting audio design creates an experience that is both nostalgic and refreshing. It's an uncomfortably striking, psychologically challenging experience and just like the original, its influence will be felt for decades.

EA FC 25 is a fickle title. For every two steps forward, EA takes one step back and one step sideways. Although it's still an improvement on last year's release, it's not a significant enough evolution to dispel the idea that it's the same game every year. That's what you get when you play to manage the score.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom has a lot of merit and begs to be played, especially by fans who have been clamouring for something new in the series. It's also a proof of concept, courtesy of a new studio, showing that Nintendo intends to explore new avenues of gameplay, which in the future may result in iterations that further separate Link and Zelda as playable characters. Maybe with another character who shall not be named, you know, to complete the Triforce.

Even if it loses some of its lustre in its final stretch, it's impossible to deny the magic and charm of The Plucky Squire. Full of surprises, charming moments and homages to classics, it goes beyond a simple tribute to the games that inspired it and still manages to be genuinely funny, for adults and children alike.

Emio - The Smiling Man struggles to remain as interesting as its premise, a battle it loses over the course of the more than 10 hours of gameplay it has to offer. The simplicity of the narrative adds nothing to the linear and predetermined gameplay, diminishing the initial interest I had in seeing an answer to the interesting mysteries presented at the start of the game. On the other hand, this safe, simple and even quite competent path could serve as a gateway for those interested in taking their first steps in a thriller visual novel with a subdued horror narrative.