We’ve truly been spoiled this year for JRPGs. In the last few months alone we’ve had the award-winning Metaphor and Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake. Fantasian Neo Dimension casting off its Apple Arcade shackles and coming to consoles is a brilliant capstone to a strong year for RPGs, and the Asian game industry in general.

A solid remaster of a slightly frosty survival horror shooter.

A half decent brawler brought low by numerous bugs and technical difficulties.

Survios made Alien: Rogue Incursion because they could, and what they made is an amazing action horror VR game that perfectly distributes the captivating fun with moments of trepidation. Solid controls mixed with well rounded gameplay mechanics generates an extremely satisfying time under the helm of a VR headset. The explementary graphical fidelity and immersive audio design greatly boost your experience and solidifies Alien: Rogue Incursion as a certified VR classic.

Though not without its flaws/quirks… Flint: Treasure of Oblivion is still a very worthy game. The ability to find dice re-rolls is helpful… learning that you should save them for special/more critical occasions is game changing. Whilst it might have been nice to rotate the camera during normal exploration… the visuals are nice enough that it’s still a pleasure to make your way through this storied world. Grab it if you want a more structured, storied pirate adventure.

Dog Man: Mission Impawsible is a side-scrolling platformer that brings all the action of Dog Man…well…to your paws! Tackle challenging levels and beat up bad guys in this hightailing adventure to save the city. It is a great game for kids as the stages have no time limits and the game occasionally reminds you to take a break during long game sessions.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, is another Call of Duty game. It’s everything you’ve come to expect from one at this point. A solid, if underwhelming single-player campaign that doesn’t push the bar in any way but doesn’t have any real major faults either. Tacked onto a live-service multiplayer experience that is more or less the same as its predecessors.

Stars in the Trash is not the game to play to finish. It is an experience to have and let is consume you with everything it has in store. Sometime the pacing goes out of place, yet the overall experience it gives is something magical.

Real Heroes: Firefighter HD is a really fun game that is satisfying to complete. The uncomplicated and unpressured nature the game provides make this an easy pick up for anyone who may be interested in a firefighting adventure. The quippy dialogue, assorted levels, compelling usage of firefighter tools, and rapid action serves up a quality experience. While some may prefer the previous art style from the original game, the comic book aesthetic looks great and contributes more to the game’s attitude. The game lacks much replay value with undesirable unlockables and there are some bugs that may set you a good way back into a level making you repeat objectives over again, but what is here is a gratifying time that will ignite your heart with a burning passion to keep playing and become a hero!

Among Ashes is a gem of a game. The game’s novelty and harmony of its ideas and the way it continues these concepts are incredibly exceptional. A horror game within a horror game is imaginative and manufactures an interesting space to play in. Graphical throwbacks and gripping sound design increases your desire to find out what happened to the creator of this game you are playing. The pacing of the game and its horror elements are flawless and work remarkably together, but with how well the game is able to showcase its purpose, I can only wish that there was more of it. Game breaking glitches are never a good thing and could discourage some from even checking this out, but I guarantee that Among Ashes will grant you a horrifyingly amusing time.

With the new updates in gameplay mechanics and the new DLC, Star Wars Outlaws is still quite possibly one of the best Star Wars games ever made. It’s a clear labour of love for everyone involved at Massive, and it’s obvious from the team shows a clear understanding of not only what makes for a great open-world adventure, but what makes the Star Wars universe so compelling and enduring, not the blasters and lightsabres, but loveable characters and heart.

The Thaumaturge is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for an intriguing story with intricate and entertaining gameplay.

This charming and compelling game will literally glue you to the console. Strongly recommended.

PowerWash Simulator is a relaxing game that combines gaming with mindfulness. I didn’t expect to enjoy this game as much as I did, but it is a very soothing experience that can be played for short or long bursts, especially if you just want to chill.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is the best videogame adaptation of the storied film series ever committed to console (and PC). I never thought anything would top The Fate of Atlantis but here we are. Not only does it nail the look, feel, and tone of the movies, but it lets players inhabit the character of Indiana Jones in an almost palatable way. This would be for naught though if it wasn’t backed up by a fantastic, engaging narrative and top-tier stealth action gameplay that is as tense as it is thrilling. Along with the Arkham games, in my opinion, Indiana Jones and The Great Circle are destined to be feverishly pointed at for decades as an example of how to do video game adaptations right.

If you have a younger gamer in your life that adores Totally Spies, then this game is definitely for them. Although there is a little bit of grinding and the graphics can appear simple at times, there is enough content to motivate them and more importantly find enjoyment as they explore Singapore in order to stop the mayhem.

Is Planet Coaster 2 going to replace the original as my go-to park builder just yet? No, but it almost definitely will in the future. It’s early days, and to discredit the work that Frontier has put into Planet Coaster 2 would do them a huge disservice – there simply aren’t any other studios out there that push out such quality games. It’s still a way off becoming the ultimate theme park builder, but if other Frontier titles are to go by, give it a little time (and a little polish) and Planet Coaster 2 will undoubtedly be the sandbox my dreams.

A marvellous mind bending murder mystery that puts your deductive reasoning skills to the test.

Metro Awakening is a solid VR title and a fantastic addition to the Metro series. As a fan of both the Metro books and games, being immersed in the world so completely was always an exciting prospect, and Vertigo did not disappoint. The Arizona Sunshine dev has created a highly detailed and almost palpable VR version of Glukhovsky’s doomed transit-system-come-fallout-shelter that is as compelling as it is terrifying. If you’re hankering for more Metro or simply looking for your next PSVR2 fix I can heartily recommend Metro Awakening.

An original and compelling experience. No other game gives you so much excitement when opening the door.

Stray is an adventure puzzle game where humans are long gone and the world is governed by robots. Trot around as a cat to find out what happend and if that means getting your claws dirty...then so be it! A rich narrative and creative soundtrack set the pawfect atmosphere to roam in. The Switch's inability to run laborious tasks efficiently are still noticeable, but the lazing strive of a cute feline overshadows all!

Loyal fans of the MechWarrior franchise will happily induct this release into their gaming library with all due respect and reverence, and deservedly so. There is enough in this game to enjoy, especially several hours of genuine down-to-metal battle. As an RPG story line, this game seems to lack a strong compelling story line. As a platform for Mech battles and team-ups with friends, there is some serious fun to be had here.

Forgotten but Unbroken is an amazing turn based strategy game, with unrivaled WW2 realism.

The documentary footage is very interesting and if you think of the game as being kind of an interactive documentary/museum display that might be the best way to look at it. If you are looking at the collection as a way to collect all the variations of Tetris that have been released then you will be disappointed. It is a pretty hefty price for the somewhat limited number of Tetris games available (I mean there are a few here… but the difference between them is not huge and there are some stand out titles missing)… so perhaps wait for a sale? Good to grab for the history of Tetris and if you are happy to have a playable documentary then you should be happy.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership is a role-playing game with a compelling combat system, beautiful graphics, and catchy melodies. While the blanketing narrative comes off as assertively obnoxious with interminable conversations mixed with a tiresomely obtuse progressive system, the flow of the game and everything in between is just peachy.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed is undeniably a mixed bag, with solid combat and some inspired art direction being hindered by a monotonous soundtrack and budget graphics.

Old meets new in this gorgeous, JRPG that long time fans of the genre are bound to adore.

A superb second chapter to Max's story that hints at big things for the wider Life is Strange universe.