It's hard not to be impressed by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, if only for the sheer ambition it displays. From its very first minutes, the game sets a strong, atypical aesthetic framework, almost disturbing in its tormented beauty. The universe, somewhere between surrealistic nightmare and waking dream, is unlike anything currently on the J-RPG scene. But Clair Obscur Expedition 33 is more than just a visual daring, for beneath its visual and symbolic layers lies a surprisingly dense, rich and, above all, dynamic combat system. Combining turn-based and real-time reflexes, the game redefines the genre's expectations by forcing it out of its comfort zone. But ambitious as it is, Expedition 33 is not without its faults. The game's overly linear structure hinders exploration. The environments, as beautiful as they are, sometimes suffer from a lack of interaction and a rather flat level design. The title isn't perfect, but it's terribly sincere, and above all it's a work that dares and often succeeds.

In 2025, Xenoblade Chronicles X is no longer just another forgotten Wii U RPG: it's a videogame manifesto brought up to date, a singular work that finally finds the setting it deserves on Nintendo Switch. Where so many modern productions rely on cinematic narrative or immediate gratification, Monolith Soft's title dares to offer something else: a truly free open world, non-linear progression, gameplay that demands investment, and above all, a vision. That of an uncompromising RPG.

The grand return of the Fatal Fury franchise, which had disappeared from the radar 26 years ago and for which NeoGeo fans had been desperately waiting, was made through the front door. This time, the game is not just for them, but also for the mainstream players, who will discover a game with a sophisticated yet accessible combat system. Even on a visual level, we're finally treated to a 3D SNK game that's obvious to look at. In short, it's perfect.

Artistically, it is certain that Compulsion Games offers us its finest copy, with a game that constantly flirts with the beautiful and sometimes the sublime, all cradled by a soundtrack as captivating as it is enriching. But if the coating is more than successful, the gameplay proposition is much less so, since South of Midnight languishes in a rather staggering classicism. With its limited and repetitive gameplay loop, the structure of its levels that is far too linear and conventional, disappointing bosses and a bestiary of distressing poverty (there are 6 different enemies during the 15 hours of adventure), we realize that Compulsion Games has favored form over substance. Be careful, it is far from being catastrophic, but there is nothing exciting either, and it is all the more regrettable that certain mechanics, although conventional, manage to work at times. South of Midnight is clearly a game built for Game Pass: it plays well when it's part of the subscription.

After spending 150 hours on it, finishing the main story of Yasuke and Naoe, and exploring every nook and cranny of the open world, we can tell you without any shame, we enjoyed the adventure offered in this feudal Japan of the 1500s. Everything is obviously not perfect, because the game still carries the stigmata of a license that has difficulty renewing itself, but there are positive things to be learned from it. By choosing to offer two radically different protagonists, the Ubisoft Quebec studio manages to bring together under the same banner the purists who swear by infiltration and the others who appreciate the action-RPG aspect taken since AC Origins in 2017.

Split Fiction is simply the It Takes Two formula but with the knobs pushed to the maximum. In addition to this absolute, complementary cooperation that never pretends, Josef Farès and his teams have added a frenetic pace that we owe to this approach that is much more action than in the past. With this tempo that has gained momentum and a lot of dynamism, we chain together situations and levels without ever getting bored for a single moment, especially since the game is constantly reinventing itself.

Seven years after the global phenomenon that was Monster Hunter World in 2018, Capcom finally delivers its sequel, not in its numbering that's for sure, but the spirit, it's definitely there! It's simple, Monster Hunter Wilds takes all the ingredients of the winning formula of its illustrious predecessor, while making it evolve in the right direction. The story and narration now take a more important part, with just the right amount of endearing characters, intrigue and outcome to let us be transported into this campaign that ends in about twenty hours of play. Then, Capcom gives players free rein to do what they want through an even more consistent and interesting endgame, since it knows how to renew the experience and extend the lifespan almost infinitely, especially with the DLC and other expansions to come. Between the appearance of other monsters, the climate changes that are taking place, the end of the decline and the arrival of abundance, the game then offers itself a second youth.

In the absence of a new episode of Skyrim, or even an opportunistic remaster, Avowed immediately positioned itself as a perfect replacement candidate. It must be said that for years, the Obsidian Entertainment studio has shown its appetite for old-school RPGs, with a strongly assumed Bethesda-style coating and formula. But from Skyrim, Avowed doesn't borrow much, except for its old school, so 2011 side, which could be likened to a comforting feeling for the most nostalgic players. Because despite appearances and an intriguing first part of the adventure, Avowed subsequently reveals its true face, that of being an RPG for dummies, or a chatty and more complex than average action-adventure game. It is somewhere between the two and a bit nowhere, since it tries to hit both categories at once. The result is a game that displays some pretty blatant game design inconsistencies, with on one hand more flexibility in its class and progression systems, and on the other a completely frozen world where interactions have been reduced to next to nothing and NPCs reduced to inert and uninteresting green plants. We still manage to have fun with its more open combat system, but we have to get past the ultra-rigid animations that take us back to another time. The lack of staging and the slightly too rainbow artistic direction also contributed to spoiling the party and it's a shame because Avowed had a great story to tell us. An adventure that will find a nostalgic or unobservant audience, but a game that will not go down in history, that's for sure.

It's true that Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is very similar to the first episode with the same structure, the same gameplay, the same assets, the same flaws and still residual bugs that sometimes make you smile, but Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is an RPG of quite incredible depth, with a proposal so radical and so against what is done in AAA video games that it totally goes off the beaten track. I hadn't done the first episode, just watched the tester at the time play it and I didn't understand the craze. I won't hide from you that the first 15 hours were painful, sometimes painful, because once again, the proposal was so radical that it went beyond my codes, my habits. Nevertheless, we feel that behind this harshness, this almost unhealthy rigor hid a game of great richness and I am not unhappy to have persevered, because the gratification is great, but the pleasure is also total. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is definitely not a game for everyone, but if you can buy into the proposition, then you're in for a game like no other.

It's a strange feeling to play this Donkey Kong Country Returns HD. The gaming experience is both exciting and frustrating. Exciting because replaying this adventure fifteen years ago has remained almost intact. Apart from a few aspects of the gameplay that have aged badly (because the gameplay was originally built for the Wiimote and Nunchunk) and its bosses that are still disappointing (like in 2010, it hasn't changed), the game still shines with its ingenious game design, its well-crafted level design and its gameplay that is still as square. Where Donkey Kong Country Returns HD disappoints is in its basic, almost lazy adaptation. Apart from the HD smoothing, it's the same game in every way, and it's true that in 2025, some models have aged. And then, we would have also liked Nintendo to offer us exclusive content for this Switch version, as was the case when the game was released on 3DS in 2013.

We can now say it : Dynasty Warriors is a license that has come a long way, a very long way even. After a decade of going around in circles, multiplying episodes that don't care and failed attempts to do like the West with its poorly put-together open worlds, the saga ended up getting lost. But neither Koei Tecmo nor the Omega Force studio gave up, and after a good bit of soul searching, the two entities were able to identify the choices to make to make this saga shine again, which has been reborn from its ashes. Thanks to producer Tomohiko Sho, Dynasty Warriors Origins was able to take a 180 degree turn, without denying its fundamentals. We are still dealing with a massive, brutal and enjoyable beat'em all on the surface, but which has been able to refine its gameplay in order to make it more demanding and even more satisfying.

Let's be honest, we were pretty freaked out by the result obtained with Indiana Jones and the Circle of the Ancients, especially after the latest gameplay videos that were released. The issues identified with the AI and the stiff animations are there, but they manage to be hidden by the rest of the game, which are actually the heart of this adventure. Exploration, puzzles, story, narration, characters, atmosphere and even the fights somewhere, all of this takes over to offer us a gripping, captivating adventure that perfectly transcribes the Indy of the 80s. Even the view in the first video that was much criticized works well and it's a real pleasure to have gone through these 32 hours of play in the leather jacket of our coolest archaeologist on the planet. The game also shines with its technical aspect, with very rich graphics and a total change of scenery! We loved our adventure despite its flaws and we hope that a sequel will come to correct and strengthen a license that can try to do as well as Uncharted and Tomb Raider.

On paper, the Horizon and LEGO association could have made sparks, but Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo would have needed more production time to follow through with their ideas, and especially a real LEGO game. Apart from its devastating visuals that make it the most beautiful LEGO game ever created to date, LEGO Horizon Adventures disappoints in its overly linear structure, its limited and much too academic gameplay, not to mention its unfortunately insufficient content. Not only does the adventure lack challenge, but it also folds up between 7 and 9 hours of play, depending on how you play. There is cooperation that helps to increase interest, but it is a feature that is basic in a LEGO game anyway. And what about the combat system, which is far too limited and never evolves during progression, making the game monotonous and devoid of interest. By trying to please both young and old players, LEGO Horizon Adventures unfortunately appeals to no one. It's a shame, because there were some good ideas to explore.

Fourteen years. That's how long we had to wait before Rockstar Games finally deigned to offer Red Dead Redemption on PC. It's long, very long, too long and too late for some, and we can understand them. However, the adaptation and optimization work carried out by the Double Eleven studio (former Rockstar Games employees) allows us to offer the best version of the game, notably thanks to new features such as native 4K, DLSS 3.7, HDR10, widescreen compatibility and keyboard-mouse play, not to mention all the work that has been redone on lighting and light effects. It's sublime. So of course, after so many years of waiting, the game suffers from mechanics that have aged like these textures and animations so 2010, and a Dead Eye that obviously hits less hard with the surgical precision of the mouse. But these few flaws are nothing compared to the adventure that awaits you in this adventure that depicts a Far West like no other game has ever done. With in addition this absolutely masterful soundtrack, this sense of narration, this unique writing, we can relaunch John Marston's last crusade, if only to cry once again... Masterpiece.

Canceled, postponed, stunned by the COVID crisis, then paralyzed by the war in Ukraine, STALKER 2 is, we can say, a miracle. However, despite this good news, and like all these Arlesiennes who arrive in pain after so many years, there are inevitably cracks, even fractures. And a few minutes are enough to see the handicaps that are dragging the GSC Game World title down. Technically first of all, STALKER 2 is lagging behind, with a 3D engine completely overtaken by events. Everything seems frozen, as if we were finding the STALKER of the 2007s, whether in its still life, its static NPCs or its creatures animated with a trowel. The artificial intelligence of the enemies is unfortunately not spared by a lack of know-how, with soldiers who are able to spot us from miles around at the slightest crack of a branch, but are unable to move properly. The open world is certainly gigantic and makes us experience the life of a true survivalist in wartime on a minefield of anomalies as painful as they are invisible, but the progression is marred by a slow, painful and above all unexciting pace. We tried to cling to this story of supernatural elements and a Skif at bay, but the countless bugs and the game system stiffened by this rigid handling and this mediocre interface will have finished off the little enthusiasm we had left. That said, if you are patient, conciliatory with a game whose development was not helped by extraordinary circumstances, and above all totally addicted to the great atomic-Soviet thrill, you might enjoy traveling in the shadow of Chernobyl…

With Empire of the Ants, Microids has its first major game, capable of holding its own against the big productions of 2024. The sentence may seem surreal to some, given the inglorious past of the french company (even if it has some very decent and very enjoyable titles in its catalog, let's not forget), but the effort is very real. By betting on the developers of Tower Five, the French publisher has hit the nail on the head, because not only has the studio proven that it has mastered the use of Unreal Engine 5 to perfection, making their title one of the most beautiful games of this year, but they have also found the perfect formula for adapting the RTS to consoles, with controller controls.

We thought that this year again Call of Duty would continue to do the bare minimum to feed its community, but we were wrong. Black Ops 6 is indeed returning to quality, and we find ourselves with what is undoubtedly one of the best episodes of the last 10 years, whether it's the single-player campaign, the gameplay, the Zombies mode, the Multiplayer, everything has been carefully worked on to make the overall experience worth it. We were pleasantly surprised, starting with the campaign which varies the situations, with sometimes more classic and spectacular missions, but also more open levels, with finally interesting things to do. The game becomes less directive and even allows itself to try things with unexpected supernatural sequences at this level. We even have to face bosses, something unheard of for a Call of Duty game. The introduction of omni-movement brings a lot to the game, with larger, more natural movements that make the game more fluid, and with which we can combine a more nervous, more impactful gunplay. In multiplayer, the experience is also very pleasant, with a Zombie mode that returns to the sources and the waves to shoot down, even if we have to make do with two poor maps at launch. Fortunately, multiplayer and Warzone are there to fill this gap, especially since this year the new "Execution Order" mode is undoubtedly one of the best finds in the series.

After Marsupilami The Secret of the Sarcophagus in 2021, the Ocellus studio is now tackling the Smurfs license, at the request of Microids of course. After taking inspiration from Donkey Kong Country 3 years ago, it was a certain Super Mario 3D World that served as the basis for this epic of dreams, and once again, the result is satisfactory. Whether visually or in its gameplay, everything is done with care and a certain quality. There are even some flashes of brilliance in certain passages, such as the mirror level, the free fall in Tetris mode and the infiltration mission, not to mention these huge bosses to face who are also not lacking in game design ideas. No, really, it's clean and square as they say, even if deep down, it lacks risk-taking and diversity. In the meantime, this Smurfs: Epic Dreams does its job very well and does what is asked of it: a platform game suitable for young and old, playable in cooperation to mix generations, and therefore have a good time.

Six years ago, Nomada Studio made a name for itself with Gris, an atypical platformer, which went off the beaten track and whose sincere intentions made it possible to see that even among indies, we are still capable of standing out. Neva takes up this same ideology by pushing the desire even further. By completely embracing this osmosis with nature, by drawing unabashed inspiration from the works of Hayao Miyazaki and the productions of Studio Ghibli, the Spanish developers of Nomada transport us into an absolutely captivating universe where each moment, each screen gives the feeling of contemplating the painting of an accomplished artist, that of Conrad Roset. With the COVID crisis, the birth of his child, his relationship has changed and this evolution in his personality is also felt in Neva, a game where the need to help each other, to take care of each other is felt in this dying world. Nothing is lost despite appearances, an optimistic message that will guide the player in an experience like no other has offered us. The platform is still relevant, the puzzles are still as enjoyable, but we have gained in ferocity and adversity, thanks to this katana put in the hand of Alba, our heroine, capable of many things and movements. Her hand-made animations are sublime, her fight too, while Neva, this wolf cub who is growing up visibly, is a character that we also want to cuddle. Sublime.

Since our first hands-on last June, we already knew that Dragon Ball Sparking Zero was going to pulverize everything in its path, but we were far from suspecting that Spike Chunsoft was going to refine its combat system to this point. Indeed, the Japanese studio has not only offered us the best video game adaptation of an anime, but it has also deepened the gameplay, much more technical than it seems when you see the explosiveness of the fights on the screen. There are dozens and dozens of manipulations to learn by heart to reach Ultra Instinct in our turn, and thus know how to read through what the layman will take for an incomprehensible visual mess, when it is not. Enjoyable to get to grips with, with a nice progression curve as well, the gameplay of Sparking Zero has never so well transcribed what we expect from a Dragon Ball game. It is exceptional. Visually, it is also well mastered and it has been several months now that the public has been able to see to what extent Jun Furutani's team masters its subject. Each fight, each attack, each burst of energy thrown makes the screen vibrate but also the heart of any Dragon Ball fan. It is so well-built, so well-staged that we systematically come out of it galvanized. But in addition to having respected the work of Akira Toriyama like never before, Spike Chunsoft also offers players a game of great generosity, full of game modes, things to unlock, stories to tell (even if the What If is ultimately less interesting than expected), bonuses to consult, in short, you get it, we too, we were seriously respected. No need to procrastinate any longer, Sparking Zero is by far the greatest Dragon Ball game ever created.

Sent to the stake before it could even justify its communication blunders, Silent Hill 2 Remake has now had its revenge. Not only has Bloober Team delivered a modern reinterpretation of Masashi Tsuboyama's game with this remake, but the Polish studio has also managed to capture the very essence of what it represented, namely an agonizing and anxiety-provoking dive into the tortured and painful mind of James Sunderland. The themes addressed have an even stronger resonance today, since it deals with domestic violence, toxicity, child abuse and even suicide. Not everything is perfect, mind you, and we would have liked more up-to-date animations, a more flexible combat system too, and perhaps a more marked character design, but the incredible atmosphere that emerges from the game manages to make us forget these technical errors.

Who is this Zelda Echoes of Wisdom really for? This is the perfectly legitimate question that one can ask oneself after finishing the adventure, not without some desire to give up along the way. By wanting to play the break with the remake of A Link's Awakening and avoid taxing this episode as a simple DLC with a playable Zelda, Nintendo has opted for a gameplay that is the opposite of what a Zelda game represents for many people. No real combat here, but instead room for reflection and puzzle solving, that's the heart of the gameplay and we can obviously understand that the game risks displeasing a large part of the usual audience.

Playing Warhammer Space Marine 2 right after the massive open world of Star Wars Outlaws and the mental load that was Black Myth Wukong is certainly the best thing that happened to us this fall 2024. Not only does the game offer a bloody spectacle where you feel like you're controlling a bulldozer that tears everything in its path, Warhammer Space Marine 2 also offers us a return to basic pleasures that we had terribly missed. And buyers of single-player games should not be mistaken, Warhammer Space Marine 2 is above all a game made for multiplayer, the campaign being only the pretty candy, certainly tasty, but in the coating is more attractive than its content. A fairly basic straight line, with the added bonus of a level design that is not very sophisticated and in which we only shoot the same enemies, the bestiary being extremely poor. Likewise, this structure of "I press a button to either open a door or activate a freight elevator" is also likely to bore you greatly. There is therefore a feeling of repetitiveness that disappears immediately as soon as you move on to PvE and PvP, since the war then takes on a different flavor. For the launch, the content is also a little stingy, but the devs have promised a robust roadmap for at least the first year. And when you see all the love they put into their game, you can only take their word for it.

Since our hands-on preview, we already knew that Team Asobi was going to have a great adventure in store for us with Astro Bot, but we didn't imagine that the Japanese studio was going to perform so well. More than a real aesthetic for its game, with a captivating, shimmering and warm universe, Astro Bot also surprises with the precision of its gameplay. The fluidity with which the actions follow one another, the surgical playability, this incredible tempo that gives the feeling that everything is possible makes the game absolutely phenomenal in its gameplay. Add to that a new idea at each new level, gadgets that never stop varying the pleasures, environments all different from each other, massive bosses that are a real pleasure to face and we undoubtedly get one of the best 3D platformers of the last ten years. Nintendo had the monopoly on the genre with the quality of its productions until now, but now, we will have to count on Nicolas Doucet and Team Asobi. Now, as we detailed in our paper, Sony must realize that platformers must come back in force in its ecosystem, like in the good old days of PS2 / PS3 with licenses (Ape Escape, Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, LocoRocco, Sly Raccoon), which had nevertheless left their mark. Because a talent like that must not disappear...

We expected something grandiose with Black Myth Wukong and we got it ! Whether in terms of its production or its gameplay, Game Science's title is a small miracle. Graphically, the game is splendid, to the point where it will become a reference for future games of this caliber. The Chinese studio proves that not only does it master the Unreal Engine 5, but that it also knows how to deliver an immersive and superbly told universe. On PC the game is magnificent, but on PS5 too, the result is sublime. There are a few failures here and there, but nothing too dramatic considering all the work done. But it's not just the setting that is fantastic, the gameplay too. Fluid, nervous and particularly enjoyable, the gameplay of Black Myth Wukong allows you to enjoy the Monkey King's abilities, from his legendary agility to his multiple transformations, without forgetting the mastery of his magic staff. Sure, we could complain about the lack of a map to find our way around, that the invisible walls could have been better hidden and that some secrets are really too cryptic to find, but that's nothing compared to the generosity that the game shows. Because let's not forget that the Black Myth Wukong project is not only the very first game from a young independent studio, and which started with a team of 13 developers for a year (to end up with more than a hundred at the end), and that, and it's respectful.

Star Wars Outlaws could have been a wonderful game, but the lack of polish in its gameplay prevents it from being one of the best. Between Kay Vess's somewhat floating inertia, gunplay that's a little too soft at the start of the adventure (it gets better later on), poorly balanced infiltration and really poor enemy A.I., Massive Entertainment's title is also guilty of some questionable choices in its game design. The game does, however, have some really good arguments to tip the balance in its favor, starting with its total and successful immersion. Moving from planet to planet with total freedom is an invitation to travel, not to mention the fact that each location has its own unique biome. Star Wars Outlaws also takes advantage of Massive's Snowdrop Engine to deliver splendid, impressive and often spectacular graphics. Speaking of spectacular, the space battles are another of the game's great successes, as is the soundtrack, which accompanies the game's situations with great accuracy. And if the beginning of the adventure clearly lacks panache, the game takes off in its final third, to our great delight.

Maybe The Paper Mario series is not the most bankable or popular in the Mario universe, but it has a visual and gameplay approach that is no less interesting. If we were able to discover a new episode in 2020 on Switch, Nintendo is today offering us the opportunity to rediscover a major episode, that of the GameCube which will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year. If the gameplay has not changed one iota and remains as enjoyable as ever, even if we deplore a certain redundancy in the progression with a lot of comings and goings.

FromSoftware has indeed injected Sekiro into its Elden Ring, and it is no longer the same twist at all. Of course, with perseverance, you will succeed, but it will be through pain, rarely through pleasure. Some like it when the wounds are open, others much less. Fortunately, the title has other arguments that militate in its favor, such as these new territories to explore, its hundred weapons to test, its new adversaries with whom to cross fire, and others that we have already seen a ten times in the Japanese studio's previous productions. Let's agree, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree remains a very good game and a high quality DLC, but for its overall imbalance, it is necessarily less interesting than the original game.