The more farm games you try out (and the more you appreciate the genre), the more you see a pattern emerging. To appeal to the majority of its audience, a farm game has to be addictive, and Fae Farm is undeniably a sweet little treat that you want to keep coming back to. It has to be interesting enough not to bore you over the long term, and Fae Farm offers a range of activities and areas to explore, so you can still marvel at the game even after dozens of hours. Of course, Phoenix Labs' newcomer is not without its faults, but on the whole it corrects so many of the mistakes of its predecessors that it's impossible not to fall under its spell.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is an excellent game that manages to improve on almost everything its predecessor had to offer. It's more beautiful, with improved gameplay, whether in terms of interesting and visually impressive combat or the rich monster breeding system. It's surprisingly difficult at times, but in a good way, giving you a good reason to improve your team. We would have liked to see even more challenges at high levels, although there's already plenty to keep you busy. MSH3 also has its share of minor flaws, with an often clumsy storyline, a missing gene bank, and the removal of the multiplayer mode, which had potential.

Dynasty Warriors Origins is a new formula that dares to take risks, and we think it's going to pay off! To reach a wider audience, it was certainly necessary to break with the codes that kept the series somewhat stuck in the past. Here, new players will have the opportunity to discover the world of the 3 Kingdoms and the advantages of a “Musou”-style game, while fans will rediscover what made the series so strong: its story, its satisfying gameplay and its generosity. Technically, the title is very solid, packed with content, beautiful at times and, above all, generous. We regret the absence of the free mode, which didn't cost much to install, and the uneven graphics. Origins is a great new departure for Koei Tecmo, and 2025 is off to a great start with a game that's sure to be one of the best action games of the year!

With its open-world bias, Mario Kart World stands out directly from the rest of the series with a structure that destabilizes, and it's double-edged. The sublime panoramas offered by the arrival on the circuits and the extensive search for shortcuts clash with the long transition straights and a free roam mode that lacks true rewards. Nevertheless, this is still a high-quality title, with gameplay of unprecedented depth for the series, supported by a new Survival mode that is clearly the star of this new episode.

Frontier succeeds in doing what we all wanted with Planet Zoo: to offer Planet Coaster's freedom of expression and creation, paired with a worthwhile management game. Icing on the cake, they also bring a game full of caring messages and pro-animal activism, contrasted with a cold observation about the capitalism involved in the animal rehabilitation. Despite some problems related to the construction or the interface, it's beautiful, it's complete, and we can spend dozens of hours perfecting our park or taking care of the sad little fur balls.

Horizon Forbidden West does what you'd expect from any blockbuster sequel worthy of the name: by taking the basics of the original episode and improving them as much as possible, Guerilla Games makes sure to hit the mark. There is still room for improvement for a hypothetical Horizon 3, but this is a solid title that hits hard for the beginning of the year of Playstation Studios productions.

While more accessible than Returnal, Saros is still a real gameplay knockout. Its overly cryptic world will likely leave many players in the dust, and the replayability typical of roguelikes isn’t necessarily there, but it makes up for it with a string of memorable bosses and new ways to utilize Arjun’s abilities. As with Housemarque’s previous game, this is undoubtedly one of the best PS5 exclusives.

Monster Hunter Wilds is unquestionably the best game in the series for a new player. The gameplay is simpler to get to grips with, yet richer than ever. All the weapons have their charm, the new monsters are interesting and vast regions to explore await you. There's even a semblance of a story, clumsy though it may be. Unfortunately, we're left wanting more, as the current content is far from sufficient for players of previous titles. There's little doubt, however, that Capcom will remedy this situation with future updates.

Even if we are still a bit hungry and we were hoping for more novelties to stretch the story or simply more content and side missions, too few and quickly solved, Dead Space Remake remains a success overall. The total immersion provided from the beginning to the end thanks to the suppression of pauses and loadings, as well as the captivating atmosphere of the different areas of the Ishimura. We are in turn amazed, then terrified, but never bored, all the while crushing necromorphs in spades. A 2023 version of a respected and greatly improved classic, which will please those who played the original and surely even more the neophytes, who will discover this classic in this spectacular form, making it one of the best survival-horror of this generation.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is simply the family game not to be missed this year on Nintendo Switch. It will be able to please young and old alike thanks to its charming graphic and sound atmosphere. If almost all the main levels are indeed too simple, this lack of difficulty sometimes frustrating on other platformers like Crash Bandicoot or even Super Mario, allows to enjoy this Kirby in 3D. All the more so as the challenge is present elsewhere: via the Meta Knight Cup fights for example or the ton of side levels that put your reflexes to the fore.

Ragnaröck brings to the rhythmic VR game something that was missing for the fans of the genre. Less body movement, sure, but your arms have to work like hell. Now with 32 tracks and 6 different environments, as well as various skins to unlock for the hammers, not to mention the tracks you can import at will, it shines with a simple but effective gameplay that requires hours of training and a lot of coordination at the highest level. We mainly regret the lack of cross-play on Quest. The graphics may remain rather simple, but they make good use of the colorful visual effects and are quite pleasant. If you dream of being a rough rock drummer with Celtic origins, don't miss this title.

With a tedious grip that clashes horribly with the relaxing nature in which Infinity Nikki excels, I wonder whether the choice to turn it into a Genshin Impact-style “gacha game” was a wise one. Fortunately, the sheer number of menus and the difficulty of mastering them, in addition to the annoying style contests, are the only major negative points to highlight. For the rest, the latest addition to the Nikki saga is probably one of the best cosy games I've played in recent years. Graphically very pleasing, with rich gameplay and a more than honest lifespan for a free game, I can't wait to discover what the next updates have in store.

This remake manages to bring the 2002 hit back to life while improving it at the same time. Not only does it offer detailed graphics with good lighting effects, but the animations are very high quality. It's not state-of-the-art technology, but it's very close to it. There are a few synchronization problems and Lost Heaven might be a little small, but it fits Hangar 13's model like a glove. We enjoyed rediscovering the atmosphere of such a well-executed scenario, with its very high quality soundtrack and varied gameplay that gives a real rhythm to the game.

With Metroid Dread, Mercury Steam brings a satisfying conclusion to 35 years of history. It's a particularly solid metroidvania, which will make you thrill at every revelation and sweat at every boss fight, while distilling a level-design mastered like never before. However, its main and only innovation, embodied by the E.M.M.I., prevents the title from reaching the pantheon of the genre, which is already full of quality titles: more frustrating than stressful, the mechanics and areas related to the robots of the galactic federation are far from convincing us.

NBA 2K23 shines this year on next-gen and positions itself as one of the best episodes of the license released so far. A gargantuan content, a neat technique, a gameplay much more faithful to the real thing, winks every 5 minutes for NBA fans, a less fraudulent My Team mode and a very positive NBA League Pass offer for the players. However, we can't ignore the differences between the current-gen and next-gen versions given the prices displayed... It is urgent that 2K wakes up and stops this unequal practice towards the players by proposing similar versions or at adequate prices according to what is offered to the players. This 2023 vintage is back on the throne of sports simulations by advocating excellence in the image of an ever more legendary Michael Jordan.

The Legend of Zelda once again manages to renew itself brilliantly, thanks to a strong concept executed with care. You can always complain about the outdated interface or the technical limitations that hinder progress at regular intervals, but the power of the Echoes and the freedom given to players to solve the puzzles sweep these minor flaws under the carpet. A very good game, far from perfect, but highly recommended.

Konami is playing it cool with this remake of Metal Gear Solid 3, one of the most popular episodes in the series, presented here in a luxurious package. The work of the Japanese publisher and Virtuos gives Snake a nice facelift under Unreal Engine 5, while retaining what made the 2004 release so appealing. Very short and too easy in normal difficulty mode, MGS Delta is a title that needs to be explored several times to fully appreciate its gameplay, which is much deeper and more interesting than it first appears.

Dragon Ball Sparking Zero succeeds in bringing the Budokai Tenkaichi series back to the forefront in an excellent way, offering the original gameplay while adding a few new features such as new counter methods. Alongside this, you'll find a cast of gigantic characters that will please fans of the early days, but which can also be seen as artificially inflated due to transformations, for titanic confrontations in destructible arenas during local or online battles, even if this can sometimes make them rather messy. And let's not forget the history of the mythical saga, which can be revisited in part, albeit focused on Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is a very good remaster, in addition to being an excellent game. It's beautiful, fluid, has very interesting gameplay, almost flawless controls, and a rather dense content. In other words, it's an almost perfect experience. We highly recommend all veterans to replay this gem on recent platforms and all neophytes to go discover Super Monkey Ball with this opus. In the end, after seeing everything the title offers, we would still like to have a longer and more extensive "Main Game".

With its rich emotional proposal, Life is Strange: True Colors managed to arouse our empathy on many occasions. Even if it is not free of flaws (repetitions, invisible walls, long loading times...), it knows how to create the right atmosphere by relying on melancholic music and good acting. Its concept of auras works perfectly and allows for some very nice sequences. With its neat graphics, its excellent voice acting and its endearing characters, it is a great Life is Strange.

Hitman 3 brings the World of Assassination trilogy to its climax thanks, among other things, to more gameplay options. If we would have appreciated more polished cinematics, the in-game graphics meet the expectations and very few bugs are to be deplored. As for the crowd management, it still amazes us, despite the inevitable routines of the NPCs. As for the sandbox aspect, it remains one of the strong points of the title, which will delight the fans eager to experience the numerous possibilities offered.

With a charming and nice adventure, Kena Bridge of Spirits invites us in a cute and dark world. The gameplay is rather simple but offers interesting mechanics that allow you to have a good time no matter what happens. With tons of resources to collect and an original scenario, Kena is clearly the kind of independent title that you want to finish. And this is perhaps its biggest strength: a relaxing game, with a challenge, that you want to finish at 100%. In the end, Kena doesn't invent much but offers a beautiful and memorable journey.

With some forty hours of content, Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is indeed a massive expansion, rich in challenging combat and spectacular landscapes to explore. The new weapons may also offer new ways of playing for the more invested. Despite its price and development time, this is still a DLC, so don't expect to see any major changes to the game's mechanics. If you liked Elden Ring, you'll probably love Shadow of the Erdtree, and if not, it's unlikely to change your mind. We can't help thinking that the studio shines more brightly on more compact games, which allow their level designs to really shine, and spare us the outrageous recycling of certain enemies.

Age of Empires 4 is a real-time strategy game of a scale we haven't seen in years. While it doesn't revolutionize the genre or the license, it does give them an excellent modern representative. The execution is almost flawless, the content is satisfying, the handling is fast, and the gameplay is satisfying. Novices and veterans alike should find something to enjoy, whether playing single or multiplayer. There is even an educational aspect, which helps to renew the interest and the look of battles and wars that we have already followed, or even fought in other games. Apart from a few minor flaws, as is often the case with very good games, we would simply have liked to have more.

Monster Hunter Rise takes the license to new heights with better-than-ever gameplay, accompanied by great graphics and art direction for the Switch. It's a blast to explore the map on a mount, perform aerial maneuvers, and hunt large monsters alone or in groups. This would be a near perfect game if the content followed, having to wait for updates to explore high level content will indeed not be to everyone's taste. So patience may be required.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition fulfills its mission, it allows you to discover or rediscover a monument of video games in excellent conditions. This remaster doesn't just give the graphics an update, as is too often the case, or even concentrate the games and almost all of their DLC in a single package, it actively improves the gameplay experience by correcting some of the flaws that plagued the first title in the trilogy, even if it could have gone further at times. Explore the galaxy with Commander Shepard and his crew in an adventure of extraordinary quality that's just as long-lasting. This is a game not to be missed by any sci-fi, space opera or western RPG fan, and even if there are a few wrinkles, it doesn't spoil the experience.

While Xenoblade Chronicles X has received a minor graphical facelift, at most, in this Definitive Edition, it's the opus as a whole that's to be acclaimed. Whether it's its version from 10 years ago on Wii U or this new entry to finish off the franchise's remasters in style on Nintendo Switch, Xeno Cross has all the makings of a great one and is, for many, the best opus in the saga.It shows just how much Monolith Soft knows when it comes to charming, content-filled open worlds. If you missed out on this JRPG and exploration smash over the last decade, this Definitive Edition is probably the best option.

Digimon Story Time Stranger is a good game that can serve as a gateway to discovering this universe, offering an interesting story to follow, comprehensive gameplay with diverse and varied environments, and substantial content ranging from simple routine missions to card or creature collecting, as well as battles that sometimes require a certain amount of preparation. Not to mention fans who will find their favorite digital monsters from all generations, as well as the progression system that is the strength of this title. So, is it worth the price? If you're a fan of J-RPGs, yes, but if you're not, we recommend trying the demo first.