The medieval RPG series offers an improved sophomore effort, with another engaging and very immersive open world, interesting quests and better technical performance. Not everyone will find joy in its rigid mechanics and challenging combat, but Deliverance 2 continues to offer a strong foundation of some devoted role-playing.

High speed and great movement mechanics makes Echo Point Nova a joy to play as you leap between floating islands and clear battle arenas high in the sky.

The combination of turn-based tactics with a run and gun style works far better than it should, thanks to mechanics that emphasize moving quickly around the battlefield. Repetitive missions and dull enemies drag down the experience slightly, but this is still worth playing for genre fans or Metal Slug veterans.

Fantasian Neo Dimension is a challenging JRPG that should entertain diehard fans of the genre. The plot is nothing to write home about, but the satisfying combat and gorgeous visuals help it stand out.

Indiana Jones makes a triumphant return in the Great Circle thanks to a stellar cast, good puzzles, gameplay variety, attention to detail, and solid technical performance. It is a must play for fans of the whip-cracking hero, and adventure gamers.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a worthwhile return for the RPG franchise. Despite some oversimplification of mechanics and uneven writing, the new combat style and interesting characters and narrative choices make for an engaging fantasy adventure.

With a wonderfully diverse campaign, hyperactive multiplayer, and a super replayable Zombies mode, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a brilliant showcase and the best franchise entry in a while.

Thronefall pares back the usual tower defence formula into something simpler but still quite satisfying. Being forced to work with a predefined layout for your castle is a major limitation, and one that will frustrate some, but the perks and mutations system reintroduces just enough complexity to give Thronefall staying power. It also helps that the game looks great.

Neva is a great looking game that provides a few hours of joy from simply being immersed in its world. The gameplay, story, and pacing are a bit more subdued, however.

Aside from some bland combat and performance concerns, Silent Hill 2 is a good remake that takes the original’s intriguing narrative and crams it with more survival-horror gameplay while upgrading the visuals to do justice to the fascinating setting.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom may not star Link, but it is on par with many of those classics. The echoes system is another demonstration of the franchise's ability to craft engaging gimmicks. While it may be underserved by the system’s dated tech, Nintendo has once again delivered a creative entry in one of their flagship series.

EA Sports FC 25 delivers on the usual incremental improvement model of this sports franchise. It's a solid football game with plenty of variety that fans won't be too conflicted about getting stuck into.

Much as I like the Age of Empires games, Age of Mythology's god powers and myth units dial up the fun factor significantly. The dramatic graphical update and small but sensible gameplay tweaks in this Retold edition make it easy to recommend for new and returning players alike.

Sumerian Six almost perfectly emulates the games from Mimimi, offering a satisfying covert strategy experience that involves weaving through patrols, dissolving bodies, and scaring Nazis to death.

NBA 2K25 is an improvement from last year, but still suffers from most of the same self-inflicted issues. The over-bearing presence of microtransactions does the great on-court gameplay a disservice.

The criminal undercurrent in Star Wars Outlaws creates an enjoyable and unpredictable story, and the competent stealth, gunplay, and space dogfights ensure that fans of the original trilogy will enjoy the stunning views while earning a reputation.

As an entertaining, accessible, and polished 3D platformer, Astro Bot offers plenty of variety in both visuals and gameplay, delivering a lively space adventure with plenty of PlayStation references.

Phantom Spark pares away everything inessential to provide a blissful time trial racing experience, buttressed by pleasant pastel visuals and a calming soundtrack. There are no extra bells and whistles, but what this indie racer does, it does very well.

World of Goo 2 picks up right where the original game left off, offering more levels and entertaining conundrums to construct your way out of. It's no longer the unique physics puzzler that it once was, but the mechanics have proven to be timeless.

Aided by its magnificent setting, purposeful suspense, and slick pacing, Still Wakes the Deep is a nicely crafted first-person horror game that needed more complexity.

Duck Detective: The Secret Salami is a charming adventure, with a good art style and some fun but occasionally wily puzzling. It may be very brief, but it's also quite lowly priced.

With neat retro visuals, smart puzzles, and an interesting theme park location, Crow Country is an appealing survival horror game that suffers a little from clumsy action and minimal challenge.

Pepper Grinder is highly enjoyable, but a touch too short. It's a very unique platformer that manages to stand out in a very crowded genre, even if it fumbles during the final levels a little bit.

Children of the Sun is a dark and engaging puzzle that successfully transports familiar mechanics into a fresh setting at the speed of a flying bullet.

MLB The Show 24 may not offer up many changes when it comes to outfield action, but the modes continue to be improved. I loved seeing Road to the Show finally get some dev time, and Storylines continues to be one of the strongest modes introduced by the series. If you're looking to escape from the potential disappointment of your real-life ball team, you'll find plenty of ways to do so here.

Underneath the spaceship setting in Between Horizons is a grounded detective game that features good logical deductions and math-based solutions. More case depth and presentation tweaks could have taken the mission further, but it is still a fine option for the gumshoes of this generation.

Pacific Drive is a fantastic survival game with an addictive gameplay loop that involves forging deep connections to junctions, progressing deeper into an ever-changing Zone, upgrading a quirky vehicle, and navigating through challenges that appear on the road ahead.

Minami Lane is a nice-looking, bite-sized town management game that offers an engaging slice of gameplay for a very low price.

Ordained by a clear narrative, resolute characters, intriguing hauntings and an eventually favorable combat model, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a morally infused spirit smasher set in a large world that needed a little exorcism.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth encaptures everything great about the franchise, from its political melodrama-esque plot, decent gameplay mechanics and bonkers side missions. This is one of the best Yakuza games yet and one that returning fans should not miss.

Coming off of a remarkably strong year for the genre, Tekken 8 continues the trend of excellent fighters for this console generation. It's a visually dynamic and enjoyable to play title that will be a part of the scene for years to come. I just wish there were more options for single-player modes.

Turnip Boy Robs a Bank continues the criminal adventures of its root vegetable hero, and thanks to improved gameplay, visuals, and continued whacky jokes, the series is starting to create a rather enticing garnish.

The Lost Crown is a good modern template for an old franchise, taking the essence of Prince of Persia into a familiar metroidvania format. With fun combat, good boss battles, and smooth platforming mechanics, only the convoluted levels and overlong platforming keep it from being timeless.

Last Train Home is a well-executed mix of two different gameplay genres that benefits from a unique setting and engaging mechanics. There are a few bumps along the track, but it makes for a memorable trip.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is a massive improvement in almost every aspect - from better presentation to a deeper battle system. It will not be dethroning the Super Smash Bros franchise anytime soon, but it's a fun and whimsical platform fighter to play with friends.

With a strong atmosphere, interesting story, and engaging but fairly simple mix of puzzle and platforming gameplay, American Arcadia makes for a memorable place to visit - and escape from.

Jusant is a distinct adventure with striking presentation, simple yet fun climbing mechanics, and an engaging atmosphere that's worth the hike.

Sonic Superstars draws upon its classic roots and wears that inspiration on a sleeve. The cooperative play is superb, but the unimaginative zones and underwhelming battle mode prove the stage a superstar performs on matters.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is exactly what fans hoped for from the return of a 2D Mario franchise. The tight, precise platforming has been mixed with the wild creativity seen in the 3D exploits of Nintendo's iconic plumber to create one of the best titles of the year.

With thought-provoking philosophy and sharply varied puzzles, The Talos Principle 2 is a sublime sequel that seeks the knowledge of the gods but maintains its humanity.

Station to Station is a fairly novel puzzle game that has some charm to it, and will appeal most to players who enjoy freeform path optimization and experimentation through repeated attempts.

With familiar but still great gameplay that has a few new moves, strong presentation, and a mostly engaging story which gets better in the second half, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is a crowd-pleasing blockbuster sequel that's worth playing for any superhero fan.

El Paso, Elsewhere doesn't boast the slickest gameplay out there, but its tale of love, death and the impending end of the world is one that consistently kept my attention. This is an entirely unique experience, and one I suggest checking out if you are a fan of supernatural neo-noir.

Forza Motorsport returns to the track with some high quality sim racing, a healthy amount of content, impressive presentation, and enough tweaks to make its familiar formula feel fresh again.

Sea of Stars may pinch its influences from numerous 16-bit titles like Chrono Trigger, but the gameplay feels neither stale or old. The gorgeous 2D environments and bizarre cosmic-esque plot will hold players' attention for the whole 35-40-hour runtime.

Starfield is a grand interstellar adventure with exciting pockets of exploration, detailed cities, interesting side quests, memorable characters, competent action, and fun ship building. Despite minor issues, it gracefully blends Bethesda’s trademark gameplay with the wonders of space.

Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy continues to push the series back to its former glory. While the combat engine still needs some work, the platforming and puzzles will challenge both your mind and reflexes in satisfying ways. For a fifth entry, it’s nice to see the series still trying to produce compelling magical adventures.

Baldur's Gate 3 is a great cRPG that manages to meet the lofty expectations of the franchise name. With excellent writing, engaging story, flexible player choice and compelling mechanics, even its minor second-half stumbles can't prevent the game from getting some of the highest rolls in the genre.

With a great supernatural pirate theme and excellent character synergy, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is another outstanding stealth strategy game from Mimimi, though revisiting the mostly unchanged islands throws a small cloud over the otherwise vibrant treasure hunt.

Although the core mechanic is not unique anymore, Pikmin 4 proves that it can still be fun and engaging to control your little army through a variety of nicely designed levels thanks to a few tweaks to the series formula.

With a great underwater setting and an interesting story featuring lots to uncover, Stasis: Bone Totem’s mix of horror and puzzles mean it is a veritable sunken treasure.

Aliens: Dark Descent brilliantly translates the 1986 movie into a fun strategy game with good combat, an interesting story, and rewarding squad management, marred by some minor stealth and tech issues.

Thanks to an enjoyable combat loop and wonderfully dark environments, Diablo IV is a great blend of the previous two games in the series that brings a slew of basic MMO features while preserving the core tenets of the franchise.

Street Fighter 6 is a big improvement for the franchise, and a reminder that Capcom is the best in the genre. The gameplay is as crisp and engaging as it has ever been, and the amount of modes included in the game will keep players busy for quite some time.

Amnesia: The Bunker has a fantastic dynamic involving light and power management, as you explore an atmospheric WW1 bunker and avoid a monster with a keen sense of hearing. Despite a lack of puzzles, a bland story, and a few monster quirks, it packs enough good horror to keep players on edge.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom improves and expands upon its fantastic predecessor in several ways. Link's new abilities provide significant, and excellent, changes to the core gameplay. Even the narrative offers an interesting backstory the land of Hyrule, while also giving Zelda time to shine. It's one of the best titles that the Nintendo Switch has to offer.

Deep and tantalizing combat, enticing exploration, smooth platforming, and strong narrative moments lead the way in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. This sequel improves nearly everything and only the suboptimal framerate leaves a sour taste.

Age of Wonders 4 is a deep and addictive turn-based strategy game that offers excellent player choice with custom worlds and varied rulers, alongside tweaks to the proven formula. Only its technical blemishes cast a dark shadow over the glorious realms found within.

MLB The Show 23 doesn't reinvent the genre, but the franchise continues to stand as one of the best on the market. The gameplay is fantastic across all phases of the sport, and the line-up of modes has been improved thanks to the addition of Storylines. There is still room for improvement, but The Show remains a contender for best sports title of the year.

Resident Evil 4’s excellent variety, involving combat, and rollercoaster pacing makes it one of the best in the series and a faithful recreation, mired by a parasitic companion and a few weird franchise tropes.

Terra Nil is a strategy game that's devoid of land colonisation, the exploitation of natural resources, or anything else you'd usually associate with a game of this ilk. But it's all the better for it. If you want a tranquil terraforming game, this is a good fit.

Have a Nice Death may not quite reach the upper levels of the genre, but it's still a fun, well-designed game that will appeal to fans of challenging roguelites.

Company of Heroes 3 proves that its unique and addicting RTS formula remains intact, and while it has plenty of solo and multiplayer content to keep you engaged for hours, a few design issues and presentation weaknesses prevent it from being declared an outright triumph.

Dead Space (2023) takes the original’s stellar experience into the modern age with excellent atmosphere, additional narrative content, level-design tweaks, and a few surprises to keep the flayed flesh fresh.

Hi-Fi Rush is a charming action game with a great art style, fun characters, and solid mechanics. Sometimes, that's all you need.

Season: A Letter to the Future is an experience committed to the art of environmental storytelling. Although how much you connect with the world will be determined by your enjoyment of slow-paced adventures with minimal gameplay and the way you interpret the narrative.

A Space for the Unbound is an ode to teenage nonchalance, and an emotional lesson in learning to let go, all wrapped up in a story about a superpowered calamity. Its disparate parts thoughtfully work together to create a heartfelt story, full of characters you won't want to say goodbye to.

High On Life unapologetically caters to advent fans of absurdist comedy, which overflows with expletive language and wacky scenarios. Lack of enemy variety and performance issues may be a deterrent for some, however.

Grotesquely designed and brutally challenging, GRIME is a unique metroidvania experience. It's certainly not for everyone, but those willing to dive into the title's dark world will find plenty to enjoy.

Marvel's Midnight Suns might not deliver on everything it's setting out to do, but is still an excellent fusion of hardcore strategy and super hero action. It's engaging to take down enemies with your superpowered pals, and then getting to unwind with them afterwards.

Inspired by Portal, The Entropy Centre will make you think backwards as you complete good puzzle chambers with the help of an energetic AI companion and refreshing detours.

Harvestella is an interesting concoction of a JRPG experience merged with farming, which results in pure escapist fun. The combat and farming aspects are by no means elaborate, but their simplistic approach creates a relaxing atmosphere that is great to play in short bursts.

Pentiment is mature in a way few games are. It exudes passion for the time period and subject matter, treating every character and issue with respect and reverence. If you want an adventure game that responds to your choices and trusts you to discover its narrative on your own terms, Pentiment is a must play.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope builds upon the framework established by the first title in several positive ways. The tactical combat has been given more variety, and having more things to do outside of battle was also a smart addition. Despite the annoying Rabbids and lackluster plot, it's an overall improvement and a solid sequel.

God of War Ragnarök is an innocuous sequel that continues on the path laid out by its predecessor. The writing and narrative leave something to be desired, but with solid gameplay and great presentation, there's plenty to see and do in these Nine Realms.

Fans of the original game will find very little to be excited about, but ultimately Overwatch 2 is a solid free to play hero shooter with polished gameplay and enough content to be worth checking out.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is a vastly expanded sequel, for better and for worse. Returning fans might feel that everything here is quite familiar, if only bigger and more beautiful. If the improvements to combat and the uneven story aren't enough to entice you, the relationship playing out between our two central heroes is worth another trek through rat infested France.

PGA Tour 2K23 ups its game from the previous release. The sport remains as enjoyable as ever to play, and smart customization options keep the experience fresh. However, lackluster presentation still continues to be an issue.

The tiny backyard world in Grounded is a joy to explore, full of danger and wonder. It offers great value, despite a slow progression system and a drawn-out main quest line.

NBA 2K23 represents one of the biggest steps forward for the franchise in recent years. The abundance of modes will keep players entertained throughout the NBA season, and the on-court gameplay continues to be improved. It's just a shame that microtransactions continue to be as woven within the fabric of the game as they are.

Splatoon 3 continues to ride on its ink wave of success thanks to a solid gameplay foundation, with some minor tweaks, extra content, and an improved user experience. Whether or not that’s enough, after years of development and another full price tag, will depend on what you're looking to get out of the experience.

Rollerdrome certainly has its issues, but the overwhelmingly chaotic action is fun enough to compensate. I continually found myself dropping back into levels to try and chase higher scores and take out my foes with increasing style. There are elements that could have been fleshed out further, but considering the scope of the project, I'm impressed with the results.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a great RPG, and arguably the best title in the series to date. It could still use some editing, and the problems with the Switch itself will continue to hold the franchise back. But even those issues can't put a damper on the captivating combat engine and dynamic storytelling featured here.

Excellent visuals, a bold and impressive mix of gameplay styles, a wonderful soundtrack, randomized character interactions, and hilarious dialogue come together to make Cult of the Lamb an intrepid adventure.

TMNT: Shredder's Revenge is a fantastic love letter to the Turtles' arcade and SNES classics from the 90s. The introduction of modern gameplay elements makes this a reinvigorated take on the classic genre that expertly balances contemporary expectations with nostalgia.

Mario Strikers: Battle League tears up the rule book of what you might expect in a traditional soccer experience and injects personality, outlandish action and mischievous tactics into the gameplay - though it could have used more content.

MLB The Show 22 is still a great game of ball, but one that is stating to slow down as it ages. San Diego Studio has been able to innovate in the past, and I hope they get around to addressing some of the weaknesses next time around. Whether that's through going full current-gen or delivering a fresh approach to Road to the Show, there is room for improvement.

The Quarry features arguably the best writing and cast that Supermassive Games have ever put together, along with some impressive quality visuals in certain spots. However, the gameplay formula lacks improvements and is starting to grow stale. This horror adventure should satisfy fans, but it's time for the developers to aim higher.

Cosmonaut Studios may be minnows, but they have managed to create a title that stands tall amongst the best in the storytelling genre. Eternal Threads is a great experience that I can wholeheartedly recommend to both fans and skeptics of this type of game.

Thanks to the foundation built by its predecessor, Sniper Elite 5 is a good entry in the franchise, with large open levels and capable stealth mechanics. While it has several decent multiplayer options, better execution was needed to really hit all targets.

Dorfromantik is an enjoyable light puzzle game with a pleasant presentation, strong core central mechanic, and plenty of replay value.

Though its narrative isn't cohesive, Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the most complete and content packed Lego Star Wars adventure to date, with expanded combat, welcoming accessibility, and great presentation.

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim weaves a complex, intriguing tale that spans many characters and time periods, and manages to pull it all together in the end. This narrative 2D adventure offers little traditional gameplay - though the battle sections provide a satisfying enough distraction.

Young Souls is a well-designed brawler with an exciting combat system that is easy to use. The story makes an impactful impression as the wayward teens will constantly entertain you with a barrage of witty remarks while defending their sleepy town from hordes of underground monsters.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land might not redefine the genre, but it's still a solid 3D platformer with a great gimmick. Kirby's duplication ability makes for some great gameplay and the much-anticipated Mouthful Mode doesn't disappoint. It's still lacking in some areas, but there's plenty of enjoyment to be had.

Weird West is a brilliant Action-RPG sandbox with an alluring supernatural undertone. The story finds a regular beat as it jumps through five intriguing characters. Both stealth and combat work decently from the isometric perspective, with good interactions, and only some camera issues and AI navigation quirks prevent it from striking a deep vein of gold.

Tunic is an isometric action adventure with colorful visuals, fun exploration and well executed combat, though its insistence on lack of player guidance can make for a few frustrating moments.

Elden Ring is an unrelenting, engrossing, challenging, and marvelous experience. It brings the Dark Souls formula to an open world setting without skipping a beat, with all of its cryptic nature, punishing combat and wondrous level design. It's still not for everyone, but those who dare enter this realm may find themselves in one of the best games of the year.