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.