Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is as crisp as it gets. The game combines precision and timing to build the perfect balance: the challenges are hard enough to get in your nerves, but you still find yourself repeating them over and over again, always sure that the next try will be the one.

This is the evolution of the Ninja Gaiden franchise. Platinum's frenetic style fits surprisingly well with the difficulty that we've come to expect from Team Ninja. It's not a perfect game, with the main issues being the small roster of enemies and the simplified plot, but it's still very fun and respectful of its origins.

Known for the excellent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (2022), the Canadian studio Tribute Games hits the mark once again by delivering the definitive beat 'em up for fans of the Sex Bob-omb bassist. Fun and chaotic, the experience has the potential to please both long-time fans and newcomers to the franchise.

There's a few missed strokes to be found in Art of Vengeance if you're looking really close, but Lizardcube still paints an amazing canvas. Using a smart segmentation and exploring its features to shed light above the beautiful graphics, the game sits beside Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound as another great ninja-themed side-scroller released in 2025.

Kart games are about having fun, be it exploding your friends with itens, or nailing incredible drifts. At the end of the day, the few bumps in CrossWorlds are negligible. When I think about the game, I always remember the amazing tracks, the characters, a pulsating soundtrack — and, of course, the absolute speed.

The Beast succeeds in bringing back old mechanics of the franchise while brings some new elements to the table. Focusing in combat, the game is a natural evolution of Kyle Crane, that is as charismatic as ever.

Cairn arrives as a challenging and contemplative experience, mixing the intensity of sportive climbing with a mysterious and captivating narrative. In the game, each movement is like a true puzzle, and patience is a virtue that needs to be put into practice.

The new Silent Hill is extremely smart while using horror, blood and guts to tell a story about some of the most trivial problems we all go through during our teenage years. There are a few sequences that can feel a bit too action-based, but it's still a great Survival Horror in its essence.

Don’t Stop, Girlypop! is a creative, personality-driven shooter that succeeds in blending fast, demanding gameplay with an exaggerated, fun, and well-realized Y2K aesthetic. Despite the visual overload and a slightly confusing learning curve at first, the game stands out for its strong identity, care, and confident reinvention of the genre.

In an industry where remasters are just a way of using nostalgia to make more money, The Ivalice Chronicles goes beyond the standard “make it HD” pattern and bring great improvements to the original game.

There is not a world in which Silksong would reach its expectations. After 7 years of waiting, the game is still an amazing adventure, but it's hard to not think that some moments are overthought. Team Cherry have a hard time figuring out what's frustrating and what's challengingly engaging.

We need more heartful games like this one, that makes us smile with each new character and leaves us emotional while the plot is unveiled. Digimon goes further than generation and languages. It's a franchise that has always been about personal and collective growth, and the importance of friends and bonds. Time Stranger collects all of these elements and repackages them beautifully.

Tales of Xillia stands out from other RPGs of its generation. Being able to enjoy this PS3 gem now on the PS5 (and other platforms) is an adventure no one wants to miss.

Overall, Forza Horizon 6 is a great game that introduces solid new features, improvements, and content. However, the complacency that comes with the crown has exposed chronic issues that prevented this highly anticipated Japanese chapter from being perfect. If there’s anyone who needs new arcade racing competitors more than the players do, it’s the developer, Playground Games.

Battlefield 6 is exactly what it needed to be. Peacefully antagonizing its biggest rival with a more gritty, slow-paced gameplay, the game will certainly find an audience among players that are looking for a down to Earth experience.

Code Vein 2 establishes itself as a great sequel and a significant evolution of the original formula. The game does not try to be a new Elden Ring; instead, it seeks to solidify its own space and expand its unique identity, reinforcing its own strengths, whether through its setting, gameplay mechanics, or artistic style.

Master Lemon takes a leap of faith when telling the end of its story right at the start. The risk pays off once the player realizes that the game is actually a lesson on the time we have left, and what to do with it.

In the end, despite some technical performance issues, Nioh 3 manages to deliver a punishing adventure, while remaining extremely rewarding when you finally manage to defeat the game's bosses, or simply get through a difficult region of the map, or find a cool item after spending hours trying to find it. Even though at times it may seem that managing your build is more important than learning the bosses' attack patterns, the adventure and challenge more than compensate for what some might consider negative points.

Marathon's biggest fight was against the narrative: in an industry of failed projects, it's easy to assume that a game will be DOA. Somehow, Bungie managed to revert those allegations and create something that is, at least, unique.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion shows us a version of the multiverse that worked. Despite its simplicity, there's not always a need for a multi-million dollar production, as long as the game is made with care and competence.

It's not malicious to say that Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a life simulator with a peculiar sense of humor. After all, it's this very characteristic that makes it unique among a community of passionate gamers. For fans of the genre, the real challenge will likely be dealing with countless possibilities and a few fits of laughter during the numerous hours of gameplay.

It's only natural that an idea so unique comes out imperfect. Still, the industry could use a few more rupturing concepts like this one.

Minos shows promise when it hands the player a myriad of options. Pacing, however, isn't optimal, and creativity is not always rewarded.

Despite its small roster of fighters, Bleach: Rebirth of Souls tries to create new tendencies for the Arena Fighter genre. Fights are fun and visuals, animations and soundtracks are amazing, but a lackluster campaign and an incomplete online mode leave the feeling that there’s something missing for the game to become mandatory for lovers of the genre.

It's true that you have to pay a lot to have access to several games from the past, which should be cheaper, but Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is still an alternative and a correct way to preserve games that are so important and loved by fans.

I’m genuinely happy that RAIDOU Remastered was released. Despite not liking it that much, it still represents an important period of Atlus’ history that can now be experienced in a much better way. The treatment this game received should be standard for every remaster.

I really appreciate what Byking has done for My Hero Academia over the years. The previous games, especially My Hero One’s Justice 2, showed what a good arena fighter could be, and My Hero Academia: All’s Justice carries on that legacy. With a reinvented gameplay and strong moments in the story mode, the game stands out, but is weighed down by the excess of its other modes and doesn’t quite reach Plus Ultra status.

Wuchang may not become a pillar to the genre, but the boss fights, combat system, soundtrack and the great usage of Chinese mythology show the potential of a debuting studio.