Flexible, fun, and ferocious too, this roguelike has more than enough dungeon diving for everyone.

It's impressive that the team is still able to take FF14's trappings and crystalise them into new forms even so many years on, from the way jobs and dungeons feel like the best they've ever been, to their confidence when it comes to experimenting with the relationship between gameplay and storytelling. But while there are some stunning vistas and lighting effects, and the detailing on new armour designs are enchanting, the age of the core game can't help but show, smooth as it is to play. This is a great final chapter to a story that'll stick with me, and I'm excited to see the team tell a new one—but I'm eager for some bigger changes to shake up Eorzea when they do.

Kynseed is gorgeous, fun, and surprisingly impactful. Just don't rush through the prologue.

A thrilling mystery that asks players to rise to its challenges, and rewards them when they do.

If you value character development, old-fashioned gameplay, and a good plot, this game delivers on all counts. [Feb 1999, p.178]

Thankfully, smart as ever, Amplitude Studios has created another astounding story-driven game, that really has taken the best bits of RTS, RPG and 4X, drawing much from Endless Space, and spun it differently for every faction.

Almost every bit as much fun as its Microsoft rival, and at a cheaper price. [Jan 2003, p.122]

While Sword of the Stars doesn't possess the battlefield variety of the "Homeworld" games that inspired it, it remains an ambitious and engrossing strategy triumph. [Nov. 2006, p.78]

Consider this game a creative homage rather than a remake of all things Lara Croft, and a perfect chance for newcomers and diehards alike to jump back into the series' seminal single-player action. [Aug 2007, p.60]

It doesn't redefine the action RPG, but in a genre laden with derivative games, Hellgate is a refreshing concoction that's likely to have enduring appeal. [Dec 2007, p.48]

A revolutionary tale told with memorable characters, excellent combat, and surprisingly forthright politics.

Both blissful and demanding, Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders is one of the most beautiful skiing games on PC.

A thoughtful response to Dishonored that makes for an entertaining stealth shooter in its own right, but it's the multiplayer invasions that make Deathloop sing.

There's still work to be done on the game at large, but The Witch Queen is a massive step in the right direction. The campaign alone is worth the price of admission.

Last minute collapse onto its own silver sword aside, this is one of the most impressive RPGs you'll ever play.

Still the best baseball management sim ever, and predictably so given its similarity to last year's great game.

A magnificent adventure with impressive fights and some very rough edges.

Strictly for fans of turn-based space-strategy epics, but it's the Acme of the genre. [June 2002, p.60]

A deep, dark, challenging and impossibly rewarding fantasy RPG, sadly given a straight and perfunctory port from console.

Graphics from the '80s with RPG gameplay from the late '90s and writing like nothing else: Skald was 2024's biggest pleasant surprise.

A glorious scramble for power elevated by some fantastic new units. Shame about those boring boat battles.

Not just a great sequel, but a thoughtful and human narrative adventure wrapped in a satisfying and beautiful puzzle game.

Persona 3 Reload is a highly-polished remake of the 2006 classic. A few elements don't age well.

Even if you're not the seafaring type, Pirates of the Burning Sea offers genuinely enjoyable core gameplay that, despite a steep learning curve and a few rough spots, will capitivate even the driest of landlubbers. [May 2008, p.60]

Frostpunk is a stressful, stylish, and addictive survival management game filled with incredibly difficult choices.

Dispatch is full of heart and jokes, and it's one of the best superhero TV shows around.

Visually near-perfect, but the ample action is bottlenecked by narrower level design and a weaker Nanosuit.

The best Tekken game in years, let down only by its struggling netcode and aged customisation.