Housemarque enhances their already lofty reputation with a title that even surpasses their efforts with Returnal. The prospect of putting down the controller is almost as terrifying as the world of Carcosa.

With a fantastic foundation, but a ceiling that wasn’t quite reached, Saint Slayer is an excellent playing experience that will leave you wanting just a little bit more from it.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream reintroduces Nintendo’s zany life-sim to modern gamers. Though it feels a little too similar to the 3DS version at times, there’s plenty of entertainment waiting for both seasoned and new fans to sink their teeth into. Its new customisation tools also ensure it has a long and healthy life ahead as it will no doubt prove to be popular with creative gamers.

Mouse P.I. is a game dripping with style. Excellent quality animation, sound design and voice work makes this a game that stands on its own, and I hope we see more from this detective in the future.

Exactly the sort of game that this old reviewer needed to refresh his love of the medium. Pragmata uses a classic, almost-lost formula along with some brand new and exciting gameplay to create an absolutely epic adventure that deserves everyone’s attention.

There’s nothing groundbreaking about Reanimal, but what it does, it does very well. There are still some nagging frustrations in Tarsier’s design that have again reared their heads, but don’t let them interfere with your enjoyment of this moody world.

The ultimate monkey’s paw. We should be reveling in the return of more Legacy of Kain, but instead, poor design decisions blunt the impact of this franchise return in nearly every conceivable way.

Dosa Divas is an entree sized meal, with the heart the size of a main menu item. A good meal can sometimes do a lot with little, and Dosa Divas is a perfect gaming example of that.

I must admit that I was of the mind that this Switch 2 version of the original release was simply going to be a bit of lip service. A title with a small sprinkling of new content to justify the decision to re-release the game and sell another few million units. Thankfully, I can report that Super Mario Bros. Wonder + Meetup in Bellabel Park is even better than it was before. It is loaded with fantastic additions to both the core game as well as to its previously quite limited multiplayer suite, and for players both experienced and inexperienced, there is an abundance of additional content to chew on.

For all its quirks, I do hope that Screamer finds a regular and loyal fanbase. The story may be naff, and some tracks are better than others, but there remains an enjoyable core at the centre of it all. The potential for online play, particularly in all-out team races, is highly promising, but it’s a promise that can only be fulfilled if Screamer can entice enough an audience to purchase and persevere. It’s an excellent, flawed, unique, undercooked racer that just may yet manage to become a simply great one.

Whilst it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the greats, this is still a compelling experience that’s more than worth your time. Come for the visuals, stay for the gripping combat.

Only the mildest inconveniences dampen the experience. Make no elder dragon bones about it, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is the best in the sub-franchise, and one of the best JRPGs on the market at present.

Hamstermind is a game made by puzzle lovers, and it shows. Whilst it’s not a perfect experience, people who have the patience for deceptively simple but ultimately extremely challenging puzzles should absolutely check this out.

A classically styled CRPG that is welcoming to newcomers without dumbing things down, Disciples: Domination has both the gameplay and the story to keep fantasy fans enthralled for the entirety of its 40+ hour runtime.

While My Hero: All’s Justice does a great job of putting the player in the climactic battle against Tomura Shigaraki, All for One and the remaining members of The League of Villains, having to trudge through the disappointing Team-Up Missions to access the Archive Battles and the one dimensional combat that reduces controls to spamming a single button makes this game hard to recommend to all but the most die hard MHA fans.

Is it the best Nioh game? Despite how overwrought it is in some areas, it’s the Nioh title I’ve felt the most driven to keep returning to.

The gameplay is superb and the action a joy, but there is just not enough to do to keep players coming back for more, especially if your friends and family aren’t willing to join you for a match.

Despite some minor design flaws and an excess of information and systems thrown at the player, Code Vein II is a respectable entry in the Soulslike genre that will keep fans happy and perhaps even bring some new ones in.

An already outstanding title can now be taken natively on the go, has all additional content bundled in it, and now possesses new modes to make the game more approachable to all. Final Fantasy VII Remake was a sensation in 2020, and it’s only better now in 2026.

MIO: Memories In Orbit is abstract, quirky, brutally hard, and stunning all at once, and outside of those awful tremors, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Visions has some amazing highs, and challenges players in way they might not have felt for a long time. It’s more of Origins, and I mean that in the best possible way.

A wildly uneven entry in the COD franchise, Black Ops 7 offers a lot for a certain type of player, but as a result of certain changes, it may have left its traditional fans out in the cold.

It is difficult to grade Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector. There are moments where you feel you have control of how you want to play the game and what you want to do, but so too are there moments where you feel you are just following along on a predetermined story, where the choices don’t matter, and the free agency you have as the Sleeper is just an illusion.

Demonschool is a perfect mix of all the things I love - cheesy retro horror, tactics-based role-playing, kicking bad guys in the face, and hot characters I can chat up. What’s not to love?

Sektori is brutal; it looks to crush you under its sheer force at every turn, such that getting to the game’s end will be one of the most satisfying moments that you’ll find in gaming in 2025. It looks beautiful, is incredibly overstimulating, hates your guts, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Road to Empress was a surprise. Despite having no vested interest in the genre or period going into the game, I came out a massive fan. Is it enough to make me want to watch a bunch of palace dramas? No. I like the interactive nature of this game, and it does make me want to play me want to play more. If you’re after a dramatic, sometimes silly and overall great fun FMV experience, this should be at the top of your list.

Somehow, what looks like a vibes-rich self-indulgent arthouse piece turns out to be a game than not only nails the vibes it is chasing, but also manages to keep pretty well balanced on its actual mechanics. Skate Story may appeal to a very specific audience, but they will likely devour it like a cookie in the night sky.

The additions made to the franchise’s core, spliced in with Champions Of The Content and the changes made to its DNA, make Octopath Traveler 0 an incredibly engaging and constantly enticing prospect. The Path Of Restoration begins now, and I hope you’re along for the ride.