Shadows of the Erdtree does everything that Elden Ring does, but does it better. This is an amazing expansion to an already amazing game. Prepare to die, but also be prepared to be amazed and awestruck.

The simple fact of the matter is, The Final Shape made me care about Destiny again, something I didn't think was possible. Bungie has pulled out all the stops to send this story arc off in fine style with an engaging campaign, welcome tweaks to progression and some fantastic new shared events. The story grabs hold and the conclusion is satisfying in a way I didn't think was possible after all this time.

Excessive F2P systems hold Multiversus back from greatness. As it is, there is a lot of fun to be had, but it is hard not to imagine something greater had the game received a more traditional release.

Horizon Chase 2 is blisteringly fast and honestly pretty fun. Its progression may feel borderline automated and its audio mixing lacks energy to an honestly bizarre level, but in a sea of very few fish it remains a solid and entertaining enough choice for what it is.

While MLB The Show 24 isn’t going to win you over with any revolutionary changes to the formula, the level of representation on show, and the refinements to systems that were already great, makes the 2024 entry another must for baseball fans.

If Ghost of Tsushima is something you have already experienced, then the PC version probably isn’t enough to get your money for a second time. If you missed it the first time around though it is a fantastic adventure that is even better on a powerful computer.

A wonderful title that deserves more love than it’s received here, but the test of time has been kind to Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. It was amazing then, and it is now.

Where Ninja Theory has placed the majority of its resources, the game delivers in spades. You may find yourself disappointed, wishing for what could have been, but despite that, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is still not a game to be missed. It’s a technical and artistic marvel for the Xbox platform and a narrative experience that must be explored.

At the very least, anyone who has lost themselves in Deus Ex, Dishonored, Bioshock, Prey and many other titles that have cribbed heavily from the blueprint laid out here owe it to themselves to see where it all began.

A noble attempt at doing something more with the boomer shooter genre, Phantom Fury misses the mark a little when it comes to execution but still offers a good time for players that have a soft spot for late-90s shooters.

Another Crab’s Treasure is an example of a game having its cake and eating it too. The combat is fun and varied enough that you won’t get bored, and the narrative, especially the dialogue is a blast.

Sand Land is aesthetically beautiful despite its largely brown setting, and clever despite its absurdity. It offers charming characters, engaging customisation systems, and a world that expands on Akira Toriyama’s original vision. It knows what it is and embraces it fully, and that makes it one of the year’s most surprising gems.

While discussion is sure to be dominated by the sexualisation of lead character Eve, looking past that, Stellar Blade provides a solid action experience for fans of the Souls-like genre.

Not a perfect comeback by any means, but still the best game of virtual tennis for years. TopSpin 2K25 represents an excellent foundation that 2K can build from in entries to come.

Lunar Lander Beyond offers some great mechanical ideas, but it’s the execution and the lack of finesse that left me wanting more. From landers with sluggish controls to pilots and their traits cancelling out the challenges those brought on. It makes for a game that is frustrating as it carries so many neat ideas that are all lost in the final execution.

Pepper Grinder is a fun concept, that will, unfortunately, even after a mere 3-4 hour playthrough, still outlast it’s welcome by an hour or so.

As Dusk Falls wears its influences on its sleeve, from Telltale Games to those from Quantic Dream, and those that inspired its many awesome accessibility features. It shines brightest in its storytelling and how your choices reverberate throughout the remainder of the game, and no level of quirky animation can diminish that.

While it does have some stumbles it is an RPG that does away with the traditional good/bad decisions and has room for those moments where even the stalwart paragon of justice has to get down in the mud to get his way.

I’m not one to come out and say the developers are lazy or anything naïve as that, but it definitely reeks of a decision from high management to push out a pre-loved game from yesteryear with as little effort as possible. And to be brutally honest, that sucks. Battlefront 1 and 2 deserved a lot more than this.

I just wished the package included some historical details if only to help bring some context for those who weren’t there for the original releases.

This is a very special experience that will stay with me for a long while. I said it before and I’ll say it again; there are so few games that scratch the same itch that Suikoden did, and this is one that fans will really enjoy.

The best way to play Aloy’s most recent adventures... if you have the PC that can do it justice that is.

All of these options can seem overwhelming, but somehow feel less daunting than a Fire Emblem entry or even the recent Tactics Ogre, and that may be because I did not feel the same pressure to be invested in the individuals and their narrative. As much as Vanillaware and Atlus may not want to hear it, Unicorn Overlord allowed me to step back from the emotional responsibility of the characters in its narrative.

As it is now, it is like a dish or song that is missing that little something to bring it to the next level but its still perfectly enjoyable as it is. At least, for a short time.

Everything feels well balanced, nothing feels unfair when encountering a Prime Asset, and the Trials are varied, with mazes, puzzles, and grotesque elements all combining to offer a unique experience that horror fans should absolutely take a chance on.

Funny only goes so far.

When it comes to chronicling gaming history, there tends to be a focus away from the days of home computing to focus more on arcade and console gaming, and for me that’s the main draw with Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story. It’s a chance to show those curious about gaming history a side that’s rarely explored.

The big factor that will make or break Contra: Operation Galuga is how you feel about the game structure. Eight stages might not sound like much, but this is a game all about replaying – something which is no doubt a tradition for the series.