A sprawling and beautifully executed monument to the Castlevania titles of old, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night feels like a promise delivered for fans of not just the series, but intricately structured action adventures too. The king has returned.

Chronicles of Mystara won't wow gamers with modern tastes, but it's a competent arcade port that pays due respect while introducing tasteful new features.

Ghost of Tsushima elevates the existing open world adventure template with a fantasy-free Samurai adventure that deftly pays loving homage to the Samurai cinema of old. While your mileage may vary according to your level of open world fatigue, Ghost of Tsushima undoubtedly remains not only one of the best open world romps money can buy and a stunning PlayStation 4 exclusive, but also Sucker Punch Productions finest effort to date.

Well thought out puzzles and a fantastic art style really propel The Pedestrian to the top of my list of recently played puzzle games. It is so different and that is something I really admire. While it will not be for everyone I think it does enough to even tease non-puzzle game fans into trying it. Striking and clever, The Pedestrian never overstays its welcome. It's short, sweet and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Blurb: Even though the visual remastering is a touch on the modest side, Sega have nonetheless done great work here. With reworked localizations, improved sidestory finding and smoother gameplay overall, the Yakuza Remastered Collection nonetheless proves itself as the definitive way to play Sega's PS3 trio of core Yakuza games.

With its much hyped status as a showcase of the DualSesne controller’s fancy new haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, it’s equally important to recognise that like Astro Bot before it, Astro’s Playroom is a fundamentally excellent platformer that commendably stands on its own merits. Equal parts a stirring demonstration of the capabilities of the DualSense and PS5 console as it is an excellent traditional platformer, Astro's Playroom might just be the best pack-in title of all-time.

Though it sticks rigidly close to the template that made the original such a success it ultimately matters little - Guacamelee 2 is one of the finest platformers of the year.

Persona 5 Strikers takes what's special about the Persona franchise and meshes it with what makes the musuo genre special. Despite some hiccups, Persona 5 Strikers offers up something special: It's equally accessible to newcomers as well as established fans, showcasing all the style of the franchise in all its glory.

The Alters is a unique narrative experience all its own, asking you to survive by manipulating your own history to create clones and escape from a fiery fate. As far as the genre goes, The Alters makes for a very accessible survival experience. With that said, hardcore fans of the genre may see gameplay in The Alters as far too simplistic. The other potential issue is that the Sun's looming danger isn't quite as looming as it initially feels, with most of the game progressing naturally without much actual danger. Either way, the combination of strong narrative and accessible gameplay makes this the perfect game for anyone who even remotely interested in trying survival-builder games. The Alters is a definite recommend title, even at its $40 launch price.

Ultra Street Fighter IV refines Capcom's celebrated brawler to within an inch of its life with some great additions, making it a must-have for any hardcore fan.

Metro Exodus on PS5 is one of the best survival wastelands to explore on the new console. With enhanced textures, stunning ray-tracing and global illumination, and immersive DualSense implementation, what is on offer here is an experience like no other. If you skipped it on PS4 or want to play again, there are ample enhancements here that make the Moscow Wasteland worth exploring all over again.

OlliOlli World's Void Rider's DLC is definitely a must-buy for fans. It houses the best levels across the rest of the game, and includes some of the most visually pleasing levels in the entire game. Though the boss levels are somewhat disappointing, that does little to reduce how fun every other level included in the DLC is.

Thanks to Nightdive Studios, that ultra reliable bastion of remastering excellence, Heretic and Hexen have never, ever looked this good or played this well on console. Certainly then, Heretic + Hexen might just be Nightdive's best remastering gig yet and that really is saying something when you consider the heady calibre of their output to date. They don't make em' like they used to - luckily, we have Nightdive Studios to make sure that they do.

EA Sports College Football 2025 is the return of college football that sports gaming fans have been waiting for. There's enough here to keep the avid and dedicated fans around for a good while, with Dynasty Mode and Road to Glory taking center stage. Control over dynasty players, playing defense, and not fully showing what controls are bring down the experience quite a bit, especially in the beginning hours. EA Sports College Football 25 is not for everyone, but fans will get enough out of it to keep the franchise coming back around each year, hopefully with improvements.

Taking inspiration from Jet Set Radio, this game effortlessly carries on its legacy. With great gameplay mechanics, a deep story, and fantastic music Bomb Rush Cyberfunk raises the standard for indie games and making it one of the best indie games you'll play this year.

While I wouldn't say that these are my favourite entries in the series, this collection of two games marks the official full English translation of the Ace Attorney, and that's something to be excited about. The amount of extra material is a treat for fans of Edgeworth and the amount of work that's gone into visually overhauling these two adventures is almost staggering. It's clear that Capcom is aware of the passionate fanbase and this hopefully signals a very bright future for the Ace Attorney franchise. Essential for fans of the series with some great deep-cuts for lore enthusiasts.

Kingdom Hearts 3 is a lot to take in, from the intricate narrative to all the nods to Disney. As a whole, the game has some shortcomings, but its charms and heart have something immersive enough for everyone.

Silly load times aside, Prey: ooncrash is a great DLC addition to Prey that both compliments the main game and does something new with its best features.

Darkest Dungeon can be quite inventive and interesting at its best, but these highs aren’t held for very long. Still, this is a solid turn-based RPG with a great gimmick.

Madden's back with the best football experience in years. Casual fans will love the simpler, quicker games, while hardcore fanatics will have plenty to sink their teeth into with Ultimate Team and Online Franchise.

Judgement is a fine and serviceable port of the PS4 game, but apart from enhanced visuals and 60 FPS gameplay, the overall experience doesn't feel that much more enhanced than what you saw on PS4. This is definitely the way to play for newcomers but those who have already seen Yagami's journey through shouldn't worry about missing much here.

Resident Evil HD is a stunning recreation of one of survival horror's all-time classics. While some aspects may appear outdated, Capcom's zombie killer is one of the toughest, most rewarding adventure games you'll play, and the HD makeover ensures it looks better than ever.

Any hesitancy about this mesh of two puzzling greats working as a whole can be put to rest, as Puyo Puyo Tetris is a superb puzzle title that works for players of all ability levels. Single Player is a touch hit and miss, and online against strangers lacks the exciting punch of local vs, but otherwise, this is an absolute cracker.

A commendably opulent remastering of one of the PlayStation 4's better action RPGs, Nioh 2 Remastered: The Complete Collection is the best way to play Team Ninja's furious, Soulslike sequel. That said, even on PS5 Nioh 2 Remastered still inherits the flaws from its original PS4 incarnation, such as overly punishing difficulty and repetitive design. Regardless though, for those new to Nioh 2, there really is no better time to get stuck into the game - just make sure that you've finished the first game beforehand; otherwise you're in for pain. A lot of pain.

Battlefield 6 is a spectacle with jaw dropping visuals and sublime audio, while delivering their best multiplayer offering in many years. However, despite it being predominantly a multiplayer experience, its campaign plays it far too safe, and feels all too familiar.

Anno 1800 is a fine addition to PS5’s roster of city builders. It takes aspects of several prominent sim titles and mixes them together to make something fresh and exciting. Fittingly, Anno 1800 rules.

One of PlayStation's finest franchises continues to age like a fine wine improving incrementally with each passing year. San Diego Studios manages to improve an already stellar game with enough tweaks and improvements to keep the franchise from stagnating, but players of last year's outing may still have a difficult time justifying purchasing MLB The Show 20.

The NieR franchise has easily become one of my favorites. After NieR Automata, my need to replay the original NieR grew and grew, and thankfully, Square Enix has answered my prayers for an updated version of the original title. NieR: Replicant tells a fantastic story that's carried by great writing and a soundtrack that stops you in your tracks to listen to its incredible melody. The only thing that holds Replicant back from true greatness is its old-school take on fetch quests and the horribly constant backtracking.