Despite being disappointed by The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales in its opening hours, the experience gave way to something far more engaging in its second and third acts. Its shallow narrative deepened as it unravelled the grand tapestry of time in Philabieldia, its combat more fleshed out by greater enemy variety and buildcrafting potential with magicite, all accompanied by a presentation and art direction that Square Enix have nailed at this point.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Nintendo Switch 2 is another impressive technical achievement. The visual compromises are obvious but not egregious, and portability changes the equation. Much like Intergrade before it, this feels like a little bit of handheld sorcery.

Mina the Hollower feels like the result of a studio completely confident in its abilities. Its exceptional movement mechanics, rewarding exploration, challenging combat, and dense world design constantly make discovery feel exciting. Despite it being a little hard for some players, Mina the Hollower is an easy recommendation and very likely Yacht Club Games’ next classic.

007 First Light is all things a Bond game should be. It’s exciting, unpredictable, and delivers a jet-setting adventure full of that hallmark intrigue. As a spy game, it’s expectedly solid. But as an action game, it’s somehow even better as IOI declare themselves the go-to for spy thrillers, and Patrick Gibson, in a time where new blood is badly required, declares himself Bond, James Bond.

Bubsy 4D isn’t the great mascot claw-back tale it could’ve been. The movement toolkit occasionally shines, the self-aware humour can zing, and there’s enough chaotic energy here to entertain OG diehards for an afternoon. Unfortunately, shaky camera work, pussyfoot combat, inconsistent platforming systems, and a tiny runtime stop the whole thing from properly landing.

While Yoshi and the Mysterious Book won't be for everyone, the people that is is made for will adore it. It's entirely focused and uncompromising in its vision - it isn't trying to be something it's not. That, at the very least, is admirable in the broader landscape of the industry.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight might be the best LEGO game yet, delivering a fun, family-friendly take on all of the brooding bat’s biggest moments, plucked from every medium, and lovingly recreated brick-by-brick in an epic open-world capable of matching even Rocksteady’s best. It’s the Batman game Gotham deserves, and it absolutely is the one it needs right now.

Like the franchise’s other many iterations, Forza Horizon 6 is an exceptional masterclass of car racing, genre-defining in terms of both arcade and simulation, set within a spectacular, abridged open-world of Japan that’s begging to be explored. Although it’s not an all-expenses paid return trip, the game not only bulges at the seams with its usual, familiar checklist of things to do, but it serves as a wonderful snapshot of Japan’s people, its sights, and its love for car culture.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle delivers both high calibre adventure, story and performance in spades, to the point it feels as though it’s wading into “uncharted territory” for its publisher. The decision to bop a Nazi should be a foregone conclusion, however the lack of balance in stealth and combat systems kept me in limbo, and left Indiana Jones and the Great Circle just a stone stele’s throw from true greatness.

Were it structured like a Dark Pictures game of old, Directive 8020, through its derivative but fun riff on 'The Thing', would be seen as something of a return to form. Sadly, their attempt to evolve the product has resulted in a poorly paced gameplay experience that, by the end of its run, is little more than a sadly stagnant monster closet.

Mixtape, through its expertly curated catalogue of songs, pulls together a genuinely heartfelt and nostalgic story about all of the friends we make, and invariably lose, in our formative years. As a cross-section between music and wasted youth, Beethoven and Dinosaur’s sophomore title is undeniably special. It’s an ode to the importance of music, how it shapes us and reminds us of who we are, all wrapped up in a bow and delivered through playable vignettes that are all killer, no filler, and a stark reminder of how fucking fun it was to be a kid.

Saros is an utterly sizzling romp through a sci-fi cosmic horror show that showcases Housemarque’s pedigree for spectacular, arcade action. Not only is Saros a user-friendly evolution of Returnal's core systems, which were already near-perfection, but it’s an exceptional, technical showpiece for a console that makes faultless performance seem magical. If Returnal was a reason to invest in next-gen, Saros pays that belief off again in what is currently a one-horse race for Game of the Year.

Replaced is spectacular in so many respects. It’s an audiovisual triumph, with best-in-class pixel art, animation, and cinematography, while its America, hardly a land of the free, feels real, dangerous, and all too familiar against today’s landscape, is a hotbed of fascinating history and complex characters. Disappointingly, combat and exploration don’t quite live up to what the game achieves in story and presentation.

With an atmospheric world underpinned by a lively, thumping soundtrack, Nullstar: Solus is a tight, frenetic, precision-focused platformer that brings a few new tricks, however imperfectly executed, to the genre. With one hundred levels, including a particularly punishing set of master levels that beg for your blood, sweat, and tears, Nullstar: Solus is a homegrown indie gem.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, won't be for everyone, but the people that it is for, will adore it. It's squarely and solely focused on putting power into the hands of the player through customisation and the ability to manipulate the lives of these little Miis. You can always count on it for a laugh, and if you enjoy sims, I have zero doubts you will sink hours into this game.

Mouse: P.I. for Hire is a tremendous, modern take on the boomer shooter. It has wonderful level design and gives you the right tools to explore it without restriction, mostly. Despite serving up meaty cases that have enormous ramifications within Mouseburg’s social and political landscape, the player is given zero agency to work them and, as such, Mouse falls agonisingly short of being a true detective fantasy.

Despite having to wait almost six years, PRAGMATA is another win for CAPCOM. It's unique, experimental, and there's nothing quite like it in the medium right now. It does feel like there's some missed potential in the narrative department, but I suspect many will enjoy PRAGMATA for how experimental it is and for how it succeeds in ways you wouldn't expect.

Life is Strange: Reunion is excellent. It’s a beautiful love letter to Max and Chloe’s story that provides closure in a way that makes sense. Technical issues aside, this is Deck Nine’s best Life is Strange game by some margin.

Although it maintains the spirit of the original Super Meat Boy, Super Meat Boy 3D, as a reimagining, doesn’t quite evolve on its ideas enough to strike a chord. Rather, it reframes them, and it’s these new perspectives and angles on Meat Boy’s frenetic platforming that prove to be the biggest bother of all. It’s still fun enough for the most part; however, I struggle to look beyond the compounded frustration and needless death—in a game about dying, no less.

Meetup In Bellabel Park doesn't reinvent Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but it goes to great lengths to remind you of why it was so special in the first place. The Koopaling battles add some welcome boss variety to the adventure, the Training Camp offers a much sharper challenge and Attraction Central is strong enough to earn a permanent spot in your party game rotation. While it remixes more than it transforms, Meetup In Bellabel Park is an easy recommendation whether you play it solo or with mates.

Although it doesn’t quite have the heft to go bumper-to-bumper with games like Forza Horizon or Burnout, Screamer is an incredibly sound arcade racer that, unfortunately, cocoons so much of its exhilarating, challenging gameplay in a bloated campaign that claws for any semblance of focus.

Though I’ll call it imperfect but patchable, Crimson Desert is still impressive enough to be within striking distance of the juggernauts of this genre. At the very least, this represents one of the first few must-plays of the year. Perhaps contradictorily, Crimson Desert is a lush and generously-sized oasis of awesome that needs to be seen to be believed on PC. Here's hoping the console versions are up to snuff as well.

Marathon is a special game that, like Destiny before it, is firmly rooted in the team’s focus on shared communal experiences, immaculate gun feel, and just straight-up vibes. I hope it finds enough of a foothold to exist in the live-service space longer than some of its contemporaries, because if death is the first step in Marathon, I can’t wait to see what the next one is.

WWE 2K26 delivers in spades. While some questionable decisions around progression hamper the overall experience, alongside a litany of microtransactions invading some modes, there’s so much to sink your teeth into - whether it’s the excellent CM Punk Showcase or the ever-brilliant Universe mode. It’s a game for every type of wrestling fan, and continues to be one of the best annualised sports titles out there.

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake is a strong reimagining of a horror classic, smartly expanding on both combat and exploration from the original in clever ways. Despite such a strong and positive change in the fundamentals of the game, the locked and stuttering 30fps mode on consoles is a baffling choice for an otherwise stellar remake. Even so, this is Fatal Frame at its best and well worth any self-respecting horror fan's time.

Defiance Remastered makes earnest effort to present Defiance in the best light it could possibly be in, while also catering to both side of the often-divided remaster camp. The original experience as it was originally shown is still here, but those who want something a bit more tweaked will appreciate the little mod cons that the remaster provides. For that, it’s praises are worth singing. this is easily the best version of Legacy of Kain: Defiance that you can play. Warts and all.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is the crown jewel of this spin-off series. It builds on the best elements of Stories that make all of its core systems even more appealing, creating more depth and complexity that'll keep you coming back till the credits roll, and perhaps even beyond.

Despite not overhauling the companion-led gameplay at the core of Planet of Lana, this sequel does a tremendous job at expanding its universe, giving greater depth to its characters, and delivering another gorgeous, cinematic adventure that tugs at the heartstrings.