Dead Take is a game about actors, made for actors by actors. While the plot and mystery surrounding the narrative turns shoulder the burden of keeping up interest throughout, sound puzzle design and a blanketing atmosphere make it a worthwhile play for horror fans.

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.

Immortals of Aveum is a steadfast debut that will assuredly put its creators on the map. It combines strong combat mechanics with an engaging story set in an even more engrossing world to offer up a satisfying and complete experience. While the gear system and some console resolution issues might be off-putting for some, Immortals of Aveum is one of the most pleasant surprises in an already burgeoning year and a spellbinding adventure that's well worth your time.

Stray Gods might be a well-written, narrative-driven murder mystery that drags us to Olympus and back again, but it fails to deliver anything remotely close to an earworm after hours of forgettable melodies. Though Bailey and Baker do enough to earn their flowers, the production itself does little to land Stray Gods a place among the musical pantheon.

Fae Farm throws a ton of great ideas into its melting pot of cosy life simming and tense adventuring, and while its various ingredients don't always mix together as well as they should it's got enough unique hooks and wholesome vibes to make it worth a look in for genre fans.

The Star Named EOS tells a wonderful, bittersweet story through a unique gameplay lens that marries point-and-click puzzling with some light photography to great effect. If you've got a couple hours to spare getting lost in this hand-drawn and beautiful little game, you're in for an absolute treat.

I wouldn't exactly go so far as to call it 'awesome', it's more of an okay adventure set within an engrossing world that continues to go from strength to strength. As someone who values a game's plot, I was able to forgive some of Captain Spirit's inadequacies while I expect others might not be as magnanimous. I can say that the episode itself and its uplifting cliffhanger have left me wanting more of the indomitable Chris and his Captain Spirit.

Mixing the best parts of Left 4 Dead and adventure epics like Indiana Jones and Uncharted, Strange Brigade is better than it has any right to be. Enjoyable solo or with mates, the puzzles and the open level design gives the game replayability, but the pacing and the derivative art direction stop it from being immensely compelling.

The Surge 2 successfully builds upon the original game in practically every way – offering a larger roster of bosses, more equipment to pillage, and a bigger, more organic open-world to explore. A few pacing issues and some issues with the visuals aside, The Surge 2 offers a greater variety of experiences over its predecessor and is easily Deck13’s best.

While it’s clear that some things need work on MultiVersus, it’s encouraging to see that the things that truly matter – the unlocking of characters and the core gameplay systems – are the things that have received the most attention. These are easily the two strongest tenets of MultiVersus’ offerings thus far. With time, I can only hope that the lack of variety in levels, lacklustre music, and slower cosmetic offerings can be remedied.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit provides a fresh and unique gaming experience, which feels hard to come by these days. The kart is cleverly designed and well put together, responding to every precise movement. Whilst the core gameplay might get a little repetitive, the technology has a bright future, and it's guaranteed to provide fun for the whole family.

Mario Tennis Aces is without doubt the best tennis game to come out in the last five years.

ENDLESS Dungeon is an exceptional example of genre-crossing excitement that offers players an ever-changing adventure in rich surroundings. The love, attention (and Dust) that Amplitude Studios has clearly poured into this title elevates it to a worthy addition to the already-fantastic ENDLESS universe.

UFC 3 is a rare sports sequel that probably does enough to justify its existence.

Visions of Mana feels like the RPG equivalent of being young and visiting a park in the summer. It's picturesque, warm and full of hope, inviting you to set out and explore and maybe come home with a couple scratches or bruises but always rewarding the effort with a new adventure or discovery. There's a fantastic balance of old and new ideas here, enough to satisfy patient series fans and newcomers alike, a hugely-enjoyable main story, stunning environments and satisfying combat going a long way to make up for some annoying technical and mechanical foibles.

High on Life 2, which is both helped along and hindered by the double-edged sword that is its new skateboarding mechanic, is a big, boisterous, and profoundly vulgar video game. Like the original, it’s another for the Adult Swim crowd, delivering the same boorish brand of humour as before. Luckily, I am that crowd and laughed plenty, while finding great joy in the game’s irrepressible need to move from gag to gag, and from moment-to-moment, while never being able to predict what it’d throw at me next.

Star Wars Outlaws marks an impressive step forward for depictions of the galaxy in video games but fails to provide players with a compelling reason to explore it.

Whether it’s the super-catchy theme song, the nostalgia-evoking gameplay, or simply the very basic fun of hunting new Snax to transform the Grumpuses, Bugsnax is a game that is well worth your time. Its simple yet addictive challenge of catching the cute yet strange creatures coupled with some wholesome storytelling delivers a well-rounded and fun adventure.

Dead Rising: Deluxe Remaster does a tremendous job of balancing the original game's identity with the expectations of a modern audience without sacrificing depth or complexity. It's a genuinely fantastic remaster, with great quality-of-life improvements that only make the experience better for players. It's easily the best way to play Dead Rising and the perfect distillation of what made the series so compelling.

Baby Steps is exactly all it’s advertised to be. A clumsy, physics-first walking simulator that places an unwashed oaf at the heart of a very odd world. I don’t feel like it’s as punishing as Getting Over it, but the game’s singular goal of getting through it, step by step, makes for a surprising experience that makes walking, of all things, a lot of fun.

Wild Hearts' unique Karakuri mechanics and skill systems do just enough to offer a new take on the tried-and-true monster-hunting genre. While there is some inconsistent performance across all platforms, Wild Hearts bewildering bestiary of unique creature more than makes it worth a look.

Eternights is an ambitious and mostly successful swing at the dating-sim/action genre that delivers a cool world and likeable characters with robust combat options and a refreshing take on who you can love at the end of the world.

It feels like it’s still got some room to grow in certain places in order to reach its full potential, but, unlike real world F1 in 2024, it’s pretty damn fun. [Early Access Provisional Score = 80]

Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story is another successful Riot Forge project that expands the reach of Runeterra beyond the confines of the wildly successful MOBA. A rough opening chapter segues into an impeccably paced experience that's short, sweet, wholesome, and all too easy to play.

WarioWare: Move It! is a return to form (pun intended) for the WarioWare series that feels long overdue. It cleverly utilises the unique capabilities of the Joy-Con in ways that haven’t been done before, all while remaining both endearing and funny. While the simplicity of Party Mode is both its greatest strength and weakness, WarioWare: Move It! is easily WarioWare at its best and the most fun you’ll have looking goofy.

A compelling concept and a beautifully realised world, Ghostwire: Tokyo leverages Japanese folklore and a unique combat system to provide a unique open-world experience. While some aspects of the combat feel underdeveloped and the game structure has been done-to-death, Ghostwire: Tokyo’s uniqueness helps it stand well above where you’d expect it to.

Sniper Elite: Resistance offers up just as much, if not more than Sniper Elite 5 did. But despite a new campaign, a new story and a new protagonist, it still doesn't take enough steps to right any of the notable wrongs from Sniper Elite 5. But regardless of its shortcomings, Sniper Elite: Resistance is a fun and satisfying shooter. Just don't expect it to do much more than the previous games.

Concrete Genie paints an impressive picture with delightful gameplay and heart warming characters. it's a great way to spend a few hours unleashing your creativity.