High on Life 2 is a great sequel that sticks to its guns and refines the best parts of the first game. The skateboard-shooting concept works excellently, elevating the gunplay and creating a more engaging and enjoyable moment-to-moment experience. But all of this is ruined by incredibly poor visual fidelity on PS5 and PS5 Pro that distracts from the release's overall artistic achievements.

By improving upon its work from the Little Nightmares series, Tarsier Studios has crafted its greatest horror game yet. Reanimal is an impressive, smooth mix of action, platforming, and top-of-the-line presentation. It’s a very gripping and intense experience, both in solo play and co-op.

Even with its slow moments and uneven presentation, Dark Auction’s writing and mystery kept us hooked. If you enjoy character‑driven visual novels with a darker edge, then it’s worth a look.

In the end, you get a title with little interest in holding your hand or teaching you the ropes. However, if you put in the time to learn, there’s an impressive amount of content to enjoy. The presentation makes it all worth it, offering a wildly immersive experience.

Just as enjoyable as it is frustrating, Romeo Is a Dead Man is an incredibly uneven experience. You’ll love it one minute and hate it the next. Persevere with its more annoying elements, and you’ll discover a unique and entertaining hack and slasher at the end of it all. It just takes a lot of effort and restraint to get there.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is one hell of a package. Taken purely as an expanded remake, it's an absolute blast for fans both old and new — but questionable changes to the story and its cast will inevitably stain the experience for plenty of people. It's such a shame that these unforced errors muddy the waters, because we think Kiwami 3 is probably RGG Studio's best remake to date — and one of the strongest titles in the series with regards to gameplay.

Nioh 3 takes all the best bits from Team Ninja’s previous efforts to form its greatest action experience in a very long time. Its new open zone maps provide more ways than ever to engage with its sublime, intense combat system — even if the activities themselves are entirely unoriginal. This is a familiar feeling title for a fanbase that knows what it wants, for few franchises do hardcore action better. Nioh 3 is its latest triumph.

Familiar yet different, Arknights: Endfield’s introduction of automation takes this open world gacha in an unusually compelling direction. While its eye-rolling reliance on proper nouns and lore make its sci-fi plot less compelling than it could be, a strong battle system and outstanding PS5 optimisation give this live service the best possible start.

Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined is a very high quality remake and a potent reminder of just how endlessly charming the longstanding series can be. While the story does still drag its feet at times, sweeping gameplay improvements and some welcome streamlining make Reimagined a must for anyone with a hankering for old school JRPGs.

Cairn is a great climbing simulator, one that presents you with an entire mountain and complete freedom to traverse it as you please. Some light survival mechanics apply just enough pressure to push you forward, and the purposely slow pace encourages careful climbing and proper planning. Aava's expedition is simultaneously meditative and fraught with danger, with death just one slip away at all times. While we have some small reservations about the story, and the frame rate struggles to measure up to Mount Kami, those looking for a challenging, satisfying journey will find Cairn a unique adventure to conquer.

Code Vein 2 is not the strongest soulslike we've ever encountered. While there is absolutely some fun to be had slaying the myriad horrors that inhabit this post-apocalyptic world and building a powerful Revenant Hunter, repetition inevitably kicks in. Narratively, it's pretty dull, lacking compelling characters or quests to engage with. While not broken or a bad game per se, it is hard to recommend when so many better entries in this well-worn subgenre already exist.

Code Violet is a mess. Crummy combat, tedious exploration, technical problems. The sexy costumes and horny camerawork seem at odds with both Violet as a character and the tone of the writing. Even at six hours long it's tough to recommend, because in six hours you could just watch Jurassic Park three times. And if you did that, you’d never once feel the need to justify what’s currently on your screen.

Trails beyond the Horizon is one of the most impactful games in Falcom's series to date, dealing in world-altering revelations and truly dramatic story developments. For Trails fans who have come this far, Horizon has the potential to blow you away — but you need to be ready for hours of character recaps and exposition before things really start to ramp up.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - From the Ashes is a simplified yet cinematic story expansion that focuses on the best of the IP, without bogging you down with too much clutter. Its new third-person mode gives the game a whole new feel, and we wouldn’t play it any other way. While Massive missed the mark with its Na’Vi enemies, it's a delight to spend more time in this giant multimedia sci-fi world.

If you've been wanting to play through Yakuza 0 again, or even get stuck in for the very first time, then you can't really go wrong with Director's Cut. But at the same time, its additions range from superficial to downright dumb, cheapening a game that introduced so many to the franchise.

Terminator 2D: No Fate is a nostalgic throwback to the time when Terminator 2: Judgement Day was released, and it feels very authentic to that. The shooting and action carry this game, making it feel like it was a tie-in released alongside the movie, but the short length and repetitive nature of it may weigh on some people and cause some questioning of its price tag. Regardless, even if you have never watched any of the Terminator movies, you may come away enjoying what this game is in its short spurts.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is without a doubt the most ambitious and polished sim on the PS5 – but it’s not without its faults. Slow loading, visual inconsistencies, an underwhelming sound mix, and plenty of bugs pull this otherwise exceptional experience back down to earth. But if you can accept its shortcomings and you’re open to learning about aviation, this an obscenely impressive package, with a seemingly never-ending array of activities to engage with. Digital tourists will adore its attention to detail, while aviation obsessives will simply get a kick out of sitting in the cockpits of their favourite aircraft.

While it lasts, this is quite easily the most strikingly unique and visually interesting skating game you can play, and we can't help but respect its relentless effort to go against the grain.

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow had so much potential. It’s got a great aesthetic, and VR movement feels as fluid as you’d hope. However, glitches, disappointingly thin levels, dumb enemy AI, and a lack of replayability result in an undercooked experience.

That's pretty much it; a simple, arcadey rally racer with fun stages, recognisable cars, and a great aesthetic. Hopefully the iffy default handling doesn't deter people, because there's plenty of fun to be had once you find the right balance.

Octopath Traveler 0 is a perfectly solid instalment in the Square Enix franchise, though its overwhelming familiarity will make large parts of it feel like a retread. Its town-building mechanic and expanded party system are smart expansions, and the move towards a single, centralised story is a benefit. However, Octopath Traveler 0 will still feel largely the same in an experience below that of its predecessors.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion does little to surprise, but it executes excellently on its retro beat-‘em-up ambitions. Depth perception can be a problem, but we like how the tag-team format gives the game a bit more of a chaotic feel, especially during local and online co-op sessions. And we also appreciate how each superhero handles slightly differently, adding a lot of replay value to a brawler that already has a relatively robust content offering.

So while it’s a short-lived experience, it’s one we couldn’t help but admire. It certainly caters to a niche audience, but it quickly creates a unique and tense atmosphere that plays with your head, even more so when you have the PSVR2 strapped to it.

If you're a fan of roguelikes that push back, rewarding skilful play and understanding of its barely-explained layers, Morsels is definitely worth sampling. Some might be frustrated by its refusal to hold your hand, but those who stick with it will have a fun and singular experience.

Ultimately, this is a brilliant remaster of a great title, and if you’re a fan of shmups, this is a must.

The most ridiculous Call of Duty has ever been, all of Black Ops 7’s multiplayer strengths are overshadowed by the silliest campaign in the franchise’s history. It’s still quality online, and the Zombies mode is as solid as ever. They don’t matter quite as much, though, when a co-op campaign manages to reframe an entire release into one of stupidity.

Neon Inferno has nice visuals and is a solid throwback to classic arcade titles, though you may find yourself becoming overwhelmed by the high volume of enemies, projectiles, and more present on both parts of the screen.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide isn't going to blow anyone away, but it's a perfectly decent 3D platformer that mostly captures the energy of the show. Swapping between SpongeBob and Patrick is a neat mechanic that's used very well throughout, and levels are big and varied as you explore Bikini Bottom and talk to its populace, all of whom are voiced by the proper cast. It definitely has some rough edges and some soft writing, and it won't win over any SpongeBob detractors, but it's a good all-ages game for both kids and longtime fans.