All in all, Echoes of Fallen feels like little more than another chapter in Final Fantasy 16's story — but it's a good one, especially in terms of action. Oh, and it might just feature the most insane boss encounter in the entire game, if you can believe it.

Arashi: Castles of Sin Final Cut is a competent VR stealth sword-fighting action title with solid gameplay, gorgeous story cutscenes/setting, and an enjoyable array of weaponry that makes the open-ended levels a joy to complete. Unfortunately, its last-generation visuals, underwhelming AI, and occasional bugs and crashes cause this shinobi to stumble. With a little more time in training to learn some advanced moves, Arashi could have been a must-buy title.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a CRPG worthy of its grimdark sci-fi setting, offering players engaging tactical turn-based combat and an immersive adventure. It lacks polish, and we encountered some frustrating bugs, but deep class customisation and an exploration of the setting like nothing before means there's plenty to recommend for fans who are willing to take the plunge.

Despite some technical letdowns, Arizona Sunshine 2 is still a joyous celebration of zombie brain-bashing. It features some of the best VR shooting on the market, with a reload mechanic that is incredibly satisfying and really brings to light what makes the platform so great in the first place. As a sequel, it improves graphically, narratively, and just controls a whole lot better. With a solid campaign offering, various difficulties, and a horde mode with more maps to come, Arizona Sunshine 2 is the full VR package — and an absolute must-buy for PSVR2 players.

Pinball M exists to provide Zen Studios with a venue to explore more mature material, but launching several months later than the underwhelming Pinball FX, it also fixes a lot of core structural problems with its peer. This is a more cohesive, rewarding package overall – and the first batch of five tables are bloody fantastic to boot.

The Last Faith competently blends the Souls-Like and Metroidvania subgenres, dressing the package in a very compelling gothic Victorian aesthetic, one clearly inspired by Bloodborne.

It's an abysmal end, resulting in a controversial sequel, leaving fans of 1992's rad Flashback most likely preferring to return to Conrad's previous amnesia in the original's plot to forget that Flashback 2 ever existed.

SteamWorld Build is a delightful and very satisfying foray into the city-building genre. The two gameplay modes complement each other well, offering two very different but equally pleasing ways to gain resources. While we do wish the story could've lasted a little bit longer, the addictive gameplay and slick presentation makes it very easy to recommend.

KarmaZoo gets a lot more right than it doesn't. Ultimately, it succeeds in delivering a simple but fun experience, and its clever design means players behave positively and altruistically. If you're looking for an online game with good vibes and friendly co-op, this is it.

Because so much of its content is repurposed from past games, Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections is easier to recommend if you're new to the series. That said, this is still an impressively comprehensive anime fighter; the team-based gameplay holds up, the new modes are solid overall, and sheer size of the character roster is hard to ignore.

"We need a new Call of Duty game every single year," the Activision executives bellowed, and out popped Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 after the development times caught up with them. A truly anaemic release, there's never been a surer sign to press pause on the series. 14-year-old content is the best thing about this year's entry and if that's not enough of an indictment of where Call of Duty is at in 2023, we don't know what is. A franchise in serious need of a complete reboot, Modern Warfare 3 has to be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Atlus has successfully translated the turn-based combat of its 2017 masterpiece into a competent tactical experience, though Persona 5 Tactica won't be heralded with the same praise. Consistently good during fights, customising your party and mastering its many stages is where the game is at its best. However, there's little to the title besides those skirmishes, and without any exploration or sense of character progression, this feels like the Phantom Thieves at the end of their tether. Joker and co have enjoyed a great run, but Persona 5 fatigue is well and truly beginning to set in.

Blowing stuff up is fun, and Teardown gets that. Its varied voxel environments combine with nuanced physics and deformation systems to make levelling buildings, eviscerating vehicles, and orchestrating massive explosions a thrill. An inconsistent campaign and lack of multiplayer don't keep it from setting a new standard for video game destruction.

It's a clever setup; we're surprised it's taken this long for the star signs to be turned into a series of boss characters.

UFO Robot Grendizer: The Feast of the Wolves is a heartfelt tribute to the giant robot genre. It's clearly a lower budget title, and technical issues certainly sour the experience somewhat, but there's good, straightforward fun to be found if you're a fan of classic anime.

Jagged Alliance 3 is a rousing return to form for the series, offering a solid tactical offering that finds a welcome home on PS5. Rough around the edges, with a tone that might turn some off, it offers plenty of replayability, with each turn as tense as the last.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is a much tighter, more focused platform fighter than the first entry in the series, with more gratifying combat and some truly imaginative move sets. Although its campaign is repetitive and there are frequent crashes to contend with, this sequel still manages to land a solid knockout blow here.

Beyond the Dawn isn't an especially exciting expansion, but it's still a solid post-game experience for those who enjoyed Tales of Arise. It's guilty of treading overly familiar ground, and the storytelling can feel a bit tedious, but there's fun to be found in exploring all-new dungeons and taking on powerful opponents. The DLC may be dropping too late for many players, but Alphen and the gang's epilogue is worth the return trip if you've got the time.

Little Goody Two Shoes is an excellent life-sim adventure with some intriguing elements of horror sprinkled throughout. If you want to play a different take on this well-established genre, then this game might be for you.

While the console edition of Football Manager 2024 is admirable and certainly serviceable for those who can't play on PC, it's tough to recommend thanks to how stripped back it is by comparison. Entire features are missing, and navigating through menus is a slow, frustrating chore. This is a subpar port that's fine as a gateway experience, but it's hard to look past its flaws — especially when the grass seems so much greener across the way.

EA Sports WRC combines Codemasters' off-road racing pedigree with officially licensed cars, teams, and locations. The result is a confident and robust rally game that boasts super-fun driving, intense and challenging stages, and all the modes you could expect. It's only really let down by technical and performance problems. Here's hoping those will be ironed out in due course, because this is otherwise a rewarding rally game that gets (nearly) everything right.

Like a Dragon Gaiden teeters on the edge of feeling tired and a bit predictable, but in the end, this is another memorable chapter in Kiryu's seemingly endless tale. It adds welcome weight to the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon while also telling a great individual story, which is stuffed with typically engaging characters. Refined combat carries this 'smaller' title even further, and although its optional excursions can feel a little too grindy for their own good, Gaiden stands as a rock solid instalment, and a potent reminder of why Kiryu's such a beloved protagonist.

The Talos Principle 2 follows in its predecessor's shoes by nailing down a brilliant philosophical puzzle sequel with new and improved mechanics. If the puzzle solving doesn't get your brain ticking, then the in-depth philosophical discussions surely will. With exceptional puzzle design, glorious presentation, and thought-provoking conversations, Croteam has created a follow-up to be remembered for years to come.

Soft locks, crashes, and bugs burden this gorgeously presented Christmas story. Until this nightmare before Christmas is patched, we'd suggest finding something else to place under your Christmas tree.

The Invincible has a wondrous story to tell and dazzling graphics to match, but it's held back from greatness by gameplay that struggles to ever break away from the genre structure of old. Mostly walking and talking, it never feels anything more than serviceable. Still, there's an interesting narrative to experience, and with your own decisions changing events, The Invincible should still be played by sci-fi fanatics.

While on the outside Thirsty Suitors seems like a tongue-in-cheek game about reconnecting with your past, it reveals so much more beneath the surface. That's not to say it isn't humorous, but it's also doing much more besides. It's a commentary on societal expectations, living as a second-generation immigrant in a different culture, finding yourself, and accepting others. It's a deep experience packaged in such a light-hearted box, and never feels overbearing. The story of Jala, her family, and friends, each with their own lived experiences, feels so important and relevant to today’s society, and it's a joy to play through.

Star Ocean The Second Story R is exactly what it needs to be: a faithful remake of a classic PS1 RPG that greatly enhances the experience for both new and returning players. A wonderful visual overhaul combined with numerous quality of life improvements and expanded battle mechanics make this a borderline must-play for anyone who's looking for an old-school adventure. Although the underlying PS1-era design does still have some rough edges — particularly in the storytelling and combat balance — it's hard to knock such a well crafted revival.

Despite one or two missteps, Jusant hangs together thanks to a well-realised, unique location and, more importantly, a fun and engaging way to interact with it. The climbing at its core is wonderfully tactile and finds a balance between complexity and accessibility. The spire of rock you're ascending is an interesting place to explore, gradually shifting into new environments as you ascend. We're not totally sold on the story, and the animation and camera can be clumsy every so often, but the game remains a solid, meditative adventure throughout.