Other than the online tournament mode, it's a bare bones experience. Longevity of this will hinge on future content and more diverse play options (couch co-op in particular). In its current state, though, the bite-sized events offer a welcome alternative to the rat race of other party royale titles.

Like a mystery once thought solved, Alan Wake 2 reopens the case for what’s possible in its genre. It’s a delight to relive classic horror titles through modern remakes, but what Remedy has cooked up here is something special — a gust of fresh air aiming to revitalise video game horror. There’s expansive lore and a twisting story that might not be for everyone, but the developer packs so many exciting and unique ideas into this ambitious sequel that you can’t help but play along with a nervous smile on your face. With stunning visuals, pitch-perfect tone and atmosphere, brilliant pacing, and a fascinating mystery to sink your teeth into, there are no twists or turns about it: Alan Wake 2 is an all-timer.

Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery is a short but very sweet trilogy. It's thoroughly silly, but manages to tell an earnest story as you enjoy its brilliant dialogue, great soundtrack, and endearing cast of characters. There's little replay value and the gameplay is minimal, but it'll win you over with real warmth, humour, and positivity.

Sports games are pretty predictable. From one year to the next, you’ll see one or two sweeping changes and then a number of smaller tweaks, but beyond that, you’ll by and large be playing the same title. By that logic, it’s actually impressive how much EA Vancouver has managed to change this year given how quick its turnaround is from game to game. Less impressive is the implementation of said changes. Selecting your pass targets is a wholly welcome inclusion and a rousing success. The majority of the other changes, particularly the new checking system, leave much to be desired. Why do so many things feel like they took steps backward? Isn’t this kind of problem usually reserved for the dawn of a new generation? What happened?

Despite Inescapable having some similarities to visual novels and puzzle games such as Danganronpa and Zero Escape it can’t really be compared favourably to them. The narrative starts out so sluggishly that it quickly loses any tension and the handful of puzzles you get to solve are just too simple to be fun. It’s a shame as there are some interesting group dynamics but it all gets bogged down in so many pointless conversations that it quickly becomes monotonous, and the pacing saps any desire to replay for a different ending.

Ghostrunner 2 has some fun moments, though it can often be difficult to see past a lot of the performance issues and inconsistent level design. When the game's at its best, slicing through a horde of enemies and jumping around like a ninja, it can be an exhilarating experience. However, it might be worth waiting for a patch to address a lot of the core issues present at launch.

The Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection bundles together three of the greatest games ever made, but does so in a convoluted manner. Spread across five separate apps on PS5, it can be a challenge to locate the specific version or the bonus feature you need. The digital packaging surrounding the three classics doesn't quite feel like the labour of love it should do, but once you sink into the PS1 original, Sons of Liberty, or Snake Eater, it's abundantly clear there's still nothing quite like Metal Gear Solid. Konami's Master Collection gets by on the ever-lasting quality of its fallen series, not the means that have brought it back.

Wizard with a Gun is an enjoyably frantic twin-stick survival shooter. Although its iffy controls and occasional frame rate drops dampen the experience, its extensive crafting, upgrades, and base building systems overshadow the issues. If you're a Don't Starve fanatic or just after an enjoyable co-op title, we'd recommend giving Wizard with a Gun a shot.

The game has a fairly short runtime (by RPG standards) of around 25-30 hours, but even then it soon begins to outstay its welcome. It’s a shame as the story really is intriguing to begin with, but after fighting your way through lots of tedious dungeons and doing the same attacks over and over again, you’ll find it hard to care about humanity’s fate.

FIFA 24 in all but name, EA Sports FC 24 is not the bold reboot many may have hoped for when the publisher announced it was breaking away from football’s governing body. But beneath the air of familiarity is another slick soccer sim, with some smart new additions like PlayStyles and Precision Passing which help stamp a bit more personality on a previously robotic experience. Additions to Ultimate Team bring flexibility to the game’s flagship mode, while the developer has been listening to its fanbase, and is slowly iterating on oft neglected areas like Career Mode and Clubs.

This refreshed iteration of Murder on the Orient Express is a joy to play. The inclusion of new content and the unique modern setting really make for a very fun time. Small issues can’t mar the fact that this is ultimately a very enjoyable case to crack.

The 7th Guest VR's intriguing story and great variety of enjoyable conundrums make it a competent VR reimagining of a classic 90s gothic puzzler. With visual, audio and puzzle bugs aplenty, it's a shame Stauf's mansion isn't just riddled with cockroaches.

Web of Wyrd is clearly created by people with a reverence for Mignola's work and impresses as an adaptation. However, as a roguelike and a brawler, it underwhelms.

Lil Gator Game's an easy recommendation if you're looking for a neatly crafted, stress-free adventure. Charmingly cute and fun for players of all ages.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is a confident sequel that builds on the previous games in practically every way possible. Smart additions and refinements to traversal, combat, and open world activities mean this is the best Spidey game from Insomniac yet. We do have some minor criticisms about the story, and the combat does become repetitive eventually, but this is overall an absolute blast full of moments that'll surprise and delight.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged is a highly polished, fast-paced, fun, and robust racing sequel that builds upon its predecessor in all the right ways. Addressing almost all our criticisms of the previous title by adding impressive core mechanic modifications in the form of jumps, dashes, and new terrains, removing loot boxes, and adding obstacle immunity skills, Milestone has created a fantastic follow-up arcade racer to be reckoned with.

We're a bit at odds with ourselves on Sonic Superstars. Fundamentally it's a really enjoyable side-scrolling Sonic title, but the two big ticket features — chaos emerald powers and co-op — are arguably the worst parts of it. While the emerald abilities have their uses, co-op just doesn't mesh with this gameplay at all. We can absolutely recommend this as a solo experience, as there's a lot to like about the fresh art style, largely great soundtrack, and multi-layered level design. Throw in a friend or two, though, and it quickly gets messy.

Fate/Samurai Remnant really leaves a mark with its character-driven story. The tale of Miyamoto Iori is consistently intriguing, and watching such a grounded protagonist navigate seemingly insurmountable situations is what makes this action RPG so compelling. The uniquely balanced combat system takes a while to get going, and the strategy stuff runs a bit hot and cold, but this is a surprisingly intricate package overall. A surefire win for Fate fans and newcomers alike.

Lords of the Fallen is an exciting kind of Sous-like. Whereas many others aim to perfect the formula, Lords of the Fallen’s goal is to innovate. It certainly has its own array of problems, like lacking audio, repetitive enemy types, and combat that could be tightened up a little. However, when the game sinks its claws into you with its thrilling dual world mechanic, you won’t be able to get enough of it.

There's a lot to like about Saltsea Chronicles. It has a clever structure, low-pressure gameplay, and even a neat minigame to play in each location. Add on top an eye-catching style and meaningful decision-making, and you have a pleasant, ship-shape adventure.

Honkai: Star Rail, already a tremendous success, transfers to PS5 flawlessly – and is almost guaranteed to become one of the most-played games on the platform. In some ways its bite-sized nature means it’s more at home on mobile, but its beautiful anime art style and stunning animations deserve to be experienced on a big screen. While its narrative is occasionally overwritten, and it demands players invest a lot to experience it to its fullest, this is a live service executed impeccable. And the truly exciting thing is that the best is yet to come.

Cricket 24 fails to build upon the series’ solid opening partnership from its previous instalments in a significant way. Its enjoyable core gameplay is practically identical to Cricket 22, with the only noticeable addition being franchised tournament formats. Its abundance of bugs and glitches, and barren online lobbies, leaves little reason to take another swing at the series if you’ve already played an innings of a previous title.

We can't imagine who Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest The Adventure of Dai is for, as it mostly boils down to being a worse version of an existing IP, with some fairly bland gameplay tacked on for good measure. Newcomers will be lost, and enthusiasts won't appreciate the corners cut, so while technically — and mechanically — sound, it leaves very little to recommend.

Assassin's Creed Mirage sets off in search of its roots, and it finds them — both for better and worse. Undeniably basic in its approach to stealth and combat, it feels oddly dated in terms of design, but it's also a refreshing reminder of the series' original strengths. Ultimately, it's a solid sandbox title, and it successfully scratches the hidden blade itch that was so clearly absent in Odyssey and Valhalla.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series retains what made the earlier games such a success, for better or worse, and smuggles in upgraded visuals and a tight, well-told story. It's still classic Telltale at its core, but if you weren't a fan of those earlier games, this bold new direction isn't likely to make you a believer.

What you get out of the game is what feels like a really great artistic idea, which the team committed to fully. And after the art was done, they tried to place their gameplay ideas anywhere they happened to fit. The end result is a visually arresting, but haphazardly designed experience.

Trepang2 is a very fun shooter that sometimes loses its focus and wants to be a Swiss army knife that does everything. It aims to be a run-and-gun military game that's also a stealthy horror title at the same time. It’s good to try and mix in variety, but the only tool we want to use is the one that makes us feel like an unstoppable killing machine.

In a year packed with brilliant games, Cocoon manages to stand out thanks to its unique mechanics and some of the best level and puzzle design we've seen in years. It holds your attention with an intriguing sci-fi world, challenges you with puzzles spanning multiple worlds, and keeps you hooked with accessible controls and minimalist presentation. With only the most minor grievances holding it back, we're confident in saying this is up there with 2023's best.