Winter's Warmth is a quintessential addition to the library of any Moomin fan, and a wonderful introduction to new ones.

A perfect marriage between difficult and accessible, Saros is a brilliantly designed and majestic sci-fi nightmare that is as compelling as it is challenging.

Mouse: P.I. For Hire is beautiful and has a beautiful soundtrack. It's the rest that gives me pause.

An innovative and bold genre cocktail that is packed with incredible set pieces and gameplay-first joy, Pragmata is Capcom at its finest.

Like Veronica Mars, Life is Strange is still charming in its later seasons, but you can see where the conflicting visions over the story don't mesh. It's lovely to see these characters again, I just wish they'd be allowed to have an ending.

One of the most fascinating and intricately designed city-building games ever made, Timberborn is a charming and joyous experience that is as rewarding as it is challenging.

Disciples: Domination knows exactly what it is and what it wants to do. It's an old-school strategy game with great combat but also frustratingly shallow mechanics in other areas. Fans will love it; everyone else will wonder what the big deal is.

It's the kind of indie gem that deserves a major audience. An addictive hybrid that moves beyond mere imitation to something that is entirely its own thing. I've loved every minute that I've spent with it, and I can't wait to return for more.

Crimson Desert is a gorgeous audiovisual experience with obtuse mechanics, poor mission design, and a nonexistent story. It plays like an MMO trapped in the frame of a single-player adventure game with too many cooks in the kitchen.

Superbly written and acted with some of the finest worldbuilding in any RPG this decade, Aether & Iron is an instant classic and one of the best games of the year.

Heartwarming and immensely charming, Pokémon Pokopia is one of the best Pokémon games in years, and a loving celebration of friendship that will delight generations of fans.

Packed with incredible atmosphere and intriguing lore, Marathon is hampered by a nightmarishly bad UI and punishing game mechanics that make the experience frustrating for anyone but groups of dedicated fans.

What begins as a Disco Elysium imitation quickly grows into an exciting and compelling RPG experience that stands firmly on its own.

Toxic Commando has immaculate vibes and incredible set pieces for fans of post-apocalypse mayhem, but it struggles with mission design and performance issues. For fans with friends, it might still prove indispensable.

Intricate, immense, and incredible. Twisted Reflection is the biggest and most immersive expansion of the iconic franchise so far.

Mario Tennis Fever is wacky and wild fun that understands the fundamental beauty and simplicity of tennis. It's a perfect addition to Nintendo's party game lineup.

Compiled with love and care for its iconic mascot, Rayman's 30th Anniversary Edition has some odd and major pitfalls, but it's still a worthwhile package for those interested in gaming history.

Heavy on nostalgia and fan service with the occasional violent delight thrown in, Requiem is a mostly fun Resident Evil title that still feels like a step down from its predecessor.

Beautifully realized and smartly updated, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is the best way to experience the iconic series for the first time.

Overshadowed by a very troubled production and awful casting choices, Kiwami 3 is still a worthwhile expansion of the Yakuza saga.

Smart design, a fantastic script, and a stellar soundtrack all make Relooted a delightful indie surprise to seek out.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is as addictive as ever and the new quality of life improvements make the return to its quaint charms that much more alluring.

Despite these issues, which are notable, I would recommend Cairn to almost everyone. Even as a thought experiment. It's the kind of passionately designed indie game that deserves attention, even or especially when it gets in its own way. In the moments where it focuses on the pure experience of climbing, it is an atmospheric masterwork. Visually, it is one of the pretties games released this year. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't grab a bunch of awards on art design alone.

MIO: Memories in Orbit is a masterpiece. It is one of the most beautiful games ever made and already a strong contender for one of the best games of the year.

An initially frustrating puzzle-action-hybrid that quickly reveals itself as a revelatory meditation on perseverance, Forestrike is an odd anomaly worth experiencing.

Immaculately restored, warts and all, Tomba! 2 is a wonderful throwback to a simpler era of platforming greatness.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is half the classic adventure we love and partly a step into the next evolution of the franchise. Sadly, it refuses to fully commit to either one, leaving this adventure halfway between the two.

Exciting and addictive as ever, Legends: Z-A isn't as big and varied as Arceus, but it is still a terrific refinement of the trusted franchise.

Thrilling, inventive, accessible, and supremely fun, Kirby Air Riders is a packed family game that works for everyone.

Packed with awful mission design, an always-online campaign mode, nauseating AI slop, and microtransactions everywhere, Black Ops 7 is the nadir for the iconic franchise and a miserable experience all around.

Exquisitely designed with astonishingly deep gameplay mechanics, Farthest Frontier is the second masterpiece in the simulator genre this year that will impress fans for years to come.

While the gameplay itself is superficial, Dispatch is a surprisingly funny and poignant debut that shows great potential.

A technical marvel with enough lore and addictive gameplay to satisfy both fans and newcomers alike.

Hugely ambitious and rife with ideas, Of Ash and Steel is an unpolished and deeply broken throwback to an era most have left behind.

Packed with superb design and a kicking soundtrack, Sektori is pure twin-stick shooter nirvana that is as close to arcade perfection as you can get.

Winter Burrow is beautiful and wonderfully written adventure brought down by obtuse and frustrating design choices.

Smartly designed, impeccably produced, and tremendously enjoyable, Anno 117 is one of the best games in its genre this year.

Often sublime but mostly simply fine, The Outer Worlds 2 is a good enough game that could be so much more.

It's hard to recommend Arc Raiders to anyone but the fiercely devoted. It is burning bright now, but there's so little to differentiate it from the competition that anything can and most likely will topple it from that throne. If it had dared to think outside of the limitations of the extraction shooter genre, it could have come upon something really special...Now, it's just a good extraction shooter, and what a shame that is.

Nostalgic to a fault, Battlefield 6 is the bare minimum product that is designed to get better over time. Right now, it's just fine, but nothing more.

At its best, Ninja Gaiden 4 is an exhilarating bloodbath that has finally struck the perfect balance between hardcore and accessible. It's a reminder of how invigorating this franchise once was, and how, in the right hands, it can be once again.

While the asking price is high, these masterful platformers have never looked or played this good, and that alone is worth the cost.

Cronos isn't big or new and there are numerous frustrations that keep it from the all time best lists. But when it works, it's a gorgeous horror fantasy well worth playing.

A superb addition to the franchise, Ragebound is both a fantastic throwback and a great entry point to the series for newcomers.

Outlaws continues to impress even on less powerful hardware. This is the way.

Gripes aside, I mostly had fun with Dying Light: The Beast. Which sounds more of a backhanded compliment than it's meant to be. This is a fun and entirely competent action game that will find both old and new fans thanks to its dedication to getting the basics right. It's a little unfocused, a little too in love with its own ideas, and many of its mechanics are so old they could have grandkids. But no other franchise out now delivers zombie thrills on this level, and certainly not with this kind of thought to making a fun experience with a lower barrier of entry. If this is a new beginning like the game might suggest, here's hoping Techland will continue to learn and grow from here. They certainly have the capacity for it, and I'll be there for a sequel when it comes out.

A comprehensive and delightful platforming adventure that is as charming as it is accessible.

Ghost of Yotei is a generational masterpiece, encapsulating everything great about the open world adventure genre. This is a beautifully written and directed saga that stands tall alongside its influences without ever sacrificing the joy of gameplay and discovery at the hands of spectacle. It is one of the best games on PlayStation this generation.

Complaints aside, I enjoyed my time with Claws of Awaji, even if it didn't exactly light my world on fire. Would I have specifically sought it out if I wasn't reviewing it? Probably not. But that's simply because I'm a little burnt out on open world adventures at this part of the year.

Passion and ambition don't always equal quality. Lost Soul Aside has plenty of ideas, but no vision to put them together. Instead, it settles for a muddled selection of borrowed mechanics, tied together by disastrously bad writing and acting.

Expertly designed and highly addictive, Achilles: Survivor is a fantastic addition to the bullet heaven genre.

Mafia: The Old Country will infuriate many with its hopelessly dated mechanics. But fans of this genre and time period will love the romanticism and tragedy, overlooking most faults entirely.

Despite complaints, there's so little in Donkey Kong Bananza that is an actual concern. This is a majestic, grandiose adventure epic and one of the best platformers ever made. It redefines expectations while celebrating classic tropes of the genre. While 20 years is a heck of a long time to wait for a new Donkey Kong game, I would say the test of patience was worth it. Donkey Kong Bananza is a modern masterpiece and the first must-own title for the Nintendo Switch 2.

It's fun, unexpected, and challenging. Everything you'd want from a title like this. Even if it doesn't look and feel exactly like we initially imagined.

Better yet, Mario Kart is a title that will only expand over the years. New tracks will arrive in DLC form, and new racers will grace the screen sooner than later. Here's hoping down the line they'll be gathered into an ultimate game cartridge as well, so that Nintendo can continue with its excellent output of first party titles on physical media.

Death Stranding 2 is the encapsulation of Hideo Kojima's ambition to marry films and games into one seamless experience. For the first time, it's not him emulating the cinema he adores. Instead, it's Kojima directing a vast, emotionally charged epic that others will imitate in years to come. It is a masterpiece of storytelling and game design. A peerless exploration of grief, found family, and all that we leave behind.

If you like thrillers, platformers, horror, or a combination of all three, you owe it to yourself to play Out of Sight. It's one of the best games of the year so far.

There is a better, more nuanced game buried underneath the blind love for the genre. I'm just not certain that The Precinct has the interest or skill to find it. As it stands, this is an acceptable if not great GTA clone that stumbles by ignoring the elephant in the room.

With satisfying combat, fun exploration, and some of the finest accessibility options out there, Doom: The Dark Ages is an epic heavy metal odyssey that proves the iconic franchise is still king of the genre.

Stratogun is a niche title for a niche audience, and it's perfectly content to be just that. It doesn't do anything revolutionary, nor is it the finest example of its genre. But it is a solid, well-designed example of passion. For the initiated, that's enough.

Days Gone remains a mixed bag. The Remastered version is arguably the best the game has ever looked or sounded, and it's the most fun version to play. But the main gameplay loop, coupled with a terrible story and lead character, still continues to frustrate. The resulting game is a contradictory experience that's gorgeous to look at yet not much fun to play.

If you're a fan of big robots, melodrama, and love exploration, Xenoblade Chronicles X should be right up your alley. It's a wonderful time capsule from a console that barely got its due, and a terrific example of how well some of these almost forgotten games have stood the test of time.

Saga Frontier 2 Remastered has aged surprisingly gracefully, and a big part of that is thanks to the remaster. While the story takes a while to get going and doesn't have the same forward momentum as other peers, the big picture is a vast mosaic well worth experiencing. For old-school fans, this is a welcome addition to the collection. It has everything you might remember, only better and more polished than before. For those curious about classic RPGs, Saga Frontier 2 represents an island in time that, for the first time, is more accessible than ever. If we can't have a full remake, then this is the next best thing. Especially if it's your first time with the saga.

If you’ve never played Freedom Wars before, or you have a hankering for a Monster Hunter/Attack on Titan hybrid with a demented sense of humor, this is an easy recommendation.

It's Donkey Kong as we remember it, and sometimes that's enough.

I love this game. I think it's a masterpiece in more ways than one. It can still have massive faults to its name and come away as one of the best, most grand titles in the RPG space that you can think of. In the years to come, I think many will claim it as their favorite experience on any platform. Even more will point to it as the starting point for their love of this genre. Like its characters, it's a complicated and conflicted experience, but also human and multifaceted in a way that most others never achieve. It is one of the best games of the year, and it's only February.

Wren’s Resurgence is for a limited crowd, but I’m not sure that’s entirely a bad thing. This is a labor of love that understands what it’s emulating. It has its heart in the right place, and there is plenty to enjoy in the platforming aspects. It’s nowhere near perfect, but sometimes passion is enough to cover other parts that fall short. If you find yourself missing the days of NES action games, Wren’s Resurgence is a perfect antidote to that nostalgia.

SYNDUALITY needs to take a long, hard look at itself and ask what does it want to be, and how will it get there. Right now, it’s not worth the asking price, especially with all the micro-transactions still found in the game. But maybe, after some updates and potentially a free-to-play model in place, SYNDUALITY emerges a better, more thought-out product.

Avowed is a game that I didn’t expect to like, let alone love. Yet here I am, happy to be proven so wrong. For RPG fans, 2025 is shaping up to be an all-time great year. For those who’ve missed the feeling that Skyrim once provided, here is your remedy. Avowed is a spectacular adventure epic worth every minute of your time and one of the best roleplaying games ever made.

The PC version struggles a bit compared to the console counterparts, but those willing to overlook some issues on a technical side will discover a deep and rewarding gameplay experience that will captivate just the same as the first one.

At its price point, Ender Magnolia is a terrific game. It won’t reinvent the genre, but that’s hardly a knock at it. Sometimes it’s enough to just be one of the best.

The finest installment of a legendary franchise and one of the best action adventure titles of the year.