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.

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.

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

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.

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

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 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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

It’s a weird juxtaposition, to have a progressive story against a regressive game, but that kind of contradiction feels almost perfect for South of Midnight. It is, after all, a game about how messy we are as people, and how, sometimes, it makes us so unique in the end.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.