Mouse P.I. for Hire hits a lot of the right notes with its fast first-person gameplay and brilliant rubberhose-style animation. But on Nintendo Switch 2, the constant frame drops and other technical hiccups hold it back from greatness.

Still, Aphelion is simultaneously riveting and isolating outside of these weak spots. The pacing is sublime; the game only takes about eight to 10 hours to complete, and each chapter doesn’t overstay its welcome. Ariane and Thomas demonstrate that even when people are physically apart, absence only makes the heart grow fonder.

Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss doesn’t truly excel at anything, chucks in a few unnecessary mechanics, and can be technically wobbly, but fans of cosmic horror and in-depth puzzle-solving will surely enjoy it as a perfectly competent investigation game that offers a sinister and spooky edge.

Marathon looks great and benefits from some excellent moment-to-moment action, especially if you’re playing with friends. Even so, the clear lack of content, terrible cosmetics, and abundance of repetitive fetch quests give you few compelling reasons to keep coming back for more once the initial burst of excitement wears off.

A handful of ill-conceived alterations prevent Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake from being quite as compelling as its legendary predecessor, but it’s still a strong survival horror game elevated by a memorable narrative and impressive production values.

Despite awful PC performance dragging down the gorgeous visuals, 1348 Ex Voto excels at offering satisfying sword combat in an enjoyable, bite-sized adventure. However, as a whole package, it wasn't able to keep me invested in a story that I would otherwise love had there been more time spent developing its central relationship.

GreedFall: The Dying World could have been a triumphant fresh start for a setting with a rocky foundation - providing Spiders with a true breakthrough mainstream hit. While offering a trek through some beautifully realized forests and cities, it unfortunately fails to deliver either an engaging strategic challenge or a narrative that competently handles the difficult themes it wants to explore.

God of War Sons of Sparta offers a fresh take on the iconic action franchise that won't be everyone's cup of tea. On top of representing a significant – and undoubtedly scaled-down – departure for the beloved series, it also suffers from a slow start. That said, Sons of Sparta comes into its own a few hours in, delivering a compelling prequel story supported by a solid metroidvania structure. It also "clicks" on the PlayStation Portal, looking and playing like a game that was made for the portable device.

WWE 2K26 once again sees 2K improve on its yearly release, but like with other years, there's always a downside to go along with it. This year's MyRise feels undercooked, and the Ringside Pass locks paid DLC behind progression that takes an age to move forward. It's still a top-of-the-line grappler, but frustrating choices hold it back.

High on Life 2 boasts an inventive FPS campaign that kept me hooked throughout its runtime thanks to varied level designs and excellent setpieces and bossfights. But skateboarding and its effect on both the speed of the game and the pace of the combat were the real stars of the show. And while there are some groan-worthy jokes, I found the humor to be stronger this time around, mostly thanks to some less obnoxious characters. However, a litany of performance and glitch issues holds it back from true greatness.

Mario Tennis Fever builds on its predecessor's solid presentation and arcade tennis action with more content than before and a new mechanic that's a recipe for Mario Kart-style courtside mayhem. Although the underwhelming Adventure mode doesn't last long, it doesn't mean you won't have fun during a match.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a solid action-packed package that impressed me with its cathartic, overhauled combat. Performance is consistent, the fleshed-out Morning Glory content is addictive, and the Dark Ties episode offers a comprehensive look into the motivations of antagonist Yoshitaka Mine. However, some underwhelming side content, graphical quirks, and questionable narrative changes stop this entry from hitting the heights of other titles in this phenomenal franchise.

With stellar gunplay and great maps, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has some of the best multiplayer and zombies action in the series so far. The intriguing new Endgame mode is also a highlight, so it’s a huge shame that the rest of the co-op campaign is a rushed and sloppy mess that drags the overall package down.

Marvel's Deadpool VR is the latest Meta Quest 3 exclusive to hit our VR headsets, and it's exactly what fans of the anti-hero will want, and everything his haters will despise. From the humor to the action, I had a blast, but it isn't the must-play experience that previous Meta Quest exclusives were for that reason.

The pre-launch hype, understandably, got wildly out of control for Football Manager 26, and even though Sports Interactive was somewhat transparent about features being removed, nobody expected just how buggy and half-baked the final product would be. It's still Football Manager, and there's still a lot to love, but it's abundantly clear this game was only released because it had to be contractually. Keep playing Football Manager 2024, and wait until Football Manager 27 if you don't think you'll be able to stomach missing features and buggy UI.

While it makes for a fun, relatively short co-op jaunt, Little Nightmares 3 doesn’t live up to its predecessors. Puzzles lack complexity, the story lacks heart and, though it’s still a grim world for our protagonists, the fear factor just doesn’t pack enough punch.

Battlefield REDSEC is a pretty uninteresting and derivative take on the battle royale genre, one that makes me wonder whether there's much life left in this particular style of game. There's no doubting how well Battlefield fits into a Battle Royale, however, with awesome class-integration, impressive destructibility, and a streamlined launch offering that harkens back to better times.

Jurassic World Evolution 3 is a behemoth park management sim. It offers an engaging campaign, the opportunity to revive, breed, and genetically upgrade dinosaurs, and the ability to build your own scenery from scratch. But I’d still like more scope to flex my creative muscles, and certain mechanics like managing dinosaurs’ comfort become a bit of a chore. A satisfying evolution, but it’ll require some tweaks to become truly great.

King of Meat delivers heaps of content at a reasonable price. It’s a lot of fun when you’re exploring a great dungeon with friends, but the cumbersome platforming means that others can be a slog. The level making and character customization options are top-notch, too, though you’ll have to put up with no shortage of annoying dialogue as you play.

It may not be set in the titular town, but Silent Hill f undoubtedly encompasses the essence of the series with a dark, twisted, and emotionally weighty tale of psychological horror. It also takes plenty of imaginative and creative risks that are fantastic and flawed in equal measure. It would be an even more special game if only it weren't plagued by an inconsistent atmosphere and some of the most miserable combat I've ever experienced.

Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush gives you a neat, though largely empty, rendition of DK Island to explore and a cool side mode to master. It’s a fun little extra that would’ve made for a fantastic free update, but it's certainly not worth the relatively steep asking price.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion clearly takes inspiration from the Xenoblade Chronicles series with huge open maps and deeply customizable mech suits. The game nails the customization and has some cool ideas all its own, like the superb fusion system. Unfortunately, it does very little with its open spaces, and they aren’t particularly visually interesting. With bland interior levels, shallow side missions, and rather listless combat, it’s ultimately a game that feels half-baked.

Lost Soul Aside is a competently made action game filled with phenomenal combat and cinematic battles. It has some compelling visuals and environments, but PC performance is lackluster, resulting in frequent hitches and distractions. The story isn’t the most engaging and has awkward platforming mechanics too.

Much like the game’s creatures that assemble from the bits and bobs of the deceased on their path, Cronos: The New Dawn also amalgamates the prime cuts of Resident Evil 4, Dead Space, The Last of Us, Alan Wake, and more survival horror classics. At least the result isn't a hulking monstrosity that I want to kill with fire. However, despite traces of genuinely inventive ideas, it's a flawed patchwork that just about gets away with competently imitating all of its absorbed parts.

Excellent shooting, fluid parkour, and plenty of variety electrify this brief sci-fi adventure. The visuals are superb, but it’s undermined by rocky performance and awkward dialogue throughout.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2S is an underwhelming port of a great game. The addition of a single new mode and a handful of hardware features isn’t enough to justify the steep asking price, especially given its online matchmaking limitations. Had Sega offered a cheap upgrade path for existing Puyo Puyo Tetris owners, it would be much easier to recommend.

Drag x Drive is undoubtedly original and shows off the effectiveness of the Switch 2’s mouse mode pretty well. 3v3 matches are decent fun to hop into if you’ve got a spare few minutes, and the controls are generally intuitive. But as intuitive as they may be, those controls do get tiring on the arms after a little while. Additionally, the game is visually uninspired, lacking the vibrancy and character we all expect from Nintendo titles.

Mafia: The Old Country offers a compelling mob story, complete with great voice acting and beautiful cinematics, that’s undermined by some bizarre mechanics. Shoddy stealth segments, familiar set-pieces, and vanishingly few opportunities to explore its stunning world make for an entry that’s far from the worst in the series, but falls short of the best.