Days Gone Remastered looks and feels better than the original, offering welcome accessibility features, more challenge, and enhanced visuals. But the old issues, primarily poor pacing, underwhelming story, and repetition, plague this open-world adventure. If you're looking for a decent zombie-slaying survival game, you'll be satisfied with this but don't expect a bump-free ride.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a delight, with superb character customization and plenty of charming humor. Its hands-off nature won’t be for everyone, and the lack of a dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 version is a missed opportunity, but there’s still no other game that offers its special brand of unapologetic weirdness.

El Paso, Elsewhere is a creative and thoughtful project that expertly mixes nostalgic graphics with clean controls. It’s a thrilling fight from start to finish. However, sometimes, the protagonist's monologues can feel like a pizza cutter: all edge with no point.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an audacious love letter to Games Workshop’s dystopian sci-fi setting, offering a bleak yet compelling portrait of the iconic universe. However, engaging combat and gripping decision points are let down by abundant bugs and a mechanical depth that can be off-putting at times.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 builds on the engrossing flight model of its 2020 predecessor and finds substantial new ways to turn the impressive 1:1 Earth replica into a structured experience. But even after its disastrous launch, the streaming tech powering it seems determined to keep you from the good bits.

This series has been veering towards an increasingly hardcore audience lately, so the addition of arcade handling is a welcome option in Moto GP 25. There are tweaks to be made in post-release patches, most notably AI difficulty in arcade mode, and the flat track, but the handling, visuals and authentic touches keep this essential for MotoGP fans and well worth a look for a broader audience of racing gamers.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden excels thanks to the memorable narrative and complex moral decisions. Alongside a brilliant world and some of the best voice acting around, it's easy to forgive the few shortcomings.

Hell Is Us feels like a game that can't quite decide whether it wants to be a soulslike or not, but the result is still a fantastic experience that is compelling and worthy of high praise. The game borrows FromSoft's excellent combat and dark world-building to create a solid action-adventure game with a twisted real-world setting, filled with memorable moments and stunning - if bleak - vistas. I just wish there was a little more substance; a lack of weapon and enemy variety, plus an all-too-short finale, hold it back from true greatness.

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.

WWE 2K25 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition finally brings the thrill of the wrestling ring to handheld, allowing users to battle on the go with similar performance and gameplay to their home console. With a wide variety of game modes to choose from, including The Bloodline’s 2K Showcase, My Rise, and Universe, to name a few, WWE 2K25 on Switch 2 is the wrestling game fans have always dreamed of: the best of sports entertainment in your pocket.

People often say you can't reinvent the wheel. Pokémon Legends: Z-A proves that sometimes you can improve on perfection, and while some changes need some fine-tuning, the experience it delivers is one I hope I'll see again from this franchise.

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage is the latest edition of the two-decades-old (yes, really) 3D fighting game, and one that finally makes it available for modern consoles. It plays as well as it ever has, with a steep but mega satisfying learning curve, and an incredibly diverse roster of characters. World Stage mode is a fun little single player addition, but lackluster customization and long matchmaking times remain as the game’s weak points.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is an exceptional side-scrolling beat ‘em up that infuses modern elements into the classic structure to make it more than the sum of its parts. Short, sweet and with a fascinating tag team mechanic at its heart, this old-school treat is worth a bash.

Despite the lack of crossplay and some frustrating multiplayer issues, Elden Ring Nightreign is a fantastic example of how to reuse and reshape an existing framework into a captivating and addictive experience. By removing a lot of barriers and focusing on combat flexibility, player discussion, and map knowledge, FromSoftware has created an impressive co-op experience at launch. It is also an experience with room to expand over the years as new bosses, characters, and world events are added.

Super Monkey Ball is back, with the best series entry since the original thanks to hundreds of fun levels, new mechanics, and a surprising amount of challenge even for series veterans.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is a significant upgrade to the original that transforms this sequel into the game the original had the potential to be. Featuring a lovely visual overhaul, tighter mechanics, and substantial new modes, it’s an easy recommendation for fans of Nickelodeon or platform fighters.

An incredibly well-made and entertaining game with excellent world-building, narrative, and atmospheric audio that is sadly let down by psychological horror that borders on harassing. It’s not for the faint of heart.

While Mario & Luigi: Brothership doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it’s a solid RPG with fun mechanics and lovable characters. New additions like Luigi Logic and Plugs make for satisfying combat, while overworld exploration benefits from the new Bros Moves and ample puzzles with a decent amount of variety. However, the game does suffer from what is emerging as the Nintendo Switch generational curse; frame rate drops, as well as some pacing issues in the late game.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is finally a definitive way to play Retro Studios first Donkey Kong adventure that’s untethered from forced motion controls of the Nintendo Wii or the performance of the Nintendo 3DS. However, outside of that, it brings nothing new to what is probably the weakest entry in the series, apart from a high price point.

Luigi's Mansion 2 HD is a no-frills port of the 3DS game with some minor visual upgrades. It won’t win over those who disliked the original, but it’s a solid experience for everyone else.

EA Sports FC 26 is a veritable smorgasbord of well-refined modes, improved gameplay mechanics, and never-better player likenesses. No single upgrade defines the experience, but offline players will feel particularly grateful for this year's litany of realism-focused changes.

Synapse is a substantial, somewhat interesting FPS adventure and a compelling PSVR 2 exclusive that lets you become a mind-trawling mayhem merchant with psychic powers.

Tales of Berseria Remastered shows that risks do pay off when breaking from tradition. A dynamic combat system and darker storyline work wonders to separate it from other entries. Going on an adventure to reclaim what’s been stolen from you is as entertaining as it is dramatic and thanks to great additions like map markers and updated framerate, it’s the best way to experience one of the franchise’s strongest stories yet.

Persona 5 Tactica preserves the style and sophistication of its predecessor, offering a slick and sharp tactical experience that continues to reward after hours of play. Full of familiar Persona 5 hallmarks, fans of the series are in for a treat, but newcomers may find themselves left out in the cold.

Crimson Desert manages to capture the essence of pure open-world exploration and delivers incredible combat that is unlike anything you've played previously, while offering an engaging story that keeps you engaged as you progress through its massive map. It's not perfect due to some of its quality of life issues and unfair boss encounters, but this is a game that deserves very high praise.

Like stumbling upon a haunted floppy disk next to the old Mac computer gathering dust in your parent’s attic, World of Horror is constantly surprising, genuinely unsettling, and truly unlike anything you’ve played.

Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered is the new gold standard that all modern remasters should strive to achieve. Developer Aspyr has taken Crystal Dynamic’s classic tale about a betrayed vampire seeking revenge and delivered an impeccable visual overhaul while maintaining the brooding gothic majesty that won Soul Reaver a legion of fans back at the turn of the millennium.

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.