Spider-Man 2 feels like it’s right in the centre of Sony’s blockbuster sequel design philosophy. Where Horizon Forbidden West did the same thing but bigger, The Last of Us Part 2 elevated itself technologically, narratively, and most importantly, ambitiously. Spider-Man 2 falls between these approaches - it has some of Horizon’s safety, but with a slice of the elevation The Last of Us brought. Spider-Man 2 is the future of polished, competent, elevated sequels, and brings with it so many technical flourishes and a perfect execution of the formula that it stands in a class of its own. Like Miles’ own motto, Spider-Man 2 can be itself, and be greater.

I have a love/hate relationship with Endless Dungeon. When it’s good, it feels excellent. The early-game progression is incredibly satisfying, filling out quest logs and completing pages of upgrades is rewarding, and it looks and sounds sublime. On the other hand, the lengthy runs take a toll, and once you get into the late game, the rate of progression doesn’t cut it anymore. Suddenly, the time invested doesn’t match up with the strength of the upgrades you can acquire, and the game feels very much like a Sisyphean task as originally intended, a punishment.

Sonic Superstars isn’t holding back the series after the positive reception to Frontiers. It’s more than enough to keep it trucking along. Sega is sensible to be cautious about shedding too much of Sonic’s retro identity, but it needs to realise that none of us have hung around this long for Knuckles’ terrible recovery speed, or the strange instances where a single hit reduces our ring count to zero. Sonic Superstars brings us so agonisingly close to the definitive 2D Sonic game, but for now, it’s a good foundation to build on.

Lords of the Fallen’s Umbral world is unlike anything we’ve seen, providing a unique spin on the Souls genre. Copycats have started to stagnate in recent years, rarely offering anything new, and the genre as a whole risks growing tired. FromSoft itself tried to break out of that habit by exploring what it would look like in an open-world setting with Elden Ring. To see a Soulslike that iterates in its own way rather than chasing new trends is a breath of fresh air, and offers hope for a genre that has never escaped FromSoftware’s shadow.

Despite its shortcomings with performance and AI pathing, Total War: Pharaoh has been one of the most enjoyable Total War games I’ve played for quite some time. Its refined focus on a smaller period of history has allowed for experimentation elsewhere, with dynamic weather and terrain, resource generation on the campaign map, and a wave-based invasion system with the Sea Peoples that constantly keeps you guessing. I hope that some of these mechanics can be taken and expanded on for future, main series releases for Total War.

The Fabulous Fear Machine is a metaphor, but not really. The propaganda machine that shapes society is very real, and it's used to tell us what to believe, what to buy, who to hate, and how to behave, all to benefit and enrich those of us who deserve it the least. The titular Fear Machine is based in power dynamics, class consciousness, and the susceptibility of society at large, but after playing, I’m not sure if Fictiorama Studios understood how its own machine actually works.

Mostly, Detective Pikachu Returns does what its title promises. It’s a little longer than the first game, coming in at just over 20 hours, but other than that it’s still Pikachu stealing the show, some cosy and straightforward crimes that take a little too long, and some more interesting puzzles on the way. It won’t make you think too hard, but it’s relaxing and opens up the world of Pokemon a little wider. Fans of the first game will welcome the sequel with open arms, but those looking for a Pokemon-themed LA Noire may need to keep searching.

When it comes together, Mirage does manage to evoke the same feelings I had back in 2007 running round Acre for the first time. There’s an exquisite stealth sandbox nestled away in here, but a few excellent missions don’t make up for the frequent bugs, lifeless city, utterly pants combat, or the fact it completely wasted The Expanse’s Shohreh Aghdashloo on some of the flattest, most perfunctory writing the series has ever seen.

Forza Motorsport is a beautiful and fast experience, but one that slows itself down to the pace you need while still keeping you solely behind the wheel. You can opt for as little or as much assistance and realism as you desire, and players of all kinds will find exactly what they want from the game. Whether it’s a simulation that you will have to master, or something where you just want to hold accelerate and feel the thrill of racing in a high-speed competitive sport without having to think too much about it, Forza Motorsport is prepared to suit those needs.

It’s remarkably easy to tell yourself you’ll do just one more expedition, only to balk when the Princess tells you how long you were down in the Abyss. I caught myself desperate to push on just a little further, to level up just one more time before I went back to Base Camp, leading to late nights that I’m not upset to have spent grinding my way to prowess and power. As long as you can handle the Princess chatting your ear off while you’re at Base Camp between expeditions and occasionally passing out and being brought back there before you're ready, the hours you’ll effortlessly sink into “just a little more” of Silent Hope will be a joy from beginning to end.

While Cocoon didn’t connect with me on the same level as other indie puzzlers, I had a great time venturing through orbs to solve mind-bending puzzles and explore alien worlds. The game also succeeds when it comes to giving you a great WTF ending, which is a requirement for this genre. It’s nice to see that even after leaving Playdead these developers are still able to deliver another fun albeit utterly baffling experience. All that's keeping it from being a true masterpiece is a little more child danger and an appearance from the Quaker Oats man himself.

EA Sports FC 24 is the same game you know and love, for better and worse. Gameplay feels good, PlayStyles are a fantastic addition that allow you to succeed while truly playing your way, but the game is held back by its focus on Ultimate Team, which excels at the expense of the rest of the game. Single-player modes feel completely neglected and in many ways have gone backwards since the last game, to the point where buying this feels pointless if you’re not going to play online.

Separate Ways is so good that it makes other Resident Evil games look worse by comparison. It’s hard to believe that this campaign was only $10 when Resident Evil 3 Remake, a game of similar length yet far less satisfying, was full price just three years ago. It’s even more surprising that just last year we were playing Shadows of Rose, a lightweight, uninspiring retread of Resident Evil Village that similarly tried to make old locales feel new again, but failed to match the quality of the base game. Separate Ways is more like a Resident Evil 2-style parallel campaign than a bonus DLC, and it’s been given the level of polish and care it deserves. Separate Ways has always been essential to the RE4 experience, but the remake elevates it to the quality of a standalone Resident Evil game. And at just $10, it might be the best value in gaming this year.

Disgaea 7 is a course correction from some of the mistakes made in Disgaea 6. Gone is the slimmed-down character roster that saw many series staples disappear - instead, Disgaea 7 has more class options than any previous game, with entirely new classes and monsters to boot. Gone are the overinflated stat values and the game-breaking unrestricted auto-battle mechanics. The result is a game that feels more ‘Disgaea’ and less experimental, making it a more fitting modern follow-up to the crowning glory that was Disgaea 5 as a result.

Paleo Pines is a largely successful execution of standard farming sim formulas and brings an interesting new (read: peaceful) interpretation to the monster-tamer genre. Collecting and caring for dinosaurs is the most compelling part of the game, almost to the detriment of other mechanics. As it stands, the game is a little unbalanced and could do with more effort put into the dinosaur-centric mechanics and less reverence placed on tying progression to arbitrary limits on player freedom.

Mineko’s Night Market is a delightful journey that explores childlike storytelling and themes of tradition and friendship in a way that captivates players. Its beautiful style and emphasis on Japanese culture draw you in, but the compelling and varied gameplay makes you stay. Its slow and simple start may be off-putting for some, but if you’re starting a cute little life sim game like this and expecting fast-paced drama, you’re at the wrong market stall.

Right now, Payday 3 is a foundation. The heisting itself is better than it’s ever been, with quality of life changes, more confident level designs, and improved stealth mechanics that make it stand above Payday 2. But in making the jump to it, you’re also giving up the years of updates and general stuff Payday 2 offered. If you’re a newcomer to the series, or a lapsed crook coming back to it, this is a great jumping on point. If you’re already invested in the series, you might find it difficult going back to basics.

Phantom Liberty is good, but 2.0 is the rising tide that lifts all boats. It makes Cyberpunk 2077, unambiguously, worth the trip.

It’s a shame that Invasions and the snail’s pace progression drag Mortal Kombat 1 down a little because, if it wasn’t for them, this would easily be the best Mortal Kombat to date. Even with those problems, MK1’s excellent gameplay and story mode make it a much-needed breath of fresh air for the series and a great first step into an exciting new timeline.

Even if it can be a little too easy and was over far before I’d have liked, Gunbrella’s incredible movement options, surprisingly intriguing mystery, and punchy gunfights quickly made it one of my favourite indies in recent memory and a universe I’d love to see more of in the future. Just remember, there’s a 100 percent chance of blood raining from the sky, so you better bring a brolly.

When all is said and done, though, being inspired this heavily by what is widely considered one of the greatest games ever made is hardly a bad thing. When Lies of P shines, it even outdoes FromSoftware itself in its nuanced execution. When it falls back on what came before, it does so with a confidence and understanding of the genre that makes it stand out.

Ad Infinitum is an enjoyable horror game for genre aficionados, and tells a compelling story in a unique setting. It has a few moments that will have even the most grizzled horror veterans whimpering in a corner, building tension to create some pulsating scares, all the while giving you enough time to compose yourself before the next one. But you’ll need to look past some frustrating design decisions and pretty glaring performance issues to get the most out of it. Beyond that, there’s just enough there to make your time with Ad Infinitum worthwhile.

The Isle Tide Hotel is an uneven game. It delivers in its goal to tell some compelling stories about very interesting people and a cult that’s up to some incredibly odd behaviour, but the inarticulate efforts to gamify the experience may prove too frustrating for those not already enamored with the concept or the genre.

While Under The Waves has good intentions and well-thought-out ideas, it’s a disappointment. There are moments when it's beautiful and charming, striking you with its own visual style and excellent music and asking you to swim more miles to see what you can find. But this effect can’t stand on its own for long, and the result is an experience filled with the dumps and vices that it tries to fight against.

Fae Farm gets off to a slow start, but you’ll see the game’s true value from Chapter Three onwards, when the crafting, romance, questing, and other optional content becomes so vast that you’ll never be able to keep up with it all. For fans of farming sims willing to get over the first hurdle, the actual gameplay is highly enjoyable, and the style and setting are utterly adorable. Just don’t expect a standout narrative, but do expect a few minor bugs.

When it finds itself, Samba de Amigo proves that it deserves to be revived more often than it is. But it loses this streak too quickly. Samba has far more potential than a few fun dances to keep the family busy over the holidays, I just hope it doesn't take Sega a bunch of DLC packs and another 10-year hiatus to realise that.

There are parts of this game that are highly relatable. You can scroll through social media and see what are essentially Tweets (or Posts, thanks Elon), mostly about the impending meteor impact, that capture Twitter (sure, X) culture with hilarious accuracy. The third act also shines, with tensions between characters finally bubbling over and leading to huge blowouts that feel very true to the nature of teenage friendships. Fang’s relationship to their parents and brother Naser also feel very complex, more than any other relationship they have with the other characters. But none of this is enough to carry the weight of the game’s slow first acts or make up for the game’s unrealised thematic potential, and that’s a shame. What could’ve been a meaningful meditation on the importance of community turned out half-baked. The seeds of something great were there, but it never quite had the payoff it deserved.

All being said, I never believed I would live to see the day a worthy successor of Jet Set Radio materialized into existence, and yet, here we are. For better or worse, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk embodies the vibes and fun of the early 2000s era in video games and succeeds in delivering a great experience, whether you’re a fan of that era or not.

Starfield is all about the stories it tells, and it tells them well. The central narrative and the characters inhabiting it are some of the best that Bethesda has ever produced, but they’re unfortunately let down by the banality that so often surrounds them. I came into Starfield wanting to explore the stars, and I got a brilliant sci-fi story instead. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed.

It’s disappointing to see a project that had potential come up short, but if like me you were anticipating the launch of Untamed Tactics, it turned out to be far from what we were hoping for. The game’s biggest selling point could have been a dynamic Parley System with witty banter and opportunities for hidden characters and plotlines, but like the rest of the title it falls disappointingly flat.

What I find most remarkable about Sea of Stars is that, despite not caring all that much about its characters, the gameplay was good enough that I was invested throughout. Managing the meters of each battle, and exploring the colorful landscapes and dungeons that connect them, is so entertaining that my quibbles about other aspects couldn't bring the experience down. The story isn't especially compelling, but it perfectly serves the purpose it needs to: getting you from the fun of A to the fun of B without any real hiccups in between. Howard Hawks once said that a movie needs "three good scenes and no bad ones" to be great. That's what Sea of Stars has going for it. Nothing that'll bother you too much, and plenty of good.

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a masterpiece. Games like this don’t come along often, experiences that capture the zeitgeist so profoundly as to provoke scurrilous rumours that Larian Studios would come under legal action for making a game considered too good. From narrative to level design, combat to quests, character creation to romance, everything is fine-tuned to provide a gripping experience that provokes wonder and joy.

Fires of Rubicon is the series at its peak as FromSoftware fires on all cylinders. The mech gunplay evolves far beyond mindless action to tell a story of the oppressed stripping bare the power of those they serve to better a dying world. It’s a story that will always be relevant, but now more than ever, its lesson of standing up to those in power who are tearing apart the world for personal gain is paramount.

Fort Solis is all presentation and no substance. It feels like it blew its budget on getting this cast to build up some hype before launch, and then forgot it needs substance to make it worthwhile. With an appalling story, bumpy technical issues, frustrating UI, and a pace so glacial I literally fell asleep at one point, Fort Solis is a waste of everyone’s time. And not even the deliciously grizzled voice of Roger Clark can help that.

The Everwar between Lucium and Rasharn reminds me of what it feels like to play Immortals of Aveum, a game that feels perpetually at war with itself. Its jokey tone is at odds with its high stakes and the world it wants you to care about. Its movement-focused arena design is at odds with the precision it would require to make it start to sing. Its magical flavor is at odds with how bland its combat is. Its name may suggest something that will last forever, but I doubt I'll remember much about it by the end of next week.

I enjoyed my time with Blasphemous 2. I’ve unlocked both endings, scoured and pillaged the entire map, and completed every quest I could find, and, where I found the first game severely wanting in the fun factor, the sequel delivered in spades. Despite this, it’s held back by simplistic quests and bosses so unfair as to taint the whole experience. At certain points, thematic suffering bleeds through the cracks in the fourth wall and becomes part of the gameplay.

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood shows us what women can be when they are free to be who they are, liberated from arbitrary restrictions on their lives. It is a feminist, progressive, intersectional game, one that celebrates women in every form. It made me feel connected to the world around me, and that’s a huge accomplishment.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is the asynchronous horror game fully realised. It weaves the horror of one of the slasher genre’s most guttural and unsettling movies with the thrill of Dead by Daylight’s action beautifully and stands a chance at finally offering a true competitor in the genre.

At the end of the day, taking inspiration from other well-known games is not enough for Atlas Fallen to stand on its own feet, and while the game is aesthetically pleasing and the combat has enormous potential, the experience as a whole is immediately forgettable as soon as you close it.

Stray Gods can be inconsistent in its musical numbers at times and presents a selection of irksome technical issues, but these foibles are trivial to overlook when Grace’s journey fires on all cylinders. It is marvelously written with a beating heart lined with poignancy, which at every turn expresses the joy, fear, and unpredictability of human life you can’t help but feel represented by. Much like Grace, I’m a lost, lost girl with little direction in life, but sometimes a game like this comes along and convinces me it’s only a matter of time until I’m found.

It's clear that the devs at Mega Cat love RPGs, and they might love wrestling even more. This could easily have been a cheap cash-in, a generic RPG with a lazy wrestling facade. The truth is the opposite, and I implore fans of old-school RPGs to check it out whether you like wrestling or not. If you're a wrestling fan, then everything gets even better. You'll get all the references, enjoy the niche moves, and enjoy one of the best wrestling games in years.

Remnant: From the Ashes is one of my all-time favorite games, so the sequel had a lot to live up to. Remnant 2 makes many bold changes, and not all of them are successful, but it doesn’t lose the core of what makes Remnant so popular. It’s still a rock-solid shooter with a captivating setting that’s full of challenging boss fights, unique weapons, and plenty of mysteries to discover. If the post-launch support for Remnant 2 is anything like Remnant: From the Ashes, we'll have a lot to look forward to over the next couple of years while Gunfire Games refines the systems and adds new locations and game modes to try. The cliffhanger ending certainly indicates there’s a lot more to come, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Venba is a truly wonderful game, and executes what it sets out to do wonderfully. The art is gorgeous, the music is excellent, and the storytelling is somehow both broad in what it manages to elucidate about the South Asian immigrant experience while deep in the family dynamics it portrays. The cooking gameplay does eventually get a little stale towards the end as it attempts to include more recipes with less detail, and quite honestly, it’s more of a visual novel that touches on cooking than an actual cooking game. That said, I still found myself sniffling and wiping tears away by the end. It’s a sincere, full-throated love letter to Tamil culture and first-generation immigrants everywhere, and in that sense it is unique and singular in its ambition. I loved Venba, and have already recommended it to my Indian friends. I can only hope that it reaches far beyond that audience.

Like with the platforming, the map exploration and Metroidvania mechanics can be a bit too simplistic in execution and mostly tell you where everything is and how to get it. Seasoned platformer fans might find things too easy, but if you can accept that lack of challenge and take Illusion Island for the joyful adventure that it is, then you'll find that it's a good, simple time, with satisfying mechanics, a love for Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy, and a gorgeous world to explore.

Fans of The Expanse will enjoy this story. I’m curious about what happens in the next couple of episodes, and that’s exactly the sort of narrative pull that I was looking for. But you might also get frustrated with the game at times - it’s not a flawless experience by any means, and I really wanted more from it.

Pikmin 4 isn’t quite the best game in the series, but it’s certainly the most confident. With this new entry, Nintendo has decided to wipe away much of the past tedium in favour of ensuring moment-to-moment gameplay is more enjoyable than ever. But eradicating its past frustrations also removes much of the challenge and depth from the game’s battles and puzzles. Commanding its multicoloured armies and pilfering this planet of its treasures while gathering a motley crew of comrades kept me enraptured for hours, just don’t come into this expecting the harsh journey back home to be little more than a leisurely stroll.

Full Void is on the short side, but that’s no bad thing. There’s only so much you can do to keep someone invested in a dystopian narrative that does little to explain the world it resides in, and this adventure thankfully provides mystery, suspense, and climax in quick succession. I clocked in at just under two hours and came away satisfied. While the metaphors at work err on the self-indulgent side and the gameplay is relatively shallow, Full Void delivers a memorable experience about how it feels to have your childhood ripped away by forces you can’t control.

Exoprimal is a prehistoric relic of its own making, and a harsh but necessary lesson for a developer who has been sitting atop the pile for far too long. Future seasons could salvage the flashes of excellence on display here, but I doubt players will stick around long enough for that to become a reality. And to think we could have had a new Dino Crisis instead.

Like I said, Oxenfree 2 is all about choice, and I’m choosing to replay it as soon as I have the time.

Crime O’Clock feels like wasted potential. As a hidden object game, it has the foundations of something decent, with its lively scenes and impressive worldbuilding offering up just enough pixel-clicking for fans of the genre to get a few cheap thrills out of it. But instead of leaning any further into its time-bending angle and becoming a truly impressive puzzler, it’s happy to sit and throw a few naff minigames at you, hoping it’s enough to distract from the severe lack of any actual substance.

Master Detective Archives: Rain Code delivers masterful craftsmanship of mysteries that players will delight in unravelling. Though the more hands-on gameplay mechanics aren’t groundbreaking and can feel a bit too easy, the strength of the narrative alone and cleverly created whodunnits make this a must-play for Danganronpa fans and anyone who loves channeling their inner detective.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective has long deserved a second chance at life, and in this form, it’s easily at its most definitive. Making new friends while saving their lives as a friendly ghost never gets old and only makes you feel deeper and deeper in love with everything the game has to offer as you progress. Embrace death, make friends with dogs, and delight in a brand of chaos you won’t find anywhere else in the medium.

C-Smash VRS is an interesting revival of a forgotten classic, perfectly suited for the virtual reality medium from the active nature of the gameplay to the futuristic visuals. However, it conspires to make the experience frustrating with precise controls, harsh timers, and a lack of solo play modes despite the (doomed to be mostly unused) multiplayer option having a far greater range. It's not quite 6-Love, but it's just about 6-Like.

If you love Crash Bandicoot and you've been waiting years for what once was Wumpa League, there's probably just enough there to convince you that this is a good game. But it's not. It's a bad game. They shouldn't have made Crash Bandicoot into this thing, and deep down all of us know it.

Much of my experience was salvaged by the beautiful visuals, heavily reminiscent of Night in the Woods, and the very endearing cast of characters that Finley gets to know duringver his time at Porcupine. I loved walking to work every day, chatting with the owner of the local pub, checking in with the woman who fished by the sewer, and dropping by the flower shop to see how my friend, the florist, was doing. I enjoyed bumping into patients on the street and seeing how much they’d improved. Every character had a distinct personality and felt alive, and helping them out in between shifts coloured the world in and made the experience fun, instead of just tolerable. But there’s only so much that can do to buoy a game so bogged down with inconsistencies and bugs.

Final Fantasy 16 is a bold new benchmark for the series that puts emotional complexity and courageous world building at the forefront. Clive Rosfield’s epic journey is defined by constant bouts of hurt and tragedy, but it’s also lined with an inescapable aura of hope in how our heroes are fighting for a world worth saving. Every person you meet and village saved from ruin are worth protecting, with heartfelt dialogue and ferocious combat mixing together in service of an RPG that, while flawed and glacial in some spots, I’d struggle to label as anything other than a triumph.

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life remains one of the best that the series has to offer, managing to preserve what made it so special in the first place with its unique emphasis on an aging town and cast of characters, while also raising the bar with new content and improvements. While more recent titles in the series tend to offer distractions in the way of more mechanics and options, A Wonderful Life is a return to form that focuses more on the life sim and farming aspects that fans fell in love with all those years ago.

Dark Descent is a generic XCOM clone with brief moments of engaging puzzle-piecing strategy. The horror is underused and feels wholly out of place as it pushes you further and further into action. Music is adrenaline-pumping and clearly designed to compliment firefights, troops yell ‘LET’S GO TEAM’ every time you move, and xenomorphs are easier to mow down than avoid. Nothing about Dark Descent wants you to be scared, but everything about Aliens does. Mix in the cocktail of performance issues and thin mechanics, and what you have is another disappointing entry in the catalogue of Alien games.

Park Beyond is a unique experience that has a huge amount of potential that’s not entirely been released yet. I experienced a number of visual glitches in particular and there are still some core features that feel absent. While I don’t need to do a deep dive into micro-management I do wish I could set patrol areas for staff, instead of just restricting their duties. I didn’t even find a way to move them or call them to a specific ride. You just have to Impossify them and trust in their jetpacks and the AI. Things like this feel like an oversight that I hope is changed as the game progresses.

The problem is that everything in Layers of Fear (2023) seems to be taking cues from the first game, not the second. The Writer's frame story and both pieces of DLC share the first game's approach to ubiquitous, weak voice acting, and both pieces of DLC return to the unpleasant mansion setting. Layers of Fear 2 should have been an evolution for the series that informed what Bloober and Anshar Studios built here, but that isn't the case. Maybe it's fitting, after all, that this collection shares the first game's name.

I don’t want to get into story spoilers, but I thought its representation of AI was a wonderful breath of fresh air, one that didn’t strike fear into my heart or make me worried about the state of my job. If you like walking simulators, story-driven games, and excellent voice acting, Return to Grace is well worth a shot – very few games make me want to dip back in immediately, just to see what else could happen.

Do not play Greyhill Incident. It is a great idea that falls apart utterly and completely. The core gameplay loop is infuriating, unrefined, and unenjoyable. What specks of quality I may have encountered do little to mask the sully of the rest. The biggest commendation I can give this game is how well it implements the store-bought asset packs. There’s potential for this developer to create something better in the future. But for now: hard pass.

Harmony: Fall of the Reverie is too connected to its core concept of steering the future based on fate and factions, and this idea means players must abandon both the choice and the narrative in this choice-based narrative game. It's not exactly a formula for success. Despite some interesting designs and a potentially compelling tale at its heart, there's nothing harmonious about Harmony.

Diablo 4 has a solid foundation, but Blizzard is going to have to keep finding new ways to justify this slower take on the series forever, or else revert back to the mindless grind of D3, which isn’t what I want to see. Players are going to push for faster gameplay and less friction, and it's going to be up to Blizzard to stick to its guns here and maintain the vision of Diablo 4, while also managing the natural effects of power creep over time. It’s an unenviable position, but I respect the hell out of this team for choosing the path of most resistance and pursuing a unique identity for this game, especially in light of what Diablo Immortal is and what Overwatch has become.

Amnesia: The Bunker is a bold new step for the series and it’s the shot in the arm that I think it’s needed for some time now. This first attempt isn’t perfect and has some teething issues as it figures out its new identity, but it makes up for it by being a truly terrifying experience that shows how bright the series’ future can be.

As a fighting game, Street Fighter 6 is pretty much flawless, but it’s the little details across the board that make it clear that this is a fighter for everyone and not just fans of the genre. A wild statement for a series that’s always felt more hardcore and impenetrable than the rest. Whether you’re a newcomer playing with Modern controls or a veteran with a fight stick and a vendetta, Street Fighter 6 feels like the most approachable and welcoming fighter I’ve ever played without ever once sacrificing its potential complexity and fighting spirit.

Everything is earned here, from your gear to the answers to your questions, and the experience is all the better for it. For every battle you fail, a new one appears, yet there is minimal frustration due to the way you can learn from your mistakes. You’ll explore a haunting yet beautiful world, subtly changing as your actions affect the environment, and uncover a well-written story that kept my attention throughout. Miasma Chronicles is a dark journey that is well worth embarking on.

Nightdive had almost an impossible task revitalising System Shock, and yet it’s done so effortlessly. The level to which it manages to remain faithful to the original while also very much being a modern game released in 2023 is impressive. It may be let down slightly by wonky cyberspace and some less-than-Shodan-level AI, but this is easily the best way for people today to experience one of the most genre-defining games of all time.

There are more positives – character designs, too, are phenomenal interpretations of Tolkien’s descriptions, and the creepy folk horror vibes of the Mirkwood Elves is inspired – but they’re too few and far between to save this boring game.

Sunshine Shuffle feels thin, yet overextended at the same time. Had it doubled down on its greatest asset – its characters – it could have been something great. As it is, the story is over far too soon, and all that’s left is a middling card game you could play with less faff pretty much anywhere else. It’s great to see Poker Night At The Inventory live on, but Sunshine Shuffle forgot that the poker was always the least important part of it.

Fans of the IP will have some fun here, but you likely already know whether you’ll like this game or not. Boltgun competently blends the Warhammer universe with a genre that felt made for it, but offers no surprises. It set out to be a Doom clone, and it succeeded. That’s fine in some ways, but a shame in others because this could have been special with the application of a few original ideas.

It’s a nine-year-old formula running on six-year-old hardware, and neither of them can elevate the other. One of them must change, and Giants is probably the one who needs to blink first if it hopes to pull off another portable Farming Simulator in 2025.

The gameplay is nothing special, and it isn't particularly trying to be. It exists as a framework to tell a story, and plenty of games have excelled with that mindset. But all it has to say is that pollution is bad and it's all your fault. It doesn't inspire change, it doesn't shock, it doesn't even highlight the plight of the animals we share this world with, becoming too wrapped up in casual visual metaphor than with showcasing the harsh reality of what we have done to this world. The bees are dying, but so is my patience.

With all that said, the most disappointing part of Resurgence isn’t any technical problem or frustrating minigame, it’s how much you want it to succeed. Seeing it shine just to shy away behind tacked-on action is tragic, even if it isn’t enough to take away from this brilliant classic Trek story.

Planet of Lana is a delightful puzzle platformer that hits that sweet spot in more ways than one. It’s not too challenging nor too simple, and though it could have delivered endless levels of similar ideas, it only takes enough time as it needs to tell the perfect story of friendship and survival.

Monster Menu is a competent game at best. It emulates the Rogue experience decently and does something very interesting with its food-based mechanics, but it doesn’t stretch far. There’s enjoyment to be had in the high-difficulty and grindy aspects- if that’s your thing, but you won’t find much depth or complexity here. More McDonalds than Michelin, you’ll wish that you’d opted for something more flavourful.

I wish Humanity’s marketing had focused more on its puzzles than its story, because it’s fairly clear to me which is stronger and I came away a little disappointed. The game’s mechanics evolve very well with the story’s narrative, and it’s a lot of fun. I’m just not sure its story was worth telling.

It's creative, but it's also a bit of a mess. Lego 2K Drive mixes Forza Horizon and Mario Kart together, but it's not as good as either of them, and doesn't bring much new to the table either. There are building blocks here for Lego to use for future IP-less games, but this doesn't quite put them all together in a way that will interest anyone who isn’t still in primary school.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a masterpiece that not only equals what came before, it does everything in its power to surpass it. Even as it presents endless possibilities for me to indulge in and push my creative potential, it all comes back to the intimate gravestones or superfluous conversations that bring its world to life. Fading memorials and lone flowers cement the loss this vision of Hyrule has felt, and my unpredictable path is determined to piece it all back together.

Playing Afterimage, then, is a lot like going to a congested airport. It offers you the chance to visit a ton of interesting destinations. But, getting to them can feel like waiting through a long TSA line only to find out you're missing essential paperwork. Yeah, I want to see Naples, but maybe not that bad.

I’m overwhelmingly charmed by Peridot, despite its shortcomings. I still like to check in on my adult dots, even though there’s nothing left to do with them now but breed, and I love taking pictures of them next to my cats to post on my social media. The charm of Peridot’s cute creatures will bring a lot of curious players in the door, and if Niantic can build out the pet sim features some more they may even stick around. The tech is impressive and it feels like a platform that can grow and grow, but the cost of breeding is a deal breaker for me. I’ll be watching Peridot with much interest, but for now, I won’t be playing it.

Honkai: Star Rail feels like the consummation of all the knowledge that Hoyoverse amassed so far after the two juggernauts that preceded it. With a good amount of content to tackle at launch and such a compelling story being told, all that remains to be seen is where the Astral Express will take us next.

Redfall isn’t a total disaster, and there’s fun to be had in slaying vampires, especially with a couple of friends. But to call Redfall a shallow experience would be an understatement. I’m happy to loot and shoot and make my own fun, but there still needs to be something there to pull me through it. Nothing in Redfall, from the loot to the characters to the exploration to the power climb, ever made me want to keep playing, or feel like there was something more to achieve. No amount of bug fixes or updates will be able to improve Redfall’s fundamental gameplay flaws. It’s not just rough around the edges, it’s rutted all the way through.

Age of Wonders 4 is a very strong entry in the overwhelming miasma that is the turn-based 4X market. It implements fantasy elements naturally rather than giving traditional mechanics a mystical lick of paint, and the sheer depth of customisation options, even without unlocking anything, is to be applauded. With the Pantheon system for unlocking things, it’s an ever-growing and changing experience with a heavy emphasis on player agency.

“Play this game” if you’ve ever wanted a puzzle platformer, Limbo-esque horror game that drags you through a swamp of grim-dark Nordic fairy tales by your ears. It’s an excellent, labor-of-love game filled with little details that make the world feel very much alive - although no one wants that. I’d never leave my house again.

I had a great time with Cassette Beasts, but it was undeniably frustrating in places. It iterates on the Pokemon formula in nearly every possible way, and exploring the world via companion quests rather than just doing a big circle on your Gym challenge creates a wonderful sense of adventure. Cassette Beasts tries a lot of new things and most of them are successful. The story is compelling, the characters are engaging, and the battle system is one of the best I’ve ever used. It doesn’t pull everything off, but I’d much rather play a game that takes risks, rather than one that rehashes the same old formula time and time again.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has everything a Star Wars fan will want - it's an excellent story, and uses classic Star Wars tropes, musical cues, and narrative moments. But if you're not enamoured by a John Williams horn reprise, what you have is a decent adventure game with a vibrant but often annoying open world that you keep being sent back to, that rarely lets you think for yourself and often just doesn't quite work properly. For a story so sharp, it's a shame the game gets in its own way so often.

I have no doubts that the Steam Workshop will do wonders with this game. If modding is supported properly by the developers, which it appears will be the case, we could have some seriously impressive mods down the line. I’ve already played around with the Beyond Stranded mod that adds a bunch of new traits, survivors, and expeditions - it’s a clear indicator of what is possible given enough time and effort. As it stands, though, Stranded: Alien Dawn is already a good game, but with more customization, narrative elements, scenarios, and general expansion on some solid foundations, it can become a great game.

Burning Shores first seemed lackluster in comparison to previous expansions in the series. Frozen Wilds was a refreshing addition to Zero Dawn, and Forbidden West was an even bigger step up, so the slow start in treading familiar territory made me feel like Horizon had potentially lost its flame. I’m so glad to be proven wrong, as it still burns as bright as ever, and with a dauntless new character taking part in one of the most momentous fights we’ve ever seen Aloy face. After this, I’m even more excited to see where the story goes next.

Riot Forge has an incredible track record of matching studios with the right project, and this is the best example yet. It is such a strong execution of an idea that it ultimately suffers for being underscoped. Had The Mageseeker had the full force of Riot behind it I can easily see it being a game of the year contender, but it feels like the publisher isn’t ready to go all-in on these outside projects yet. I don’t think Sylas’ story should end here, and I’m excited to see what Digital Sun does with the world of Runeterra next.

It’s rare for games this introspective to be made with such delicacy, and Hibiscus & Butterfly is a gem that’s shaped with care for detail and a great amount of love. Love is everywhere in this game, from the carefully written dialogue to the drinks referring to the developer’s own Southeast Asian region. The game’s message, really, is about love for yourself and for others, and in a world where everything feels like an opportunity for more division, it feels incredibly healing to play a game so focused on empathy and connection with the people around us.

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp marks the return of two classic strategy games, and WayForward has done a stellar job bringing them back to life while never sacrificing the formidable challenge and anime-esque charm of fictional warfare the series has always nailed. While some of the new features are lightweight and the addition of flourishes like voice acting and level creation will prove meaningless to certain folks, this remaster still supplies a solid foundation I pray Nintendo isn’t afraid to build on. Few in the genre can compete with the immediate simplicity and approachability of Advance Wars, but Nintendo needs to take it further.

Despite a history of disappointing delays that nearly doomed Dead Island 2 to obscurity, it’s here, and it’s both confident and capable in almost everything it does. Arduous quest design and the occasional repetitive tedium is a flaw, but you’re often too drowned in zombie guts and cringe-inducing creativity to care. Dead Island 2 isn’t going to change the world of zombie games, nor does it intend to, but the fact it has emerged from the ashes in a state this immaculate is a miracle in itself. Hammer some nails into a metal baseball bat, set it on fire, and start swinging. I guarantee you’ll carve out a good time beyond all the viscera.

I wanted to enjoy this game, but I didn’t. I expected smoother movement, interesting characters, and better expression of the game’s themes, but The Library of Babel fell short. Its premise was interesting enough, and its eclectic influences could have elevated it, but it was undercut harshly by its design flaws – and its unoriginal plot couldn’t save it.

Longevity will no doubt come from DLC, much as with Dungeons, but that ultimately leaves Minecraft Legends feeling like an incomplete experience. There are so few schematics and troop types to work with, keeping things from getting too overwhelming for those new to the genre, but leaving little else for those hoping to enjoy a new strategy game. And if you come to it hoping to find Minecraft’s signature sandbox feel, you’ll also be sorely disappointed, as the well quickly runs dry.

There’s no point to anything in Tron: Identity. It took a magnificent sci-fi world and gave us an hour of closed-off, inconsequential guff to fill the space. Its additions to the Tron mythos are interesting but underused, the characters are flat functions for a deceptively shallow adventure, and you’ll be walking away from the Repository with the vague feeling that you’d just wasted your time.

Thanks to uneven difficulty, grating writing, and a general lack of polish in every other area, its appeal is only skin-deep, and quickly outstayed its welcome.

Process of Elimination never hits the highs of Danganronpa’s zany cast, intense trials, or attention-grabbing set pieces, but it does come close. With a brilliant cast to carry the story, clever sleuthing, and enough twists to keep you going, this is a game any wannabe detective should consider.