Much like James Sunderland, we have returned to Silent Hill, but what was once our special place has changed. Thankfully, enough of what made it special remains and will likely warm the cockles of nostalgic fan hearts and newcomers alike, even if you’ll have to look past some of the garish new additions in the process.

Ultimately, though, The Forgotten City is one of those games that will inspire other games for years to come. It’s absurd to think it was mostly developed by a three-person team, and yet the clear, unanimous focus a team this small permits is evident throughout the entire game. It is clever not just in terms of its story or themes, but in how it packages and delivers those themes through one of the most inspired and tight gameplay loops I’ve seen in a long time. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a history buff, story lover, or video game fanatic with a penchant for mystery and immersive design - The Forgotten City is a game that everyone should play because it’s a game that signals to the future of the industry. Bit of a paradox given that it’s set two millennia ago, eh? That joke will actually be funny after you play it, I promise.

World is more playful, more unpredictable, and more willing to give players all the toys they need to have fun and put the pedal to the metal. Even days after launch as the only proper exclusive title for Nintendo Switch 2, there is a foundation here I cannot wait to see iterated upon.

Nioh 3 may stumble slightly with its narrative and a bit of bloating from the new open zone design, but it’s still far and away the best game in the series to date. Consistently excellent combat, well-designed bosses, and a new form that adds even more depth and value to already meticulously put-together mechanics make Nioh 3 more than a worthy challenger to Elden Ring.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown might not have the most captivating story and characters, but its platforming and combat are a new peak for the series - an impressive feat considering that’s what put it on the map in the first place. Some fans may have already turned their nose up at The Lost Crown because of everything that it does differently from the Sands trilogy, but this is not only one of its best entries in the series, but one that understands what makes Prince of Persia so great in the first place.

Bayonetta 3 is like your party animal friend on a night out. When it starts out, it feels like the most fun you've ever had, you'll remember it for a lifetime, you never want it to end. Then as it goes on you've lost track of where you are, your feet hurt, you just want to go to bed, and she's still going. Too much game is never a bad thing for some 'pennies to enjoyment ratio' players, but Bayonetta 3 overstays its welcome and dips from being an all-time classic to just being a very, very good video game. It's not the all-time top five Switch game that I think it might have been with a few different decisions here and there, but it's still a must-play title.

This is an experience that walks, talks, and carries a customisable sword like every other triple-A game, but it looks damn good doing it, and is a lot of fun. Surely with a game like Ghost of Yotei, that's all you're looking for, and Sucker Punch is only too happy to deliver. It's not the best triple-A game of all time, but it might be the most triple-A game of all time.

Despite the limited gameplay and slightly repetitive nature of wandering around rooms to click on objects, Mixtape is an experience I’ll remember for a long while. The sharp dialogue that feels real and stays the right side of grating, easy-going storytelling, excellent soundtrack, and supreme confidence to play around with the medium make Mixtape well worth tuning into, even if some will be put off by a perceived lack of things to do. I still haven’t really figured out if Mixtape is a video game, but I do know that I thoroughly recommend you give it a spin.

Without spoiling things, Star Ocean eventually devolves into schlocky cliché territory, but by that point, you’re firmly on board, ticket purchased and ready to see its journey through to the end. Star Ocean: The Second Story got the remake treatment for a reason - it’s a classic of the genre with compelling characters, wonderful storytelling, and oodles of satisfying mechanics. R goes to great lengths to streamline the Star Ocean experience and make it more beautiful (the new arranged soundtrack is glorious), and while it might have sustained a bit of the difficulty that made the original a triumph to overcome, it still squarely sticks the landing.

While Bloober Team’s remake of the legendary second entry was a positive step in the right direction, Silent Hill f feels like Konami finally cementing the survival horror icon’s return. It is an emotional, unpredictable, and unsettlingly beautiful glimpse into the worst parts of human nature. Hinako Shimizu’s journey is one designed to make the player ask uncomfortable yet necessary questions with no guarantees that you’ll enjoy the answers. But it’s through that bravery that Silent Hill f is able to achieve greatness.

Total War Warhammer 3 is a gift to its fans, a fitting send-off to the trilogy. The real going-away party arrives whenever Mortal Empires shows up, but for now, you can delve into the twisted Chaos Realm and get lost in sprawling battles and text-heavy menus, like any Total War fan.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake remains one of the finest JRPGs in recent memory, and its conversion to PC arguably enhances that reputation if you have the right hardware to make it shine. Despite shortcomings in its range of graphical settings and a lack of customisation options, this is a commendable port that runs well, looks even better, and offers patient players on the platform an adventure they’ve been waiting years for. Now it’s finally here, I have a perfect excuse for another playthrough. Bring on the mods, my body is ready.

Cook-Out: A Sandwich Tale brings the stress and chaos of being a cook into the comfort of your own home, and that is absolutely a wonderful thing. Playing online with friends is the best way to experience the game, which offers plenty of fun mechanics and challenging levels to play over and over again (including an endless mode). In fact, at only $20, Cook-Out provides a surprisingly large amount of content. Resolution Games’ has cooked up something special with its latest immersive VR title, which is fun and inviting for any wannabe chef.

Level-5 has come back swinging with Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, improving on the original in every way and offering a smorgasbord of gameplay ideas without ever feeling like it’s trying too much at once. It balances this level of depth with a laid-back, cosy approach that makes it all too easy to enjoy for hours on end.

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.

When all is said and done, and the eight storytellers have finally found a way to make their narratives line up and come together to deliver the exciting finale, Octopath Traveler 2 makes for a satisfying night at the bar. It’s full of pathos and excitement that pushes you forward, and the gameplay is tight and enjoyable. You can’t help but wish it was a little more well-structured, but seeing how the storytellers learned so much from their previous attempt, it’s hard not to look forward to the tales they’ll tell next time.

At its core, Returnal is one of the most satisfying third-person shooters I’ve played - it’s Hades via Vanquish. It forces you to meet it at its tempo and doesn’t relent. It makes Doom Eternal seem like Baby’s First Shooter. It’s gorgeous, frenetic, and endlessly replayable. I just wish success wasn’t so tied to fortune and misfortune, which only exacerbates any frustrations you have when repeatedly trekking through areas you’ve already beaten. Even after the credits rolled, I felt satisfied, but that satisfaction was also mixed with relief - the ordeal was finally over and the chiropractor's elbow has been removed from the small of my back.

Ultimately, if you like Braid, it’s hard to imagine a better, more thorough, more lovingly crafted reissue of the original game. Though I completed the main game fairly quickly, I’ll be uncovering the secrets of the commentary levels for many more hours to come, and learning a ton more about the medium I love in the process.

Sumire mostly accomplishes what it sets out to do through its remarkable visuals and emotion-evoking narrative. It somehow manages to be both thought-provoking and soothing, despite some shortcomings with the dialogue options.

If you are looking for an interactive story-based cozy game, this is a rad choice. However, don’t expect much more from Wax Heads than a well-executed moral stand against an increasingly AI-loving, money-grabbing and overly-polished world of entertainment.

I’m V and the game is Silverhand - I can’t get Cyberpunk 2077 out of my head. I’ve had it a week and played 70 hours, which is probably about as healthy as scooping out my face and replacing it with electronics, but it didn’t feel like work. Like a digital personality loaded onto a biochip, it felt like stepping into another life for a while. It’s a life I can’t wait to relive.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection sets the new gold standard for the series. It raises the bar on every aspect that we love about the series, but also reinvents its go-to template by introducing exciting new mechanics that overhaul the core monster-battling gameplay. While the narrative could have been less obvious, it was still an enjoyable adventure and the new cast of characters are bound to become fan favourites.

Chivalry 2 doesn’t necessarily feel like a totally new game, but it brings a lot of little changes that make it feel like a fresh experience. While there are still a few kinks to be worked out, Chivalry 2 brings everything that I loved from the first game and takes it to the next level in an incredibly fun and addicting experience.

It’s also the most welcoming a WoW expansion has ever been before. This is the start of a new story - one steeped in the long history of WoW to be sure, but one that makes a huge effort to catch new players up. Its brisk story supports new players too by asking for a small investment upfront and giving them ample opportunity to constantly re-invest. If you’re just starting out or returning without the safety net of your old clan, it’s easier than ever to be a solo player and not feel left behind. There’s so much consideration towards renewing WoW, rather than becoming further entrenched in the wants and whims of the most hardcore players. I imagine these weren’t easy choices to make, but I can see the long game that begins here in The War Within, and I’m more excited than ever for the journey ahead.

Roguelites usually frustrate me, but I’ve never once wanted to rage quit Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop. Whether it’s the fact that I’m armed with new knowledge, I’ve got new perks to push me further, or it’s just that Droose has gently encouraged me to keep going, I can’t stop playing Uncle Chop’s Rocket Shop. I want to find all its secrets and once, just once, manage a perfect run. I’ll probably have to finally figure out what to do about exploding nuclear reactors first, though.

Despite its flaws, I’ve never played a game quite like Closer the Distance. It somehow successfully manages to turn the difficult process of managing a community’s grief into a playable game, prompting you to ask yourself difficult questions without being hamfisted with its themes. It tells a deeply moving and compelling story about what it means to take care of others, love those we’ve lost, and honour their memories in ways that respect them while making sure we keep in mind the people left behind. And it does all that while maintaining gameplay that never feels tiresome, balancing the repercussions of your actions in a realistic way, and making you really care about its characters. I’ll be thinking about this game for years to come.

Wasteland 3 attempts to make a world that the player exists in rather than just moves through, and it is a complete success.

Bringing this game to consoles turned it into the most beginner-friendly and fastest-loading version of Crusader Kings yet. It falls only slightly short of the PC version’s greatness simply through the game being built from the ground up for desktop gameplay. As it stands, Crusader Kings 3: Console Edition is the platonic ideal for console ports when it comes to strategy games.