Star Fox is a fairly safe remaster, and for fans of the original there’s a lot here to love, especially the incredible audio-visual upgrade. The central mode is showing its age mechanically, though, and without the power of nostalgia, I’m interested to see how people respond to its classic on-rails action. Meanwhile, the online mode is deserving of your and your friends’ time, but you have to hope that some extra attention is poured into it post-launch.

Dark Scrolls is a game which I reckon will be a perfect salve for some people, being a neat call-back to the days of 8-bit gaming and old school shmups, but I just found it to be a bit too samey. It's fun, sure, but it works best in shorter half hour bursts for me. I expect a bit more from my roguelites, but if you approach this as an arcade game instead, you'll be in a better frame of mind.

Bounty Brawl isn't going to change your life, but it can be a fun distraction here and there, especially if you're playing with a mate or two. As long as you don't mind that, you'll have a good time with its combat and semi-competitive systems, and the surprising difficulty jumps that pop up here and there too.

Copa City has potential and with regular updates it could become a really good tycoon management game surrounding football events. However, it needs issues to be addressed like performance and for things to be better explained so players are not overwhelmed with quests that introduce new things without a heads up.

If you’re a fan of cycling and the Tour de France, Tour de France 2026 has a lot to offer, especially in how well it captures the racing action itself. However, it feels like it needs a real visual upgrade to take it from the back of the pack to a yellow jersey, and ultimately, it’ll just make you want to get out on your bike.

NBA The Run plays a fast and fun game of basketball, but there's not a great deal of depth to keep you coming back time and time again.

Midnight Saturn is a really enjoyable point and click adventure that blends the puzzles and narratives to offer a playtime in keeping with the detective films that have clearly influenced it. There are some memorable characters and a surprisingly emotional centre here that kept me playing through to the end in a single sitting. It may not have the vast scope or complex mechanics of many modern titles but there is something authentically endearing about Simm’s adventure and I hope to see him return in future investigations.

Psyvariar 3 is a technical challenge, and an ultra satisfying arcade shooter experience. It's lacking in some much-needed tutorials and introductions, but once you do figure out how to Buzz and Level Up, it opens up one of the most unique and rewarding shoot-em-up games you'll ever experience.

Mina the Hollower has the weight of expectation upon it, and it's a game that meets many of them. The retro aesthetic is lovely, the world is well made, the boss fights are varied, and there is a lot to find, but it also has its frustrations. Poor navigation is the main factor that sucked some of the enjoyment out, with the game really wanting a better map to aid you. Still, Yacht Club Games has made a good game overall with Mina the Hollower.

A solid platformer with a clear focus on speedrunning, Bubsy 4D is an enjoyable enough experience. Sure, the levels might be bland and repetitive, but it is hard to dislike a game that is as genuinely funny as this. Also, it must be noted that Bubsy 4D doesn’t outstay its welcome, landing distinctly in “short, but sweet”. Although it knows its audience and they will come away pleased, this isn’t going to sell many new folks to the bobcat. Bubsy is back, but their return is a mixed bag.

What should have been a confident stride forwards from the solid tactical action of the original instead feels like a nervous sidestep. The superb narrative of Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus 2, bolstered by strong voiceovers and rich fan service, gives players every reason to be invested in its grimdark world, but that investment is steadily undermined by overly linear gameplay and combat that rarely rises above the mundane.

Rune Dice is a great idea with good execution. Combining dice like you're playing a game of billiards or hockey is excellent, allowing risky trick shots that offer substantial reward if you can make it. But the game doesn't go far enough, with each run ending in half an hour and limiting how much you can experiment with builds. There's the potential in here for an excellent game, but what we have is simply a good one.

Darker Pokémon-likes are always enticing and I really wanted to enjoy Monster Crown: Sin Eater. The game’s lack of direction, poor difficulty curve and bland monsters mean I didn’t find this game as engaging as I’d like. The nail in the coffin, really, is that after a couple of hours of steamrolling this game, I found myself yearning for Cassette Beasts instead.

Ghost Master Resurrection is a pretty good remaster of a classic, underappreciated game. It makes it looks a bit more modern, improves the controls, and even adds new content and upgrades. Maybe we are finally due for a breakout new genre about mastering ghosts? That'd be nice.

Outbound is a gently paced, cosy camper game encouraging creative home building and exploration in beautifully varied biomes. With developer, Square Glade Games, highlighting a roadmap of upgrades and add-ons to come in the next few months, there’s plenty of reasons to jump in your camper and join in the fun.

Luna Abyss struggles with crafting consistently rewarding gameplay moments, but even the dullest of shooting sections is worth getting through in order to inch further into the wonderfully weird world and unforgettable story of this game.

The Last Ninja Collection is a good option for players wanting to revisit their childhood or gaming historians wanting to check out a neglected part of the hobby’s past but it is difficult to recommend outside of those constraints. Unlike console titles that have simple controls that remain intuitive, The Last Ninja’s design has not aged well. If you can get past these issues then these are important titles in the development of gaming but I’m not sure they’re fun in and of themselves. Aside from IK+ of course, which is still a fantastic game.

There are plenty of moments that charm and delight through Yoshi and the Mysterious Book. It's not always the most obvious game to play, emphasising experimentation over platforming fundamentals, but the collection of weird and wonderful new creatures it contains invite exploration in a way that should delight inquisitive young minds.

Duck Side of the Moon is a great addition to the cozy game genre and one that adds more interaction than many other titles. It often feels like a fusion of modern cozy game and classic collectathons which makes for a fantastic feel-good time and one that I really enjoyed.

Kumitantei: Old School Slaughter has the potential to be a great murder-mystery horror title, and it has a lot of the key ingredients for that. It just needs to be a little more consistent in its leaps in logic and dial back on – or resolve – the other gameplay and aural annoyances. This is worth checking out for Danganronpa fans in particular, and I look forward to seeing if and how later episodes can improve on this entry's weaker points.

Motorslice is a game that needs a few patches to sort out some of the clunkier elements of its traversal, like the parkour and jumps not landing as they should. There is some awkwardness with dialogue choices but they can be ignored as they have no bearing on the story. The world itself is well designed but it needs more substance when it comes to enemies too.

Underling Uprising is an exuberant old-school beat ‘em up throwback that absolutely nails the Saturday-morning-cartoon vibe, delivering a gloriously daft roster of player characters to boot. With a few friends sat on the same sofa, it’s the kind of loud, colourful, coin-op-like chaos that I have loved ever since playing Captain Commando in my local arcade. It’s just a shame that the input lag and framerate issues undermine much of what Dummy Dojo have achieved elsewhere. Still, provided there’s some solid post-launch polish, this has all the potential to be a cracking co-op party brawler.

Call of the Elder Gods is a very good puzzle adventure game that continues the narrative of the first game and adds some interesting new characters to the mix. At its best it contains some of the most engaging and enjoyable puzzles you’ll find, though there are some dips in quality that drag things down a bit. I would recommend the first game over this for newcomers, but if you've already enjoyed that title then you’ll get a lot out of this too, just don’t expect it to be quite as polished.

I found Clockwork Ambrosia to be fun, but not as fun as I was hoping. The weapons do get absurd, but it takes too long to get there, a lot of the exploration can end up feeling unrewarding, especially as most weapons feel like there's one or two best builds for them, and swapping between weapons feels too sluggish, minimising the overall customisation I was hoping for. I like it, but I don't think it's going to stick with me.

While there is some interest here for fans of cosmic horror and an atmospheric opening setting, The Shore is difficult to recommend for the frustrating second half.

Rumbral feels like it is just getting going when you hit the credits. There is a sufficiently good atmosphere and decent designs, but the lack of an engaging story to draw you in and some sluggish gameplay elements does let the overall experience down.

Adorable Adventures is a fine, cosy, laid-back experience. There's a good amount to do, from hunting scents to taking photos, and it entertains through the few hours that it lasts. It never really changes gear, though. Still, if you want a short and cosy experience, Adorable Adventures is worth considering.

Aphelion is a deeply frustrating mix of both brilliant and baffling design: part gorgeous, best-in-class narrative adventure. One boasting cinematic presentation backed by superb lead performances, further enhanced by the year’s most compelling, science-grounded sci‑fi story. But also, part dreary third-person action-adventure, undercutting the pace of its narrative with clunky platforming, tedious stealth and puzzle sections, and Thomas’ oxygen-management nonsense. In the end, this tight narrative adventure is stretched into an over-long slog. Sure, it’s well worth seeing through for the story, but with a sharper gameplay focus, Aphelion could have been essential.