Hyper Light Breaker is still rather moreish. A sick fascination with dying might be required for entry right now, but the world is incredible, the action sharp and varied, and it really comes alive in co-op. I hope that Heart Machine have the time and commitment to pour into it, as a few tweaks to the formula could utterly change the way it feels, and remove some of the current frustrations it seems so ready to dole out. [Early Access Review]

IDUN – Frontline Survival is an RTS/Tower Defence hybrid that sells the concept incredibly well. While there’s a few rough edges, if you’re a fan of either genre, it’s an edge-of-the-seat blast.

Freedom Wars Remastered offers one of the more intriguing visions of the future, but where its setting is thoroughly futuristic, its gameplay remains firmly in the past.

Tales of Graces f Remastered represents the absolute best of what the Tales series has to offer - and this version is easily the best way to experience such a charming and fun JRPG.

Unique and ever so smart, Uncle Chop's Rocket Shop is fiendish and fun in equal measure.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a fine remaster of the Wii platformer, bringing along all the tweaks from its Nintendo 3DS port. It's not much more than that, but it’s still a great platformer.

Avoid Liberté like a one-way ticket to the Guillotine. Instead, if you want to experience the French Revolution, read a book instead. It will be more interactive, the loading times will be much improved, and the graphics will probably be better too.

Threefold Recital is part-game, part-philosophy lesson and it's been made with a lot of heart. The three main characters all stand out well, and the story is generally good, even if it becomes a little too twisty in the middle. That aside, Threefold Recital marks a strong start for the 2025 indie scene.

As someone who has zealously played every entry in the series since its inception more than two decades ago, I’d say Dynasty Warriors: Origins is the best Musou game ever. After years of unsurprising reiteration and plenty of misfires, Omega Force has delivered a smart and super polished reinvention of the Musou franchise that corrects so many of its past shortcomings.

Songs of Silence is a beautiful and engaging 4X auto-battler blend, whose unique approach will sweep you up for hours on end.

The Edge of Allegoria is a decent RPG that stands out for its retro Game Boy visual style. The combat is decent enough, and while the crudeness can get a bit much, it works well in the setting. Some frustrating dungeon designs and waypointing issues, plus a story that isn’t too memorable do hold it back, though.

Ultimately Behemoth is a good VR combat game that's a bit too easy, and with its impressively huge boss battles too few in number. Whilst the combat and exploration is enjoyable enough, the puzzling is too simple and, in a game about killing giants, you'd expect there to be a few more giants.

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is like a finely aged bottle of wine opened at just the right time for just the right celebration. It's exactly what I wanted and needed right now, and the shamelessly simple yet satisfying old-school combat and adventures had me hooked instantly.

Snow Bros. Wonderland is a delightful wintry adventure, with bags of old-school charm that will spark joy in your arcade-going inner child.

I really wanted Alien: Rogue Incursion to be good and it starts so well, but then things just fall apart. There are many bad design decisions in the game so that you feel like you are fighting them rather than the Xenomorphs.

The Thaumaturge is an interesting and dark game in a relatively unique setting, 1906 Warsaw during a revolution combined with monsters is a fascinating setting. Whilst it occasionally fumbles how it delivers some details and you spend a lot of time running around, the strength of the setting and the writing makes these easy to forgive, not to mention the presence of the man who I have heard on good authority was Russia's greatest love machine.

TankHead is, overall, an enjoyable and interesting take on tank gameplay and on roguelike ideas. It looks fantastic, the story is compelling, and the world it's set in is very cool. I like it, but I don't love it. A bit more variety would have been nice, but in the end, it's going to be exactly what some players are looking for, and that's gonna be great for them.

With more development time, copious patches, and some decent tutorials, the good game hidden deep inside Flint: Treasure of Oblivion could be dug up and unearthed. But for now, that treasure remains hidden, with only a map inscribed on the back of a wooden peg leg to try and find it.

Although I genuinely applaud its attempts to try something new, Farmagia doesn't quite stick the landing for me. In fact, beyond the initial novelty of the mechanics, both the farming and the combat components end up feeling intensely repetitive with little to keep interest outside of further monotony. Once you add to these points uninspired visual design choices and predictable story elements, the game becomes very difficult to recommend to anyone but die-hard farming sim fans. Even then, it isn’t bringing any fresh produce to the table.

Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice is the kind of stealth game that makes me reconsider my opinions on stealth games. Finely crafted and gloriously conceived, if you’ve missed out on Shadow Tactics before, don’t let Aiko’s Choice sneak on by... but you should play or replay the original first.

Among Ashes is a great addition to this already stellar year of indie horror. It doesn’t quite reach the highs of titles like Hollowbody, but is an enjoyable dose of horror nostalgia that pulls together a range of approaches to create an identity that feels fresh and unique.

Soul Reaver and its sequel benefit from modern controls and minor visual upgrades yet there are niggling issues these remasters fail to address. Sparsely placed checkpoints and the lack of a quick save feature do little to help accommodate the sensibilities of modern gamers and will no doubt lead to prospective new fans and nostalgia seekers to bounce off pretty hard, especially if they encounter the same crashes we ran into.

I was so excited by the prospect of Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind, it looked like a vivid nostalgia infused dream-game for 9-year-old me. Don’t be fooled though, this is not the game your inner child has been looking for. Repetitive and lacking in imagination and finesse, Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind should be rewound and begun again.

I really enjoyed my time with Nikoderiko: The Magical World. It's a blast in singleplayer, and after a good few evenings playing in coop with my kids I and can absolutely recommend it as a local multiplayer experience too. If you're a platforming fan, then this is one you won't want to miss.

3D Don’t Die Mr Robot brings the classic arcade-style high score chase to a new dimension. It's simple to understand and accessible to all ages, but the challenges will be tough for even the most seasoned of arcade game fans.

Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island offers a heartfelt and companionable experience that puts the focus on friendship, memory and community. It’s a charming adventure, and a perfect island-based break from the cold winter and its charmless blockbusters.

The most disappointing thing with Infinity Nikki? That all of my review period progress will be reset. This is a genuinely enthralling free-to-play RPG that will delight those looking for a magical fantasy world to be swept up in.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle forges its own, distinctive path as an archeological adventure, excellently capturing the feel of the films with its visuals and performances. There's a fun new story here as well, wrapped around its blend of exploration, puzzles and pugilism.

I really like Fitness Boxing 3 as a training tool. I've been incorporating it into my workout routine getting my cardio in the morning with Fitness Boxing 3, and then doing my weights at lunchtime for a more complete experience. If you're looking for a fun way to start moving, then this could well be it.

Loco Motive is a very well performed and funny point and click adventure with a memorable cast of characters. The majority of puzzles are structured well, though there are some that are very out there, and sometimes characters can get ahead of themselves before the story has caught up with them, but this is easy to recommend.

30 Birds is a very good narrative puzzler that is elevated by the lantern levels and Persian inspired design. Across its eight hours to complete, 30 Birds provides a number of engaging puzzles and a good story that contains a decent amount of humour.

Threshold is a game that deserves to find an audience that will truly appreciate its provocative and philosophical approach and represents another excellent title in Critical Reflex’s library. The opening credits claim that it is a true story and this detail in particular has lead me to speculate on possible metaphorical interpretations ranging from the highly personal to the global political. It is rare for a game to make you think quite this much and that is meant as high praise.

Towers of Aghasba is an approachable gateway into the genre that doesn’t hold back on features while introducing some quirks of its own. Its mystical setting is also deeply alluring, inviting you to unearth ancient secrets while restoring life to Aghasba’s derelict landscape. [Early Access Review]

G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra is a total and complete waste of a classic license. Avoid the unrelenting pull of the nostalgia tractor beam and give this one a miss.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an immersive experience like no other. It's a tense shooter, a gripping survival experience, an immersive explorable sandbox, and a stunning piece of art come to life despite the harrowing circumstances of the team behind it all.

Frontier’s park-building sequel is a vibe, it is a mood, and it is sunshine wrapped in a very bright bow. Minor control frustrations aside, it's the best theme park builder out there, with impressively deep customisation, beautifully detailed visuals and the ability to make hours of your life melt away.

With its immersive setting, streamlined gameplay, and bustling endgame (not to mention the one-time buy-in) New World Aeternum is a great MMO for newcomers and genre enthusiasts alike. Whether you want to engage in the persistent Faction War or play it like a singleplayer action RPG, there’s a huge amount of freedom while the core game itself has been enriched through months of updates and fully optimised for consoles.

Max Mustard is easy to recommend for a 5-7 hours of cutesy VR platforming fun. It's lacking a little originality though, wearing its many platforming influences proudly, so whilst it's fun and has some great moments, they fail to elevate it to the status of the games that have inspired it.

With its distinctive new style, challenging combat and well-designed puzzles, Sorry, We're Closed is a game I would highly recommend it to any survival horror fan.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is a wonderful new version of perhaps the single most influential JRPG. It isn't a top-to-bottom remake or a surprising meta-retelling – it's classic Dragon Quest, brighter and better than ever.

Lego Horizon Adventures definitely gets a lot right, but it also lacks the creative flair of its forebears. Fundamentally, it nails the style and tone of Lego, but seems to forget what it’s actually used for.

Redacted ain't no lazy Hades clone, instead it offers an experience that is unique amongst the crowded Roguelike genre. Put up with the steep difficulty and slow progress and you’ll experience an immensely enjoyable game, one that is cram-packed with slick combat and brilliant characters.

I love what Dotemu and Leikir Studios have achieved with Metal Slug Tactics. The unlikeliest pivot for a franchise aside, it mixes interesting tactical action, Roguelike progression and brilliant visuals into an indie title that nails the balance between nostalgia and modernity.

The Veilguard is a beautiful-looking and highly enjoyable game, and a nice return to a more focused feeling RPG that does justice to both Dragon Age as a series and also to Bioware. It's fun to play in the moment-to-moment, the big decisions feel impactful and worthwhile, and fans of the series will be happy to be running around chasing after that lamentable egg of an Elf once more. It's no Dragon's Dogma 2, though.

Dark and Deep is a focused and atmospheric title that doesn’t outstay it’s welcome. Most of this time is spent immersed in the unique aesthetic and it stands out amongst the many other copycat PT wannabes that flood the horror tag on Steam. The ending is interesting although some of the imagery felt too separated from the Doré influence and instead moved into more conventional folk horror. All in all, Dark and Deep is a well polished and fascinating indie horror that has a look and feel all of its own, and for that it deserves a wider audience.

With a multitude of Metroidvanias out there, a prospective new entry in the genre must stand out from the pack to get attention. Awaken – Astral Blade certainly stands out, but not in a good way. A poor story, poor collision detection, and overly floaty platforming combine to provide an unforgettable experience, just for all the wrong reasons.

Superbly immersive and packed full of action and chills, Metro Awakening is by far the best PSVR 2 game this year and should be in the top ten of all PS5 games of 2024.

Slitterhead is destined to be a cult classic, though mainly because of what it could have been, as opposed to what it is. The combat is functional but feels dated and gets boring before the end, the dialogue sections are unvoiced and feel cheap as a result, and the loop of finding and then fighting enemies through various forms soon becomes unfortunately one note. I enjoyed immersing myself in the world of Slitterhead but the game itself feels too much like a relic of a bygone era than a new title by industry giants.

Beautiful, contemplative and engaging, Empire of the Ants is a unique hybrid that will delight fans of the natural world.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership is a welcome return for the other Mario RPG series, taking a more straightforward, less gimmicky approach to help bring new players aboard. The rhythm of the brothers in combat is pleasingly engaging, as ever, and there's a solid adventure here, but it's just lacking that spark to match the very best in the series.

Modern Warfare had a great run, but Black Ops is now back on top in their ongoing sibling rivalry. Fluid character movement, high-tempo multiplayer, evolved Zombies co-op, and an incredible campaign come together in 2024’s most irresistible first person shooter.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a very easy game to recommend. If you have enjoyed previous games in the series, this is doing enough of the same to scratch that same lowkey mystery vibes itch. The ability to shift between timelines can become a touch overwhelming at times, but there's several things in place across the UI, accessibility options, and narrative flow to keep the gameplay smooth. What’s more, I think this game might have redeemed Max Caulfield for me too, so take that how you will.

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is a great version of the original that offers limited but welcome updates such as resolution increases, faster load times and a much requested New Game+ mode. The unique grindhouse aesthetic and over the top humour remains as distinctive as they always were and it is here that the appeal of Shadows of the Damned lives or dies. If the absurd humour and over the top ideas are your cup of blood then this is an easy recommend even if you don’t have nostalgic memories of the original. Get ready to grab your Johnson and kill some demons.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered might not have been a wholly necessary overhaul, but there's plenty to like about it, from greater visual depths and details, to the majorly improved dialogues.

The Smurfs – Dreams is a welcome throwback to classic 3D platformers and makes for a good snackable game if you’ve already played the likes of Astro Bot or the Mario games (or don’t have the relevant consoles for them). It’ll keep you well entertained for the 7 or 8 hours it lasts and there are plenty of hidden secret collectables to hunt out. Whether you have any nostalgia for the Smurfs or are new to them you could do a lot worse than to have a snooze with the blues.

One thing they never tell you about parenthood is that you should prepare to play a lot of Monster Truck video games. If that's you, you should do yourself a favour and skip straight to Hot Wheels Monster Truck: Stunt Mayhem. It’s easily the best Monster Truck themed game out there right now. Most importantly, it’ll keep your youngster busy whilst you wash the pots, order a food shop, and get the hoovering done – what’s not to like?

Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred is a bit of a disappointment. After the story finishes, it feels like little has changed, though the structural systems of the game have had some upheaval. You hit max level far quicker now and, once you do, the fun of looting will evaporate for all but the most hardcore and dedicated loot hunters. Meanwhile, there’s spam to buy loot in the chat constantly, the party finder invariably puts me in parties where my lower level character is useless and dies to a sneeze from a passing asthmatic, and the big co-op endgame dungeon doesn’t really seem to understand what Diablo is. Why doesn’t it seem to understand? Because this is an MMO, not Diablo.

It took me a little while to fully warm to Tormenture, but as the game started to show its hand, I was hooked and played much of it in a single sitting. Tormenture is a clever and novel approach to horror that makes excellent use of the limitations of the period setting to unsettle and immerse you in a unique experience.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake presents the series at its very peak. Despite turning back the clock more than 20 years, the end product feels like an evolution of ROTK’s grand strategy format thanks to smart gameplay upgrades and its beautiful presentation.

Vendetta Forever is a new contender for my favourite VR game. Its high speed, intense, but relatively short levels are always somewhere between very cool, very over the top, and quite funny. It's a game that's in love with old school action movies and did it darnedest to let you shoot your way through countless classic set pieces.

Neva is almost brilliant. This is a finely crafted game let down by too much empty time-wasting, untapped potential in its puzzling, and a rather onerous desire to make people cry.

Sky Oceans: Wings for Hire needed a lot more time and work to get it into a proper release state. If this was an early access title, some of the issues would be forgivable, but it isn’t.

Sonic X Shadow Generations is a great time. The remaster is exactly as you'd expect and the new game on top of it is better, more polished, varied, and refined. It's almost converted me to a 3D Sonic guy, which is shocking, and, because it's about Shadow instead of Sonic, you don't have to put up with anywhere near as many obnoxious voice performances. Shadow himself is just a bit broody and says things like "the ultimate power" in an almost-Keanu Reeves voice which really makes me laugh – especially with the Keanu voice pack coming in December for some top tier silliness.

I really wanted to write about the positives of featuring more cultures in this genre, and about how cool it is to have a famous actor play the protagonist, but sadly the gameplay gets in the way of anything interesting. Unknown 9: Awakening is just a bunch of gaming tropes loosely tied together with boring and uninspired NPCs lazily lurching from set piece to set piece, as the poorly designed game creaks and groans under the weight of expectation.

It seems odd giving a remake of game a higher score than it's sequel but the Arizona Sunshine Remake takes all of the good elements from it's sequel and thankfully, very few of of the bad elements. Great fun in co-op mode, but playing alone makes it more tense, scary and certainly more of a challenging.

I love the idea of Hunt: Showdown 1896, but in practise it's mostly abandoned by people either sprinting all the time or camping all the time. It's hard to "get good" in this game because, one; it doesn't tell you how to, so you have to watch youtube videos and read reddit threads to figure things as basic as what UI elements mean in the menus, and two; because everyone else is already good and you die before you can get anything done or learn anything. I've made some progress, but doing so was a frustrating and gruelling experience that wasn't entirely down to my own incompetence. If you're a glutton for punishment this could be the extraction shooter for you, but it's hard to recommend to anyone that isn't already embedded in it.

In the pantheon of Mario Party games, Super Mario Party Jamboree is the best new game in a long, long time. After getting back to basics with Superstars, Jamboree sticks with the more traditional Mario Party formula in all the right ways, while still finding space to mix things up a little with new items, a blend of motion and button control minigames, Pro Rules, and some larger online modes and experiments. This is practically essential for Mario Party fans.

Silent Hill 2 is a fantastic remake of a true classic, Bloober Team putting their own spin on the iconic horror game. That being said, enough of rough edges remain that could put some players off – ironically the same rough edges that make it so successful for me. These echoes of some of the less positive aspects of the original game, as well as some performance issues on console, are the only negatives in a game that more than does service to the legacy of Silent Hill.

Ys X: Nordics maintains a lot of the qualities that this series has come to be known for. Some of those qualities aren't necessarily a positive, like the familiarly linear dungeon encounters and the less-than-impressive visuals of the game, but a lot of it works great. Combat is the best it's ever been, naval gameplay is a fresh and welcome addition, and Ys X: Nordics introduces refreshing character moments with Adol and Karja that I'm desperate to see more of in the next entry.

As a modern successor and sequel to the classic PS2 era Budokai Tenkaichi trilogy, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a great time for Dragon Ball fans. You'll have to ease yourself into the controls, but once it clicks it's a lot of fun to explore the full roster and smash anime characters together.

Thronefall may be a minimalist strategy title, but it is big in heart and has a lot of depth to it. It is a game that is simple to play, but will challenge you at every turn. It is incredibly tough to put Thronefall down as it has that one more turn feel down to a tee. The challenge will be offputting for some, and there is a possible bug of enemies running around a wall, but other than that Thronefall is worth your time.

Until Dawn remains a fantastic horror game with great acting and plenty of jump scares to get you out of your seat. While not essential for anyone that enjoyed the original game, this remake brings it to a new audience and is a solid update to what was already a great game.

Ravenswatch is an excellent roguelike, one that's filled with clever gameplay design, lovely art, and just a really cool core concept. Now that it's fully out in the wild, I'm happy to wholeheartedly recommend it to basically anyone who's even tangentially interested, and while I do sort of hope they keep releasing new characters, it already feels more than complete.

There’s a lot of soulslikes out there, but Enotria: The Last Song makes a decent grab for your attention with day-glow brighter than bright visuals and the fresh and engaging setting of Italian mythology. Unfortunately, too many text-boxes and confusing gameplay systems, along with a healthy dose of jankiness, takes the shine off this otherwise colourful soulslike.

Parcel Corps is easily one of the best attempts at revitalising a highly addictive subgenre of arcade game. Pulling off gnarly trick combos and thrashing those bike pedals feels great - even if things get repetitive after a while, saddling up for short bursts of play is incredibly fun. The world-building will also keep players engaged between delivery jobs with enough referential humour and satire to warrant the occasional hearty chuckle.

Undisputed is a valiant attempt by Steel City Interactive, bringing back boxing to the fore in video games after a long absence. The in-ring action is generally very good and the roster is well stacked. What is missing is good commentary and there are gameplay issues that need to be addressed, including lag and stuttering. Undisputed is not ready to be a title challenger yet, but updates may see it get there eventually.

Metaphor ReFantazio is sublime. Persona fans will have an absolute blast playing this, and hunting out the subtle (and not-so-subtle) nods to its franchise cousin. A couple of minor annoyances make it feel a little rough around the edges hold it back from an otherwise perfect score.

Arco is an artistic achievement, blending the struggles of gameplay and narrative into each other seamlessly as it draws you into the depressing but important stories of Mesoamerican natives struggling to carve out a space for themselves, in a world that grows more and more hostile by the day.

Playing Kill Knight feels like what happens if you gave a medieval peasant a bottle of soda. It's violent, and unexpected, and adrenaline-charged and fun as hell.

For under a fiver and with around five to six hours of content, the Mask of Darkness is practically an essential addition for fans of The Lost Crown. Offering an intense experience; as well as a surprisingly compelling story that fills in many of the blanks from the original game. Recommended.

Squirrel With a Gun is more than just a jokey throwaway meme game, but in some ways this is its biggest downfall. There is so much potential in the central mechanics that is held back by floaty controls and so it falls between two stools. A little more refinement and this could have been a more solid experience, but as a joke it goes on too long. That being said, there is enough here to entertain if you can look past those control issues.

Hollowbody does a great job of capturing the mood and feel of survival horror classics whilst removing some of the genre’s more annoying aspects and sits at the very top of the indie horror tree alongside the likes of Crow Country and Signalis.

While some of its gameplay diversions miss the mark, Dustborn is an excellent example of how to craft engaging characters and wrap a story around them. The game is filled with surprisingly natural sounding conversations, whether they’re serious and detailed or funny and light. It’s very rare that I encounter characters that are so believable in a game. Quite the achievement considering one of those characters is a gruff, bearded New Yorker with dwarfism who heals people by reciting poetry, who I honestly wish I got to spend more time with.

I’m still none the wiser who Funko Fusion is for. It’s a kid’s game that’s too adult for kids, with a batch of franchises that only older fans will really appreciate, but then they’ve dialled down the difficulty, presumably to appeal to younger players. The shame of it is, with the right characters, this is a great kids game, and the Jurassic World levels only highlight that. Funko Fusion offers plenty to like, but just like its plastic-melting antagonist, it fuses too many of the wrong parts together to feel cohesive.

As with the original, Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 is a simplified and cutesy take on the whole EDF think. While it succeeds in that goal, it loses a lot of the allure as it does so.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a charming delight, an adventure for Zelda herself that embraces a wholly different style of gameplay to Link's tales, allowing for player expression and creativity throughout.

EA Sports FC 25 is a slightly better offering than FC 24, thanks to the new Rush mode. FC IQ is still in its early stages and while it could have a huge impact on future titles, it is not yet very apparent how it is impacting the on the pitch action in this game. This is the EA Sports FC as you already know it. Whether that is a good or bad thing is up to you.

Beyond Galaxyland shows a lot of potential and has a very good battle system in it. Unfortunately, it is let down by bugs, some poor platforming, and racing. The bugs can be addressed in patches, but a bit more focus and refinement would have helped elevate this experience.

Ara: History Untold is another distinctive take on the historical 4X strategy genre, putting a real emphasis on furthering your nation, managing supply chains and resources, and shifting the focus away from warring mentality it's so easy to sink into. There's room to grow, but this is a strong contender.

Epic Mickey Rebrushed is the ultimate version of the game and the team at Purple Lamp have clearly put a lot of love into updating the game for a contemporary audience. That being said, the additions to Mickey’s moveset are completely unnecessary and the core game remains largely the same. If you’ve played Epic Mickey before then this version will bring back any nostalgia you have for the game and if you haven’t then it is a good way to experience a neglected title. The lack of anything more than a cosmetic upgrade does make the high price a little hard to justify but this is still a solid game for anyone with a fondness for the Mouse.

While the release schedule is packed with holiday season blockbusters, it’s indie delights like Caravan Sand Witch that are the true pioneers of gaming, Sauge’s adventures across Cigalo mirroring Plane Toast’s exploration of the human spirit.

Cobra Kai saved Karate Kid from drifting into irrelevance, plunging Daniel LaRusso and company into modern cultural consciousness. Sadly, there’s nothing about The Karate Kid: Street Rumble that will save it from fading into obscurity. And based on the apathetic fisticuffs the game offers, that’s probably a good thing.

Reynatis is a game full of heart that reminds me of the golden age of PS2 RPG adventures, for better and for worse. It's full of interesting ideas, but is lacking consistent execution. If you can see past that, I do think that the charm of the game – the strong character writing, the living city of Shibuya, and angsty JRPG vibe of it all – will really resonate.

Charming, gorgeous and tonally perfect, The Plucky Squire is easily one of the indie highlights of the year.

Ultimately, Jackbox Naughty Pack is the worst Party Pack to date, and while the bar is pretty high on the whole – tee hee – that doesn't change the fact that this just feels like a miss. It certainly doesn't help that there's only three games and two of them reskins, but maybe what's funny about being pure filth in normal Jackbox games is that you're doing it even if the game isn't winking and nudging you constantly. Maybe making our own fun and our own filth is the way forwards to a truly naughty experience.

Demon's Mirror is a wonderfully refreshing take on the whole deckbuilding genre, and well worth a look if you want something that genuinely feels new. If you've never played one of these before, however, then it's probably going to feel pretty tough to begin with, but it'll be worth it.

For those that didn’t experience Dead Rising back in the day, you are in for a treat. While not much has changed on the surface, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster goes so far beyond just giving the game a fresh lick of paint, tightening up gameplay, reimagining parts of the world, but still making for a damn fine and fun game to play. Go get ‘em Frank, your time is not done!

NBA 2K25 is both a great and a frustrating experience. Beneath the layers of VC and the slow grind is a very good basketball game. The presentation is top notch and MyGM is the best mode to play to get the full NBA experience. MyCareer can be fun and it is a shame it is so bogged down where players have to choose to grind very slowly to improve, or to spend quite a bit of additional money to improve their players.