Born of Bread may look unique but in reality, this is your run-of-the-mill action RPG. Some decent ideas can’t disguise the formulaic ingredients on offer. In terms of bread, it's more supermarkets’ own than an artisanal sourdough. When it comes to bread-based games, you deserve butter.

Despite the many technical issues Arizona Sunshine 2 is still a good game for VR gamers. There's really nothing like wandering around a zombie wasteland with your pet dog, but you may want to wait until a patch or two has been released to fix the bigger problems.

Avicii Invector: Encore Edition in VR the perfect final form of this modern rhythm-action classic.

Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR is an outstanding interpretation of the series’ iconic action into virtual reality, bringing the franchise to life like never before.

A Highland Song is a very different kind of game visually to Inkle’s previous work but is very much in keeping with their narrative focus. Combined with satisfying mechanics and a beautiful aesthetic this is a real treat, all topped off with folk music that’ll have your feet gaily tapping and a central performance brimming with personality. All in all a perfect game to curl up with on a cold winter’s night with a glass of single malt, or, perhaps, an Irn Bru.

Worldless is a fun and challenging action platformer that has a great minimalist style, and a battle system that is fun to master. However, there are bits that need tightening up to make it truly great.

Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria has the potential to be a challenging and enjoyable multiplayer experience. The loop of mining, crafting, and exploring is a satisfying one when overwhelming hordes of goblins aren’t haranguing you. There doesn’t seem to be any real optimisation for solo players so I’d probably stay clear unless you can get a band of dwarves together to brave the darkness of the mines.

Talos Principle 2 is the best puzzler since 2011. This is as good as the genre gets and absolutely essential for puzzle game fans.

With a compelling historical story as its inspiration, multi-faceted train management and tough small-scale tactical battles, there’s a lot for strategy fans to like about Last Train Home, and I’m keen to keep chugging away with my own journey through the game. [Review in Progress]

The Pale Reach is just more Dredge, which is fine by me, another few hours of bobbing around in a boat, fishing, and being hunted by giant sea monsters, all of which is weirdly relaxing.

Gangs of Sherwood is exactly what it needs to be: fun for everyone playing it. It's definitely a game you'll want to play with friends for the best possible experience though, so do keep that in mind if you're more of a single player kind of person. I've been having a blast with it though, and if I can convince some friends to join me, I'd imagine I'll be playing it for a fair bit of time to come.

SteamWorld Build will scratch that itch of town builder and dungeon crawler alike. It's an easy game to pick up and play, gradually introducing each layer of society and underground mining at a steady pace. A few elements could be improved to help levels flow better, but overall it's a very good experience that digs up yet another new genre for the SteamWorld franchise.

American Arcadia takes The Truman Show's core concept and updates it for the 2020s with a two-sided tale of escape, freedom and corporate control. The gameplay is mainly there to help deliver this story, but I always wanted Trevor to keep running to get me to the final moments and grand reveal.

Flashback 2 is a shameful nostalgia cash-in that is an affront to the classic original. Unfortunately awful in every way imaginable, do not buy this game.

Valfaris: Mecha Therion is another awesome addition to the series that takes the aesthetic and soundtrack of the earlier games and transplants them to a new genre. While not the longest of games (I completed it 3 times in my 12 hours) there is a lot of replay value with the various difficulty settings, weapon upgrades and some devilish achievements to challenge you. Whether you are already a fan of Steel Mantis’ adventures or new to the series Mech Therion is a fantastic slice of heavy metal mayhem and comes highly recommended.

Bang-On Balls Chronicle is a well designed 3D platformer that has plenty to keep you occupied and benefits from really good level design but its puerile sense of humour isn’t as edgy or funny as it thinks it is and often holds the game back. I would have liked a little more complexity in the controls and challenging trophies that required mastering them rather than the 'LOL random' ones included. Maybe that makes me a grumpy old man but I would still recommend taking these balls out for a spin. Um, oo-er matron etc.

You Will Die Here Tonight begins as a great indie homage to Resident Evil and then develops to be a fantastic take on survival horror in its own right. While there are a few unpolished aspects here and there the overall experience is a stand out in a genre that is so often defined by slavish adherence to tropes and traditions. Any self-respecting fan of survival horror owes it to themselves to face the evil residence and find out the true horrors awaiting within.

Berzerk Recharged is a great game if you have ten minutes to spare. You don't have look up the controls, search massive maps for crafting materials or remember the plot, just dive in, shoot robots and chase high scores. Great fun in short bursts.

At best, the Metal Gear Solid HD Master Collection is a cynical cash grab that is trying to repackage and resell you on nostalgia. There are very few reasons to part with your cash at this point: wait for a proper ground-up remake.

With its enhancements over the original release, Risk of Rain Returns is an excellent game to spend some time with, whether that's on your own or playing with mates. It does make me want to go and play more Risk of Rain 2 though, as I do miss the extra dimension, but that could just be a me problem.

Backpack Hero is an excellent roguelike that should be on everyone's radar. Every moment of the game is fun to play, the story is solid, and the meta progression is deeply satisfying. It's everything a good roguelike should be, and I'm going to continue playing it as soon as I finish writing this paragraph.

Asterix and Obelix: Slap Them All! 2 could have been a tremendously fun arcade-inspired side-scrolling beat ‘em up. Instead, it’s a boring, lifeless, repetitive, and unfinished mess. Avoid like a menhir to the face.

Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realm of Ruin is a great-looking, well-tuned RTS that will keep Games Workshop fans happy for many hours.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 isn't an outright bad game, but it's also not a particularly good one. Taken on its own, it's a slightly above average first person shooter with a poor campaign, but in context, you can see how hurried and limited in scope this game really is. The multiplayer is effectively a classic map pack, Zombies and Open Combat Missions are game modes built within the existing Warzone map, and the campaign's pacing and story come up short. It all adds up to a lacklustre experience and even a sense that Call of Duty is at risk of losing its identity.

Persona 5 Tactica is a good game, but it is a game that's standing on the shoulders of giants – when the giant is the size of Satanael, you have a lot to live up to. Indeed, it’s very difficult to score this and not compare it to the other games in the series as a result. Tactica is good, but it’s not great, and while it is always nice to sink into that warm-bath feeling of hanging out with your fictional friends, it won’t be remembered as either a series high or the best spin-off the franchise has to offer.

There is a lot to love in the Super Mario RPG remake. An adorable art style, deceptively deep combat, an excellent updated soundtrack, and genuinely funny skits and writing all make this game as much of a joy to play as the SNES original. If you can look past the simplicity of the game overall, and the occasionally frustrating experience that is the jumping puzzles, this is a stellar addition to the Switch’s already stacked library.

Invincible Presents: Atom Eve is a fun blend of visual novel and combat, with a decent and well-written story and very good artwork alongside. The combat is good too and the whole package really adds to Invincible lore, even if it is not canon.

With the simplicity of squash and block smashing at its core, C-Smash VRS is a virtual racket sport delight. The bat and ball physics are tricky to master, but stick to the easier Zen mode, or play with a friend in multiplayer and co-op, and there's plenty of joy to be had here.

Beyond the Dawn is a hefty expansion, but a lot of that heft is stuff you'll have already seen and experienced in the original game. While it doesn't go out of the way to explore a new perspective or shake up the formula of the base game, if you're a diehard fan of Tales of Arise, this DLC is a super rewarding trip down memory lane.

Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord proves that VR ‘bustin makes you feel good. It’ll feel even better with a group of friends though.

Retro Drive Revamped is a great-sounding blast from the past, and while its old-school arcade-styled mechanics might frustrate, this is a soundtrack you’ll want to return to no matter the decade.

Dave the Diver is a bountiful feast of sushi prep, fish hunting, and store management. The Nintendo Switch version, however, hampers what would otherwise be the most rewarding and feature-rich management game of the year.

The Greek Myths have been plundered by video game developers to such a degree it’s hard to conceive that a fresh take could be even possible. Remarkably, Achilles: Legends Untold offers just that. This action-adventure might be a little rough around the edges, but that arguably adds to its charm. If you can put up with some nasty difficulty spikes then you’ll find a remarkable world of myths and legends to explore.

Dreamworks All-Star Kart Racing is a better kart racer than you’re probably expecting, but its low production values mean it can’t come close to Nintendo’s genre-defining franchise.

There's a lot of depth to Football Manager 2024, but how deep you go is up to you. You can sit back and just focus on the basics of the match day and transfers, or you can all the way to managing individual player training and using the new player targets feature Whatever approach you choose, Football Manager 2024 offers a near full package to start or continue your managerial career.

The Invincible is a novel brought to life, blending its story and stunning visuals with engaging exploration. The Invincible goes back to the roots of sci-fi, offering something both classic and new when it comes to exploring the relationship between humanity and the final frontier.

Thirsty Suitors succeeds because it delivers on story. Memorable characters, top-notch voice-over work, and stand-out dialogue all help elevate the average gameplay elements. Ultimately, Jala’s is a story that you’ll enjoy from beginning to end, even if it does involve suffering through a deluge of QTEs.

WarioWare: Move It! calls back to the early excitement of the Wii and motion controlled gaming. There's a ton of daft and inventive microgames here (with a slightly surprising amount of bum shaking), that's great for solo, co-op and multiplayer, but brace yourself for some wonky motion controls and fleetingly frustrating failures.

Robocop: Rogue City certainly looks the part, but beware of this gleaming, shiny, polished graphical exterior; it hides mechanical insides that are rust-riddled and broken. Dead or alive, this game definitely shouldn’t be coming with you.

Endless Dungeon is a dungeon-delving delight, shaking up a batch of mechanics and turning in a heady cocktail that’s as good at home as it is served up in a space-station saloon.

If you’re tired of Madden’s raft of bugs and incremental improvements, Wild Card Football offers a completely different take on the sport that’s simply focused on fun. Given the choice this year, you’ll find me on Wild Card’s field.

I started Everspace 2 deeply unsure about a space looter shooter. Tens of hours later I don’t want to play anything else. Everspace 2 is a towering achievement of space-based thrills and spills. It absolutely deserves your attention.

UFC 5 is a very good fighting game with a lot of depth to it, and will provide plenty of entertainment for UFC fans. The career mode feels quite basic though and a bit more depth to it would have been welcome. There are also bugs that need addressing and the flailing of limbs when fighters get tangled makes things look a bit comical. Still, this is worth stepping into the Octagon.

Just as it gives equal screen time to its two protagonists, Alan Wake 2 is a fine blend of equal parts narrative and survival horror. Both aspects are brought together in brilliant fashion to create a game that is going to mess with your head, scare the hell out of you and make you grin about it as you plunge forward once more, eager to see what's next.

Hellboy: Web of Wyrd will delight fans with its visuals and Mignola-certified tale, but its roguelike nature and slow combat don't make the most of the source material.

Ghostrunner 2 is undoubtably excellent. While it's a tough and challenging game, the quick reloads help alleviate frustration and replace it with the "just one more try" drive to overcome it. There's a handful of small control niggles that might annoy, and if repeatedly dying is a pet video game peeve of yours, it might not be for you, but if the game gets its hooks into you, it's a sheer, visceral delight of dude slicing, shuriken flinging, laser dodging, taking a bullet to the face, reloading, and trying it all again.

Gargoyles Remastered is a disappointing time. Fans of the original will delight in getting to play it on a modern system and the quick rewind helps to alleviate some of the more egregious design choices, but it also highlights how barebones this remaster really is. The rough and ready feel isn’t helped by modern visuals that look aesthetically worse and seem to add extra lag and imprecision to the controls. This is one oldie that perhaps should have been left to sleep in stony isolation.

Transformers: Earthspark - Expedition isn't going to win any awards, it's (relatively) cheap and cheerful and borrows from many other games. What it does, it does well, and despite the mish mash of elements it does work as a cohesive game. Fans of the cartoon will love it, while grumpy old Geewunners may find it less enticing, especially as Optimus now sounds like your Dad's mate Dave from down the pub.

Cities: Skylines 2 has a bright future ahead of it. The core city building is solid, a well-rounded new take on the city building genre that already covers a lot of bases, but has plenty of room for expansion and further ideas to come through to it. Sure, you might miss the creature comforts of old DLC and mods, but given time Cities: Skylines 2 will be a bigger and better city builder.

Sonic Superstars is a decent Sonic game, but it is not the return to former heights that some would expect. It offers entertainment and fun, but is marred by the action being slowed down quite a lot, interrupting the flow, and boss fights that drag on and feel like a throwback instead of an evolution.

CRYMACHINA has a promising story and a fresh aesthetic, but the presentation leaves so much to be desired. Convoluted and rushed world-building makes it hard to get invested, and the basic and repetitive combat encounters make it hard not to feel like the loop between gameplay and story is more of a chore than it's worth.

Hexarchy takes a bold step by blending 4X strategy with deckbuilding, but it works well to create a fun tactical game to enjoy in short bursts. Do not expect tons of depth when it comes to diplomacy or a slow burn, but if you want to enjoy a quick tactical game then Hexarchy is for you.

Jackbox Party Pack 10 is one of the stronger entries in the Jackbox pantheon, and I'm a big fan of it as a whole. Each game has its own pacing, and while I do think everyone will find their favourites as always, the mix feels very good this time around, and even the trivia game is fun. This is a great party pack that'll be a good addition to any game night. Apart from Dodo Re Mi – I hope those digital birds stay eaten.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder puts a fresh new spin on the classic Mario side-scroller with wild and trippy level transformations. It's still Mario at its core, but it's fun not knowing what to expect from each level. This could be the start of a bright new era for 2D Mario games.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 Turbocharged is like Hot Wheels Unleashed, but better in every single conceivable way. Frenetically fluid and stonkingly fast, this is a quality arcade racer that will slap smiles on the faces of both young and old alike. Just don’t mention the single-player campaign.

Detective Pikachu Returns falls flat, feeling like a hollow experience with under-baked and sparse bolts of brilliance. Wide and mostly empty areas, a difficulty level smaller than a Cutiefly, slightly more gameplay than your standard visual novel, short run time and limited usage of its one truly unique and fun mechanic. Forgive the cliche, but most of Detective Pikachu Returns’ moves just weren’t very effective.

Spider-Man 2 is a fantastic sequel, building on the excellent foundations of its forebear while delivering a story that drives these beloved characters forward.

Cocoon is a beautiful experience that marries a gorgeous aesthetic with increasingly complex puzzles that really push you to experiment with the game’s mechanics. Whilst it isn’t a long or excessively challenging game, I would urge you to absorb yourselves in its dimension-hopping delights.

Star Trek: Infinite gives us a damn solid 4X experience doused in the rich history of the Star Trek universe, and with plenty of space to include more Deep Space Nine, Voyager and other quadrants of the galaxy through expansions. Even if you’re not a fan of the source material, it can still stand alone as a good experience which will only improve over time.

I desperately want to like Lords of the Fallen, but it's the first game all year that's actively annoyed me. I love the Soulslike genre more than any other, but this game took all of the lessons it could have learned since the original Lords of the Fallen and either forgot them entirely, or just misunderstood them so greviously that you'd assume it skipped a class.

Gazzlers is a fun-filled arcade blast that gives VR fans the perfect opportunity to switch their brain off. It’s not the kind of thing you’ll want to play in one long sitting – few VR games are during a rather summer-like October – but returning to it day in, day out, is the perfect way to get your daily endorphin hit. [Tested on Meta Quest 3]

The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails is an absolute gem, and one of Nihon Falcom's best games period. It's a simple, bite-sized, and endlessly rewarding action RPG that brings all the charm of a hand-held adventure to the big screen without missing a beat.

The Baten Kaitos Collection is a duology remaster that's full of contrasts, demonstrating perfectly the highs and lows that come with bringing decades old games to new consoles. The two games are great little JRPGs from yesteryear, however given the weird nature of the first and the generic nature of the second, it’s difficult to recommend to any but those wanting the nostalgia trip or die-hard fans of the genre.

Assassin's Creed Mirage will appeal to anyone who's been pining for a return to the old school open world stealth of the earlier games. It's pretty much exactly that with a few extra refinements and additions. Some of those additions are a bit distracting and immersion breaking, but nothing gets in the way of some good old fashioned assassinations.

Sometimes it's worth trying to reinvent the wheel, and Turn 10's renewed Forza Motorsport takes the series in some new and worthwhile directions. The 'CarPG' levelling and pre-race practice sessions really help to foster familiarity and confidence with cars and tracks over time, and Forza is now on a par with Gran Turismo and others for the online race structure. It all sets the foundations for years of new cars, tracks, races and further improvements that I'm looking forward to seeing.

Baldur's Gate 3 is a masterpiece and a true next generation RPG. Sure it has a handful of small issues, but they pale in comparison to the quality of the writing, the depth in character creation, the sheer wealth of options available to players, the voice acting, the gorgeous world, which are all just exemplary. There's no wonder it has sent ripples through the industry and gathered more attention than even Larian expected, it's got quality and creativity leaking out of every frame.

The Lamplighters League doesn't quite live up to its promise and expectations. There's a fun mix of real time exploration and turn-based combat, but it's a step short of the best strategy games of the year – others like Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew have done it better. Given more time and more engaging narrative The Lamplighters League could have been great. It will have to settle for decent at best.

Monster Hunter Now could grow into a true successor and companion to Pokémon Go, but only if Niantic listen to their audience make rapid improvements to the game. Smoothing out the difficulty curve and server issues could elevate the game, but the gameplay loop of buying Gems for Potions just to get through a day's play is quickly becoming obnoxious.

Mineko’s Night Market goes down as one of my biggest disappointments of the year. The early promise is entirely squandered through inane conversations, repetitive minigames and a feeling more akin to a mobile game loop than a cosy game. The art style and plethora of cats are cute, but I’m afraid this is one to avoid.

The Crew Motorfest provides plenty of fun arcade racing, though it does very little to break new ground for the genre. There's plenty to get your teeth into, but there are some annoying design decisions and a few technical issues that take the shine off it. Still, I can see it finding plenty of fans, particularly on PS5 where the only competition from a 'Horizon' game involves robotic dinosaurs.

Fate/Samurai Remnant is the best game in the franchise. It's a perfect blend of Fate worldbuilding and faithfulness to the Edo-period Japanese setting. It's also an incredible next step for Omega Force, and delivers one of the most addictive and engaging action-adventure experiences I've had in ages.

Separate Ways is a fantastic addition to Resident Evil 4 Remake and really cements its place as one of the series’ best. Add in some unexpected nods to wider aspects of Resident Evil lore and you have a DLC that works both as extra content to the main game and wider fan service too. If you enjoyed the RE4 Remake then this DLC is pretty much an essential purchase.

Sports FC 24 is not the complete departure from FIFA that its name would suggest. Most of the fundamentals remain in place and the career modes have barely been updated. Then again, Ultimate Team is the series' real money-spinner, coming with the addition of evolutions and mixed gender teams. Overall, the on-pitch gameplay is good, and you can see the extra animations enhancing the football sim, but it isn’t a massive evolution of EA’s flagship series.

Chants of Sennaar and the way it explores the relations between different groups of people is really engaging as a game. With language at its core, it highlights both the differences and the similarities between people and cultures. Chants of Sennaar is a puzzle game that deserves attention.

Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless sets a new standard for fun and flashy strategy RPGs. It's such a perfect blend of classic Disgaea feel and quirky new mechanics, and it's got some of the most memorable and entertaining characters the series has seen. This is the sequel that fans have been waiting for.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a fantastic homage to the original film and really shines in its general presentation, but the gaming experience itself proves to be a frustrating one. Combine an increasingly toxic community and the prevalence of cheaters with a distinct lack of maps and variety and you have a game that may well struggle to succeed in competition with the many other titles in the asymmetrical horror genre. To paraphrase the tagline to the movie – will this game survive and what will be left of it?

There’s not many wholly new ideas within the mix of Payday 3, but it’s a sensible refinement of what those games tick, bringing in some interesting tweaks and gameplay changes to smooth the experience a little. All in all, Payday 3 is a welcome return for the heist ’em up series, and a reminder of why the first two games were so popular. [Review in Progress]

Daymare 1994: Sandcastle is a decent second title in the series which makes some improvements but still struggles to come together as an complete experience. The basic combat and movement controls lack the refinement of the titles from which it takes inspiration. Taken alongside a story that goes from interesting to incoherent in the 6 or 7 hours it takes to complete and you have an interesting title that is worth a look by survival horror fans but not at full price.

Under the Waves is a beautiful game, both graphically an narratively, though the latter is on the sadder end of the beauty scale. It is a little short, but it's an affecting story with some fantastic voice performances that really help elevate what is already effective dialogue. It's not perfect but it is unique and it's a joy to explore the depths of the north sea in your cute little submarine.

Super Bomberman R 2 should be great. It can do just about anything a Bomberman game could possibly be asked to do. If only it could offer a decent game of Bomberman. A real missed opportunity.

The Teal Mask could have been a chance to give us some much-needed performance updates for Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Instead, any shine it could have offered is marred by the same performance issues present at the launch of the main game, and it's just not acceptable at this point. Unless you're a die-hard Pokemon fan, the additions here simply aren't enough.

If you’ve enjoyed the Trine series up to this point then you are in for a treat, Trine 5 is by far the best entry yet, offering puzzles that are phenomenally inventive and an utter delight to solve. If you haven’t taken the plunge yet with Trine, then now is the perfect chance. If only we could ditch the combat and have twice the puzzles, then truly would Trine reach co-op puzzling perfection.

Regardless of what this review says, NBA 2K24 will sell millions of copies, and generate millions of dollars through VC. That is because basketball fans who want to play a basketball game have nowhere else to go. The on court action is really good, but without competition to keep them honest, 2K's monetisation has got out of hand and made modes like MyCareer near unplayable without extra investment from players.

Forget your 2Ks and your Fight Forevers, if you want to experience fun and surprisingly authentic pro-wrestling action in 2023 then WrestleQuest is by far your best bet. Wax your back, coat yourself in baby oil, and prepare your promo, because WrestleQuest is the pro-wrestling RPG love-fest you never knew you always needed.

Mortal Kombat 1 serves as a love letter to fans of this thirty-one-year-old franchise and as a pseudo-reboot it also has potential appeal to newcomers alike. There's still room to grow and I'm sure it will just keep getting better, but Mortal Kombat 1 is already definitely worth your time.

Smooth combat, seamless exploration and a set of well-executed mechanics makes Lies of P an excellent Soulslike. When you add in the gorgeous visuals, desolate world design, stark sound design and engrossing story, it raises the experience above a lot of its contemporaries. All in all, although Lies of P is essentially Bloodborne featuring Timothée Chalamet, it does more than enough to mark itself out as a unique title worth your time – and I’m not lying.

Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs is full of interesting nuggets of narrative revelations for fans of the long-running Utawarerumono visual novel series, but its pacing problems and lacking quality make it much less suitable for newcomers than it should be.

Skyrim and Fallout 4 had a space baby and named it Starfield. As with every child, there’s the hope that it will better its parents as it grows into adulthood, and from the time spent with Starfield, I’d say it’s right up there with Bethesda’s best. I’ve certainly enjoyed what I’ve seen so far and the new setting, but there’s just no getting away from the fact that it has its mother’s eyes and its dad’s nose. [Review in Progress]

Baldurs Gate 3 is an exquisite example of a role-playing game, and an incredible recreation of the Dungeons & Dragons experience. It is, in a word, unmissable.

A mixed bag but worth buying just for Metal Black, New Zealand Story and Liquids Kids. It's a shame the rest of the compilation has been padded out with obscure titles such as Dinorex and Ben Bero Beh when TAITO have so many classic titles such as Operation Wold, Chase HQ and Mr Do! Perhaps we'll see them in Taito Milestones 3.

Sea of Stars has clearly been made by people with a deep and abiding love of JRPGs. That level of passion is hard to mimic, and the result is a heavily playable game with morish visuals, a cracking story and deeply considered level design. However, while it is very good, it isn’t quite perfect. Combat needed to be deeper (or at least escapable) and while the dynamism was a great touch, it wasn’t enough to carry it all the way through to the end.

The long-awaited return of FromSoftware's mech-filled series, Armored Core 6 delivers on a lot of what fans will have been hoping and dreaming of. Building and customising mechs is engaging, missions are action-packed and it looks gorgeous, but it's undercut by swings in difficulty for boss fights and an all-too-familiar story.

Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is a challenging tactical game with a fun story and characterful crew. The varied missions do a good job of giving you plenty of options for how to tackle them, leaning into different crew abilities. There's a few rough edges, but Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew’s treasure hunt is well worth partaking in.

Immortals of Aveum is the epitome of a good game. The characters are well-acted and the world design is fantastic. The story though feels too safe and there’s no real wow moment. While the combat is fun too, you'll have seen the majority of enemy types quite early on, and combat does become repetitive.

Fort Solis aims for big-budget horror but fails to deliver on all fronts. I don’t mind short games in the slightest, in fact, I welcome them, but Fort Solis felt like four hours of my life I will not get back. Unless you have money to throw away, you should probably give this one a miss.

Madden 24 takes some big steps forwards in terms of the underpinning technology, and it continues to play a good game of American football. For all those steps taken technically, it feels as those the rest of the game has stayed firmly in place, and there are far too many bugs to hinder the experience at launch.

Affogato manages to create a rich and flavorful blend of visual novel, tower defense, and social RPG. It may be lacking in side-activities, but what's there is special, and definitely worth digging into if you're looking for something new.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time back with The Penitent One and would heartily recommend it both to fans of the original and newcomers alike. There are enough changes to make it feel like a new title whilst still having continuity in setting and aesthetic.