Killing Floor 3 is like a McDonalds at 3am after a big night out. It’s basic and definitely not nutritious, but when you’re in the right mood, it hits the spot. If you’re after deep narrative or refined polish, look elsewhere. But if you and your mates just want to splatter monsters with some cracking gunplay and a healthy dash of chaos, you’ll find plenty to enjoy here.

Tales of the Shire offers a comfortable and lazy fantasy life, but it’s one that feels genuine and heartfelt. Fans of the genre will love it, as long as they’re prepared to fully embody the peace and tranquillity of a Hobbit’s way of life.

s.p.l.i.t is a tough game to write about, as at heart it is just a simulation of a textual file interface wrapped up in a dark and oppressive environment, but it is also so much more than that. The perfect fusion of themes and mechanics makes for an experience that is almost suffocatingly immersive and the darker aspects (although absolutely not for everyone) elevate s.p.l.i.t to be one of the most harrowing games you’ll find. Aside from the essential content warning, I’d recommend going in as blind as possible and just playing out your The Matrix and Sneakers fantasies.

Wild Hearts S is not the best place to play Wild Hearts. The less powerful hardware struggles at points to do the large, fantastical setting justice, and it’s disappointing to find the performance is inconsistent in a port of an older title. However, this is an old-school hunting title, whose core mechanics hold up extremely well in a post-Wilds world.

Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV takes the beloved boardgame series to new heights, emphasising the Switch 2's focus on social play while making the most of the new camera and the Joy Con 2’s great mouse controls. Not all of the DLC's content are essential, relying on gimmicks that you’ll quickly tire of, but as a whole package, this is a great next step for Mario Party.

Despite a fascinating premise, one inspired by both Chinese folklore and real-life history, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers resolutely fails to deliver on any of its initial early promise. This is a Soulslike by the numbers, one hampered by a cornucopia of PS5 performance issues that plague the game like a disease.

Shadow Labyrinth has a really great premise, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. The progression is too slow to keep things fresh and interesting, the story is lacklustre, and the gameplay just doesn't meet the expectations you would have for what is supposed to be a big new turning point for Pac-Man.

The Drifter is a new standard in point and click adventures and deserves to be spoken about in the same breath as the very best the genre has to offer. The look, sound, and feel of the game are all superb and it tells a story that never stops being thrilling. All in all, it’s an essential purchase for anybody who has even a passing interest in the genre.

No Sleep For Kaname Date might not move forward the narrative of this franchise in a major way, but it does provide a really entertaining and engaging side story to AI: The Somnium Files that fans of anything from the mind of Kotaro Uchikoshi will absolutely adore.

Islanders: New Shores is a gorgeously vibrant and chilled experience, one that brings a zen-like vibe to the city-building genre. Accessible and addictive, you’ll wish you could stay in paradise just a little bit longer.

Unfinished Business is a great evolution of Teyon’s take on RoboCop, with the more focused narrative and progression helping the story to push you through some combat encounters, whilst also adding some excellent lore to the wider world of Alex Murphy. If you enjoyed the first game, and maybe even if you didn’t, then I can recommend this return to Detroit. You have more than ten seconds to comply, but resistance is futile.

Donkey Kong Bananza is an intoxicating cacophony of brawling, digging and platforming. It's a new style of 3D platformer from Nintendo that, for better and for worse, embraces the destructive chaos of letting players tunnel through and deform the world.

Chains of Freedom probably isn't going to interest anybody other than big fans of the XCOM-like tactical genre. If you are that person, the combat here is good enough to keep you going until the end, but there's a fairly narrow window of appeal.

Ready Or Not is an incredible co-op experiencing, blending tough-as-nails encounters with hilarious co-op shenanigans and dynamic objectives. It isn't nearly as much fun singleplayer, but it's definitely just as tense.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream deserves to go down as a landmark stealth game. The finely-honed sneaking mechanics are an absolute joy to experience, whilst the absorbing story and immersive world will keep you creeping from beginning to end. The fact that this is River End Games' first release makes their accomplishment all the more impressive. Quite frankly, I can’t wait to see what the team do next and I’ll be eagerly awaiting the chance to visit Eriksholm again.

The inclusion of both the original and its superior sequel make Patapon 1+2 a great value release at the very least, but Bandai Namco could have done so much more to make these games as palatable as possible for modern audiences.

The Gex Trilogy is a good window into the history of gaming and the 3D games are still fun collectathon platformers, albeit with all the camera and control issues of the originals, and the awful 2D original I never want to play again. I would have liked to see a more Gexpansive remaster, and the result may not be entirely Gexceptional, but offers enough Gexperience to give you the kind of Gexual healing that only true nostalgia can provide.

KinnikuNeko: SUPER MUSCLE CAT is a bizarre game that pays homage to it's otaku roots with full voice and no hesitation. The platforming gameplay falters pretty frequently, but it's worth the trouble to experience such a wild and clearly fan-driven experience.

Copycat is a short and focused emotional story that is well worth playing through for any fan of narrative games and/or cat owners. While the game itself is solid, it is really the writing and emotional impact of the story that elevates Copycat from being just another animal-based 3D platformer. I defy anybody not to be moved by Dawn’s turbulent experiences and the game as a whole forced me to pause and give my own cats a cuddle more than once.

Maestro is an addictive and satisfying experience. You have a selection of legendarily good music to conduct, from Ride of the Valyries to Duel of the Fates, and there's plenty of challenge once you've grown familiar enough to move onto Hard difficulty, though you may need to pick up your actual controllers for that.

I quite like FBC: Firebreak, but I wish I could like it more. There's the amusing ideas of plaguing players with haunted sticky notes and rubber ducks, there's discovering unique level quirks for how to deal with picking up radioactive orbs safely, and the inherent joy of getting through tense backs-to-the-wall moments with allies by your side, but those moments of delight dissipate through a clunky user interface, abbreviated mission structure and too few levels to take on. This can still grow into something special, but Remedy might have to explore new directions to manage that.

Rooftops and Alleys is close to being a flipping great parkour game. This trick-filled, point-scoring, freerunning experience has a banging soundtrack and hilarious online play, but the fussy and frustrating controls stop it from climbing to the next level.

Yakuza 0 Director's Cut is a good way for new players to get into the series, and plays great on Nintendo Switch 2... but it's also a good bit pricier than the game on other platforms and the added cutscenes, voice work and co-op mode don't feel like enough to overcome that difference.

I Am Your Beast is an excellent fast-paced first person shooter that has a lot of content to get through, and replayability where you will want to keep pushing for the top marks. There’s a well told and well acted story too. It looks and sounds great, but is slightly let down by the lighting in the night missions.

Ruffy and the Riverside takes us back to a time where the 3D platformer was king, controllers had three prongs, and analogue sticks were a new-fangled invention. There’s the same vibrancy and creativity here as classics like Banjo-Kazooie and Mario 64, cribbing a few of their tricks along the way while making something that still manages to feel fresh and unique.

I really didn’t know what to expect from Date Everything. I mean, a game in which you can get amorous with your curtains is not your average Nintendo Switch experience. But that unusual uniqueness is all part of Date Everything’s substantial charm, it’s a delight bantering with a larger-than-life cast of characters that you can’t help but grow to love. Funny and life-affirming, don’t swipe left when it comes to Date Everything.

Fuga: Melodies of Steel 3 may be mostly more of the same, but that’s no bad thing. From the visuals, to the mechanics, to the narrative, Fuga 3 impresses on all levels, ending the trilogy on an unbelievable high note. At times harrowing, at others hopeful, it’s a great experience from beginning to end and I don’t think I’ll ever stop extolling the virtues of this incredible series. In fact, I cannot wait to see what CyberConnect2 does next in this compelling furry universe.

Wicked Isle feels like a band releasing greatest hits albums to meet a contractual obligation. It's a remix of what came before, so if you just want more Atomfall for a future playthrough or haven't played the main game yet, this slots right in. If you were hoping for a narrative hook that keeps you invested on its own merits, you'll be disappointed. This is just more of the same, but without a compelling mystery to pull you in.