Mario Kart World takes that big and bold step into a different style of racing. A big open world, bigger lobbies, and a Battle Royale style multiplayer mode add up to a Mario Kart that is both familiar and refreshingly new. It's not as tightly tuned as Mario Kart 8 was, but this is still a lot of fun, and essential for the Nintendo Switch 2.

The Alters is one of the stand-out survival games of this generation. Imbued with a fascinating sci-fi concept for the ages - one that asks genuinely fascinating ethical questions – and with high-pressure survival mechanics that keep things stressful from beginning to end, this is quite the experience. Did I enjoy playing it? Not really, but good grief, I’ll never forget it.

To a T is a cute game about acceptance and community, but it doesn't do enough to keep it's concept fresh or engaging for the duration of the game, and there's a major lack of enjoyable gameplay to pair with it.

Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine Master Crafted looks very good with its 4k resolution, improved textures, and upgraded character models. It gives people the opportunity to play through the original story of Captain Titus, maintaining the feel of the original release. There were issues with the Master Crafted edition I do not remember experiencing when playing the Anniversary Edition including enemies getting stuck and control issues, though these will hopefully be patched out soon.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is packed full of exciting content, memorable characters, and unforgettable adventures.

Fast Fusion should be an instant buy for new Nintendo Switch 2 owners, providing an incredible dose of futuristic racing and a great graphical showcase for the new console at a bargain price.

After a day of playing Mario Kart World and Fast Fusion, Welcome Tour was a light, engaging way to wind down from high speed thrills. While it could arguably be a free pack-in exhibit, the £8 asking price is low enough that you shouldn’t feel too hard done by for the curious. If you want a undemanding and easily digested introduction to the way the Switch 2 works, then look no further. If you want an actual game, buy one of the other launch titles.

Despite its shortcomings in multiplayer, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is a jam-packed experience that I still don't want to put down. It so easily lulls you into a loop of adventure and exploration and gathering, and just when you start to tire out from your adventure, you're reminded of three other things you could also be doing for a change of pace. I don't know if I'll stop playing it any time soon.

The spirit of Gorkamorka lives on in Speed Freeks, with a frantic blast of multiplayer mayhem the perfect antidote to the grim dark realities of other Games Workshop titles.

More akin to playing through a proof of concept than a finished game, Scar-Lead Salvation fails to live up to the pitch of being an anime Returnal.

Hypercharge: Unboxed delivers on its promise of plastic-bashing toy warfare. However, for more mature gamers and fans of the genre, it doesn’t go deep enough, playing it safe with serviceable albeit rather basic gameplay.

Death end re;Quest: Code Z is a major fumble for what has so far been Idea Factory's most promising franchise yet. The idea of a sci-fi horror mystery dungeon adventure is right up my alley, but confusing writing and frustrating gameplay mechanics hold this one back and make it one of the most frustrating games I've played all year.

Elden Ring Nightreign is a fun multiplayer offshoot, but it also doesn't come close to the dizzying heights we're used to seeing from FromSoftware. It's an interesting experiment, and I am glad it exists despite my mixed feelings, but it's a shallow happiness when I expect far more profound experiences from this company.

Pispistrello and the Cursed Yoyo is a fantastic top down adventure game that deserves to be considered in the same echelon as classic Nintendo titles. It takes the traditional Zelda framework and reimagines it to create a world that is incredibly fun to explore. The thrill of nailing the yoyo traversal mechanics remains throughout and while the combat can be a little repetitive at times, this is equally the case with Link's various adventures. All in all, this is peak indie gaming and comes very highly recommended.

F1 25 is a clear improvement over last year’s entry, with improved handling, the returning Braking Point story mode and more all coming together to create an excellent F1 racing experience.

RoadCraft is the current culmination of the MudRunner ethos, balancing the series’ tough vehicular action with new mechanics, improved multiplayer, and a renewed focus on fun. Slow fun, but definitely still fun.

Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny is a highly influential classic, one that deserves a lot more love from Capcom than this drab remake has to offer. There was a brilliant opportunity to spoil the player with behind-the-scenes developer content here, but that chance has been squandered. Instead, you get to swap weapons with a button press rather than by going into the menu and sharper visuals. You're best off saving your money and digging your PS2 out of storage, I say.

It’s fluid, the new mechanics all make perfect sense, and there are plenty of interesting builds to mess around with and try and figure out. If you liked Monster Train, you’re going to love Monster Train 2. [Review in Progress]

The Horror at Highbrook is one of the best tabletop-style games I’ve played. The card-based mechanics are complex but introduced in a way that doesn’t leave you feeling overwhelmed, while the writing is top-notch and the atmosphere develops perfectly. Whether you’re a fan of board games, horror writing or just after an excellent written Lovecraftian mystery then this is an easy recommendation.

Blades of Fire is a very good game, blending tough action RPG combat with a fun and unique weapon forging. The story is a little by the numbers and exploration does have a lot of back and forth, but the different regions and enemies look great and the narrative is elevated by Aran and Adso's relationship.

The Flayed Man is a fantastic little point and click with a grotesque setting and wonderful atmosphere that deserves to reach a wider audience. Check it out and support the devs, as this taste shows that they have a massive amount of potential. The story and the aesthetics will stay with me longer than many higher priced games and it’d be a crying shame if their ambitions end here.

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is a near-perfect compilation. Each of the games brings something unique to bear, whether in the systems they employ, their arcade-perfect visuals or the participating characters. Whether you’re a newcomer to these titles or someone who loved them the first time around, this is an incredible collection of some of the best fighting games of all time, on modern hardware, for an unbelievably reasonable price.

Lunar Silver Star Story Complete pulls together two classic RPGs that are as endearing and enjoyable as they were two decades ago.

DOOM: The Dark Ages is a fun and flashy shooter stuffed with engaging content - it's a thrill-ride from beginning to end. In the shadow of DOOM Eternal, though, the more varied set-pieces and methodical combat cause its flame to burn just a bit less bright than I was hoping for.

Revenge of the Savage Planet is a fitting follow-up to the excellent original. Its impact is mildly diminished by being a little too forgiving, and it’s a surprisingly chilled experience despite everything wanting to murder you, but one thing is for certain; Revenge of the Savage Planet is a great time, and I want to see more from the Savage Planet franchise.

Spritifall is a stupendous roguelite that feeds on Smash Bros. style brawling. Brilliant fun from beginning to end, Gentle Giant have crafted one of the best recent entries in the genre.

Too much of my time with Kiborg was spent thinking how much more fun I’d be having if the game dumped the roguelite elements and just went full old-school third person action brawler. So many of its failings could be ignored in that form. Instead, Kiborg is a slightly underwhelming rougelite that looks like it should be far more fun that it is.

Captain Blood is an odd release as it feels like a relic of its original release context. This does leave it being a nostalgic experience for those old enough to remember this era of games, but there isn’t much that isn’t done much better by its influences. Releasing decades later actually does it a favour as it feels very different to the expansive open world experiences that dominate modern gaming. As a curiosity it makes for an interesting time but it mostly confirms why such games belong in the past. Not so much buried treasure, but it's certainly better than walking the plank.