Painkiller is a shame not because it's especially bad, but because some of the fun weapons and combat are buried beneath the dull, uninspired and repetitive mechanics, and a surprisingly short 6-hour runtime. It can be fun to shoot demons with cool weapons and a friend or two, but this just feels a bit too disposable, and ultimately uninspired.

Rise of Industry 2 isn't bad, really. It's actually rather good at what it does, it's just that what it does isn't that entertaining. The long periods of waiting for your businesses and decisions to bear fruit. If you're okay with waiting around for the money to come rolling in exchange for some really quite involved logistics and industry construction, then you'll likely enjoy this. If that doesn't sound too promising to you then you might want a broader city builder, where there's more stuff to focus on.

Football Manager 26 is the first step of a new era, and as we're seeing with some of the biggest clubs in the country, any new era comes with the challenge of rebuilding and both setting and meeting expectations. Football Manager 26 can get better with updates, but I doubt that this entry will be the one to make the most of the switch to the new engine, overhauled UI and new features. It might take one or two more years for this rebuild to really meet its potential.

This is a playful and enjoyable piece of Legend of Zelda lore, and one that will be essential for fans of the series, but it doesn’t break the same ground as Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, or even Age of Calamity.

I am left conflicted with Hotel Barcelona. It absolutely oozes the kind of style you’d expect its leading creators and there is real potential in the setting and story, but the actual game just isn’t that fun to play. The clunky controls stand out against the many similar action platformers and the multiple currencies make upgrades an unwelcome grind. I can’t help but think the story would be better suited to an anime rather than its current form. It’s worth a look if you can see past the jank (and many longtime fans of Swery and Suda51 are well used to that) but its shortcomings make this a booking you might regret.

Do you enjoy playing co-op games with your partner, child, friend or assorted loved one? Then please, in the name of Zeus himself, don’t play Biped 2. The intense challenge of this sequel can ruin your relationships with those closest to you as you shout and yell at each other in a desperate, but futile, attempt to make it through the most masochistic level design I’ve ever encountered.

Whilst the eponymous Red Strain itself is predictable, the other stuff surrounding it is pretty interesting. The same could be said of Oberon and the main game, though, and the interesting stuff is enough to pull you through here just like it was there. This expansion feels about same quality as the main game did, whilst Wicked Isle felt lacking, so this is a return to form in a way. It might not be enough to trigger a new playthrough, but it's a good addition if you decide to do one anyway.

Europa Universalis V marks the start of a bright new age for Paradox's Grand Strategy series, rebuilding the core, while retaining so much of the breadth, detail and regionality. There's some slight rough edges, which aren't surprising for a game of this scale, and room for expansion to better explore certain ideas and regions, but isn't there always?

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake elevates some of the most iconic and inspiring games in JRPG history into modern unforgettable adventures that are just as rich and rewarding as any other entry in the long-running Dragon Quest franchise.

Slime Rancher 2 is filled with charm, joy and adorable creatures, but the fun doesn’t translate to every aspect of the gameplay. In seeking to expand and add content to the game, the developers have made what should have been an effortlessly delightful experience a somewhat monotonous one.

We’re only two episodes in on the eight-episode arc, but Dispatch is already making a bid for one of my favourite games of the year. If you’re into Invincible or a fan of Telltale’s best works – that’s The Wolf Among Us, just so we’re clear – then you owe it to yourself to get onboard with Dispatch. You’ll still be in time for the water-cooler chat. [Episodes 1-2 review]

Escape Simulator 2 is a great sequel and an easy recommendation for puzzle game and escape room aficionados. There's some rough edges, but the environments are great, the puzzles satisfying, it's fun to share with others, and there's bags of potential for DLC and fan creations.

Two Point Museum on Switch 2 is a fairly straightforward port to Nintendo's latest console. The minor glitches and crashes should be ironed out quickly, but it's clear that the game simulation does hit the limits of the Switch 2's CPU and larger museums do drop the frame rate. Still, it remains a thoroughly enjoyable and endlessly quirky management sim that's an easy recommendation for fans of the genre and this series in particular. If you can't accept a few compromises, the other platforms are ready and waiting.

Once Upon a Jester is surprising game for me and I do recommend it, especially if you are looking for something comedic and that is only a few hours long. It might be over rather quickly, but will stay with you for quite a while.

Slots & Daggers is a very entertaining and fun game that thrives on the one more turn aspect, while also making you think tactically. The story's not the point here, and power up pricing feels a bit hard, but those weaknesses are easy to overly when the gameplay is this satisfying.

Yooka-Replaylee isn’t just the definitive version of the game; it’s one of the most enjoyable 3D platformers this side of Nintendo first party titles or Astro Bot. The levels are now packed with things to do, the range of different challenges keeps things interesting, and the upgrades and equippable tonics enable you to customise the difficult to suit your playstyle. All in all, this is now an essential purchase for fans of 3D platformers.

Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch offers up compelling tactics and enjoyable storytelling, while the Roguelike elements work startlingly well. If you’re a fan of the genre, this is one of the year’s essential entries.

Fading Serenades is a nice, chill courier game on a nice little island where life is pretty laid back. But there are hints of something more sinister that the story explores in a bit of detail, but not enough. The game can get repetitive quite quickly, but it looks and sounds good.

The Outer Worlds 2 is a thoroughly enjoyable game, but as sequels go, it's largely more of the same. While the overarching story isn't terribly interesting, the world building around it and the colony of Arcadia is great to explore. What's disappointing is a lack of improvement in too many areas. It looks better and gunplay is better, but old snags and weaknesses from the first game remain and, more importantly, it's not as exciting and new as it was the first time round.

The Beast is the Dying Light sequel I always wanted. It's dark, literally and tonally, focuses on zombies instead of warring human factions, and expands on some of the more outlandish and interesting ideas hinted at in the original. If this is indicative of what to expect in the franchise going forward, and it certainly looks that way, then I am excited.

Bye Sweet Carole is a curate’s egg of a game, with the presentation being truly superb and the storytelling excellent, but the bulk of the game experience just isn’t fun. The frustrating platforming and stealth, combined with the review build being quite buggy, led to me finishing the game with gritted teeth rather than enjoyment. The bugs can be fixed (and the devs are working on patches) but the imbalance between the two gameplay styles is a more fundamental issue. If you can see past this then the game has a lot to offer in terms of aesthetic and story but, ironically, these can be enjoyed through watching a playthrough without subjecting yourself to the frustration.

NASCAR 25 has proven to be a very welcome surprise, giving you a rendition of the sport that absolutely shines on track. Some of the supporting elements could do with a tune-up, but if you’re looking for heart-pounding racing action, NASCAR 25 delivers.

If Jackbox Party Pack 11 is anything to go by, then the second decade of Jackbox is going to be great. There's a familiar feel to the pack as a whole, but it's really well put together and there's a great injection of noisy new ideas.

Jurassic World Evolution 3 is exactly what you’d want from a JWE sequel. More dinosaurs, enhanced options and new systems that make your stunning dinosaur menagerie more realistic than ever before. Life finds a way, and you have a direct hand in it.

Persona 3 Reload on Switch 2 is a great opportunity to play an incredible game on the go. While there's compromises to the game on more powerful consoles, and it needs a performance patch, my commutes got a lot more interesting having this in my bag.

Ninja Gaiden 4 is a shock to the system that reminds us of a time before Souls-likes. It's a high-octane, unrelenting, and effortlessly cool action game experience that newcomers and franchise fans alike need to play.

Nine years on from the original, Lumo 2 writes another love letter to 80s gaming. While it branches out from isometric gaming with its many enjoyable diversions and asides, they're connected by too many rooms and sections that suffer from your sluggish movement and imprecise platforming.

Keeper captures the essence of Double Fine, packaged in a heartfelt and surreal world where you never quite know what will happen next. The gameplay regularly surprises, but the lack of challenge in even the more elaborate puzzles is a bit of a drawback, along with not being able to control the camera.