Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a masterpiece, as if created on a canvas by the Paintress herself, and is an absolute must-play...Its inspirations from RPG series contemporaries like Persona and Final Fantasy are clear in its gameplay. However, Sandfall’s unique mix of turn-based & real-time combat, stunning world, impeccable soundtrack, and first-rate cinematic storytelling makes the debut title of this new studio stand out on its own. By not only honing the strengths of past RPGs and being bold enough to push them forward, this stands as one of the new greats within the genre. If this is what a brand-new dev team can create just for their first game, we should all be excited to see what they whip up for their second.

While it may not be a masterclass of the genre, The First Berserker: Khazan is a thrill that improves the more you play. It has unique mechanics that differentiate it from other soulslikes, while never losing sight of what it sets out to be. While the story may not be the most entrancing, there's certainly enough there to compel players to get to the end, no matter how many controllers or keyboards lost their lives in the process.

Split Fiction is another wonderful co-op adventure from Hazelight Games. While the story is forgettable, the level and gameplay design is smarter and more ingenious than I could ever have imagined. The variety and quality only improve as you progress, seeing the game throw things at you that you’ll never have seen before. It’s a joy from start to finish.

Atomfall is a testament to intricate, compact, RPG design. A proof that 'bigger' isn’t always the answer to immersive RPG design. It also shows just how wonderful games can be when they respect player freedom. With a solid gameplay loop, enchanting locales, and some absolutely delicious quest design, Atomfall is a delightful success of the classic ‘Fallout’ RPG formula, despite its flaws.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ few frustrations are quickly outweighed by a magnificently immersive Japan, an excellent AC-style mix of real-world and fictional characters like Yasuke and Naoe, and a fantastic cinematic-level story to let them all shine — especially if you experience the Japanese dub via the Immersive Mode.

Wanderstop is a narrative-driven game by Ivy Road that follows Alta as she helps Boro run a tea shop in the middle of a mysterious forest. There's much of what you would expect from a cozy game: colorful plants, adorable creatures, and eccentric customers in desperate need of a cup of tea. After a while, however, it becomes clear that you are there to experience more than just serving tea.

Monster Hunter Wilds pulls off the ambitious foray into the open world genre with near perfection. The quality of life is better than ever before, and it's more of the same with improvements upon all existing systems. If you want to get your friends into the franchise, this is the game.

While it’s clear there’s more drama bubbling below the surface, ready to burst out, Bloom & Rage is shaping up to be my favorite narrative adventure game since Life Is Strange: Before The Storm.

Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is an excellent addition to the Yakuza franchise and has enough content and polish to qualify as one of the best Yakuza games. Pirating on the high seas has never been this fun before.

Despite these flaws, Avowed offers a fantastic RPG excursion to the Living Lands, with an intriguing world to explore, a gripping narrative that'll keep you hooked, and sumptuously satisfying combat against a varied cast of enemies. With a few bugs to address and a requirement to grind out crafting materials for upgrades, it's by no means perfect, but Avowed offers a further iteration on the tried and tested RPG formula loved by so many, and will no doubt be played for years to come.

The medieval adventure you have been waiting for, this sequel improves on everything and then some, delivering a tale that is worth experiencing for a long time.

Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer is the ideal experience for those looking to exercise more regularly, with fun boxing gameplay and gamified mechanics that reward consistency and progress.

A worthy successor that is sure to blow away all expectations, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is an ambitious survival horror that immerses you in its massive world and systems like few others can.

While not everyone has access to a Quest 3 headset, everyone needs to play Batman: Arkham Shadow – it’s that much of a must-have that it’ll be a guaranteed system seller. It admirably transposes the Arkham gameplay loop to VR in a way that harnesses the medium’s idiosyncracies while also retaining the DNA that made the previous games so special. It’s the best VR game I’ve ever laid hands on, and one of 2024’s biggest surprises.

Mario & Luigi Brothership has made it to the top of my favorite Mario RPGs, a feat that I never thought would be achieved. Everything is constantly entertaining throughout the experience, from the creative animations to the energetic sound effects and wonderful roulette of activities; the game provides a revolving door of engaging fun at every step.

Overall, New World: Aeternum is a fun, engrossing open-world RPG. There is an amazing amount of stuff to do, from harvesting and crafting, to combat and adventure. The main story is nothing groundbreaking but it is entertaining nonetheless. Player progression feels easy and relatively quick, but there is so much to experience that it feels like it will take a long time before I start to get bored. I particularly enjoy the interactions with NPCs; the voice acting is great and the scripts are reminiscent of old-school Fable. It's all very friendly and tongue-in-cheek much of the time.

Silent Hill 2 isn't just superior to the original - it may just be the greatest survival horror ever made.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is everything one could want from a new entry into the RPG genre. It uses what came before it masterfully, and its few shortcomings aren't nearly enough to derail what is otherwise a masterclass in the genre. Give it a look if you love Atlus RPGs, or if you love the RPG genre in general.

It’s a remake that knows what we want and gives it to us, instead of instituting needless changes. What changes there are are often subtle, or add to the game instead of detracting from it. This isn’t a remake to play if you want something drastically different, but if you want a more interactive approach to movie night, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better (or season-appropriate) option.

World Brothers 2 provides excellent upgrades to mechanics from the first game to make this one feel even better to play.

While it might not be the most approachable city builder in the world, Frostpunk 2 is still an exemplary entry in the genre. Its challenge leads to some really rewarding moments of triumph, and the sheer number of options for how you can help your band of survivors thrive is a great selling point for anyone who wants their day to day decisions to matter. I'll be braving the icy wastes of this game for months and years to come, and I doubt I'll be the only one.

Hooking me right from the start and eliciting pure joy all the way to the end, The Plucky Squire has gone the extra mile in rewriting what should be expected out of an action-adventure such as this. By drawing from classic inspirations and adding its own spin on things, this is a game that leverages its creativity in all the good ways and ultimately writes a happy ending not just for Jot and his friends, but hopefully, also for the future of its creators.

If you want something that updates the game significantly you’ll be disappointed in Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster - but if you want to revisit the original, this is the definitive way to do so.

Wild Bastards is a sequel that tries to mod some of the gameplay mechanics of the original, but loses steam along the way

As an entire basketball package, there is no denying that NBA 2K25 is something to be savored by fans of the sport. With its great selection of game modes and the various improvements made in all areas, this makes it more of an obvious choice compared to last year's offering, and when Visual Concepts and 2K Games finally cut the cord with the previous generation, there will surely be even more amazing things to look forward to for a championship-caliber franchise.

In its playful personality and incredibly inventive design, Astro Bot reminds me a lot of Mario Odyssey. It truly does sit alongside the best platformers of all time, providing some moments of pure magic and joy. Considering how smart and unexpected much of Astro Bot is, the possibilities for future adventures are endless.

With beautiful worlds and an even more gorgeous rendition of the daily proceedings of an Ultramarine, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 knows exactly what it can offer and doubles down on it. With splendid combat that is slightly held back by repetition and a universe that has obvious potential, the story of Titus is ripe for more and fans will have much to chew through as they cut down every enemy of the Emperor along the way. Needless to say, either you are with us or against us, but it will be a bloody fantastic time either way.

Not only is the Casting of Frank Stone a fantastic Dead by Daylight game, it's also a fantastic game in its own right.