Speaking as someone who has played Until Dawn on PS4 many, many times and counts it as one of their favourite games — while I won't go so far as to say that I like this new version more than the original, I certainly don't like it less either. Both versions have their minor pros and cons when compared with one another, but in the end, it's all Until Dawn: a game that is simply too good and too important to be locked away and left behind as a relic of a bygone console generation.

Shattered Space was a chance for Bethesda to do some stuff that’d make quibbling about where you can spend five hours building a little house surrounded by mineral extractors a lot less important than it was in the base game. It was a golden opportunity to take the great ideas Bethesda’d had when devising a faction that’d grabbed players’ attention, and bring them to life with a bunch of either the classic Bethesda magic, or a new mojo that the studio could carry on into the great games it may well add to an already storied legacy in the future. Instead, anyone returning to Starfield after all the time they’ve spent with what remains a very marmite base game will likely be left feeling much the same way they did about all those hours when they get done playing what could have been a home run return to star form.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a lot of fun, and as meaningful a send-up to the source material as one could hope for. I spent time in training mode, popping supers and comparing them to old anime episodes, and smiled to myself when it matched up perfectly. But in stepping away from what did happen in Dragon Ball to what could have happened, this game manages to make the original narrative all the sweeter. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a festival in Goku's honour, and a must buy for age-old lovers of Akira Toriyama's work.

Every individual strand weaves together to form something utterly exceptional in Metaphor. It may well be Atlus’ masterpiece; well-presented, well-realised, and totally unashamed to be a big, silly, fantastical piece of role-playing genius. Don’t be put off by the fact it isn’t wearing the Persona moniker; chances are, if you love anything about the Persona games, you’re going to find it in Metaphor - but better. As a foundation for a new IP, I don’t think the developer could have done better.

The cliche with EA Sports games is that they’re always an iterative step. But, outside of the mid-console generation graphical similarity, there’s a lot that EA Sports FC 25 does which isn’t iterative. The big changes brought about by FC IQ, Cranium and Rush make for an interesting gameplay refresh which gives new impetus to both competitive online modes and long-underserved offline careers.

Ultimately, those who are familiar with the original Silent Hill 2 will constantly be surprised by this remake, and those who aren’t as familiar are geared up for a great (albeit heart-wrenching) time. All of the pivotal moments remain, but veterans will find that they’re in different orders or brand-new rooms now. There’s new dialogue to look out for, and plenty of new notes, memos, and Easter eggs to discover, especially in New Game Plus. These changes may seem odd at first to existing fans, but all-in-all, they allow the story to flow much more smoothly, or add to it altogether. Think of the remake as a continuation — or a new rendition — of the never-ending, looping purgatory that many theorize James is trapped in.

Those that have seen the secret ending for Kingdom Hearts 3 know that Kingdom Hearts 4 could very well be series director Tetsuya Nomura's attempt at making his vision of Versus 13 made real, but I'm so glad that we have Reynatis as another interpretation of that vision, and to be honest, I hope even more developers make their own interpretations of Versus 13. Reynatis is a reality based on fantasy, and though it's far from perfect, that's enough for me.

Overall, the release version of Golden Lap, even with those couple of areas where it could be better, is still very much the game I enjoyed in a short burst earlier in the year. It knows exactly what it wants to deliver, and does so in the wonderfully characterful manner that’s come to define Funselektor’s games and help them stand out from the racing crowd. Without giving you an actual whiff of the petrol fumes, properly deafening you with engine roar from behind the wheel or offering you a mouthful of podium bubbly, it manages to capture the spirit of what it depicts, and with a few tweaks, its pull could be even more irresistible.

Really, Echoes of Wisdom feels like the perfect sign-off for the Switch with new hardware reportedly on the horizon. It’s a colourful, accessible epic that pushes its console to the limit, with all of the mechanical depth and invention, artistic design, whimsy, and spirit of adventure that you expect from a first-party Nintendo adventure.

It’s a good step from a developer in Pixel Perfect Dude that’s gradually branching out from a background that mainly looks to be mobile-centric. With a bit of further refinement, it could turn into a very good addition to a mini-genre that’s proven through the likes of Art of Rally - though that is a very different game vibe-wise to #Drive Rally - that it has space for smaller studios offering quirky takes that help equal things up in our current sea of uber-realistic racing. However, if it’s going to hit those heights and build on what is a fun core as it races on down the early access trail, there’s some work to be done and maybe some lessons to be learned. [Early Access Review]

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster stands is a prime example of how to do remasters right. It doesn't cut or alter hastily. What Capcom has added, and what it has improved, only enhances the original experience. For Dead Rising fans, this is like a re-opening of your favourite childhood fast food spot, a brand-new un-torn version of your favourite t-shirt, or returning to a beloved holiday destination and finding all the places you've missed are still there and with a fresh coat of paint.

Hollowbody is a testament to the work of Hamley, and is phenomenal within its own right, but the dedication to various cult classic horror and sci-fi games only adds to how enamored I was with the game; this is how you make a game heavily inspired by other media while making a whole new experience entirely, in a nutshell. But don’t get me wrong, Hollowbody is so much more than its inspirations, made up of multiple moving parts that provide fans of the survival horror genre with something new and refreshing.

Overall, there’s still plenty of fun to be had in NBA 2K25, and I’d still argue it does enough to maintain the series’ place as a market leader - especially now PC’s finally on the next-gen version. However, there are just enough hangups that I don’t think it’s a slam dunk in terms of being a positive step forward, even if you definitely can’t label it just a retread of last year’s game.

Astro Bot only cares about fun, and I genuinely can't think of a single moment it made me wish something had been handled differently, tweaked to be easier, or expanded upon. It's just perfect.

Space Marine 2 is a triumph of a game. It's a must buy for Warhammer fans, and absolutely recommended for good game enjoyers. I hope you consider yourself a part of that illustrious group. Space Marine 2 is one of the best Warhammer games ever released, and one of the most dangerous gateway drugs to plastic crack I've ever seen.

Those who have always wanted to know more about how Dead by Daylight’s cast of characters came to be trapped in a never-ending nightmare by The Entity will be wholly pleased to finally have some answers, especially if the DBD-stylised achievements and endless Easter eggs didn’t already have you foaming at the mouth. If you’re a fan of Dead by Daylight or The Dark Pictures Anthology, The Casting of Frank Stone is an absolutely must-play for you. Even then, those unfamiliar with the series’ will still find something to appreciate during this entertaining, albeit fleeting, experience

There’s a good game under all the rubble and perplexing business decisions (such as not giving it out in PS Plus Extra), but why should you put up with all these frustrations when the game doesn’t a have distinct identity and there are better alternatives available for free right now?

Ubisoft’s USP is location. Sense of place. Beautiful recreations and restorations of ancient cities, buildings, temples, vibes. The Star Wars galaxy absolutely evokes the same sense of wonder, and has been recreated with just as much love and care here. Mos Eisley is no less real in the public consciousness than Rome in the time of the Caesars. At once familiar, but widely open to interpretation. And probably just as dangerous. Star Wars Outlaws won’t win any GOTY awards. But it’ll definitely win a lot of hearts.

It’s another year, another pretty mixed bag, even if it does feel like things might be trending in a slightly more positive direction. Here’s the thing though, like those Seahawks, things’ll only keep running in place unless Madden can offer some more meaningful change going forwards. Here’s hoping having the series’ cheeky sibling back on the block, with its marching bands and moral quandaries about exploitation, can help spur that shift.

Overall, if you’re looking for more Dredge, or a reason to delve back into the game for the first time since The Pale Reach, The Iron Rig more than likely has at least a weekend worth of fun to offer you. Even if it feels in places like it could have been a bit more than just another fish added to the catch of a good and spooky net.

You’re bound to make mistakes with such an emotionally-driven narrative at play, but with some hope from beyond the grave in Closer the Distance, you can help Yesterby move on. And if you had as wonderful a time as I did and are wondering how you can do things differently, there’s nothing stopping you from going back in time and trying to pick up the pieces all over again.

I can’t really talk about the climax of the game’s narrative without wandering into spoiler territory as before, but it’ll sum it up thusly - Thalassa’s story is something that only gets better as it goes.

I found myself enraptured by this game. Hooked on its combat-cum-strategy and constantly awed by the sights I saw, entertained by the steady flow of upgrades and the structure of the mission layouts. It broadened my horizons a little bit, if a game can do that. That can't be a bad thing, can it?

While the start of Shadow of the Erdtree can come off as a regression, really, the DLC as a whole is FromSoftware flexing all of its creative muscles - including some it hasn’t used in a while and others it might be building up for the future. The depth of storytelling in the Lands of Shadow, as well as the new weapons, spells and items (all of which add to the lore themselves, of course), only better your experience of the Lands Between, and make for a worthy upgrade to what is already an unforgettable adventure.

In the end, Still Wakes the Deep is worth the six or seven hours it takes to blast through the story. It’s not scary as such, but it’s tense as hell, and there’s a poignance here that shines brightly through the veneer of soot, and gloop, and toxic masculinity What this game is really about, just like that bronze monument in Eyemouth, is the widows and bairns left behind.

Part of what I love so much about this game, and series, is that it marches to the beat of its own drum – eschewing the RPG trends of the moment (no romances for you) and doubling down on what makes it great. A tight, infinitely satisfying combat system, fun and unpredictable demon negotiation, and a metal-as-hell world. Everything it sets out to do, it does well. Even if it does feel like you’re playing a glorified, modernised PS2 game. It’s intentional, and it rules.

Like real world F1 at the moment, F1 24’s a bit of a mixed bag, but it feels like, if it can be built on going forwards, it could be the starting point for something you won’t feel quite as much like you can skip out on and not miss much.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is a richly-deserved, lovingly-crafted redo of a classic. It takes one of Mario’s finest spin-offs and does just enough to refresh it while retaining everything that made it beloved in the first place. I only hope this leads to more Paper Mario games in this vein.