Balatro is an astonishingly addictive take on Poker that's utterly impossible to put down. Occasional difficulty spikes aside, it's a piece of simplistic genius that we'll keep on our Steam Deck forever.

Berserk Boy is a great modern take on Mega Man style gameplay and one of the better recent attempts to bring the 16-bit era into the 2020s. Its story is lacking somewhat but it's got it where it matters, with solid platforming and satisfying combat.

While are no groundbreaking changes to upend the WWE series this year, the additions and improvements which have been made are positive ones, making the game another solid entry in a series that is now clearly out of its rut.

Final Fantasy 7 is an excellent RPG with some of the best characters in the gaming canon. While some open-world content skirts the edges, and the game's main narrative is left somewhat deflated, the time spent with Aerith, Tifa, and the gang makes this a hugely enjoyable road trip you'll be playing for hundreds of hours.

Mario vs Donkey Kong offers a notable step up in visual quality from its 20-year-old source material, but the same can't be said for the gameplay mechanics, which remain largely unchanged. While it will no doubt appeal to purists who loved the GBA original, those discovering it for the first time may find it too easy and not up to the same standards as modern, similarly priced Mario releases.

Everything that Palworld lacks in originality, it makes up for with impressive execution. The combination of survival genre elements with creature catching is hugely captivating, resulting in a serotonin-gobbling gameplay loop. Despite the modest size of the team creating it, Palworld’s litany of systems mesh perfectly together, defying its indie origins. [Early Access Score = 80]

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is a visually stunning anti-hero romp that's fun to play, even if the things you're actually doing are somewhat repetitive. Rocksteady's Arkhamverse comes to a close in style, without fully succumbing to the live-service demons.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is one of the best RPGs we've played in years. Excellent combat, a wonderful cast of characters, and a willingness to be incredibly weird make it absolutely unmissable. Not only that, but it's so full to the brim with things to do, we could have probably spent another three weeks with it and not finished everything.

Tekken 8 is a sensational sequel. With a renewed emphasis on single-player modes and a new Heat mechanic which ensures fights are more frenetic, it's up there with Tekken 3 as one of the most exciting high points in the series.

A solid collection of three brilliant visual novels, this Apollo Justice collection may not offer a lot more than HD-friendly versions of the handheld originals, but the quality of the source material means that's enough to entertain regardless.

So much more than a simple remaster, Another Code: Recollection completely rebuilds both games from scratch, making it a brand new experience not only for newcomers, but long-time fans of the series too. With beautiful environments, endearing characters and a hint system that means players of all skill levels can reach the end, only a lack of replay value stops this from being a complete must-have.

The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered is the best way to play one of the best games ever made. Excellent bonus content and visual bells and whistles make this $10 more than worth it, and the exact excuse you need to revisit this modern masterpiece.

Prince of Persia was long in need of a resurrection, and in The Lost Crown, it's found it. Excellent platforming, clever puzzles and a huge map make one of the best Metroidvania's in years, and kicks off 2024 in style.

Iron Man VR feels far more at home on the Quest 2 because the nature of its action is best suited to untethered play. There are still some issues with the game itself, however, that mean that even though we recommend it, we don't do so wholeheartedly.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a serviceable open world game elevated by a stunning presentation. While the visuals will utterly wow you, it's a shame it doesn't introduce more original ideas.

Switch’s Mario RPG feel like a love letter to the original game. Fans of the 1996 version will be delighted by the care that’s gone into recreating the SNES title scene-for-scene. For everyone else, this remains a charming RPG adventure well worth discovering.

A Call of Duty game of this low quality released a decade ago would have been a scandal. Now, it's emblematic of an approach to a franchise that's in desperate need of a reality check.

WarioWare games require precise controls to ensure their microgames can be navigated without frustration. Move It's motion controls introduce inaccuracies that are frequent enough to dampen the experience, turning what should be a brilliant game into merely a good one.

RoboCop: Rogue City feels outdated at its core, but this actually works in its favour. With no pretensions that it's offering something revolutionary, the game focuses on delivering big dumb action scenes interspersed with engaging detective work. It has an engaging story and well-written dialogue, all wrapped in a package that shows clear love for the source material.

Massively confident, often groundbreaking, and full of surprises, Alan Wake 2 is Remedy at its very best. The shooting isn't stellar, but Alan Wake 2 is otherwise a horror thriller that shouldn't be missed.

Inventive and full of heart, with a tight design and striking presentation, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is undoubtedly the plumber’s most memorable 2D outing since the 1990s.

Spider-Man is an incredibly confident sequel and one of 2023's best. Incredibly fun to play, fast-paced and full of heart, it takes the best of the Spider-Man lore, and the best of Insomniac's penchant for excellent gameplay sequences, and combines them for arguably the best Marvel game ever.

Sonic Superstars absolutely nails the classic 16-bit Sonic gameplay. Its power-ups are hit-or-miss and its extra modes and co-op will divide opinion, but fans of the Mega Drive / Genesis days will adore the way this mixes that old feel with a new look.

Total War Pharoah doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does introduce a handful of promising and sometimes deep new ways to approach the familiar formula. Combat is still hit-and-miss, but the approach to history and empire-building are among the best in the Total War series.

Detective Pikachu is full of simple puzzles, witty dialogue and Pokemon to discover. It won't thrill older fans from a gameplay perspective, and it's visually inconsistent, but it will likely introduce thousands of young fans to a whole new genre of video games.

Assassin's Creed Mirage is a short, sharp trip through the blood soaked streets of Baghdad. A welcome return to the series' roots, Mirage is a breath of fresh air in the endless sea of open world adventure games.

The new Forza is the best in the series to date when it comes to the look and feel of serious motorsport racing. Its relative lack of modes means it's something of a one-trick pony at launch, but that trick is an impressive one.

EA Sports FC 24 isn't the huge departure that we'd hoped for. While Ultimate Team devotees will likely be happy, the rest of the game feels like an afterthought in the transition away from the FIFA license.