The Spyro Reignited Trilogy is the best way players have to experience the first three entries in the Spyro the Dragon series. The remasters are extremely faithful to the originals, with a couple of additions and smoother controls that make all three games a joy to play. Sadly, some technical issues prevent the Trilogy from being the best remaster ever released, but it's definitely close to it.

Little Nightmares II often manages to recapture the unsettling essence of Tarsier Studios’ original game, but almost every attempt to expand the formula falls flat, resulting in an experience as lumpy and misshapen as the game’s shambling monstrosities. If you loved the original Little Nightmares and need to know what happens to Six next, this sequel might be worth your time, but more fair-weather fans may regret reliving this particular bad dream.

Super Mario Party Jamboree doesn’t bring anything overly surprising to this well-worn series, and not every mode and minigame will put you in a festive mood, but overall, the game offers plenty to celebrate. Jamboree may not entice those who have had their fill of Nintendo’s shindigs, but those still down for a good button-mashing bash should appreciate just how much they’ve stuffed into this goodie bag.

The Last Guardian takes you on an experience to see and feel things that no other game can. Essential for anyone who wants to see a game which pushes boundaries and genres.

Forza Motorsport 7 is a great game. There's no doubting you'll enjoy a lot of your time with Forza, but you're also guaranteed to run into a few problems here and there. It's extremely approachable and simply oozes content out of the gate. Racing is fun and exciting even at the worst of times. It is, however, marred by an invasive microtransaction system as well as elements of the game feeding into this, either forcing a grind or inevitably letting you pay real money to have easier access to later content.

With its solid gameplay mechanics, excellent world-building and character development, The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel III is an excellent Japanese role-playing and a more than worthy new entry in the long-running series. Some small flaws like slow pacing do not impact the experience as much as the lack of knowledge about the entire series do, which lessens the impact of several events and plot development. This makes Trails of Cold Steel III a game that must be played only after the previous two entries in the series have been completed.

The makers of MLB The Show 23 clearly heard the complaints about a lack of fresh features in recent entries, as this year’s game offers up the new exciting and enlightening Storylines mode as well as significant tweaks and improvements to Franchise, March to October, and Diamond Dynasty. A lack of innovation when it comes to core gameplay keeps this year’s title from being a true home run, but it’s at least a strong double.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is a solid alternative to other games in the mascot-racer space, offering speedy, stripped-down action, a few clever twists, and perhaps most importantly for some folks, courses that feel more like those in Mario Kart 8 than the less universally-beloved Mario Kart World. A general lack of content and originality keeps CrossWorlds from fully breaking away from the pack, but it’s at least in striking distance of the winner’s circle.

Rock Band Rivals offers less than expected, considering the state in which Rock Band 4 was released back in October last year. The content provided is not quite sufficient when taking the length of the Rockudrama and the poorly executed Rivals mode into consideration.

Geared towards a younger or perhaps less experienced player base, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin carves off a big piece of hunting joy while trimming away the fat.

Gears 5 is excellent, albeit with a major narrative downfall. While the finale of the campaign definitely left a sour taste in my mouth, the game was so good that I want to keep playing the Horde and multiplayer modes just to get more Gears 5. The atmosphere and gameplay in the campaign were different to what I expected, in a good way, and I'm looking forward to where the series goes next and how this narrative finally finishes up in the sequel. Until then, this is the best Gears game in years, with an excellent multiplayer suite to back it up. Practically essential on Xbox One, and a great option for PC owners too.

Clubhouse Games 51 Worldwide Classics is the best minigame collection on Nintendo Switch, but just like Super Mario Party, playing alone is an act of futility. This will be essential for gatherings with friends once lockdown concludes, but if you intend to sit with this by yourself, you might be better sitting out entirely.

NBA 2K19 is better than ever on the court, but, like a lot of top NBA stars, the game is a bit too obsessed with making money by any means necessary. NBA 2K19 struggles to strike the right balance – the game offers some refreshing story and gameplay improvements, but they don’t quite make up for an aggressive monetization scheme that hasn’t been updated in any meaningful way.

This is possibly the best Tekken has ever been, and a slightly slim selection of modes can’t take away from that. If you want one of the best fighting games to be released this year, Tekken 7 is essential.

The Thaumaturge is a touch underdeveloped and rough around the edges in some respects, but it delivers where it counts, serving up a unique, immersive world, affable cast of characters, and a satisfying amount of freedom to chart your own course. The Thaumaturge bodes well for the upcoming Fool's Theory remake of The Witcher, but it's no mere audition. This is a memorable RPG that casts a strong spell all its own.

It seems Capcom ran out of inspiration partway through making Mega Man 11, as only half the game’s stages, bosses, and Special Weapons are up to series standards. There’s some old-school fun to be had with the Blue Bomber’s latest if you can ignore the bad stuff, but given the eight-year wait, this feels like a Mega misfire.

One of the most delightfully charming puzzle games of in recent memory and the dollhouse-style puzzle boxes are wonderful to explore and it's cute and adorable all the way through. Sadly, Wii U owners will find few reasons to pick up this edition of the game, but anyone who hasn't already played Captain Toad will find a puzzle game they'll finish and just want more of.

As a remaster, Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune And Dunan Unification Wars definitely succeeds at updating the two classic JRPGs while staying faithful to the original games' art direction, although a few more options and quality-of-life features wouldn't have hurt. Even if the remaster somehow failed to deliver a quality updgrade, however, Suikoden I & II HD Remaster: Gate Rune And Dunan Unification Wars would have been a worthy purchase for any JRPG. The two classic games have stood the test of time incredibly well and still provide extremely compelling gameplay enriched by charming casts and thought-provoking stories that are still worthy of experiencing in 2025 as they were back in the late 90s.

This final episode of Life is Strange 2 showcases the powerful emotional storytelling that video games can harness. It is a fantastic example of the medium and the perfect end to a series that continues to deliver on its high expectations.

WWE 2K23 is the best entry this long-suffering franchise has put out in nearly a decade, offering mechanically-sound action, a pair of satisfying MyRise career mode storylines, and a handful of other well-executed, if limited, additions like WarGames. WWE 2K23’s gameplay and presentation could still use some further polish and not all of its modes are must plays, but for the first time in a long time it feels like this series’ star is on the rise, even if it hasn’t achieved main-event status yet.

Wandersong is an accessible, uplifting adventure that deftly builds to a memorable crescendo. Sure, the game has a few rough edges, most of which can be attributed its humble indie origins, but it more than makes up for its shortcomings with its heartfelt characters and story. Put on your adventuring hat and cape and warm up your pipes, it’s time for an emotional world rescue.

Burnout Paradise Remastered is like a finely-tuned vintage car – sure, it’s quirky and a bit archaic, but those concerns melt away once you get behind the wheel and rev that engine. Blasting around Paradise City is exciting, rewarding, and a great low-stress tonic for when modern game design gets you down. Oh, you’ll be pleased to take this one home.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga sets its sights sky-high and largely does justice to that galaxy far, far away. Its truncated treatment of the movies occasionally disappoints, but charming, content-packed sandbox stages mostly make up for any story mission shortcomings. This blocky take on George Lucas’ family drama is worth enjoying with yours.

There are few titles more deserving of being called one of the truly essential experiences for the Vita than Severed. If you own the latest PlayStation handheld, do yourself a favor and pick this up: you won't regret it.

All that said, Cryo Archive is still an incredible endgame reward for the players who make it there, and in the meantime you get to enjoy the rest of Marathon's wonderfully designed zones. Now that I've experienced Cryo Archive, I can definitively say Marathon is the full package for shooter fans, stealth game fans, and anyone who feels like they've been missing some of the magic that made Bungie the iconic studio it is today.

A lovely art style combines with some great crafting mechanics in this delightful RPG. It really is the best Minecraft-like I’ve seen, and with the charming Toriyama art style and more structured progression system, it’s a game you can play for hours. Recommended for young gamers, Dragon Quest fans, and anyone looking for something new on Nintendo Switch.

Although the allure of returning to one of the most engaging Elder Scrolls titles might be overwhelming, Skyrim Special Edition itself feels dated, with little improvements made in terms of gameplay and graphics. You'll play it for hours, but you'll keep wondering why.

Torment: Tides of Numenera is a role-playing game like very few others, giving players total freedom in how to approach any given situation, even allowing them to complete the game by avoiding most fights through this deep choices system. With excellent writing, lively and creative world, engaging story and characters, and solid mechanics, the role-playing game developed by inXile is a game that those who love immersing themselves completely in fictional worlds have to play at all costs.