Event[0] is an incredibly interesting game. Set on a small but incredibly detailed space ship and featuring an incredibly unique character, in the AI Kaizen. It will test your brains and your empathy, as well as your patience. Will you argue with Kaizen? Will you be friendly? There's so much to do, puzzles to solve and the space to explore.

Trading spell books for cell phones, Nihon Falcom proves once again that they are masters of the action JRPG subgenre.

Railway Empire is a strong but shallow entry into the railway management style of games that has gone long ignored. With a few slight downfalls, primarily as a result of the game only offering limited maps and time periods to operate in, it can go by a little too quick and become repetitive. However, the journey to get to that stage can be enthralling as it offers a high level of tactical thinking as you interlink your network of rails.

Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection plays it a bit too safe when it comes to being the first sequel in 15 years, instead opting for a polished up retelling of Arthur's quest to rescue his fair maiden from the clutches of evil demons not once but twice.

Ara: History Untold is a highly ambitious 4X game that looks to branch out and add even more depth to an already detailed genre. In many ways, it succeeds, bringing in a map and city-building system that far surpasses others in the genre and successfully interlinking practically every area. However, with some successes come issues, with the added depth in the supply chain making it a bit of a micromanagement nightmare; it tries to alleviate some of these issues with a user-friendly UI, but it could be a sticking point for some. The AI also seems to go on the fritz and break the game's rules.

With great art and an interesting idea at its core, Aegis Defenders still would have needed quite a bit more refinement to really stand out.

The Walking Dead was worth saving. The usual Telltale caveats about polish and quick time action scenes apply, but this is exciting, powerhouse storytelling, packed with fantastic character work and edge-of-your-seat cinematic moments. The Walking Dead: The Final Season Episode 3 lines up the sights for a bloody good finale – let’s hope Skybound nails the headshot.

Despite being a masterpiece of split universes and the often futile attempts to fight fate, we're living in the timeline where the original source code for Chrono Cross was lost to the scars of time and the remaster that exists in this age wasn't given the focus that one of the greatest JRPGs of all time deserves.

Lego DC Super-Villains doesn’t shake things up that much, but it doesn’t break anything either. Ultimately, above-average level design and a dizzying amount of DC content mostly make up for the game’s bland action and lack of polish. Lego DC Super-Villains might not have the chops to take over the world, but it may conquer a surprising amount of your family’s free time.

Portal Knights is a Minecraft-alike with a lot of personality and a lot of promise, but in its current state, I just couldn’t enjoy it. It feels bloated in places, empty in others, and just can’t compare to other games in the block-placing, creation “genre”. Fun for a while, but outstays its welcome too quickly.

So far, I'm having a lot of fun with Top Spin 2K25, though there are some obvious shortcomings, like the lack of online doubles and custom matches, the very limited roster of pro players, and the too-long rallies. I'll reserve final judgment after proper testing of the 2K and World Tour modes when they go live.

Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club really sneaks up on you. For much of its runtime the game is a likable, if somewhat by the book, throwback detective visual novel, but Nintendo swings big in terms of narrative in its final hours, ultimately delivering a story that’s much more daring, dark, and affecting than anything this franchise has delivered before. Whether you’re a visual novel nut or just in the mood for a good mystery with some teeth, Emio will leave you grinning.

Starlink is a fun game, with great toys to play with and solid combat to back it up. Unfortunately, the sloppy story and barren explorable worlds hold back what could have been a great return to form for the toys-to-life genre.

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is out-done by other farming games on the market and even games from its own series. Not exactly a low-point in the franchise, but not worth playing over other titles.

The sadistic events that surround the town of Le Choara are what makes Death end re;Quest 2 such a compelling read. While the combat is passable by IFI standards, it's the quality of writing that makes this such a memorable title on its own.

A beautiful game with a simple, engrossing theme running throughout it all. You might think you've seen something like Masters of Anima before, but it has more to offer than it would seem at first glance.

Total War: Pharaoh is a successful return to pure history for the series. While some may not like aspects, such as a limited unit variety and a map that can feel a little narrow in areas, the gameplay is enhanced across the board thanks to a variety of features, increased tactical options in combat, and more.

Song of Horror is a genuinely atmospheric, creepy horror game, with the major selling point of an enemy that you're never actually sure about. The advanced AI system of the horrors you face, combined with sound, visuals and other game mechanics make for one of the more engrossing and captivating horror titles of recent memory. There are some faults, such as backtracking and a bit of adventure game logic when trying to solve puzzles, but these do nothing to stymie everything Protocol Games are bringing to the table.

The makers of Omensight probably wish they had an infinite time loop of their own. Painfully repetitive and lacking in polish, this game clearly needed a bit longer in the oven. Forgiving Majora’s Mask fans may find Omensight’s story and action enjoyable enough, but many who buy the game will want to turn the clock back on their weekend.

Removing a significant amount of content and replacing it with Mine's Dark Ties storyline hurts the narrative as a whole, but perhaps not as much as the other design choices at play for this remake of Yakuza 3.

Far Cry 6 features a beautiful world filled with chaos, but it also fits the status quo for the series without putting its actors and tech to good use.

Sphere of Influence - Ascension takes you on a more personal journey through the Sengoku Jidai period of Japan. Take control, rise through the ranks and explore an even more detailed game than the original. This standalone expansion improves on the original in almost every way.

Trackmania is a nice addition to the series, one that looks and sounds great and, even when it's incredibly frustrating, it's fun. The downside is the new monetisation system, a subscription service that looks like it could segregate the community. The game is very extensive and if the audience picks it up, it could be great for the same reason the other Trackmania games were: user-created content using an outstanding track creator and editor.

Expeditions: Viking, while not perfect, offers outstanding tactical combat, with excellent character and world development. You'll encounter a host of interesting characters, fulfilling quests and important decisions as you travel from Denmark to Britannia, in a quest to save your clan.

At first I was rolling my eyes at a blatant rip off of other fantastic games, but by the end I realized this is a great game in its own right.

Phoenix Point offers a great return to a more complex, more involving, if not a little too slow (at times) version of the XCOM style of game. Featuring a massive amount of customisation and personalisation, from the building of your own personal Earth-saving force as well as diplomacy with the surviving factions, you have a massive amount to sink your teeth into. Add onto this some of the best tactical gameplay around and a very replayable nature, you have something that will suck you in. There are issues, it can grind to a halt at times and it can also feel a little repetitive with repeated side-missions. In the long run, this is a great game and one that is well worth spending your time with.

Ancestors Legacy is a genuinely good console strategy title, with Destructive Creations having ported the game over well with improvements to UI and controls to make it as playable as possible on a gamepad. As for the game itself, while simplistic compared to other strategy titles, it offers a great jumping-in point for those new to the genre. Even those familiar will find something enjoyable within, with a well-balanced (albeit small) roster of factions supports a strong multiplayer, even a decent, albeit repetitive campaign.

Nantucket is a strangely compelling and addictive game that acts as a follow up to Herman Melville's Moby Dick. While it can be quite repetitive, it's this loop as you develop your ship and crew that lets the game sink its harpoon into you. With a great visual design and some songs made just for the game, alongside the in-game newspaper that sticks true to the in-game date, Nantucket has buckets of atmosphere. I doubt it's a game for everybody, but Moby Dick, Strategy and Simulation fans (you don't have to be all three) will find this a charming game.