As someone who plays EA Sports FC casually and just wants a solid football game, EA Sports FC25 ticks the boxes. Career Mode has had some nice additions but it still pales in comparison to its competition, but the new Rush mode is a blast. But as the years go on and the changes get less meaningful and more buzzwordy, it’s hard to argue against the idea that this could be a DLC pack that EA charges for a fee much less than a full-priced product. However, the shareholders would likely give that idea a red card.

It doesn't reinvent the wheel by any stretch, but there's no denying that on the track GRID Legends is a fun time.

Sable should be applauded for its strong aesthetic choices and ambitious restructure of open-world priorities, but it fails to fully deliver on its premise and is ultimately undone by a lack of polish or engaging mechanics.

Kicking out at 2.9 and coming back to win the match, 2K22 hits the ring with a huge amount of content and a revamped control systems that welcomes newcomers and rewards the dedicated.

A remaster of Epic Mickey didn’t need much to be a slam dunk, other than to save this inventive and introspective piece of Disney history from finding itself in the same state as the ‘toons it spotlights – unworthy of the current corporate image and left to decay in the dark. As a bonus though, Purple Lamp’s capable brushstrokes have managed to both preserve the art and make it easier than ever to appreciate.

As Tales of Kenzera reaches its natural conclusions and the woes of its crunchier challenges fall away, it’s hard to not be happy in the afterglow. Here’s a game that, while mechanically rather safe, takes huge personal and cultural swings, infusing the genre and industry writ large with almost singular emotional reflections and broader, deeply necessary, creative visions. If this is your genre, you’ll have a blast with its tight platforming and expressive combat, but even if it’s not, bite down and give it a go. We deserve more games like Tales of Kenzera: ZAU.

A pixel art treasure-hunting adventure title with a pirate theme and boatload of charm, Bilkins’ Folly gets lost and digs holes in the wrong spots, but ultimately finds the booty.

Despite a slightly tangled narrative and some very uncomfortable sexualisation of female characters, Majogami offers an engaging action adventure that drips imagination and flair. Once you’ve gotten the hang of combat, prepare for some impressive boss fights.

Mario vs Donkey Kong remains an enjoyable platform-puzzler as it did back on the Game Boy Advance, freshened up and featuring a small number of modern and welcome additions.

Despite some minor design flaws, Golf Club Wasteland is a solid, if depressing, round of golf on post-apocalyptic Earth.

Taking the best parts of a card battler and classic ‘match three’ board busters, Demon's Mirror manages to create something familiar but still fiercely unique and unquantifiably vast.

FIFA 23 signs off on EA and FIFA’s partnership with another solid entry that brings the gameplay experience closer to the real thing, but it’s once again sullied by its Ultimate Team monetisation.

RKGK / Rakugaki offers a visually stunning world with great music but struggles with slow pacing, flat interactions, and frustrating gameplay mechanics. The game has potential, but it needs more polish and variety to truly shine.

Taking everything learnt from Void Bastards, Wild Bastards is an inventive spiritual sequel, blending strategy and shooter perfectly within its space cowboy antics. It’s a must play, no doubt.

Dying Light 2 Stay Human could have been one of the highlights of the year, but a disappointing story, some frustrating design choices and performance issues mean it doesn’t cash in on its potential.

From start to finish Pumpkin Jack is a joy to play thanks to its magnificent soundtrack, impressive writing and gorgeous visuals that complement the solid gameplay.

Rise of the Rōnin's open world is vast and content-rich, but it's a case of quantity over quality that's only partially rescued by the unambitious but technically adequate combat.

If you loved the original Life is Strange, We Are OFK should be on both your list of games to play and most definitely on your music playlist. It’s a banger, though it should be said, Debug deserves its own game.

Dordogne’s strengths lie within its storytelling, making it very easy to empathise and resonate with the protagonist’s journey. I definitely recommend this to any gamer out there wanting a relaxing but intriguing game experience.

A sort and sweet visual novel which gives the player plenty of choice and leverages its source material well, only occasionally stumbling in the writing department.

SMT3 Nocturne HD Remaster realises that the less time we can spend with the cobwebs of the past by opting into the new Merciful difficulty, the more time we can enjoy this world and its story anew.

Penny’s Big Breakaway manages to create an enjoyable platforming experience, despite some glaring flaws. As a package there’s still plenty of entertainment to be had, a handful of cutscenes do a solid job of telling the tale and a banging soundtrack nicely backs the colour on screen. It does lose some of its magic towards the end, when all the creative ideas run low its the boss battles that carry it through, but despite my worst frustrations I still had a fun time here. It’s an experience I wish had a bigger backing, maybe some voice overs or a bolder overarching story to Penny’s adventure. Ultimately, Evening Star’s debut doesn’t hit my lofty expectations, but if colourful worlds and a bit of old-school shenanigans are your thing, you’d do well to give Penny and her sentient yo-yo a crack.

Super Mario Party Jamboree Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV offers a few new diversions wrapped in a neat presentation that makes it a compelling enough upgrade for existing owners. But for anyone jumping in at full wack, the slight visual edge and mixed bag of camera-based minigames don’t necessarily make it an essential purchase over the much cheaper and perfectly playable Switch 1 version.

En Garde! is a fun, humorous and stylish frolic through a colourful 17th century Spain that pays homage to Zorro and the golden age of swashbuckling adventures.

The move to virtual reality strengthens what makes MADiSON an effective scare machine, while shining a light on its poor design choices and slightly wonky VR implementation.

The Crew Motorfest crafts a stunning playground for its refined array of vehicles but never fully realises the potential of its new toys.

Immortals of Aveum is an enchanting battlemage adventure and a satisfying spell-shooter in a breathtaking world filled with annoying personalities.

ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree sets out to do a lot in a short space of time and manages to pull it off impressively, even though I wanted to spend even more time within its take on Midgard compared to what it holds.