Just when you think Nintendo has drained the well of creativity, it once more releases a sequel that refines an already quality experience to another level. Pikmin remains one of its best franchises that deserves more time in the spotlight, and Pikmin 4 is no exception.

Dros wears its heart and 80s influences on its sleeve, combining elements of past 3D puzzle platform adventure games to craft a unique but familiar experience.

Combining smooth gunplay and god-like telekinetic abilities, Synapse is a stylish roguelite shooter that more than deserves to be labelled as a PSVR 2 must-buy.

Aliens: Dark Descent successfully adapts a real-time combat system to a genre of games that are traditionally turn-based. Tindalos Interactive has clearly put in a lot of love and care, and it shows.

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals spends a little too much time washed out in white noise to truly deliver on its promise but when tuned just right, it sounds like little else. A coming-of-age story for people who should have already come of age is a beautiful and poignant launching pad and despite getting bogged down in hard rules and lore, Night School Studios still display a grasp on horror aesthetics and storytelling worth the price of admission. The signal is a little fuzzy, this is a game still worth listening out for.

Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE could have used its inventiveness more concisely, but what’s here is still an enjoyable first entry for a new IP that holds plenty of promise now and hopefully into the future.

Hearkening back to the good old days of arcade wrestling games, Fight Forever is an accessibly fun and awesomely faithful title that’s sure to entertain from bell to bell, despite its numerous shortcomings.

The highest praise I can muster is that it’s functional, while slow to load it is at least a steady performer. Roping mates into matches with you will undoubtedly inject some life into the thing too, and the aesthetics of Crash and co. do a lot of heavy lifting to give this very basic experience the appearance of fun at least. On its own merits, it’s aggressively fine, but considered as a shelved product, Crash Team Rumble feels a little like it’s taking the fruit right out of your pocket.

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.

While Final Fantasy XVI didn’t meet this fan’s expectations for a new series entry, newcomers to epic fantasy and action games will be swept away by the eye-melting combat and enormous-yet-approachable scale.

Repella Fella embraces its Australian foundations to deliver an adventure game that is violent, funny and mad as a cut snake.

Layers of Fear is an admirable remaster that uses the fresh coat of paint to bring the series’ art direction up to modern standards but the bones of the experience remain fractured. Tedious and exhausting gameplay loops and tasteless writing make even this package a nice frame on an ugly painting.

With plenty to explore, mechanics that are mostly tight and engaging, and loads of of retro-infused elements, there’s a little gem here within the chronicles of two cunning heroes.

The magic of manual map drawing is curbed with the handy auto-map feature, yet pulling off risky expeditions into Etrian Odyssey's dangerous labyrinths remains unmatched.

Street Fighter 6 is a remarkably satisfying, stylish and approachable fighter that not only redefines a legacy fighting series but an entire genre.

Diablo IV is a must-play for fans of the series and newcomers alike. It invites you to lose yourself in a world of darkness and embark on a thrilling journey filled with relentless battles, captivating storytelling, and a hauntingly beautiful audio-visual symphony. Just ignore the extraneous limb reaching for your wallet.

The atmospheric visual overhaul marks the best part of this exhausting and dated remake, while the villainous AI SHODAN remains a timeless antagonist.

With dated design, LotR: Gollum is a slow and tedious slog through Middle Earth that even the staunchest LotR fans will struggle to enjoy.

Unreliable performance and some underdeveloped mechanics do hurt the impact and atmosphere of After Us, but its intriguing post-apocalyptic world and satisfying movement still make for a worthy adventure.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun successfully captures the dark and expansive lore of the Warhammer universe, immersing the player in a grim and pixelated future that will appeal to both fans of the franchise and FPS enthusiasts.

There are more polished, quality roguelites out there that will engage you for a longer period than Death or Treat, but that says less about its own achievements and more about the incredibly high bar set by its predecessors.

Gorgeous visuals and a spectacular score elevate an already entertaining puzzle platformer to the same level as some of the genre greats.

Outer Terror is a daring and defiant ode to the beauty of retro horror, delivering an arcade experience that is familiar but unique enough to keep you digging further.

LEGO 2K Drive rips up the tarmac with its confident self-identity and gorgeous worlds, delivering one of the most outright enjoyable arcade racers in modern history.

When AFL 23 delivers on its on-field vision it’s the best Aussie Rules video game out there, but the lack of execution and content means that it's not quite the contender it could have been.

Adol Christin's most agile adventure excels but its PS5 port can only be recommended to first-time players

Tears of the Kingdom will overawe you with its scale and its imagination. It will demand your creativity and ingenuity in a way that few games would dare demand. It pays tribute to the things that have made this series so timeless, while also innovating so relentlessly that it will be the better part of a decade before any game is able to follow in its wake. Nearly four decades after The Legend of Zelda series made its debut, its latest instalment is a breathtaking high-point for the Zelda franchise, for Nintendo and for video games.

A disappointing take on open-world first-person shooters, Redfall has none of the flavour or mechanical finesse that we’ve come to expect from Arkane Studios.