A downer to end with, but I do want to reiterate that the game otherwise is excellent in terms of quality. The roster (at least what is unlocked to start with) is stacked, the match types are more varied than ever, and there are so many modes here to play with I am honestly staggered how anyone could find the time to explore them all properly. Showcase does CM Punk justice, while MyRise is a great character builder for our custom superstar, and the creation suite is even more mind boggling in its scope than ever. If you’re even remotely into the world of professional wrestling, then WWE 2K26 is an absolute no brainer as the best game of graps out there.

An absolutely enjoyable puzzle platformer that has charm, style and enough funny, well written dialogue to propel a simple, yet effective story. Beautiful art and designs round out the package neatly, however, some poor physics-based puzzles and repetitive music lets the experience down a little. That said, it’s certainly worth a play through nevertheless.

The Council is ambitious, unique, and serves up some truly in-depth functionality. However, the otherwise intriguing story is let down by poor voice acting and daft character animation. The game also puts an awful lot of pressure on the player to learn so much in a short space of time. The Council is off to a good start, but it should have been refined more.

Project Warlock is a fun and exciting shoot em up FPS with a variety of weapons and magic spells. Basically, if you enjoy games like DOOM as much as I do, you won’t be disappointed.

If you took the journey five years ago to Journey to the Savage Planet, you’ll want to book a trip to Revenge of the Savage Planet as well. Marmite humour and low-key exploration pleasures aside, Revenge of the Savage Planet is a good and enjoyable time that allows you to scan to your heart’s content and mosey through unknown landscapes to complete objectives and challenges en route to your ultimate revenge. Revenge of the Savage Planet won’t take up much of your time either, but just know that this brand of revenge is a dish served with a slice of weirdness and a platter of squirt burgers—meaning you should just go and have fun for a while.

Despite its difficulty fluctuations and some minor design issues with its procedurally generated content, 20XX offers a solid Mega Man-like action platformer that plays well and is distinct enough to stand out. There’s a lot of diverse content to work through, with heaps of upgrades to chase after and several enemy variations to keep you on your toes. It’s just a shame that its few issues hold it back slightly in the long run.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins is a very impressive addition to this franchise, and would even be a great entry point for anyone new to series as you don’t need to have played any of the previous series to understand or follow the story. With the variety of weapons, skills and many hours of gameplay I would say this is great value for money and a great game to relieve some stress with.

Routine grounds the player within this lunar base, and trusts them to get out alive with a fantastic diegetic presentation, compelling narrative and setting, and genuine creeps and tense atmosphere.

Skies Unknown, quite simply put, is aerial combat at its absolute finest. The jaw-dropping graphical power that supports the experience is second to none, consistently upholding the game’s tight and responsive action-packed gameplay. Whether you’re here for its explosive campaign or its deep and intense multiplayer, Ace Combat 7 will not disappoint. It doesn’t get any better than this for flight game enthusiasts.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy stays remarkably faithful to the originals in nearly every way, warts and all. Vicarious Visions has implemented a few subtle tweaks here and there, which ultimately goes on to bolster the overall experience. There’s a vast amount of stunning, vibrant, challenging and diverse content to work through, with heaps of replay value waiting beyond that. Simply put, this is classic platforming at its absolute finest.

Stories Untold is an experience more so than a game, and one that should be experienced by many. Through simplistic mechanics a fantastic story is presented. Perfect for when you are in a spooky mood and still want to avoid things like jump scares. While a short experience that should be enjoyed in as few sittings as you can, it’s a wonderful one.

All in all, Pacer is about as close as we’re likely to get to a new Wipeout; that is to say, its fantastic sense of speed and style evoke the same feeling I got when playing the 1995 classic. Even on the slower speeds things move briskly, but up it to the Elite class and we’re in for a eye-wateringly fast racer that looks great and controls perfectly. A few confusing UI elements aside, this is well worth a look.

Riders Republic dropped in at the busiest time of year. There are many games vying for gamers’ attention at the moment, and I think the full price, AAA price tag could cause some people to bail. Overall I’ve had a blast during my time in the Republic. It has an insane amount of content and replayability, and I think most people could easily rack up enough playtime where they felt like they got their money’s worth. There are a few issues, like the awkward trick controls, but none of them get in the way of the pure fun I had while playing this thrilling extreme sports bonanza. Book your tickets, but don’t bother buying round trip because once you get a taste of the Republic you won’t want to leave.

Grow: Song of the Evertree feels like a mobile phone time-killing game that has been plucked out spruced up with some gorgeous graphics, added some great orchestral background music, pumped the game full of things to do and gives you free license with how you want to play create your worlds. As with these types of games, some things can get quite repetitive but if you want a stress free pretty looking game then you could easily lose some hours with this game.

So I am actually impressed with Nobody Saves the World. Drinkbox Studios have a very fun and interesting graphical design about their games although on first impression they can seem a bit childish when you see the haunting eyes of some of your forms you realise it is for a slightly more mature audience. The way they have handled progression in this game is a breath of fresh air and I look forward to playing this game through to completion.

Severed Steel is a must have for this year, nothing else has come close in a long time to distilling the definition of ‘fun’ into a video game.

South of the Circle is an enjoyable experience. If you are looking for something where you can chill out and let the story do most of the work, then this is for you. You will grow to love Peter and Clara and I thoroughly enjoyed my playthrough.

Pathfinder: Wraith of the Righteous is a worthy sequel as it’s packed full of lore and interesting storylines. The customisation involved in the game is off the scale and allows users to tailor the experience to their own tastes. I think they could have done more to create a really simple approach for those not familiar with these games as some of the choices can become overwhelming and complex. But there are hours of exploration, story, loot, and fighting where this game delivers well.

The Devil In Me is a solid round-off to Season One of The Dark Pictures Anthology. It has some of the best character and story work so far, with gruesome, inventive horror that kept us on our toes. Once the online woes are sorted we’ll be jumping back in for another go, and can recommend fans alike do the same.

Nuclear Blaze is an absolute joy to play, be it taking it easy on Kid Mode or working through the 2 hour campaign on one of the multiple difficulty modes. The action and level progression is almost perfectly paced, it looks stunning, and only very, very rarely did we encounter a moment where we had anything less than great fun extinguishing flames.

As someone who enjoyed Hot Wheels Unleashed I was excited to give Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged a try and it did not disappoint. Is it more of the same? Yes but every aspect of the game has improved. The new modes and individual car upgrade systems really give some depth to what could have been cash grab reskin of the previous game. Happy to say I don’t think that is the case and I look forward to playing this some more and seeing what kind of DLC awaits us as that is something I thought the first game did well.

As I mentioned earlier it’s hard to review games like The Quarry without spoiling the story, but I hope I’ve been able to whet your appetite enough with what could easily be Supermassives best entry to date. With the beautifully crafted scenery, soundtrack and great cast it’s certainly one I’ll be playing again and again once I get my Series X version!

City of the Wolves is a solid instalment in the series, and a game that is in love with its past, while adding new layers everywhere that counts. There is substantial single player content, multiplayer of value and considerable roster. SNK fans will be eating well today – as long as they are prepared to pay extra for content.

Cris Tales is a beautiful 2D JRPG with an interesting story and great use of time manipulation. Each of the characters are unique and bring something different to each battle. The way the screen splits to show you the past, present and future is delightful to see and invests you into the game to try and improve the future, while using time powers in battles is well executed and kept me keen on trying different strategies. Hopefully the slow movement outside of battle and the fact there is no difficulty slider doesn’t put people off as there’s a lot to enjoy here in this stunning looking JRPG.

I was concerned that revisiting such a highly regarded game almost a decade later might turn out for the worst, but it’s safe to say that GTA V is just as fun, chaotic, witty, and engaging as it was all those years ago. With the new Performance RT mode it looks better than ever while also allowing us the pleasure of playing at 60FPS on console for the first time. I’ve had a blast so far going back through the story, and I can’t wait to get back into the rest of the adventure.

I loved the SteamWorld Dig games and was excited for SteamWorld Build to give Xbox fans another opportunity to play in this fun universe. SteamWorld Build took what some might consider a niche genre and made it super easy to get into no matter the player’s prior experience. The fun persisted and the progression was constant which made for a great time even in my replays. I recommend this to anyone looking for a chill game to help pass the time.

The Oddworld has finally graced the Xbox platform with it’s newest entry into the franchise with Oddworld: Soulstorm Enhanced Edition. This is a reimagining of the classic Oddworld: Abe’s Exoddus. It improves on the prequel remake, Oddworld: New ‘n Tasty, in every way. Hands down the best 2D Oddworld game and I think fans of the franchise will love it.

Nova Lands is exactly what you need if you need a less stressful session of gaming. That is not to say it is not frustrating as at times you will feel like an underappreciated supervisor when the bots are not doing what you are expecting them to do. But you are the master of these bots and they are as only as good as your strategy. It is a neat little game but something you will only play through once.