The Outer Worlds 2 is a confidently made game. It is perfectly scoped, with excellent gameplay, writing, and voice acting. The combat and movement are the biggest step up over the original. Whether you have played that title or not, if you want a choice-heavy, narrative-rich adventure in a far-off solar system, then this game is worth a download or Game Pass or buying outright.

NASCAR 25 is a great videogame of an entertaining racing series, offering all sorts of thrills online and offline alike. Solid graphics and presentation, satisfying handling, tons of settings to allow every kind of player to find the experience that suits them most. A gripping, if relatively safe career mode is the highlight, but the online leaves me wondering. It can be exhilarating, and the netcode is strong, but the game seems uninterested in punishing unsportsmanship. The result is the most chaotic online racing I’ve ever seen – at least in a game that isn’t supposed to be a destruction derby. It’s a safe, but a quite exhilarating title. Perhaps, with a few tweaks to the online racing, we could have one of the all-time greats for this sport. Definitely one to have for NASCAR fans.

Don’t get me wrong – Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is… fine, for the most part. If you’re not a purist, and can accept a few occasional glitches, it’s a decent way to experience a classic. But the very few improvements don’t quite offset the game’s increased price, nor its technical and design woes. I can’t say with certainty if art was enhanced via AI, as some seem to claim. Regardless, it is a bit of a moot remaster; unless you’re on a platform, such as Nintendo Switch, without access to prior versions of this fantastic game. If you’re on Xbox, like us, you’re better off with the excellent Xbox 360 version – which is still backwards compatible to this day.

There isn’t a ton new about PowerWash Simulator 2, and that is exactly what I wanted. What is improved, from the graphics to the streamlined cleaning processes, makes what was already a serene experience into one of the most chill vibes you can find in gaming.

NINJA GAIDEN 4 revives the decade+ dormant franchise with a new developer leading it into an insanely fast, new direction. It’s a fun, occasionally beautiful title with an actually not terrible story, perhaps a first for the series.

It’s fair to say I really enjoyed Keeper. It stuck it’s hooks into me and didn’t let go, right up until the moment I rolled credits. I laughed, I gasped in shock, and I beamed as brilliantly as a lighthouse. Double Fine have made a lovely game here, one that throws in the sorts of surprises that only this medium can achieve.

BALL x PIT is a brilliant mish-mash of two genres, with excellent strategic choices in its main gameplay sections. The town building may not be for all, but I enjoyed it well enough. The only minor issue was the sameness of the progression between the base game and new game plus. Still, it took me nearly 60 hours to get to that point; it’s in Game Pass on Day One, and I had a blast while doing it.

Just Dance 2026 Edition is still just as fun as it always was. It’s a great title to get your friends and family together around the TV all the while losing a few calories in the process. The experience is a bit clumsy this time around and some bugs can get in the way, but that won’t stop you from enjoying the latest round of songs in this year’s iteration of Ubisoft’s popular dancing series. All you gotta do is Just Dance.

Battlefield 6‘s multiplayer is the most Battlefield-coded entry in the franchise in many years, taking us back to the series’ glory days. Tight gunplay, excellent presentation, impressive polish and a surprisingly robust launch arsenal. [Multiplayer Score = 90]

If not for some of the problems I encountered, Little Nightmares 3 would be a rock solid continuation of the franchise from Supermassive Games. While it doesn’t quite hit the narrative and atmospheric highs of Little Nightmares 2, it brings in some smart new ideas, two player co-operative play and makes for another wonderfully sickening time in Nowhere. It’s just a shame it was such a frustrating journey.

For fans of Spiritfarer, My Time at Sandrock, or Automation Academy, this is an easy recommendation. But more than that—it’s a game that feels good to play. Peaceful, rewarding, and quietly inspiring. You start by fixing old machines… and before long, you realize you’ve fixed the town, and maybe even a little piece of yourself too.

SOPA – Tale of the Stolen Potato is a lovely adventure title that shows just how creative storytelling you can be with the smallest of foods. It encapsulates a piece of Latin America within its gorgeous art, enchanting music, and engaging puzzles. Technical issues do eventually compound to make for a bit of a cumbersome experience, but I can look past that to recommend this adventure to all.

Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is a solid roguelite strategy RPG. I think players will enjoy the roguelite mechanics and world mythos very much, but combat and level design leave a lot to be desired. Still, it’s not a bad experience—I am quick to drop a boring SRPG, but this one kept me engaged throughout the entirety of my playthrough.

King of Meat may not feature the tightest 3D platforming ever, nor the most engaging brawler mechanics in history. Yet, its eventful and varied dungeons offer exhilarating platforming, satisfying exploration and chaotic combat. It’s fun as a solo game, but with other players it turns into an absolute riot. Tons of items to throw around, explosions, moving platforms, wacky physics – it’s hilarious chaos. With plenty of player customization, a powerful level editor and an almost stupid number of things to unlock, King of Meat could easily stay in your multiplayer rotation for quite some time. Here’s hoping the game’s player population will be solid enough to keep it around for a long time! [Provisional score = 80]

Despite everything, however, I had a great time with Nicktoons & The Dice of Destiny. The simple gameplay formula and the local co-op options turn this ARPG romp into an accessible entry point into this exciting genre, with the 9 playable Nicktoons characters offering sufficiently diverse skills to bother trying ’em all. It’s a short game, with a very limited loot and build variety. Yet, the game’s solid pacing, cute presentation and fun combat still carry the experience all the way to the end, and I could see many younger folks have a blast, as their RPG-ified SpongeBob fights side-by-side with Jimmy Neutron against evil wizards and robots. I certainly had a lot fun, and I’m not even that young anymore!

Alien: Rogue Incursion Part One – Evolved Edition’s name is nearly as long as its runtime on console. I was able to clear the entire game in roughly 3 hours, though I knew where to go and what to do after having played it once in VR. Without that immersive interactivity, what was already a mediocre title is made that much worse.

Above all, the team at SMG Studios have created a game with all the LEGO charm one would expect, full of the sort of variety only LEGO can bring, and a selection of mini-games that produced all the screaming, laughter, competition and fun one would want from a family-friendly title. Definitely one to break out on game nights.

Extremely Powerful Capybaras is an enjoyable co-op romp for up to 4 players, making for a chaotic but fairly stylish bullet heaven experience. Taken as a solo game or comparing it to its much more ambitious contemporaries, however, it does very little to stand out, and its basic gameplay doesn’t quite hold the depth necessary to warrant many repeat runs. Hardcore bullet heaven fans like me and those seeking a fun co-op experience will have a good time, but there’s countless more interesting titles in the genre by now.

Moon Mystery shoots for the stars and nearly achieves its goals. For $20, you get 5 or 6 hours of occasional fun, and a few moments of utter bewilderment. It is an ambitious, flawed, mediocre game that I kind of love.

In the end, DreamWorks Gabby’s Dollhouse: Ready to Party is a fun little adventure that captures the cuteness and charm of the series. It features accessible yet enjoyable platforming, many fun side activities, but also a huge chunk of the show’s big roster of support characters – all dubbed, in fact. The show’s iconic visuals are perfectly recreated, and so are its tunes, turning Gabby’s first proper console release into a great gift to any young fan of the series. It’s a little bit short, and surely it won’t win any awards for originality, but for a licensed videogame of a preschool show, it’s actually quite nice and wholesome. Meow!

Formula Legends is a wasted opportunity. A lovely artstyle, an interesting driving model, a lot of love for the history of Formula 1 are felt through and through, but the inconsistent physics, poorly balanced AI, various glitches and a complete lack of multiplayer end up severely hampering the experience. I feel like it’s only a handful of updates away from becoming a truly enjoyable arcade romp, but as of today, I only feel like recommending it to hardcore fans of the genre who can probably close an eye on a lot of issues.

The story for FF Tactics remained entertaining throughout. As a first-time player, it zigged when I thought it would zag and I will always appreciate when stories in RPGs like this can feel somewhat grounded with a focus on politics, inter-personal relationships and plenty of time for the characters to sit and reflect on the events in-game. Yes, there are still plenty of crystals, magic and other FF staples but Tactics feels like a cut above most other JRPG stories and is now one of my favorites in the Final Fantasy series.

Excellent visuals with great performance, vibrant tracks, a technical driving model with quite the skill ceiling, a massive depth and variety, despite the not crazy amount of unique content just quite yet. It may lack a memorable single player portion, and it does have a few minor shortcomings. Rest assured though: Sonic’s latest kart racer is one of the absolute bests the genre has to offer. Its incredible spectacle and high-octane racing slingshots it to the top of the must play kart racers on Xbox, and I’m sure I’ll be revisiting this one for a long time.

While it doesn’t solve all of the franchise’s issues, such as how predatory Ultimate Team is with its pay-to-win lootbox mechanics, FC 26 creates two separate playstyles that should satisfy almost any football fan – those seeking the arcade thrills of the fast-paced online modes, and those who want a slower, more tactical single player career as well. The changes to the physics and AI are smart and felt, and the amount of content and polish really has no rivals, making FC 26 the best the franchise has been in years. Authentic Mode truly reignited my passion for the ball, and I can’t wait to finish my review to go back to my virtual dreams of Juventus winning the treble. One can dream, right?

SILENT HILL f is a terrifying and terrific title. This harrowing tale of choice and consequence should thrill and properly disgust any fellow survival horror sicko.

Ultimately, I walked away from Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, 50 hours in tow, not regretting a single bit of it. It’s an amazing RPG til the end and the remake only enhances the original experience. Not many games can keep my interest this long, especially when it comes to combat and elongated story scenes—and the lore behind it all is both well-thought out and incredibly imaginative. Don’t miss this one for the “skies”.

Puzzle Quest: Immortal Edition is an absolutely inessential upgrade for what is quite the timeless classic. It’s still a mighty fun and deep single player RPG campaign, with a ridiculously addictive core gameplay and plenty of content to boot. But the few changes and additions barely warrant a new version, especially if you already own the previous backwards compatible Xbox 360 or PC version, with the lack of any sort of multiplayer being a bizarre omission. It’s quite the classic single player experience, but this remaster doesn’t quite change enough to become an essential buy.

The design decisions that Keepsake Games have made so far for Jump Space have resulted in a compelling, rock-solid foundation for what promises to be a genre-defining game. Jump Space puts fun, intrigue and slick gameplay systems first, mashing together multiple genres into something that is oozing with charm, replayability and jaw dropping wow-moments. I am hooked. [Provisional Score = 85]