The Lost Crown is a fantastic game. Not only does it capture the biggest strength of Prince of Persia's earliest sidescrolling instalments, it also reinvigorates the series in spectacular fashion with its Metroidvania design structure. From level design to combat, from the platforming to its visual style, from the exploration to the soundtrack, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is an impressive accomplishment in more ways than one, and one of Ubisoft's best games in years.
God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla is not only a fun and addictive roguelite mode where the game's excellent combat is allowed to shine brighter than ever, it's also a rewarding, introspective narrative experience, and one that's especially unmissable for long-time series fans. Given that it's free, there's really no reason not to play it.
Though Arkham Asylum and City's inherent strengths are able to shine through on the Switch in spite of some performance issues, the Arkham Knight port is nothing short of a disaster of epic proportions. The flagrant disregard with which WB Games has treated this shoddy mess of a port should not go unnoticed.
It wouldn't surprise me if someone told me The Walking Dead: Destinies was put together in a matter of weeks. Nothing about this game works, and every inch of it is weighed down by significant issues. It's incredibly barebones and shallow, which is made worse by the fact that even in the execution of its utterly straightforward and simplistic ideas, it fails in spectacular fashion. Worst of all, it does absolutely nothing with its intriguing central hook. This may very well be the worst game of 2023.
Dead Island 2's first of two expansions delivers some flashes of enjoyment, but it feels a bit too repetitive, in spite of how brief it is.
Football Manager 2024 builds on its predecessors with a number of granular improvements that come together to elevate the experience in notable ways.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is exactly the sort of sequel you'd want it to be, and though it stumbles here and there, ultimately, it improves on its predecessors in almost every way that matters most.
Assassin's Creed Mirage looks to the franchise's past, and delivers a strong, focused entry that is exactly what it says on the tin, nothing more and nothing less.
The on-pitch gameplay in FC 24 remains as fun as ever, but its failure to make any real, meaningful changes is a real disappointment, especially because almost none of the few changes it does make come anywhere close to sticking the landing.
Separate Ways builds on the strengths of Resident Evil 4 and delivers yet another compelling package with thrilling combat and a fun story.
After nearly three years of updates and improvements, Cyberpunk 2077 is – at long last – a legitimately good game, one that builds on its flawed past with more than a few radical changes and overhauls.
Phantom Liberty is what Cyberpunk 2077 should have been three years ago. It's an incredible expansion that boasts a gripping story, compelling characters, engaging moment-to-moment gameplay, and significantly improved progression mechanics. It's so good that it uplifts all of Cyberpunk 2077, finally making good on the lofty promises CD Projekt RED made for the base game all those years ago.
The Crew Motorfest embodies the spirit of the Forza Horizon franchise in more ways than one, and though it doesn't ever quite touch the same heights, it does deliver what is easily the most enjoyable game in Ubisoft's open world racing franchise.
Baldur's Gate 3 is a landmark release in the RPG genre that has instantly cemented itself as one of the best games of its kind, and an absolute must-play for all PS5 owners.
As unfathomably vast and boundless as the subject matter it covers, Starfield raises the bar for its genre and for the medium as a whole in countless ways - much like the best of its Bethesda-developed forebears did in their time.
Though light on engaging gameplay mechanics (and gameplay in general), Fort Solis is an accomplished narrative experience. Boasting a compelling story, an atmospheric setting, and excellent acting performances, it's an accomplished first outing for indie studio Fallen Leaf.
Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is an excellent game. With its wonderfully realized fantasy pirate setting, it instantly pulls you into its world, and with a combination of tight and perfectly implemented mechanics, excellently designed stealth sandboxes, and a colourful cast of characters that's an absolute blast to play as, it delivers a consistently fun and inventive adventure where the stealth, tactics, and experimentation never lose any of their charm, right up until the credits roll.
Atlas Fallen has legitimate strengths in its quick, snappy sand surfing, its fascinating setting and worldbuilding, and deep and flexible progression mechanics, but with clunky movement, inconsistent combat, lackluster storytelling, and just an all-around lack of polish, it ends up being weighed down by far too many issues to be able to live up to its proper potential.
Disney Illusion Island is a charming, enjoyable, easygoing Metroidvania platformer that should appeal to everyone regardless of how familiar you are with the genre or how skilled you are on the sticks.
Pikmin 4 is well worth the long wait, and the best iteration of Nintendo's unique and charming strategy series to date.