Richard Seagrave
There's a fast-paced, fun and accessible combat system at the heart of Invincible VS, but it's let down by a lack of modes. It's disappointing that its Story Mode comes to an abrupt end, too. Still, you'll get plenty of enjoyment out of it if you're a fan of the franchise.
Bus Bound is one of the most accessible bus simulators out there, expecting you to drive with care but not bogging you down with too many intricacies. It works both for and against it: this will be enjoyable for many, but a lack of depth means that it soon becomes quite repetitive. Still, it's worth a look, especially with its budget price.
Thanks to a new rider-based handling model, the racing action found in MotoGP 26 both looks and feels better than ever. There are some welcome improvements to its Career mode, too, though there's nothing all that drastic. Ultimately, this is an evolution rather than a revolution.
Aphelion may not impress all that much on the gameplay front, with its traversal and stealth sections sometimes marred by its clunky controls, but its story and presentation pick up the slack, making it an enjoyable trek across an alien planet on the whole.
Making your own pots in Kiln using the ever-growing range of options is delightful, truly allowing you to express yourself. And it's fun to take your pots into battle too, at least for a while. With just one match type currently available, Quench, things can soon get a little repetitive.
Housemarque is back with yet another fantastic fast-paced third person shooter. Saros builds on Returnal, delivering deeper and more enjoyable gameplay, as well as a new permanent progression system and modifiers which allow you to tweak the difficulty to your preferences. All in all, it's Housemarque's best game yet.
After the disappointing Vessel of Hatred, Blizzard redeems itself with Lord of Hatred, delivering an expansion that serves up a very enjoyable campaign, two new character classes, and some new features that truly enrich the Diablo 4 experience. There's a sense of completeness and finality to the this expansion that makes it a must for Diablo 4 fans.
Jay and Silent Bob are back in another side-scrolling beat 'em up. Though while Chronic Blunt Punch looks absolutely fantastic and is genuinely humorous at times, its gameplay lets it down.
While there are many games based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss stands out thanks to its focus on you conducting an investigation. With some genuinely tough puzzles to solve, it's just a shame that one or two are more frustrating than they are fun, and that there are numerous technical issues to deal with too.
Capcom has taken a gamble with Pragmata, blending together multiple genres to create something that feels fresh and unique. At the heart of it is hacking-infused third-person shooter combat, which remains engaging and exciting throughout. And when paired with a story that tugs on the heartstrings, the result is something rather special. Ultimately, Pragmata is not only game of the year material, but also one of the most exciting new IPs in recent years.
With its terrible voice acting and some minor gameplay issues, Dragonkin: The Banished isn't a faultless experience. As far as action RPGs in the vein of Diablo go though, it's one of the best there is, with a fantastic skill system and enjoyable city development.
Taking on the role of a paranormal investigator, The Occultist gives you multiple unique abilities to make use of as you explore areas and solve an assortment of puzzles. It's a bit rough around the edges, but fans of narrative driven supernatural adventures will likely get plenty of enjoyment out of it.
It should be fun playing a game that puts players in control of Raziel and Kain one more time, but this 2D action adventure wastes the opportunity. Legacy of Kain: Ascendance has an intriguing story which is accompanied by good voice acting and a solid soundtrack, but its gameplay is repetitive and often downright messy.
Darwin's Paradox is a brief but enjoyable 2.5D platforming adventure which also incorporates stealth and some light puzzling. It has some minor issues, such as dubious checkpointing in places, but Darwin's undeniable charm will ultimately win you over.
Marvel MaXimum Collection has the usual features to make it more attractive to retro fans such as save states and rewind, as well as a music player and an archive. It's just a shame that the games included generally aren't all that fun to play.
One of the best action-adventure games of recent years, Kena: Bridge of Spirits has made its way to Switch 2 and it's as enjoyable as ever. The visuals have taken a bit of a hit but they're still gorgeous. The only truly disappointing thing here is the lack of a performance mode, meaning you're stuck playing at 30fps.
Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection bundles up a whole series of action-RPGs and adds some valuable extras and enhancements. But while existing fans and those who love the Battle Network series will likely lap it up, newcomers might find it all a little too dated.
Screamer looks great and has some neat ideas. But this anime-inspired arcade racer is let down by inconsistent and unbalanced competitor AI and controls that can often feel overcomplicated for the sake of it.
It has some minor issues that might frustrate some, as well as some elements that feel a little underbaked, but Project Songbird is an engaging narrative-driven survival horror experience on the whole. If you like the idea of Firewatch crossed with Silent Hill, you should give it a try.
Being a yearly franchise, WWE 2K26 features the usual assortment of tweaks and upgrades to its many modes, and combined with its enhanced gameplay it makes for the most authentic wrestling experience yet. It's somewhat ruined, however, by a new Ringside Pass system that forces players to grind to unlock content. Unless they're willing to pay real money for tier skips, of course.