Princess Peach: Showtime! finally gives our first Nintendo Diva the spotlight she has long deserved, and almost shockingly, once again brings us a Nintendo experience that feels both comfortably familiar and thrillingly different. Despite some weird frame-rate issues and a few costume changes that are less memorable than others, the amount of charm and satisfying simplicity oozing out of Princess Peach: Showtime! makes it a stage performance worthy of applause and adoration. Let's hope this first true starring role for Peach isn't her last.
It's great that the WWE 2K series is in such a good place, where it doesn't need to change much and still remains a must-have for wrestling game fans everywhere. When the bell rings, WWE 2K24 still continues to have the best in-ring action, with a broadcast-like presentation that very much looks the part. It's filled to the brim with content that will keep you busy until Wrestlemania 41, but its Showcase mode, the key feature of its marketing campaign every single year, needs a serious rethink, as it's holding the series back from legendary status. It might not Finish the Story, but it's another damn good chapter.
The Thaumaturge is a riveting mix of investigating gorgeous environments, weaving together narrative threads and battling through punchy, stylish turn-based combat. It's a story where it feels like the choices do matter, and that makes decisions feel weighty as you progress through the twisted and memorable supernatural setting. Some of the investigations hold your hand a little too much, and it's lacking some overall polish in some areas. Even so, The Thaumaturge absolutely nails the brief in every other way, making for a compelling RPG that stands on its own as unique, visually impressive and deliciously dark.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden heavily leans into the premise of challenging decisions with dramatic consequences, and manages to pull off an emotional and haunting love story where those choices do feel like they truly matter. Red and Antea feel like fully-fleshed out, interesting characters, forever linked to one another but struggling to let go. New Eden is full of communities plagued by supernatural creatures and dark secrets that make each of them intriguing to explore. An over-reliance on combat and a little too much hand-holding when it comes to solving cases is disappointing, but Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden can still be chalked up as yet another storytelling triumph for DON'T NOD. Life for the living. Death for the dead.
Maintaining what made the original so special, Super Mario RPG provides a glow-up to an absolute classic RPG experience, with smart tweaks to combat bringing it firmly into the modern era. It's an utterly charming experience that sucks you into its gorgeous, colourful world. Still, in sticking firmly to its roots, it just doesn't provide the challenge or open-world gameplay to elevate it to the next level. If you're keen on a breezy nostalgic RPG with simple yet satisfying combat, the iconic Italian in a red hat has you covered.
A surprisingly well-rounded package, Fate/Samurai Remnant has lots of ideas, and somehow makes them all work together well. It manages to satisfy both musuo-style combat aficionados and tactical strategy folk alike, with fast-paced slasher combat mixed with numerous abilities and an overarching territory control component that is deeper than it looks at first glance. The Fate history and lore can be a lot to take on board, and long stretches of dialogue feel like a burden to the pace of things, but an intriguing cast make this a solid entry point for newcomers with enough content to make long-time fans incredibly satisfied as well.
With devilish puzzles under the theme of learning language, and being a new person in a series of unfamiliar places, Chants of Sennaar nails its concept. Piecing together different dialects using visual cues makes for a compelling mystery to solve, as you look to reconnect different communities through universal understanding. It stumbles a little bit however with stealth sections that feel out of place and some confusing backtracking that could leave you stumped. With gorgeous visuals that leap off the screen, not only is Chants of Sennaar one of the prettiest games we've seen this year, but it's also one of the most clever, no matter what language you're speaking.
At the end of the day, WWE 2K23 makes a modest effort to improve on its predecessor, and the results are pretty bloody good. Some of the modes have received some genuine love and attention, while others could use a bit of a revisit in future versions. Regardless, what these modes and updates are building on now is an incredibly solid foundation that continues to impress, and once the bell rings, the quality of gameplay and the feeling of taking part in a bona fide WWE match looks like it's ripped right from a TV broadcast, and as a wrestling fan, that's still what counts the most.
When Ghostwire: Tokyo capitalises on its spooky surroundings by whisking you off into strange dimensions, fighting evil with powers you shoot from your hands, it’s excellent. The haunted, deserted Shibuya is a thrill to explore, and helping spirits with their final requests provides some engaging mini-adventures. Where it fumbles slightly is in the delivery of its open world, which regularly feels a bit old school as you chip away at the fog of the map, cleansing fast travel points as you go and repeating some filler tasks. Still, with a curious mystery laid out before you and a creepy atmosphere that will keep you on your toes, Ghostwire: Tokyo provides plenty of spooks and intriguing diversions around every corner that are just begging for your attention.
After a poor last effort, WWE 2K22 brings the long-running wrestling franchise back in a big way, proving that the extra development time is just what the doctor ordered. It successfully streamlines its in-ring action so that it’s more adaptable to players of different skill levels, removing archaic systems that previously bogged it down. Animations and presentation are top notch, and there really is a game mode for everybody, with a lot of variety. While not all the modes deserve to main event when you dissect them in detail, there’s still a very strong foundation to build from; the bottom line is that WWE 2K22 is the best wrestling game in over a decade.
Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a captivating and well-made affair with a big heart, and will surely scratch an itch for many gamers keen on taking part in a touching journey through one of the prettiest worlds ever created.
Song of Iron is a short and sweet Nordic adventure that tells a simple story which ends up much deeper than it first seems. With a range of gorgeous environments to explore and relatively satisfying combat, it only occasionally frustrates with some tricky boss fights and clunky movement resulting in some platforming pitfalls. Still, these grievances don’t last long, as I found the world created by Resting Relic to be a stunning one to explore and very thoughtful in its style and presentation. Mostly, I’m just astonished with how great it is that a solo developer is capable of creating this wonderful little journey, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Scarlet Nexus combines an enthralling story with fascinating characters and an addictive combat system that demands your attention. As you slowly peel back the layers of its cast, the twists and turns of the narrative will keep you engaged throughout its lengthy adventure, and as your skills increase, battles become a chaotic dance of exploding enemy bits, crazy finishing movies and endorphin increasing pleasure. While there are some areas that can feel repetitive at times and the visual novel presentation of its cutscenes might not be for everyone, there’s a lot packed into this dual protagonist story that begs for an extra playthrough as soon as you finish your first. Scarlet Nexus is unmatched when it comes to style and oomph. It manages to incorporate so many clever and creative combat systems that are slick and exciting that it far outweighs the slower pace of its narrative with in-your-face, over-the-top action that simply must be played to be believed.
Gnosia is an eccentric blend of visual novel, Werewolf-style social deduction and RPG mechanics that somehow manages to pull it all together to make one of the most intriguing game releases this year. While some repetitive and frustrating moments mean that the game feels a little bit longer than it should, its cast of quirky, likable characters and quite frankly addictive gameplay loop will keep you just as much on the edge of your seat in Loop 1 as it will in Loop 100. There’s a wild ride to unravel, full of crazy twists and turns, and combined with the sharp writing and clever mashup of different genres, Gnosia truly stands out as a fascinating addition to your Switch library. Just be careful who you trust.
PGA Tour 2K21 sets a new standard for golf games. It has detailed gameplay that is welcoming for newcomers but incredibly complex for the veteran golfers. The presentation is also incredibly impressive, with strong audio and course-mapping that made me feel like I was an actual pro.
"Resident Evil 3 is, unsurprisingly, a high-quality remake that is still a must-play for horror fans everywhere."
Stellar Blade bursts out of the gate looking stunning, full of jaw-dropping set pieces, intense action and gory violence, and maintains that pace throughout. Underneath this flashy action game are a lot of systems that we've seen before, but despite what can feel like a lack of innovation at times, it never feels stale or unenticing due to its overwhelming sense of style and polished, gratifying combat. For every familiar puzzle or annoying platforming section, there's a brutal boss battle or incredible over-the-top sequence that pulled me back in. Stellar Blade is a joy, a deliciously crafted adventure jam-packed with dramatic thrills.
Immortals of Aveum boldly attempts to deliver an epic cinematic experience about a war involving magic, and it succeeds in its ambition. Fast-paced combat that places the game firmly in the shooter genre combine with satisfying platforming and puzzle-solving to make for an adventure that stays focused on its linear story while offering extra secrets for those who want to explore beyond its core narrative. There's some repetition here and there that can be frustrating, but when you're blasting colourful magic spells across battlefields of enemies like a violent fireworks display, it's hard not to be impressed. Visually stunning with an excellently committed cast, Immortals of Aveum is a satisfying adventure and an impressive debut from a studio clearly not afraid to defy expectations.
Street Fighter 6 provides the fast and furious action you'd expect from the refined fighting series, offering a dynamic cast of characters, new control modes to make it more accessible, and a variety of features to keep you busy. Its story mode is a campy take on the Street Fighter universe that doesn't always land the winning blow, however; while it's filled with distractions and civilian fighters to take on, it can be a little repetitive and shallow. Still, the technical foundations that Street Fighter stands on are as solid as ever, and with a whole world to battle online, there's a lot of fighting on the menu in what is once again a polished, exciting fighting experience that will keep fans engaged for years.
Rainbow Six Extraction ran the risk of being labelled as an expansion or an unnecessary spinoff, but confidently proves that there is more than enough room in this universe for a survival horror tactical shooter built on the foundations laid down by Siege. With a mixture of enjoyable objectives, a diverse range of Operators and a compelling gameplay loop filled with aggressive enemies and intense action, the addictive nature of the experience shines through with a constant struggle between playing it safe or risking it all for greater reward. Rainbow Six Extraction is full of truly exciting and memorable moments, continually testing your skill and perseverance around every dark corner, which makes it an incredibly gripping experience that doesn’t let go easily.