Death Stranding 2: On the Beach delivers higher visual fidelity, consistent performance across the board, and a few new tricks that make gameplay more accessible, challenging, and fun. If you have the patience and come in with an open mind, you’ll be in an exclusive group of people who will struggle to describe this experience to anyone else.
Despite some lingering quirks, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is a solid reintroduction to one of the most influential RPGs of its era. Virtuos and Bethesda have delivered a remaster that respects the original while adding just enough polish to make it worth playing in 2025.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 doesn’t just deliver a fantastic RPG experience—it leaves a lasting emotional imprint that’s hard to forget. From its gripping narrative to its deep combat system, it’s a title that has the potential to become a modern classic in the RPG genre. It’s been so long since a game delivered a steady, exhilaratingly smooth ride without crashing hard at the finish line. If people allow it, this could be a kid’s Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger – a game remembered decades from now as the one that sparked their love for RPGs, captivating a generation, and inspiring future titles that will come after.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows greatly blends the classic Assassin’s Creed stealth with the RPG elements of recent entries. Its dynamic world, seasonal changes, and improved stealth mechanics make exploration a joy, but Yasuke’s restrictive gameplay, overall story, and a half-baked notoriety system hold it back.
Despite its aging personality, Two Point Museum is the strongest entry in the series yet. The improved gameplay flow, deeper simulation mechanics, and museum theme provide just the right level of creative freedom and challenge.
Synduality Echo of Ada has potential, but its flawed economy, tedious grind, and lack of meaningful story incentives make it hard to recommend in its current state. Without drastic improvements, it risks being forgotten before it ever finds a steady audience.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure brings back Max Caulfield with new time-manipulation powers, but struggles to capture the original’s emotional weight. While the dual-timeline mechanic is engaging, the story’s weak twists, forgettable characters, and technical issues hold it back. A nostalgic revisit, but not a standout entry in the series.
Lego Horizon Adventures transforms the serious world of Horizon Zero Dawn into a playful experience geared towards younger gamers. With a lighter story, fun character twists, and familiar machines recreated in Lego form, it serves as a charming introduction to Aloy’s universe. While hardcore fans may find it a bit basic, it’s ideal for friendly, family-oriented play with loved ones of any age.
Sony revisits the 2017 classic with Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, aligning it visually and technically with its 2022 sequel, Horizon Forbidden West. While the remaster provides cleaner character models, enhanced lighting, and improved animations for NPCs, it doesn’t add new content. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is just providing options to those who want that extra bump to the experience from a technical and graphical standpoint. If that’s all you want out of this remaster, then you won’t be disappointed at what Nixxes has done in this version of the game, especially with it being a $10 upgrade for those who own the original.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is now my favorite title from the Persona team by far. It’s one of those rare games where its main pillars work harmoniously, and you get lost in its charm. It’s a pristine JRPG, with enough style and substance to satisfy hardcore JRPG fans, Persona fans, and even those who rarely touch JRPGs.
Ballistic Moon’s Until Dawn remake polishes the 2015 horror classic with impressive visual upgrades and little additions. However, beyond the sharper visuals and slight changes, the core experience remains the same. Fans seeking a fresh take may find little reason to pick this up over the original, as the gameplay and story haven’t evolved beyond minor improvements.
Dead Rising Deluxe Remastered is a fun but flawed revisit to a zombie classic. It stays true in delivering its quirky and chaotic spirit, and was given a fair amount of polish to make it more appealing to modern players. While it’s a treat for longtime fans of the series, newcomers will feel the game’s age through its flaws.
Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 is a fantastic third-person shooter that I highly recommend not only for fans of the franchise, but anyone who’s curious about it. It’s one of the more solid shooter campaigns released in recent years, with co-op features that make it a real treat with friends.
I've traversed vibrant planets and chased after the promise of the ultimate big score. But as the novelty wore off, a harsh truth emerged: beneath its polished surface, Star Wars Outlaws is a missed opportunity, bogged down by repetitive gameplay and a narrative that struggles to find its footing. It’s a game that tantalizes with potential but ultimately leaves much to be desired.
This is one of the meatiest expansions I’ve ever encountered in a video game. It could be its own game. All of the additions Shadow of the Erdtree makes are everything a Soulsike fan could hope for. While many think the price point for the DLC is a bit steep, I can clearly say what you get here more than justifies the asking price, and if you love Elden Ring, you should definitely not skip Shadow of the Erdtree.
Hellblade 2 feels like a living, breathing shapeshifter, manipulating its surroundings around the player with precision and consistency, making it one of the most visually stunning video games of this generation. This is an amazing title that carefully balances its artistic and gaming ambitions, a masterpiece that I encourage any gamer to experience.
Stellar Blade’s potential was clear, but as its ambitions expanded into something greater, it lost focus. As soon as Stellar Blade tries to bring everything together, it merges into a single figure that looks deformed and uneven. The quality is unquestionable but it wasn’t the final product I was slowly building in my head as I went through the game’s first half.
In the grand scheme of things, Capcom has delivered a sequel to make Dragon’s Dogma fans happy and wishing for more, but this isn’t a massive upgrade. Rather, it’s a modernization of the overall concept as the highs and lows of the first game mirror the sequel. If you can weather the storm that is Dragon’s Dogma 2, you might come out as one of the players who consider this one of the best RPG experiences they’ve ever played, or simply the worst.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth was a joy to play from start to finish and is a title every FFVII fan should play as they’ve done an exceptional job at bringing to life the world outside Midgar. There are a lot of changes to the original, but they’re changes I find myself welcoming, as this has now been one of my favorite JRPG experiences in recent years.
Arrowhead Games Studios has delivered an impressive sequel that elevates the concept they introduced back in 2015, and has established a commendable foundation for a live service title. I can already see Helldivers 2 being at the top of people’s minds when they are faced with the question – do you have any co-op shooters to recommend?