System Shock 2 is an all-time great, easily one of the most important games of all time, and Nightdive’s 25th Anniversary Remaster edition makes it a touch more accessible without ever gutting its core, or anything that made it so cherished in the first place. The excellent core gameplay and stellar level design come together for an unforgettable experience. Furthermore, the fact it works shockingly well on a controller is already something worthy of a medal of honor for the studio.
Blades of Fire is a much better game than I initially anticipated. Granted, don’t expect grand innovations to the soulslike genre, but we’ve got some really novel ideas, such as directional-based combat and a weapon crafting system that add a unique flavour to the game. Even if not all of them work, I still have to admit I respect the efforts. I highly recommend fans of the classic Souls games to check this one out.
The Hitman: World of Assassination has always been a great collection. It combines IOI’s newest Hitman trilogy into one cohesive experience. With over a dozen unique locations, each with dozens of ways to complete them, it’s a complete package and an incredibly easy game to recommend. However, in its current launch state, I’d suggest waiting for a few patches. It is an impressive showcase for a new portable, don’t get me wrong, but it still needs some extra tinkering to truly become a must-have.
If you’ve never played Yakuza 0 before, then this is another fantastic version of one of the best titles in the franchise, and I would highly recommend it as one of the best titles in the Switch 2’s launch lineup. It’s a game that everyone should experience at least once, and the Switch 2 Director’s Cut might actually the best way for a new player to get into the franchise. However, not much here is worth getting the game again if you’ve got the tremendous PC or current-gen versions already.
Despite some good ideas that could have made Among The Whispers: Provocation a compelling addition to the ghost hunting horror subgenre, there are a lot of messy elements scattered throughout all of its corners. It does have a solid foundation, and being single-player does differentiate it from its sources of inspiration, but at the end of the day, the source of inspiration is still a better experience. It does lack variety and becomes tedious very quickly.
Skin Deep is a one-of-a-kind experience. It’s an immeowsive-sim game that doesn’t take itself seriously at all, leading to a unique and exciting stealth adventure. The responsive system drives the game, giving you a ton of flexibility in otherwise limiting scenarios, which leads to some hilarious shenanigans. Also, cats!
I wanted to like Post Trauma more than I did. A survival horror game that emphasises exploration and puzzle solving in a desolate world sounds like it should have been a good time. However, a weak plot and lacklustre combat make Post Trauma an uneven game that would be tough to recommend if it weren’t for its incredibly reasonable asking price. Though you could also always wait for a midyear sale if you want to…
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is truly something special, combining some fantastic turn-based combat and RPG progression with a heartfelt and well-told story about dealing with loss and paving the way for the future. It’s one of the finest RPGs in years and will likely be remembered for years to come.
Even if you aren’t a fan of roguelikes, Blue Prince feels much more like an elaborate puzzle box. There’s a satisfying feeling in making it further than you did before, finding clues to a puzzle, then stumbling onto another piece of that puzzle a few runs later. Blue Prince is certainly one of the most interesting games of this year. It takes a fairly novel concept in a roguelike puzzle game, adding elements of deckbuilding and base crafting. It all comes together for a gameplay experience unlike anything else out there today.
Steel Seed has everything that I love: explosive set pieces, stealth-focused gameplay and souls-like combat. Unfortunately, none of these elements work together here. Each part felt undercooked for an experience that I cannot recommend to anyone. Despite this, there’s a lot of potential there for something greater, and I hope we get to see a more focused game next.
The Last of Us Part II: Remastered is a beautiful mess. An ambitious title that had all the right ingredients, but didn’t always pan out the way it should. The excellent survival action gameplay that showcases humanity’s brutality is often let down by a story that is trying too much and has poor pacing. Thankfully, Part II’s debut on PC improves on the last game, making it the best place to play, even with its imperfections.
As a whole, Split Fiction does everything that you’d expect from a Hazelight game. And that’s an uncompromised focus on cooperative gameplay that is unmatched by pretty much anything else out there. The vast amount oft gameplay variety and exciting moments makes this a must-play; even if the story doesn’t quite hit the heights that we were expecting from other titles from the same company, the sum of its parts still makes it superior in every other aspect, and especially when compared to other outings from 2025 thus far.
As a massive fan of stealth franchises such as Splinter Cell and the excellent Shadow Tactics series, Assassin’s Creed: Shadows gave me what I wanted and somewhat feels like a hybrid of those. A fresh new stealth system is just what the franchise needed. In many ways, it goes back to the basics for the franchise that once lost that part of its identity, though does occasionally fall back into some of the recent trappings.
Monster Hunter: Wilds is a triumphant new entry. Whilst the story does have some issues with its writing and pacing issues it is one still worth paying attention to and once that’s done the game truly begins. With the same exceptional gameplay loop, we’ve come to love. There are a few rough edges but none of them stand in the way of Wilds just being my latest addiction.
Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered Collection does exactly what the previous collection did; bundles together a couple of beloved (and one not as much beloved) classics, exactly how they were years ago. With the option to play in much higher fidelity and modernised control schemes, or how it was designed originally. It’s not a perfect collection and these aren’t my favourites in the series, but it’s still nice to have more games being updated, preserved, and accessible.
DreadOut: Remastered Collection is not a perfect series, and this remaster still shows that time hasn’t been kind to it. However, I have a soft spot for horror games based on Asian Folklore, and this Fatal Frame-inspired adventure is at the very least worth a go. Full of charm and interesting ideas, but often stumbling in execution. Just be prepared for a game that is occasionally frustrating.
Sorry We’re Closed is one hell of a game. It throws a ton of ideas into a blender and comes out with a retro-action horror quite unlike anything else I played. It has such a great concept and stunning visual style that really sets it apart from the competition.
Nightdive has, once again, to no one’s shock, delivered another stellar remastering effort. Whilst The Thing is far from being considered a perfect game (for some, even a straightforward “good” game), or even something I would have personally chosen to get the remaster treatment, it’s still a solid title that did its best to recapture the essence of the movie. If anything, I am glad that Nightdive went the extra mile to remaster something that wasn’t exactly good, but surely needed to become widely available once again; it felt like finally being able to experience a forgotten piece of video game history.
As a whole, Threshold is a delightfully bizarre and engaging little game, but the odd pacing and structure might not be to everyone’s liking. The core main gameplay loop borders on tedious, and there’s a frustrating amount of bugs, however, it’s getting to the bottom of that mystery that makes it an utterly engaging experience. If you’re looking for weirdness, you should give this one a go.
A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is a better game than I expected. It’s good, but it could have honestly been a lot better, even great. The developers have, for the most part, successfully managed to translate the movie’s unique and engaging premise into game form. However, uneven level design and repetitive gameplay holds it back from being truly great. I hope we get more from A Quiet Place, as there’s so much untapped potential in bringing it to gaming form, but this is a solid enough first effort.