Mouthwashing is a bleak and harrowing experience from start to finish, yet it's the commitment and willingness to be confronting to the player that truly sets it apart from others in the industry. A video game that will leave you changed, discomforted and, hopefully, introspective. A poignantly important piece of art that pulls no punches and cuts with a precision in writing that's rarely demonstrated to this level. You need to play Mouthwashing.
Like any good zombie, Stupid Never Dies can initially appear garish and flailing, but see beneath the layers of rotting flesh and you'll find a juvenile, humorous, dopamine hitting good time. The action is unfortunately floaty in places, but lavishes in variety and spectacle, while the progression system has more levers than a slot machine casino to keep you coming back. It's not one of the best rogue-likes you'll ever play, but it's got more personality and charm than most.
EA Sports FC 27 shoots for the top corner, only to see its shot come flying back. The Grounds is a messy and uninteresting hodgepodge of modes alongside poor performances from its famous faces. The football feels like a considerable step back on last year's improvements too. However, the production qualities continue to be stellar, and the career mode has seen some noticeable improvements, not to mention its alongside a wealth of modes on offer. But when the football is only decent, how much of it will you really want to play?
A strong run-based design philosophy, combined with fantastic arcade racing and a stunning depiction of the Star Wars universe gets Star Wars: Galactic Racer off to a flying jumpstart. Its parts come slightly loose thanks to some repetition in maps, difficulty spike boss races and the odd demoralising run. However, this speeder has been assembled with craft and care, which shines through as it fires its engines to a great victory.
Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered brings the 25 year old classic hack-and-slash title back to life. Fresh lighting and overhauled visuals sparkle, while modern combat elements elevate the slicing and dicing nicely. While there's plenty to cut your teeth on here, the old frustrations with stun-locking enemies, less interesting mission designs and getting crossbow mobbed irk sooner than they should. At least the dialogue is absolutely hilarious and the series' charm remains fully intact.
Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is a triumph of sheer, thrilling joy. Dogfighting amongst the clouds is an exhilarating ride, one matched by the strength of its mechanics and brilliant presentation. While its story is a mixed success, the overall design of this aircraft is almost unparalleled, with a superbly crafted campaign and fully fledged online offering, it will keep you coming back for ever more takeoffs and engagements.
A stellar opening bite from Rebel Wolves, The Blood of Dawnwalker demonstrates it can claw and battle with the toughest of the vrakhir. While it's not quite at the level of the very best in the genre, it delivers a superb open world adventure, filled with intrigue and compelling combat. Give it enough time to feed and this Dawnwalker could grow into a titan, and I can't wait to see what blood feast will come next.
Dispelling the open world and detective heavy gameplay of the first, The Sinking City 2 sinks its roots into the survival horror genre with great success. It's more imitation than original in concept, which may disappoint fans of the original. However, it leads to a tighter, leaner and far more engaging sequel. Frogwares sought solace in an alternative Deep One, and have been bestowed with a more memorable journey as a result.
The melding of anime and World War 2 tank squads in Panzer Knights: Commander's Edition flatters to deceive. A serviceable tank experience runs aground due to numerous malfunctions, unreliable mechanics and a by-the-numbers approach to missions. Though it offers plenty of varieties in tanks, there's little else to make this a fearsome weapon of warfare.
Serving up questionably sourced hotdogs has a certain grungy appeal in Meat Grinder: Hotdog Simulator. The meat itself is far from spoiled, but lacking any real seasoning to elevate it beyond its humble origins. While the story is a total flop, the retro horror visuals add some sauce to what is otherwise, a rather basic culinary experience.
The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu's suffocating atmosphere and devious tricks initially delight, especially if playing alongside others. Unfortunately, its repetitive design sullies most of what it does best, and going it alone on these expeditions is akin to madness itself. While there's the promise of riches on this continent, the dangers are far more apparent.
Smudged on all sides with technical bugs, crashes, audio failures and performances mishaps, the best of Gothic 1 Remake's qualities only just manage to shine through the grime. While there's a truly compelling game nestled under the surface, this nugget of ore needs more sprucing up before it's ready to be sold on.
IO Interactive have delivered their vodka Martini shaken, though it causes plenty of stirs along the way. It's a rip-roaring, globe-trotting adventure that delivers thrills galore, with a shockingly good emotional core to deliver on the premise of 007's origin story. One of 2026's best games has arrived, and what a privilege it is to have James Bond back in full, unapologetic confidence.
Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss falls prey to the greatest source of madness: boredom. Bogged down with its litany of technical issues and crashes, its fragile story and bland walking simulator gameplay fail to inspire even a modicum of intrigue. It's not Cthulhu who'll cause your mental degradation, but the endless tedium of trying to reach the finale of this abyss.
Pragmata is a much more reserved and grounded title than its premise may suggest, but that's for the better. Its central duo of Hugh and Diana form a likeable bond, its gameplay keeps itself tight and focused with some great-yet-cumbersome hacking mechanics. Even with some imprecise controls and visual mishaps, Pragmata makes a trip to the moon a sight to behold.
Emerging from the shadows of the Crossroads, Melinoë leads the charge for Supergiant's sequel that sits at the very top of the roguelike genre. The combat is exceptional, the visuals are divine, the story is mythical and its expansion as a sequel is first-class. Hades II safely resides in the hallowed halls of Olympus, worthy of its place amongst the immortals.
Delivering on the promise to slay hundreds of dragon spawn with a sandbox of build diversity and compelling hacking and looting, Dragonkin: The Banished uses its Diablo inspirations to create a wonderfully addictive action game. It may not have the production values of the best in the genre, but this fledgling dragon spawn has spread its own wings and taken flight.
In fully committing to its themes of artistic inspiration, trauma and self-doubt, Project Songbird shows a willingness to be emotionally raw and vulnerable, creating a real space for reflection and empathy. The psychological horror elements have a depth that slowly expands over the game's runtime, outshining its relatively straightforward combat and occasional technical problems. A nightmare is always distressing, but maybe there's beauty nestled within the pain.
Bearing the legacy of Left 4 Dead and Back 4 Blood, John Carpenter's Toxic Commando lands with an almighty bang when it comes to gunplay and spectacle defence sequences against armies of undead numbering in the thousands. It's unfortunately saddled with lame writing and meagre fresh ideas, which can thankfully be ignored as you unleash armageddon with bullets and explosions with your friends.
Overall, Visions of Four Heroes is a good quality expansion to Dynasty Warriors: Origins, but may feel too pricey for the lack of fresh material. The two new weapons and early prototype for strategy battles are interesting, while the core gameplay remains excellent. However, the storytelling continues to tread water and the expansion doesn't take much of a risk with its ideas, which may leave some feeling short-changed by its asking price.