Tom Bardwell
God of War Ragnarok is a masterpiece.
A Plague Tale: Requiem is a visually stunning and emotive fable that pierces through the noise of the most contested of release periods as a captivating triumph.
Starfield is the enchantment and wonder of space bottled and fleshed out into something grand and ambitious, thoughtful and attentive, janky at times, often funny, but always charming.
Ghostrunner 2 is bottled mechanical magic, a blisteringly-paced celebration of movement where death is a rite of passage.
Metal: Hellsinger merges rhythm, violence, and the fury-laden chugs of metal to create a unique kind of carnage that's a pleasure to conduct despite, at times, feeling repetitive.
Dredge: The Pale Reach is a rewarding, albeit bite-sized slice expansion that taps into what made the base game one of this year's most compelling indie efforts. For those after more of that unique, unsettling coziness, The Pale Reach should scratch that nautical itch.
Through a blend of a Metroidvania structure and a dutiful nod to its side-scrolling past, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a lean and assured mechanical treat.
Alone in the Dark is a considerate reimagining of a pioneering classic, weaving together nifty puzzles, edge-of-your-sofa combat, and clever scares.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is an engrossing, dense, and hard-fought slog, but nevertheless a slog weighed down by some heavy recycling and inconsistent difficulty.
Final Fantasy 16 is a rich, visually arresting spectacle with engrossing set pieces let down by a bloated story and stifled combat.
Despite its faults and playing it very safe, Assassin's Creed Mirage is a step in the right direction for Ubisoft, an exercise in concision and a solid attempt to rekindle what made early AC games memorable.
Possibly a spin-off too far, Persona 5 Tactica conceals a reasonably fun tactical turn-based strategy game behind a wearisome visual novel-style story.
Palworld is a game of bare minimums, unscrupulous and soulless, designed by the numbers to hit all the right notes to keep you hooked on its addictive catch-grind-craft loop.