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Monster Hunter Wilds manages to deliver on every expectation one would have for a new Monster Hunter game, before dropping the throttle and blasting through every expectation you didn't even know you had. With gameplay shake ups, weapon tweaks and a brilliant range of monsters strewn across a score of incredible landscapes, Wilds is a different beast that establishes itself as well worth the hunt.
Starward Vector is a confident, brilliantly written sequel that builds on its predecessor's deft ability to weave thematic and story threads through direct-feed role playing. Gameplay tweaks and the new Contracts system turn what could've been an overly familiar double dip into a follow-up that stands confidently on its own.
Yakuza Pirates in Hawaii is as irreverent and over-the-top as the title might imply, putting its leading man to good use to tell a piratical tale that does just enough to stand on its own. Ship combat never quite reaches the highs it aspires to, and the series still has some growing to do, but it's hard not to be charmed by this mix of classical Like a Dragon and sea-faring action.
In returning to its narrative adventure roots, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage feels like a retreat for Don't Nod. Draped in nostalgia for both the 90s and Life is Strange, Bloom & Rage struggles to find itself among uneven pacing, tonal inconsistencies, and an uninteresting cast of characters. Despite some neat visual tricks with its VHS overlays, there's little on this first tape worth a rental.
Avowed moves Obsidian Entertainment even further toward the action side of Action-RPG with a satisfying combat system and vibrant world stapled to an unengaging narrative and surface level roleplaying systems. Despite its initially promising setup, Avowed never rises above a binge and forget experience.
Terry's bite-sized, open world adventure is absurdly hilarious and hilariously absurd in equal measure, providing a few, thrilling hours of goofy fun with some of the best video game comedy in recent memory. If you missed this on PC last year, now's your chance on PS5 and Switch.
Afterlove EP pulls from a deep emotional well to weave threads of grief, love, hope, resentment, forgiveness, identity and more through a mostly-good mix of choice-driven visual novel and rhythm game. It has some issues with flow, and the rhythm stuff isn't amazing, but stick with it and you'll fall in love with this little slice of Jakarta.
Ninja Gaiden II Black is an impressive remaster in terms of sheer visual fidelity, but the gameplay and design haven't aged quite so gracefully. It's an important relic of the past, but just that.
Sid Meier's Civilization VII introduces some much-needed shake-ups to the formula with welcome changes. However, at times, it feels like something is missing. For fans of the long-running series, there's plenty to get excited about, and it's as addictive as ever. It's also probably one of the more approachable entries for newcomers. Overall, plenty to love now, and hopefully, some changes to make certain aspects more lovable in the future.
This is more Kingdom Come: Deliverance, just a bit bigger and better. Warhorse's second tour into medieval Bohemia should be on your 2025 travel itinerary if you can survive it.
Returning to the gorgeous yet brutal world of Tails of Iron was a blast thanks to some improvements that makes Whiskers of Winter a brilliant sequel that excels in what makes the series standout.
Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is a fun and engaging tower defence roguelike that features many choices that will have you using your brain to think of unique strategies to survive every wave. Although it has some quirks you will be guaranteed to have hours of fun solo or with others.
Sniper Elite: Resistance is a reasonable continuation of the franchise, its sniping highs remain as amusing as ever thanks to some neat environmental gameplay, but much of its content rehashes what came before instead of evolving the series concept for a true next-gen sequel.
Despite it feeling really late in the game to drop this HD re-release, the simple fact is that Donkey Kong Country Returns is a masterclass in tough-yet-exhilarating platforming, and the Switch is now the best place to play it all over again – or for the first time.
With genuinely funny writing, superb voice acting and animations, Loco Motive is a modern homage that is sometimes a little too faithful to the LucasArts adventure games that pioneered the genre back in the day.
Completely Stretchy is a wacky single-player 3D platformer that features fun quests, weird characters and plenty of secrets. Thanks to its simple controls and story, you'll be laughing, having fun, and swinging about for a joyful couple of hours in Grombi Isles.
Critter Café is a visually charming cosy game ranging from play that is casual to heavily engaging. While the world is not full of excitement or depth it has moments of charm through its environmental puzzles and the unique designs of its critters.
With its stunning hand-drawn, graphite visuals and meditative tram driving gameplay, Short Trip is the respite we all need from the chaos of our current zeitgeist. If only it offered a deeper experience to fully escape into.
When Indiana Jones and the Great Circle plays to its strengths it's a captivating adventure led by Troy Baker's exceptional performances, but sadly some design choices bog it down and stop it from being a generational treasure.
This definitive version of a charming, inventive throwback to peak Sakaguchi might still feel like a game best suited to an iPad, but it works well enough that it's absolutely worth a look-in for PS1-era Final Fantasy fans who've been unable to play it thus far.