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Tales of Berseria Remastered may be the least necessary or helpful remaster I’ve ever played, but it’s still a good RPG well worth playing for those who missed it the first time around. Too many one-dimensional dungeons and combat, which, at times, is too complex for its own good, stop it from reaching greatness, but its unique story and cast of characters set it apart from the genre and make it well worth your time.
While its underwhelming boss battles and environmental design feel like a small step back from previous entries, Resident Evil Requiem is an equally terrifying and thrilling installment in Capcom’s long-running survival horror saga. With a lengthy campaign that blends the original trilogy’s tense, methodical exploration with the action-packed set pieces that define the franchise’s modern offerings, Requiem also delivers a gripping story, making it a must-play entry that honors the series’ survival horror legacy while pushing it forward in an exciting new direction.
ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN is to Grasshopper Manufacture as The Great Wave off Kanagawa is to Hokusai — the game is only this good (and believe me, it is GOOD) because of all the incredible experiences that built it. Play ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN on whichever platform you must (PS5 felt fantastic), but to be clear: PLAY IT.
I really enjoyed playing TR-49, but it’s too wrapped up in its characters for me to totally forgive the fact that I came away from it not caring about any of them. Still, the formula at the center of this one is a winner, and if you’ve already played some of the genre’s very best, TR-49 is absolutely still worth a look.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is essential as a complete narrative package. It takes the heart of the series, Kiryu’s struggle to find peace, and gives it the presentation it deserves. Dark Ties puts the spotlight on an underutilized and misunderstood antagonist in a campaign that is over all too soon. If you don’t mind some of RGG Studio’s choices regarding casting and delisting Yakuza 3 Remastered, then I’d say this is a must-play.
In a series where depth has always been prioritise over accessibility, it’s a shame that Team Ninja didn’t go far enough in making the depth itself more approachable, then, as in every other department, be it storytelling, combat, or progression once you make sense of it, Nioh 3 is an incredible experience, worthy of any fan who likes either Soulslikes or Character Action Games. The addition of Open Fields feels like the missing piece of the puzzle that the series was lacking, leading to Nioh 3 feeling like a more complete package than ever before in providing environments to let its top-tier gameplay sing outside of the more linear, scripted levels, while the new Ninja combat style allows for more flexibility and enemy variety than ever before. Gripes around accessibility aside, Team Ninja can comfortably take a bow, having finally achieved the full potential for this wonderful series with Nioh 3.
When all is said and done, Lovish is a spectacular game. It’s colorful, creative, funny and easy to play in short bursts. Not only is this one of the best games I’ve played from DANGEN Entertainment and LABS Works, but it’s just engaging and very easy to recommend. Any fan of retro or platformers absolutely needs to own this crazy love letter to the genre.
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is a shining example of why this iconic series endures. Its development team understands that you don’t need overly complex progression or to reinvent the wheel in the storytelling department, and the result is one of the purest, most endearing JRPGs I’ve played in recent memory that both fans of the original and newcomers will enjoy in equal measures.
Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator is a great teaching tool for those dipping their toes into the speculative market, putting a face (and life) onto stocks and making it easier to understand basic trading concepts. The UI is a fantastic throwback to that glorious — but short — early 2000s era of gaming that fits perfectly with the overall theme and mechanics. Although the gameplay can get a bit repetitive and you’re not really earning the money for anything more than a high score, these aren’t exactly knocks against Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator for the right person. If you enjoyed Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator and want more illicit market goodness, Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator is up for adoption on PC via Steam.
Despite its share of rough edges, Skate Story still won me over. It leans more on style than substance, but that style is some of the most striking I’ve seen in years, and it carries the experience far. The problem is that the game rarely finds inventive ways to use its own brilliance, leaving it feeling like a journey that peaks too early.
There’s also the question of value. Following Black Ops 6 so quickly means you’re essentially asking players to commit to another year-long engagement with a very similar experience. The improvements are meaningful, but incremental. If you burned out on Black Ops 6, this won’t change things.
Not only was MARVEL Cosmic Invasion more than worth the wait, it’s easily the best beat ’em up I’ve played all year. It’s clear Tribute Games is amazing at this genre, and they seem to be improving with age. This is a colorful, creative and varied experience with lasting replay value. While it wasn’t quite perfect, assuming that glitch I encountered gets fixed, you can add another .5 to the overall rating. This is a wonderful adventure, and one every Marvel true believer has to play.
While Hannah features a lovely gloomy aesthetic and an interesting premise, the awkward gameplay, camera and one-hit deaths made it a slog to actually play. It’s unfortunate, because it’s clear there’s some good ideas here. They just needed a lot more polish before the game was released. Here’s hoping they manage to fix some of these issues in the near future. But until then, Hannah is a game that’s hard to recommend.
Atsu’s journey of revenge may not be totally unique, but it’s incredibly well executed and totally compelling. Not much about the story of Ghost of Tsushima really stuck with me after completing it, but I’m going to remember Ghost of Yotei. It smartly builds on the foundation of its predecessor and comes out as a far stronger overall package. If you remotely enjoyed the last game this is an easy recommendation.
Foolish Mortals does a good job of a lot of things, and once it gets going it offers a spooky good time for fans of adventure games. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel and I do wish its interface had a bit of an overhaul but fans of adventure titles will have an excellent time with it. This isn’t a game that’s going to win over anyone who doesn’t already love the genre though.
If you’re looking for a creepy mystery, you won’t do much better than The Séance of Blake Manor. It looks great, it sounds fantastic, and it offers a wonderful cast of characters who you’ll love investigating. From the first time I sat down with it until I figured out all the mysteries hiding in that hotel I couldn’t stop playing it. This is one of the very best games of 2025.
Despite my issues with the adventure, GIGASWORD is still a tremendous Metroidvania experience. It’s frankly hard to believe this was made by a solo developer, it’s that good. Not only is it one of the best examples of the genre I’ve played in recent memory, it’s also a game that’s a glowing love letter to the NES era of gaming. Here’s hoping the issues I mentioned above get fixed so that everyone can fully enjoy this puzzle platformer.
R-Type Delta is an incredible SHMUP that sits among the very best of its era, or any era for that matter. Its high level of difficulty and low level of adaptability may turn some players off, but genre fans who haven’t gotten a chance to play it absolutely need to check it out.
Lumines Arise is an absolute showstopper of a title for the PlayStation VR 2 and I suspect will play much the same in VR on PC as well. In any other context it’s still an excellent puzzle game albeit one that you’ll likely finish with rather quickly. Still, if you remotely enjoyed Tetris Effect then Lumines Arise is just as well made and is well worth your time.
Still, despite some minor complaints about the ending, I had an absolute blast with each episode of Dispatch. For the last few weeks, checking out the new episodes has become a part of my Wednesday schedule that I couldn’t wait for and now that the game is over I’m going to miss it next Wednesday. With excellent characters, an interesting world, and a mostly satisfying conclusion, my only real complaints are that I wanted more of it. More room to develop the plot and more of the interesting gameplay. Hopefully it won’t be too terribly long before we get more of Dispatch.