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Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf is a supremely assured offering that is better than its predecessor in virtually every way, layering just enough mechanical depth on top while never losing sight of the beating heart underneath.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance is an overall decent remaster that does a great job of upgrading the game for a modern audience, especially with its brand-new camera. Everything else, unfortunately, is hit-and-miss. The visual upgrades are great in some areas and worse in others, and the additions of the Lost Levels leave a lot to be desired. While a solid game upon its original release, this remaster was the perfect opportunity to update and fix some of the game's more glaring issues with its sound design and some frustrating combat sequences.
I'm a long time fan of the Tales of games, and I personally love that this release, along with the other recent remasters, received a physical version with some extra bells and whistles. That said, the urge to buy Tales of Berseria Remastered isn't really all that strong, as this experience essentially exists on modern hardware already.
Resident Evil Requiem is a confident, gorgeous-looking and genuinely scary romp that expertly balances its horror and action elements into one compelling, hair-raising package. Grace is one of the best new characters the series has introduced to date, and a perfect complement to veteran zombie slayer Leon. As the series celebrates its 30th anniversary, Resident Evil Requiem sees the franchise at its strongest in years.
Avowed on PS5 is a focused, polished RPG that thrives on combat variety, skill depth, and companion-driven encounters. Expanded progression systems and gear upgrades make your chosen playstyle feel consistently rewarding, while companions add tactical and narrative depth to every fight. Though Obsidian has kept some story beats and familiar design elements safe, the meaningful tweaks and updates bring more out of your experience, making exploration, combat, and progression more engaging than ever. Limited enemy variety remains a minor restraint, but overall, the PS5 version feels complete, confident, and satisfying from start to finish.
When High On Life 2 is in its element it is good trashy fun, especially if you enjoy potty mouth humour. However, there are often too many issues plaguing the experience to fully enjoy, such as the bugs and the momentum-stopping puzzle platforming bits. In any case you'll likely enjoy what High On Life 2 offers, just ensure you aren't going to overdose on it.
Though the tonal shift might be too much for some longer term God of War vets and it really doesn't achieve anything fresh or new in the Metroidvania space, Sons of Sparta nevertheless stands as proof that AAA developers like Sony Santa Monica should continue to let talented indie devs play in their sandbox because despite such flawed, the results are still more than worthwhile.
Reanimal is a short thrill ride, packed with stylish albeit somewhat repetitive set pieces, and truly nightmarish imagery. Despite its obvious connective tissue to Tarsier's previous franchise, it does enough to never feel derivative, and instead comes off as more of an evolution.
Romeo Is a Dead Man is yet another belter from a director who marches to the beat of his own drum. It's unapologetically weird, well-conceived and just downright fun to play, and that's all I could really ask for. Every small detail forms a tapestry that can't really be described, only experienced with your own eyes. Where every design idiosyncracy might not land, it doesn't apologise for that. Why should it?
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is a top-notch package brimming some great new content, with the Dark Tide side-story worth the price of entry alone. There's some questionable changes and additions to Yakuza 3 that will irk some longtime fans, but overall, this is a brilliant remake and easily the most ambitious in the series to date.
Nioh 3 represents the series at its most refined and confident. Combat is precise, expressive, and endlessly rewarding, while open-field design gives the world room to breathe without sacrificing focus. Crucibles deliver punishing, carefully balanced challenges that reward preparation and mastery in equal measure.
Another swing and a hit from Square Enix and the Dragon Quest franchise. Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined streamlines the entire experience and provides plenty of quality-of-life updates that I wish every studio would implement into their games. The visuals and sound design are once again in the higher echelon, and game's combat is still just as enjoyable as Dragon Quest combat always is.
If a harsh climbing simulator is your thing, Cairn does a great job of providing you with the treacherous conditions of an ambitious mountain climb. It's an outstanding little game in respects to how strategy and perseverance can assist you in reaching your goals and ultimately the Mount Kami summit.
Code Vein II is fine, functional and can be fun-especially if you're able to get the A.I to do the dirty work for you. The Formae system is potent and definitely gives combat encounters a zesty sense of empowerment, and if you're invested you'll want to lap up Code Vein 2 with vigor-just go in expecting a largely safe soulslike and you'll be content with this one.
MIO: Memories In Orbit is a deceptive experience that lulled me into thinking that it might be retreading some of the roads that had already been masterfully done by its genre-siblings, but only a few hours had me appreciating every crevice and finely realised detail throughout its lush world. It manages to stand all and establish itself as a fantastic metroidvania that draws upon the strengths of the genre, while creating a world all its own.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon is a bittersweet ending to a story that started over 20 years ago. Beyond the Horizon has mastered its combat system, offering a near-perfect balance between action and turn-based combat. Meanwhile, the story at times had me glued to the screen. It's just a shame some of the franchise's most glaring issues still haven't been addressed, and the game's pacing could have used a lot more work.
BrokenLore: Unfollow is a bit up-and-down with its delivery. It explores worthwhile themes of self-betterment but utilizes some conflicting messages to do so. Then, enemy scares are more jump scares than anything else, which get old quickly. The second half of the game proves more cohesive, and the experience only lasts a couple of hours. $30 isn't an unfair asking price for BrokenLore: Unfollow, but it will likely keep people on the fence if they already are.
Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow on PSVR2 is modest in ambition but confident in its chosen identity. It doesn't offer the sprawling systemic depth of its ancestors, nor does it push stealth AI into new territory, yet the tactile VR experience elevates what could have been forgettable into something surprisingly satisfying. The repetition, the shallow enemy behaviour, and the occasional technical hiccup undeniably pull the game down, but the undeniable charm of physically inhabiting the shadows pushes it back up. What's left is a VR stealth experience that works because it leans into the strengths of the medium, even if it can't fully escape its weaknesses.
Though Skate Story may be a barebones skateboarding game, the rest of the game is a stunning visual and audibly experience. The game's soundtrack is incredible and perfectly fits the abstract, psychedelic visual style.
When you put all of Total Chaos' myriad of gameplay elements together, a lot of the fear factor quickly disappears, giving way to something more akin to Doom than to survival horror. There's definitely an audience for this game, but it's more of a survival horror-adjacent experience. It has elements of the survival horror genre, but it leans too hard into the Doom formula. This combination creates a fun concept that needs editing to be a cohesive product. $25 is a fair price tag for what Total Chaos offers, but it may make some hesitate if they don't know what they're getting into.