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An uninspired effort to infuse nostalgic IP with edgy nonsense, Shadow Labrynth offers up some fine enough Metroidvania action but fails to give players much of a reason to care about it beyond sheer novelty. Tucked away in its sprawling maps are beacons of joy in the form of classic Pac-Man mazes, but there’s only a ghost of a game built around them.
With Donkey Kong Bananza, DK is back in a big way. It blends new tech with old-school Nintendo charm for a destructive experience that is both intoxicating and addictive. While Pauline's storyline is underdeveloped, this is easily Donkey Kong at his absolute best. Regardless of some minor blemishes, Donkey Kong Bananza deserves a place in any self-respecting Switch 2 owner's library and, much like Super Mario Odyssey before it, sets an incredibly high bar for all that will follow.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 is yet another tremendous celebration of skateboarding, the video games that catapulted it into the mainstream, and the sport’s current slate of stars. I’d argue it has some curious design choices, both necessary and not, that perhaps leave one half of the package feeling a little slightly lesser than.
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach does everything it can to eclipse the original in practically every way, improving on the systems surrounding the already solid core of the original. The result is a livelier world to explore, an engaging story to experience and an overall much better paced adventure through Australia that I struggled to put down. It's well worth your time and more respectful of it too.
Were it a bit more feature complete and fine-tuned, Rematch would be undeniable in its claim for Rocket League’s long-held crown. There’s a high, albeit achievable, skill ceiling here, but intuitive controls means anybody can header, rainbow flick, or bicycle kick goals from the box’s edge in short, exhilarating, and most importantly, moreish games of soccer.
Though it doesn't reach the heights of FromSoftware's recent titles, Elden Ring Nightreign makes it seem as though the developer could try their hand at anything and find success. Deliciously punishing and addictively moreish, Nightreign is worth the price of admission and then some.
Doom: The Dark ages trades Eternal's speed and complexity for a slower almost methodical approach to the classic combat that put the series on the map so many years ago. While not every addition works in It's favour, it still delivers a satisfying experience. And while The Dark Ages is not the Doom game that I was expecting, it's still one that I welcome to the already illustrious Doom canon.
Revenge of the Savage Planet is a confident sequel that expands on the original game in all the right ways. Its five densely packed planets are a joy to uncover, more importantly, invite exploration in all the right ways. While the humour is a bit hit or miss and I will personally always miss the first-person, Metroid Prime-like gameplay, some strong level design and a satisfying loop of exploration makes Revenge of the Savage Planet a strong but quirky debut for Raccoon Logic.
Like other precision platformers before it, Shotgun Cop Man takes a deliberate gameplay-first approach and trades even a fun story for a few gags and quips. Its unique approach to movement is enough of a hook to push you through the game’s many, many levels, however, I do think the game will live and die, and perhaps avoid premature damnation, on its custom levels.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is a love letter to one of the most charmingly chaotic RPGs ever made. It’s not perfect and it doesn’t try to be. Instead, it embraces its jank with open arms, wraps it in beautiful new visuals, reminding us why Cyrodiil still holds a special place in RPG history.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of those double A titles that blurs the lines between it and the industry's biggest hitters. It isn't without issues, but as a debut title for Sandfall Interactive, it's an incredibly impressive showing that's well worth checking out.
With a thoughtful message, soulful world, and beautifully imaginative design to push things along, Compulsion delivers a classic adventure seemingly beyond their weight class with South of Midnight. It's the exact, elusive story-driven diamond in the rough that Xbox has been in search of for generations now.
The Last of Us Part II Remastered on PC delivers in spades. The PC-specific features are welcome, though the DLSS implementation needs a bit of work. That said, this is easily the best way to play one of this generation's greatest games.
Croc's levels feel dated amongst it's contemporaries today but that doesn't stop it from being a cheerful journey from the adventure's beginning to it's triumphant conclusion.
Atomfall is a surprise in all the best ways – it is a dense but enjoyable world to explore with a sense of freedom in every sense of the word. The objective and quest designs feel truly open-ended, inspired by the best aspects of games like Fallout: New Vegas. But despite some friction between the game's action underpinnings and light RPG mechanics, Atomfall is an intriguing, unique and ambitious foray into a new genre for Rebellion, and one I hope to see them continue to dabble in.
With its mammoth Japan heaving with to-do lists to check off, Assassin's Creed Shadows opts for the safety of familiarity rather than taking any real swings for the franchise's belated sojourn in the 'Land of the Rising Sun'. What remains is a fine Assassin's Creed title that, save for a few clever tweaks, fits snuggly in its template.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is a reminder that X is one of the best entries in Xenoblade despite its differences. It's a weird and wonderful game that stands out in a franchise filled with bangers. This version doubles down on its strengths and supplements some of its weaknesses to make for the best version of X, and is a must buy for any JRPG fanatic.
WWE 2K25 is an exceptionally good video game. It's chock full of well-realised modes and is an absolute blast to play. Whether you want to duke it out against the NXT Mutiny brand in MyRise or experience the rise of the Bloodline Dynasty in Showcase mode, there's something here for every kind of wrestling fan.
Split Fiction is a masterclass of game design, and is yet another instant classic from a team who have, across a span of three games, rewritten the handbook on how to develop fun and insanely inventive stories that'll be remembered for one thing, among others: spotlighting the power of friendship.
Like the two titles that preceded it, Two Point Museum isn't just a business simulation game; it's a game that allows you to take things at your own pace and enjoy the ride, while having a laugh in the process. The sky is the limit when it comes to your imagination, and as long as you can find a way to keep the cash flow coming in, your museums will continue to grow and thrive under your management. This is the kind of game you could easily sink hours into without realising, and come out on the other side feeling just as good as when you dived in.