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The Outer Worlds 2 is a thoroughly enjoyable game, but as sequels go, it's largely more of the same. While the overarching story isn't terribly interesting, the world building around it and the colony of Arcadia is great to explore. What's disappointing is a lack of improvement in too many areas. It looks better and gunplay is better, but old snags and weaknesses from the first game remain and, more importantly, it's not as exciting and new as it was the first time round.
Fading Serenades is a nice, chill courier game on a nice little island where life is pretty laid back. But there are hints of something more sinister that the story explores in a bit of detail, but not enough. The game can get repetitive quite quickly, but it looks and sounds good.
NASCAR 25 has proven to be a very welcome surprise, giving you a rendition of the sport that absolutely shines on track. Some of the supporting elements could do with a tune-up, but if you're looking for heart-pounding racing action, NASCAR 25 delivers.
Bye Sweet Carole is a curate's egg of a game, with the presentation being truly superb and the storytelling excellent, but the bulk of the game experience just isn't fun. The frustrating platforming and stealth, combined with the review build being quite buggy, led to me finishing the game with gritted teeth rather than enjoyment. The bugs can be fixed (and the devs are working on patches) but the imbalance between the two gameplay styles is a more fundamental issue. If you can see past this then the game has a lot to offer in terms of aesthetic and story but, ironically, these can be enjoyed through watching a playthrough without subjecting yourself to the frustration.
Ninja Gaiden 4 is a shock to the system that reminds us of a time before Souls-likes. It's a high-octane, unrelenting, and effortlessly cool action game experience that newcomers and franchise fans alike need to play.
Jurassic World Evolution 3 is exactly what you'd want from a JWE sequel. More dinosaurs, enhanced options and new systems that make your stunning dinosaur menagerie more realistic than ever before. Life finds a way, and you have a direct hand in it.
If Jackbox Party Pack 11 is anything to go by, then the second decade of Jackbox is going to be great. There's a familiar feel to the pack as a whole, but it's really well put together and there's a great injection of noisy new ideas.
Nine years on from the original, Lumo 2 writes another love letter to 80s gaming. While it branches out from isometric gaming with its many enjoyable diversions and asides, they're connected by too many rooms and sections that suffer from your sluggish movement and imprecise platforming.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is a good game, but one that's held back by the expectations of being a sequel to an all-time classic. If you can step away from the baggage of the Bloodlines title, there is a lot here to enjoy in terms of narrative and atmosphere, though the combat is too repetitive.
Keeper captures the essence of Double Fine, packaged in a heartfelt and surreal world where you never quite know what will happen next. The gameplay regularly surprises, but the lack of challenge in even the more elaborate puzzles is a bit of a drawback, along with not being able to control the camera.
As literal a walking simulator as you could want for, Baby Steps makes no secret of being a challenging, punishing game. It's enjoyable in a way, and the awkward sense of humour laced throughout both the gameplay and the story will appeal to some, but that enthusiasm drains after the opening couple hours.
Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening has a lot going for it, a charming cartoon aesthetic, great storytelling, and solid gunplay. Unfortunately, these positives are often undermined by dull level design, inconsistent controls, and unpleasant difficulty spikes, resulting in a distinctly average overall experience.
Ball X Pit carries the spirit of an arcade classic, while imbuing it with modern roguelike ideas. It's immediately one of the best indie games of the year.
With its barmy riff on a medieval dungeoneering game show, there's something very likeable about the odd world of King of Meat. The platforming, puzzling and combat is a bit too woolly for my tastes, lacking a bit of staying power, but with UGC gaming more relevant than ever, King of Meat provides a great onramp for players to explore their creativity in a constrained setting.
Unlike the most recent Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a game that really holds your attention. The spiritual successor to Legends Arceus, it's learned from the mistakes of the distant past and beautifully shows what city life is like in the Pokémon universe. I can see myself playing this for another hundred hours as I finish my Pokédex, shiny hunt and generally have a great time. This is easily the best Pokémon game on the market.
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter is the gold standard of JRPG remakes - a perfect blend of the charm and nostalgia of the original with all the right elements of a modern-day masterpiece.
If I could have Absolum without the roguelite elements – and admittedly, a few less glitches – then I would have my ideal 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up, the best I've ever played. As it is, the roguelite structure and its inconsistent delivery unfortunately lowers the overall experience. It's still a very enjoyable game, even with these issues, but this was so close to being a classic of the genre.
Battlefield 6 is a return to form for the large scale shooter, with a great blend of infantry classes, mechanised warfare, some clever new game modes, and without too much nonsense wrapped around it. It's a true successor to Battlefield 4, right down to the naff campaign.
Whilst offering bombastic fun in online multiplayer, this Hades-like roguelite is oddly muted in single-player, an issue likely exacerbated due to the developer failing in making the most of the game's iconic mythological setting. A decently reliable experience then, but one so similar to so many other roguelites you'd have sworn you had already played Sworn before.
Little Nightmares 3 is a gorgeously crafted collection of grim visuals, memorable creatures and fear-inducing horror. The co-op play is a natural and understandable evolution for the series, but it does alter the overarching atmosphere, albeit it subtly.