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In the pantheon of Mario Party games, Super Mario Party Jamboree is the best new game in a long, long time. After getting back to basics with Superstars, Jamboree sticks with the more traditional Mario Party formula in all the right ways, while still finding space to mix things up a little with new items, a blend of motion and button control minigames, Pro Rules, and some larger online modes and experiments. This is practically essential for Mario Party fans.
Ys X: Nordics maintains a lot of the qualities that this series has come to be known for. Some of those qualities aren't necessarily a positive, like the familiarly linear dungeon encounters and the less-than-impressive visuals of the game, but a lot of it works great. Combat is the best it's ever been, naval gameplay is a fresh and welcome addition, and Ys X: Nordics introduces refreshing character moments with Adol and Karja that I'm desperate to see more of in the next entry.
Silent Hill 2 is a fantastic remake of a true classic, Bloober Team putting their own spin on the iconic horror game. That being said, enough of rough edges remain that could put some players off – ironically the same rough edges that make it so successful for me. These echoes of some of the less positive aspects of the original game, as well as some performance issues on console, are the only negatives in a game that more than does service to the legacy of Silent Hill.
Until Dawn remains a fantastic horror game with great acting and plenty of jump scares to get you out of your seat. While not essential for anyone that enjoyed the original game, this remake brings it to a new audience and is a solid update to what was already a great game.
As a modern successor and sequel to the classic PS2 era Budokai Tenkaichi trilogy, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a great time for Dragon Ball fans. You'll have to ease yourself into the controls, but once it clicks it's a lot of fun to explore the full roster and smash anime characters together.
Ravenswatch is an excellent roguelike, one that's filled with clever gameplay design, lovely art, and just a really cool core concept. Now that it's fully out in the wild, I'm happy to wholeheartedly recommend it to basically anyone who's even tangentially interested, and while I do sort of hope they keep releasing new characters, it already feels more than complete.
There's a lot of soulslikes out there, but Enotria: The Last Song makes a decent grab for your attention with day-glow brighter than bright visuals and the fresh and engaging setting of Italian mythology. Unfortunately, too many text-boxes and confusing gameplay systems, along with a healthy dose of jankiness, takes the shine off this otherwise colourful soulslike.
Metaphor ReFantazio is sublime. Persona fans will have an absolute blast playing this, and hunting out the subtle (and not-so-subtle) nods to its franchise cousin. A couple of minor annoyances make it feel a little rough around the edges hold it back from an otherwise perfect score.
Undisputed is a valiant attempt by Steel City Interactive, bringing back boxing to the fore in video games after a long absence. The in-ring action is generally very good and the roster is well stacked. What is missing is good commentary and there are gameplay issues that need to be addressed, including lag and stuttering. Undisputed is not ready to be a title challenger yet, but updates may see it get there eventually.
Arco is an artistic achievement, blending the struggles of gameplay and narrative into each other seamlessly as it draws you into the depressing but important stories of Mesoamerican natives struggling to carve out a space for themselves, in a world that grows more and more hostile by the day.
Playing Kill Knight feels like what happens if you gave a medieval peasant a bottle of soda. It's violent, and unexpected, and adrenaline-charged and fun as hell.
Squirrel With a Gun is more than just a jokey throwaway meme game, but in some ways this is its biggest downfall. There is so much potential in the central mechanics that is held back by floaty controls and so it falls between two stools. A little more refinement and this could have been a more solid experience, but as a joke it goes on too long. That being said, there is enough here to entertain if you can look past those control issues.
For under a fiver and with around five to six hours of content, the Mask of Darkness is practically an essential addition for fans of The Lost Crown. Offering an intense experience; as well as a surprisingly compelling story that fills in many of the blanks from the original game. Recommended.
While some of its gameplay diversions miss the mark, Dustborn is an excellent example of how to craft engaging characters and wrap a story around them. The game is filled with surprisingly natural sounding conversations, whether they're serious and detailed or funny and light. It's very rare that I encounter characters that are so believable in a game. Quite the achievement considering one of those characters is a gruff, bearded New Yorker with dwarfism who heals people by reciting poetry, who I honestly wish I got to spend more time with.
As with the original, Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 is a simplified and cutesy take on the whole EDF think. While it succeeds in that goal, it loses a lot of the allure as it does so.
I'm still none the wiser who Funko Fusion is for. It's a kid's game that's too adult for kids, with a batch of franchises that only older fans will really appreciate, but then they've dialled down the difficulty, presumably to appeal to younger players. The shame of it is, with the right characters, this is a great kids game, and the Jurassic World levels only highlight that. Funko Fusion offers plenty to like, but just like its plastic-melting antagonist, it fuses too many of the wrong parts together to feel cohesive.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a charming delight, an adventure for Zelda herself that embraces a wholly different style of gameplay to Link's tales, allowing for player expression and creativity throughout.
EA Sports FC 25 is a slightly better offering than FC 24, thanks to the new Rush mode. FC IQ is still in its early stages and while it could have a huge impact on future titles, it is not yet very apparent how it is impacting the on the pitch action in this game. This is the EA Sports FC as you already know it. Whether that is a good or bad thing is up to you.
Beyond Galaxyland shows a lot of potential and has a very good battle system in it. Unfortunately, it is let down by bugs, some poor platforming, and racing. The bugs can be addressed in patches, but a bit more focus and refinement would have helped elevate this experience.
While the release schedule is packed with holiday season blockbusters, it's indie delights like Caravan Sand Witch that are the true pioneers of gaming, Sauge's adventures across Cigalo mirroring Plane Toast's exploration of the human spirit.