The Thaumaturge shows plenty of promise, but lets itself down somewhat by failing to play to its strengths. Warsaw and its history and culture is a joy to experience when the game properly engages with it, but an insistent focus on a comparatively dull main story ultimately detracts from this for a fun yet frustrating experience.
Immortals of Aveum has the potential to be great, with its fun and varied combat, but is ultimately let down by a lackluster story, poor writing, unlikeable characters, and dull side content. The game frequently introduces interesting concepts, but repeatedly fails to capitalise on them, leaving behind an underwhelming mish-mash of underdeveloped mechanics and uninteresting story beats.
F1 Manager 2024 is certainly the best game in the series to date thanks to the small improvements on last year's game, but with few significant changes and how hit and miss the new mentality system currently are, while it might be a good game in its own right, it's not a sizeable upgrade on 2023's iteration.
MotoGP 24 scratches the itch it needs to thanks to the strong foundation laid down by previous entries. But while new features and increased realism are appreciated, they rarely feel like meaningful additions to last year’s game, leaving MotoGP 24 sometimes feeling more like an update of MotoGP 23 than a whole new title.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet take the long-awaited step into a fully open-world, but one poorly implemented and marred by frustration. A compelling story and characters are a saving grace in what is ultimately a fun game, but Pokemon's attempts at modernising continue to fall disappointingly short.
RoboCop: Rogue City is a game dripping with love and appreciation of the source material, made by RoboCop fans, for RoboCop fans. But frustrating late game combat and clumsily resolved story beats raise questions of whether it's for everyone else, too.
F1 24 delivers a long-awaited overhaul of Career Mode and new physics and handling mechanics to deliver the most immersive experience to date, but falls a little short of being a truly worthwhile reason to upgrade from last year’s game.
Sand Land is a charming ARPG romp thanks to its madcap cast of vehicles that manages not only to faithfully adapt Akira Toriyama’s vision, but to expand on it in his trademark style to create something that will delight newcomers and old-school manga-heads alike.
House Flipper 2 takes the tedium of everyday chores and successfully turns it into a fun and deeply satisfying experience, with enough variety and modes to make it the ideal game for when you just need to kick back and relax.
Super Mario RPG is unapologetically fun. While a simple combat system and lack of challenge may not appeal to hardcore RPG fans, brilliant writing, iconic characters, and a world bursting with charm make it a delight to experience all the way through, and a perfect example of a remake done right.
Remnant 2 successfully evolves on its predecessor, isolating and expanding upon the best aspects to create a cohesive and challenging shooter experience, supplemented by stunningly designed environments and a unique story system. A cooperative game at heart, its single-player campaign takes a hit, but never enough to substantially detract from the game’s successes.
Tekken 8 is the ultimate Tekken game. A glossy veneer of modernity encases a strong foundation that builds upon its predecessors to great success. In every regard, Tekken 8 matches and surpasses the very best that the series, and the fighting game genre as a whole, has to offer.
Tears of the Kingdom is a tour de force. A consummate masterstroke of game design and worldbuilding, unrepentant in its pursuit of player freedom, well-deserving of a place among the greatest games of all time.