"The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is nothing short of superb, the sort of game that demands to be experienced as soon as possible"
Yakuza: Like a Dragon impressively pulls off the switch to an RPG in style, providing an excellent combat system supported by loveable characters, and a tantalising main storyline with meaningful side quests.
Endwalker rounds out a decade of swirling story developments and character arcs with a triumphant finale, ensuring Final Fantasy 14's legacy as one of the best MMOs ever made.
"Venba perfectly melds together a story of generational anxieties and dreams"
If Found is a mesmerizing commentary on the nature of failed relationships and human nature.
Lost Judgment is more of the same, with better detective work, great side cases, and fast-flowing combat.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is an ace accomplice to Breath of the Wild, providing charming backstories to its colorful cast of characters while carrying forward the spirit of experimental gameplay with impressive results.
Monster Hunter Rise is a great adventure, providing fascinating new tools like the Wirebug and walking a fine line between arcade and fast-paced HD gameplay. The Rampages are a neat new addition when used sparingly, but a reliance on online hunts to finish Rise's story is a puzzling step.
There's excellence in Splatoon 3 – it just doesn't quite hold for the campaign.
"You'll need to stop and familiarize yourself with a monster and its attacks if you want to succeed"
Amnesia: The Bunker is a bold new direction for the series, and it chiefly pays off with brilliant scares and disempowerment of the player. The bottlenecked level design can be frustrating though, as can the nature of do-overs with the beast hot on your heels.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a sublime RPG with a fantastic combat system, absorbing stories, and at-times fascinating story, if it wasn't let down by its drip-fed narrative nature and heavy nostalgic leanings
Nine Sols is an enthralling combat gauntlet with death-defying moves and sleek systems for a rapturous experience, let down only slightly by its somewhat lacklustre pacing and focus, and tired fat-shaming quips.
Night School Studios have made hell intriguing and complex, with punchy dialog and relatable characters, be it human or demonic. The humor and writing is where Afterparty shines the most, breathing life into every character it touches—be it short and sarcastic, or emotional and reverent. Like the Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right (To Party)," what seems like dumb entertainment can evolve into something a lot more meaningful if you're willing to look beneath the surface.
While its leading pair and open world design stumble at times, Ghostwire’s wonderfully weird side stories and engrossing combat, more than pick up any slack and work in harmony with the game's more zany and offbeat elements to create a world that hasn't just got looks, but one hell of a spirit, too.
Team Ninja's unforgiving role-playing action adventure set in feudal Japan owes a debt to the Dark Souls series, but with a tone and narrative of its own
A brilliant battle system is let down somewhat by the largely underwhelming side stories and meandering companions of Scarlet Nexus.
Triangle Strategy is a great strategic battler, meshed with devilish politicking and weighty decisions. It's just a shame the cast of characters never gets a chance to shine just as bright.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes rides a great hybrid battle system while barely slowing down for its beloved characters
Bayonetta Origins shows a great new side of the Umbral Witch, in a tale that's heartwarming as it is enjoyable. Combat and puzzles are a great one-two punch, but Cereza's restricted role and Cheshire's unfaltering nature undermine a little of the former.