Jason Coles

“I absolutely adore Nioh 3. It's one of the best Soulslikes I've played in ages, quite possibly since Elden Ring itself, and while it's not as large (thankfully), the way it breaks everything down and gives you endless flexibility means that it's just fun to play. There are layers upon layers of systems to master and learn about, but the fact that this game is a blast to play never goes away. Do not miss out on this.”

“DuneCrawl is an interesting game that blends together giant crab combat, dungeoneering and multiplayer shenanigans. It's fun enough, but I really wish it did a little bit more with the more unusual aspects of its game design.”

“Cross Blitz is a beautifully made deck builder that feels not only incredibly inventive, but also mechanically dense, and just very satisfying to sink into. On top of that, the looks are exceptionally charming, the music is good, and the vibes are just on point. If you love a good deckbuilder, then you'll love this, but the campaign modes also mean that this could be the one that grabs you if you've only ever bounced off of others due to the roguelike focus.”

“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.”

“I really, really like Digimon Story Time Stranger. While it's hardly upending the monster collection and battling genre, it's a really comfortable and enjoyable game that feels reminiscent of watching Saturday morning cartoons as a kid. It's an awful lot of fun, and is right up there as one of my favourite games of the year.”

“Hades 2 is an undoubtedly excellent game, but it can't quite escape the shadow cast by the original – I just know I won't be playing this one as much as the first. That's okay, of course, but it has me once again looking forward to Supergiant's next new idea, not what they're doing now.”

“I really like Borderlands 4. I like it on the story front, gameplay front, mechanical front, and just all of it really. I have every intention of coming back to it and replaying it with the DLC characters in later playthroughs, and while the endgame stuff isn't that fleshed out yet, I have faith that it'll improve as time goes on. Let's just hope everyone else can enjoy it without bugs soon too!”

“Hell Is Us is a genuinely interesting game that many will adore for its commitment to letting you spend your time exploring mysteries and unlocking lore. The fact that you'll want a notepad near you will send some of you rabid, and that's great. For me though, Hell Is Us is a game that looks beautiful in every respect, but ends up feeling a little bit too paint-by-numbers when it comes to the actual mechanics at play. I like Hell Is Us well enough, but I don't know that I'll remember it.”

“Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate is a renewed take on a beat 'em up that probably felt a little outdated back when it launched in 2012, and while the revamped graphics and the engine are both nice, they're not enough to make this feel like a game that's really worth sinking your time into. It's a fun five minutes or so here and there, but it's just not doing enough to really make it an enjoyable time.”

“The First Berserker: Khazan is a great action game that's not reinventing anything by any means, but is consistently fun to play. The visuals are lovely, the action is a lot of fun thanks to ever-evolving skill trees, and the boss designs are great too. If you're after a Soulslike challenge, it can fit that bill in some ways, but it should also have a broader appeal thanks to the easy mode and more.”

“Knights in Tight Spaces is an incredibly follow up to an already amazing game. It fuses a wonderful amount of style with plenty of tactically strategy, and the party mechanics at play and side quests all help to make it almost feel like a solo tabletop role-playing game, which I mean as an incredible compliment. If you like the sound of this game at all, or hanker for more Fights in Tight Spaces, then you'll probably love it.”

“Coridden is quite simply one of the coolest concepts I've played in absolutely ages, and as a big fan of co-op games, is immensely refreshing. I adore this game, and I really hope we get more from this from the team at Aftnareld to shows off more of what they can do, because their first attempt is a triumph of ingenuity.”

“Even when you do eventually beat the game, you're then thrown into a new game plus cycle that means you can just keep playing and making your character stronger and stronger. It's such a blast to play. In fact, it's so good that I've been meaning to write this review for about a week now, but every time I think about Heroes of Hammerwatch 2 I seem to end up playing it instead. Speaking of which...”

“I really like Fitness Boxing 3 as a training tool. I've been incorporating it into my workout routine getting my cardio in the morning with Fitness Boxing 3, and then doing my weights at lunchtime for a more complete experience. If you're looking for a fun way to start moving, then this could well be it.”

“The Veilguard is a beautiful-looking and highly enjoyable game, and a nice return to a more focused feeling RPG that does justice to both Dragon Age as a series and also to Bioware. It's fun to play in the moment-to-moment, the big decisions feel impactful and worthwhile, and fans of the series will be happy to be running around chasing after that lamentable egg of an Elf once more. It's no Dragon's Dogma 2, though.”

“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.”

“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.”

“Demon's Mirror is a wonderfully refreshing take on the whole deckbuilding genre, and well worth a look if you want something that genuinely feels new. If you've never played one of these before, however, then it's probably going to feel pretty tough to begin with, but it'll be worth it.”

“Ultimately, Jackbox Naughty Pack is the worst Party Pack to date, and while the bar is pretty high on the whole – tee hee – that doesn't change the fact that this just feels like a miss. It certainly doesn't help that there's only three games and two of them reskins, but maybe what's funny about being pure filth in normal Jackbox games is that you're doing it even if the game isn't winking and nudging you constantly. Maybe making our own fun and our own filth is the way forwards to a truly naughty experience.”