Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake successfully captures the soul and voice of a classic while improving on the presentation and scope, but shoddy combat often brings those commendable efforts down.
Resident Evil Requiem is one of the series’ best outings in recent years. Delivering on the action and scares, the game shows what makes the franchise so special. It can fall into the trap of fan service, but never falters much in what it sets out to do. Yes, it’s February and, yes, it is cliché, but Requiem is already one of 2026’s best and an experience that fans and newcomers won’t be able to get enough of.
Disciples: Domination is a flawed, by-the-numbers strategy RPG that shows some creativity with its units and certain boss mechanics, but lacks enough depth and variety to sustain the amount of fights it throws at you across its decently lengthy campaign. Its writing lacks a consistent tone, its world fails to grip you, while Avyanna only stands out as one of the most unconvincing protagonists to date, making Domination a functional but rather forgettable second entry in the series.
Nioh 3 is a fast, relentless, and tough thrill ride that maintains a great sense of progression while rewarding exploration and player freedom. The sheer amount of options is overwhelming, while opening the door to the souls-like genre for newcomers with its Ninja Gaiden-inspired action.
Craftlings successfully rediscovers genre-bending mechanics and systems to deliver a puzzle-strategy adventure that doesn’t reinvent the wheel but feels thoroughly polished and focused.
Terminator 2D: NO FATE doesn’t go the extra mile to really mine the sci-fi classic for gold, but it lands all its shots and delivers highly replayable, no-nonsense retro goodness that looks, sounds, and controls great.
Total Chaos’ remake can be orthodox to a fault, but it’s a polished evolution of a fascinating blend of survival horror and shooter that never lets off the gas.
Earth vs Mars doesn’t have a fresh take on familiar tactics, but it gets all the basics right, is constantly pleasant to play, and offers good value for little money.
Anno 117: Pax Romana is a more measured, relaxed city builder than its predecessor, operating on a smaller scale while reshuffling key elements of the series' well-established formula to varying amounts of success. Both familiar and refreshing, it makes you think differently about how you build your cities. Its two different regions are both gorgeous, equally viable starters, providing their own sets of compelling challenges to solve as you settle islands and watch your cities and settlements grow – and oh, what joy it is to admire the results of your work as its excellent soundtrack plays in the background. Sadly, a short campaign and underwhelming narrative alongside a UI that requires a bit too much clicking and scrolling to navigate sabotage the latest entry in the series. The same can be said about its clunky, unsatisfying RTS-lite naval and land battles that provide too little reward for the attention they demand. Yet, even so, Anno 117: Pax Romana's best parts still outshine these missteps, making a rather compelling argument to don the mantle of governor.
Sacred 2 was the sort of action-RPG you turned to once you’d exhausted better, more focused options in the genre. 17 years later, a decent remaster can’t mask what’s a largely plodding and miserable experience.
