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Gears of War: E-Day has been promoted as the most ambitious game ever made by The Coalition, but to be honest, it feels like a step back from Gears 5 in several ways. The narrative is a lot less memorable, and the side content is forgettable. Its saving grace is that the third-person shooter gameplay is better than ever, thanks to improved movement and fluidity, making combat encounters generally a lot of fun. Still, it's not the kind of masterpiece that sells a console like the original did.

Silent Hill Townfall is actually a fairly meaty game, delivering at least a dozen hours, and possibly more if you get stuck on certain sequences. Of course, this is a Silent Hill game, so there are multiple endings, although achieving them is mostly based on in-game stats (kills, documents found, etc.) rather than any sort of moral choices or branching paths. As such, only the most dedicated horror tourists will be driven to revisit St. Amelia multiple times.

Remedy bet everything on risky changes with CONTROL Resonant: a new genre, a new protagonist, and even a new environment. Most of them work, making this sequel well worth purchasing for fans of the studio and the IP, but it's also clear that Remedy is not quite an expert at making open world action RPGs, as most shortcomings fall squarely in that category. Unfortunately, despite the ambition, this is unlikely to be the big breakthrough they were hoping for.

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is a towering monument of a game, mixing every flavor of Fire Emblem gameplay from the franchise's 30+ year history with a hugely ambitious three-part, multi-protagonist storyline. While there are a few uneven story moments and people will enjoy some aspects of the game more than others, developer Intelligent Systems have done a pretty admirable job of wrangling this unwieldy colossus of a game while giving players the ability to choose their own path through its epic campaign. Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave will almost certainly burn long and bright as one of the Switch 2's signature experiences.

Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter is an excellent remake that successfully modernizes Falcom's classic JRPG without compromising its stellar narrative. By integrating the snappy hybrid combat mechanics from Trails through Daybreak, a seamless world structure, and quality-of-life additions like High Speed Mode, the game eliminates virtually all dated gameplay friction, making it a must-play for every fan of the genre, even with its slow-paced nature.

Marvel's Wolverine is a very different game from Insomniac's Spider-Man adaptations, but it shows the developer really understands this hero, too. The combat took a while to grab me, and I wish some maps were larger, but eventually I really felt like the ultimate killing machine Wolverine is supposed to be. Meanwhile, the story kept me glued to the screen from start to finish.

Twisted Tower is a quick-paced and strong old-school shooter, taking inspiration from some 'classics', and Bioshock. It doesn't overstay its welcome, keeps you progressing and has a story that may surprise you at the end. While it doesn't surpass games like Bioshock, for a tiny (mostly solo) developer, it does everything it wants to as good as it can, and well worth picking up for that reason alone.

After a two-decade hiatus, Onimusha: Way of the Sword delivers a great modernization of the classic series' formulas without losing its identity to the Soulslike trend. While the semi-open Kyoto and narrative aren't memorable, its sharp combat system, excellent enemy design and difficulty balance make the game a triumphant comeback for returning fans and newcomers alike.

The Blood of the Dawnwalker is the rare game created by a studio of decorated ex-AAA veterans that actually gets very near to its original inspiration. With an intriguing setting, a one-of-a-kind narrative sandbox approach, fantastic writing, and solid combat, this may well be the first installment in an epic saga that will accompany gamers for decades to come.

Star Wars Zero Company is a strong real-time tactics title, set in the Star Wars universe. With deep tactical combat, a base system giving you upgradable elements and allowing you to interact with your team, there's a reasonable amount to see in what is a focused entry and, arguably, one of the better Star Wars titles to have been released in recent years.