Richard Wakeling

High On Life 2 improves on its predecessor with a skateboard, biting satire, and boundless creativity, but middling combat and an uneven hit rate hold it back.

With compelling new additions and refinements to its already excellent combat, Nioh 3 sees Team Ninja return to the series at the very top of its game.

Despite fantastic build flexibility, Code Vein 2 struggles to improve upon its predecessor as it fails to avoid many of the same aggravating pitfalls.

A new tactical interface and improved match engine are title-worthy, but a frustrating UI, missing features, and numerous bugs drag Football Manager 26 into a relegation battle.

A few issues hold it back, but Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment marks a high point for the spin-off series, iterating on its riotous hack-and-slash combat with depth and variety.