Little Rocket Lab succeeds as a welcoming entry point into automation games. It also succeeds as a thoughtful experiment in merging mechanical depth with human-scale storytelling. It may not satisfy players looking for endless complexity, but for those who want to tinker, rebuild, and unwind, it’s a quietly confident success.

Where Winds Meet is one messy and unapologetically dense online game. It tried to mix all the good and the bad of open-world games and staple features of live-service releases -- whether it actually works or not. But it's the first time a wuxia game, or even an MMO in general, has truly felt like a living, breathing world -- not just a theme park of instanced dungeons and fetch quests. Anyone hunting for their next timesink, whether solo or with friends, will find Where Winds Meet surprisingly easy to get hooked on.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is my game of the year. No other game quite felt as immersive, or told a story in such a captivating way. The cutscenes, the writing, the graphics, and the worldbuilding are all things executed properly on a level no other game has managed to achieve this year. It is a peak example of an open-world game that prioritizes quality over quantity. For me, KCD2 is up there with The Witcher III: Wildhunt.

For me, Rogue Incursion is everything I’ve been waiting for in an Alien game. It’s a tense, scary, atmospheric game with a strong story. It balances combat with survival horror, and it’s got its own new storyline that’s nestled deep within the Alien universe. I’ve seen the game described as a “cinematic experience,” and I have to agree. All the pieces work perfectly, making it feel like you’re playing through a brand new Alien movie.

Overall, Sky: Children of Light is a stunning, beautiful game that should be celebrated for its success as it is in the game. It's a wonderfully fun indie game that thrives on friendships, caring for others and your world, and creating something from a long-lost life.

If you go over to the community page of the game, you will see the love it is getting. After playing it, I too would find myself rallying behind the crowd. The does not need to be complex to be enjoyable. If I had to, the one bit of criticism I would give is to add hints. Sometimes players may find themselves running haywire, searching for clues in the snowy fields. Maybe a button to get pointed in the right direction would be great. Apart from that, I have loved the game. Blender Studio has struck gold with their first release. The cute easter eggs sprinkled in this game show the level of thought that went into making it.

With its continued focus on fast-paced bloodshed and the addition of some modern touches that help give it more depth, Doom: The Dark Ages is a seriously fun splatterfest that both franchise devotees and modern FPS gamers will love.

Even if you have never cared for hero shooters, I urge you to give this one a try. It's free-to-play, and if you have any love for superhero properties you'll find a character you love among this motley bunch. It is certainly inspired by games that came before, but its fast, frenetic pace and secret strategic weight make it something completely different. Like a sidekick growing into his mentor's mantle, this one is ready to fight crime in the mean streets of Marvel Manhattan.

Whereas many AAA games have felt underwhelming lately, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was a total blast. It has great action alongside an epic journey, all within a lush and gorgeous world. The game could have felt like some Tomb Raider or Uncharted clone using Indy as a cheap way to earn sales… but Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was excellent to play and proved that Indy is still the king of the adventure genre.

At the end of the day, what’s even more important than aesthetics and game mechanics is: Did I have fun? And the answer is yes. I had a great time playing Fear the Spotlight. It was a fun, relatively short survival horror game that is great for anyone who wants a retro throwback, or just a plain old fun spooky time. Plus, it’s priced at just $20, so as far as video games go, it’s a relatively cheap investment and is perfect to complete over a single weekend.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is the peak of its genre as it brilliantly combines story, exploration, music and combat in a beautifully organized world.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a faithful and beautifully done remaster of the greatest entry in the Paper Mario series. From fixing the ancient wrong of the US release to the addition of new and incredibly convenient features like fast travel and the ability to switch partners on the fly, Nintendo has somehow taken something made of pure gold and added a pure gold plating.

While its heavily pixelated art style might not be for everyone, if you are into retro-style RPGs, Dread Delusion will be right up your alley. Enjoyable exploration, memorable characters and truly striking artwork make this one a winner.

Despite some minor flaws in the twist tracking and the poor quality of the cut scenes, the game is a pleasant surprise. They went above and beyond what most trips to VR do and actually gave us something better than the original experience as opposed to watered-down cartoonish versions like House Flipper VR did. Just be forewarned, if you're looking to get all your work done before the end of the day you are absolutely going to break a sweat.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II sets the bar for what a sequel should be. A truly immersive and powerful story experience equipped with graphical and audio prowess never before experienced in a game.

If you're craving a slice of digital zen and a dash of creative freedom, Spirit City: Lofi Sessions was made for you. Don’t walk; float to get this game - your soul will thank you for it.

Princess Peach Showtime is a great action game for people of all skill levels. 10 different costumes provide us with unique playstyles in a game where you never know what's going to happen next. Are you going to be a flying hero punching down enemy ships? Or are you going to be a master thief hacking into security and sneaking through lasers? It's always something different and it's great to see so much potential in an often underused character.

Lawn Mowing Simulator lives up to its name of capturing every aspect of running a lawn mowing business, down to the mind-numbing nature of massive rectangular properties and complex backyards with gardens. If you can look past some of the game's faults and the abysmal graphics, you're in for a nice chill sim game.

Despite a few technical hiccups, Pacific Drive is a thrilling experience that is unlike anything I've encountered. Beautifully atmospheric with a really well-done story design and more than enough mental stimuli to make your mind terrified of what it doesn't see. Pacific Drive is a game about you and a questionably reliable car, and it is a destination well worth the drive.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth rekindled my love for Final Fantasy with a refreshing twist in a classic story and additions to the gameplay experience.

Bandle Tale is the video game version of a warm, freshly baked cookie. With 40 to 60 hours of gameplay, it's not just a quick visit to Bandle City - it's a long, joy-filled vacation. Think of it as your favorite series - you won't want it to end."

A solid arcade style professional football game that still makes things work without the NFL license thanks to the NFLPA so gamers can still use their favorite current players and the legends of yesteryear. The fields are beautiful, the plays are pretty satisfying and the Wild Card system is, well, wild. Uniform options can get crazy which is fun as well. Many of the attributes and labeling of the player cards are off but once you get past that, you have just a good old solid arcade football game.

Despite a barebones story, this is the 3D Sonic games fans have been waiting for for a long time. Solid graphics, great voice acting, tight assisted gameplay (to help from jumping off rails) and really fun boss fights make this a game worth investing your time into.

A beautifully atmospheric game of exploration that tasks you with climbing a structure of which the top cannot be seen from the ground, Jusant gives me the chill but thought provoking climbing experience I didn’t know I needed. It’s a fantastic game for the people who loved something like “Only Up” but died a little on a personal level every time they fell all the way back down. Jusant is a wonderfully unique experience with very well executed mechanics and I can’t recommend this enough.

While those who long for the button and joystick WarioWare games may be let down, this still feels like the kind of content you come to WarioWare for. A story about a wacky event, bizarre fever trip mini games, trial and error discovery, it’s all here with some well tracked motion controls. The content feels bizarrely minimal, but as far as party games are concerned, this comes through in a big way.

Alan Wake 2 is a fun romp through dark dimensions, offering chances to change the world around you, all the while giving you plenty of jump scares. There are some texture bugs to work through, but overall, it is definitely a worthy sequel to the first game.

For both big and casual gamers, lore lovers, and those seeking a narrative-rich experience, Song of Nunu is a frosty gem worth every second. And, echoing my twins’ sentiments: “Can we have some more Yeti hugs, pretty please?”

Super Mario Wonder is an exceptional reinvention of the wheel where they’ve taken everything you comfortably know about Mario and his gameplay and shifted it on its ear. The game is filled with new enemies and mechanics and will constantly stun you with innovative twists and turns. If you’re a fan of multiplayer games, regardless of your skill level, this is the game for you as it’s one of the finest 2D Mario experiences I’ve had in years.