Dying Light 2 Stay Human is the sequel we hoped for and nearly everything Techland promised. There are some technical issues that can affect your quality of gameplay, but I have all the faith in Techland to iron those out, possibly even before its official release. This is going to be the game to beat this year.

Cat Quest II is pretty much more of the same you experienced in the first game. It’s a winning formula though, so that’s not a bad thing just yet, but could be in future entries to the series.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an extremely immersive and ambitious open-world medieval RPG unlike any we’ve ever seen. But its attempts to remain engaging are ruined by a plethora of technical issues and an overall lack of polish.

WarioWare: Get It Together! is short but it’s an absolute blast to play and will keep you hooked with everything it throws at you. The single-play story can beaten quickly but the replay value is in the different characters and figuring out how they handle each puzzle. The graphics are wild and fun, the controls are really solid, and the wealth of multiplayer options make this a blast for multiplayer couch sessions.

Despite another slow start to the episode, a classic suspenseful cliffhanger has us yearning for the conclusion to this emotional and heartfelt prequel.

While Pac-Man 99 brings that fun, fast-paced nature of Tetris 99 to yet another beloved franchise, it doesn’t translate as well here. Many of the rules never get explained and poor visual choices make for an occasionally scream-summoning experience, even for a veteran Pac-Man player like myself.

PGA TOUR 2K23 doesn’t hit you with a shipload of content, but with some of the best gameplay ever in a golf game along with returning features like MyCAREER, Societies, Quick Match, and the course designer as well as the addition of Topgolf and the new MyPLAYER Archetype/Skill system, there’s plenty of replay value at the virtual links.

While there are redeeming qualities in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, the multiplayer offering just can’t hold up to its predecessor and the cross-platform bundle doesn’t offer enough to make up for the price boost on PS5.

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."

Artifact is one of the most polished digital card games available. The game’s multi-lane mechanics bring MOBA elements into card game form, providing challenging strategic gameplay. Valve still has a way to go to prove Artifact’s long-term viability though due to its lack of a progression system and ranked modes.

Bugs, lackluster graphics and questionable design choices prevent Temtem from becoming the Pokemon alternative many had hoped it would be.

While a really fun experience, its lacking environments and incredibly short playtime make this a hard game to recommend at full price. But it most definitely is a game worth playing on sale or if you have it already and want to check out the PS5 or Xbox Series X upgrades. The frustrating combat scenes, simple environments and plain environments make it hard for even Lo Wang to quip into greatness.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game is amongst the best that the beat em’ up genre has to offer. The game feels like one of the few purely-good entertainment that this volcanic eruption of a planet we reside on has to offer.

A gorgeous looking farm sim that doubles as a dungeon crawling adventure game, you can spend your days farming and crafting or fighting and solving mysteries. It’s all there plus romance options. The sound design is a little odd at points and a lot of the NPC dialogue is flat, but the game’s charm and feeling of progression that occurs as you achieve more goals more than makes up for it.

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?”

For some, grabbing the latest hockey game annually is as habitual as picking up their daily Tim Hortons. NHL 18 does bring a great Threes gameplay mode, advanced stick maneuverability and expanded franchise functionality while doing little to address play-by-play commentary, single-player campaign and microtransaction concerns. Great to pick up for the first time in years, but not as big a step forward for year-to-year fans.

Last Day of June emphasizes emotional, visual, and aural beauty and excels in all three departments to the detriment of its gameplay loop.

Absolver spends so much time honing the development of its fascinating, ambitious combat system that it leaves a shallow narrative structure in its foundation. An ever-evolving gameplay mechanic cannot carry a game's excellence on its own merit, and unfortunately, there is little draw to the world of Adal than the encounters within it.

Clearly inspired by old-school action platformers, Angry Video Game Nerd 1 & 2 Deluxe presents two beautifully remastered games complimented by a rocking soundtrack. The game’s vulgar language and brutal difficulty won’t appeal to everyone, but retro gamers and AVGN fans will really appreciate everything this game has to offer.

In essence, Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a pretty average RPG with some interesting tweaks to combat, but suffers from tedious crafting, bad party management, and padding and serious crashing issues that need to be addressed immediately.

Amnesia: Rebirth is terrifying, with the capability to break even the most seasoned of horror fanatics down. A treasure in the rare cosmic horror genre, Rebirth’s biggest weapon against the player is their own mind and it uses that weapon with the precision and finesse of a master artist. If it were not for the cliche story and lack of self-contained experience, this game could have easily made it’s way to the top of the series.

If you missed Bulletstorm the first time round, The Full Clip Edition leaves no excuses to impoverish yourself of this cult classic any longer. While there’s not a whole lot of compelling additions to the remaster, the ever gratifying pulpiness of Bulletstorm’s inventive and versatile gunplay – juiced up by a healthy assortment of technical improvements – justifies a return to the maniacal playgrounds of Stygia, even if some of the game’s more outdated components remain in need of a revision.

Evil Genius 2 is a beautiful game that is created by a team that had an obvious love for spy comics/cartoons. However, after the first few hours, the game lacks a diversity of content for players to explore.

If you want a simple and clean action RPG that loves immature humor and the zombie apocalypse then you should give Eternights a try. It won’t make you delete Resident Evil, Breath of the Wild, Persona, or Darksiders, but there is enough meat on the bone to get this game on sale. Play it for the dark sci-fi story and the fun of playing anime Tinder, but also thank your lucky stars that this game is 1000% less complicated than Kingdom Hearts.

Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove does offer a lot of the same fun found in the original, but a meaner edge and some annoying changes keep it from surpassing its still easily available predecessor.

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.

If you go into The Medium with very high hopes, you will be disappointed, but if you walk in just looking for some eerie atmospheres, some award-winning voice acting and some nostalgic horror feels, then you will have some fun.

Ghostwire: Tokyo is a beautiful and eerie jaunt through the streets of Japan, coming face to face with lore and legend while fighting for your own quest and purpose. With seamless gameplay and fighting mechanics, 40 hours of exploration will seem like no time has gone by and it will leave you wanting more time running the glistening streets of Shibuya.

With no one single way to finish a level and constantly changing enemies, the game’s intense electronic soundtrack will get your adrenaline pumping as you slice, dice, and blow your enemies into pieces.

Attack on Titan 2 does a great job as a game adaptation despite a few minor flaws and should be played by fans of the franchise. Though the flow of Attack on Titan 2 may be a bit repetitive, the game never ceases to be action-packed and often feels like a fighter pilot shootout.

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit is a gem from 2010 that we didn’t really need again. It definitely wasn’t in my top 5 NFS games to come back as a remaster, but still one to welcome with its new additions. This is a game for those who never experienced it in its initial state in 2010 or for those who want some variation in the arcade racing genre in the meantime until the 2021 iteration is released.

With a story that’s just okay and controls that make you want to pull your hair out, the great audio and voice acting are overshadowed. Watching someone else play it would be the more satisfying route to experience The Medium.

If we were to just judge the Layers of Fear remake on the sound and graphical improvements alone, it would far surpass its predecessor. Unfortunately, an abrupt ending and less-than-impressive voice acting takes the player away from the immersion and makes us yearn for some of the original qualities.

While fans of the series will enjoy seeing the final No More Heroes story that ends SUDA51’s incredible run with Travis Touchdown, it’s impossible to ignore the game’s faults. It’s fun, but suffers from many issues that make this game seem like a work in progress. Poor movement and driving controls, a clunky camera, and dated graphics plague what could have been a much better game if SUDA51 was more willing to adapt to the capabilities of modern systems.

Omensight‘s fluid combat and colorful cast of characters are the stars in this time-altering murder mystery. The beautiful art style and personality of the game is enough to overshadow some of the sketchy platforming and camera angles. But the game’s surprisingly linear progression left me yearning for more mystery solving than was provided.

While there is plenty of potential for Mr. Run and Jump to be heralded amongst one of the bigger speed runner titles for it’s challenge and interesting aesthetic, to the average gamer it may be above the average gamers’ paygrade. But for those looking for a speedrunning challenge, Mr. Run and Jump definitely understands the assignment.

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.

Super Mario Bros. 35 is not your typical BR game where balance changes come left and right, forcing you to adapt to new metas every few weeks. It’s the kind of game where even if you come to it late or take breaks from it, you aren’t going to be painfully behind the pack. You can pick this up either as a 2D Mario veteran or noob and have fun with it. Unfortunately, this game will only be playable until March 31, 2021, and I hope that isn’t the case.

The numerous important conversational choices felt meaningful and heartfelt. But the game’s slow pace, unfinished story threads, and its restricted ending took away from the narrative’s full potential, leaving too many unanswered questions for Life is Strange fans.

The Walking Dead: The Final Season episode 3 carries over Telltale Games’ swan song well with a deeply emotional, complex story of grief and redemption. Despite an overreliance on callbacks and technical issues, Skybound Games brought the series back to focus after certain doom, setting up a compelling and gripping finale.

Portal Knights may not be a stand-out title, but it fills a desired niche of those looking for something Minecraft can’t quite deliver and fills it well. It dips just far enough into the wells of both creativity and RPG adventure to satisfy its intended audience, and the multiplayer portability the Switch offers gives this particular platform release an edge.

Despite solid gameplay, multiple minor errors and frustrations hold Party Hard 2 back from true greatness.

If you are a fan of top-down roguelike dungeon crawlers, keep RAD on your radar. Bonus points if you like this kind of 80s neon aesthetic and the world-building it provides. It’s a good choice for those who just want a quick gaming session—or a long one if you really want it.

Lineage 2: Revolution is proof that something like the MMORPG format can work on mobile, but its insistence on clinging to certain MMO conventions will likely confuse those looking for a different experience than what it offers.

Opera Omnia is a polished, functional, Final Fantasy version of the style of RPG we see all over the App Store and Google Play nowadays. Don't expect any brilliance from its plot or any Dissidia-related fighting elements. If your love of Final Fantasy spans multiple games and you're happy with a passable RPG full of cameos, Opera Omnia will serve well enough.

Despite having a clunky interface, the game itself is wonderfully well crafted. The dirt and terrain feel very real and learning to control yourself is both challenging and rewarding without ever getting frustrating. The DualSense controls are an absolute benefit to playing the game on the PlayStation 5 by allowing haptic feedback to the bike itself in a very well crafted and realistic way. Character customization suffers pretty hard but beyond that and the interface, the experience itself is really well done.

With a story slightly better than Missing Heir, this episode of the Famicom Detective Club dives into a well-thought-out world of interesting characters and a surprisingly dark story. The world comes alive with gorgeously designed art, a fully orchestrated soundtrack, and fully-voiced characters. If you’re torn between the two Famicom Detective Club titles, I’d go with this one as it’s slightly better just because of the story alone.

The writing is exquisite and reflects the joyful diversity of both writers and characters, blending the lines of history and fable to great effect. But the technical framework supporting the discovery of these tales is shaky, with some mechanics simply frustrating and others downright broken. Keep a very, very close eye on this game to pick up after a patch.

Mages of Mystralia’s colorful atmosphere and great spell mechanics are more than enough to make up for a slightly muted narrative.

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is a watered-down trip down memory lane, fueled heavily by nostalgia and a love for the franchise’s soundtrack, which finally gets the attention and spotlight it deserves.

Jotun: Valhalla Edition is a welcome addition to the Nintendo Switch library that brings with it Nordic mythology, a gorgeous hand-drawn art style, and difficult boss fights. It’s great fun exploring the maps and figuring out a boss’ attacks, though the combat can become tedious on occasion.

With remakes of classic video games becoming a popular trend over the last few years, Trials of Mana may not stand up as tall as more heralded remakes Final Fantasy VII or Resident Evil 2. However, it’s still a fun action RPG that belongs in the collection of any fan of the Mana series.

Nantucket attempts to provide an immersive experience for players, complete with a flawless soundtrack, difficult and strategic mechanics and an interesting story based on your own decisions. However, it suffers due to the repetitive and somewhat tedious gameplay and numerous other factors that detract from the whole experience.

LEGO Marvel Superheroes 2 is an extremely satisfying game to play. It captures each and every aspect of the characters as portrayed in the movies, comics, and shows to parade them at their very best.

Journey to the Savage Planet is a game about exploration and looking for a change of pace in progression. It’s rewarding to those who take things slower or have a knack for adventure. It’s definitely on the easier side but has a gameplay loop that offers a bit of everything with sharp responsiveness. The parts that Journey to the Savage Planet really excel in don’t last for too long.

The Swords of Ditto is a colorful and charming little roguelite adventure that is just delightful to play. Outside of some reservations about the forced time limit restricting our exploration, the game is a lighthearted and fun time either alone or with a friend.

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.

Ooblets has the potential to be a fantastic and calming game to fill the void lack of Animal Crossing updates. But long load times and numerous bugs turn what should be an adorable and relaxing game into a frustrating experience.

Coming straight out of left field, The Quarry surprises gamers with a fun and scary story, great (albeit sometimes buggy) graphics and gameplay that shows the devs actually listen to the players. Say hello to your game of the summer.

Fire Emblem Warriors exceeded the expectations of fans and newcomers alike. The intense battles are a balanced combination of satisfying attacks and careful direction of your allies to take down generals. Strategy is key, making it impossible to take your eyes away even for a second.

Cat Quest is a simple and charming RPG that still manages to be deeper than it first appears and is a nice bite-size adventure compared to the many all-consuming ones you can already find on your Nintendo Switch.

What worked in this finale did not make up for the flimsy story, lack of character development and general lack of focus throughout The Walking Dead: A New Frontier. Instead of going forward and telling a gripping story that focused on a brand new bunch of characters, I couldn’t help but care about just three. “From The Gallows” does as best a job as it can wrapping things up in a neat little bow, but the overall quality makes me fearful for the future of the Telltale narrative adventure.

Culdcept Revolt is a huge time commitment and is not for the faint of heart. It’s about as niche and unique of an experience as you can get. If you are a masochistic tabletop guru, then this is right up your alley.

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.

Nintendo and Mages does an excellent job taking one of the first visual novels and one of the rarest Nintendo games and bringing it to a modern audience with fully revamped art, an orchestrated soundtrack, and fully recorded voicing. The mystery is a blast to solve and the characters are delightfully terrible at hiding things which gives the whole thing a classic Murder She Wrote vibe. Lack of replayability may make the price point hard to justify for a 30-plus-year-old game, but the experience is excellent, especially for people like me who have always wanted to play this but never had the ability to.

SEGA AGES: G-LOC Air Battle is an incredibly solid port of an arcade classic. It is well remastered and adds some nice tweaks, like a more forgiving auto targeting system. Unfortunately, it fails to live up to the original experience without the arcade cabinet it was designed for and you'll be left feeling the need... the need for speed.

Overall, Storyteller is one of the most pleasant, fun, cute, and exciting puzzle games I’ve recently played. It’s for the whole family to enjoy and solve together – I actually had to pretend my Switch was dead so my six-year-old twins would stop taking it from me. I’m sorry, girls! I truly enjoyed Storyteller and I can’t recommend it enough.

While it’s a bizarrely difficult racing game for one to be heavily marketed towards younger kids, Hot Wheels Unleashed somehow matches to capture everything we used to pretend Hot Wheels were when we played with them as children. The stages feel real and the sense of perspective is amazing. Fully customizable vehicles with one of the best track editors I’ve ever seen make this game a fun toy chest to play with.

Call of Duty: Vanguard may be the best CoD installment to date with stunning graphics that shine on the new systems and finely tuned, balanced gun play. They bring a new and fresh approach to the WWII and D-Day scenario making the solo campaign just as enjoyable as the multiplayer.

With so many scary games to choose from in recent years, Amnesia: The Bunker wouldn’t be my first or fifth go-to for horror. Even though the game starts strong, it’ predecessors are fierce competitors in terms of mechanics and scares. Amnesia: The Bunker is a good game but not a great one.

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.

As far as games for kids go, Disney’s Illusion Island provides a quality and challenge rarely seen in modern games for younger players. But if you’re an older gamer looking to play an interesting and unique Metroidvania, you’re more than likely going to find yourself disappointed by the bland stage design and the swarms of copy and pasted enemies.

If you have even one friend who will come over to play this with you, Kirby Star Allies is worth a try. Though shallow on the puzzle platforming side, there’s enough going on with different friend combinations to make combat varied and enjoyable, especially once you turn up the difficulty post-game.

Everything genuinely good about this game exists mostly because the original Diamond and Pearl games had a good story and interesting characters. This game takes all those and rehashes it only through the veil of basic 3D characters that have the mobility of Funko Pops. Boring textures and an almost purposeful lack of detail takes something that was originally served as a masterful dish and converts it into a repackaged microwaved TV dinner.

Runner3 builds upon its predecessors, and what it ends up delivering is a polished game that asks for precise maneuvers from its players. With a catchy soundtrack driven home by your every move, and vibrant visuals, fans of the series and genre will find a lot to love.

While WrestleQuest’s well written and heartfelt story combined with it’s fun 16-bit throwback sprites look like it’s getting ready for a Royal Rumble, the combat and the game breaking bugs get it launched out of the ring almost immediately. There’s potential here for a killer game here, but it needed to spend more time in gym before making it’s debut.

Strange Brigade stays close to Rebellion's third-person formula but doesn't add enough to it to be a truly great game. The pulpy, humor delivered with a wink and nudge saves the game from being a slog.

The Cosmic Shake’s biggest advantage is unfortunately its biggest flaw as it does too much for the kind of game it is. As a result, it suffers as a slightly above average game that only kids and a few nostalgia soaked adults will enjoy.

I never would have imagined a multiplayer dating sim working, but boy, does Monster Prom work. It rests on a framework of superb character art and hilarious scenario writing, then goes several steps further to offer a challenging competitive experience and an addictive solo one.

No attempt at a series “refresh” is without its hurdles, and Layton’s Mystery Journey is no exception. The iffy puzzling doesn’t always hit the mark, though there’s some mind-stretching fun to be had among the hundreds of challenges. Though a disconnect in the writing between the excellent animated cutscenes and clunky written dialogue results in a strange story pacing, Katrielle’s adventure nonetheless has a satisfying payoff and a strong cast of characters that has me hopeful for future installments.

The Sims Mobile satisfies almost everything a Sims fan could want from a smaller, portable counterpart. Considerable customization options will please designers who don’t mind a slow but steady unlock progression. The rest of us will be more than content with storylines to direct gameplay flow and convenient pacing options for both hands-off players and micromanagers.

Far Cry 6 isn’t perfect but the anger toward the FC formula or the size of the game seems unnecessary. It’s fun, it’s beautiful and it’s finished without any massive bugs or glitches. So, grab your favorite amigo and your killer backpack and let’s start a revolution, baby!

Another Code: Recollection collects the original Another Code with its sequel Another Code: R which never saw a North American release. While the original DS title was an absolute classic with clever puzzles that require unique usage of the DS's features, the simplified and dumbed-down Switch rerelease turns the puzzle game into a basic visual novel. While the first game's story is unique, the sequel is painfully slow to get through. Despite my love for the original, this is a very hard game to recommend, especially given its $60 price point.

Monster Prom: XXL is a much-needed change from your average party game and something that can liven up about any get together (whenever get-togethers can happen again). Luckily it also has an online multiplayer. Creative characters, funny dialogue and random happenstance make each play through a strange experience. If there was a wider variety of art and a bit more polish put into the interfaces this would be a perfect party pick for a night with friends. It’s still enjoyable, but there’s a lot I’d love to see improved upon as well.

Earth’s greatest defender, our boy Goku, deserves the best; instead, we only get a title that is competent, not exceptional. Die-hard fans — and even casual ones looking for a bit of nostalgia fuel — will have a blast at points, but it’s hard to recommend Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot for anyone else.

Everything genuinely good about this game exists mostly because the original Diamond and Pearl games had a good story and interesting characters. This game takes all those and rehashes it only through the veil of basic 3D characters that have the mobility of Funko Pops. Boring textures and an almost purposeful lack of detail takes something that was originally served as a masterful dish and converts it into a repackaged microwaved TV dinner.

If you’ve been looking for a game with the charm and slow world-building of Stardew Valley or My Time in Portia without the strict always time mechanic or a heavy focus on crafting, this is the game you’ve been waiting for. The combat and inventory could be improved upon, but overall this game is pretty grape… I mean great!

Call of Duty WWII embraces the series’ beginnings and tells its story through a gripping, thoughtful campaign, continued excellence with Nazi Zombies mode and an expanded (but still formulaic) online multiplayer experience. Anybody who remembers the good old times they had with the franchise’s earlier titles should eventually take a look, as Call of Duty WWII is a return to form.

This is exactly what you want from a brain game and the multiplayer element adds a nice touch of excitement. However, that excitement is quickly lost once you blast through the lack of overall content in the game.

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory will trigger plenty of fond memories of the franchise. Unfortunately, the game does not pack enough of its own punch to make them lasting.

While not perfect, Supermassive Games hears players and House of Ashes is the best release in the Dark Pictures Anthology to date. The improved game mechanics, environment and story make it a creepy experience that is perfect for Halloween.

While there isn’t anything to make Evil Dead: The Game stand out among the other asymmetrical survival horror games, what the game does, it does really well. However, that sameness will get old fairly fast.

While in a weird spot with rosters and some tough gameplay elements, NHL 21 takes chances and provides depth and enjoyment to the multiple gameplay modes. It’s not perfect, but it shines among other sports game releases this year.

Deck 13 have vastly improved upon their formula, and hopefully, this is a sign of great things to come. But for now, The Surge falls short of being anything more than a serviceable title that sticks to what it knows.

Namco Museum on the Nintendo Switch offers a few arcade classics on the go but not really much else. The lack of online or even local multi-Switch play for all but one title, no real extras and the fact that the selection is kinda meager make this a pass for most people. It’s the absolute minimum to expect out of such a title.

Need for Speed: Heat is the kind of game that reinvigorates the franchise. With so many things to do, so much to explore and unlock, it’s a complete experience with an extreme racing intensity that's somewhat hampered by tedious grinding at later levels and the extreme difficulty of high Heat levels. If you haven’t gotten into a Need for Speed game in a while, this is probably the time to finally hop back in.

The big hits are back and just as good as I remembered. Volleyball and soccer also medal in this version. However, Nintendo Switch Sports is lacking in overall content out of the gate.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning on the PS4 is a fun and well-written game that, unfortunately, is nearly ruined by the remastered version’s ridiculously long load times. If load times don’t concern you, then you may enjoy this underrated action-RPG that was originally developed by a fantasy “dream-team” that included author R.A. Salvatore, comic artist Todd McFarlane, and game designer Ken Rolston.