This game is made for Star Trek fans through and through. From the well-crafted story elements to the small random easter egg events, there is something for those with various entry points into the fandom.

Steel Seed defines humanity, even if it spells it out. There’s little nuance, and the twists about its story aren’t at all surprising.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A Mega Dimension is a solid add-on, albeit costly, for fans of the core game looking for more, but it isn’t a must-play due to the repetition, grind, and price.

Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3 does feel so much more complete than the first two iterations of the series, but it still has a little more room to grow…Even when I was frustrated at some of those things, the tracks, karts, and characters kept me coming back for more. It’s definitely worth checking out for fans of racing games and Nickelodeon shows and characters.

If you’re patient and enjoy this game genre, you can certainly get a lot of fun out of Surgeon Simulator 2. With loads of unlockables, challenges, and basically unlimited levels, its concept is strong, its wit is impressive, and its style is very enjoyable. But if you’re looking for a tight and unstressful experience, either give the potentially less finicky PC version a try or skip this one altogether. However, it is free with Game Pass, so it’s certainly worth giving a shot for yourself if you subscribe to the service.

Romancelvania is a sharp combination of two disparate genres, but it falls short in some of its execution. Worthwhile for folks who enjoy a witty story-driven romance, especially where sexy monsters are involved, but not necessarily worth it for the average Metroidvania-goer.

With a sea of new, genre-defining games constantly coming in, God of War: Sons of Sparta gets lost in the tide.

My Hero Academia All’s Justice fails to capture the cinematic splendor of the finale of All For One and One For All’s showdown. Bland fights, poorly optimized character movement, and repeated battles take what could’ve been the chance to create a playable form of what fans of the series have wanted.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed what Foreclosed had to offer, and a circular narrative is always a good way to get on my good side. The game effortlessly makes you feel like you’re in a comic book, and it feels immersive. But while there are some outstanding elements to the game, I just want more of it—more story, more action, more mechanics. Furthermore, I want to see Antab Studio use these same elements to build a longer game with more complexity.

Scars Above has its ups and downs but offers fun gameplay with interesting mechanics in an alien world that is equal parts beautiful and dangerous. There’s a good mystery to be solved, even if it’s a bit too straightforward. And while there are a few snags regarding the script, I very much appreciate the scientific approach with Kate.

FBC Firebreak delivers an experience that is, at best, competent and, at worst, tedious. Given the glut of options in the multiplayer FPS market and the $40 price tag this game carries, it is hard to suggest it to anyone.

Forspoken isn't without its hiccups—hit-or-miss side quests...and repetitive activities. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my time with Forspoken's focal storyline. The graphics, voice acting, and musical score are phenomenal, and the cat content is a lovely addition.

Watching your cat cafe slowly expand and customizing its decoration is very rewarding. The experience is only hindered by its mechanics’ more clunky elements and lack of meaningful endgame content. However, the game is a perfect jumping-on point for newcomers to the genre.

Tales of Symphonia Remastered does what it set out to do—allow a classic JRPG to be playable on modern hardware. However, even then, this remaster falls short.

Aztech Forgotten Gods is a really great time, even with its stumbles. It’s a beautiful world with a character you can see yourself in, especially if you’ve lost a loved one. Additionally, the design of the gods is a sight to behold. Truthfully, I can’t wait to see what other stories Lienzo tells next.

I wouldn’t say that Battlefield 2042 is the worst iteration in this series because it does add some new gameplay and brings back elements like complete loadout customization from previous iterations. But as of right now, a lot of the gameplay is skewed, and the weapons, attachments, and vehicles don’t really feel like they work as they should. As a triple-A game, I expect better.

Easy to pick up and hard to master, God of Rock has to be one of the most engaging games to come out so far this year.

I really wanted to love Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong. I already am a fan of its setting, desperately want AA video games to rise in prominence again, and love slow burns that are focused on character dialogue and interactions. However, there is just too much getting in the way of Swansong’s success. There is no way of knowing exactly what happened, but the final product is one that I can’t even recommend picking up on sale.

Lost Soul Aside is an action-heavy, flashy adventure with fun combat but a forgettable story.

Perhaps one of Kaiserpunk‘s biggest issues is that it tries to do too much.

Risen is far from an RPG for everybody, but for the right player it is a member of a rare breed that doesn’t see many new releases anymore. For fans of games like Gothic, Risen is a solid experience that balances out its impenetrability with being exceptionally rewarding. So, whether you are looking to visit an older style of western RPG or replay a fondly remembered cult classic, Risen is a solid port to do so with.

While I can’t say the story itself is particularly interesting, the gameplay is a lot of fun, and the side quests vary in depth and enjoyment. However, for $10, the amount of content you get from “Bloody Ties” is decent. If you enjoy Dying Light 2 for its gameplay, first and foremost, there’s no reason not to get this DLC.

Souls of Chronos delivers a mixed bag of an experience. While I’m intrigued by the world and charmed by its main duo, lackluster combat and a narrative that felt at odds with its visual tone and star’s personality never allowed the game to truly come together in a way that feels satisfying.

Sonic Frontiers is ultimately a unique and satisfying ride through some of the best Sonic has offered over the years. The sensation of speed is at its best, and the combat feels strong. The levels and environments in the open world leave a good bit to be desired, but the flow of the game through its hundreds of objectives and currencies to obtain is nearly always fun to progress through.

Overall, Starship Troopers: Extermination has the potential to be an exceptional fusion of tower defense and FPS genres. Despite falling short in accessibility for new players, clunky controls, and the dangers of repetitive gameplay, Starship Troopers: Extermination provides the kind of immersive experience fans of the franchise can expect. It propels you into the shoes of a bug-killing specialist, allowing you to customize your loadout and abilities to become the ultimate force of nature. With additional improvements to address its shortcomings and introduce more diverse content, Starship Troopers: Extermination has the potential to deliver an even more exceptional and engaging experience for Starship Troopers enthusiasts and fans of the genre. [Early Access Review]

Dynasty Warriors 9: Empires is a game that I found extremely fun at times, but monotonous at others. Strategic tasks become mundane and repetitive very quickly, but the combat involved in the actual battles helps make up for it… There is fun to be had, just don’t expect a grand strategy experience with a deep story or overly involved decisions and mechanics.

There is a really solid experience to find here as long as your expectations are tempered. Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2 has such solid gameplay and player options that it is no wonder it is as revered to this day as it is. Unfortunately, some shoddy aspects of the re-release drag it down.

When all is said and done, Cobra Kai: Card Fighter delivers what could’ve been a fun karate-themed diversion, but instead it bogs it down with tedious grinding gameplay that serves no purpose but to deprive the player of what simple enjoyment the games basic mechanics might have offered.

While there is some fun to be had, SYNDUALITY: Echo of Ada offers a mostly tedious experience in many ways. The gameplay is ridiculously arduous and painfully repetitive, the performance is barely acceptable, and its monetization model is questionable.

Ultimately Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water ends up being a boring slog more often than a tense horror experience. The remaster will likely be welcomed by fans of the series, especially those that never had a Wii U to check out the original. However, any future Fatal Frame titles will have to evolve to feel at home in modern times.

Blood Bowl 3 is undoubtedly the best new way to experience Blood Bowl. It is filled with character, brimming with options, and has plenty of depth for players to explore and toy around with. However, it is unfortunate that it doesn’t give new players the proper tools to break through its outer crust. For those that are hungry for more brutal sports action, however, you’d be hard pressed to find anything better.

Unfortunately, the aspects of Winter Ember surrounding its core gameplay loop are so lackluster. The game’s stealth mechanics and tight design have the potential to be a solid new entry in the genre, but the game’s less polished parts ultimately hold it back.

Rocksteady did well with creating a story that can hit the heartstrings. Playing as each member of the squad brings their own unique forms of entertainment, where you’ll enjoy switching between each member as needed. But the writing and character growth can only do so much when the full package feels soulless.

Stray Blade delivers a lot of content in its fantasy journey. While most of the game comes together well, key elements greatly hurt the core gameplay. But, if you are willing to weather these added struggles, this game has some rewarding exploration and combat to deliver to gamers.

Return to Moria has a decent core that could have used a little bit more time in the tank to reach its full potential. Hopefully, community feedback will be taken into account and post-launch support will focus on improving some of the basic mechanics. If they do that, it has real potential to be one of the better survival crafting games in recent memory.

Unknown 9: Awakening boasts great combat and an ambitious story, but performance issues are too many to look past.

For Far Cry 6 players looking for a reason to play more of the game and just want more of its satisfying gunplay or enjoy the structure of the previous two DLCs, “Collapse” is an easy recommendation. However, players hoping for it to do a little more or introduce a unique aspect to the rogue-lite structure to reflect Joseph’s inclusion will ultimately be disappointed.

Super UFO Fighter is neither super nor a fighter. It’s a perfectly fine game that could entertain for a little bit on your own or with a friend, but a party game this is certainly not, and neither is its difficulty finely tuned enough to feel engrossing on either end of the difficulty spectrum.

It is hard to discern just who South Park: Snow Day! is for. Diehard South Park fans will not get much out of its lackluster references and lack of new ideas for the franchise. Meanwhile, those who care more about playing a fun game won’t find the mechanical complexity that can be found in previous franchise RPGs.

For most of my time with Diablo Immortal, I was pleasantly surprised. But when I reached the endgame content it became clear that all of that was to trap me in an exploitative revenue scheme. I would have been more than willing to buy a battle pass here and there or even some cosmetics or expansions to support Diablo Immortal into the future, but its bold and scummy approach to manipulating vulnerable players not only soured my entire experience with the game but marks a dangerous cornerstone in the monetization of similar products in the future.

With its frustrating controls, and questionable AI the enjoyment that can be gained from Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is severely limited. If a player is looking to romp through a strongly realized D&D world, and a classic story of heroes scrambling to stop the legions of evil, it may be worth keeping the game on easy just to enjoy the setting and story. However, if you are looking for a full-fledged action RPG experience there are far better offering out there.

Starfield: Shattered Space is a solid addition if you’re looking for a deep, story-driven experience or a chance to level up while exploring a new society. But if you expect a major shift in the game’s scope or mechanics, this isn’t it. Still, it’s a satisfying ride for fans of the universe.

As a whole, Skull and Bones is a very fun game, one that I genuinely couldn’t put down once the battles began. But that fun is uneven at best. Despite its long development cycle, the live-service element that is felt deeply throughout the game isn’t microtransactions. It’s emptiness.

There is something magical in Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings Game, but it’s sometimes hard to find it… Still, I keep thinking that while a Hobbit hole means comfort, Tolkien’s favorite characters also deserve a bit more depth than just resting on genre fundamentals.

Ultimately, WitchSpring3 Re:Fine is a perfectly average title with its highs and lows. It’s not my kind of game, but I’m certainly glad that fans of this Korean franchise will be getting a chance to have it on a major platform. Bogged down by the shadow of its mobile game past, WitchSpring3 Re:Fine will probably appeal, primarily, to fans of the franchise. Newcomers might find this entry hit or miss: it just depends on if Eirudy and her story grab your attention. I will say that the Magic Circle system—this is used to power up your magic—was a bit confusing. That might be due to the overwhelming amount of info stuffed into each textbox, which unfortunately suffers from the small font size.

When all is said and done, Nier Re[in]carnation delivers a package that revels in its tone, story, and artistic presentation, while pairing all that with relaxed, easy to grasp game play. While some of its options could be explained a little clearer, the game is simple enough that the player should be able to handle the mild challenges, even if they are not clear on every detail.

From better versions of characters available for a premium to its ammo types and generic clean science-fiction setting, there is little about The First Descendant that feels original. Every element feels like a cheap facsimile of the successes of other loot-based games without understanding what makes those systems work in their original contexts. This leaves The First Descendant feeling like an online shop with the imitation of a game built around it with gameplay and mechanics relegated to second-thoughts at best.

Monster Harvest is a good game that a little too closely resembles Stardew Valley and does not execute its Pokèmon-like mechanics cleanly or uniquely enough. Fortunately, it’s mostly visually beautiful with nice music and more than plenty to do.

FOAMSTARS is a fun party shooter with chill vibes and vibrant expression that just needs a few additions to be truly great. The foundation is there, Square Enix just needs to tweak the formula a bit before it is worth recommending without hesitation.

I love the idea of In My Shadow. It has a somewhat intriguing storyline and unique gameplay that show a lot of potential. Bella is not the deepest of main characters, but I did find myself drawn into her story initially. I also really did like the idea of moving objects to solves puzzles found in the shadows. It is an enjoyable game to play, but I just wish there was more to it than what we received.

Incredibly personal environments and storytelling more than make up for some slightly outdated mechanics to make Rendezvous a thoroughly enjoyable and unique cyberpunk experience.

With the source material being so well known for its quality, it’s a shame Bluey: The Videogame is nowhere near as good in writing, gameplay, animation, or anything for that matter. Even with the target audience being young gamers or parents wanting their kids to try something they are familiar with, it’s hard to see many people finding joy here.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III recycles old ideas in a stale package that is a downright slog for most of the experience. It commits the ultimate sin of being boring, and it does not bode well for the future of a franchise that, for the last 20 years, has been the pinnacle of popular FPS games.

Necromunda: Hired Gun comes this close to being a good game. It takes heavy inspiration from one of the best FPS games on the market, but with an uninteresting narrative, clunky graphics, uneven performance, and a litany of undercooked ideas. Necromunda: Hired Gun is hard to recommend, even at its budget price tag. You might find yourself having fun from time to time with it, but those moments are simply too short to recommend putting up with the rest of the game.

HUNTER x HUNTER NEN x IMPACT struggles to find the fun. While its core gameplay concepts feel like a great framework for intense battles, the lack of balancing sucks the joy out of its 3v3 fights.

Redfall never manages to be anything more than fine. My time playing through its single-player campaign it rarely wowed me once the skillful crafting of the world itself wore off.

It is a shame that Serious Sam 4 is not able to live up to the series’ legacy. While the franchise has never been associated with particularly groundbreaking or polished titles it has previously been able to offer enjoyable experiences with its own identity and fun gameplay. Serious Sam 4 is too bogged down by questionable design and poor presentation to manage that, and instead feels like a title quickly thrown together with an overnight script than a cohesive product.

With the launch of the “Odyssey” expansion, Elite Dangerous has taken on a new life as a next-generation space sim. It now feels truly unprecedented in scope, scale, and fidelity. Over the seven years since the game’s release Elite Dangerous has impressively continued to grow. The best part of it all is that “Odyssey” is just another step in the game’s ongoing evolution. It all comes together to make a space MMO that is a must-play for any fans of the genre. There is something to do for every type of player, whether they want just to build deadly ships, participate in dogfights, maximize a profitable trade route, team up with friends to explore the unknown galaxy, or whatever else.

While Dolmen offers fun, challenging, and rewarding gameplay and a rich crafting system, its other features are a bit of a hit-and-miss.

The Settlers: New Allies is a solid starting point to reboot the RTS franchise. While its campaign is dull enough to be ignored, the game’s bones are strong enough to support solidly entertaining online play. Despite its issues it has the potential to breathe new life into The Settlers as a franchise, which would be great for all RTS fans.

Player enjoyment from The Last Oricru relies heavily on what matters to them. If they are looking for a fun co-op romp with interesting build possibilities to toy around with, the game is likely worth picking up on sale. However, it does not have much to offer for players who care more about a difficult journey across a well-realized world with lore and secrets to piece together.

I commend the game for trying something totally new in the realm of puzzle games. In a sea of match-three and click-and-find puzzle games, Trenga Unlimited does something I have never seen before. And it’s not that it fails, by any means. On the contrary, the puzzle concept itself is excellent. It’s just an unpolished and unbalanced game. I can’t keep incentivized to play it because the story mode has no incentives, and the survival mode is far too difficult. A game using this same concept but with some polish and apt difficulty curve could be great.

Despite the confusing narrative, In Nightmare is still fun. The puzzles are varied and delightful to work through. And while not the scariest game I’ve played, there’s plenty of anxiety to be had sneaking around enemies and solving puzzles under duress.

Space Jam: A New Legacy – The Game is free, but it still does very little to justify players spending any time with it at all…For fans of beat-em-ups, there are plenty of better options available that are not much more expensive, especially if players have Xbox Game Pass already. For Space Jam fans, there is so little of the characters or personality of the movie in the game that it does not seem as though it would justify the time investment.

The bursts of fun are weighed down by a small pool of visually bland and overly similar maps, a lack of any meaningful progression, clunky gunplay, and some serious balancing issues. For fans looking for a new game to blend FPS and RTS gameplay, Eximius: Seize the Frontline has some fun to offer. But for fans of just one of those genres, the mix will likely detract too much to be enjoyable.

TMNT Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants has its moments of fun but needs to have more variety to be truly great. It is worth the price of entry if you just want to mindlessly kill some TMNT-themed enemies, but don't expect anything revolutionary.

Jujutsu Kaisen: Cursed Clash isn’t bad, per se, but it is lacking. Maybe it’s hindered by the expectations associated with the IP, or maybe it’s just too much like every other arena fighter we’ve gotten. Either way, the lackluster take on the genre has a lot of jujutsu sorcery to learn.

I wanted to like Captain Blood. A throwback title without the modern faff that comes with so many newer releases was refreshing…Still, Captain Blood’s lacking design and poor tuning make it an absolute chore to play through. It quickly wears through any goodwill or nostalgia it might have benefited from and ultimately has very little going for it.

Music Racer Ultimate is all flash and no fun. For a music game, the music is okay, but the game itself is not satisfying to play. The rewards aren’t rewarding, the levels are aggravating, and the menus and layout are confusing. This port needed way more time in the oven to ensure that its trip to Xbox would actually feel right at home, not a mobile game that feels like it’s just on a bigger screen.

While Loop8: Summer of Gods is a JRPG that has an interesting concept and some genuinely good features, the game is unfortunately bogged down with poor optimizations, questionable gameplay decisions, and a very painful combat system.

Gargoyles Remastered isn’t really worth the time unless you’re a hardcore fan of old platformers or a veteran of the original game desiring to revisit a favorite.

Arkham Horror: Mother’s Embrace is an enjoyable title, especially for its modest price point. There is enough that it does right to make it well worth a playthrough, but the linear nature of the story and levels makes playing through the game again unappealing, even with the choice of multiple starting investigators. It does a lot of elegant translation of the mechanics from the board game into a video game, but there is a lack of cohesion and spice that make the ideas and mechanics not mesh well together.

For those hoping several patches could make MindsEye into a possibly well-executed game, there’s no salvaging the mess left behind in Redrock.

The most disappointing part of La Quimera is how it struggles to bring its good ideas together, leaving them buried in lesser ideas and poor execution. In the end, those interesting ideas are buried in a lack of content and poor execution that makes it all unfun to engage with on any level. [Early Access Score = 30]

With a price tag of even just $10, I can’t say that Krut: The Mythic Wings is worth it. Even the time investment of playing the game is a deterrent, as it will only remind you that there are better titles you could be playing instead.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a love letter to a flawed character that shares some flaws of its own. The care and love of Tolkien lore are quite obvious, but it doesn’t always mesh well with the disappointing mechanics and less-than-stellar gameplay.

While Outriders doesn’t invent any new mechanics, the story is enjoyable, and the interesting classes, gear system, and world tiers make for some very challenging but fun gameplay. There were definitely a few hiccups on release day, and there are some easy alterations that can be made to make Outriders more accessible. But I would definitely recommend picking up this title.

The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos is a marvelous farewell to the memorable cast and locales that this game has delivered to players. If you have enjoyed the quirky adventures of the Unreliable’s “heroic” crew, you owe it to yourself to experience this last hurrah in Halcyon.

Ignoring all of what the game neglected to improve over the original version, it is still an enjoyable addition to the Doodle God franchise. While perhaps not the first entry I’d gravitate towards, the devilish theme and your quest to brew all of the sins, chaos, demons, and maladies in the world are amusing and get you thinking creatively as well as any other game in the series. But if you’re looking for a new generation of chemistry game gameplay, this definitely isn’t it.

Seven Deadly Sins — Greed is a lean DLC but it sure is shiny. The Greed Enumeration Escalation does a good job of building on itself, utilizes elements from the past to impact the next stage, and it offers different challenges not previously available that will push you to interact with Dubai in different ways. Plus, the suit is phenomenal.

The vast majority of the game is an extremely engaging and rewarding survival game that is made only more fun when you have friends to jump into a server with. Advancing through the research trees and advancing from merely surviving in the wasteland to comfortably living in it is a great experience, and is one that CryoFall offers players in a unique way.

When the easy flow and music clicks just right, it hits well, but there is little else on offer here. Its lack of deeper mechanics or aspects for players to sink their teeth into is rather disappointing and leaves Skate City with nothing to hook players after experiencing the vibe it offers.

Despite a couple of light typos and some choppy wording that may be more the result of losses in translation than writer error, Dull Grey is a visual novel well worth your time. It successfully delivers what every visual novel strives for—transcending words to pull the reader into its world and rewarding players who are curious and patient enough to see beneath its surface.

Sherwood Extreme will satisfy a very particular type of player. It offers an experience all about skillful play executed as quickly as possible. There are a handful of aspects that are not fully fleshed out or developed, but fleshing out and improving those aspects are exactly what early access is for. Hopefully, Sherwood Extreme will use the program well and be able to build a community of players who love what the title has to offer. [Early Access Score = 70]

Backworlds is a short and sweet game that offers up ample amounts of wholesomeness and challenge in the best way. Painting your way through the world isn’t just a gimmick; it’s an integral part of the game, which is important for niche travel mechanics. Plus, there are a few surprises in-store, including teleportation. So if you’re looking for a game to play on the go and puzzles to keep you focused, then Backworlds is definitely for you. A port from the PC, this one takes full advantage of the way you play your Switch and just works.

My Hero Academia: The Strongest Hero provides a fun if sometimes confusing romp through the world of the popular series. I’m overall enjoying my time with the game as the short burst mission structure lets me get a fix of some of my favorite heroes in training.

The Wild at Heart is a lovely game altogether. Its story and characters are just as charming as the gameplay is fun. There are a few nitpicks I can make about sound design and the Spriteling well menu having more tabs than it should need to, but they’re just nitpicks. It’s a touching and sharp game absolutely worth the dive into.

When all is said and done, the developers at Ubisoft Mainz have once again proven that while DLC and expanding the game are important, so is making the base game feel playable this long after release. Now in its third season, the devs have proved time and time again that quality of life is at the forefront of the choices behind adding new mechanics. With “Tourist Season,” they’ve pushed players to see their islands differently, and also view their world as interconnected instead of sequestered. Now, your goal isn’t just to get an island fully optimized, it’s to get it optimized and make it aesthetically appealing – invest in attractveness, invest in culture, and make sure that your hotspots aren’t just on their own but woven into your residents. Which begs the question what will “High Life” bring? For us, well, we can’t wait.

I enjoyed this new adventure in the frozen land of Colorado. The challenging combat, choice-driven narrative, and fun humor are hitting on all cylinders in Wasteland 3: The Battle of Steeltown. If you enjoyed the gameplay of the original release, I can easily recommend checking this out.

If you are a player that enjoys building on the African continent (my main zoo is in Africa) and want to expand on your African zoo then this pack is well worth it. The Planet Zoo: Africa Pack was also released with a free content update (Update 1.6) that is available to all players. This update brings some new items such as webcams and vista points along with some quality-of-life features. There is also a new free-timed scenario for everyone to enjoy.

Overall, A Tale of Synapse is a mixed bag. While the art is pretty and the logic-based puzzles are generally fun, the experience is mottled by the bad English writing, the too-easy puzzles, and the occasional glitches that require a full shutdown of the game.

While Black Skylands delivers an appealing aesthetic and some solid core gameplay, it quickly mires itself down in long, repetitive trips to gather resources and largely unchanging gameplay. While its slow, unchanging gameplay didn’t hold my attention very well, I can see how someone could find a relaxing challenge that they can just take their time with here. [Early Access Score = 70]

Overall, The Ascent is a great addition to the cyberpunk genre. The graphics are stunning, the characters and story entertaining, and it’s available right now on Gamepass.

I enjoyed playing the Nintendo Switch port for DDA. Outside the issues with scaling while playing handheld, the experience was virtually identical to my experience with the PC version last year. Even though I only played offline, I can certainly see DDA being a great party game for Discord communities and game nights, given its easy learning curve and fast-paced playstyle. The variety of hero combinations and playstyles, several game modes, and different game difficulties allow endless hours of replayability, a great moniker for a Nintendo Switch game. If you can get past the minor accessibility issues, you may find yourself fighting wave after wave and hour and hour in Dungeon Defenders: Awakened.

The Big Con provides some much-needed 90s nostalgia while also providing an outrageous tale smothered in wit, sarcasm, and Horm. It’s a short, casual game, with a whole lot of spunk and a whole lot of crime, and I really recommend it to anyone looking for a laugh.

Hindsight 20/20: Wrath of the Rakshasa sets out to deliver an engaging action story that forces the player to make important moral choices that will determine the shape of their world. And despite some moments where the combat struggles and some less than clear decisions the game presents players with, it largely succeeds. Given its short playtime and unique approach to both combat and choice-driven storytelling, I would say the game is certainly worth a look if what I have said about it intrigues you.

While an older entry in the genre, Nuclear Throne is still creative and fun and feels totally fresh in the sea of bullet hells. It has just enough to it to keep you going, though, by comparison to more robust roguelikes, it has the potential to dry up after a while if you’re not mastering it fast enough. Nonetheless, it’s well worth a dive into, especially with its appearance on Xbox Game Pass.

All the DLC packs add quite a bit to the game and help it feel more fleshed out and realized, but the sheer number of options one has can be overwhelming for new players who aren’t sure what is worth focusing on and what isn’t. Regardless, the DLCs help make Phoenix Point: Behemoth Edition feel like a sprawling experience on an epic scale. Even if some of the content feels a bit middling, there is more than enough of a higher quality to justify the price.