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.