While Mini Motorways isn’t going to present you with an incredible story or massively varied mechanics, the experience is one you’ll want to keep coming back to. There are seemingly countless options to choose from, and the new Challenge City update takes it to the next level. If you are looking for a game that can be played for 5 minutes or 5 hours, Mini Motorways is absolutely worth every second of your time.

Halo: Infinite delivers an amazing entry into the franchise. While it doesn’t manage to take the top spot on my personal list of favorite Halo games(Remember Reach!) it is easily in my top three. And with Xbox looking to keep players engaged with Xbox Game Pass I can only imagine that we will be getting more stories with the Chief as he continues his fight against the Banished. If 343 Industries can keep what comes next to the same level of fun and polish they have established here, I will gladly pick up my trusty Battle Rifle anytime they have a new mission for me.

Loop Hero was already a Game of the Year contender for me, but the ability to play it on the go makes it very difficult to keep out of the top spot. It is essentially a role-playing game management simulator, and I mean that in the best way possible. If you have not had the chance to play Loop Hero yet, do yourself a favor and pick this up on Switch as soon as possible. I promise you that you won’t regret it!

Brain vs Brain is a very welcome return to a long-forgotten series. While it doesn’t offer anything quite so new besides new mini games and a strong multiplayer mode, it’s absolutely difficult to put down and full of challenging fun.

Pro Basketball Manager 2022 is a promising management game that still has room to improve. However, it will absolutely scratch the basketball management itch, and options are plentiful.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are incredibly faithful remakes of Diamond and Pearl, warts and all. There are some nice new additions that enhance the experience, and the visual style is unique and quite good-looking. It’s hard not to recommend these to any Pokémon fan or newcomer to the franchise. There might be a few negatives, but none of them take much away from the overall excellent experience.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are incredibly faithful remakes of Diamond and Pearl, warts and all. There are some nice new additions that enhance the experience, and the visual style is unique and quite good-looking. It’s hard not to recommend these to any Pokémon fan or newcomer to the franchise. There might be a few negatives, but none of them take much away from the overall excellent experience.

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.

The technical issues do detract from the experience somewhat, especially when considering that many of the bugs are more than a decade old at this point, but they are not enough to keep Skyrim: Anniversary Edition from being the definitive way to experience the classic title.

When all is said and done, Ruined King: A League of Legends Story blends wonderful characters and a fascinating world with some of the finest turn-based gameplay I’ve ever experienced. Despite a few stumbles, this is a package that anyone who loves this genre should check out. While I still have to give it some more thought, this game is most likely going to end up being my game of the year.

Vaas: Insanity is an excellent first DLC for Far Cry 6. The look into the chaos of Vaas’ mind is a really interesting one, and the gameplay loop is as intriguing as it is challenging. It can be fun solo or with friends, and is absolutely worth taking the time to check out.

Jurassic World Evolution 2 is well worth the money. It’s an expansive game that has a little bit of everything for everyone without skipping a beat. There is nostalgia, challenge, and just pure fun. You get science and you get entertainment park, and a lot more. I can say, having put nearly 100 hours into Jurassic World Evolution, picking up the sequel feels like a new experience.

Even though it is nearly twenty years old and I can’t wait to see how my next playthrough goes since Knights of the Old Republic is a game that keeps on giving.

World War Z may not do anything to really stand out in the genre, but that doesn’t mean it is not a fun time. The core of the game is very basic, and at times can feel like a simple reskin of other similar games, but that should not turn anyone away from checking it out. I would especially recommend it if you are looking for a zombie game on the Switch, as it is probably the best option out there for you.

Forza Horizon 5 somehow raised an insurmountable bar to new heights. Playground Games continued to show off their prowess with game development and their striving to make a game that is fun for every type of player in every aspect of gameplay. Regardless of if you’re a racing fan or not, if you have Game Pass, Forza Horizon 5 needs to be the next game you play. You never know, it could be the jumping-off point into a new genre that you never knew you’d click with.

Call of Duty: Vanguard brings a surprisingly engaging campaign and some amazing graphics. While some character flashbacks are better than others, and the length is a bit disappointing, the campaign is nevertheless a fun jot through the theatres of WWII.

If you’re a longtime Mario Party fan, you will love Mario Party Super Stars. If you’ve never played a Mario Party, there’s no better time than now to get into it. By yourself, on the couch, or online with friends or strangers, every way to play is a blast and then some. Some menu things are a bit annoying and I wish there was were a couple more characters or stages or mini-games to unlock. But in all, Mario Party is back, baby.

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.

Exploring the seas to find new fish, complete quests, and uncover the game’s overarching mystery is never tiresome as Moonglow Bay’s ambiance and gameplay combine for a relaxing experience. It’s a lovely game all around with a few small but ultimately insignificant complaints that could be lodged. Truly, dive into Moonglow Bay and bask in its sweet serenity.

Then there’s just simply the atmosphere. This game is absolutely gorgeous. The levels are based on seven real locations in the Southwestern United States, each with faithfully recreated topography and landmarks. The game is filled with landmarks to find and read flavor text about. It has totally inspired me to visit some of these locations someday, hopefully before they’re gone, whether due to climate change or just the course of nature, as the game heeds on several occasions. You can play the game in Zen mode to explore unperturbed or really get lost traveling slowly from location to location between events and just enjoy the environment ad nauseam. I highly recommend it.

Even with its faults that can easily be patched up, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is an absolute love letter to the property and one that any fan should be excited to play. Yes, the gameplay is excellent, but for this game, it's all about the characters. It's about small moments, big moments, and everything in between.

Into The Pit is a good way to reintroduce a genre one could have assumed a relic of the past. It’s a tad slowly paced and can get repetitive as any roguelike might, but it’s a strong innovation on a tried and true genre.

Echo Generation does an excellent job of combining nostalgic feelings for the 90s with modern game development in a way that makes every second an enjoyable time. The characters are diverse and interesting, the combat is varied and fun, and the world is about as beautiful as it gets. Combine all of that with the fact that it’s launching on Xbox Gamepass, and it’s impossible not to recommend Echo Generation.

This leaves Assassin’s Creed Discovery Tour: Viking Age as a pretty solid update that players who enjoyed the setting of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla should definitely check out. However, it doesn’t quite justify its asking price as a standalone title, except maybe for history buffs who want to see a faithful recreation of the period that isn’t bogged down by RPG systems or combat mechanics.

Back 4 Blood is a wonderful call-back to the games that have come before it. And even though it’s not a direct sequel to Left 4 Dead 2, it brings back the most important elements of the series. But it shouldn’t be seen as only a spiritual successor because it adds so many new features that make it an extremely satisfying modern-day FPS. While a few elements impede the gameplay, they can be easily overlooked when you have a great team to play with.

My biggest issue with the Crysis Remaster Trilogy is that it only feels halfway remastered. Nothing was updated to modern standards except for the visuals, and that is a huge problem. Remasters like the Spyro and Tony Hawk ones work so well because the gameplay is smoothed out and plays like a modern game. Unfortunately, that oversight (or failure, if they really did try to update it from the originals) makes it impossible to recommend the beautiful-looking collection to anyone other than hardcore fans of the original games. I really wanted to enjoy these games that were so positively talked about when I was younger, but sadly they didn’t come anywhere close to living up to the hype with this remaster attempt.

Overall, The Hinokami Chronicles is an enjoyable arena fighter with a really intriguing story. There are moments where the game feels a bit too slow or uninteresting during the exploration moments, but the combat makes up for it. Fans of Demon Slayer will love plaything through The Hinokami Chronicles, and even newcomers to the series will enjoy this well-done fighting game.

Not perfect by any means, but PandaBall is a pretty solid arcade-style soccer game. It’s missing a few things I wish it had, and some things like the text size are less than ideal, but overall, it’s an enjoyable take on quick and simple soccer matches.