Eternal Strands draws inspiration from various titles, blending their elements to forge a new adventure. While Yellow Brick Games succeeds in crafting a strong physics system that complements the protagonist’s powers, the experience is hindered by weak combat and early mission design. Though the characterization shines, enhanced by solid voice acting, the story struggles to immerse, likely due to its disjointed delivery. Ultimately, the game is brimming with strong ideas, but none are executed well enough to leave a lasting impression.

It may flounder a bit, but give it a chance and it can swim just fine.

The graphical and audio enhancements are phenomenal and huge selling points, but having a pretty game without responsive AI quickly makes those enhancements meaningless. The heart and soul of the game is there, even in the tutorial, but it’s simply too old.

I mentioned previously that there is something small missing from Battleborn and to be honest I’m still unsure of what it is. It might be the lack of a training room where you can test out different heroes, or the fact you can’t choose from all of the story missions in a public campaign group, or that you can’t stay with your group at the end of a successful campaign. In other words, there are many small details that add up to take away the sense of polish for the game.

Fast paced, competitive, and strangely addictive, Dodgeball is a simple idea that turned into a pretty fun game to tackle. While most of the appeal is online, there’s still plenty for you to do on your own to hone your skills for the big matches.

Hollow Realization does a splendid job in providing solid gameplay and producing an original story. As a player who does not like replaying the same story told in other mediums, Hollow Realization was a breath of fresh air in an otherwise repetitive series. The amount of character customization, party options, and side quests will be sure to keep players satisfied.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Extraction is a thoroughly competent shooter. It's a good companion piece to, but not replacement for, Siege. Though it's best when played with a three Operator squad, it's still functional as a single player game, though pretty challenging and not super rewarding as a solo experience. I enjoyed the mechanics of the Incursion missions, and learning the maps. Though the alien designs lacked originality, fighting them was still engaging. It was a nice break from combat with humans. I wish there was more to the package at launch, like a real campaign and characters to care about, not just avatar Operators to level up. Still, alone or with a couple of friends, Rainbow Six Extraction meets or exceeds the expected amount of fun. I wish it tried to do more.

Overall, Scars Above just can’t rise above its AA roots. This translates to some cut-rate animations, character models, and environments. The game’s primary weapon is good enough, as is the story and combat. But just being adequate is a tough sell. It’s hard to imagine Scars Above moving to the front of the Soulslike line.

Ride 2 is definitely a game for racing fans, designed from the ground up with customization and realism as the foundational pillars. It’s hard to recommend if you aren’t a fan of the genre, but I would consider it a must have enthusiasts.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine was more than just a game that spawned a remarkable sequel. It was a thoroughly entertaining third-person shooter that perfectly translated Games Workshop’s brutal IP into digital form. Dusting off 14 years of cobwebs and creakiness, the Master Crafted Edition makes the 2011 original look, sound, and play as close as possible to brand new. I don’t think those with the original or Anniversary Edition will regret picking it up, and it’s an absolute no-brainer for anyone who doesn’t already own the game.

The exploration sections are somewhat dull, the fighters are interchangeable, and the story is told in a separate menu, but the parts that need to work, do. Combat is crazy, fast, and deeply satisfying. Whether this is your first 3D arena fighter or your fifteenth, The Hinokami Chronicles are a lot of fun.

Kukoos Lost Pets is a short platforming adventure that harkens back to the old days. There isn’t a whole lot of content. In fact, you can easily finish the game in an afternoon. Maybe two afternoons if you’re intent on collecting every coin, flower, and rescuing a pet. A few extra features would have gone a long way to build on the game’s foundation. Using coins to unlock cosmetic options for your character and pets would have been nice. But then again, there’s no real value in sticking around after the story is over unless you’re looking for that Platinum trophy.

The idea of Sherlock Holmes essentially investigating his own origins is an intriguing conceit, though that's really only a small element of Sherlock Holmes Chapter One. The invented island of Cordona is a great backdrop for commentary on the late Victorian British Empire in all its excessive and tone-deaf glory, though again, those considerations are secondary. Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is, at heart, a collection of large and small mysteries to be solved, the chance to inhabit the mind of a legendary polymath and play detective with a wide and deep arsenal of tools and toys. Although the series is still bogged down by its fiddly mechanics and the pace can move too slowly for us fidgety gamers, Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is far more ambitious in scope than its series predecessors and may represent a new, high bar for the franchise.

It isn’t as serviceable to the Lego formula as the games before it, nor is it perfect, but The Hobbit is still worth a play through both for fans of the films or simply the Lego games in general.

The space-shooter genre has had an Arrowhead-shaped hole for the past 18 years and finally, that void has been filled. R-Type Final 2 is not here to revolutionize the genre, it’s merely here to remind us how great the series is and celebrate its long history. Although its old-school mentality may deter some, fans of the franchise will love this iteration.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me is a fitting end to the season. Each game celebrates the many facets of horror but this title resonates in a way that surpasses previous entries in the franchise. The voice acting is brilliant and this helps to make the characters feel authentic. As well as this, the improvements in traversal and inventory give it more gameplay options. While the movement is a little stiff and the concept is still cliché, the execution of its storytelling and characterization is to die for.

As much as I love the aesthetics of Cris Tales, there are issues with the gameplay that affect the experience. Although fans of retro JRPGs will be able to overlook the constant random battles, lack of auto-save, and the monotonous grind, these aspects will deter gamers who are used to contemporary design elements. The clever use of the time mechanic allows you to be more tactical in your approach to fights; however, this is overshadowed by the sheer volume of encounters and repetitive enemy types. At its core, Cris Tales is a solid JRPG with an interesting twist; however, it sticks to the well-trodden paths of those that came before, creating a disparity between the gameplay and visuals.

Whatever your reason for buying MDR, be it the wackiness, gameplay, or art, you certainly won’t be disappointed.

There are lots of ways in which Outcast: A New Beginning punches way, way up. The world is elaborate and thoroughly imagined. Characters are interesting. Some of the game’s mechanics and elements will seem familiar, but in this case Outcast: A New Beginning can claim it was there first. Unrewarding combat and some bland mission design aside, Outcast: A New Beginning reminds me of many AA games that I loved despite their flaws.

With its beautiful artwork and incredible soundtrack, The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince is a satisfying experience that could be further enhanced with more intuitive controls and a larger assortment of puzzles. Even though sometimes the puzzles can feel too easy or monotonous, the lack of challenge can be preferable for players looking for something simple. Being on the shorter side in terms of game length, Liar Princess would not have done any better if the game was longer – in fact, it was a good length for the purpose of the story. Overall, The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince was a delightful experience and is undeniably a story to remember.

Aeterna Noctis is a stunning Metroidvania that incorporates the many assets of the genre into one magnificent experience. Combining systematic combat and accurate platforming, the game is varied and challenging. The beautiful artwork makes each area unique helping to make this a truly memorable experience.

I was freed from Pokemon’s adorable clutches for months, and this DLC release has handily undone all that work. Like the base game, the story is an afterthought. Sword, Shield, and now the DLC are all geared towards non-linear play habits. Rather than being guided towards a story-centered goal, you’re making your own fun. The good news is, there’s quite a lot of this kind of fun to be had here. If you’re in the mood for more of what made Pokemon Sword and Shield so good, Isle of Armor will be just what you need.

Lightfall as a whole package falls short of the standard set by The Witch Queen last year. The story is shaky and tangential, and the gameplay changes are few and far between outside of the underwhelming Strand powers. Neomuna isn’t nearly as memorable, and difficulty changes make it more challenging to engage with Destiny’s bread and butter content. Thankfully, overall quality of life improvements and the rock solid bones of the gameplay save the package as a whole. If you’re after more Destiny 2, Lightfall is certainly that, but as the most expensive expansion yet ($100 USD with the annual pass), I expected to have my hair blown back a bit more.

Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission was an absolute delight, and initially I did have my doubts that I would enjoy an arcade card game. However, after playing it for many days and having my eyes glued to the television screen for hours, I admit that I was wrong to doubt. I was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable it was, despite the simple and repetitive plot in its Story Mode. Although it can be hard to pick up, once you get the hang of it, it is a fun challenge. With hundreds of available characters, lots of missions to choose from, and endless possibilities, Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission offers a lot for one game, which I believe will please many Dragon Ball fans.

Thief VR: Legacy of Shadow captures the spirit of the franchise and implements it into the VR realm. While smaller in scale, the tight, intricate design makes use of the platform to create an exhilarating stealth adventure. The interactivity anchors you in the world; however, small bugs can quickly break the immersion. While the franchise has stepped away from its origins, it’s found new life in VR.

Even with the new additional content in this “Game of the Year” like instalment, it would have been more ideal for the new content to be a DLC package for Deception IV: Blood Ties instead of part of this re-released version.

Despite no attempts to evolve the series beyond its simple roots, Lovely Planet 2 is still just that; lovely. Jumping and shooting your way into the high scores is fun and challenging, and the art style has plenty of charm, accompanied by a wonderfully quirky set of tunes. There are one hundred new levels to take on and two additional modes for those seeking more once the credits roll. While Lovely Planet 2 may not blow away existing fans of the series, it will likely win over many new ones and keep those existing ones thoroughly entertained.

This is a rather cursory attempt at a remaster. The use of downgraded assets, missing content, no DLC, no multiplayer, and no ability to quick save are all big letdowns. One thing the remaster does carry on though is the legacy of the original game in being able to run in a smooth and consistent manner. Further patches may improve the game but in its current state, the only reaction possible with this release is disappointment.