Although limited to just two factions out of dozens, the Grey Marines and Nurgle are classic enemies, and Warhammer 40K Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters is as close to the tabletop experience as you can get. The base game’s campaign is already dozens of hours long and while Execution Force doesn’t have a lot of new stories, it does fold in some great new units, enemies, and mission types. Daemonhunters fans will want to add this new DLC into the mix.

Venba is a lovely, quaint tale that successfully captures the notion of an immigrant family struggling in Canada. The story is heartfelt and manages to tackle subjects in a sensitive and realistic manner. While the cooking aspects are a little awkward on the controller and its short run time means that certain story beats are not fully explored, the game maintains a level of charm that will keep you eager for the next dish.

Disney Illusion Island is the perfect family platformer. With inclusivity at the center of its design, you can select a suitable difficulty option that allows everyone to engage and more importantly, enjoy the game. Love and admiration for the history of Mickey are apparent. References to classic cartoons and previous video games are noticeable as you venture through a new world. At first, I was taken aback by the lack of combat and familiar gameplay loops, however, the slick platforming and delightful design shine through to make this a wonderful and memorable adventure.

Viewfinder doesn’t have the tonal mastery of an exploration game like Myst, but it’s puzzles are second to none in the genre. You should definitely challenge yourself with Viewfinder, the most beguiling puzzle game of the year.

Either alone or with a buddy, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is a good time. It updates a decades-old beat ’em up franchise by adding roguelike mechanics that actually harmonize pretty well. The gameplay is accessible but plenty challenging, and the large roster of unlockable characters keeps things interesting.

I may not be the target audience for LISA, but I recognize quality when I encounter it. The mechanics subvert the usual RPG tropes, leaving you tense and scrambling the entire time. The world itself is both funny and awful, with a heavy dose of post-apocalyptic tragedy thrown in. The level design left me feeling disoriented, but I think it was meant to. The graphics get your guard down, setting you up nicely for the brutal writing. The game is tough too, which feels appropriate. I have no idea what to score this game. Although I hated playing it, I can tell it was a well-crafted experience. I can’t honestly recommend LISA: Definitive Edition, but some of you will check it out regardless. To you I say, have fun! You will not soon forget this game.

The roadmap ahead for Exoprimal is bright. New Exosuits, game modes, and more are in the works. With just a little more content, Exoprimal could become something huge. As it currently stands, it is an addictive and greatly enjoyable experience for someone who wants to experience the story. Having only one real game mode at launch has done more harm than good. If it had been sold to us as a narrative game with multiplayer components rather than a drop-in shooter, it might have done itself some favors. There is great potential in Exoprimal and it is easily one of the most fun shooters I have played in a while. It just needs a little more to make it one of the best.

After beating the story in Jagged Alliance 3, I still really wanted to play more. I want to try out every merc on the roster, and learn how to use each of their unique abilities. There are fights that I want to play again, this time with a new approach. Fans of turned based action will find Jagged Alliance 3 to be a genre-best game. But I’m probably going to play those gunfights with the volume turned way down. After all, I’m not in Grand Chien for the atmosphere and the company. I just want to find new ways to blow stuff up.

Gunfire Games’ Remnant 2 is one of those rare sequels that takes a collection of good ideas and makes them even better. Everything about Remnant 2 is an improvement or elaboration from the first game. It looks great and the action is challenging without being overly punishing. Best of all, Remnant 2 makes creative and meaningful changes to the Soulslike formula, helping it to stand out from a deluge of copycat action RPGs. I can’t imagine any fan of Remnant: From the Ashes being anything but thrilled by Remnant 2.

Although I love the battles, the strategic depth, and the characters, it’s this game’s pace that kept me hooked. You’re able to take things one day at a time. Even your less productive days still feel accomplished. Maybe it’s just the allure of that ‘100% explored’ announcement, but I was ready to sniff out every corner of this game. It’s a bummer watching Pikmin die, but it’s also a great motivator to learn from your mistakes. I was expecting the rescue/resources activity split to get boring, but it never did. If you’re hoping for a compelling narrative, you’ll be disappointed. But Pikmin 4 is more about the core gameplay loop than anything else. Slowly exploring every part of this game, gathering your tiny army, and looting every piece of possible treasure is its own reward. Whether you’re a newcomer or a series veteran, Pikmin 4 will be an excellent adventure.

All in all, Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburg is still a classic worth taking a look at. This game is challenging, but it’s not unfair. And frankly, the challenge is half the appeal. The other half of the appeal is the crafting and the cute girls, of course.

Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals is a beautifully told story that improves on the original. The structure is exciting and fosters intrigue in the multilayered narrative. Although Night School Studios does improve the gameplay, it fails to take advantage of these segments. Despite that, the wonderful art direction, intelligent narrative and relatable characters make this a memorable adventure.

Even coming short of perfection, you nerds are going to love Xenonauts 2. It lacks the bombast and superpowers of reboot-era XCOM, but it more than compensates with logistical complexity. It may not be sexy, but Xenonauts 2 is a well-designed strategy game, thoughtfully made by a team who knows the genre. And if you are a youngster who missed the 90s? Here’s an approachable piece of video game history given form. Figuring out how to run an old DOS game is a headache. Xenonauts 2 in out and ready for your orders commander.

Generally, The Valliant on consoles is a success. Controls make sense and don’t inhibit the flow. Whatever issues there are lie in the core of the game. A lack of mechanical originality and some repetitive or frustrating missions are offset by a decent story and acting. It’s also refreshing to play a unit-based RTS game that isn’t set in WW2 or a sci-fi world.

While it looks like a modern storybook tale, Gylt deals with some pretty intense subject matter that many can relate to. It would be easy to complain that Gylt doesn’t go deep enough in any direction or layer enough complexity on its basic systems. That would be true if the game was longer than its five-hour running time. Its mechanics might not be remarkable, but Gylt’s themes are impactful and its presentation is memorable and engaging.

This is the definitive version of the game and it brings all the previous Layers of Fear content together in a cohesive whole. Fans of the original game will enjoy revisiting these games in this tightened and polished version. New players who are horror fans should also find this a worthy experience.

My only real disappointment was that more effort wasn’t put into sprucing up the visuals and tweaking the gameplay to iron out some of the minor frustrations from the original releases. Once you’ve experienced Pikmin 1 + 2, I highly recommend giving Pikmin 3 Deluxe a playthrough, which is also available on the Nintendo Switch. And thankfully, we’re not far off from Pikmin 4, which judging by the demo will exceed all expectations.

I was ecstatic to see Enclave HD coming back. I have such fond memories of playing it twenty years ago, and I knew I was going into it with rose-tinted glasses; the characters, the levels, the gear, everything. We didn’t need Enclave HD to be a full-blown remaster, but with a little more love it could be something truly great. An homage to classic fantasy and adventure games. I enjoyed my time playing Enclave only because I already knew the game. I don’t feel like enough improvements have been made to hold a modern audience, regardless of how fun it used to be.

Synapse is an intense shooter that imbues you with heroic powers. Each run in this addictive rogue-lite is exhilarating. The gunplay and telekinesis perfectly combine and allows you to experiment with the mechanics. Due to the upgrade system, you progressively get stronger which gives further incentive for another round. Even with the small number of enemy types and slightly repetitive gameplay, Synapse is an essential PSVR 2 title and a promising glimpse at what the future of the medium holds.

I was expecting to like The Signifier VR more than I did. On paper, it’s got a really cool premise that seemed to offer similarities to Heavy Rain or even the best aspects of Cyberpunk 2077. But the move to VR doesn’t seem to have added much other than slightly downgraded visuals. If you enjoy walking simulators and point and click adventures, then this might be your jam. But otherwise, wait for The Signifier VR to go on sale.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Reverie is not a good place to start the Trails series. This is not a short game, it starts very slowly, and it’s effectively a sequel to every previous game. If you’re a fan, however, you can’t miss this. Especially since it has enough replay value to keep you busy until the Calvard games are localized.

Crime O’Clock’s lovely art direction and charming premise can’t save the game from its repetitive gameplay loop. While at first, it delivers a wave of nostalgia, it soon drowns in its concept. Even though it’s extremely accessible and fun to play with others, it quickly loses momentum as it struggles to innovate on the idea.

If you’ve already got the base game, I can’t imagine you’ll get much out of Origins Plus. If you grew up playing the Game Gear, great news! These are twelve colorful trips down memory lane. Otherwise, I don’t recommend it. Turns out Sega’s first portable gaming experiment aged rather poorly. Sonic Origins is a fun and accessible way to play Sonic’s greatest hits. But Origins Plus spends too much time on bland, awful games.

AEW: Fight Forever is the best wrestling game since WWF No Mercy. There’s a visceral nature to every punch and slam which makes every physical match-up an absolute thrill. While the mechanics are deep and allows fans to master techniques, there’s also a pick-up-and-play ethos that is amplified through silly mini-games and over-the-top gimmick matches. The odd hit detection issue, basic creation suite and lack of community uploads are disappointing, however, they don’t take away from what is the greatest wrestling game in the past 20 years.

A good mystery should hook you right from the beginning. Solving your own murder is a juicy hook, to say the least. Better still, there’s a fascinating narrative beyond that elevator pitch. The mechanics are unique and engaging, the graphics are slick, and the writing keeps you plugged in until the very end. While I wasn’t a perfect fit for the puzzle design, that’s alright. Players more interested in a tense experience will find a lot to love here. I still appreciated the mix of frustration and elation, even as it burrowed into my brain. If you’re looking for a unique, puzzling mystery, definitely give Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective a shot.

Theme park and coaster sims have come a long, long way since Rollercoaster Tycoon hijacked my free time. Park Beyond is a generally approachable and inviting sim that’s definitely not for the realism-minded. Its campaign is held back by an unpredictable and not well-explained economic model, but it’s pretty easy to get lost in the sandbox, enjoying the intentional impossibility of your creations.

We Love Katamari is a better game than Katamari Damacy. It has more level variety, and had multiplayer options before it was remastered. The core gameplay of both games is exactly the same. We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie is a fantastic remaster of that already great game. The HD visuals and gameplay tweaks look and feel perfect. The only fault is in the bonus content. It’s always lovely to have more features, but none of them are so compelling that they extend the time you’ll spend with the game. We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie won’t be for everyone, but it will also be a “must play experience” for many.

C-Smash VRS is an incredible multiplayer with the potential to become a staple of any PSVR 2 owner’s collection. The simple premise and excellent execution leads to intense matches that will keep you hooked. Whether you’re up against a friend or a complete stranger, the thrill never subsides. With a focus on multiplayer, the game needs to add more incentives and regular updates to build a community. However. the addictive online loop and replayable single-player options help to make C-Smash VRS an absolute hit!