I have and will continue to enjoy my time with WWE 2K23. It’s nowhere near the overall improvement 2K22 was when compared to 2K20. But it didn’t need to be. 2K23 is a fantastic follow-up to last year’s game. If Visual Concepts continues in this direction, it won’t be long before the WWE series stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the giants of the sports game genre.

All-in-all, Duelyst is a high quality, collectible strategy card game.

If you are nostalgic for the gaming scene of the 90s, The Big Con is a can’t-miss throwback. But even if you are maybe a little younger, or sick of wallowing in that most radical of eras, you may find a lot to like. It’s certainly a very cool con artist story, which is appealing to me. Funny and a little melancholy, The Big Con is exactly the sort of adventure game I’ve been wanting to play for decades.

Like a silent assassin, you won't see Mark of the Ninja coming, and by the time it hits you, you'll already be hooked.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is one of the best beat ’em ups to date. The inclusion of a secondary character elevates the combat, letting you juggle enemies and rack up massive combos with ease. Each hero feels distinctive, with bespoke movement and attacks that make experimenting with different team combinations a thrill. While the campaign is short, it encourages replaying levels to complete challenges and unlock extra content. Paired with its stunning presentation, the game stands as one of the genre’s finest modern examples.

Current issues aside, the PC version of Spider-Man 2 is just as thrilling and engrossing as laid out in our PS5 review. The story and characters grab you emotionally. The production values are top-notch across the board. If you are looking to play the ultimate version of Spider-Man 2, this is the version to play.

In sum, Telling Lies represents a niche genre that explores interactive storytelling in a very unique way. The game’s director, Sam Barlow, evolved the Her Story formula, but at a cost. After all, what makes the game so good also reveals its flaws. The ending, for example, can feel very anticlimactic depending on how you uncover specific videos. Still, as the saying goes, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” And Telling Lies is quite a journey — hopefully, one that will inspire many more story-driven games to come. Now go, awaken the sleuth inside you.

Obviously, no fan needs every faction and race. But if you love Total War: Warhammer III and the Chaos side of things, Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs is an excellent addition to the game. The Chaos Dwarfs bring a unique style of play and offer an engaging new way to experience the campaigns. The Chaos Dwarfs are also a ton of fun in skirmishes. It’s on the pricey side compared to prior DLC, but absolutely worth it for fans of the game.

It might not be perfect but this is probably the most underrated “next-gen” feature I’ve seen on the new consoles. Xbox Fitness succeeds in “gamifying” its workouts like no fitness game before it.

Return to Monkey Island is fantastic. Brilliantly written and full of charm, the game manages to deliver a fresh experience in a nostalgic world. Even though the new art direction is divisive, the storytelling and humor are top-notch and make this a highlight of the franchise.

The remake of Until Dawn stays true to the essence of the original while delivering a much-needed modernization for today’s gaming standards. The stunning graphical overhaul significantly heightens the realism, making the story more immersive and the horror more palpable. Enhanced camera angles refine the gameplay, adding a smoother experience during key moments. While returning players might find the updates limited in terms of new content, those who are discovering this horror classic for the first time are in for an unforgettable experience.

Assassin’s Creed Nexus VR is probably the best action game available for the Meta Quest 3 system and I’d go so far as to call it a hardware-seller. It’s certainly an impressive proof-of-concept for the standalone headset. As an Assassin’s Creed game, it nails the series’ classic stealth and parkour moves, all the more impressive in virtual reality. It isn’t an open world game, but all the better for it. I’d say it’s a must-buy for new Quest 3 owners.

It will inevitably leave you itching for your next race.

It might be a bit pricey for the amount of content you get, but Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is a well-crafted fighter combat experience with lots of high-flying fun. It pulls you in right away with a nice balance between arcade action and detailed realism, and the core dogfighting experience is consistently enjoyable. Plus, if you’ve got a PSVR this is a must-play, with a level of immersion that you’d need a real airplane – or maybe one of those military training simulators – to match. Strap yourself in, rookie, because Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is a wild ride.

While it seems strange at first, Phantom: Covert Ops has been one of my best experiences with VR to date. Despite playing the entire game from within a kayak and a formulaic narrative, the meat of the game comes from its impeccable mechanics and immersion. Phantom: Covert Ops uses realistic water physics for its locomotion in a way that lets the player avoid any feeling of nausea or discomfort. The layout of your gear is convenient and easy, and the control scheme takes minutes to master. It’s an exciting experience that puts you in the shoes of a special agent and you feel empowered while playing. For fans of stealth games who are just getting into VR this is an essential experience, and one that sets the bar for stealth in VR.

Taken as a whole, Trek to Yomi is an impressive homage to classic Japanese action films. It looks and sounds incredible, with art direction and music that are impeccably authentic to both history and cinema. As an action game, Trek to Yomi is engaging but a bit lacking in variety and depth, with controls and animations less polished than its visuals. Trek to Yomi is a fascinating and altogether unique experience, worth playing if you're a fan of great samurai films or simply enjoy new variations on the action game formula.

Aside from the wonky camera, the battles are fast-paced and rewarding that makes the game stand out amongst other Final Fantasy titles giving a unique experience.

A transcendent fusion of color, music and movement, We Are Doomed is as close as you will get to poetry in a twin-stick shooter.

With the promise of DLC, on top of the essentially endless gameplay, Forager is easily something you’ll get bang for your buck with. The eShop price may seem a little high, but considering just how polished the experience comes off, it makes a strong case for your time. In what is already a surprisingly substantial offering, the promise of additional content may seem intimidating considering just how much there is to do already, but with no end in sight, I don’t really care to be honest. I eagerly look forward to returning again and again to Forager’s expanding isles for the foreseeable future.

Overall, I Am Dead is still the solid title it was when it was first released on the PC and Nintendo Switch. While it’s short and the gameplay loop does get repetitive, the overall narrative, aesthetics, and audio turn Shelmerston into a beautiful location. Whether it was the traditions of the island, the history of its residents, or simply the beautiful locations, Shelmerston was easily the highlight of my experience. While I Am Dead ultimately explores the afterlife, including memories of those who have passed, I could not help but place greater interest in the overall setting and its residents, both dead or alive.

After completing ECHO, I can’t wait to see what ULTRA ULTRA does next, hopefully refining and then incorporating the system they’ve developed for this learning AI. Beating yourself at your own game feels satisfying, and losing yourself feels fair. Now, if they can just make the protagonist feel more powerful but throw in some enemy variety and more complications to deal with that power level, they’ll be set.

Humanity is weird and wonderful. Like all great puzzlers, its premise is simple and the challenge steadily grows. THA Limited continues to innovate throughout the entirety of the game and manages to couple each triumph with jubilation. The odd difficulty spike may leave you perplexed, and a hint system rather than a complete solution would have been beneficial, however, this puzzler is one of the best in recent times and is a must for fans of the genre.

ARMS is a great package, subverting and exceeding most of my expectations while offering modes of play that cater to a variety of players. The offline Grand Prix mode leaves much to be desired, and the 2 v 2 tethered fights are lame, but all that is made up for by an assortment of other entertaining modes, slick online lobbies and surprisingly deep and addictive gameplay. At the end of the day, it’s all about having fun, and ARMS provides that in spades.

Synth Riders makes a great complimentary music rhythm game to Beat Saber. Beat Saber is a great outlet for aggression and feeding your inner Jedi. Synth Riders lets you sync with the music and release your inner creativity. Both are excellent forms of physical exercise. I’ll give Synth Rider the nod, though, for more options and subjectively better music. Plus, the original Star Trek Photon Torpedo sound effect used for combo leveling up never gets old.

There are quite a few zoo sims out there, ranging from pixel art constructions to Planet Zoo, which is definitely the ultimate game in the genre. For those without the requisite PC, the PS5 port does a generally outstanding job of translating the Planet Zoo experience to console. It’s genuinely educational, engaging, and addictive fun. I wish the new edition was just a bit more generous with content at launch, but there’s plenty there to work with. Animal and sim lovers should rejoice, Planet Zoo has arrived on consoles at last.

If you approach it with an open mind, ready to embrace its surreal presentation and atmospheric pacing, you’ll find something profoundly satisfying here. It’s a testament to how video games can transcend genre conventions and deliver something that’s both technically impressive and emotionally moving. For fans of skating games, artful indie titles, or simply those who appreciate when music and gameplay merge into a harmonious whole, Skate Story is an experience worth savoring.

Thanks to its enchanting art, well written story, heroic rodents and satisfying combat throughout, Tails of Iron stands apart from the seemingly endless wave of Soulslike ARPGs. It modifies the combat formula just enough to make it interesting and couples it with characters that are full of warmth and wit, battling forces that are competent yet fairly matched foes. Not every task and mission is equally interesting and some of Tails’ movement mechanics feel slightly unresponsive, but those are small dings against an otherwise very enjoyable rat-centric game, and we don’t have nearly enough of those.

If you’re a fan of NES era platformers in any shape or form, pick up this lovingly put together package of Capcom/ Disney joy.