As it stands Block’hood is a mostly competent builder, but don’t expect to sink dozens of hours into your pièce de résistance. What you should expect is to be frustrated by bugs, crashing, and hang ups, and dazzled by the unique visuals and silky smooth score.

Observer on the Switch brings back all the good aspects of the game and gives you more flexibility on how to play it with new touch inputs and, of course, the option to play it on the go. Observer also looks better in handheld mode, which provides even more reason to make full use of the console’s capabilities. However, it is still the same flawed game it was almost two years ago when it first released. Observer is a visual and auditory tour de force and excels wonderfully as a narrative entry into the cyberpunk genre, I just wish more attention went into creating a compelling gameplay experience to accompany it.

Supermassive’s back in full swing. In spite of a predictable plot and setting, I eventually grew somewhat tired of, I loved every aspect of Man of Medan. It’s a killer debut to a series I’m now eagerly anticipating. It has the spooks, fun cast, and unforgiving consequences I grew to love in Until Dawn. Horror fans rejoice, as Man of Medan’s a phenomenal introduction to a promising new interactive anthology series.

New World: Aeternum’s mix of swords, magic and gunpowder is blended with a colorful world and accessible but satisfying mechanics. With a good balance between solo, co-op PvE and PvP content, Aeternum has something to offer most players. Nothing’s incredibly original, but neither is anything totally broken or missing. The most glaring faults of the original have been addressed. Whatever you call it — reboot, remix or re-skin — New World: Aeternum is worth checking out.

Void Bastards is a brilliant take on the first-person genre. The gunplay is solid and satisfying. The added tactical element makes me feel in control of my experience and less like it was just tacked on. The game can get very challenging, but I was still compelled to keep pushing and trying new strategies. Death comes at a unique cost, losing my current criminal. Heck, there were times where I’d die just to get rid of a criminal that had an annoying trait – and that’s part of what makes this game so unique. The bottom line, Void Bastards is an absolute gem and definitely worth playing.

I’m always almost in love with Mana games. There’s just some minor thing that won’t click into place. Visions of Mana is no exception. I’m hooked by the story and the characters are gorgeous. I have a lot of fun exploring this world and meeting all these fascinating people. But the combat still feels a little stiff and sluggish. Battle customization is a mile wide and an inch deep. The plot dragged me by the collar, and the boss fights were a pleasant highlight. I wish the regular combat had some similar hooks to deploy, however. If you’ve been waiting for the next great Mana game, I honestly don’t know if this is the one. But Visions is pretty great for a Mana game.

This is not to say Resident Evil: Revelations is bad game, it is just not an exceptional one and has a little too much of that “been there and done that” feeling to it.

There is a deep sense of melancholy in Last Day of June, created through narrative tension and player resignation to seeing the same cutscene for the fifth time. Its solid story and dreamy visuals are the game’s saving graces in the end, through the repetition kept me from being completely drawn into its magic — a tragedy unto itself.

The game selection menu is a clever throwback that feels steeped in history. The trophies and challenges are a great way to add some more challenge. Being able to fast-forward is perfect for some of the slower RPGs, while the rewind feature is almost too much power for someone as feckless and impatient as myself. While I continue to lament the lack of certain exceptional titles, the wide range of games being offered helps ease that pain.

With colourful visuals, a neat little story, and some great voice acting, the game is only hampered by its simplicity, a few minor camera issues, and some long load times. Sure, it doesn’t bring anything radically new to the genre, but it is a good game nonetheless.

Best enjoyed with friends, I would have liked a little more freedom with character customization visually and I felt the need to buy bullets between waves was a waste of the excessive amount of time players are given to shop, but overall the experience should be enough to please even the most bloodlust consumed gamer around.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed revisiting Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny. I hadn’t played it since it first came out on PS2. And I didn’t even realize there were multiple paths at the time; I just beat it while renting it over a week-long period. But I will happily buy a physical copy of the remaster if one is announced. I appreciate high production values from this PS2 era, so I found Onimusha 2 incredibly aesthetically pleasing. With Onimusha 4 on the way, I hope Capcom finds the time to remaster Onimusha 3 as well. Despite the sometimes frustrating fixed camera angles, goofy voice acting, and rushed second half, Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny is one of my favorite games I’ve played this year.

Mankind Divided’s first DLC story is divided between a stellar narrative and a disjointed gameplay experience.

Here is where I’ll show my VR snobbery and say that while the graphical fidelity of this version of the game is superior to the PSVR version, the 2D version of the game cannot capture the sense of dread and isolation that the PSVR version has. Still, this version of the game does have enough depth, strategy, and replayability to make it a solid, worthwhile addition to your game library. The characters are engaging and The Persistence provides the proper mood and incentives that make you want to succeed.

Give it a download if you like exploration and puzzles but maybe wait until there’s an update before you give it a shot.

This DLC feels in some ways like a new, different game set within the base world. You can now try to explore and develop your sneaking, stealth and thievery skills, all while engaging in a pretty fun main storyline.

Even with the two questionable mechanics, one can’t deny Super Cane Magic ZERO certainly has charm. Its art direction compliments the overall quirky nature, and the meta-style humour is, at the very least, wholly memorable. For those with a big couch and with three other friends to play with, it will no doubt provide plenty of silly fun. Until we get a sequel to Castle Crashers (if ever), this just might be the next best thing.

Their roadmap for the rest of 2024 and into 2025 is a testament to that. There will be free DLC drops in June, August and Q4. July and October will see paid DLC made available. In 2025, the free and paid DLC drops will continue. Homeworld fans can take heart the latest game in the series sets new benchmarks for the franchise. The new line-of-sight gameplay mechanics make for even more challenging space combat strategies. The gameplay depth is greater, the customization is deeper, and the replayability is longer. Homeworld 3 oozes quality across all aspects.

Absolver isn’t for everyone. Fighting game fans will likely get loads of mileage out of building their own Combat Decks. But until Sloclap releases new content, the only endgame here is in PvP duels, which some players may find off putting. For anyone with even a slight interest in kung fu or martial arts movies, give Absolver a shot. It just might hook you.

All in all, Tormented Souls achieves what it set out to do: recapture the magic of old-school fixed-perspective survival horror games with modern technology. However, this extends to having a lackluster story and underwhelming voice-acting, both of which plagued early survival horror titles. While the game’s tension, atmosphere, and environmental storytelling are top-notch, the controls can be difficult without a controller and some decisions are downright tasteless. In the end, this game will probably appeal most to people who already love classic survival horror rather than bringing in new fans.

Generally speaking, Styx: Blades of Greed’s move to a more open world is a good choice and plays to the title character’s strengths. Intricate level design and challenging stealth are matched by Styx’s new and returning toys. Apart from some technical misfires and my personal gripes with a few mechanics, Styx: Blades of Greed is not quite an open-armed introduction to the loveable green guy, but it should absolutely please fans of the series.

Marrakesh falters in its volume of storytelling and willingness to let the player in on what’s going on behind the scenes and in between episodes.

While I wholeheartedly recommend sticking with it till you really pick up on what it is Bomber Crew wants you to do, and you can do it, I wouldn’t be surprised if it flustered more than a few players from the get-go. When it all clicks though, what you get is a wonderfully intense, mentally stimulating game that takes something like FTL to a whole new level.

Although the game has taken inspiration from titles such as Portal and The Witness, the ingenuity of design sets it apart from its predecessors. The combination of exploration and puzzles in the vast interconnected world is a joy to experience. Despite the relatively short playtime and little replay value, Manifold Garden is worth exploring. Just be prepared for an existential trip into the world of William Chyr.

While it doesn’t have the shock value novelty of the first game, High on Life 2 makes up for it with ambitious level design, polished movement, and a more grounded, coherent narrative. All the fun of the first game’s talking guns and wicked humor remains, entertainingly voiced and paired with engaging combat and interesting environments. There are moments when High on Life 2 feels a little over-caffeinated, and it can be exhausting over long stretches. Overall, though, High on Life 2 demonstrates that the first game’s concepts and mechanics were more than one-off novelties. High on Life 2 keeps a good thing going strong.

Overall, Tropico 5 makes a solid entry into a genre already populated by great games. It has some drawbacks, but it gives you a good construction game while offering enough variety of play to offer many hours of fun games and great replay value.

The biggest concern I usually have with free to play games is that they are actually "pay-to-win". That doesn't seem to be the case here, and while yes, you'll have more fun early on if you spend some real cash on the game, you're not held back by any barrier if you decide to not pay a cent other than your time. Download the game on steam and try out Blacklight: Retribution, as it is a very good game and the price is right.

Cattails is a surprisingly-polished and well-made game for a little indie title. The controls are easy to use, the mechanics are solid and the visuals are bright, colorful and cute. Again, it maybe lacks some of the vibrant detail of other open-world sims, and the fighting is a bit too simple. Dialogue with other cats can be fun but more response options could be added. Overall, though, the gameplay experience is an engaging one that will easily take 20-plus hours of your life away if you let it – but hey, you’ve still got eight more. If you love Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, or just cats, you’ll find this game to be a near-purrfect choice.