The Untitled Goose Game is perfect for those who play games for creative, artsy experiences. I also think if you are looking for something to play with your significant other or children, this would be a hilarious experience for everyone involved.

My skills at rhythm games are middling at best. Whether or not I get better at a given title is entirely dependent on how compelled I feel to press on. With Wild Hearts, I’m eager to keep moving forward. Even the simple tones of success, the spacey glitters and tinkling synths of token acquisition, are a deep, bone-written impetus to continue. Between the infectious music and the gorgeous graphics, I’m going to have this experimental album on repeat for quite a while yet. Aside from its length, Sayonara Wild Hearts is basically a perfect rhythm game.

Little did I know that in being tasked with capturing gameplay for week one of early access that Hunt: Showdown would go on to become one of my all-time favorite video games. I’ve actually had to refrain from expressing many of the countless aspects I love. Fortunately, for Hunt’s sake, the majority of its glaring issues were resolved prior to the launch of 1.0. Aside from rare connection issues, Hunt: Showdown is unequivocally one of the best PvPvE experiences of this generation. It’s certainly not for everyone, but if you’re a junkie for hardcore, competitive, survival-based multiplayer in a horrific setting, I strongly recommend paying a visit to the bayou.

The graphics, sound, presentation, and force feedback all blend together to create a wonderful sense of speed and the sense of ever present danger that immerses you in the world of rally racing. Rally racing is tough. One misjudgment and your hopes of a podium finish are dashed.

If you’re content to cross off those map markers, slowly covering the whole screen in checkmarks, you’re in for a good time. Alternately, if you blazed through the game towards the last boss, this DLC will leave you bitter. The story section is a flash in the pan, blowing by in a handful of hours. There’s fun to be had, but only if you’re ready to hunt it down. Rage 2’s Rise of The Ghosts DLC is either more of what you loved or hated, in generous portions.

LEGO Jurassic World has everything you love about the Jurassic Park movies but with that familiar LEGO touch. The ability to play via couch co-op is a nice bonus as the experience shines when playing with a friend, a spouse, a sibling, or whoever you want. TT Games have crafted a LEGO package that does the Jurassic franchise proud. LEGO Jurassic World is a love letter to the iconic scenes and characters, and a game which really is meant to be on Nintendo’s home/portable system.

The Surge 2 has some marked improvements over its predecessor but doesn’t color too far outside the lines. It takes a formula that works well and continues using it in satisfying ways, just not in fresh or surprising ones. Still, that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s a hell of a lot of fun, and once it sinks its hooks into you it’s tough to pull away. The Surge 2 is absolutely a compelling entry into the souls-like genre, yet I can’t help but feel it’s missing an extra spark of creativity to make it a true game-changer.

For years fans have been yearning for EA to make some much needed changes to their FIFA formula and this year they tried to step outside their comfort zone just a little. Although the game still lacks a real gut punch of a story and there are some weird oversights and glitches throughout, there is a ton of customization and the Volta game mode has injected a fresh new feel to the franchise. Add that to a wide selection of game modes and a better FUT experience than ever before and despite its shortfalls FIFA 20 is definitely one of the better games from the franchise in recent years.

The player will be doing a lot of the same in Contra: Rogue Corps. Although the progression systems and multiple modes are welcome, the game is just ok, and it definitely doesn’t feel like Contra. If the price was less it would be a good budget title, but for Konami’s newest Contra offering, it just doesn’t cut the mustard.

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.

All in all, Siege of Centauri felt dull after only a few hours of play. The game isn’t bad in any way, it just doesn’t provide anything interesting to the people who’ve already poured hundreds of hours in the genre. The competition is also stacked with plenty of tower defence games available for free online or on your phone. Lacking a defining feature also makes it hard for me to recommend it to anyone specific, and there is also no online functionality outside of user-created maps and leaderboards. There was not a single risk taken and I didn’t feel a hint of passion in Siege of Centauri. If there ever was a game that felt phoned-in, this is it.

If games like The Forest were up your alley, I do recommend giving Green Hell a shot. However, if you’re easily frustrated by obscure deaths vs trial and error, I’d recommend starting out at the easier difficulty so you can enjoy what it has to offer without needing to wrestle in frustration.

At first glance, Realm of Magic can seem barren. However, it’s all a guise as the true game begins in its mystical new realm of Glimmerbrook. All in all, The Sims 4: Realm of Magic is a ton of fun. With a bunch of newly added features to take your Sims game to the next level and a ton of different new paths to experience, this game pack does not disappoint.

With new locations to visit, an intriguing plot, loathsome villains, and all of your favorite characters coming back to help save the day – even if many of them are only cameos – it only falters in its simplistic AI which we have grown to know too well. It’s not trying to rewrite gaming and be wildly innovative, it just wants to let you shoot stuff with an exploding burger launcher. Seriously. Borderlands 3 is sure to be a contender for GOTY and it can only get better with more content and bombastic badasses.

Overall, NBA 2K20 is a good game. The core gameplay and presentation excels, My Career is a simple but enjoyable experience, the WNBA’s included, and the additional modes function but fall short because of the progression stranglehold.

Putting aside the gorgeous graphics, the obtuse level design, and the various modern touches, Link's Awakening is still an exceptional Zelda game. I found myself sneaking in extra sessions instead of sleeping or working. I was frantically seeking out guides online, only to discover they were all obsolete. I put off challenging the final boss for hours, all to scoop up more shells, heart pieces, and collectibles. Whatever flaws I spotted, I had no desire to leave Koholint behind. I still don't. However long it takes, I'll keep plugging away until I've crafted a fully complete save file. If you're on the fence about this game, either as a remake or a new experience, don't be. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is a great game, and a clear high point in the franchise's history.

Too often, the gameplay and production values took away from the joy. I’m not sure if the developers were pressed for time or under budgetary restraints, but it just felt rushed and unpolished overall. Like I said before, it’s not so much that Groundhog Day: Like Father Like Son is a totally bad game — it isn’t. It’s just really disappointing that it wasn’t a lot better.

Ni No Kuni is a timeless masterpiece of a JRPG. The only reason to not own it is if the JRPG genre is just not your cup of tea. But if it is, you’ve got up to 100 hours of engaging game ahead of you, and those hours will not be forgotten.

The Sinking City on Nintendo Switch is extremely rough around the edges. I understand the lack of hand-holding when examining clues and evidence, but the fact of the matter is the game is so terrible in nearly every other aspect, that I wanted my hand to be held to get through it quicker! The Sinking City is the type of game that will appeal only to the most hardcore of H.P. Lovecraft, or noir fiction fans. Everyone else will be left wondering how so much could go so wrong in what really is an excellent idea for a game. Like the visions haunting Charles Reed, I’ll be seeing this one in my nightmares for quite some time.

Overall the art of the game complements the gameplay really well. If the music wasn’t good and the visuals weren’t good, it would get extremely taxing as I die and respawn repeatedly in the early stages of figuring out the mechanics of the game. It’s clear that just like the original, Risk of Rain 2 is a labor of love and if you’re a gamer who likes supporting independent titles, this is a great one to pick up.

I’d still recommend this game if good world-building, easter-egg hunting and puzzles are what you are looking for in survival horror titles because those elements are fantastic. But beware, as clunky mechanics and repetitive design definitely drag things down, Still, Daymare 1998 is an ambitious first game from the young Invader Studios that showcases their immense potential, and I wish them nothing but the best for what’s to come.

Iceborne is an amazing DLC that is well worth the hefty price tag. It continues with amazing graphics and fun, challenging gameplay, while bringing a whole new level of grind to an extreme grind game by adding many more hours of content and many more items to collect for those who are looking to scratch that collector’s itch.

MXGP 2019 has the makings of a great motocross game but it comes up short in a few key areas. The racing is competent enough and this years’ game is probably the most accessible the series has ever been. Having said that, there’s definitely room for improvement when it comes to new modes and overall presentation. The track editor is a great addition for fans to experiment with but the new Playground mode needs a lot of work before the franchise goes full open-world. If you’re looking for some motocross action, MXGP 2019 should satisfy that itch, but expect to stumble a little in the dirt.

A game about the clashing forces of heaven and hell deserves to be far more interesting, if not in gameplay, then at least in story. Devil’s Hunt fails to deliver on both fronts. It does have a neat take on the afterlife — Lucifer is essentially a shady businessman who outsources his dirty work, and the angels wear suits and conduct their operations from a pristine office tower – but these ideas are lost in the banality of everything else surrounding them. This is not a hunt worth embarking on.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series really is just that, a truly definitive final edition of the entire series. I recommend this game to every single person who may play games, even those who may not be a fan of the play-style this game utilizes. In the end, this is a definitive game not only in the genre it exists in, but it is also one of the more definitive games in the history of gaming.

As it stands in its current form, I will say that if Blasphemous’ aesthetic interests you even a little, or if you’re a fan of metroidvania-style games, then it’s absolutely worth checking out in its current form. I will also say though that despite how good the performance is on the Switch version, there are bugs and animations/interactions that could use more tuning. Blasphemous in its current state is a strong entry in the genre, and definitely stands close to the top, but with further refinement, it could turn from an interesting title to a true must-play experience.

If you’re looking for a visual novel with a compelling plot, and are able to ignore lots of terrible dialogue, then AI: The Somnium Files is a no-brainer recommendation. But for anyone else, this is a tough recommendation because it almost feels like the game is doing everything it can to stall the player from experiencing said compelling plot. The gameplay is solid, but be prepared to play something more like a visual novel than an “adventure game”, which is how AI: The Somnium Files is being advertised.

The combat can leave a little something to be desired and these odd bugs for the NPCs break immersion more than a few times, but overall its an emotional investment I’m happy to make. This may not be exactly the RPG you are looking for, but if you are a fan of complex narrative it should definitely be on your radar.