If you’re a fan of Age of Sigmar and can accept the game’s scaled back, slower approach to real time strategy, Realms of Ruin hits the mark. It’s a faithful and vibrant recreation of the Orruks, Nighthaunt, Tzeentch and grandly insufferable Stormcast Eternals. Some RTS fans will note the lack of tactical depth, but there’s a place for Realms’ streamlined approach that is welcoming to newcomers and veterans alike.

The Walking Dead: Destinies would have been a fitting release a decade ago during the peak of the series’ popularity, ironically, the game plays as if it belongs to that era too. You’ll quickly tire of the repetitive mission structure and grow frustrated with the combat system. Although the game claims to allow you to choose the path that Rick and Co. walk, your decisions barely make a difference. Even die-hard fans of the formidable franchise will want to steer clear of this undead adventure due to its dated design and poor execution.

Flashback 2 has some nice ideas but bugs, a lack of polish and the clunky design hinder the entire experience. At each step, it feels as if you’re fighting with the game to get a hit of nostalgia. Beneath the wealth of issues, there is something of merit, however, the sheer volume of issues will just frustrate and infuriate.

With an appealing visual style, timely themes and excellent puzzle platform mechanics, American Arcadia confidently checks a lot of boxes. While a few of the puzzles can be head-scratchers or frustrating to complete, the majority of my experience was extremely positive. American Arcadia is genuinely something fresh and stands out in a crowded genre.

RIPOUT does a lot of things quite well. The creepy horror atmosphere, the smooth FPS gameplay, Co-Op design, and PetGun all make for a game worth playing. However, the repetitive mission structure and maps make it a game worth playing only for short periods of time. The Co-Op focus allows for a ton of fun with friends, but the aforementioned structure halts the fun after an hour or so. For their first game, Pet Project Games, in what is clearly THEIR pet project, have a lot to be proud of. All things considered, if you are looking for an affordable horror FPS akin to Deep Rock Galactic, you could do much worse than RIPOUT.

King of Fighters XIII: Global Match tweaks the online netcode to improve on a classic. The combat remains a highlight of the franchise and the visuals still look stunning. Unfortunately, SNK doesn’t add anything extra to the mix barring online upgrades. While I do wish they would have taken the opportunity to add more to celebrate the franchise, what’s on offer is definitely worth the price of admission.

I plan to spend a lot more time with The Iron Oath. In fact, it gets a rare stamp of honor. Even fantastic games can grow old once you’ve played and reviewed it. With The Iron Oath, there’s still so much more for me to learn and see. In fact, I think it’s going to remain installed on my PC for a long while. I can’t foresee another game coming for the merc management throne for a long time.

Sure, credit where credit is due, MWIII’s gameplay is solid with industry best gunplay and the Zombies mode is one of the franchises best ever. But it’s the half dozen or so poor design choices that continue to drag these games down. Call of Duty has risen to a level where they’re just too big to listen to fan feedback, and MWIII is a testament to this. Call of Duty fans deserve better.

Super Mario RPG is so faithful to the original that calling it a remake feels disingenuous. The game is more of a top-to-bottom remaster. Every scrap of it had been re-built, polished, and reborn for the modern era. The visuals, the music, and the controls all feel crisp and clean. The writing holds up quite well. And there are a few pleasant surprises for fans of the original release. Since I'm so familiar with the game, I wish there was more new content, but I'm at peace with this. It's better that the game be preserved for a new audience. But whether this is your first time playing or your fifteenth, you're gonna love Super Mario RPG for the Switch.

All in all, Persona 5 Tactica is far from perfect. But it looks pretty sound, it sounds excellent, and it is fun. If you just want to see more of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, you could certainly do worse. And if you open your heart to the new cast, Erina and Toshiro have a lot going for them. Just be prepared to replay levels a lot on higher difficulties.

Casey Donnellan Games has tailored a well balanced game to carry out its goal. Kill It With Fire hits the right mix of fun and length. If you are an arachnophobe, this may not be the game for you. If the idea of squashing spiders for fun appeals to your darker side, this is the game for you. Kill It With Fire is available on all platforms, be it flat or VR. And now it has come to the PSVR 2. Happy Hunting!

Fashion Dreamer is a game I’ll be picking up here and there for a quick look. While its features are fun, the novelty will wear off after a while. It’s not more than a dress up game and will not be for everyone. If you’re looking for a more in depth game, you might have to look elsewhere.

The Talos Principle 2 builds on the foundation of the first excellent game. It has a rich, thoughtful narrative where the puzzles aren’t just moving laser beams, but trying to figure out what it means to be part of a society. Moving the laser beams is fun, too, and there are enough systems to make those puzzles accessible but challenging. The Talos Principle 2 gives players a lot to think about.

Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord nails aspects of the experience but its lack of structure hinders the overall package. Using the famous tools from the franchise has never felt better and faithfully captures the feeling of being a Ghostbuster, however, the lack of focus on the narrative gives no context to missions. Fighting against spirits is a blast with friends but doesn’t hold up in single player. Although busting feels good, more attention to the story and its progression is needed.

However, if you are into good storytelling, with a detailed back story, good voice acting, and are patient with the story to kick in; Journey to Foundation is the ticket. The game should take between six to eight hours to complete if you focus on pushing through the story. However, if you stop to peruse the encyclopedia it will extend your play through time.

Anyone who enjoyed Dead Island 2 will probably enjoy Haus as well. It has the same engaging humor and social satire, the same gory action, and even more visually impressive levels. What it doesn’t have are a lot of new ideas. It’s a pretty short romp, too. Haus is definitely, for better or worse, more of the same. I’m ok with that.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any means. For Yakuza/Like Dragon fans, it’ll be a familiar, albeit enjoyable experience. It has a few shortcomings – the most egregious being a painfully slow first few hours. But once it gets going, Gaiden packs a punch. One that’s sure to keep you satiated until Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth drops.

After playing Portia, and then seeing My Time at Sandrock announced, I was skeptical. How can Pathea make this work again? And in a desert of all places? Well, I have to say I was surprised and impressed. Pathea has a very creative team behind this world of theirs. On top of the quality of life improvements, and the new multiplayer component, My Time at Sandrock recaptures the feeling of “I’ll do one more day” at the end of every day. Not only that, but now I’m excited for the prospect of My Time at Highwind or My Time at Atara, just to see what can be done with a new part of this world.

Ebenezer and the Invisible World brings forward a fun new concept. But actually getting you to enjoy it fully is a whole other ball game. With tedious and lackluster combat and enemies dragging down, it’s standing solely on concept and visuals. Overall, it doesn’t seem to bring anything special or engaging to the metroidvania table.

Achilles: Legends Untold is a safe and standard hack-and-slash dungeon crawler. Its ancient Greek setting and attractive environments help it stand out a bit, but on the whole it’s a formulaic game. The Soulslike mechanics aren’t especially well developed but represent a small element of originality. If fans of the genre can look past the lackluster missions, script and acting, they’ll probably enjoy the action.

If you’re a diehard fan of the RoboCop franchise, you may find merit in RoboCop: Rogue City. Regardless of my disappointment with it, I can’t deny that it’s the best RoboCop game we’ve seen. Just keep in mind that isn’t exactly saying much. A weak narrative, archaic character models, generally horrific voice acting, and a slew of technical issues hold Rogue City back from being the game I desperately wanted it to be. Admittedly, shootouts can be fun, but I’m not convinced that alone saves what otherwise feels like a letdown. Much like RoboCop’s enemies, approach with caution.

While I’m impressed by the technical tricks, WarioWare is just… really funny. It’s awesome fun making a fool of yourself in front of friends and loved ones. It’s even better dragging them into the mix. The variety of games is delightful, and the various poses are well-crafted. But they’re also funny. Honestly, if you take away nothing else from this review, my job is still done. WarioWare: Move It! is a hilarious good time and you’d be a fool to let it pass you by. Though this season is crammed with excellent games, the latest WarioWare title is perfect for that party-style vibe.

Vampire: The Masquerade-Justice is a stealth-action RPG that’s a convincing fit for VR. The core gameplay is pretty standard, and character models are a bit disappointing, but its implementation in VR, coupled with excellent environmental design and lighting, help sell the experience. New Meta Quest 3 or PS VR2 owners with a taste for virtual blood will enjoy spending time in Venice’s virtual world of shadows.

In a gaming landscape often dominated by frantic and intense titles, Jusant serves as a serene beacon of tranquillity and introspection. It reminds us that not every gaming experience needs to be an adrenaline rush. Instead, it offers an opportunity to escape the chaos of the outside world and immerse yourself in a beautifully crafted environment. With Jusant, you’ll master the art of climbing, explore diverse biomes, and uncover the mysteries of the tower, all while enjoying a captivating and peaceful atmosphere. In a world filled with high-octane games, Jusant stands as a soothing journey to new heights, where the destination is only half the adventure.

Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria doesn’t take any huge chances with the survival crafting genre. Still, the Lord of the Rings overlay and familiar character cameos help make its familiar loops seem fresh enough. In the mixed-bag pantheon of Lord of the Rings-inspired games, Return to Moria acquits itself quite well.

There is a little bit of everything for everyone in this innovative and entertaining game. It’s been acclaimed as one of the best games of the year, and it certainly lived up to my expectations.

UFC 5 is the best release in the franchise. The new submission system is a massive improvement on previous iterations and the cinematic knockouts never get old. Tweaks in the combat create a nuanced system that opens up a range of options to attack. Although I did encounter the odd camera issue and the game could use a mission-based tutorial, each aspect in the octagon has been thoughtfully designed to replicate the sport.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol 1 celebrates the early years of the legendary tactical espionage epic. Each game comes with region-specific versions, a wonderful companion book and even a screenplay. This allows fans of the franchise to delve deep into the iconic world but also provides newcomers with the material to engage with the series. Extra content such as graphic novels and the soundtrack give even more incentive to revisit the groundbreaking games. While the package itself has a strange segmented design that requires you to switch applications, everything that’s included is magnificent.