For fans of futuristic survival games, Stranded: Alien Dawn is just as fun on consoles as on PC. It’s deep, engrossing, and customizable. Although controller implementation is a mixed bag, overall the experience remains engaging and addictive.

Cassette Beasts is a fantastic Pokémon alternative. It’s a fun monster catching JRPG, with lots of memorable moments. Any fan of turn-based JRPGs, 2D Legend of Zelda-like adventure games, or collect-a-thons should give it a play. Right now Cassette Beasts is a PC-exclusive, but there are Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch versions planned for May 25 2023.

Is Wild Dogs worth your time and attention? If you’re a fan of punishing retro action games, absolutely. This game nails that balance of old-school presentation and modern sensibilities. Assuming you’re looking for a very specific kind of challenge, that is. Anyone looking for a new game to memorize will be overjoyed. On the flip side, your raw skills won’t be tested to the same degree. This is a short, sweet, sadistic title with remarkable graphics and an excellent soundtrack. Wild Dogs is the quintessential retro action experience.

I had fun playing Redfall, both solo and with friends. There’s a definite Salem’s Lot vibe to a New England town oppressed by a vampire apocalypse. All the characters are interesting to play and the monsters are varied. Still, Redfall does not revolutionize the open-world shooter, or even really evolve Arkane Austin’s by-now familiar formula. Redfall feels like the product of a reliable game plan that’s due for an update.

Bramble: The Mountain King is a fascinating adventure. Each character you meet on your Nordic expedition is wonderfully designed and will instantly capture your imagination. Even though the movement is a little rigid and the game is extremely linear, it manages to deliver a unique experience that will fester in your psyche.

I through III are a tough sell for a newcomer. V is a weird outlier with a solid mechanical base. Yet, even with reservations in tow, Final Fantasy IV and VI are highly recommended. In summation, this is a fantastic collection of RPGs. Every game looks, sounds, and plays better than ever before. Some of the edges are still rather rough, but that’s normal for games this old. On balance, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters collection represents an essential slice of gaming history. You won’t want to miss a single one.

Meet Your Maker starts with a great concept, but it takes time, patience, and the willingness to fail a lot to really enjoy what the game has to offer. Player made levels range from brilliant to annoying, and unfortunately building is locked behind hours of grinding, which just seems like poor design. Negatives aside, Meet Your Maker does have a pretty compelling loop for both sadists and masochists.

Jedi Survivor is the definitive Jedi video game experience. As a Star Wars fan, I love it. I imagine it was a lot of fun to develop, and the Jedi Team at Respawn are absolute rockstars for what they've achieved. I'm confident the performance hiccups on PS5 will be resolved. Apart from that, I can't get enough of the game. I'm actively finishing my initial playthrough and am stoked to jump into new game plus.

All in all, the world of Afterimage is gorgeous and thrilling to explore. I just wish the game’s storytelling was as compelling as its setting.

I loved Trinity Trigger. I’m a big fan of JRPGs, and the Mana series though. This is a game for fans of the genre. Its bland dungeon design and sometimes dumb support character AI hold it back from being a full-blown genre classic. But it has a compelling narrative and great combat. And the local co-op option seems too good to be true in this day and age. If you’re not into action JRPGs, Trinity Trigger isn’t going to change your mind. But anyone with any love for the genre should definitely give it a playthrough.

Strayed Lights is a special game. Learning attack patterns and taking on fierce foes is an absolute joy. Bosses are intimidating and offer memorable battles with cinematic flair. The world is mesmerizing and its mystery is amplified through the epic score. Even with the vague narrative, the game manages to deliver an unforgettable experience that will keep you engaged throughout.

Disney Speedstorm is a solid racer that ties a number of franchises together in one fun experience. Seeing fan favorites share a racetrack is a thrill, however, a variety of issues stop this from reaching the greatness of its influences. The restrictive nature of its character selection and the confusing number of currencies hinders the enjoyment. Mix in the performance issues and this racer narrowly misses the podium.

All in all, I don’t think I can recommend Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. Maybe if you have a dedicated gaming PC and don’t care about lackluster narrative presentation, you’ll enjoy it. As it is, I can only shake my head and go back to Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion.

I wanted to love EA Sports PGA Tour. Though I find myself as disappointed as Bart Simpson was when he got Lee Carvallo’s Putting Challenge for Christmas. The initial gameplay showcase had me as excited as a kid in a candy store. There’s no denying it’s a gorgeous game. Course flyovers and commentary are also superb. But these fleeting moments of brilliance make PGA Tour’s missteps all the more frustrating. Until EA gets under the hood and performs the mountain of work required to get it up to snuff, I’ll be sticking to PGA Tour 2K23. At least that game works.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores is a great addition to the franchise. Its personal story develops Aloy’s character and gives a glimpse into a different side of her. The new characters drive the narrative further to deliver a memorable tale. It’s easy to comment on the similarities with previous releases, however, the DLC offers more than this. While there are some uneven boss encounters, the jaw-dropping final segment and beautiful setting make this an unforgettable trip to LA.

The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story successfully delves further into the lore of the franchise while offering a new experience that will appeal to newcomers. The high-tempo combat and engaging narrative, make this an enthralling action RPG that will keep you hooked throughout. Although the side missions and some of the hub world extras feel a little unnecessary, the slick gameplay will keep you coming back for more.

It’s a shame when a game is built around a mechanic, only to have that element not live up to its potential. Stray Blade is all about dodges, parries and rolls, but they’re sluggish and imprecise and just don’t work very well. Aside from that frustration, Stray Blade has attractive art and level design, familiar action RPG mechanics, and maybe even some potential, if the combat can be patched into better shape.

Minecraft Legends can be commended for its impressive visuals and unique-to-Minecraft gameplay style. Unfortunately, it’s just too convoluted and too tedious. I simply did not enjoy my time with it. I don’t know how many times I would want to build a structure or mob, and I’d have to spend far too long trying to find resources. Controlling mobs is almost impossible. Gameplay just moves too fast to really utilize any sort of precision. Ultimately it comes down less to strategy and more to attrition; just keep spamming piglin bases with mobs and hope you don’t die too often. Minecraft Legends is a difficult game to recommend, even for the most hardcore of Minecraft fans.

For the old fans, Re-Boot Camp is practically perfect. The games look much better, while the mechanical guts are properly preserved. On the other hand, if you remember these games being frustrating, that feeling will persist. If you’ve never played the Advance Wars games, you’re in for a fascinating experience. The heavy Fire Emblem influences are balanced with a more brutal, more inconsistent pace that will keep you on your toes at all times. I found myself (an old fan) elated and infuriated in equal measure. If you’re looking for a strategy RPG set apart from the rest, good news! Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp isn’t quite like anything you’ve played before. Love it or hate it, you’ll certainly be engaged.

Dead Island 2 is gory and gruesome, with action that is ridiculously entertaining. It has just enough narrative and social satire to push the game along, and enough depth, systems and mechanics to make killing thousands of zombies engaging for its substantial run time. Dead Island 2 might not be the deepest swimming pool in Bel Air, but playing it was the most creative, scary fun I've had with a shooter in quite some time.

Hunt the Night is a love letter to 16-bit era action adventure games. There’s something for fans of almost every genre in this gem of a game. I won’t be surprised if it finds a fairly major audience. It’s a concise synthesis of so many great gameplay and visual ideas. All of my complaints are minor nitpicks. And they’re still just based on my personal preferences. If a physical console version becomes available, I’ll be first in line to buy it.

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.

GORN is a limited gameplaying experience. There is an undeniable visceral thrill in beating your opponents to a pulp, but it’s a thrill that doesn’t last long. There’s also no denying that sometimes you just want to play a game that is mindless fun. GORN certainly fills such a need. It’s just a shame that this port doesn’t elevate the original game in any way.

The Battle Network games are a curious chapter in the larger Mega Man saga. If you’ve never played them, you’ll be shocked by how different they are. If you did grow up with these games, they probably form a massive chunk of your Mega Man knowledge. Having played them for the first time, I can easily recommend them. They add a curious new twist on the usual reflex-based Mega Man strategy. I wish there was more variety in the games. Fewer mazes couldn’t hurt, either. But if you’ve ever wanted something different from the Blue Bomber, you’re in luck. The Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection is exactly what you’re looking for.

Curse of the Sea Rats is disappointing. It’s a pretty bland Metroidvania. It has a unique visual style, but its gameplay completely relies on its multiplayer option to hide its shortcomings. The game also needs a bit more polish. I was immediately very excited when I booted up the game, but I quickly soured. If the visual style wasn’t so interesting, and there wasn’t a multiplayer option the score would be a lot lower. Only play Curse of the Sea rats if you love the idea of a simple 4 player Metroidvania.

Realistically, patches that are coming for the game may continue to make The Last of Us on PC even better. If the patches can improve the playability then the port will become akin to its console predecessors and contemporaries. However, for now, the crashes, visual bugs, texture glitches, and stuttering is not something that can be ignored. Until then, if you’re a first-time The Last of Us player and you’re looking for a seamless and non-buggy experience on PC, it may be better to wait for patches to truly get the best out of this incredible story and game.

Creed: Rise to Glory – Championship Edition is the best boxing VR game to date. The new controllers allow you to freely move around the ring and pick out your shot. This increases the immersion to create some incredible moments. Unfortunately, the new campaign follows the same loop of the original and doesn’t offer anything new. However, the actual in ring action is a knockout combo.

Everspace 2 has a substantial story, solid flight and combat mechanics, and incredibly addictive, satisfying action. If looter/shooter and space combat don’t seem compatible, Everspace 2 proves they can work together quite well. The narrative, breathless arcade space battles, and deep customization keep Everspace 2 engaging for its full running time and beyond.