Humankind is a solid, if not especially revelatory, take on what has become a pretty ossified genre. Its changes — in particular the opening Neolithic stage, and its combat systems — are not dramatic shifts, but they are enough to make an experienced 4X player pay attention. Just like our hunter-gatherer ancestors, Humankind (the game) is off to a good start.

If you’re looking for a few hours of fun and excitement or if you’re looking to test that ol’ noggin of yours, Tetragon should be on your list of must-play titles. It’s just $15 USD so it’s well worth the price of admission. The developers really knocked the level and puzzle design out of the park for an overall incredibly captivating experience. Tetragon truly is a magical and addictive world to get lost in.

The smart, funny Bond-inspired writing, the meticulous attention to detail, the masterful use of Oculus’s VR controls, and the well-designed missions had me … well, glued to my seat the entire time. It may not change much from the original, but I Expect You to Die 2: The Spy and the Liar once again delivers a thoroughly-enjoyable VR experience from start to finish.

As far as versions of Quake go, this one is exemplary. The platonic ideal, one might say. If you’ve found yourself missing those frantic, gib-centric days of chunky violence and blistering speed, Quake Remastered is exactly what you need. You really can’t get more Quake than this.

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.

No More Heroes 3 is absurd, silly, and ridiculously fun. With its slick aesthetic, accentuating the deep and smooth combat, Grasshopper Manufacture has managed to surpass previous entries in the franchise. Packed with a ton of mini-games, this diverse trip will take you to strange and wonderful places. Although the empty open-world areas are plagued with performance issues, it doesn’t take away from the ingenuity that is imbued within.

Although as of this writing it is no longer a free download, The Virtuous Cycle is probably an easy to recommend purchase for fans of the base game. The new roguelike game mode is punishing fun (if that’s your thing) and the new Shell and weapon are a welcome addition to the arsenal. If you bounced off Mortal Shell due to its difficulty, this new DLC won’t change your mind, but it’s good news for most everyone who enjoys Cold Symmetry’s homage to Dark Souls.

While I was intrigued by the narrative, and enjoyed the performances, Twelve Minutes was an experience I’d had enough of by the time I completed it. There are just enough seams, jank, and clunk around that the act of playing the game felt like a task at times. I absolutely applaud the effort though. Twelve Minutes is an audacious first crack at a unique narrative structure, and one that will certainly lead to more refined and robust takes on this style of experience.

Recompile is the complete adventure package. It has good gameplay, an intriguing minimalist story, striking visuals and music, and developers who respect the player’s ability to explore on their own. Go get it, you won’t be disappointed.

Despite some bugs (unfortunately, not a playable race but the game crashing kind) and a feeling of complexity that might be off-putting at first, Banners of Ruin is a smart and creative take on two very familiar genres. With a world, story, and characters that are a refreshing departure from the usual dark fantasy tropes, and gameplay that is engaging and addicting, the biggest knock against it might be players’ potential reticence to dive into yet another deck builder/roguelike. That would be a shame, and anyone who has grown weary of the genre might be pleasantly surprised by Banners of Ruin.

Even if you end up missing the absent depth, the laid-back pace is a rewarding compensation. If only one-half of this mashup premise appeals to you, what you’re looking for may lie elsewhere. But if you’re looking to blend hacking, slashing, and smooching, Boyfriend Dungeon will be a perfect match.

My words will never do justice for Ghost of Tsushima’s brilliance. James Paley summed it up better than I ever could: “[Ghost of Tsushima] revealed itself as a compelling, masterful work of art. Nothing feels useless or extraneous. The story wastes little time, the fights are all exuberant and engaging, the exploration is addicting, and the entire game is gorgeous.” I couldn’t agree more. And the Director’s Cut is miles ahead of the original. Go get it.

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.

Arietta of Spirits just isn’t enough game. I’d say it’d be perfect for very young adventure game enthusiasts, lacking any cryptic puzzle-solving, or difficult combat, but the hitboxes are just too unfair. Fans of old-school 2D adventure games might find some enjoyment here, but only a few hours’ worth. Just expect something a little less Link To The Past, and a little more Twisted Tales of Spike McFang, and players should be fine. If you are looking for an excellent 2D top-down adventure game, and all you’ve played all the Legend of Zelda titles, check out the modern classics Blossom Tales or CrossCode, or the PS1 gem Alundra.

I can’t help but wonder what King’s Bounty II could have been had it stayed isometric and relied more on written words over spoken dialog. Maybe it could have offered something wholly unique. But this is the choice the developers made and for some of you, if you’re able to get past the jank, you’ll find a pretty okay turn-based combat game in King’s Bounty II. For others who are also looking to get lost in a deep world along with the combat, you’ll be better served elsewhere. ‎

Apart from a camera that despises the view from a corner, some buggy and inconsistent team matchmaking mechanics, and the curious decision to add punishing roguelike elements, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a polished and potentially fun and action-filled romp through a corner of the Alien universe and lore. Played without human squadmates and reliant on AI stand-ins at anything but the easiest difficulty, the game’s more repetitious aspects begin to grate, as failure will be inevitable. Played with a trio of living beings possessing some situational awareness, reflexes and the ability to communicate, using an arsenal of cool guns and toys against swarms of iconic Xenomorphs is a mindless, if not mind-blowing, good time.

In addition to its excellent platforming, puzzles, and action, Psychonauts 2 impresses the most because it treats human frailty and failure with warmth, compassion, and humor that is never cruel or demeaning. Inside our heads, we’re all just bundles of doubt, random connections, ill-considered motivations, and weird memories mixed with kindness, aspiration, and delight. I’m grateful to Psychonauts 2 for the reminder.

I’ll be playing this one for a long time. After a dozen or so hours, I’m completely hooked. An impressive number of cards, enemies, items, and more to discover is going to keep me on this train, and the excellent visuals and music will help make the ride to hell… heavenly. It could use a patch or two, but Monster Train is a smash hit.

Playing Fracked is very enjoyable. The short length of the game leaves you with a sour taste, which is too bad because it is so entertaining to play. The environments are beautiful and the game mechanics and scale really immerse you in the virtual world. What also hurts Fracked is that the brevity of it is paired with a lack of replayability. There are no challenges or online leaderboards to compete against. There are coins to collect but you cannot use them for anything like say customizing your character or weapons. The top-notch production values make this a tight and exhilarating VR experience. Despite the shortness of the campaign, Fracked is a virtual action playground worth playing.

Some racing sims split the difference between arcade-like accessibility and realism, but RiMS Racing leans pretty hard towards the latter. While not entirely unfriendly to novices, this is a game geared towards the motorcycle enthusiast. With its emphasis on what happens in the shop between races at least as much as on the races itself, RiMS Racing has a supply-your-own-drama career mode, but excels in supplying an exacting and sometimes thrilling simulator of racing on two wheels.

It’s clear more time with next-gen hardware has paid off. Madden NFL 22 looks and feels like a step back in the right direction for the series. The core gameplay remains largely unchanged but almost every mode in this Madden experience sees a noticeable bump. Everything from the drastically improved facial animations to a robust new feature set in Franchise mode, Madden NFL 22 quickly erases the stench that Madden NFL 21 left at launch.

Normally, I’m laser-focused on the mechanics in a given game. The plot and the world-building are cool, but they don’t keep me coming back. And yet, Witchspring3 never quite hooked me. It turns out that compelling mechanical systems can’t make up for a fatal deficiency in writing. Perhaps this whimsical tale of an isolated deity reaching out to a human boy is an excellent one. It’s quite impossible to say, given what we’re presented with here. On the other hand, if you truly could care less about the plot, there are some fascinating mechanical elements to mess around with here. Using homebrewed potions to level up is a terrific idea. Having a difficulty scale that’s both harsh and forgiving is a great way to hook a wide swath of players. And the hefty list of skills, spells, and summons means you can fight every battle in a new way. But otherwise, you’d best be wary about picking up Witchspring3 Re:Fine – The Story of Eirudy.

Action Arcade Wrestling successfully achieves its prime purpose of being fun. With a ton of customization options, you can create matches that only existed in your wildest dreams. Although the power-ups and spots may put off purists, the love and admiration for the sport are evident throughout the game.

Paint the Town Red is a unique, fun experience for the first couple of times you play it. The game has adequate graphics and sound design that match the wackiness and a couple of game modes that should keep you engaged when trying them all out. But Paint the Town red suffers from repetitive gameplay, limited combat options, no story or depth to hook your interest, and little to no replayability. For a $19.99 purchase, we’d say consider holding off until a discount drops the price.

On the PS4, Fort Triumph is exactly the same experience it was on PC, which is to say that it is an approachable, turn-based tactical RPG with a fantasy setting and a strong sense of humor that deflates some heroic stereotypes along the way. There’s plenty of content and while nothing about the original game, or the port, is wildly innovative, the destructible environments add a bit of tactical interest to the battles. The game’s humor may or may not work for you, but the mechanics and gameplay are probably a great introduction to the genre for younger players or experienced gamers looking for a more casual tactical approach, layered with a bit of satire and fun.

In one sense, spending hours mowing virtual lawns in a game could be considered a ridiculous waste of time. But aside from being a satisfying management sim, the act of mowing lawns in Lawn Mowing Simulator can be surprisingly relaxing and maybe even a little inspiring. This isn’t a lawn mowing version of Formula One, where you play a plucky kid with a push mower dreaming of glory on a shiny, souped- up John Deere. But it’s also much more than a one-joke game. Lawn Mowing Simulation is a full-featured product with a very specific focus, and a pretty well-made one, at that.

Crimson Spires is a visual novel that has interesting characters and a relatively unexplored setting for the genre. Combining romance, science fiction, horror, mystery, vampires and the supernatural into one tasty soufflé, Crimson Spires isn’t a perfect meal but it’s definitely worth tasting.

With its more focused campaign less burdened by irrelevancy, The Siege of Paris is a leaner, tighter and brisker expansion than Wrath of the Druids or much of the main story. The new/old Infiltration mechanic is a welcome changeup from the usual routine of explore and battle, but maybe not enough to entirely wipe away the feeling that the Siege of Paris is sticking a little too close to the template. What it lacks in creativity, bold new mechanics and mission structures, The Siege of Paris delivers in art direction, atmosphere and story. Though I personally enjoyed the visit to Ireland a little more, Eivor’s trip to Francia is by no means lacking in quality. For better or worse, it’s just more of the same.