Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series succeeds in its goal of making you feel like a Jedi. With a high production value, intriguing plot, and excellent cinematics, the game will leave fans of the franchise in awe. However, with little gameplay and a short runtime, this is more of a VR experience than a game.

I wish it was longer and ended better, but in its early and middle stages, A Rogue Escape provides enough satisfaction to make it worth a try.

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus is the kind of game that provides experiences unique to the video game medium. It is also the kind of game that pushes the visual novel genre’s boundaries, and serves as an excellent example of what non-video game players might not know they’re missing, if they’re not willing to try different kinds of games. This is a game you will tell everyone about when you’re finished playing it, and at the same time, just like this humble reviewer, you won’t want to share why. For less than $20, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus is a highly recommended and very unique gaming experience.

DLC content needs to walk a fine line between substantial and exhausting. Pulse of The Ancients doesn’t always pull it off, but it almost isn’t meant to. This is endgame content, you see. There’s no handholding or pleasant jaunts happening here. This is a vicious gauntlet, a sweaty sprint through harsh plains under a blistering sun. The boss battles are brutal, the Royal Ancient Tech Lab is crazy long, and there’s little relief on the horizon. Players hoping for a victory lap after the main campaign might find one, but only if they fully dominated the base game. Otherwise, Pulse of The Ancients is a tough new challenge that sits neatly at the end of Age of Calamity.

Dear Dark Alliance: those of us that were fans of the original PS2 game and the Dungeons and Dragons franchise came ready to enjoy you. You waved your fancy pedigree and showed us your impressive environments, only to disappoint us once we paid the price of admission. So, fix the AI. Balance the single player game or ditch it entirely. Let the players create real characters that express themselves. Above all, kill the bugs. Do those things, and maybe we’ll come back, because it could be a nice little house to live in for a while.

Whether you’re a fan of the originals, or a curious party looking to get into skateboarding games, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is a must play. All the original content, a smooth framerate, portability, loads of in-game customization, and a pinch of new content are a recipe for skateboarding success. Only a lack of create-a-skater options and lack of Spider-Man mar this fun flashback. This is what it’s like when worlds collide.

Snake Man’s Adventure feels exactly like what it is. A first attempt. While Dososoft may have a handle on the technical side of things, the company needs more experience and/or creative aid in the fashioning of their games. As Snake Man stands or slithers, it is too difficult for young players and too simple narratively for older ones.

Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is considerably better than just a cash grab game tied to a singular cultural event, but it’s not the gold medal winner of sports sims either. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with going home wearing a bronze medal.

Genre mashups like Red Solstice 2: Survivors can be refreshing and revelatory, or they can feel like a poorly seamed patchwork of ideas. Red Solstice 2 has some fun elements, occasionally engaging combat and systems, and a take on the Red Planet that is familiar but not entirely unoriginal. Poorly explained mechanics, lack of personality and ultimately repetitive mission design all push back against a more thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Mario Golf: Super Rush’s plethora of options and solid mechanics make this one of the greatest arcade golf video games to date. The inclusion of the exciting, speed-based Rush and Battle modes helps take the genre in a new direction that will appeal to gamers old and new. With an incredible story mode that will keep you hooked throughout and the returning cast of characters in fresh golfing garb, it's clear Nintendo has hit a glorious stripe down the fairway.

LEGO Builder’s Journey is a comfortable yet original experience that separates itself from many currently available titles. Fans of the brand will be enamored by the presentation and how the gameplay captures the tactility of the toys. Unfortunately, puzzles are restrained, lacking the variety and imagination that permeates the brand. Although mechanics develop throughout, each segment is simple and lacks challenge. The awe-inspiring soundtrack and gorgeous visuals create an alluring level of polish. However, there isn’t a lot of content in this toy box.

Scarlet Nexus marries varied and unique action RPG combat to two extended campaigns featuring engaging protagonists and a cast of memorable supporting players. Using its brain punk conceit to power a range of extended combat techniques, Scarlet Nexus is at its best in the thick of the fight, when the player can mix and match melee weapons, telekinetic beatdowns, and whatever talents the team on hand has to share.

On the surface, this game has all the ingredients to make a great RPG. The graphics are gorgeous, the soundtrack is infectious, the combat is approachable yet complex, and there's a ton of replay value. Unfortunately, the disparate pieces don't hang together quite right. Without a strong central narrative, you're left bouncing around for the whole playthrough. And without a comprehensive walkthrough, you'll be doing so for quite a long time.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is a beautiful reinterpretation of a classic. Although some elements feel outdated, it’s the perfect introduction to the franchise. Jankenteam has successfully rejuvenated the legendary hero, hopefully kickstarting a resurgence of the series.

Super Magbot is a fun, yet at times, frustrating game. Fine-tuning your brain to think differently is difficult and even up to the final boss, the core mechanic never felt natural. However, the sense of satisfaction when completing a tough stage is priceless. For gamers looking for a challenging, unique take on the platforming genre, then Super Magbot is definitely worth checking out.

It was clear from the start that Dying Light had a different zombie apocalypse story to tell, or at least tried to tell a familiar story with new mechanics. With an impressive amount of DLC to its name, Dying Light has continued to grow and evolve, becoming a much more than a rote zombie shooter. In particular, for anyone who has not played Dying Light at all, the Platinum Edition is easy to recommend as the version to pick up as it includes literally everything the game has to offer. Owners of the Enhanced Edition or new consoles looking for a bleeding-edge showcase should be aware that Dying Light Platinum Edition doesn’t bring huge visual or mechanical improvements to the game, but instead curates everything Dying Light into one immense collection.

Thankfully, the humorous writing is still there and I will admit that Wasteland 3: The Battle of Steeltown got a few chuckles out of me. The environment and models for the area also look awesome, and the unique flair of folk-tunes makes a great return (I just wish there was more). Overall, Battle of Steeltown is decent but if you are a Wasteland fan, I would recommend you wait for a sale to pick this one up.

Minute of Islands tells its tale confidently but its potential power is undercut by its mostly uninspired and largely irrelevant game play mechanics. It never felt like it mattered how I played the game because sooner or later the story would eventually unfold as long as I kept clicking and pushing the character through her small range of tasks. I think that playing through Minute of Islands is worth your time if you enjoy dark themed stories and distinctive art, but don’t come with high expectations for the puzzles or platforming.

Edge of Eternity is almost brilliant. The writing is great, but the graphics, gameplay, and especially the camera angles drag it down. If you crave some dark JRPG action and are willing to put with questionable combat mechanics, by all means, check it out. However, if you hate the idea of trying to plan out a strategy when you can’t see half the enemy forces or you get motion sick easily, maybe give this one a pass.

If you’re looking for something new to play and are a fan of roguelike card games, then you’ll probably have a good time with Roguebook. It’s a fun game and does a solid job of being what it is – when it works that is. However, if you’re looking for the next big genre-defying roguelike then you might be a bit disappointed as Roguebook isn’t really that. It is a good game, just not an incredible one and maybe that’s enough.

Although it drove under the radar on PS4, Wreckfest deserves the attention of racing fans, especially those with a destructive streak and a love of vehicular mayhem. With its vastly improved framerates and bumped-up resolution, Wreckfest on PS5 is the definitive way to play the game, whether against humans or the game’s more-than-decent AI drivers. Wreckfest might not be the new console generation’s ultimate racing sim, but it has some depth, a unique set of chops, and is a lot of fun.

The Elder Scrolls Online cannot be faulted for lack of content, and while each new expansion opens up new, unexplored regions or folds older Elder Scrolls lore and landscapes into the game, the DLC is starting to feel pretty formulaic. The new Companions are definitely a welcome addition to those of us who prefer to play solo, and Blackwood has a main quest, cities, and characters that are worth exploring. Blackwood — the region and the DLC — might be an odd and confusing place for new players to start their journey with the game, but for long time players the Companions and nostalgia factor baked into the expansion might be enough to give them a bit of fresh energy.

Guilty Gear Strive is a masterclass in design. Each asset has been lovingly crafted with painstaking detail resulting in the best visuals in the genre. The lack of gameplay in the story mode may not appeal to everyone but I applaud their decision to not shoehorn fights into the narrative. Being the most accessible game in the history of the franchise, newcomers should definitely check out this fighter as it’s one of the best ever made.

It is fun to play as these iconic characters on the streets and in battle, clunky as they may be. The locations and dress-up options are colorful and interesting. Fans of the TV show will definitely like wielding Wonder Woman’s sword and shield, Catwoman’s whip, and Batgirl’s gadgets.

I’ll be playing Green Hell for a long time to come. With multiple modes, including multiplayer options and different difficulty settings, there’s a lot of fun to be had here. Its world is beautiful, albeit a bit rough around the edges. But I can’t imagine it’ll be long before we see things fixed up. It’s not like the bar has been set very high, but for what it’s worth, Green Hell is the best survival game I’ve ever played.

Astalon: Tears of the Earth is a great reminder of what small developers can achieve with simple graphics and simpler controls. I would heartily recommend it to anyone who craves some old-fashioned platforming action and isn’t afraid to die a lot. Just remember to turn off the flashing lights and screen shake if you’re sensitive to that.

Pecaminosa is a perfect little game to spend a weekend with. It won’t challenge you, it doesn’t last long, and the atmosphere is enough to warrant a look from any noir fan. I can’t help but feel like you might be better off playing it on steam, but you’d still have pages of exhausting dialogue to sit through. I suppose that’s all really subjective, but Pecaminosa misses the mark more than it hits for my money.

Nintendo has created a fun and accessible product that is a great introduction to programming. Through the perfectly paced interactive lessons, anyone can start making games in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, the omission of in-game community creations does hinder what could have been a complete creative suite, however, this won’t stop enthusiasts from creating and sharing their games in other ways.