All in all, Curious Expedition was an interesting title. I’ll admit I found the first 10 minutes or so boring as it involves reading a lot of small text, but once you’ve made some progress into your first expedition, it quickly becomes a lot better. Unfortunately, the storytelling element in this can become a bit repetitive after a while and there were few sections of the game that I thought could have used more of a narrative, but all in all, it’s certainly an experience to check out if you like rogue-like games or even board games as Curious Expedition closely resembles one.

The soft reboot of Sakura Wars leaves much to be desired but it is an adequate experience that accomplishes what it ultimately set out to do. It's a decent blend of multiple genres but does not particularly excel at any of them. The setting and backstory are interesting, but unfortunately, Sakura Wars did not fully utilize them to their advantage.

Gears Tactics tries some new things, but ultimately results in a game that’s less tactics oriented than the name suggests. It’s a competent experience, but completely whiffs on character with a lackluster story and every tool is a hammer class design. Add in repetitive mission structure and Gears Tactics is a far sight less replayable than the giants of the genre.

Overall, MotoGP 20 is a game for the player looking to be as close to racing on a crotch rocket at 300 mph without having to go jump on a bike themselves. With a very deep career mode, a ton of customization options, several modes of play, and stunning graphics from beautiful locales, there is a lot to do for the gaming purist looking for a hyper-realistic recreation of one of racing’s finest leagues. For the gamer who wants to shoot rockets from the sunroof and pull a barrel roll over a lake, well, this is probably not for you.

It may not have the flashiest or most exhilarating gameplay, but A Fold Apart achieves almost everything it sets out to do, which is to truly put you in the shoes of someone in love — and someone in pain. Undeniably, it will make you sad, but this is a testament to how well the game’s creators executed the delivery of the story. I didn’t feel as though I was actively playing a puzzle game or reading a work of fiction. I sincerely felt like I was glimpsing into the lives and minds of a real couple right in front of me, and for that, I think this game is worthy of your time.

Panzer Dragoon: Remake won’t be for everyone. I never played the original game, but I have a basic knowledge of the franchise. It looked familiar to a personal favourite of mine, Star Fox, but unfortunately, Panzer Dragoon was nowhere near as enjoyable. It simply lacks a lot of the fun touches and personality that make the Star Fox franchise so good. Panzer Dragoon does have some fun moments and some of the visuals are quite impressive. I didn’t care much for the story and the game is quite short. If you were a fan of the original, nostalgia alone might be enough to make the purchase. It’s worth noting that a remake of the sequel is already in development, so if you do enjoy Panzer Dragoon: Remake, you’ll have something more to look forward to.

As unique and entertaining as this game is, I felt too much of it was left to sadism and luck. The difficulty level is high, not because the strategizing part was hard to do but because Tharsis seems to insult you when you’re doing too well. While I must commend the overall gameplay to be novel and actually enjoyable, the chances of you winning, even with good odds, is very slim. But on the missions where events don’t feel randomly generated to kill you, that’s when the appeal of Tharsis comes to life. It’s a great concept for a turn-based strategy game but be prepared for its unforgiving nature because you’re definitely going to die more than you survive.

I made a little space shooter once, I coded it and drew in the graphics pixel by pixel using MS Paint. Everything about the game was derivative, and had been done better elsewhere. But I felt incredibly accomplished. I even wrote a little MIDI track to serve as background music. I bring this up because I could never in a million years make a game as good as Pangeon. I couldn’t create one level, let alone 8. But I’m not here to compare Pangeon to the best thing I could create. I’m not even here to compare Pangeon to other games that try for similar things. Ultimately, I’m here to compare Pangeon to the best version of itself, and figure out if it’s reached its full potential. And it hasn’t, not even as a diversion.

The game is okay, but only just. If you were a hardcore fan of it back in the day, this might be a great walk down memory lane for you, but I really can’t think of a good reason they brought Jedi Academy back from the brink with even less than a fresh coat of paint. Had this been given the full remake treatment it could undoubtedly have been epic, but as it stands it was a bit of a clunky cash-grab game when it first launched and it still feels the same today. Maybe this entry should have stayed in a galaxy far, far away.

Below is a roguelike that excels at making players truly feel like they’re a lone adventurer on a dangerous island filled with secrets. I liked its simple, colorful art style, its music, and atmosphere, but the gameplay pushed me away.

What comes together to create the full package is very underwhelming but wrestling fans will get a kick out of some of the references made from fight to fight as they beat their way across Beatdown City. Non-wrestling fans will find very little to enjoy in the characters and story but may find the experimental combat innovative.

If you’re even able to find a copy of Cooking Mama: Cookstar, you should probably reconsider where you’re spending your money. I know there’s a fanbase for the series that are vehemently wishing that the game will be good and that the bizarre story behind its release is all just an unlucky set of circumstances. But the fact of the matter is, Cookstar has nuked the kitchen and left us standing among a snowfall of ash and burnt Chicken Tikka Masala. I hate to say it, but the series may be cooked.

Biped is well worth a look, especially if you like cute, lovable little robots (and who doesn’t?). Grab your buddy, your sibling, or maybe get lucky and find someone online, and get ready for some crazy, chaotic co-op fun. This is one time where two legs are definitely better than four.

There’s a long way to go for Resident Evil Resistance before it can compete with its single-player counterpart. Aside from the incredibly poor combat mechanics, framerate, map design, and loss in fluidity with movement, the game never manages just to be Resident Evil. It tries to do so much to mimic what other similar games are doing, that it’s tripped itself up on the very foundation it was supposed to stand firmly atop of. Mastermind mode is never quite as fun as it could be, but shows potential, and Survivor mode is a complete mess that should be taken back to the drawing board. Luckily this is included with the purchase of Resident Evil 3, so at least you’ll always have that to wash out the taste Resistance leaves in your mouth.

If you’re okay with having minimal interaction, enjoy making tough decisions, and love an interesting narrative, The Complex is certainly an experience to add to your list. If, however, you enjoy a game that will keep you engaged for hours, a little more hands-on or are looking for something that offers up a meatier narrative, this may not be your cup of tea. At its current price point though, this single-player title is more than worth the money.

On the scale of Final Fantasy games, Remake still soars. The story is laid out with an auteur’s obsessive eye, every scene plucking the heart strings. the battles are a breezy, yet bloody, affair that never goes stale. The graphics are ridiculous, turning every character into a model-beautiful specter sure to haunt your dreams. More than a steady grasp towards the platonic Final Fantasy ideal, this game achieves something unusual. Here then, is the Final Fantasy VII you remember, the shining vision of your youth, untouched by the decays of time. Wherever Square Enix goes from here, we can’t possibly get there soon enough. Miss out on Final Fantasy VII: Remake at your peril.

With over 9,000 cards at our disposal as well as being able to relive the anime, Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution is everything I could have hoped for. Sure, there are some elements and annoyances that hold the experience back but overall there’s a ton of content and fans should be plenty satisfied.

Gigantosaurus: The Game is the type of game that is difficult to recommend for everyone. The platforming gets a bit tiresome, the graphics are quite dated, and the overall package is geared towards a younger audience. If you have young gamers in the house, especially those familiar with the TV series, then this might be perfect. Another group of gamers who might get a kick out of this game are those that long for classic collect-a-thon platformers like Donkey Kong 64. Breaking up the platforming with some racing sections was a clever idea. Some of the in-game power-ups and sliding down slides were pretty neat – kids will definitely get a kick out of these moments.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with the latest expansion. The level of detail on display is eye dropping, the enemy A.I. is still fun to battle against and most of all the loot just keeps coming. Whether or not I continue to play this expansion in today’s current pandemic with bullet sponge bosses remains to be seen when there’s more distant escapism to be had.

Totally Reliable Delivery Service has great music full of funky basslines and bumping beats, a cute and comical art style, and a lot of customization items to apply to your character and rides, but sadly the cooperative gameplay is nothing to write home about, and neither is the rest of the gameplay. I found that the combination of frustration mixed with the repetitive gameplay was not my cup of tea, and quite often, it felt like pulling teeth trying to get through it. It’s the fundamental premise of the game to struggle, but putting in a dozen attempts just to throw a package on to the bed of a truck simply doesn’t feel rewarding when you’re working towards the same goal over and over again.

Paper Beast is more of an experience than a game. Being done in VR definitely enhances the mood of the game. There is no hand holding. You must figure out what needs to be done in each level based on the environment and the actions of the animals that inhabit said level. This can lead to some frustration, but overall the game does an excellent job of laying the necessary bread crumbs for the player to suss out the solution. Playing Paper Beast is very akin to kicking back, chilling out, and listening to a Pink Floyd album — you are left in a contemplative state of mind.

When all the mechanics aligned and I started to execute with finesse, I came to a stirring conclusion. Half Life: Alyx didn’t need to do something unexpected. It needed to prove that all the tools for making a brilliant VR experience – one with an impactful story, fun and fluid combat, and an entrancing world – already exist, and then execute. It has done that, and it shattered my expectations from start to finish. If you’ve yet to make the VR leap, Half Life: Alyx is an extraordinary reason to do so. It’s the best VR game yet, and maybe, just maybe, the best in the Half Life franchise.

It’s not hard to recommend Shinsekai: Into The Depths as a very good Metroidvania. And anybody looking for a unique one, will certainly find success in choosing it. However, there are a plethora of amazing Metroidvania titles available, and if you’re new to the genre, I can think of at least twenty others that would be a better place to start.

I feel like in many ways we’ve entered an era of meta-design, where entire games are built around challenging or redefining tried-and-true mechanics. I see Iron Danger falling into that legacy and, in such context, I think it’s a game that is easier to appreciate for veteran players of the genre. I don’t mean to say that this game is inaccessible to newer gamers. Certainly, the low-stakes nature of it can accommodate them quite well. However, if you are a lover of RPG games such as Divinity: Original Sin 2, and are a frequent abuser of the quick-save button like me, you’ll find Iron Danger quite fun and refreshing.

Modern Warfare 2 is easily in my top five COD campaigns, and I was stoked about its surprise release. The month-long PS4 exclusivity is a bummer, but whether you’re a fan of the original or interested in jumping in for the first time, I strongly recommend picking it up on your respective platform when its available. Beenox continues to contribute tremendously to Call of Duty, and Modern Warfare 2 Remastered is unequivocally their best work yet.

In Other Waters is a slow-paced and oddly satisfying game that asks for your patience and imagination. It is like reading a book where you are transported into a completely different world, and with each discovery Ellery makes the environment becomes more detailed and beautiful. With full control of the expedition that engages the player from the moment the game starts, In Other Waters is highly interactive and unapologetically detailed, a little slower and a lot more reading than I would have preferred, but an overall impressive experience.

RBI Baseball 20 is rough. I said it before, but I’ll repeat it – this is the worst baseball game I’ve ever played. Fielding and hitting both fail to capture any of the enjoyment you’d typically get from either video game baseball, or the real thing, and the animations and character models are shockingly bad for a game released in 2020. The pitching mechanics are decent, but that’s about all that’s on tap with RBI Baseball 20. The fireworks that go off during the home run derby are cool, so it’s got that, I guess?

If you’ve never played a musou game before, then One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 is a fantastic one to start with. If you’re not a One Piece fan, however, your enjoyment of the game’s story may be limited. But if you like One Piece, and/ or like Dynasty Warriors, then you need this game in your life.