There is a lot to love about Death Stranding, it’s just whether players are willing to slog through the strains of fetch quests and collect-a-thons in the process to get to moments of genuine satisfaction.

Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment are undeniably great games but even with updated graphics and improvements to control schemes, they show their age and are not well suited to home consoles.

An interesting game that makes mashing together different songs almost effortless, Fuser lacks a gameplay hook to keep you coming back.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a mixed bag. A fantastic returning campaign, some decent multiplayer and terrible co-op makes MW an interesting entry.

On the overall spectrum of FF titles, while not the worst, FF8 is neatly placed in the middle — some great ideas, but at the cost of a confusing tale.

While the game has interesting concepts and ideas, some odd design choices and an atrocious tutorial hamper Old World’s ambition.

Though this Souls-like wears its heart on its sleeve in its love for the genre, Lies of P misses the mark on what makes these kinds of games tick. All the same, hardcore denizens seeking a challenge may find something to appreciate here.

The issue is that it is trying to nail something that started to feel stale almost 20 years ago when a little game called Half-Life came out and changed everything.

Pacer’s lacklustre career mode and some dodgy event types might be turn-offs, but the core racing gameplay makes up for it.

Indivisible initially impresses with a tight package that visually stuns but after hours of repetition and ease, I’d rather take some time apart.

Granblue Fantasy Versus is a fun and addictive new challenger to the fighting game throne.

Like A Dragon Gaiden should tide fans over until Infinite Wealth drops as a shorter yet still enjoyable romp, but this is hardly a series highlight.

The Textorcist offers a unique twist on bullet hell gameplay that’s bogged down by annoying design and bad dialogue. Impressive but disappointingly few boss fights provide some hours of entertainment, but the game has little else to offer.

The undead series about the undead stumbles a little in its revival episode, though it still retains tension, great setpieces, and undeniable heart.

While repetition defines The Sojourn as more of an attractive collection of brain teasers than a rich narrative experience, its intricate levels and creative puzzle design will engage any player looking for gratifying challenges of a slower pace.

Even with all that said, though, Pepper Grinder’s core gameplay is still ridiculous fun, and raising the flag at the end of each platforming level still feels triumphant, if only for short-term pleasure. Pepper Grinder is a short game, only four to six hours, so the lack of other compelling aspects feels disappointingly underwhelming. Still, the thrill of the precision-heavy chase is an oh-so-tempting one, even if you won’t remember the chase very well afterward.

Super Crush KO’s issues are prevalent enough to dampen the overall package.

You simply aren’t missing out on all that much by sticking with FIFA 20.

For what it is, Dead or Alive 6 offers an enjoyable experience for new players and veterans alike, but the full package currently fails to deliver in a lot of key areas.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia does not quite reach the heights of truly great tactical RPGs.

Noita relies far too heavily on random numbers to create any kind of enjoyment, and though it might make some fun stories, players will be left craving an actual roguelike rather than this RNG simulator.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a blindingly bright love letter to the entire series with a sheen that’s often diminished by its own technical shortcomings.

Despite a plethora of decently challenging and fast-paced levels, Lost Orbit: Terminal Velocity’s lack of level and gameplay variety stop it from being the next arcade classic.

Pikuniku is a bizarre and often hilarious puzzle platformer that is too hamstrung by its brisk campaign to make it much more than a neat distraction.

Regiments may give you the opportunity to try yourself out as a combined arms commander, but it doesn’t go the extra mile to flesh out the experience to the fullest.

It’s definitely bigger, and there’s certainly more, but there’s still a lack of polish around the edges that stops it from being definitively better.

City of Brass is a fun and swashbuckling adventure that gets seriously hamstrung by its clumsy and sluggish controls. Recommended to any masochist out there who wants to get punished on the go and doesn't mind looking past some issues.

The characters form the heart of Lost Eidolons, but a whole slew of grating and annoying issues makes this a run-of-the-mill tactical role-playing game.

The experience is mired only by several bland game features, some grating repetitiveness, and an odd lack of personality from the officers.

Total War: Rome Remastered is a solid technical remaster of a classic game, but fails to legitimately improve and adapt for modern sensibilities.

Though technically not a bad game by any stretch thanks to great art direction, solid gameplay, and several potentially fantastic ideas for the future, A Total War Saga: TROY is still an uneven and disappointingly stagnant entry in the Total War franchise.

Iron Harvest is definitely not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination. It’s just an average real-time tactics game with neat visuals and very little originality in its design.

While Greak: Memories of Azur can be occasionally frustrating, the design and world-building are effective enough to make it worthwhile and enjoyable for players of all skill-sets.

An unremarkable story is outshined by engaging, if difficult, puzzles, and a persistently creepy atmosphere.

The lack of variety and a failure to really stand out among the stiff competition hamstrings Black Future ‘88.

Phoenix Point successfully introduces a slew of new features and mechanics that sufficiently evolve the XCOM-inspired genre of strategy games, though is brought down by some buggy, wonky, and unbalanced implementation of some mechanics.

It isn’t the best game in the rhythm genre (that’s Gitaroo Man), but Melody of Memories is going to entertain a lot of people, make a ton of money, and get fans playing through the whole series again.

If you enjoyed the first two games, there is some fun to be had in House of Ashes, but glitches, a predictable story structure and some boring jump scares holds it back from being a truly worthy sequel.

John Wick Hex's early pretence of fulfilling strategy gives way to a maddening trial and error experience that simply doesn't do the license justice.

The endless runner genre has seen a lot of potential contenders try and be the best, and while Tanuki Sunset isn’t quite the best of the best, it’s enjoyable enough to leave a positive impression.

A bare-knuckle slugfest, Skybolt Zack is a scrappy rhythm platformer with fun to be had for those who don’t throw in the towel.

While its narrative aspirations and desire for immersive role-playing seem to aim at the Hollywood tradition of the Western, Weird West ends up feeling more like a disposable dime novel.

Despite its faults, Bear With Me has a lot of charm and heart. It likely won't blow you away, but there is enough content with The Complete Collection to warrant your attention.

Pathologic 2 does a fine job of capturing the feelings of a town under distress, though it can feel like a painful chore to play with technical glitches and loading times hindering the experience overall.

Layers of Fear 2023 really isn't the most necessary remake ever and those who didn't like the original games certainly won't be converted, but this is a pretty compelling package for psychological horror fans.

Iron Danger won’t change your world, but it’s a wholly unique game that may appeal to dungeon crawling fans.

PES 2021: Season Update is a great football game if you’re new to the series, but veterans should just update their existing copies of PES 2020 with this season’s squads and kits.

The Switch version offers little to make this port worth shelling out for.

Sonic Superstars is full of ideas, and while not all of them land (especially the co-op), the inventiveness on show and core gameplay makes it worth checking out.

Blades Of Fire gets in its own way sometimes with busywork-heavy quest design, but the unique combat and enjoyable weapon crafting save it.

Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection is an enjoyable look at two and a half great games, but not in their best forms. It has much of the DLC and extra bits thrown in, but nothing new that makes this collection worthwhile, except to new fans.

Kosmokrats’ Soviets-in-space setting and the story hit some good notes, but it’s all let down by the gameplay. I really wish I could recommend Kosmokrats, but this is one to avoid as it stands, comrades.

Battlesector may attempt to give Space Marines a human face, but the game ends up being an incomplete suit of power armor.

Exoprimal has good ideas, and feels like a genuinely novel and fun concept, but the asking price is simply way too steep, leaving the player to feel like extinction might be inevitable.

While it has some novel ideas, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora's extremely repetitive quest design, underwhelming progression, and wholly monotonous gear system make it one of the most forgettable open world games of 2023.

While Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix is a much improved and enjoyable sequel, the lack of voice acting stops the game from feeling like an authentic Nickelodeon experience.

Despite featuring an interesting gimmick, Spellbreak is hindered by a weak setting and repetitive combat that feels too standard for such a crowded genre.

A solid first lap for a racer that might need a bit more time to hit top speed, LEGO 2K Drive is still worth playing whether you’re young, old or somewhere in between.

On the track, there’s a decent little racer in Hot Wheels Unleashed. Everything else feels like a bit of a letdown.

While its third act strays too far from what initially made it great, Fall of Porcupine boasts likable characters, welcoming visuals, and plenty of fuzzy moments in its narrative.

While charming in its use of gothic horror themes and tropes, Rogue Lords barely does enough to stand out from previous turn-based dungeon crawlers.

With unsurprisingly shady surprise mechanics and little to no significant movement on the pitch, FIFA 20 is a stopgap entry that only has Volta to boast about.

Destroy All Humans! 2 - Reprobed brings the original title into the modern age, and while the gameplay is massively improved, some bad ideas, dated jokes, and an abundance of glitches mar the overall experience.

GreedFall has some of the most compelling characters and storylines so far this year. Unfortunately, they're buried by dated technology and a serious lack of polish.

Soulstice is a game with some great aesthetic choices, but is completely marred by poor gameplay design that takes control away from the player during the times they'll need it the most.

Daemon X Machina tends to merely check the boxes for what is required of a mech combat game.

While Maneater could be regarded as something of a one-trick pony, it’s still a very good trick that you’ll enjoy while it lasts.

Far Cry New Dawn is an interesting experiment for the franchise. While it borrows some mechanics from the Ubisoft family that feel out of place and suffers from frustrating padding, the core Far Cry experience might be enough to tide you over once it finally gets going.

Though it has its faults, if you like sex jokes and puzzles tied into a decent point-and-click dating adventure, Larry Laffer’s latest outing is the game for you.

The Cosmic Shake can be a fun collectathon with some charming moments, but the lack of original ideas and finesse make it feel more like an expansion than a brand new game.

The greatest enemy in God Eater 3 may not be the Aragami, but a stagnated system and potential fatigue instead.

Undeniably entertaining and often thrilling, The Hong Kong Massacre's chances of matching its inspirations are seriously undermined by a lack of care, variety, and an utterly lifeless story.

The new polish looks nice, but there isn’t much to keep any newcomers coming around.

The jank and glitches present in RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business make it hard to give it a higher score, but this is about as fun as uncomplicated FPS games get. Buy it, blast through it over a weekend, smile the entire time.

Flawed, but not a failure, Code Vein offers the same hardcore Soulslike action with less of a barrier of entry, making for a decent gateway into a growing genre.

Despite a stunning art style and puzzles as gratifying as they are numerous, a disappointing lack of features prevent Degrees of Separation from outshining others in its genre. When you're willing to overlook the repetition in favour of its intriguing central mechanic, however, this charming title will prove itself worthy of your time.

Beyond a Steel Sky isn’t a perfect game, but it’s made with a lot of love and attention from the developer.

King of Seas looks great and has some fun ship-to-ship combat but is let down by its underwhelming exploration and basic story.

Darkestville Caste is a valiant attempt at creating a spiritual successor to one of the most beloved point and click games ever made, and, on some levels, it succeeds.

Despite a few issues throughout and bland playable characters, the recruitment system and campaign manage to offer just enough for Watch Dogs: Legion to be worth hacking into.

Nuts had the potential to be something really special, but can’t quite see the forest for the trees.

If you can forgive some of its cheesy narrative moments and glitches, Man of Medan shows promise for a future franchise. You just have to play with a friend to fully appreciate it.

With some post-launch love to improve some of the more lacking areas, AO Tennis 2 could be a real winner. For now, though, it is likely a game that only dedicated tennis fans will truly enjoy.

While Lone Ruin is currently sparse on content, there’s some solid gameplay foundations here that could be built upon in the future.

While certainly rough around the edges, Raji: An Ancient Epic is an earnest swing that shows a ton of heart and some great ideas.

Thymesia sports fast 3D action combat that's engaging and unique to the subgenre, where flashy combos with multiple weapons lead to meaningful progression for skilled players. Unfortunately, the game does little else to separate itself from the soulslike pack.

Not helped by technical glitches and cumbersome controls, Q.U.B.E. 2 boxes itself in with tedious gameplay and a sluggish pace.

There’s charm and appeal to be found in WrestleQuest, but this old school RPG doesn’t have enough to stay in the main event.

Awkwardly straddling the line between unnerving war drama and vapid teen adventure, Long Gone Days is embroiled in an uncomfortable identity crisis.

Even if the puzzle density and technical issues may drive you to madness, this cosmic horror still has something unique to offer.

When it works, Friday the 13th is a truly exciting bout of cat-and-mouse gameplay that offers plenty of thrills and tense moments, but technical issues, clunkiness and a laborious levelling grind can add up to frustration.

Reigns: Three Kingdoms adds plenty of new ideas and frustrations, but anyone looking for a bit of regicide on their Steam Deck could do far worse.

I can’t help but wish Byking and Bandai Namco added something more, something fresh to really help One’s Justice 2 stand out and truly be ‘Plus Ultra’.

Doraemon Story of Seasons is a competent farming sim with an enticing look that’s unfortunately hampered by snail-paced narrative elements and the wrong kind of tedium overwhelming its gameplay.

The Rumble Fish 2 isn’t the most groundbreaking port ever, but there’s still a solid fighting game on offer here.

Rain of Reflections: Chapter 1 is a competent point and click adventure with fun ideas and an interesting world.

Biomutant has a lot of issues that more lenient players might be willing to look past for its fantastic strengths, but the overall package is a tough sell.

The textbook definition of a rental game, Painkiller is a blast to play over a weekend, then never think about again.