While it lacks a strong first impression, Eternal Threads offers a fun and unique narrative puzzle solving experience.

Those who enjoy this type of mystery game may like it, but I can’t see many going back, or bringing in new blood with this one, especially when Bloodlines is still around.

Ultimately, Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters is a perfectly solid hybrid strategy and tactics game that puts the Space Marines in their element and makes them feel special again.

Line War introduces awesome and innovative ideas for real-time strategy gaming, though it’s bogged down by technical issues and not quite enough ambition.

RiffTrax: The Game proves how good a party game can be when just about everyone can play.

Kaiju Wars stomps its way onto the strategy scene with its brilliant sense of style, distinct setting, and tight tactical gameplay.

Though it maintains some serious design flaws carried over from its predecessors, Galactic Civilizations 4 is an epic grand strategy game on a truly galactic scale.

Small but perfectly formed, if you get any joy at all out of smashing things to smithereens, there’s hours of fun to be had with Teardown.

The Serpent Rogue is a unique and rewarding roguelite experience that puts the player fully in control of how they explore and purify its dreary, corrupted lands.

Demon Turf: Neon Splash is a bite-sized version of one of 2021’s best platformers, and while it’s not quite on the same level, it’s still great fun.

While Lumote’s puzzles can be head-scratchingly good, the two-tone color palette, repeated environments, and, at times, frustrating user interface hampers any satisfaction.

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.

Chinatown Detective Agency poses an interesting premise for a point and click adventure but ultimately falls flat on the execution of its core ideas.

For a game that showcases perhaps the most dynamic and wholesome athlete in generations, MLB The Show 22 ironically feels like the flattest and safest version of itself.

While still Borderlands at its core, Wonderlands stands on its own as a great entry that’s worth trying.

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.

Though far from perfect, Rune Factory 5 offers a ton of fun and varied gameplay options supported by a cast of colorful characters and satisfying progression that’s deceptively easy to get lost in.

Despite requiring the virtue of patience, Triangle Strategy is a great time. Grid-based battlefield lovers should definitely make a plan to play it.

Though not a flawless reinvention, WWE 2K22 is a monumentally large step in the right direction for the series.

While some off-track quirks diminish the experience somewhat, Gran Turismo 7’s excellent gameplay places it firmly ahead of most of the racing game genre.

While a lack of online modes may limit the game’s shelf life, the excellent faction variety and snappy pace give Hero’s Hour an undeniable charm.

While it doesn’t reinvent the open world or stray too far from its predecessor, Horizon Forbidden West is a worthwhile endeavor for those in the mood for more open world adventures, with surprising nuance and complexity for those who make the trip.

Shock connoisseurs may enjoy Martha Is Dead’s body horror and gore, but there is a lot of muck to wade through in the game's short playtime.

An uncompromising vision of wonder and terror, Elden Ring is the ultimate dark fantasy odyssey.

Dynasty Warriors 9 Empires has some promise, but it’s learned nothing from the past and possesses no soul.

Though it may show the design limitations of the franchise’s aging engine, Total War: Warhammer 3 is a solid conclusion to CA’s foray into fantasy.

King Of Fighters XV is the franchise’s biggest stage yet, and when the lights are on brightest, this game shines.

Kingdom of the Dead is a fast-paced horror FPS with a brilliant aesthetic and soundtrack. Though it lacks polish, this love letter to old school horror games proves to be a fun experience with some fun moments of hopeless terror.

Grapple Dog’s not a perfect platformer by any stretch of the imagination, but the core gameplay concept and visual design still manages to raise huge grins.

A potential GOTY contender already, Sifu is martial arts excellence that’ll challenge and delight in equal measure.

OlliOlli World stumbles here and there, with a steep difficulty curve and occasional technical hitches, but fans of skateboarding games will find plenty of combo-stringing complexity to enjoy.

Uncharted nails the cinematic adventure so well, and it’s great to see the two campaigns looking as crisp as they do on the screen.

Now more than ever, there’s a place for delightfully adorable games like Pupperazzi, and I’m glad to see more of it, especially if it involves cute huskies wearing party hats.

While there may not be much content on show, Windjammers 2 totally makes up for it with intense and unique gameplay that will have you asking "just one more match?".

Whalenought’s retro-inspired RPG attempts to do a lot with very little, resulting in a frustrating experience that hopes to be in the same pantheon as Fallout, but instead falls flat.

Despite having many of the same issues as its predecessor, Jurassic World Evolution 2 is still an enjoyable dino simulator that’s easy to jump into.

While the tactical gameplay authentically captures the Cold War battlefield, Combat Mission Cold War is stuck in the past under a mountain of frustration and tedium of its own design.

Sherlock Holmes Chapter One is one of Frogwares’ best games to date.

Moonglow Bay is a fun fishing/slice of life game with a charming story and rock-solid gameplay.

Demon Turf’s few flaws do little to detract from an excellent 3D platforming experience that’s worth checking out, whether you’re a casual player or potential speedrunner.

DUSK has found a fantastic home on the Switch, where its top-tier throwback FPS can bloom in all its bloody, wretched glory.

Guardians of the Galaxy is a spectacular, albeit lengthy adventure with enjoyable mechanics and a surprisingly deeper story than what is on the surface.

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.

Though uneven in its middle section, Inscryption is a clever and refreshing horror-adventure card game.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits grounds itself on relaxation, healing, and cuteness, getting us to reflect and meditate on the beauty in the world when there is darkness abound.

While there’s still some ramshackle charm and memorable silliness to be had, The Good Life takes every opportunity to sell itself short and make playing it a frustrating, repetitive, and user-antagonistic experience.

Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan is a fun and wholesome platformer-RPG with a charming aesthetic and engaging nonviolent gameplay for gamers of all ages.

JETT: The Far Shore has admirable ambition in its narrative that its mechanics can’t match. This planet might be a nice place for a visit, but you likely won’t want to live there.

Alan Wake Remastered mostly improves on an already excellent horror shooter experience, introducing a genre icon to a brand new audience.

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.

A fabulous collection of one of gaming’s most deceptively difficult games, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is pure, unadulterated fun.

Grand Tactician: Civil War 1861-65 is a solid historical wargame in its own right, but players will need to slog through a lot of mud and frustration to get to the meaty heart of the game.

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

While it's not perfect, Super Arcade Football is an entertaining way to enjoy the beautiful game.

Aragami 2’s persistent bugs, technical issues, and a lackluster presentation bog down what can otherwise be a fun and intricate stealth action game.

Simultaneously a throwback and a breath of something new, Eastward is a magic trick of blending familiarity with novelty and grim apocalyptic sci-fi with wide-eyed fantasy.

With its dedication to fantastic storytelling and some innovative tweaks to its gameplay, Lost Judgment is guilty of being a damn good game.

Despite its amusing concept and charming vibes, Skatebird can’t get far when it actually gets on the board.

Deathloop is an awesomely entertaining ride with stealth and puzzle elements that help make it feel like the big crazy sci-fi adventure it wants to be.

With its entertaining puzzles and wonderful soundtrack, TOEM is a super charming, short game that provides a relaxed yet still impactful experience.

Though Life is Strange: True Colors isn’t as action-heavy as previous games, its relaxed atmosphere, witty writing, and visual upgrades easily put it on par with the best of the franchise.

Dedicated fans of the genre will find exactly what they were looking for here. While its pacing doesn’t treat players’ time as well it could, Tales of Arise is an enjoyable, memorable action RPG.

While PS4 veterans might not get as much value from the re-release, Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut is a wonderful showcase for the PS5 and an incredible package for newcomers.

Monster Harvest is a simple but engaging farming sim with an interesting twist that makes a good first impression, but ultimately suffers from bugs and the weight of its own ambition.

Though there’s some technical issues, some more devastating than others, The Big Con is a heart-warming teenage road trip that’s worth playing.

Psychonauts 2 is a wildly creative, engaging, and thought-provoking masterpiece that bears the standard for all 3D platformers going forward.

Just like many of its undead characters, King’s Bounty 2 fails to revive a venerable franchise due to its lack of innovation, archaic design decisions, and grindy backtracking.

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.

Humankind is a refreshing and authentic take on the historical 4X strategy subgenre, albeit with some balancing problems that keep it from greatness.

FORECLOSED wants players to embrace its brightly colored future, but watch out for a little jank and some frustrating sections that may scare some people off.

Instead of ushering in a revolution for the strategy genre, Carrier Command 2 ends up feeling more like a prototype that needed extra time in development.

Fuga: Melodies of Steel is a deep strategy-focused JRPG with a dramatic wartime narrative that is sure to hook fans of the genre.

Samurai Warriors 5 is over the top in its action, beautifully painted in its presentation, and offers a surprisingly decent narrative. It may get grind heavy, but that doesn’t stop it from being the freshest Warriors game in years.

Even though a lack of polish and poor accessibility keeps it from greatness, HighFleet is still a gem of an indie strategy game.

F1 2021 manages to successfully include an engaging story mode while also making a series of improvements that keeps the racing game ahead of the pack.

A little Cris Tales before bed will make you feel like a kid again—a kind of time travel that most games only dream of.

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

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

Ditching the simulation-heavy gameplay of previous Olympic games is a smart move that creates a more enjoyable experience, especially in multiplayer, but there’s still a lack of lasting replay value.

While there are gameplay hiccups and under-utilized systems, Scarlet Nexus has enough exciting combat and brain-twisting story to find its audience, and deliver major fun for those who enjoy its acquired taste.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is a worthy remake of the 8-bit classic, modernising the game but keeping the same gameplay that made it a classic all those years ago.

Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is a fun action game to play with friends whose deep combat gets overshadowed by a clunky lock-on mechanic and untimely framerate drops.

While the multiplayer is where Red Solstice 2: Survivors shines, fundamental design clashes, lack of single-player focus, and poor information presentation make the game a highly inconsistent experience.

Chivalry 2’s approach to medieval combat is equal parts satisfying and silly, creating a raucous multiplayer experience that begs to be played with friends.

Though Intermission reuses assets from the base game, it offers enough new and exciting material to more than justify the price of admission for Final Fantasy fans.

This game has such a rich history and I sincerely wish this remaster reaches people who appreciate it or who never had access to it before – after buying it on sale, of course.

Umurangi Generation: Special Edition is a thrilling dive into a world on the brink of collapse, and a singular gaming experience that will stick with you long after you put it down, made only better by the included DLC and quality of life upgrades on the Switch.

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.

Though the mediocre UI makes the game needlessly intimidating, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground is an engaging tactics game that successfully mixes systems from multiple genres.

Stonefly is a game with big insects and a bigger heart. Despite some clunky aspects in its combat and some repetitive sections, the game’s visual style, relaxing exploration, and rewarding customization system make it a game worth crawling around in.

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

While Solasta: Crown of the Magister suffers from lackluster visual presentation, the tight gameplay and excellent dungeon editor make this a game that fans of the genre won’t want to miss.

Turning the usual “human hunts animal” expectation on its head, Maneater is much more than a simple shark simulator, and provides an fun open world RPG that you can really sink your teeth into.

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.

Subnautica: Below Zero makes you feel like arctic explorers as you traverse the icy climate of planet 4546B. If you are able to stick with it and continue to move forward to find ways to dive deeper, Below Zero has plenty of discoveries to uncover.

Once The Invisible Hand has you, it will take you to the moon. While there are a few nitpicks in the controls and the visuals can be a bit dull, this game is perfect for those looking for an out-of-the-box experience with a hardcore twist.

Those going in not caring that it might not feel exactly like Resident Evil or who understand that sometimes the cracks will show are going to have the most enjoyment from the game. Finish it, enjoy the Mercenaries mode, unlock bonuses, and play it again. That’s exactly what I’ll be doing.

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