DNF Duel offers fun and action-packed anime-style combat that's simple enough for new players to jump into without sacrificing too much depth that veterans love. Unfortunately, repetitive single player content with a lack of meaningful unlockables makes the game one that will only retain those who it charms with its flashy fighting.

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.

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.

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.

It may not have the same teeth or originality as the satirical film it’s based on, but Starship Troopers: Terran Command is still a whole lot of exciting bug-squashing fun.

Tarsier's most ambitious and grand horror-adventure yet is a thrilling, baffling ride that will have you fully invested — for as long as it lasts.

Technical and pacing issues aside, the writing of Night Call is what makes it such a fascinating and, at times, enthralling game. Sit back with a cup of coffee and become an unofficial therapist for a few hours with this dark descent into Paris.

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.

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.

Even if it’s one of the console’s better ports, the Nintendo Switch version really isn't the way to experience Wild Hunt.

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

Fight Crab is an impressively silly game with plenty of fun to offer that plays like a throwback to the Wild West days of the PlayStation 2.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered feels like the ultimate fan tribute to the series.

Refreshingly brainless and made with a lot of heart, Dead Island 2's repetitive quest design and disappointing conclusion don't stop it from being a whale of a time.

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.

Ghosts ‘n Goblins Resurrection is an updated take that keeps the good and the bad without losing its identity.

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.

Evil West isn’t the most complicated game ever made, but it doesn’t need to be, offering a good few hours of overpowered fun.

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.

It’s not perfect, and is slightly hobbled by a slightly imperfect port to the Switch, but it is an indie darling if ever I saw one, and it is one that’ll have a huge fan following.

Maid of Sker proves there's more to Wales Interactive than many might realise. Their tense horror shines a new light on Welsh folklore while also delivering fantastic audio design and a few effective scares, though it's not without a lobby full of flaws.

Though it has some problems with pacing and minor bugs, Little Hope is a brilliant Halloween pick thanks to its over the top narrative and gruesome deaths, making it hard to say no to another visit.

My Time At Portia is a great alternative to those farm and living games that are everywhere at the moment, but is just let down by bland presentation.

Crown Trick is slow to start and can’t always get out of its own way, but patience is rewarded by a brain-twisting action RPG with a killer look.

While the combat leaves something to be desired, particularly when it comes to variety, Hell Is Us’ exploration of the cycles of violence and combat carries the whole experience.

It’s cool to be the hero you were meant to become in a pretty world, but Black Desert is lacking in the meat of other classic MMOs and requires a hefty grind.

Although Beyond Blue might not stand out from a gameplay perspective, it hits all the right spots as a remarkable educational tool about the planet’s underwater world.

The Blackout Club is an often brilliant evolution of the co-op multiplayer experience that is weakened by the repetitive nature of its core gameplay along with a discouraging grind.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Hitching framerates and drab visuals take away from an otherwise decent hack and slash with a terrific atmosphere.

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.

The performance issues may hamper the immersion and fun in a world with a structure that only has so much to offer.

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

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.

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.

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

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

Sons of Ra is a tight and fast-paced competitive game with a neat setting and flavorful presentation, though does suffer from some balancing issues.

Way of the Hunter is a deep and immersive hunting sim with beautiful visuals that fans of the genre will love. Unfortunately, its slow-burn gameplay and pacing, combined with the precise shooting mechanics make this game hard to recommend for new players.

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

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

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

Astra Exodus is a fairly decent 4X strategy game with some interesting ideas and a surprisingly good tactical combat system, but it’s bogged down by a lack of polish and some technical issues.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

WWE 2K Battlegrounds isn’t a bad game, especially coming out in such a disappointing time, but it may have done better on the mobile market and won’t scratch the itch for every fan. With some tweaks, however, Battlegrounds could be seen as an entertaining, above mediocre distraction, with a goofy look, remembered as the less offensive alternative.

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.

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.

While minimal features and a noticeably short playtime offers an experience that is almost fleeting, its tragic story and heartfelt message leaves an everlasting impact.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Ultimately, ICBM is a tight and compact little game illustrating global nuclear war in a digestible manner.

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.

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

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

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.

Despite some flaws, Disintegration’s genre fusion presents a worthwhile alternative from your traditional FPS experiences.

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.

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

While Metal Wolf Chaos XD isn’t about to set the world on fire with its stellar graphics, revolutionary gameplay or thought provoking and hard hitting narrative, it does hold a place as unique and ridiculous piece of gaming history, and I’m glad the West has been given a chance to properly celebrate it.

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.

Conan Unconquered’s core mechanics are fun and playing with a friend can be a blast. I just wish there was more content.

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

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.

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.

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

While it has plenty of rough edges, Pieces Interactive's take on horror royalty is the best the series has been in decades.

A fun budget fighter that has its core mechanics in the right place but is currently missing a lot of content, Battle for the Grid is a good fighting game with the potential to become great.

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.

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.

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.

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

It is a rough diamond that is in need of some refining and shining, but still provides a good bullet hell experience.

If you haven’t played it yet, and have a few willing mates that’ll join you, Gang Beasts is worth checking out.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

The positives outway the cons in this indie title. A short and flawed yet satisfactory game, Path To Mnemosyne is recommended for anyone who is looking for a good brain teaser.

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

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

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.