Trials Rising is an enjoyable blend of adrenaline motorbike racing and physics-based puzzle-platforming. Although leveling up is a grind, there is plenty of content with numerous tracks to complete, challenges to achieve, and items to collect. Also, online multiplayer and custom-made tracks indefinitely increase the replay value. The Switch version’s shortcomings limit the potential, but the ability to play quick tracks on the go may be enough incentive for new racers to take on the game’s trials.

Nintendo needs to do something with this series to start making sure that it stays fresh. The core idea of a Mario platformer, side scrolling, on modern systems is perfectly sound, but they just came too many, too quickly. Lack of innovation might help tire us of a great idea, but even without being a new experience, there's still a lot to this game that entertains and offers a fun experience to anyone who tries it. The game may lack some innovation, but where it counts, in gameplay, it still delivers the experience you expect from a Mario game.

Oxenfree has its flaws, but the story will keep you engaged until the very end and the charismatic cast of characters, coupled with the visually stunning environments, makes this adventure worth playing.

The one and only thing in the game that hasn't changed is the fun factor, which thankfully is still alive and well.

It's fast paced, has beautiful visuals, and just a whole lot of fun.

Luckily though Grand Slam Tennis is a refreshing take on a sport that has been otherwise overlooked in past years and comes through with what I think is a rather solid first showing.

Anomaly: Warzone Earth is a tower defense game that may appeal to people who don't like tower defense.

RPGs so rarely explore gameplay approaches that don’t feature two-handed greatswords, grinding for better armor, and violence-filled encounters. There’s nothing wrong with any of that, of course, but happily there are games like Eastshade that provide satisfying and intriguing hours of exploration and story where the conclusion is not a battlefield littered with the dead. At the same time, Eastshade is not a one-note, feel-good game and there is emotional range in its story and characters. Some visual glitches and minor bugs aside, Eastshade is a worthy follow-up to the brief, proof-of-concept Leaving Lyndow.

Those who have played the game on 3DS won’t find as much new content, but they may appreciate the much improved graphics and two-player mode. There aren’t many exclusive features for those looking to triple-dip, but having everything in one substantial and gorgeous package is enough to warrant considering playing the best version of this hack-and-slash game.

Namco continues to improve the arcade racer with huge customization feature and decent online play.

For me, Abzu came off as beautiful, but empty. And while it certainly had parts I loved and would revisit, its entirety as a package was overall lacking.

The first episode debut of Before The Storm will make returning Life Is Strange players feel like they never left Arcadia Bay. The characters might be younger but all the familiar locations, tone, and controls are pretty familiar (except the camera controls of which I am not a fan because it’s too fluid for its own good). As a first episode, Awake performs its task of setting things up for the adventure ahead, one that I really curious to see its direction. The original game used time travel to create a story with all sorts of unpredictable twists, turns, and emotional trauma. It would have been nice if Deck Nine didn’t religiously follow DONTNOD’s design but all the same, I want to see what Chloe Price got up to during a moment in time she needed a best friend the most.

PGA Tour 2K21 is a great game of golf. There are things I’d still love to see improved like animation, replays, and further deepening of the career mode. But there are plenty of courses (with more to come), solid mechanics, insane amounts of customization including a massive course creation tool, and a foundation for a game and series that I for one am very excited for. There’s a lot to love in PGA Tour 2K21 and the good news is with real-life courses overcrowded due to COVID, there’s a great digital alternative in PGA Tour 2K21.

The fighting system isn’t bad, it seems perfectly balanced, I just didn’t particular care for the way the game moved. If the movement had been more fluid, I think I would have really liked this game a lot.

“Atlas Mugged” is a disappointing stumble to what started out as an amazing burst out of the gate and I’m left hoping the next episode can make the rebound.

Entertaining, engaging and enveloping; once Five Nights at Freddy’s clasps its paws around you, it will be hard to let go.

This will never be anyone’s favourite title, but it’s a riskless purchase for anyone who wishes that story-focused games had a little more gameplay to them.

Perhaps if it had taken a page from Gone Home and had been developed as a horror-themed exploration game sans enemies, then Outlast would have been more effective. Take away the tedious patrol route study and stealth conventions and Outlast could be the cause for many, many sleepless nights.

It is easy to appreciate the effort and creativity that went into this title, but it is probably one that you will want to tackle in thirty or sixty minute spurts.

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is easily one of the most immersive games I’ve ever played.

The sequel improves upon the original with some solid mini games, accurate motion detection and the nifty SpyToy feature.

2K Sports has done Top Spin 3 a great service with a lot of the improvements that the game has gotten.

Marvel vs. Capcom Origins is an acceptable package. While Iron Galaxy did a decent job updating these games in terms of visuals and online play, they couldn't change the basic gameplay. One of the games included in this package is fun to play and the other is pretty poor. It's not the worst HD remake you could buy, but there are just too many other ones to make this a must buy.

Mutant Mudds Super Challenge is a welcome return to Max’s sprite-based world of tight controls and inventive hover-based platforming. With 40 levels and 100 required collectible coins in each, the amount of playtime depends largely on players’ skills. Intentionally tough but fair, the level design tests even the most hardcore players, and cruel bosses may impede progress indefinitely.

Overall I enjoyed my time with Flywrench but wished there was a better process for learning what was right and wrong in terms of mechanics. It starts off so well with elements and mechanics being introduced slowly but surely. By the later stages I was sure I’d be ready for the challenge, and maybe someday I will be. But after a few too many deaths and dumb luck wins I felt put-off. There’s definitely a lot to like with Flywrench for fans of the insanely difficult, rapid-spawning games but for the more casual it will only offer a brief run through 170+ levels that will end in glorious victory, endless deaths, or sheer, dumb luck.

Impatient gamers looking for immediate gratification may have a struggle with Age of Wonders: Planetfall’s leisurely, semi-opaque early game and mildly vertiginous learning curve but the pace picks up and patience pays off as the game evolves into a challenging mixture of combat and civ-building. On console, in particular, there are relatively few 4x games of note and Planetfall is a welcome addition. For PC fans of the genre and the franchise, the sci-fi/fantasy setting is well-executed and strong enough to make the series feel new again.

If you love picross and are looking for a slightly different experience, Depixtion is a game you should consider. The twist on the picross formula gives avid players a new challenge, while being easy for newcomers to pick up. The amount of content and ability to play in handheld or docked mode make this game a no-brainer for picross fans.

If you enjoy survival horror games which rely on atmospheric and subtle visuals and audio cues instead of cheap jump-scares, you will definitely love Yomawari: Midnight Shadows. It's an extremely creative game with an adorable outlook and incredibly dark undertones. Prepare to forgive the repetitiveness later in the game, and I can assure that you will have one scary (and cute) survival horror experience.