All in all, World War Z is undoubtedly a ton of fun, especially if you have friends to play (and chat) with. If you're a fan of the Left 4 Dead games or Killing Floor, chances are very good you'll enjoy this game as well. If you aren't, I would recommend trying this game as a rental just to try it out before you dive in, as the entry price (for now) is rather high compared to similar games in the genre. And of course, remember to aim for the head.

While just about every ride or attraction in Classic Rides has some utility to park designers looking for that one, very specific element, overall this pack feels a little thin in comparison to some of Planet Coaster’s more robust DLC. Lack of new shops, scenery, or other design elements and the absence of any truly mind-blowing rides is a bit disappointing, but there is no doubt that Planet Coaster devotees and completionists will want to add these rides to their toolbox. Planet Coaster remains both hugely entertaining and addictive, and it’s hard to pass up even a modest addition to the game.

As it stands, Mortal Kombat 11 is violent and extremely brutal but at the same time insidiously sexy and suave. Its more grown-up take on matters enhances its cast’s appeal and that’s all the personal preference I need to keep up with often unfair gameplay.

BoxBoy! + BoxGirl! is a triumphant return for one of Nintendo’s underappreciated square-shaped heroes. The core campaign, albeit a solid iteration that newcomers will enjoy, plays a little too safely for BoxBoy! veterans. Thankfully, the new co-op and Qudy modes are the reinvigorating jolts this series needed, delivering clever and refreshing ideas to mix up the simple block-making formula. Hopefully, this Switch debut marks a bright future for the box family.

Hell is Other Demons is a satisfying little game that manages to provide a quick dose of adrenaline on the go. The bite-sized levels make the game easy to pick up and play. With the challenging bosses, great loadout system, and heavy emphasis on replayability, the game has a lot going for it. It’s a shame that the repetitive nature of the core gameplay made it hard to maintain genuine interest. Regardless, Hell is Other Demons is definitely worth picking up for its addictive progression system as well as its highly enjoyable combat.

All fine and dandy but still, I expected more. The main reason is that The Path Home is over too quickly. Most of the previous add-ons have been understandably short so that they don’t mess up the main campaign pacing too much as they take place during it. However, as a post-game content, The Path Home had no such burden. The scenery that Lara travels through is breathtaking but as it is, it’s visited all too briefly.

With a good company, God’s Trigger can still often feel more frustrating than fun but at least you have someone to share the experience instead of just slamming yourself.

Photorealistic graphics are great but there’s something really nice and comforting about the retro-inspired visual aesthetic. The portable nature of the Nintendo Switch is absolutely perfect for this kind of game. Like the title screen suggests, pull the Switch off the dock, pour yourself a drink, grab some salty pretzels, and make yourself comfortable.

Fortunately for me, I happened to be in just that frame of mind after playing through the amazing and absolutely brutal Cuphead. The last thing I wanted to do after that was play another stressful and nail-biting experience. So, HOB just so happened to scratch the opposite itch I was craving. Had I played it under a different mindset, it’s hard to tell what my reaction might have been. If you’re in that sort of mood, I think HOB might hit the spot. If not, well then, maybe HOB isn't the game for you. But if that is the case, I would encourage you to play it when you are feeling inquisitive.

It falls into the same traps that have plagued the genre for years. The game’s internal logic is hard to follow, the puzzles incorporate too much trial-and-error, and the plot is contrived and inconsistent. This is all combined with cheap-looking Flash visuals. The game isn’t a lost cause and its nostalgic playstyle may still appeal to the most hardcore graphic adventure fans. Otherwise, the crew of the Helmholtz Resonators are on to something: there are probably better things to do than solving the mystery of Woolley Mountain.

Anno 1800 is an incredible looking city builder that is packed with historical detail and graphical richness, supported by a complex and sometimes inscrutable collection of systems underneath the smokestacks and row houses. Getting everything just right is a challenge but playing in the Victorian-era sandbox is a lot of fun and the milieu is well represented in all areas of design and execution. Fans of city builders and economic sims will both find a lot to enjoy about Anno 1800, the best entry in the franchise so far.

Dick Wilde 2 is an interestingly bizarre game. It has a nice visual style, the music is catchy, and some of its elements are so bizarre that I want to love it. The problem is that the game is never more fun than it’s frustrating.

There’s also a ton of game here, with the main story missions at least leading well into 30-40 hours worth of content.

Sword & Fairy 6 felt like I had binge-watched 64 half an hour-long episodes of a Chinese fantasy drama TV series. Productions values may have been low and effects cheesy but the actors and actresses were beautiful and the story so gripping that I couldn’t stop myself.

Falcon Age is built on a great concept that doesn’t go very far. There isn’t enough meat on its bones to satiate an appetite for bird-based adventure gaming. VR is nonessential and if you really do want to play the game, I’d advise leaving the headset tucked away. I liked having the bird around as a partner and changing how it looks with a fun assortment of bandannas, hats, and toys. It’s also fun to watch it lift robots off the ground and giving me the opening needed to bash their heads in with my baton. The thrill wears out quickly, though, and the lack of depth made Ara’s home a place I struggled to care about. And that feels wrong.

Katana Zero is a short but sweet experience that captures the stylistic flair of Hotline Miami mixed with a cyberpunk theme, while making a name for itself with its polished gameplay but without feeling tedious or overstaying its welcome. It’s a title that left me satisfied, but not amazed. Despite a slight lack of challenge and nuance, the game provided a fun, fast-paced experience that kept me hooked from beginning to end.

Where The Bees Make Honey has some interesting ideas with presentation and puzzles. However, the persistent high level of frustration I felt with trying to navigate the majority of the adventure because of issues out of my control completely overshadowed any of the good stuff.

Fans of old-school, first-person dungeon crawlers will enjoy Vaporum for its homage to the older mechanics and restrictions that technical limits once placed on games. For the rest of us, Vaporum can feel like a cool concept and visual style straightjacketed by outmoded gameplay. Freed from the grid and with more standard camera and movement, Vaporum might seem more like a copycat game, but would be much more fun to play.

The featured gameplay is too samey and numbing to hold excitement through longer spells of playing. Even in shorter sessions, you can’t help but wonder if you’re just wasting your time. The thing is, everything in the game, from visuals to the gameplay, is definitely B-grade stuff - except for the price tag.

Outward is a game of disappointments and intriguing potential. While its dated-looking graphics and unsatisfying combat are off-putting, it stands alone as an RPG of particularly human scale. We may not need to be reminded that humans are frail and fragile creatures in a scary world, but Outward takes a conceptual chance and sees it through to the end.

Maybe due to its irreverent tone, Tropico has never been taken entirely seriously as a legit economic sim and city builder. That’s a shame, because puttering around the islands has always been both fun and satisfying. Tropico 6 pulls some mechanics from prior entries and introduces some new ones while giving fans of the franchise the best-looking, most feature-packed and entertaining installment to date.

The nostalgia is strong in Generation Zero, both in and outside, and Avalanche Studios has more or less successfully bet on it. It worked for me even though I know it won’t necessarily work for everyone. Still, if you’re looking for something that does considerably less than most of those shiny games out there but at the same time has more integrity while doing so, Generation Zero might just be up your alley, although it’s a true niche title if there ever was one. To sum the game up, it’s like an 80’s Volvo; boxy but good.

Despite the general low budget feel and repetitive gameplay, I enjoyed my time with Fate/Extella Link. The game provides a solid, streamlined experience worth playing for fans of the series, but beyond that, it’s hard to recommend. Though the game provides a slew of playable characters, there was little substantial variation between them. The shallow gameplay and subpar story leave much to be desired, but in the end, the game is still an enjoyable and satisfying hack and slash experience.

Unravel Two is a game with many layers. On the surface lies a cooperative puzzle-platformer about two adorable yarn creatures. Underneath are meaningful narratives about escaping to safety and working together to form a brighter future. Even deeper are bittersweet and heartfelt messages about companionship, love, and the ties that bind. Coldwood’s little game about two tiny Yarnies on a grand adventure has an astounding depth that is fun to unravel.

Warparty is clearly derivative, both of older RTS games and mechanics and unit types — zombies and dino-warriors — but there is enough entertainment value to make it worth exploring, especially for fans of the genre with a soft spot for the classics. On console, controls will frustrate but not enough to entirely kill the experience. The timeless quality of RTS games still comes through, and Warparty manages to catch at least a bit of that magic.

Operencia: The Stolen Sun should appeal to a range of gamers: fans of well made, turn-based RPGs and anyone looking for a budget title that hasn’t compromised graphics or mechanics will also appreciate it. The game doesn’t take a lot of chances but there is plenty of depth and replayability in its character leveling and crafting systems and while it may seem easy in the first few hours, combat difficulty increases and the puzzles become challenging as the game progresses.

Overwhelm takes the action platformer genre to extremes. Despite its borderline unfair camera, players willing to accept the challenge have quite a tense journey ahead of them. It’s a game that controls exceptionally well in order to incentivize skilled play, while leaving enemy placement up to random number generation resulting in a compromise between the two. Due to the more unforgiving aspects, Overwhelm certainly appeals to the very niche audience that values challenge above all else.

I really enjoyed the level design of all the main parts of the mission - the crypt, the village and the tomb – as they were refreshingly different from most of the sights and tombs featured in the previous add-ons and more importantly, put Lara’s traversal abilities to a real test. I also liked how the side mission took place post-game, giving a meaningful challenge to tackle when the main adventure has been seen through. One more DLC to go and Lara’s trip through Shadow of the Tomb Raider is over. I can only hope that Eidos Montreal has something extraordinary in store to finish off the Tomb Raider trilogy in style.