The Meta Quest 2 release of Iron Man VR shows that Camouflaj is expanding and enhancing the VR experience as the hardware capabilities improve. The game feels like what you would expect from an Iron Man experience and without all the wires to gum up the perceived reality it’s trying to deliver. The game works better, feels better, and looks better than its previous release. You shouldn’t pass it up.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake from developer Artdink and publisher Square Enix has set a new standard with how remakes of old RPGs are done. The release improves and tweaks elements of gameplay while maintaining the core structure that made the original release great. Add in a creative visual comprise between old and new school with a gorgeous soundtrack underneath, and you have yourself one of the better remakes in 2024.

Red Dead Redemption will always hold a special place in my heart and mind. To me, it was what storytelling could be for games. It also showed me that Westerns could be more than just what Dad watched. The PC Port is fine. It’s nothing special to groundbreaking to write home on. There isn’t any new story additions, but I do think it’s a great game to pick up if you want to roam what is left of the untamed west while you still can.

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered from developer and publisher Grasshopper Manufacture Inc. isn’t a remastered game that people might have been asking for, but it might be now after what it brings to the third-person shooter table. Ultimately, it’s a stupid fun action game driven by gore, a well-acted story, and a thick amount of creativity that looks better and acts better than it did back in 2011.

Metal Slug Tactics is refreshing, leaning into its roots as a charming 90s arcade title while reinventing itself as a tactical RPG. You needn’t be a Metal Slug fan to enjoy the amount of depth here – it’s a treat of highly engaging gameplay and a must-listen of a soundtrack. I want more from Leikir Studio and sincerely hope they make the UI more user-friendly to ease the learning process.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is the best Call of Duty in years. It doesn’t feel particularly brave or shocking to admit that fact. Each year the franchise excels in masterful gunplay and it is up to the individual developer to present something new for players to gobble up. Expect omnimovement to be incorporated into future installments to come, spread across all modes. But if Black Ops 6 is any indication of the heights Call of Duty can achieve when true work and creativity are injected into the campaign, then this is a bright future for the long-running behemoth.

Decline’s Drops is a heavily stylized indie experience that takes standard platforming mechanics and combines it with its own unique vision. The atmosphere of this game is meticulously crafted to tell a melancholy story about environmentalism. If you’re a fan of platformers, I would recommend checking out Decline’s Drops, though be warned about potential frustration at the hands of imprecise controls. Overall, Decline’s Drops is a good game that can become truly great with a little more gameplay tweaking.

Shin Chan: Shiro and the Coal Town from developer h.a.n.d., Inc. and publisher Neos Corporation, is a wonderful introduction to open-world games for a younger gaming audience. It features beautifully drawn animation, fantastic environments, deep gameplay, and plenty of exploration to keep players engaged and locked in.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered from developers Guerilla Games and Nixxes is a worthy update from the 2017 game. The update brings many visual enhancements, improves environments, and creates better character interactions. It brings a great game up to PlayStation 5 standards and helps bridge the gap between the original and the sequel.

Fear the Spotlight from developer Cozy Game Pals and publisher Blumhouse Games is a frightfully fun romp that balances out puzzles and stealth inside of a horror experience. While it won’t redefine the horror genre in gaming with its narrative, it still delivers enough to be entertaining and scary.

Squirrel with a Gun is charming and a nutty idea at first glance. It’s better enjoyed in small bursts as to keep its small supply of silliness enjoyed to the fullest extent. If you’ve ever wanted to go nuts being a squirrel with a large arsenal of guns, this is the simulation for you.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure brings back Max Caulfield for a new adventure, allowing Deck Nine to incorporate everything they’ve learned from the series so far. It captures the raw emotion of True Colors and the intriguing mystery of Max’s inaugural journey. But even with new powers, the emotional stakes are the same as ever for Max and the player as Double Exposure proves life can always get stranger.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard certainly closes a chapter for Dragon Age as a whole. But one can’t help but look more brightly at the future, one where Bioware has seemingly broke a curse it has been shackled with for years. As labyrinthine as a task it would have seemed, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a promise to fans that BioWare is one of the best storytellers in the medium, one capable of bombastic gameplay and enthralling narratives that linger for years.

Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven is an amazing remake from developer and publisher Square Enix. It takes an already beautiful classic and properly retools it with a modern look and gameplay backbone. While not everything is perfect, it still maintains its charm and the structure that made it memorable back in the day.

El Paso, Elsewhere is an audacious game that, while not afraid to borrow inspiration, plays with expectations. At its beating heart is a brisk, fun shooter. But that core is supplemented by an incredibly powerful narrative both expertly acted and expertly written, allowing all the action to be drenched with meaning. Style and substance don’t have to clash or supplant each other and in the case of El Paso, Elsewhere, it’s rife with both.

To say that Yakuza Kiwami is a great Nintendo Switch game is an understatement. It’s a fantastic port of an existing remaster that serves as one of the best entry points in the Yakuza series. It might have less to “do,” but that’s more of a reason for SEGA to port the rest of the Yakuza games for Nintendo players in the future. Hopefully (and I sincerely mean this), Ryu Ga Gotoku brings more of its library to Switch owners…preferably at the same quality as Yakuza Kiwami.

Sonic X Shadow Generations makes Sonic look better than ever before thanks to its graphical makeover and additional playable campaign featuring the one, and only, Shadow the Hedgehog. With the spotlight on Shadow, players can now play as him in all of his glory while being treated to cinematic sequences that, quite frankly, look cool as hell.

Unknown 9: Awakening from developer Reflector Entertainment and publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment is a game more about what could have been rather than what turned out to be. With a better story that builds out the world, its characters, and more interesting enemies, the game would have been more of what it intended. It had the makings of a good fantasy/sci-fi action adventure but just didn’t make it there.

While not all the games featured in Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster are gold, what you do get is some love and care shown to some classic titles, a completely retooled UI and soundtrack, and all while leaving the core gameplay untouched.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero from developer Spike Chunsoft and publisher Bandai Namco is a wonderful fighting experience. It has all the bells and whistles, including a massive number of characters from the series and different ways you can customize and shape them. The imbalanced fighting might be tough for some players to overcome to enjoy the experience.

While the power of a PC environment can never be trumped by a console, and that’s where console games are born, so it should be the apex technology leader in gaming, the console version of New World: Aeternum works very well. The controller layout is easy to use, the graphics are premium, though some enemies are very blah when it comes to detailed character modeling, and everything you would expect from the PC version is here. Having the ability to easily communicate due to PSN and easily grouping with friends will be a treat on console...The game works solidly on the PlayStation and it’s a game I will revisit multiple times before I’m done with it or before a new expansion is released.

Neva is both touching meditation and thrilling adventure. Undoubtedly a work of art exemplified by the sheer artistry on display with its painterly world and brilliant use of color. While captivating and stunning purely from a visual perspective, Nomada uses elegant platforming to craft equally intriguing displays of puzzle solving and spectacle. Trapped in a picture frame, a tale of loss, growth, and rebirth such as this would be hard to parse yet remain poignant and interpretive but Neva captures this depth in stunning movement, a true masterpiece.

Duck Paradox is a unique gem, featuring an adorable charm and highly replayable loop that feels like an old-school platformer more than a modern roguelike. Steep bullet hell difficulty aside, it deserves more content to keep players saving the day with an ever-growing waddling of ducks alongside of Dr. Paraducks!

Phoenix Springs is not a transformative point-and-click adventure game. While it offers a unique “inventory” mechanic, its ebb and flow are still dictated by the whims of the player’s propensity for thinking outside literal and figurative boxes and a developer who crafts the solutions within. Though it may frustrate those who approach it casually, a stellar visual palette may offer enough enticement to look up solutions online as a lubricant towards progressing the narrative. Deep within its recesses, Phoenix Springs is beautiful and perplexing but to many it will always be a mystery.

Atari 50 – The Wider World of Atari from developer Digital Eclipse adds to the overall Atari 50 historical package but doesn’t bring the strongest line-up of history or games seen in the original release.

Throne and Liberty from developer NCSOFT and publisher Amazon Games is starting on the right note. The game offers a bevy of content, a fun and complicated backend, and enough motivation to keep exploring and grinding its lands. It does need better direction and connection with quests, as well as balanced PvP. As it stands, the start is good, and the future looks like it could be better.

Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns adds a good amount of kontent for MK1. Price concerns aside, the additions of Sektor, Cyrax, and Noob Saibot should be seen as a blessing for MK fans. It remains to be seen about the future of MK1’s story and the rest of the Guest Fighters coming soon, but this is a good step in the right direction for a larger-form kontent in year 2 of MK1.

NHL 25 is a good game. Don’t get me wrong. The work and progress that the team has put into this year’s release shows itself. There have been a lot of quality-of-life improvements to the in-game product that make me feel good. To me, this feels like the first time this has been as close to real as possible. There are a few things that feel out of place, but overall the improvements are there. However, I just don’t know if this is enough of a step or leap forward to justify it for the average NHL fan or game player.

Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines is no exception to Medallion Games’ track record of fun retro platforming but with a modern engine and clear design. Swinging and gaining momentum takes a smidge to get used to (just like the previous title, for what it’s worth), but Grapple Dogs is forgiving enough to let the player fail gracefully and improve their platforming mastery bit by bit.

Final Fantasy XVI from Square Enix is a marvelous experience that brings strong characters, a passionate and fiery revenge-driven story, and simplistic action that is just as easy to pick up and go. It’s one of the best Final Fantasy games in the series, and certainly a solid option for PC gamers.

God of War: Ragnarök from Santa Monica Studio and Sony Interactive Entertainment is a beast on the PC. It brings the same big adventure while sporting some of the most gorgeous graphics the game has shown to date.

This is all to say that the overall direction of Keylocker as a JRPG is top notch. It contains beautiful pixel art, excellent soundtrack, thorough worldbuilding, and difficult gameplay. It’s only held back by a lack of optimization of its Switch port.

The Plucky Squire is absolutely a rewarding journey for players wanting a diverse, creative experience that celebrates the interactive medium. While its gameplay and puzzles never border on too difficult or complex, its implementation of so many unique elements are striking in both consistency and variety. Be drawn in by its stunning artistry and stay for the incredible adventure.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by Demon’s Mirror. Whether you’re a hardcore deck-builder fan, or just a casual gamer looking for a fun experience, this game will not disappoint. The combat mechanics are immensely diverse and one could easily sink hours upon hours replaying runs. The game also comes with masterful art direction that is just clean and beautiful all around. Demon’s Mirror is a bit short, but it never overextends itself, which ultimately leaves the player wanting more. Be-Rad Entertainment has done a great job with this game and has certainly set itself up to expand upon it.

Marvel versus Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is a superb release from Capcom. It has all the 90s Marvel/Capcom arcade classics, a decent Punisher game, and some goodies that were only featured in Japan (mainly Norimaro). The collection will please any gamer who enjoys classic fighters. The younger crowd may not love it, as fighting games have become more complicated and competitive, something not as prevalent in these, but it’s a great way to revisit some classics for those who enjoy doing so.

NBA 2K25 from developer Visual Concepts and publisher 2K has a lot of intriguing and fun modes it offers from MyCareer to MyTeam, and MyGM, if you love that sort of control. It seems to have a nice spread of goods that caters to almost every basketball interest out there. Sadly, its need to stay online for single-player experiences and its need for smoother less animation-locked gameplay mechanics hurts the experience considerably.

Wild Bastards’ bite-sized first-person shooter showdowns were a treat, especially when I was able to put together pairs of characters who complemented each other and made for something more than a simple shootout. A traditional shooter it is not, but its original gameplay loop and striking visuals make it a helluva good time.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection from Capcom is another wonderful entry in the Ace Attorney family. It brings a new style of gameplay, two great games, and the same amount of traditional difficulty that the series hangs its hat on.

Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions from developer Unbroken Studios finally brings a decent version of Quidditch to the video gaming world. While the controls are going to certainly frustrate some, especially when mixed with the chaotic Quidditch gameplay, the game does a decent job of bringing some good modes and reasons to keep playing. This is very much a vanilla beginning and hopefully, that can be improved in the coming months.

Star Trucker from developer Monster & Monster and publisher Raw Fury is a solid game and a fun concept. It does enough to keep you in a space truck’s cockpit with its skills tree, challenging hauls, and push to keep exploring space and its vastness. It certainly has some fixable shortcomings but has more positive than negative.

There’s no reason not to complete Episode Aigis with how much ATLUS has made this post-game episode easier to complete than ever before. Getting to the end of Episode Aigis and seeing Persona 3 Reload’s characters’ ending in a somber, yet bittersweet, fashion is a perfect way to step away from the glory that is Persona 3 Reload that has made 2024 a fantastic year for Persona fans. It bears repeating: Episode Aigis is a JRPG post-game done right; it’s so right that it’s worth returning to Persona 3 Reload if only to see the ending.

Astro Bot from developer Team Asobi and Sony Interactive Entertainment is a wonderful entry into Astro’s bigger adventure possibilities. The game features creative levels, plenty of personality and positivity, and several reasons to replay it once the main adventure has concluded. While it could have a bit more variety with its common enemies, the bosses, and uniquely built levels deliver more entertainment and joyful meta than should legally be allowed. This is a great big beginning for what should be a long-lasting Sony mascot.

Concord is an incredibly distinct PvP shooter in an incredibly busy space. Tight, polished gameplay drives its diverse cast along a number of memorable maps. Distinctly old-school in its execution, it is multiplayer game stripped of annoyance and packed with fun.

Gundam Breaker 4 from developer Crafts & Meister has more depth in its customization than with story and entertainment. While the latter won’t grab you and keep you in the gaming experience, the former will certainly have you hooked on how far you can take your Gunpla’s design and customization. Gundam fans and mech model enthusiasts will adore this title more than gamers dying for a rich and full gaming experience based on the Gundam brand.

Ninza has quite a bit going for it, most being positive. Its take on combat is refreshing, albeit requiring some mental burdens in relearning PvP that requires solely utilizing the environment to smoosh an enemy into smithereens. While I might have some reservations over how its cast of characters are implemented in-game, the UI, and its future content, one thing is clear: Ninza is quite the fun and addicting platform battler.

Underneath its charming exterior, WitchSpring R is a JRPG…it’s just not evident of that classification until the 20th hour. At that point, it doesn’t matter what genre it is, only that it keeps you fully engaged. From the lack of necessary grinding, hidden depth within its crafting system, and piecemeal sidequests, there’s quite a bit of unique things to do in WitchSpring R on Pieberry’s quest for pie. Thankfully, that charm persists until the very end.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into the Pit from Mega Cat Studios is a brilliant entry into the FNAF world. It’s a different take that offers a more cohesive story, true terror, and a bevy of gameplay elements that work well within the world built for them.

Star Wars Outlaws is definitely the kind of treasure that would be coveted by the seedy underbelly of the most notorious in a galaxy far, far away. By placing its narrative in a familiar timeline but making it distinct from much of the tired Skywalker saga, Massive Entertainment has created a rich Star Wars property with plenty of room to build off of. Vibrant worlds full of opportunity, choice-based story beats, and key action setpieces will keep players engaged throughout and hopefully find a new scoundrel to admire with Kay Vess.

Like Aeternum Game Studios’ prior work, Eden Genesis made me feel like I was a master of platforming – at least once I had spent enough time in each level patiently trying, trying, and trying again to get that S rank. Its platforming-meets-metroidvania is unique, but I just wish that there was greater effort made into giving each biome a unique set of mechanics to distract from the steep difficulty curve.

Guayota contains a great deal of difficulty and tested my patience quite well. I loved how it implemented puzzles in a way that isolated puzzles on a per-dungeon basis. However, I wanted a bigger payoff from completing its more difficult-levels, and I wanted the light version of the levels to have something to ease the difficulty. That said, Guayota was a great test of my logic and reasoning skills in the few hours I spent in-game. I loved the aesthetic, design, and general level construction, so it’s worth playing if you’re interested in an indie gem with unique puzzles for an afternoon playthrough.

SNK vs. Capcom – SvC Chaos from developer Code Mystics is an SNK-slanted fighting affair that shows off more of SNK’s flavor than it does Capcom’s. If you can accept those terms, then you’re in for a brutal fighting game that doesn’t pull its punches, nor does it apologize for how many times it takes you down, but it does create some good challenges. This is the SNK way and it works more than it doesn’t.

Cat Quest III from developer The Gentlebros is perfection. It’s a fun and fast game that has a complicated backend to keep the gameplay interesting. Its mixture of gameplay elements, from ships to dungeons, keeps it engaging and fun throughout the entire experience.

If I could go back, even for a moment, to the mid-90s era of coin-operated arcades, I would seek the closest facsimile to Nosebleed Interactive’s arcade that is so perfectly constructed within Arcade Paradise VR. Until a time machine becomes available, I’ll settle for putting on my PSVR2 and playing some familiar arcade titles that translate pretty darn well in the VR space, Sense controllers and all.

Pepper Grinder‘s unique drilling mechanic and sheer variety of levels do well to distract from its paper-thin length. Players looking for a different type of platformer that is one-and-done outside of crunching for better times should enjoy this brisk grind.

Midnight Munchies have done something incredibly novel with ONE BTN BOSSES. They’ve merged bullet hell gameplay loops with a striking visual aesthetic to create a highly replayable arcade game that, yes, only needs one button. While I personally want more bullet hell bosses and a deeper roguelike mode, there’s enough in this delightful package to hold me over for hours to come.

Simpler Times from developer stoneskip. is a short narrative with simple interactive moments holding up a melancholy adventure. The value of the game comes with the translated experience where the gameplay can mean different things to different gamers with varying perspectives from where they might be in their life. Its interpretive structure makes the gameplay and story far more meaningful than the minutes it takes to complete it all.

SteamWorld Heist II from developer Thunderful Development is one of the deeper gaming experiences I have run across in 2024. It contains a hefty amount of strategy in its gameplay while offering up a bigger and richer variety in its exploration and gameplay options. It can be restrictive at times with its gameplay progression but not enough to run the experience.

Mars 2120 has the core of an entertaining, satisfying Metroidvania. Players obsessed with the genre will be able to encounter a number of exciting fights and setpieces that test all their upgrades and exploration chops. And while it doesn’t mind borrowing heavily from genre’s progenitor, a bit more polish is needed before it can come close to capturing those highs.

Kitsune Tails is a charming 2D-platformer that I just adored playing. While it may have been more difficult than I had initially envisioned, completing the game to the end was worth it, if only to see Yuzu and her friends’ stories come to a close in a heartfelt way. Kitsune Games and MidBoss have given players a wealth of tools to create some cool levels and minigames, and I cannot wait to see what players create!

Minds Beneath Us relies on confusion – a hell of a lot of good confusion – to get the player invested in its dystopian reality. Illusion of meaningful choices aside, it tells a compelling sci-fi tale of corporations gone awry and hits the sweet spot of good sci-fi philosophy that fans may be wanting in 2024. It’s gorgeous, too.

Deadlink is a thrilling, kinetic blend of two genres that are rarely harmonized. Random runs are not drastically hindered by the usually roguelite trappings, instead identifying that player skill should be the de facto method of progression. The raw momentum of zipping through Deadlink‘s many areas is immensely satisfying but the reward of new upgrades to tackles increasingly brutal modes rockets the game past any potential doldrums, having players beg for that one more run.

Kingdom Rush 5: Alliance from developer Ironhide Game Studio is the best in the series. It has beautiful gameplay balance, adequate amounts of grind thanks to its challenging difficulty, and gives a bevy of reasons to replay it multiple times.

Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus from developer Squid Shock Studios is a beautiful game that features all the right magical moves to make this a challenging precision platformer but stumbles badly with imprecise controls that make what would be a good experience frustrating.

Dystopika is the epitome of chilling and building a cyberpunk city of my own design. The lack of stakes, instructions, and guidance instills an experience of simply doing and being rewarded for creative designs rather than carbon-copy cities that look and function alike. If you’re in the market for a relaxing citybuilder to play in your downtime, look no further.

Flock from developer Hollow Ponds is a unique, relaxing, and fun adventure that doesn’t require too much effort to enjoy. The game is slanted towards discovery and environmental positivity through simplistic controls that allow the player to focus on finding and identifying animals while traversing a large landscape. The only bump in the road is the occasional feeling of a lack of content.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate incorporates traditional roguelike gameplay in way that should familiar for most roguelike players. It just does so in a convoluted fashion. While I appreciate its attempts to fully immerse players in the world of TMNT, the story beats needed to be more frequent and fully realized to hit the emotional highs and lows associated with the series’ deep universe. Its couch co-op should be praised, however, as this is best played with friends.

Kinitsu-Gami: Path of The Goddess yet again shows a Capcom willing to take risks. Who would of thought a niche hybrid of action, strategy, and tower defense would translate into a Japanese mold like this? While the game suffers from familiar genre tropes like a sluggish pace and busy menus, players won’t deny the clever, tense implementation of building an impeccable line of defense. From fighting dinosaurs from the future to dancing away evil spirits, I’m excited to see what new experiment Capcom brings us next.

Great googly moogly, SCHiM is a beautiful feat of a 3D-platformer with puzzle elements. Its most charming and emotional moments will sneak up on you, so enjoy every single second of this cozy tale of a little shadow that could.

Gestalt: Steam & Cinder is a good metroidvania for those wanting a middle-of-the-road metroidvania. Its steampunk aesthetic makes for a gorgeous and audibly delightful tale, its combat is as fluid as it they come, but my biggest concern is that it doesn’t take a big swing in innovation or set itself apart from other metroidvanias in a big way.

Stray Gods – Orpheus from developer Summerfall Studios falls short of the original game Stray Gods. The DLC is a shorter game that contains a more compact and less meaningful narrative, while still featuring great music and wonderful gameplay elements like the original release. If you accept those terms, you might like Stray Gods – Orpheus.

While it may have kicked my ass to kingdom come, Anger Foot is a creative approach to a chaotically simple FPS that’s light on the shooting and heavy on the kicking. Despite the simplicity of its controls, it is a refreshing take on an FPS that encourages players to do something other than mindlessly shoot enemies. I cannot wait to see what else Free Lives and Devolver cook up.

Neon White from developer Angel Matrix and publisher Annapurna Interactive is a unique and fluid speed-running shooter that uses gameplay elements methodically to create a game filled with strategy and fun.

The Tribe Must Survive from developer Walking Tree Games GmbH is a fun survival game that is difficult as it is addictive.

Spin Rhythm XD offers a sublime VR rhythm game experience thanks to its natural-feeling controls and stellar-EDM soundtrack. It’s nothing like any rhythm game I’ve played in the past, and I’m fully on-board with Super Spin Digital’s approach to creating a rhythm game that puts the player firmly at the center of the soundstage. It’s the easiest recommendation I can make for any PSVR 2 player wanting a rhythm game that feels and sounds excellent. Now if you will excuse me, I’m off to put my PSVR 2 back on my noggin and get lost in the music.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble from Sega is a good game that brings more of the same Monkey Ball fun with its single-player experience, but switches it up in a fun way with its online gameplay modes. It’s a solid party game that needs more baking on the server side but delivers when it counts.

TSUKIHIME – A piece of blue glass moon from developer Type-Moon is a stunning game that weaves a deep and terrifying tale reinforced by strong main characters and good narrative flow.

#BLUD from developer Exit 73 Studios is a gorgeous game that contains a familiar and goofy 80s/90s horror movie narrative theme but falls short in handing the gameplay control completely over to the player. The boss fights and selfie moments do make up for some of its shortfalls and also help to keep #BLUD more entertaining than not.

Noreya: The Gold Project is a very pretty 2D platformer that attempts to instill agency and creativity wrapped in a nice, neat metroidvania package. Whether it does so or not is up for debate, but one thing is certain: The puzzles and platforming are quite enjoyable.

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is absolutely worth the cost of its significantly difficult entry point. When exploring the vast reaches of the Shadow Realm, it is impossible to deny how FromSoftware managed to capitalize on Elden Ring‘s immense thrill of discovery and challenge. Shadow of the Erdtree is a full expansion of the masterful vision that represents the culmination of the developer’s work, one that raises the standard even higher, one that feels unimaginable to best. But if there’s studio that can do it, it’s the one who made Elden Ring.

In any other universe, I would balk at Nine Sols’ difficulty. Yet, I gave it a chance, and it more than rewarded me for giving it a moment of my time. Over 20 hours later, I came out of it bruised, battered, and wanting more Taopunk goodness.

V Rising possesses a surprising blend of genres that weave together to incorporate a kind of “vampire simulation” no other game has accomplished. Survival, crafting, and ARPGs may not be the most obvious harmony at first blush but the deeper players go, the more rewards will be reaped. Staring from the balcony of my castle crafted from harvesting the blood of my foes and the innocent, I could not help but give a fanged smile at this satisfying, gothic fantasy.

For diehards or even the new/casual fans of Formula 1, ‘EA Sports F1 ’24’ is a good installment of the franchise and worth your time behind the wheel.

Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut on the PC is a top-tier gaming experience. It brings everything that the console has to offer and then turns the entire visual experience up to 11.

Indika unquestionably defies definition. A swirl of impactful narrative and visual decisions are meant to resonate with the player longer than they linger on screen. It may be offbeat to a fault but this brief journey is uncompromising in vision.

The Detective Reaper Invites is an interesting game of logic and deduction. While it doesn’t go as deep as it could, there’s enough to give players a taste of deductive gameplay that will surely test one’s reasoning skills.

Killer Klowns From Outer Space: The Game excels in its uncomplicated experiment with asymmetrical multiplayer. Rather than bog players down in multiple systems, IllFonic and Teravision choose kinetic gameplay that always has players doing something. Such a stripped-down experience is made memorable by the campy nature of the film, quick matches, and fast leveling. Of course, the circus elephant in the room is how welcome the community will be towards embracing a game that leans more into thrills and less into horror. Will the Killer Klowns wrap us up in its sugary embrace or scare us away?

Zet Zillions from developer OTA IMON Studios is an addictive roguelike deckbuilder that doesn’t quite reach the likes of Balatro but certainly proves its worth in replayability and thick strategy. While it isn’t completely perfect in some elements of its design, it’s still one of the better games of this genre that I’ve played in 2024.

Hauntii is absolutely one of a kind, despite the familiarity players may latch on to. Moonloop Games creates a title focused on exploration that is visually riveting and packed with attention to detail. Incorporating puzzles both obtuse and clever, frustration and satisfaction may go hand in hand. But enough narrative heft and creative depth mean Hauntii is no mere specter that will fade into memory.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II from developer Ninja Theory and publisher Xbox Game Studios proves there is more story to tell from Senua’s journey, and that the story is still centric to the game. The sequel extends and expands Senua’s character, opens her world to more possibilities, and maintains its quest to replicate and address mental health issues and disorders caused by trauma. The gameplay mechanics and action are still essentially the same as the first title, although those elements appear to be far smoother in their execution and less of a drag to the story.

Braid, Anniversary Edition is an essential product for fans of Jonathan Blow’s significant indie game. More importantly, it is a crucial reference point for anyone wishing to learn more about game development. Braid, as an experience, is only enhanced due to the updated visuals, animations, and sounds. What remains is still a game that time has been kind to, one that serves as an essential point in how we consume the medium today.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes from developer Simogo and publisher Annapurna Interactive is a strange and wonderous new direction for Simogo’s post-Sayonara Wild Hearts success. It’s a beautiful mixture of thick narrative and difficult puzzles that ask a lot of the player but deliver an equal amount by the end. Some players may get frustrated by the beginning of the game as it gives you little direction on what you should be doing, but once they’re on the progression rails, the game rolls and gets better.

I don’t consider Athenian Rhapsody to be anything like Undertale despite some of its similarities. It’s very well written, often getting me to audibly laugh because of its absurdist humor that surprised me time after time. I truly appreciated having agency to play as I liked in this RPG and the novelty of the Rhapsody system is enough for me to be excited about seeing other players play through to the end. While I have some reservations about the way the story has been constructed and the implementation of the Rhapsody system, there’s enough for players to enjoy if they are interested in a truly silly RPG.

Other than the roguelite gameplay levers that are more punishing and artificially slow in gating variance for the player, ROBOBEAT is a fun rhythm mashup. I highly recommend it for those wanting to show off their FPS and parkour skills while shooting along to the beat of an incredible soundtrack.

Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs from Amber Studio and Bandai Namco Entertainment is light on the competitive entertainment that the game seemingly promises. While it does have spurts of fun and some solid customization options, it just doesn’t create enough competitive motivation to keep the game engaging or interesting.

Crow Country is the perfect kind of nostalgic trip, one that doesn’t bait players along in hopes of being more of the same thing they remembered. The best games of its type work to wedge themselves into the library of classics they were inspired by. Crow Country looks, sounds, and plays similar to old 32- and 64-bit games because it is, not because it wants to be.

SaGa Emerald Beyond all comes together in a strange swirl of complex mechanics that justify progressing through a weird story that is by no means approachable. It truly is a shame that the game feels so dated and limited by its visuals and presentation. By no means is this a mainstream RPG. Will it make you curious about other SaGa entries? Perhaps. But those looking for a satisfying turn-based system unlike its peers will have enough to chew on.

TopSpin 2K25 from Hangar 13 and 2K is a superb tennis game that looks and feels like you would expect tennis to feel, even down to the frustration and learning curve. It certainly is made for hardcore tennis fans but has enough space for those looking to dip into the series for the first time.

If Annapurna Interactive was to make their version of Pokemon Snap, it would be Umurangi Generation. Somehow, someway, Umurangi Generation VR gamifies photography in a way that makes it less of a chore and more of an emotional experience. Once you get past the jitters of the VR platforming, you’ll experience something more than just taking photos. You’ll be reminded of the joy photography instills – all thanks to virtual reality.