Dune: Awakening, from developer and publisher Funcom, presents a massive world that feels and acts like what you would expect from a journey to Arrakis. The gameplay is led by extensive crafting, action, and exploration. While the controls can get finicky at times, as well as the slow pace of gameplay, especially at the beginning, the game represents everything that Dune fans will appreciate.

In the moments that I played and experienced Gris I believed it was the most dazzling and elegant game I had ever seen. It was the most I’ve been in to a game in the current calendar year. Astonishment is temporary and hyperbole rationally fades into coherence, but I hope the strength and singularity of Gris stays with me forever.

I loved Star of Providence to the point of having trouble putting it down because of its fast-paced shmup gameplay, punishing bullet hell patterns, and replayability. Defeating its astoundingly difficult boss battles is satisfying and encourages the player to improve mechanically and thoughtfully. If you make it to the Hard mode, you’ll be treated to bullet patterns that will test your dexterity like few others have done before.

Bit.Trip Presents...Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien is the best of several worlds. It's a both a Platformer that prefers pure reaction over trial and error memorization and a Runner reaching for complexity beyond a simple endless marathon.

Overall, this is the best version of Hitman you can get, as it is the complete version. This is especially nice, if you don’t own any of the prior content.

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.

The branching storylines and miles-deep character and world customization are soul food for players yearning for experiences similar to 90’s cRPGs like Baldur’s Gate or Icewind Dale. Obsidian Entertainment is a master of this craft, knowing that the best way to draw in players are vivid worlds unlike any other and unforgettable stories. Console players shouldn’t be intimidated by a game with its roots in anything but a controller. Menus, combat, and controls are surprisingly easy to navigate and the game runs incredibly well. Having all the updated content only further adds to the value of an already valuable package. If you’re willing to wade in these salty waters, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Ultimate Edition is worth its weight in gold.

Overall, the gameplay of TSIOQUE is a layer of entertaining complication. It offers up a little bit of new and a little bit of old and sprinkles it with a helluva protagonist that is fun to play. It doesn’t necessarily redefine the point and click genre, but it shows that there is more to it than you might remember. The gameplay is simply a methodically well put together masterpiece that will certainly make you wish for those LucasArts days when they ruled the roost in this genre.

This game was so much fun to play. Something about being scared and literally running for your life makes for such a good game. With plot twists along the way that keep the story fresh there is no lack of entertainment within the game. Red Barrels really knows how to get under your skin. Play the game, you will understand. The dark undertones of the game set up the story throughout and constantly make you think wtf, yet you still want more. Buy Outlast 2, be scared, you won’t be disappointed.

If you have yet to play Deadly Premonition, the Director's Cut is the way to go. And go you should, as this is an excellent game that should not be missed.

With the Mr. X Nightmare DLC, SOR4 feels fresh all over again. The new characters, moves, and weapons make replaying through the campaign with friends a treat, and the Survival Mode offers an intense barrage of enemies to beat with interesting gameplay elements. At just $8, it’s easy to recommend the DLC, but if you’re a fan of physical media, there is a fresh re-release of the game that includes the DLC on the medium, too. Regardless, Streets of Rage 4 is not to be missed, and this DLC is worth adding to an already stellar game.

What I appreciate the most about the Legacy Collections is that they take a renowned series, now thirty-plus years old, preserves it, freshens it, and offers such a complete experience for everyone that it’s hard not to marvel at it. The respect that Capcom and Digital Eclipse have poured into this is evident and absolutely commendable. Where I didn’t particularly care for the franchise before, I do now, and while I won’t ever put in the time to be great at these games, I’m glad I at least have a convenient, complete, and awesome one-stop place to go to play and celebrate this series on my own time.

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.

Most people will talk about how pretty the visuals are in Crysis 2, and that's fine. Don't discount the rest of the game while you're enjoying the scenery, as it sports balanced level design, smart enemy A.I. and a good amount of weapons (and customization) that make the overall package deep. It's not a completely perfect game, but it's damn close.

The Jackbox Party Pack 9 from Jackbox Games has the variety, entertainment, and creativity to make this one of the top-five Jackbox Party Packs to this point. While not everything works perfectly and provides an even amount of entertainment, most of what you get is absolutely spot-on and replayable.

Fight Crab is one of the funniest and entertaining fighting games I’ve ever played. Although it may seem like a simple idea, the game is very enjoyable especially when using gyro controls and moving your arms to fight your opponents!

BlazBlue Entropy Effect X brings the stellar roguelite by way of fighting game to a broader audience. Incorporating a massive roster with deep combat turns it into one of the genre’s flashiest and most entertaining spectacles.

Hitman 3 is about the highest bar IO Interactive could set with the franchise. This is a universe the developer has lovingly crafted over the years and a perfect opportunity to let Agent 47 rest awhile. Hitman‘s laughable dark humor is here in spades, as the community devises weird challenges for each other that were never part of IO Interactive’s original plan. There are flaws–one’s that haven’t changed since 2016–but they are merely quirks that fans have embraced and come to terms with. As Escalations, Contracts, and new content trickles out over the months to come, Hitman 3 will continue to delight in its murderous, unique intent. Though 47 will eventually be traded for 007, it would be foolish to not recognize IO Interactive as an accomplished developer, responsible for an incredible game.

Oxenfree is here to tell a story, and it doesn't lose sight of what contributes to making that story feel relatable and consequential. Alex and her friends are in a time when every move is called into examination from a jury of ruthless peers. Oxenfree responds not by accepting or escaping from resolution, but accurately relating the tension of a time when every answer is on one side of zero. Whether the context is supernatural or merely personal, Oxenfree makes it feel powerful.

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.

Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line revisits music-driven gaming experiences with classiness and potent powerfulness that will make any Final Fantasy music-lover happy. It contains a fair amount of challenge, sometimes an impossible amount depending on difficulty, while also allowing you to enjoy decades of musical enlightenment the Final Fantasy series has created.

This is the total fighting game package. Many game modes, plenty of customization options, dozens of characters and stages, and satisfying online play. Touch Fight is the only mode I would not recommend.

Inside is another amazing game from Playdead and I’ll be picking up everything they have to offer in the future. If you love atmospheric games that play more like beautifully crafted films than Inside is for you. I would recommend this to anyone as it’s one of the best looking games you can get your hands on.

Accessible controls, beautiful in-game physics and few, but strong game modes make for an overall addictive experience. Perhaps it's the NHL rookie in me talking, but it's hard to believe this isn't the best iteration of the franchise yet.

Gran Turismo 5 operates under an identical premise; the core experience provides a racing simulation of unmatched fidelity, one where every thread unravels in dozens of different directions and grants its own unique sense of satisfaction.

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.

Valve has done it once again. Left 4 Dead 2 takes everything that was amazing about the first installment and puts it on steroids.

The majority of my experience with Destiny 2: Forsaken over the last two weeks has been overwhelmingly positive. I think the addition of Gambit, the change up of gameplay design and leveling, the raid, and the sense of scale with the two additional maps has really notched the entertainment value for this series up quite a bit.