Immortals Fenyx Rising: The Lost Gods is a great piece of DLC because it’s entirely unexpected. Who would have thought an open world game of this nature could be distilled into an isometric platformer with great combat? As far as experiments go, this is one of Ubisoft’s stranger ones. And I really hope its a sign of things to come. Personally, I probably won’t ever reach a point of fatigue with open world games. They are easy to get lost in or put down for a long period of time and come right back to. The Lost Gods isn’t short by any means but it’s also unique enough that it may act as proof that new genres and new IPs can amount to something special for the publisher. I truly believe Fenyx will be back in all her godly might.

Donut County is a little short and peaks prematurely and I don’t care. I’ve never played a game where I control a hungry hole, think like a trash raccoon, or talk to friendly animals at the bottom of a cave.

Strange Brigade gets much more right than it does wrong, and it proves the power of co-op yet again. Played alone, this game isn’t worth the time or effort due to the tedium. However, add in a friend or three, or at least some decent randos, and suddenly the game takes on a whole new feel and it instantly becomes a treat. It’s certainly not the first game to prove this phenomenon, but nevertheless, if you have some buddies to play with, keep Strange Brigade on your radar.

Keys of Fury from developer Elecorn is a short typing gameplay experience that brings a good variety of different modes, some short branching narrative moments, and tries to breathe new life into the typing game scene.

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.

The game is a spectacular experience. It is masterfully crafted with the right amount of South Park driving it. It certainly has a few minor faults here and there, but it is built to entertain and it doesn’t falter in that area. It’s a big game with a properly built turn-based personality and it all works beautifully within its humorous South Park wrapper.

Constance wields an emotional story, layered action, and incredible style to become more than just another derivative Metroidvania in a sea of heavy-hitters. Genre stalwarts aren’t going to find anything drastically different in its quest for explorative abilities but Constance has heart and a deft gameplay, making it a title that shouldn’t be brushed aside.

A tiny mouse is an unassuming heroine, dioramas are inconspicuous puzzle boxes, and virtual reality often prefers exhilaration to gratification. Moss erases these assumptions and projects its bold ambition across a gorgeous procession of puzzles and platforming. In a medium consumed by flash and artificiality, Moss presents a mature and genuine alternative.

Heroes of Hammerwatch: Ultimate Edition is a game that works best with friends, and does a great job with how it balances gameplay and grind. This indie game is something you should add to your list of ‘must-haves’.

Rehydrated is as close to a perfect 1:1 recreation of the original 2003 fan-favorite. While the gameplay certainly feels outdated to modern platforming standards, there’s a lot here that fans of Spongebob will find enjoyable. Much of the writing and humor from the original doesn’t hold up in 2020, but there’s something to be said about wanting to preserve all of the original content. Rehydrated is a fun little romp through Bikini Bottom, and it makes me hopeful for future games with everyone’s favorite sea-sponge.

MLB The Show 26 from developer San Diego Studio and publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment is a solid improvement from last year’s game, with more data inclusion, smoother career decision-making, and better backend gameplay refinements. While not a huge leap from the previous year, it’s still a good release with enough reason to consider it, especially if you’re a new player who doesn’t have last year’s game.

The Capcom Fighting Collection brings some unique titles that most U.S. gamers haven’t laid eyes on before. While not all the games in the collection are worthy to be in it, the Darkstalkers-centric theme makes it worth a look.

Curse of the Dead Gods is by no means an easy roguelike. It is often brutal, punishing, and hopeless. The game flings curses at the player meant to transform how they adjust to established mechanics by throwing in new gameplay wrenches that can potentially drown the unprepared in obstacles. It’s up to the player to decide how to adapt and persevere. A wealth of tools makes combat difficult, yet exciting and varied. Using light as a boon to further test your mettle allows an outpouring of creativity in how a potentially terrifying or simplistic room can be turned on its head. Curse of the Dead Gods is a stylish, confident dungeon crawler that incorporates the right amount of reward into its teeth. Rarely did I feel absolutely overwhelmed, punished by the gods who tested me. Eventually, with a firm grasp on my torch, I burned them all down with ease.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite looks the part and plays the part, to wonderful effect. Aliens is an action movie at heart, and it’s evident that Cold Iron Studios made a strong effort to capture that ‘80s action movie feel. While the campaign is lackluster and mission variety is sparse, it’s hard to deny that tearing through hordes of Xenomorphs with your friends isn’t fun. While I don’t know if the game has a long-term impact in the way of future content that Cold Iron Studios is going to be putting out in Seasons, there’s enough content here to enjoy for a weekend or two with friends. I know I’ll be going bug hunting again, real soon.

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.

This game has sparked an interest in anime that I didn’t know I had. I would highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoyed the PS2 game, as well as anyone who wants to check out a series that has withstood the test of time.

Hungry Horrors, from developer Clumsy Bear Studio, is a card-based joy to play. It’s engaging, wonderfully circular in its design, and an easy game to revisit regularly. The difficulty might turn some gamers away, but once that hill is climbed, it’s a brilliantly built game that will be tough to put down.

It’s pretty clear to me that 30XX is gameplay-forward over anything else. This isn’t a bad thing, but setting your expectations as such will prevent you from thinking that you’ll become invested in 30XX’s protagonists, antagonists, and everyone in between. Instead, you should expect a casual yet fun roguelite platformer that can be picked up and returned to at any time without needing to remember your progress, any side missions, and/or any other progression-based mechanics. I’ve quite enjoyed seeing 30XX progress through Early Access; I’ve enjoyed its official release on the Switch, too. I’m quite excited to take 30XX with me when traveling and returning to it when I need a good platforming roguelite fix if I need to wind down after a long day at work. I just hope that someday the Switch version will get the map maker in some capacity.

Before Your Eyes is a devastating journey in VR that you won’t soon forget. While the journey itself doesn’t last that long, the story is long enough to leave an imprint on the gamer for years to come. It has a very Grave of the Fireflies vibe to it, so bring the tissues.

DOOM is a great game, no matter what platform you play it on, including Switch. On the Switch, you lose SnapMap and will have a significantly reduced graphical presentation, but the experience remains fun and addictive, and now also portable thanks to the nature of the Switch. For some, the trade-off may not make sense, but for others, it’s more than fair.

Trackmania's thrilling speed and simplistic style make it an easily accessible racer that will thrive on a dedicated, creative community who have the patience to navigate its subscription model and basic menus.

Back 4 Blood is the ultimate cooperative experience, without a doubt. It may unwisely punish solo players and lack deeper launch content to attract and immerse casual players, potentially impacting the game’s community and longevity. But its core mode of pitting four players against an unyielding mob of monstrous death brings a constantly evolving, sometimes overwhelming challenge. If it weren’t for the extensively unique and clever card system and the overly satisfying gunplay, Back 4 Blood would stumble and shamble out of the gate. Yet its core mechanics provide such a fulfilling reward, that I can’t imagine not wanting to dive back in day after day and fend off the Ridden.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores is a fun if not brief, epilogue to Horizon Forbidden West. Those looking for massive reveals may be a bit disappointed, but there’s enough fleshed out in Burning Shores to make it a worthwhile play. Seyka jumps straight to the top of Aloy’s best companions, and the Bilegut & Waterwing are awesome machine additions. All in all, Burning Shores is a must-play for Horizon fans; especially those curious as to what the future may hold for Aloy.

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.

SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered is another feather in the cap for Square Enix’s efforts to preserve its massive catalog of RPGs in that delightful era of the PlayStation 1. And for a game so unique as this, it’s hard to imagine the undertaking of a complete remake could preserve the original’s imaginative spark. Instead, SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered serves as the ideal update to a game that shouldn’t be relegated to a time capsule, trapped on older hardware where a fresh audience has less of a chance to fall in love.

Mineko’s Night Market from developer Meowza Games is an adorable, relatable, and fun crafting adventure that pushes everything along with a story that runs perfectly parallel to the gameplay. While its main audience might be younger gamers, there might be enough here for older gamers to enjoy.

Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty is a game that is sure to make faithful fans of the series happy and bring in new fans too. It’s a unique 2D platforming puzzle adventure that the community needed a good reminder that it exists. Although the controls can get a little out of hand even after playing for a while, the story and gameplay give the game a unique charm that I haven’t seen in most platforming games for a long time. Abe and the Mudokons are some wacky characters that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon and hope to see more remakes and new installments from Oddworld Inhabitants soon! But for now, Oddworld: Abe’s Odysee really is New ‘n’ Tasty!

Basketball Classics from developer Namo Gamo and publisher Acclaim, Inc., is a fun 8-bit basketball experience that is simple in its design and execution. While not perfect, it still maintains the essence of some of the best and earliest times of video game basketball gameplay experiences.