Black Myth: Wukong is living proof that developers other than FromSoftware can create top-tier action RPGs. Its exploration and character customization are more restrictive than I'd have liked, but its combat and boss fights are second to none.

CYGNI: All Guns Blazing is a functional arcade shooter that’s pretty to look at and pleasant to listen to, but it's an average experience with uninspired ideas that add nothing to the genre.

Though it far from reinvents the wheel, College Football 25 does enough to deliver on the expectations of a passionate fan base to spark new life into the series and develop a serious rival for Madden.

Although far from perfect, Flintlock is an explosively fun experience that beautifully blends the action-adventure and Soulslike genres—all while dabbling with a bit of 3D platforming. It will appeal to those who love going the extra mile to see what hidden items they can find in hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. If you can wade through Flintlock’s performance issues, you’re in for a gorgeous ride.

Fans of the original looking for a nostalgia fix and loyal Nintendo completists won’t be disappointed. But Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD definitely isn’t Nintendo at its inventive best. If it were, it would have Mario’s name on the front.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is impressively expansive, packed to the brim with secrets, and hauntingly beautiful. From the moment I set foot in the Land of Shadow, I was stunned by its gorgeous scenery and captivated by its world, but the most impressive thing of all is the sheer scale of what’s on offer.

Still Wakes the Deep tries to dig beneath the surface of Caz and his crewmates, but doesn’t go far enough. Without a sufficiently riveting story, we’re left with a horror premise that feels like it’s been done before and more questions than answers at the end of the slog.

Vengeance is the best version of Shin Megami Tensei V you can play, delivering a titanic adventure that enhances the original’s storyline and gameplay.

As a whole, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door has a lot of top-quality entertainment to offer, but you will have to accept periods of frustration and tedium along the way.

The Career Mode revamp is a breath of fresh air, but F1 24 still feels stale.

A nuanced journey that plays it too safe.

Homeworld 3 will arrive almost 21 years after the previous installment, Homeworld 2, and after you plunge into this deep space strategy, you’ll soon realize it was worth the wait.

While Another Crab’s Treasure doesn’t push the status quo of the Soulslike genre, what it hides beneath its shell is an utterly gorgeous world worth exploring, one with charm, creative level designs, and a captivating central gameplay mechanic that even the most hardened Dark Souls veterans can appreciate.

Whether you dig Sand Land’s vibes and want to go full Mad Max with its combat or experience one of Akira Toriyama’s classic stories told in a fresh package, Bandai Namco and ILCA sold me on this world and its characters, and if you give it a try, you might just get sucked in like quicksand.

Stellar Blade sets a high bar, and its combination of exhilarating combat, sumptuous graphics, and deep systems makes it flourish in an era chock-full of high-class contemporaries.

Pepper Grinder offers players so much more than simplistic gameplay, despite centering around an incredibly simple mechanic.

Princess Peach: Showtime! has so much to offer, but the overall length makes it feel like it’s not reached its full potential. Given its $60 price tag, you would expect more content. If the short playtime doesn’t concern you, though, Princess Peach: Showtime! is a fun and memorable little adventure that is absolutely worth your time.

South Park: Snow Day! delivers a trademark experience in an action-filled package and lays a solid foundation for further action-oriented games in the series. Once you enter the 3D world of Snow Day, you won't want to leave until you've finished the story.

While I don’t think Ronin reinvents the wheel, it has enough style and substance to make me feel like a slick samurai, and if that sounds fun to you, then it’s worth a go.

It may be early, and there may still be some huge releases to come in 2024, but Dragon's Dogma 2 is without doubt a contender for Game of the Year and has set a high bar for its competitors.

My grievances with Road to the Show and Franchise aren’t enough to detract from an otherwise brilliant installment in a series I’ve truly grown to appreciate over the past few years. MLB The Show 24 is a project made by and for community members, expertly curated by the team at San Diego Studio that has found its stride and, in my opinion, set a new gold standard for sports simulation games.

This is a fresh story, but the respect and adoration of the original are clear at every turn. Because that original happens to be the grandfather of survival horror, Alone in the Dark is a must-play for any fan of the genre.

Lightyear Frontier might feel familiar at first, but make no mistake—this isn’t your average farming sim, and your massive Mech friend is determined to prove it. Whether it’s successful, though, I’m unsure. [Early Access Score = 50]

WWE 2K24 is once again best in class for sports games, taking inspiration from the weird and wonderful world of WWE.

There’s a special balance between horror and humor that runs like a sick and twisted thread through every inch of The Outlast Trials.

It has everything that made the original game so great, with layers lovingly added on top alongside new content that make it a fighting game you definitely shouldn’t overlook if you want to give something freshly baked a try ahead of its Evo 2024 showcase.

It’s not often you write over 1,000 words and have virtually nothing bad to say about a game, but that’s Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. It’s a masterpiece, a work of art, bonafide breathtaking brilliance.

Not only is it soulful, it’s a living, breathing embodiment of ingenuity done right, transcending all expectations and doubts I had.