Sea of Solitude tells an emotional story about what it means to be human and struggle with all of life's highs and lows. The gameplay itself isn’t as strong, and a few enemy encounters can drag down the pace. However, the introspective tale crafted by the team at Jo-Mei leaves an impact, and it's well worth exploring such challenging themes.

As our minds turn toward more haunted holidays, it’s a good time to get lost in Random. Even’s commitment to her quest is enough to carry you through an awkwardly told story, and despite some parts of combat that feel too dependent on luck, the card-dice fights are truly unique. The pace of the journey, from drawn-out conversations to endings that cut you off from the best parts, befoul what is otherwise a fun world to explore.

The world of Cat Quest 2 is sizable, but there isn’t much complexity in its minute-to-minute gameplay. However that directness, along with how quickly you level up, finish quests, and discover new locations, can make it a hard game to put down. You handle one task at a time, so it’s easy to pick back up or add a second player. At 8 to 10 hours or so, depending on your focus and patience, this adventure ends abruptly but doesn’t overstay its welcome. It’s challenging enough for solo players, but also fun for two players of any age and skill level.

VR has had its share of gun-toting adventures, but Blood & Truth feels different. It streamlines a lot of your typical movement options in favor of letting you feel like Jason Statham for ten minutes. Pairing these action scenes with a cast that can actually support the story’s intensity slows down the pace sometimes, but the overall effect is entertaining. We wish there were more ways to play around with it, but Blood & Truth is still a fun ride.

Zombie Army 4: Dead War is a solid addition to the zombie genre. Thoughtful enemy encounters and meaningful progression contribute to an energetic and chaotic pace. It’s also agreeably accessible for players across a range of skill levels whether you play solo or with friends. If you’ve never played a Zombie Army title and love killing Nazis, this is a great place to start.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is a worthy but familiar follow-up to the groundbreaking original. Incredible visuals and a legendary performance from Melina Jurgens do much of the heavy lifting, but in some ways it feels safe and plodding, with a surprisingly slow pace despite its fairly short runtime. Facing Senua’s insecurities and experiencing her growth remains a defining factor, but it feels less potent now, while simplistic exploration and repetitive combat hold it back from greatness. Hopefully we haven’t seen the last of Senua, because she deserves much more.

Days Gone is incredibly moving, but occasionally frustrating. Just when you start to get burnt out on resource collection and uniform side-missions, the story suddenly hooks you back in. Despite Deacon’s impatience and short temper, his story is often compelling. His actions have consequences, and the map evolves as you make positive and negative changes. Unfortunately, it can also be buggy and less than believable, which is heart-breaking considering the care given to this world and its characters.

In Sound Mind definitely has some limitations in terms of its presentation and combat, but these elements don’t take too much away from what it does well. It’s more of a spooky mystery than a full horror title, and with its hub world, clever secrets, and evolving set of tools, it continually presents new opportunities to interact with its twisted environments. If you like games that try to screw with your head, it’s worth booking a session with Dr. Wales.

With its crisscrossing alternate storylines and the various possibilities of its branching class system, Trials of Mana is an interesting game to experiment with. There are some elements of this remake’s production that are worth griping about, but at the same time, it unquestionably improves on some of the more convoluted aspects of the original. What’s key is that whether you’re brawling with Kevin or casting spells with Angela, battles feel fun and active. Trials of Mana is not only worth giving a shot, but also worth coming back to for a second or third run as well.

Ultimately, Maneater's biggest flaw is repetition. What's here is good, and playing as a shark has never felt better. But, activities can quickly feel routine as you do the same types of objectives over and over. Still, if you want to carve a bloody path of carnage as a horrifying shark, there’s nothing quite like it.

It's easy to go into detail about Indivisible's shortcomings, but they don’t take away from a quality that's more difficult to articulate. Spending even a short amount of time with the game shows how much love and care went into its construction. There are plenty of times when the detail in a completely incidental room will catch you off guard, which speaks to the overall commitment to the game's presentation, including the grand and varied soundtrack. It's clear that several aspects could have been much tighter, but there’s more than enough in its favor to make Indivisible worth serious consideration.

The Callisto Protocol is a solid first entry in what Striking Distance hopes to be the next big horror franchise. Flawed, but unique and engaging melee combat is a fun way to fight against terrifying foes, while Black Iron Prison is an alluring space to investigate. Limited exploration, a cliché story, and forgettable firearms hold it back from being truly great. However, underneath the blemishes, The Callisto Protocol pushes horrifying visual detail to emphasize tense and perilous encounters.

Call of Duty has been an annual franchise for 15 years, but this year feels particularly unnecessary because Warzone and Modern Warfare continue to thrive. It’s a solid game, but with limited maps and a campaign that fizzles out, it’s a hard sell for players already committed to where they are. As the seasons continue, Cold War could certainly improve, but for now, it isn’t an essential purchase.

Though Code Vein starts off slow, nearly every aspect develops over time, gradually becoming more interesting and engaging. The environments and enemy designs leave much to be desired, but it also introduces intriguing ideas with its AI companions and Blood Code system. It’s not breaking any new ground, but there’s a solid game here if you stick with it.

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! does introduce several good new features, but it fails to address some long-running issues. Though it’s nice to see Kanto brought to life again in this fashion, especially with some really nice new arrangements for the classic soundtrack, the game relies too heavily on nostalgia. It succeeds in making Pokémon more accessible than ever, but aside from the shift away from random encounters, it doesn’t take enough risks. This is a good entry point for newcomers to the series, but it ultimately leaves veterans yearning for more.

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! does introduce several good new features, but it fails to address some long-running issues. Though it’s nice to see Kanto brought to life again in this fashion, especially with some really nice new arrangements for the classic soundtrack, the game relies too heavily on nostalgia. It succeeds in making Pokémon more accessible than ever, but aside from the shift away from random encounters, it doesn’t take enough risks. This is a good entry point for newcomers to the series, but it ultimately leaves veterans yearning for more.

One Piece Odyssey shows that the grand scale of the franchise is a good fit for a solid traditional RPG. The combat system is fun, and it’s great to get reacquainted with beloved characters and locations. If you're new to the series or just have some curiosity about it, the gameplay likely isn't strong enough on its own to keep you going. However, for fans that are already heavily invested in the Straw Hat Crew’s adventures, it's a tale worth checking out.

The Pathless is beautiful but repetitive. There is a somber emptiness to its world that tries to convey a sense of loss and impending doom, but it can also make the proceedings tiring if you don’t regularly redirect yourself toward the things you need to find and fix. It makes bold strides in exploration and world-building, but movement can feel awkward or overly simplistic, and the ruins you seek out house little more than a puzzle and some foggy memories. On a positive note, load times are wonderfully brief on PlayStation 5, and the controller pulses differently for each type of target you fire at. Navigating this world can be both a calming and thrilling experience, there’s just not enough to find to make the journey more than a pleasant trip through the trees.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a delightful game that sometimes jumps forward into greatness but never fully stays there. For as charming as so much of it can be and for how admirable its commitment to variety is, it's too bad that by far the best story moment happens fairly early on and the battle system too often feels like it lacks any real teeth. There's more than enough right to make it easy to recommend, but also just enough wrong to leave you wondering what could have been.

Shadowkeep puts Destiny 2 in a healthy position to kick off year three. Excellent new quests set up an intriguing narrative that will continue as it moves forward. The new seasonal artifact helps to alleviate pesky power blocks, offering a much smoother climb to the top, while finishers add another wrinkle to the already excellent combat. Destiny 2: Shadowkeep doesn’t offer a tremendous amount of new content, but the refinements are worth celebrating.

Playing through levels in Trials Rising is as addictive as ever, and the in-game tip making fun of the “just one more time” joke still rings true. For most players, the challenge becomes unbelievably difficult toward the end, but there are always other alternatives if you hit a wall, whether it’s multiplayer, trying your hand at the complex track editor, or going back to previous courses to improve your times. There are certainly a few faults along the way given the visual hiccups, the lackluster soundtrack, and the lack of options online, but this is another solid performance from the Trials team.

For the most part, the years haven't been kind to the Blue Blur, but while Frontiers has its problems, it's by far the most enjoyable and ambitious 3D entry in a long time. Its huge open spaces add a refreshing take, and zooming around at high speeds is still fun even after all these years. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of a glorious comeback for everyone's favorite speedy hedgehog.

The impulse to fall into one extreme opinion of Cyberpunk or the other is strong. There are moments when you can get so swept up with the world and characters that the very valid complaints seem small. Yet there are also moments when something will break yet again, and you'd give anything for the man behind the curtain to just hide himself better. The game's ambition is standing on very wobbly legs that feel like they could suddenly collapse at any time. There is greatness, but you really have to fight to see all of it, more than anyone should have to.

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox doesn’t amaze with branching storylines or groundbreaking visuals, but so much of its design, from smart shortcuts to platforming-based exploration, helps it to feel fast and light on its feet. Getting to know this world serves as a strong invitation to go back to past games, yet it doesn’t make you feel like a loser if you don’t. It’s RPG comfort food that lets you relax and have fun, without getting in its own way.

While Mortal Shell may not stand at the upper echelon of the genre, there's still plenty to enjoy. The combat and world are engaging, and its swappable body system feels unique and fresh. Despite its shortcomings, Mortal Shell brings enough new ideas to the table, and with less pressure and investment required, there’s plenty of freedom to experiment with them.

Ashen won’t light the world on fire, but it’s a decent RPG with a mysterious setting. While it follows a well-known formula, it has worthwhile side quests, and the larger spaces are enjoyable to explore. Though it may never come close to the heights of the games that it takes inspiration from, Ashen is still an entertaining expedition overall.

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is a solid follow up. It doesn’t leave as big of an impact as the original, but the natural and seamless conversations do a wonderful job of immersing you in the supernatural tale. There isn’t much to do outside of walking and talking, but the relatable characters and engaging mystery are reason enough to book a trip to Camena Coast.

While Kunai might not stand toe-to-toe with the likes of Ori or Hollow Knight, there’s much to love, including fantastic controls, rewarding secrets, and zesty facial expressions. This little tablet has a lot of heart, and a lot of hats.