Kinks aside, this collection does shine and perform respectably well on Windows, but it'll be up to consumers to decide whether they should jump in at full price as it stands, or wait for a patch and/or sale.

However, there’s still plenty to the game that make it worth recommending to anyone who’s ever enjoyed holding a plastic instrument in their hands. Make no mistake, Guitar Hero is back — and, thanks to the smart changes made to gameplay and presentation, it’s more satisfying than ever before.

While it's great to be able to hop straight into the endgame with a new Vault Hunter, Borderlands 4's campaign is so good that it almost feels like you're missing out on doing so. Still, for anyone who plays through a Borderlands game to get to the endgame loop and focus on a particular build, Borderlands 4 has you covered in ways that will make revisiting a past game harder. Borderlands 4 is ultimately "more Borderlands", but it understands that assignment so well that it ends up being the best the series has felt in over a decade.

Ghostrunner feels like an extended challenge that manages to never get repetitive or frustrating. Whether it's traversing a narrow hallway full of laser traps or slicing through a bipedal robot sentry, this title will have players feeling satisfied as if they had accomplished these feats in real life.

In the end, FAR: Changing Tides is a worthwhile experience that certainly lives up to its atmospheric adventure description. While the lack of in-game prompts poses a challenge to some, its absence encourages players to strike out and explore on their own and organically find solutions to puzzles. The puzzles are challenging, but solving them without any help from the game feels rewarding, encouraging players to keep moving forward. While some minor annoyances can be found in its controls, no glaring issues exist that cannot be fixed with a simple patch. Overall, FAR: Changing Tides perfectly executes its simple gameplay, offering players a truly memorable and immersive experience.

It may not be a step forward for the series, but that’s never what it was supposed to be. Instead, it’s a noteworthy look at what came before that’s been revamped for a newer generation. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is pretty damn fun.

For those who haven’t tried point and click adventure games, it’s a great introduction to the genre; for those with more experience, well, they don’t get much better than this one.

While it might have taken some time to get there, Life Is Strange Episode 4: Dark Room is DONTNOD hitting their stride, and is well worth pushing through some of the clunkier elements to experience.

I wish that the game tried a little bit harder with its promising source material, and some boss fights could be a little more refined, but these are small gripes in the grand scheme of things. Tribute Games has made one of the best arcade throwback titles of the past several years, raising the bar once more, just as it did with TMNT: Shredder's Revenge. Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a surprisingly nuanced, mechanical and visual banquet worth anyone's time, whether they've gone in for beat-em-ups in the past or not. It's an absolute joy.

The writers from Deck Nine and DONTNOD have demonstrated that their gift is not unlike Alex's. They have an empathy and understanding of the struggles that humans face. Life is Strange: True Colors builds on what the first installment did well, and does it even better. No game in the series so far has reached this height of catharsis, and by the end of it, players will be heartbroken to leave the imperfectly perfect town of Haven Springs.

Stormland is a short experience and its attempts to add replay value don't really hit the mark. However, it's still one of the more impressive virtual reality games on the market, and a clear step forward when compared to many VR titles that have come before it in terms of controls and freedom of movement.

Overall, The Walking Dead: A New Frontier is off to a solid start. Fans of the series will definitely have plenty to enjoy here – and emotionally suffer through – and players who found the game to be too clunky and slow previously may appreciate this entry more.

Even without much motivation to replay the short campaign, Firewatch is still well worth the $19.99 price tag for the beautiful landscape, compelling mystery, and amazing character development. Firewatch isn’t a game for everyone, but if you love a good mystery, this is a must play.

While those who have grown accustomed to - or only experienced - the graphical capabilities of the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S generations will need to keep an open mind and may take some time to adjust, the Yakuza Remastered Collection ultimately offers a polished and enjoyable experience that series fans shouldn't skip out on.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice is sure to please fans with its engaging story and sharp humor, but the gameplay formula is starting to show its age.

Sifu is a one-of-a-kind rogue-like that marries an engaging setup with sublime combat mechanics. It scratches that integral itch that fuels subsequent runs, and it tries its best to avoid the feeling that time has been wasted. Progression exists in many different forms, but Sloclap's standout title pulls off one of the more impressive versions of it. Sifu shows players they are actually getting better at the game.

Shadow of War offers dozens of hours of entertainment for gamers who enjoy action adventure titles with a strong splash of RPG elements. The moving parts may be a touch too complicated for the most casual gamers, but players who are patient enough to master all of the game’s systems will be rewarded with an exciting story, control of a powerful army, and an unstoppable protagonist.

Technical issues aside, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners is generally a good time and one of the better VR horror games on the market. The level of interactivity alone makes it a game that many VR enthusiasts will want to check out, though expect to be frustrated by the poorly-implemented stealth mechanics and human combat encounters.

While MOUSE may fall into some trappings of the first-person shooter genre, it escapes largely unscathed and with the cheese. It is easily one of the most unique first-person shooters to hit the market in years, and it's definitely the most charming of the lot. Fumi Games poured every ounce of ink, sweat, and stubborn dreams it had into MOUSE: P.I. For Hire, and it's clear the end result was worth the effort.

Bravely Second: End Layer isn’t quite the innovative powerhouse its predecessor was, but offers a more refined experience that learns from Bravely Default‘s mistakes.

Reach on PC generally runs quite well and the mouse and keyboard controls will make it difficult for anyone to go back and play the game on console.

Have a Nice Death is a gorgeous, weapon-filled adventure that could slice and dice its way to the top of the roguelike genre. Its almost ‘cutesy’ nature plays well against the sometimes dark themes it contains, but the vast array of weapon and spell combinations will be what draws and then keeps players within the walls of Death Inc. It has the rare ability to be enjoyable for both the high-difficulty, build-crafting RNG fans and the more casual crowd. Players will delight with its sublime art, memorable fights, and its well-crafted, lore-filled world. If someone has to be Death, Have a Nice Death is going to make it enjoyable.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin doesn't shake the genre up or do anything incredibly unique, but it's a massive JRPG with lots to do. It's a solid entry for the sub-series and is recommended for those looking for a charming title on the Switch that doesn't require much thinking or undivided attention. It's a casual game for the most part, but the back half does provide some epic story moments that are satisfying and worth watching.

Call of Duty Mobile has satisfying progression, a nice selection of fan favorite maps, and it looks great on phones and tablets. The game's liberal use of bots hampers the experience a bit, and the battle royale mode could stand to have a slightly smaller map or something to make firefights happen more often.

By focusing on characters and story over cliche open world tropes, Far Cry 5 manages to be completely and utterly engrossing from start to finish. It’s one of the finest takes on the open world genre that we’ve seen, and while it may not deliver much in the way of revolutionary new ideas, it still stands as the best Far Cry game since Far Cry 3.

At the end of the day, Atelier Yumia is a strong entry in the beloved JRPG franchise. Despite a few growing pains, it adopts the cozy and niche franchise into something more digestible for a wider audience thanks to a well-executed open-world format, modern takes on iconic features, and an engaging, untraditional story.

Gunbrella has a lot of potential, both in its storytelling and combat. Unfortunately there never feels like there is enough of either that will or could catapult the game into the upper echelons of pixilated side-scrollers. It is very close to being something special, even when it is embracing some familiar adventure tropes. Hopefully, the world of Gunbrella will be expanded on and grow, because it deserves more of the things that make it great.

Overall, Age of Empires definitely brings enough to the table and captures enough nostalgia to make it an easy recommendation for any fans of the franchise or the genre. For gamers new to RTS, the Story Mode and campaigns actually make it a very strong choice for diving in as well, as long as they aren’t expecting cutting-edge graphics. The fact that the game is going to be available on Game Pass Day One could potentially help expose a large new audience to the franchise and build up some new fans. It will be very interesting to see what kind of reception it receives and, if its successful, what sort of post-launch content could arrive in the coming year to keep the community hooked and engaged.