Marvel Rivals feels like the first serious contender to Overwatch's crown; it's a game I can see being a part of my multiplayer rotation indefinitely. And the thing is, Marvel Rivals at launch is just the tip of the iceberg. There are near-endless possibilities for new roster and map additions in the years ahead. Some of the leaked Marvel Rivals characters have me excited about the game's future, and I can't wait to see how it evolves.

Observation has the visuals, atmosphere, and story that would put it in the conversation of the best horror games of 2019, but the nausea-inducing camera, uninspired puzzles, and frequent lack of clear direction ruin it.

As found in many good RTS games, the potential for mastery of Iron Harvest's mechanics is immense, but it can also be plenty of fun to turn down the difficulty, crank up the starting resources, and watch the big robots fight. Against a high-difficulty AI with a wide array of units, players will need to be clever, quick, and good at micro-managing units, taking advantage of cover and unique abilities to turn the tide. For RTS or other strategy fans, the game is definitely worth checking out, but those who find themselves primarily interested in the setting and not the focused gameplay may want to wait for a sale.

The Outlast Trials is a fun, but flawed addition to the Outlast series, trading in the original titles’ claustrophobic horror for in-your-face multiplayer mayhem. The title’s core gameplay loop offers a thrilling challenge and high replayability, delivering plenty of trials for fans to sink their teeth into across its Core, Advanced, and Ultra Programs, with immersive audio-visual elements that deliver on all fronts. Unfortunately, The Outlast Trials' balancing issues, unjustified gratuity, and complete lack of scares may leave some players disappointed. Fans of the Outlast series will likely find plenty of reasons to explore and overcome the Murkoff Corporation’s various testing facilities, as the title offers enough challenge to keep them engaged. However, for general horror audiences, and those new to Outlast, The Outlast Trials may struggle to live up to the legendary reputation of the series’ original entries.

Phantom: Covert Ops is a bit on the short side, but it's a top-tier virtual reality game while it lasts.

Whilst the game is fun in short doses, the lack of online multiplayer could leave players wanting more than the title can provide.

Carrion is a great pick for horror game fans, and will make players want more horror-themed Metroidvanias. It can be completed in just a few hours and it loses its momentum at the end, but it's a fun reverse-horror game experience while it lasts.

Evil West's poor narrative, dated graphics, and short length make it somewhat difficult to justify the $60 price tag, regardless of how much fun the core combat is. Even so, those yearning for a no-nonsense action game with old-school sensibilities may still want to take the plunge, and if they aren't bothered by the short length, they are unlikely to walk away disappointed.

For all its minor shortcomings, like limited build diversity and underwhelming gear customization, AI Limit is still a game that knows what it wants to be and largely succeeds in being exactly that. It offers just enough challenge to satisfy Soulslike veterans while remaining accessible enough to bring new players into the fray. Most importantly, it carves out its own voice in a genre that is chock-full of imitators, and that's no small feat. For anyone looking for a Soulslike experience that balances narrative depth with mechanical experimentation, AI Limit is absolutely worth the journey.

A gem of a Metroidvania title, with addictive and more-than-a-little challenging gameplay. Mix that in with a neat repetition and level up system and – best of all – the game’s absolutely incredible graphical style, and it’s fair to say that Sundered is the kind of game that will live long in the memory.

All told, the nostalgia rush of reliving a classic game is enough to make Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection a worthwhile experience, but the game's underwhelming design decisions may make some players bust out an NES Classic to enjoy the original Ghosts 'n Goblins instead. It has some unique concepts of its own, but those can only carry it so far.

While it does offer some strategy thrills, all of this really holds it back from being another genre kingpin. With DLC and future updates, it may have a chance to iron out its weaker aspects. But, outside a few unique twists, it feels like it is missing something to make it truly worth the price of admission.

It’s a compelling virtual reality experience that is a great way to sell people on the potential of the technology, and while it has some issues, like occasionally spotty motion controls and a short play time, it’s still a must-have title for anyone’s PlayStation VR library.

Above the Law is a decent continuation of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier‘s story, but still a bit of a come-down from Episode 1 and 2. It does succeed in setting the stage for Episode 4, and with a few characters’ fates hanging in the balance and questions left unanswered, chances are most players who have come this far will see the rest of the season through.

Unfinished Business an easy recommendation to both newcomers and series veterans alike. Whether you've played RoboCop: Rogue City or not, you can come into Unfinished Business and expect to have an absolute blast with the moment-to-moment gameplay, cementing it as a worthy follow-up to one of the most surprising FPS titles of the last few years.

As 2015 continues to be the year of difficult games with the likes of Ori and Bloodborne stealing so much of our time, Titan Souls offers a comparably difficult, but much shorter variety of the same enjoyable torture.

I think if Rogue Incursion trimmed down its back-half, had a proper ending, and drastically reduced the xenomorph encounters so that they were more meaningful, it would be easier to recommend. But while I mostly enjoyed the first half of the game, the second half was a headache-inducing chore. Alien: Rogue Incursion successfully captures the Alien movie franchise atmosphere and there is a novelty to exploring this horrifying sci-fi universe in the virtual reality space, but its problems are way too big to ignore.

Oftentimes, Loopmancer presents itself as a game struggling with an identity crisis. On the one hand, there exists a solid 2D action-adventure game with enough flair and rigorous combat to be an engaging and tight-knit experience. On the other hand, there exists a roguelite game that struggles to find balance in its execution of the genre and ends up making its gameplay loop needlessly tedious and occasionally dull. Where Loopmancer hits its stride is in its gritty story, frantic action, and striking aesthetic. Otherwise, eBrain’s debut title needs some tinkering with its roguelike premise to create a better-balanced game.

The Thaumaturge is a game made with a lot of love and hard work by Fool's Theory. That much is apparent within the first couple of hours and grows more obvious the longer a user plays. Its lack of a way to make searching for clues interesting may lead some players astray, but they will miss out on a demon-fueled magical adventure. It stumbles in other places, but it more than makes up for it with its monster designs and terrific storytelling. The Thaumaturge's mixture of 20th-century technology and magic should prove too fun to pass up, and players looking for a detective mystery with some intrigue and nightmares might have found something they can't find anywhere else.

Dust & Neon makes a strong debut as a unique twin-stick shooter rogue-lite. The moment-to-moment gameplay requires thoughtful decisions and patience, which results in epic shootouts, satisfying gun mechanics, and a solid progression system. While the boss fights might leave some players asking for more, the overall experience of leading a legendary gunslinger to victory is one most won’t forget.

From a brand-new campaign with exciting new features to a battle system that has been shaken up with new mechanics, Total War: Pharaoh has a lot to offer players looking for a new strategy experience to sink their teeth into. Some of its unique features may feel a bit bland, but it makes up for it by offering players unprecedented freedom to shape game and history how they see fit. And even though it may be smaller than Total War: Warhammer 3, it is still a worthy entry in this iconic franchise.

Superliminal is still a really solid puzzle game. Its innovative main mechanic is worth the price of admission alone, with Pillow Castle taking the time to evolve and experiment with the mechanic so no two levels are ever exactly the same. What it lacks in challenge, story, and length it makes up for with its commitment to its perspective-based premise, carving a genuinely fun puzzler that's sure to leave aficionados of the genre satisfied.

Need for Speed Heat has issues that could easily be overlooked if the game had confidence in itself, but there seems to be some type of hesitation everywhere. Whether it's hesitation to move the story along, hesitation to introduce something new, or hesitation to strike out from the ghosts of its past, there just seems to be some lack of definition for Need for Speed Heat's release.

I Am Setsuna might not be the most innovative or technologically demanding game released this year – or even in the past five – but it is one of the most complete, and it offers an experience that near-perfectly blends incredible visuals, a music score that rivals some of Nobuo Uematsu’s best, and superb, polished gameplay into one of the best JRPGs released in years.

Call of Duty: Vanguard will get better with time, but the launch game is still an impressive package. The Campaign is short but sweet and the Multiplayer is a blast, though Zombies fans will likely come away disappointed. Even with Zombies failing to live up to expectations, though, Call of Duty: Vanguard still has a lot to offer fans of the franchise and is very much worth the price of admission.

As it stands, though, Expeditions: Viking is simply a solid and at-times frustrating entry into tactical role-playing games, and should only be seriously considered by diehard strategy fans and history buffs – at least until it has been thoroughly rebuilt.

The Surge delivers an intriguing sci-fi world with dark themes and should satisfy any genre fans looking for something to play now that the Dark Souls series has ended. Just don’t pick up The Surge expecting a game that is as polished as From Software’s flagship franchise.

Overall, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is an astounding take on the rhythm game genre, bringing the expertly crafted music of the Kingdom Hearts series to the forefront. Longtime fans of the series will find themselves drenched in nostalgia as they play through levels like Roxas' theme song or Simple and Clean. Meanwhile, newcomers will be able to discover the story and characters through the lens of great music and gameplay.