It’s safe to say that Playground Games have delivered something special with Forza Horizon 5 – and as far as I’m concerned, this is currently the best driving game out there.

Because this game oozes love for mecha anime and RPGs without falling into being merely referential or nostalgic, Wolfstride is its own beast — a zany, at times heartfelt tale built atop a solid gameplay foundation of meeting giant robots and punching them in the face.

Overall, Heaven Dust 2‘s biggest drawback is how similar it is to its predecessor. It’s the better of the two, to be sure, but it’s basically the same experience, and that’s a problem. I’d recommend this above the first to anyone who hasn’t played either, but I don’t know that it offers anything new or different enough to make it worth a play for someone who’s been through Heaven Dust. It’s another good tribute to the early days of survival horror, but beyond that, it’s nonessential.

My head says to play it safe and recommend people wait until next year. However I value playing Axis Football 2021. I enjoy the on-field action, and I genuinely care about my rag-tag team of misfits, so my heart says to go for it this year.

I greatly enjoyed my time with Heavenly Bodies and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys these types of physics-oriented titles – It’s a wisely-tuned spaceborne experience that does exactly what it wants to do and does it well. Mission accomplished.

Last year I predicted that Hidden Deep would turn up on my best-of-2022 list, and nothing about the game as it currently stands causes me to reconsider that — the only major problem Hidden Deep has is that there just isn’t enough of it yet, but hopefully that’s something that the developer can address before launch. What’s already here, though? It’s spectacular.

Svoboda 1945: Liberation is a truly incredible educational videogame that I, as a history teacher, can recommend for use in the classroom. In addition to its experiential and play value, it proves that educational titles can be captivating without losing their pedagogical mission, and I’m glad that this genre continues to deliver high quality projects and evolves consistently with the efforts of talented teams like this one. Plus, the serious way in which Svoboda 1945: Liberation treats the historical facts and the compassionate way in which it presents the people are a beautiful tribute to the memory of those who survived World War II. This is an especially important gesture, as the last survivors are now nearing their final days, and with them, the knowledge of what really happened. Let’s not lose this and be doomed to repeat it.

All in all, Rainbow Six: Extraction is a well-built and decidedly good co-op experience — it’s just not a great one. It doesn’t offer revolutionary gameplay, big wow moments, and doesn’t seem to have much of a beating heart. But if a player is looking for an enjoyable distraction — and frankly, who isn’t during these endlessly unprecedented times? — this is one title that makes it easy to grab a few friends and launch a mission without a big commitment.

While I’m sure there is some novelty to be found in buying a new NES title in the 21st century, as a downloadable game on the Xbox, this leaves much to be desired. On the plus side, it does answer one long-standing hypothetical — it turns out that without the ability to swap powers, Mega Man would have been a pretty bad game.

As an appetizer preceding the larger experience to come, The Whisperer checks all the right boxes and is perfect for anyone looking for a tasty horror morsel, and that goes double for players eager to explore a territory and setting that isn’t often seen in gaming.

Overall, this is an impressive first title from a young indie studio. An enjoyable cast of characters with great designs combined with an incredibly solid battle system facilitate an engaging story full of twists and turns. It may not win any awards for pure originality, but we do stand on the shoulders of giants, and in this sense Cris Tales rises higher because of it.

The annoyances I’ve listed make for an uneven experience in an already-short runtime, but the truth is that The Last Survey presents something more akin to critical commentary in game form than what might generally be considered a fully-realized game. In light of this, the faults are inoffensive and I find that I must recommend this title nonetheless.

I was more than glad to revisit Knights of the Old Republic, despite the no-frills port. It’s a great way to experience (or re-experience) what remains one one of BioWare’s best RPGs, and one of the strongest narratives in the world of Star Wars.

As I mentioned in my original review, the reason True Colors stuck with me were the lessons I learned after finishing it — I learned that time heals all wounds, and that I should let go of problems now, instead of letting them fester. Wavelengths gave me another character doing the same, with fresher wounds and even heavier emotional baggage. As a prequel, knowing Steph’s fate from the beginning made her emotional growth feel even more rewarding, and reminded me that things will get better. It just takes work.

As much as I enjoyed my time in Century : Age of Ashes, I do have wonder how much staying power it will have. Since all classes are viable in each mode, I suspect many players may stick with one character class, get invested, and not explore the rest of what the game has to offer. As an example, I found myself only switching to other classes if the daily mission or hatching a dragon egg specifically required it. Also, due to the limited amount of content that is currently present, a busy player will see nearly everything within a couple of hours. Despite those concerns, the game looks great, each class is enjoyable to play, and each match is maybe 20 minutes at most — perfect for quick sessions.

Even with the issues present, I adore Despot’s Game. The humor, the atmosphere, and the casual nature of play make the it easy to get into and play around with all of the crazy army combinations that can be put together.

Overall, NHL 22 is a solid next-gen effort for the series, and points to bigger things to come. While longtime fans may be tired of the samey gameplay, there’s enough reason here to believe that EA has plans for the near future. Let’s hope they’re less about novelty modes and more about deeper presentation overhauls and a richer singleplayer experience.

Despite the controls and the graphics, Inspector Waffles is all about memorable characters, a solid narrative and well-designed, logical adventure puzzles which manage to strike a rare balance in difficulty. Sit down in front of the tv with a glass of warm milk and enjoy this purrrfectly comforting adventure.

Overall, Beyond Time and Space raises the bar in the way a sequel should, and the quality of the remastering is solid. Players who enjoyed Sam & Max Save the World should absolutely pick this one up — And who knows, maybe there’s another one in our future?

If my description of The Signal State sounds appealing and the thought of having little-to-no hand-holding through the process doesn’t scare one off, then indeed, this might be the right game to spend a few hours with. Otherwise, steer clear — it’s impossible to recommend this title with the developers failing to take any real steps towards opening this experience up to potential players.

Fights in Tight Spaces will not be for everyone as it demands patience and expects players to fail early and often. However, it has charm to spare, the fights are satisfyingly visceral, and it’s quick to pick up and play… although difficult to master.

If I’m being honest, my frustrations with the marketing’s focus on the worst caricatures of Latinx people made me brace myself for a racist triple-A experience full of gross clichés and awkward attempts to be apolitical. Instead, I was surprised to find that more thought than I expected was put into its depiction of Latinx people. Although it isn’t perfect — those cringeworthy lines! The grind of finding gear! — it’s better than what I initially expected, and that counts for something.

In the end, Unpacking is completely fine. It’s a three or four-hour experience of going through a life via boxes, and the believable, realistic narrative that unfolds. It’s recommended as a nice break from more taxing titles, but I still wish there was much more to… unpack.

UnMetal manages to both comment on a classic video game and best it in any number of ways. Kojima’s ultra-serious presentation of bizarre characters and situations is ripe for parody, and many have attempted to do just that, but UnMetal manages to accomplish the task better than any game I’ve seen with great gameplay, brilliantly twisty storytelling, and hilarious comedy. UnMetal succeeds at everything it sets out to do. For anyone familiar with the source material, it’s a masterpiece. For anyone else, it’s merely a fantastic experience that’s not to be missed.

The Kids We Were offers quite a long main story with a bonus episode once it’s finished. The simple voxel graphics feel like a good fit for something centered on the past, though one might wish for something a little more detailed during some of the more touching scenes. Perhaps, cutscenes in a different style might have been useful in providing a little more variety and emotional impact. That said, anyone looking for a rich narrative supported by wave of Japanese nostalgia would do well to look into The Kids We Were — just don’t expect complex gameplay mechanics or fancy visuals.

In total, Warp Frontier was an unexpected surprise. This well-written, well-designed point-and-click adventure please genre fans and — perhaps — might even entice a few newcomers to try this storied genre.

While I found some frustration on my ranch, there’s no doubt that these Monster Rancher games offer a unique experience that I’ve never seen replicated anywhere else, and this DX release is clearly the definitive way to experience these forgotten classics.

Like Pokémon, SMTV doesn’t do much to change its formula. Newcomers might want a greater emphasis on story or less grind to the gameplay, but those who are keen for this sort of content will find what might well be the best in the Shin Megami Tensei series thanks to its stylish graphics and engaging tactical gameplay.