Rogue Company wears its influences on its sleeves. Like other Hi-Rez studio releases, I have no doubt it will take off and become a popular staple among multiplayer aficionados — even with generic-looking characters and gameplay that borrows from others in the genre, I can’t pull myself away from it. It may be derivative, but it’s also an addiction, and I that in itself is an impressive feat.

The third-person aiming is clunky and I found myself preferring to hide, rather than taking on soldiers face-to-face. Much of the campaign can be completed solely by sniping enemies from afar, but there are a few parts where close combat becomes a necessity. I was always pleased when these sections were over quickly. My only other complaint about Sniper Elite 4 is that it’s not a complete package. Three years after initial release, the Switch version arrives with numerous DLC options that require additional purchase – none of which appear to be new content. I’m not completely against DLC, but it feels like players are being nickel-and-dimed here. Fortunately, the core experience is enjoyable enough to look past these minor shortcomings, and more often than not, Sniper Elite 4 hits the bullseye.

Disc Room is addicting, precise, and a blast to explore and enjoy. Not every player will enjoy a tough-as-nails title like this one, but there’s a lot to enjoy here for those that do.

Devil May Cry V is still an outstanding title rooted in the tradition of Japanese-style character-action games. The play and content enhancements are both substantial and worthy of a “Special Edition” moniker. There’s enough here for fans of the original to return, and newcomers looking for something to play on their new consoles are in for a whirling-dervish of a good time.

9 Moneys of Shaolin successfully blends my love of old action films and brawlers into one wonderful package, and fans of Shaw Brothers films (and the occasional Wu-Tang album) might be keen to know that this is the best translation of that style in any game I’ve seen. If that sounds appealing, this is a no-brainer.

For players willing to put in the time to learn its subtleties, Onee Chanbara Origin has great combat, and sundering my way through crowds of zombies simply never got old. That said, there’s just not enough here to make it feel like a complete experience. While the game certainly displays everything that made the franchise into such a long-running success, I can’t help but feel that this anniversary celebration should have offered more to its fans.

The Tony Hawk series was never about realism, and whether they’re old enough to have nostalgia for it or not, Pro Skater 1+2 is a fantastic remake offering intuitive and massively enjoyable gameplay that deserves any skate fan’s attention.

Transient had an opportunity to create a unique and exciting experience with its unusual mixture of cyberpunk and H.P. Lovecraft. Sadly, the lack of a coherent story and boring gameplay cause it to fall short of what ultimately might have been. I give it credit for coming to a sort of conclusion after the credits have rolled, but by that point, it was too little, too late.

I hoped The Red Lantern would grow on me with subsequent playthroughs, but, unfortunately the opposite was true due to the technical problems, design issues and repetitive dialogue. Those looking for a trip through Alaska or wanting to revisit bittersweet memories of traveling to Oregon, might want to check it out, but anyone on the hunt for a narrative-driven roguelite should skip it.

Gears 5 is a superb shooter, and the only real survivor of the genre it popularized. The campaign is worth playing all on its own, but the developers have gone to great lengths by taking a chainsaw to the multiplayer and offering new and exciting ways to play.

The uneven storytelling is a shame, because if Amnesia: Rebirth had a narrative as unsettling as its play loop, it might be an all-time great. Frictional’s ability to generate tension and moment-to-moment fear is unparalleled, and SOMA showed that an equally powerful story is within their abilities. Unfortunately, Rebirth doesn’t reach those heights, though it remains a tremendously effective vehicle for scares.

Blair Witch is a successful videogame translation of what made the original film so haunting. It doesn’t move far outside the dev team’s comfort zone, but the warmth of the relationship between a man and his dog almost made it worth fighting through the motion sickness it gave me. Almost.

Re:Turn is a great little gem that easily slots into any horror fan’s collection. The art and atmosphere alone are enough to warrant a look, and the story plays with some interesting themes of love, jealousy, and privilege. As someone who doesn’t normally go for horror games, this one’s hard to pass up.

Ultimately, the climax of the story was driven by the choices I had made along the way, and each stacked upon the other — by the end, I felt happy with where Maia landed, though I could see how other choices could have made a differences. The ending, like the game itself, felt short, but I found its worth replaying and it left me with strong emotions.

By the time the credits rolled, my hand was aching at the base of the pinky finger that operates the Shift key, but I was still sad that there were no more obstacles to overcome. I was in physical pain and still itching to keep going. If that’s not the sign of a damn good action romp, I don’t know what is.

I don’t envy any roguelike unfortunate enough to release immediately after Hades — that game made every run feel distinct and provided a persistent narrative justification for the repetition inherent to the genre. I obviously can’t expect smaller developers to match that effort, but what Hades does well underlines the fact that so many roguelikes let stellar ideas go to waste, lost amid endless monotony. Noita is a spectacular technical showcase in desperate need of a more fully-formed game.

Uppers is a tough game to recommend. As much as I love the settling and style, the gameplay, writing and progression path leave much to be desired. It also becomes repetitive within just a few stages, and even showboating for the girls adds nothing to the package. It’s a shame, really. Uppers gets the style half of the experience right, but it really should have spent more time on the fundamentals.

While it’s easy to nitpick, it’s even easier to rave about how great the rest of the The Ancient Gods is. I’m not sure this is the best place to jump into Doom Eternal given its initial difficulty, but picking up the whole package is absolutely recommended. The Ancient Gods consistently delivers some of the best combat ever seen, and delivers it in spades.

Every aspect of Iris and the Giant is honed to perfection and polished to a blinding sheen. It looks great, it plays great, it has all of the amenities I could ask for in a modern roguelike, and on top of it all, it’s got a touching emotional theme that made the journey more than worthwhile by the end. Iris and the Giant is a masterclass in all aspects, and they just don’t come better than this.

Overall, the keywords for I Am Dead would probably be ‘charming’ and ‘quirky’. It isn’t a horror adventure nor a sad one, even though there are little doses of melancholy here and there. Instead, it’s a light puzzler that features some interesting game mechanics, and others that feel more appropriate to a casual mobile title — an easy recommend to casual players who are short on time and don’t mind a bit of repetition.

I appreciate Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning for giving gamers who missed it the first time a chance to see what could have been, but ultimately, it’s a project that should’ve been left to its previous fate.

Tactical movement as conversation and combat is intriguing, and inkle has masterfully incorporated this innovation into a truly wonderful blend of narrative and tactics.

Despite some slight disappointment from thinking about what else this remaster might have offered, the giant grin on my face while playing was impossible to remove. Being able to play on consoles at 60FPS makes it a monumental upgrade over the older versions, and the core experience has aged surprisingly well. Despite the fact that this is a fairly modest remaster package, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit remains one of the finest arcade racers in recent memory, and anyone with even a slight interest in the genre should jump behind the wheel.

Red Wings is a perfect example of classic mid-tier development — it doesn’t do a lot, but what it delivers is mostly solid. Fans of arcade-style romps will likely get a great deal of enjoyment here, but sim enthusiasts will be better off steering clear.

Foregone is a solid entry in the metroidvania genre, and the limited options in combat are slick enough. It does what it needs to do — the problem is that there are many better examples of this structure that would have to be recommended first.

The story is too short to say more about it, except that its climax hinges on an absurd coincidence and it ends in an act of obvious stupidity. Scarlet’s real purpose, however, is not to tell a story of its own but to introduce the story of another, larger game. In this sense, I suppose Lust from Beyond: Scarlet succeeds. The erotic-grotesque aesthetic it tries to employ (especially combined with the first-person perspective) repulsed me, while the horror components and mechanics seem workaday at best. All this tells me the main event is probably not for me, but if you’ve read this far, then perhaps it’s for you.

While Squadrons has likely already come and gone for those who can’t experience it as its best, I can’t overstate just how vital it is for Star Wars fans fortunate enough to play in VR. This is arguably the first productive thing EA has done with the Star Wars franchise — I don’t know what took them so long, but I hope it’s a sign of things to come.

Difficulty aside, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is arguably the manic marsupial’s best adventure yet, and an imaginative, enjoyable and welcome return for one of gaming’s most beloved mascots. It’s by no means a revolution, but it does feel like the game Naughty Dog intended to make over 20 years ago, this time fully realized by the devs at Toys for Bob. Crash fans and platforming fans alike would be N. Sane to miss it.