Stellar Blade is an above-average title. Well-developed, with a captivating story from the first moment, and most importantly engaging due to thoroughly well-planned and competently executed gameplay. The South Korean studio Shift Up performed exceptionally well, and despite my initial skepticism, I ultimately saw it as one of the top games of 2024.

Perhaps a more precise description would be to label Senua's Saga: Hellblade II as a bridge that connects walking sims with action games, incorporating the finest elements of both genres. This is probably the best movie you can play in right now.

Lost Ark is a beautiful and engaging MMORPG, which is surprising considering the game has been on the market for over three years already. Fans of the genre will enjoy all the staples that the genre has become known for, but for others, the repetitive combat and linear quests can bog down the experience somewhat. But overall, while it may not exceed any expectations, Lost Ark does set a standard for what modern MMORPGs should strive for.

Black Myth: Wukong uses the wonderful canvas of Chinese mythology to draw you into its world that is both beautiful and dangerous. Struggling at times to fully tell its story, its narrative mostly gives the game structure while leaving out a lot of detailed substance hoping for you to somehow make it make sense. Sure, the game’s emphasis is combat, but for a soulslike game that looks this beautiful and has so much lore attached to it, you would hope it also spent more time focusing on its story. Its combat offers you plenty of ways to experiment what works for you, but it also offers you enough difficulty to keep you on your toes and adapting to each new situation. These elements make for a game that rewards you with the thrill of a battle and doesn’t punish you too much for making mistakes. While its world is not the easiest to explore or to comprehend, Wukong’s rewards are worth it and make for a thrilling journey of discovery.

Kena is an enjoyable adventure that mixes familiar elements with the occasional difficulty spike to shake things up. It plays it safe with simplistic combat and an old-school format, but its impressive presentation ultimately lulls you into its world nicely. Its cutscenes tell a story that leaves you curious for more, so here’s hoping that this is just the beginning of great things to come.

An improvement over Fire Emblem Warriors and a new perspective on the universe of Three Houses, Three Hopes gives you plenty to do and presents it all in a way that makes for a robust musou experience that is more than just mashing buttons. While the game can tend to drag on at times with a story muddled in politics, you are sure to find joy in its various features that marry two genres together in a surprising, yet successful way.

Focusing more on its traditional combat experience, Fire Emblem Engage is an impressive game that tries to give you a lot to play with and succeeds in feeling refreshing yet on brand. Its Emblem mechanic brings nostalgic elements to battle while introducing better ways to modify and customize your party, though its social aspects are more toned down than in previous installments.

Cereza and the Lost Demon is a charming title that sticks with you throughout its 15 or so hour runtime. It may not have the mature flashiness of its main series counterparts, but it doesn’t need it to impress anyone. Its inventive level designs are a treat to behold, and when you need to use both Cereza and Cheshire to solve a unique puzzle, the game shines. Sure, it could be more difficult and offer more varied combat elements, but fans and newcomers alike are sure to be lulled by its magic.

It has some shaky moments, but Halo Infinite ditches the numbered installments and offers us a familiar, yet fresh take on the series. Its open-world setting serves as a foundation for what’s to come, and its story plants the seeds of future conflicts that will need resolution. It has elements in its campaign and online modes that for sure could be refined, but its emotional evolution, combat fluidity, and ever-addictive multiplayer are sure to please veterans and newcomers alike.

Overall, it’s a calm and relaxing journey through a strange fantasy world that will be exactly what some players are looking for.

While Tempest Rising may not reinvent the genre, it provides a strong foundation that helps shape it for future iterations.

The Lunar: Remastered Collection is a victim of its own faithfulness. While its upgraded visuals—the retro pixel art character sprites and environments and the hand-drawn cutscenes—are stunning, they only barely distract from an otherwise outdated RPG experience. Lunar’s stories and character might have felt fresh and original in the 1990s, but today, they come across as cliché and uninspired. There is fun to be had here, but there are plenty of other great modern RPGs, too. I have a hard time imagining anyone choosing to jump into the world of Lunar today if they don’t have pre-existing nostalgia for the series.

With a solid script, robust soundtrack, and plethora of expertly delivered lines, it’s obvious a lot of care was put into making Guardians of the Galaxy feel like you were playing through an interactive movie. Its gameplay choices won’t win any awards, but the magic it makes with its witty lines and casual banter succeed in inviting you into its strange, goofy, and striking world.

Its morale rankings, experience you get from fighting enemies, and generous way to customize your favorite pieces of armor give you the tools you need to take on some tough foes that will kill you, yes, but will also provide you with over 30 hours of satisfying punishment. There is no denying Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has a high learning curve, but as many Chinese proverbs will tell you, patience, practice, and some great parrying skills will get you far.

Overall, The Falconeer: Warrior Edition is a great experience. Hopefully future titles can take a lesson from this game in terms of how players can explore their open world, and what they can find. But all of that is the cherry on top of an engaging story, breathtaking visuals, and the pure joy that comes from riding on the back of a giant warbird.

In the end, its expert cast, beautiful worlds, and clever writing together tell a very stimulating story of discovery, despite its otherwise quirky exterior.

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is a very good representative of the genre, but I feel that after a maximum of a few months, I will put it aside. I want something more from a title of this caliber.

Amerzone: The Explorer’s Legacy might be the strangest gaming experience I’ve had in a long time. This is a remake of a 1999 first-person point-and-click adventure, and while it vastly improved the visuals of the entire experience, the controls are still stuck in the past.

Overall, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess stands out as a game that masterfully combines elements from across the video game spectrum. This game manages to be challenging, without being inaccessible.

Despite the flawed gameplay, Indika is still a must-play. Or, since it’s more than just a game, is it a “must-experience”? Anyway, you definitely should buy it… but perhaps not immediately after release. Thankfully, Indika’s issues are of the kind that could be removed with updates. I believe Odd Meter will be able to improve controls and level design or at least introduce options to skip the most frustrating parts of the game that don’t really add anything of importance to the story. And when the game is finally patched out, you’re up for an unforgettable cultural roller-coaster.

I’m afraid it will take at least several weeks until WRC achieves a state where we can call it fully playable. But even then, will it be worth 50 bucks? If you desperately need a new rally game and don’t require a full-fledged simulator, then the answer can be positive. The game has very rich content and a captivating gameplay loop so you can expect dozens of hours of fun. If you haven’t played all the available rally games, then I suggest trying them first.

It’s clear that The Fall of Avalon aims for Bethesda-level ambition without the resources to fully back it up. Still, beneath the rough edges lies a rich RPG experience that—when it works—keeps you engaged for hours.

Ninja Gaiden 4 is a full-blooded action game that delivers plenty of adrenaline from overcoming tough challenges. Even in light of a few missteps, it cannot be denied that PlatinumGames has created a strong representative of a heavily neglected genre.

Terra Nil provides an excellent break from the usual fast-paced, action-heavy video games. Though short (the core game only provides less than ten hours of play-time), randomly generated maps can make this a great game to return to every once in a while to decompress. This is a game that rewards careful planning, patience, and thoughtfulness, and it’s good to see more of that not just in video games, but in the world in general.

If you’re new to the game, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is the version you want to play as it offers dozens of levels, tons of collectibles, and multiplayer mini-games to keep you busy. It’s great for families considering how accessible and friendly it is to new players, but it also offers some light challenges and colorful levels older fans can appreciate. It may not be a groundbreaking experience, but Deluxe is a testament the Kirby series is still as charming as ever.

We get the same, great framework, lots of bugs, and a promise for a better tomorrow. But that's probably not enough to give Modern Warfare 2 a higher score. During the 80 hours that I have already spent with the game, I did have a great time, and the developers still promise mountains of gold. I don't believe in these promises. Although I am happy and I can't stop playing, I also have the impression that I am participating in an it-was-supposed-to-be-so-great type of event. And I realize that in a month, six months, even a year, this game will probably look completely different (it will, Activision, right?!) – but today? It is what it is. Just a good game. Still addictive, but I was hoping for more.

A noticeable upgrade from its predecessor, King of Fighters 15 provides another classic SNK experience with some added changes that make the game feel new without making it feel drastically different. It’s a safe move, sure, but it preserves what makes the game such a classic arcade experience and still manages to provide newcomers something to help them ease into the technicality the series is known for.

Dying Light: The Beast is neither an expansion nor a sequel. However, it is another good opportunity for an extremely spectacular extermination of zombies in a beautiful, open world of reasonable size.

More thrilling than scary yet featuring lots of potentially bloody teenagers running away from an unknown creature, The Quarry checks the list for what you want from a good slasher flick. After about 9 hours, the game proves to be a culmination of your choices and quick button inputs while still featuring a script that knows where it’s headed.

Obsidian’s brilliant use of their flaws system in The Outer Worlds 2 makes it stand out as one of the best examples of how to encourage roleplaying in video games. Playing through this game really felt like I was breaking out of the shell that most other RPGs put me in. The world, its various factions, and characters all enhance this by encouraging you to make your own choices about who to be and what to do. Ultimately, this makes the game well worth your time, but also flawed in its own way, with occasionally frustrating combat, and a serviceable story to follow.

Despite its design flaws and City Trial misses, Kirby Air Riders offers enough substance and charm to make it a game you’ll keep coming back to—whether for quick bursts of fun or to teach your friends something new when they come over.

While it suffers from occasional repetition and blandness, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment stands as the best Hyrule Warriors entry to date—and one of the most enjoyable Zelda spinoffs we’ve gotten so far.

Road 96’s procedurally generated scenarios make each playthrough unique and yet manage to string together and become a rich, interwoven story that has heart. Because no two trips are the same, your experience will be uniquely yours and dependent on the choices you make. Regardless of what happens, each journey down its winding roads is an enjoyable ride of emotions, laughs, and surprises that is sure to please.

Right now, Civilization 7 is an incomplete and reduced version of the game, which is plagued by many issues. However, you can feel that under all this mess, a good game might be hiding.

Wild Hearts isn’t a perfect game, but it distinguishes itself due in part to the magical charm of its karakuri mechanic and monsters that are mysterious and fascinating. It may look and sometimes play like a Monster Hunter game, but the more you get into it, the more fights you win, and the more karakuri you build, the more it feels like a breath of fresh air.

On paper, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands seems like it would be a great escape from the usual looter shooter game fans have come to know over the years. As a Borderlands game, it delivers one of the best RPG experiences to date with plenty of customization options and loot to discover. Its pacing, design choices, and repetitive structure, however, hold it back from being so much more than just a fantasy spin-off.

System Shock is a remake years in the making, and Nightdive Studios masterfully reimagines the critically acclaimed classic. From the challenging puzzles, dangerous combat, cyberpunk aesthetic, and the tragic story that serves as the backbone for it all, there’s a lot to love about this game. System Shock’s legacy will live on in this brilliant modern take.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond took years to arrive, and what we get is a game that remembers the series’ strengths while trying to push into new territory. It may not be the series’ best, but it’s a worthy return—and a promising glimpse of where Metroid Prime can go next.

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die has a well-crafted world, clever mechanics, and satisfying action. While it has its flaws, it’s a game that’s worth your time, whether you’re a fan of the action roguelite genre or not. Between the inventory management and its fascinating exploration of how to explain a roguelite mechanic through the game world, I hope many future titles in the genre are paying attention.

I didn't wait for Banishers, and I didn't expect the game to be such a pleasant surprise for me. It's a wonderful and quite long adventure, filled with side stories. Banishers is a game haunted by the ghost of satisfaction – satisfaction from good gameplay and a great story. I want more.

My time with Everdeep Aurora is an unforgettable experience. This world is full of memorable characters and stunning set pieces. At some point, after you delved deep underground, you’ll realize you need to get back, look up at the winding, chaotic path you’ve made to get here, and discover how this game uses the player’s curiosity and exploration in such a fun way. While it’s not entirely perfect, Everdeep Aurora is a wonderful, short, cozy experience you won’t want to miss.

Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is a little gem of indie games. It has amazing visuals, cleverly designed levels with challenging gameplay, and the real star of the game is its main character, Hanna.

Unbound is a middle of the road platforming experience with some nice art but some rough edges when it comes to difficulty scaling and design. Unforgiving sections also hold the game back and without a great story to push you through the hard parts it winds up being a tough sell. If you’re into the Dark Souls level of challenge then go forth and platform. More casual players will want to seek out something more palatable.

The second entry in the Blue Reflection series, Blue Reflection: Second Light, is great for anyone looking for a casual RPG. The combat can be slow and repetitive, and the fanservice certainly leaves a uncomfortable feeling hanging over much of the game, but underneath all that is a solid RPG with a captivating mystery at its center.

Hot Wheels Unleashed is a pure arcade racer. Drift on corners, push boost on straights, be first on the finish line – these are the principles. It is as simple as it is fun. With great sense of speed, fierce competitors, and twisted track designs, races are dynamic, vigorous, and exciting… At least during the first three hours.

Hell Is Us makes bold choices: no hand-holding, no maps, no shortcuts. That design philosophy is both its biggest strength and its biggest frustration.

RoadCraft is closer to building sims than to being the successor of transporting goods through difficult terrain. Perhaps thanks to this, I really enjoyed playing.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is another bold experiment from Game Freak. It may not fully succeed in building a cohesive, immersive world, but its innovative battle system and exciting new Pokémon make it a fascinating step forward.

Elden Ring: Nightreign offers a fast-paced gameplay and a return to the kind of raw challenge I’ve come to love in soulslikes. And that’s exactly what I wanted, the more time I spent with Nightreign, the more I found myself enjoying it.

Each year’s Show adds new features or tweaks some aspect of its gameplay or controls to give you a more authentic MLB experience while still retaining everything from the previous year. If you have never played a series installment before, MLB The Show 22 is the best baseball simulator you will ever play. If you played last year’s Show, however, it will feel like deja vu.

B4B has so much potential and if it does end up getting the classic versus mode so many L4D fans want so badly then it will end up being a near-perfect game. For the time being, it’s a solid bit of zombie slaying fun that’s a cut above some of the other undead shooting gallery games out there. I just hope Turtle Rock gets the message and brings classic versus mode back from the grave, because the current incarnation of PvP is dead on arrival.

At the end of the day, Mario and Luigi: Brothership has plenty of great elements to it that are also trapped behind a game that just wants to take its time and squeeze as much juice out of itself as it can.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is the definitive way to experience the game if you haven’t played it already. Its included 3DS modes, levels, and original gameplay offer the best features from its previous two versions in a shiny package so it’s great for first-time players.

While it may not be perfect or add more to what the original came with, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD lets those who never had a chance to play it experience it in a whole new light. Its bones may still scream 3DS handheld game, but you can appreciate how much went into making the game shine on Switch. Its updated visuals simply add to the fun gameplay and enticing levels of the original that were and still are a joy to play.

Authenticity is definitely at the forefront of what makes Humankind such a compelling experience. Just the thought of mixing cultures and adopting the buildings and ideologies of eras gone by is an anthropologist’s dream. It stumbles in connecting you with each culture, however, as it all blends together into a blur that resembles its world map. It’s a Civilization game for those who have played enough Civilization games and offers you something new to play around with.

Ghostwire Tokyo brings elements of an action RPG, a horror game, and an open-world game together with brilliant results. The environments and the visuals are dripping with style and substance, with nearly everything in the game having a real-life inspiration from myths to urban legends. While it might not quite be the horror game some fans are looking for, Ghostwire Tokyo delivers a fun and engaging experience from start to finish.

Avowed is so much more than Obsidian’s take on Skyrim. This game sets the standard for what future Western RPGs should strive for. Nearly every option in combat is worth exploring, the companions are fully fleshed out with backstories that beg to be uncovered, and the anti-imperialist message at the center of the larger narrative is full of thoughtful nuance and intrigue. Obsidian has created a wonderful adventure that I can’t wait to start playing again.

South of Midnight is a pure mid-budget game that doesn't even try to challenge the biggest launches of the first half of the year, but has enough character and charm to provide about ten hours of decent fun.

Star Wars Outlaws is a smuggler with flaws that are easy to turn a blind eye to and be charmed by despite them. The cinematic story told keeps you intrigued until the end, the worlds are pleasing to the eye, and the gameplay offers a variety of attractions. Yes, there are problems, but they are not very painful, you can get used to them, sometimes you just need to grit your teeth and curse at the screen. The Force in this game turned out to be stronger than I assumed.

I’d recommend Hard West 2 to just about anyone, even if you’ve never played the genre before. Some early growing pains are easily overcome and there’s just the right amount of tactics, exploration, story, and atmosphere. While not a revolutionary take on the mechanics, it’s a solid offering on all fronts.

As Dusk Falls feels like an interactive TV drama because it has all the components that make for great television. While its quick-time events and pacing can disappoint at times, what truly makes it pop is its clever writing and format which puts you right in the middle of all the drama, action, and intrigue the game throws your way no matter how you play it.

Despite feeling familiar, there are plenty of improvements here that make the feel more dynamic and challenging at the same time. Sniper Elite 5 gives you the tools for you to make tactical decisions and offers you a generous amount of freedom to make mistakes and take the approach you want when completing missions.

EA’s virtual golf game truly refines how golf should be played, and it offers you an apologetically realistic approach to the sport. If you have the patience to keep practicing, EA Sports PGA Tour will be one of the best and most beautiful golf games you have played.

WWE 2K22 is pure entertainment and an improvement in so many ways. Its refined combat system, tight controls, and plethora of modes give you the tools and freedom to make it be as fun as you want it to be. It does, however, suffer from some design choices that keep it from achieving greatness. It has the glitz and the glamour you’ve come to expect from the series, but it also feels humble, more approachable, and can still offer fans hours of fun until the next, hopefully even better, game comes out.

You want an experience that is so difficult, but rewarding, that it keeps you coming back for more. Eldest Souls fits the bill, but because it focuses on just boss-rushing, it feels more like a lite version that is still just as fun to play. It’s great for those who know what they’re signing up for and are okay with a more minimalistic, if not frustrating approach to a brutal genre.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong may not revolutionize how the series delivers its puzzles, but it does introduce content that elevates it from the original. Newcomers will appreciate the game’s charming and engrossing levels that keep you wanting to solve them all, but if you’ve already played the original you may question if the extra content justifies picking it up again. It’s still a game that kids can easily gravitate to, but its added levels, co-op mode, and revamped presentation makes it a no-brainer even for older gamers looking for a relaxing, not-too-difficult good time.

Pharaoh A New Era is the same classic game from 1999, but in a new package. If someone wants to, they can still play it the old way. It depends entirely on the player's choice so we're only gaining, not losing. The new era of historical city builders looks really exciting. If only it would bring more remakes like this one.

Weird West has a ton of deep mechanics and nearly endless replayability all wrapped up in an experience that encourages the player to be just as curious and creative as the game itself. There aren’t many other games out there that let you throw dynamite at a werewolf and then accidentally stumble into a group of bug spewing zombies on the way home. Weird West is an incredibly satisfying experience because it gives the player all the tools they need to tackle a situation from the shotgun on their hip to the quicksave button that finally let’s them see what happens if they shoot the important, but annoying, NPC.

This isn’t the end of Dragon Age that I was expecting - in this respect, the game must be rated very low. However, as an action RPG with flair and a beautiful fairy-tale world, it turns out to be decent, and sometimes even more than that.

There is a lot to love about NBA 2K22 which makes it one of the best basketball games out there. Besides just looking and feeling amazing, a lot of time and effort was put into ensuring this game wasn’t just a rehashing of last year’s version. From its smart tweaks on the court to its heightened level of realism in nearly every aspect of its gameplay, NBA 2K22 is the ultimate fan experience and delivers a season worth of thrills where it matters most.

Dying Light 2 takes the same survival horror route as the original but improves everything that made the first game so much fun in the first place by breathing life into its world, characters, and narrative. Its RPG elements and dialogue options are a noticeable upgrade and give weight to your decisions, even though they may not always be that impactful. Its greatest strength lies in how it reinvents the idea of survival in a zombie apocalypse. And that makes for a frighteningly good time.

Though not without its faults, Hinokami Chronicles 2 is a visually stunning and faithful follow-up that builds on the original with more characters, polished storytelling, and just enough style to keep Demon Slayer fans hooked.

Heading Out seems like a great start to a game or a series that could continue to expand and get better. It lays the groundwork for some impressive ideas and concepts that racing games don’t usually tackle and offers you a chance to reflect on your own life in a surprising way.

Despite its tiny setting and small but robust cast, Twelve Minutes surprisingly grows into a mystery with a lot of depth and intrigue. It does have a few flaws in how it forces you to figure things out on your own and limits how much you can play around with. However, once you do get past those roadblocks and make progress in your search for the truth, you realize those minutes have turned into hours and the disturbing twist at the end was well worth your time.

Although Cronos: The New Dawn doesn't revolutionize the genre, fans of survival horror games set in unique settings will be satisfied. A dense atmosphere, a mysterious plot, and a solid dose of anxiety define this new game from Bloober Team.

Chorus is a very fun and satisfying space combat adventure. The controls are smooth and forgiving while the combat is fast-paced and engaging. Where Chorus unfortunately falters is an over-centralization on the dark and dramatic main story that can often leave little room for the player to insert themselves into the place of the main character or make choices that feel impactful to the surrounding world.

While PGA Tour 2K23 offers one of the best golf video game experiences yet, there is still so much more it can do in elevating the golf experience to showcase the thrills that come with being a pro.

Farming Simulator 25 is a bit like the latest iPhones – no extravagance, no revolution, a slightly improved, familiar product for regular customers. If you are one of them, you surely already have a pre-order. And if not - there is something to complain about.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure brings back Max for another instance in her life where her powers grant her the means of righting a wrong, but instead she discovers an alternate timeline and events that remind her of her past. Instead of fully diving into it, the game ultimately shoves her past and present aside and tries to make you forget it leaving you with unanswered questions. It has some strong points and features thought-provoking storytelling the series is known for, but it ultimately feels like a roll of film needing some development.

And there is one more advantage of GRID Legends over its ancestor – graphics, obviously. Actually, the game looks really pretty on its own terms and won’t be ashamed in front of Forza or even Gran Turismo 7. Rain is especially well done; it may be the first time when I was impressed by weather effects nearly as much as in DriveClub (yup, the one released in 2014; this game still has stunning graphics). Also environments are very detailed and decorated with dense crowds of people or fireworks.

Despite its flaws, LEGO Bricktales is a game many will love as it lets you experience the magic of LEGO without needing to go out and buy your own plastic bricks to play with.

If you ask me whether RIDE 5 is worth buying or not, I’d say (as usual): it depends. If you played all previous games in the series, and still can’t get enough after the last installment, then the answer must be positive. It’s the RIDE you know and love, just more refined than the last time around.

WarioWare Move It!’s microgames may not all be winners when unresponsive controls get in the way, but its generous catalog of microgames is sure to tickle your funny bone and keep you and your friends entertained for a long time.

Overall, my experience with Lords of the Fallen was average. The game has its pros and is an improvement over the original from 2014. The combat is better, although in terms of bosses, you can see that sometimes the developers had to resort to controversial choices. In addition, there are numerous technical issues and a somewhat limited world, which is quite pleasant nonetheless.

Sand Land definitely has moments that are fun and worth the price of admission, but it will also leave you scratching your head wondering if this is the best it could do. It may be leagues away from being a Dragon Ball epic, but it does its best to introduce you to a series that you may want to watch or read first.

If Visions of Mana spent as much time and energy as it did in its battles into its narrative, we would have gotten a very different game. Instead, the game seems off-balance but definitely has the potential to be a fun experience if you solely focus on the battles and not on its plot. Don’t get me wrong—there are moments in the game where the story introduces some action elements that make you feel like you are getting somewhere, but these moments are overshadowed by the rest of the story’s rather bland narrative.

Bizarre but beautiful indeed, Chernobylite is an amalgamation of various genres in one captivating game that you wouldn’t think could pull it off as well as it does. Its missions offer much of the same over the time and its combat could use some work, but its world gives you enough diverse events, objectives, and live challenges that keep you thinking ahead. Plus, add to that its 3D scanned world of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and you get an ambitious game that blends fiction with reality and offers you an experience unlike any other.

No More Heroes III is a strange game, but absolutely worth your time. If you’ve ever watched an anime and wished you could play out the battles yourself, you will love this game. But if you haven’t had that specific experience and just enjoy a story-driven, chaotic hack-and-slash, you’ll have a great time as well.

Ultimately, Flock is a delight for a short non-violent indie game. What I enjoy the most about Flock is how it has the power to change the players' perspective of an environment. Listening to familiar and unfamiliar sounds, and noticing when something seems out of the ordinary, these are skills that will lead to success in Flock. This game teaches players about the power of simple observation and how it can unlock the secrets of a beautifully vibrant world, whether in a game or not.

All in all, The Thaumaturge is a game I won’t forget anytime soon. I even intend to play it again from the beginning as soon as Polish VO is added – and that’s something I didn’t declare for any title in a very, very long time.

If you’re hoping for something that shatters expectations or tells a deeply personal story, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers doesn’t quite soar—it just glides comfortably in familiar skies.

Darktide looks great, sounds fantastic, and even with all my complaining… I've spent 53 hours playing it. 53 hours of the kind of fun that no other game this year gave me. And I'm sure that in six months, or a year, Darktide will be a game that will deserve a much higher rating.

Princess Peach Showtime! only lasts around six hours and a couple more if you want to collect everything. It’s a breeze to get through and doesn’t offer much difficulty beyond collecting all those pesky gems, but it manages to give us a sampling of Peach’s potential as the star of future games. Featuring a good mix of action and relaxation, the game gives you plenty of variety even though it stays within the realm of pleasing a younger audience. Peach’s transformations are simple but give her a whole new range of skills you would never know she had until now. It’s a shame the game ends when it does as certain levels are quite fun and engaging. Considering Mario Odyssey was accessible to all ages but still offered hours of fun and adventure, there is no reason why Peach’s exploits should only be limited to starring roles in make-believe plays.

Here and now, we have another very solid rally simulator that should be considered as a valid option for every enthusiast of this form of racing, who prefers having fun on gravel to extreme, punishing realism. And that's not a sentence you could hear just three years ago. So, will I remember Nacon’s and KT Racing’s WRC with nostalgy? I sure will. Even if I was cursing the publisher’s DLC policy so many times.

If you don’t feel a desperate need of sinking teeth into a new game, it could be wise to wait some more time before starting The Ascent. I’m certain the devs will support this title for many months to come, addressing it’s most urgent issues, i.e. stiff difficulty level, poorly implemented fast travel or lack of endgame (including insufficient depth of itemization). Before the end of the quarter, the game could be upgraded enough to deserve a score like 8.5, and in the long term, I can imagine it ascending even higher. But can you resist these graphics?

Cities Skylines 2 offers a myriad of great, all-round, quality-of-life improvements over the prequel. Whereas the game faces technical challenges at launch, it seems well set to become a worthy successor of the original, being much more sleek and accessible as well as bringing a bunch of fun novelties.

Mafia: The Old Country is a solid return to the series’ roots. Despite a few minor flaws, it delivers an engaging story that’s well worth experiencing. The game also packs in plenty of fan-service moments that longtime Mafia fans will definitely appreciate.

LEGO 2K Drive checks off all the right boxes for what a fun cart racing game should be—and its quintessential LEGO charm is there—but it feels like a missed opportunity to really build a world teeming with excitement.