Combat, stealth, and even exploration could have been handled better, sure, but Atomfall’s themes, atmosphere, and story make for a solid game that lets you forgive some of these issues if you let it.

Gamedec’s worlds are fascinating, albeit silent at times, and are made even more absorbing knowing there is a lingering feeling of dread in the air. It touches on some dark subject matter that makes for an interesting read and its branching narrative gives you multiple ways of enjoying the overarching story. Like a sci-fi novel, Gamedec requires your full attention otherwise you may get overwhelmed or bored of it before you turn the final page.

The exploration and the excitement we get from The Invincible is second perhaps only to its brilliant storyline. The developers come out on top of an extremely difficult task: interpreting an all-time literary classic, staying faithful to its content, introducing precise changes that make it work as a game, and delivering a gripping “walking sim” set on a stunning planet. This truly is one of the greatest games of this year and beyond.

Online mode helps keep Nintendo Switch Sports alive if you play it solo, but the game doesn’t offer much besides the sports you expect it to have. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel so don’t expect something brand new, but if you have friends nearby, you will definitely have a good time.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora feels powerful when it lets you connect with nature as it offers you something unique only the world of Avatar can show. Once you leave the warmth of its natural beauty behind, what you are left with is just another open-world game with an overworked story of saving the world.

At times Monster Slayer becomes a super immersive experience, and it’s always a joy to discover a new monster during a different time of day or when the weather changes. When that sense of wonder wears off after lots of grinding and walking around to find more monsters, you may begin to question whether you want to keep going. If you do, things get better as you stronger, but the path of a witcher is an arduous one and requires lots and lots of battles.

Overall, this is a great game that is bogged down by a handful of issues. Many of the problems with this game come from the genre it’s replicating but Cris Tales still manages to add some new and exciting mechanics. Going forward it will be exciting to see what new and creative ideas Dreams Uncorporated thinks of next.

Soulstice has a lot of fun moments and features some impressive fights that leave you feeling accomplished. Besides the thrill of perfecting each chapter every encounter, the game also features special battles that give you requirements to beat them offering you items that power-up your abilities or increase your health. These challenges are entirely optional but add to the game’s twelve hour story and continue to test your skills.

They may be limited to what the Switch can put out, but Pokemon Scarlet and Violet take things to the next level and highlight a new generation of what Pokemon games should feel like. At the root of it all are two games that excel in the thrill of discovery and invite you into a world you just want to keep exploring.

This is good but it could have been great. Fans who wanted more story and more Ash Williams will be disappointed. Though the PvP can be engaging at times there’s a few broken elements to the gameplay that need fixing so players and demons go head to head on an even battlefield. The rest is your standard loot, fight, complete objectives multiplayer game. In its current state I was left wanting more: more story, more gameplay scenarios, and way more Bruce Campbell.

Quality-of-life improvements here and there, preserving its online modes, and additional content would have made this the “ultimate” trilogy fans may have been hoping for. Instead, newcomers will enjoy playing one of the best, if not most challenging, action games ever made and older fans will remember why they fell in love with the series in the first place, all of its flaws included.

I had quite high expectations for Commandos: Origins. I wasn't disappointed in the most important aspect - it's a good stealth game, in which quietly eliminating enemies is rewarded and even desired. However, I cannot turn a blind eye to its archaisms and poor technical aspects.

By the time the credits had rolled I didn’t feel much beyond “that was a video game”. Which is fine, SW3’s combat has been finely tuned, but it takes so many pages from Doom Eternal’s playbook it begs the question of why people shouldn’t just go play that game instead. SW3 doesn’t offer a riveting story, it plods forward without any surprises or a real hook, and ends as generically as it begins.

They may be limited to what the Switch can put out, but Pokemon Scarlet and Violet take things to the next level and highlight a new generation of what Pokemon games should feel like. At the root of it all are two games that excel in the thrill of discovery and invite you into a world you just want to keep exploring.

Like a weathered axe, Song of Iron needs polish. Its combat needs refinement, its bugs are frustrating, and its ability and item system need to be fleshed out more. Where it shines is in its soundtrack and presentation that showcase the ideas one person had to create the game he envisioned. And with its credits hinting at a sequel, there is no place to go but up.

Trek could have stayed entirely in the land of the living and still be a surprise hit of a game. It’s gone well beyond that though and cemented its place as one of the greats. The side-scrolling genre has become a place for artful indies to exist but it’s been a while since a game like Trek made gamers take notice; and they definitely should.

Playing it safe, NHL 22 features a plethora of fun yet all-too familiar online and offline modes that play well and look great. The engine upgrades it received this year and enhanced animations make it one of the best hockey sims out there even though it has the potential to be so much more. Fans of the series will feel some slight improvements, and newcomers will receive a robust package that will keep them busy all throughout the season.

“Hoa” means flower in Vietnamese, so it makes sense for the game to be ephemeral, delicate, and yet beautiful all at once. If you strip away its art and music, would be a very boring game. But its art direction and wonderful soundtrack truly turn it into a playable piece of art that you just want to explore. Where it lacks in ingenuity, Hoa makes up for in the mood it creates for you within its short life.

With daily challenges and quests that reward you the more you play, Naraka: Bladepoint is shaping up to be game that plans for set up shop and last for a while. No two rounds feel the same, and yet the familiarity of each one makes it easy to keep coming back for more. It’s not perfect, by any means, with its combat system offering a breath of fresh air but also leading to moments of frustration. Still, its emphasis on customization, melee combat, and some robust features turn it into one battle royale experience worth checking out.

An enjoyable, if a bit brief, piece of blockbuster popcorn action fun.

Blades of Fire is a pretty decent, average game. It looks good graphically and works just as well. Unfortunately, it can be irritating and even boring at times.

Developers from the Polish studio Red Dot Games have chosen the path of slow evolution of their brand – I'm still waiting for a revolution. I wanted a shiny new car straight from the factory – instead I got a decent used car, which, albeit pretty and working, isn't that spectacular.

Scorn is an atmospheric masterpiece that wants you to be smart, logical, and mindful. If you are not, then it will feel more like a frustrating tease than a disturbing journey of discovery.

Mario Golf: Super Rush brings some genuinely fun and unique ideas to the franchise. Unfortunately they just don’t seem to have lived up to their potential just yet. The upcoming DLC could make this game a lot better, but it shouldn’t need to. It’s a shame because there is a really great game hidden somewhere in here, and there is no doubt it can make for a really fun game night. But, as is, Mario Golf: Super Rush doesn’t seem to have the longevity and replayability that you might come to expect from a Nintendo title, especially a game with Mario at the helm.

There is no question Lake is rather ordinary, but it’s precisely that ordinariness that lets it shine despite its flaws. Delivering mail and driving around the same familiar streets can easily get monotonous, and a few design choices ruin some of the relaxation that comes from the job, but it makes up for it in the unique interactions between Meredith and other characters. Their outcomes may not be groundbreaking, but it serves to tell a story about the normalcy of life and the choices we make to find happiness in what we are doing.

As it is, Immortals of Aveum is fun but short-lived and doesn’t offer anything that hasn’t been done before. It’s not perfect nor is it bad, but like its protagonist, the game is more of a jack of all trades than a master of one.

A step backwards from what was an enjoyable experience with Outbreak. At least then your operators fitted into the rough categories of soldier, medic, or heavy. Extraction is a mess by comparison, with operator abilities, gadgets, and guns never coalescing into something that makes any real sense gameplay-wise. The whole thing is a missed opportunity.

While there are things that work in its favor, Outcast: A New Beginning ultimately feels like any other open-world game you could play this year or have played years ago. It retains the charm of the original and further explores the world of the Talan in unique and odd ways, but how you go about doing that doesn’t feel as revolutionary as it did back in 1999.