Stray is a short and sweet game, with a unique and immersive adventure from a cat's point of view under a beautiful cyberpunk vision. The story of this lonely city and stray cats will linger on.

While Age of Mythology: Retold still has a few flaws in its details, it doesn't stop the game from showcasing the unique charm of this classic RTS in a fresh new way, even 20 years later.

tERRORbane is a creative meta game where bugs are no longer annoying, they are cooked with care and served as a main course. Different from traditional games, the joy brought by tERRORbane comes from the absurd and humorous ideas of the producers.

When Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate is now available on Steam in its final form, this work is still fun after ten years and has a unique charm that can make you forget the heat outside your window.

The fast-paced bullet-hell boss battles in TEVI are satisfying, but its Metroidvania design is just okay. The levels are too similar and have some problems that detract from the fun. Despite these flaws, the overall quality of the game is still impressive.

Sultan's Game is an irreplaceable gaming experience defined by its rich content, high degree of freedom, and remarkably nuanced storytelling that can fully immerse the right player.

Octopath Traveler is a classic JRPG which reminds me some former masterpieces like Romancing SaGa and Final Fantasy VI. I really appreciate the idea of using 8 characters to tell stories, and the unique talents that every character has. But I still think the storyline could be better, and these characters could have more interaction.

The SLG part of Triangle Strategy is quite worth playing, but this game slightly falls short in terms of story design and role development freedom and still lags far behind Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics, the games to which it pays homage. Despite being unremarkable, it is still an SLG game worth trying, given the scarcity of this type of games lately.

While staying true to its small-scale, casual approach, Cat Quest 3 avoids the trap of overloading content to create an open world. Instead, it offers a highly flexible exploration experience. In addition, the game further enhances the equipment system, allowing for clearer role specialisation when playing in co-op mode.

With its color-matching mechanics and equipment-based combinations, POPUCOM delivered over a dozen hours of fresh, engaging fun. While the party mode lacks lasting appeal, that shortcoming is quickly overshadowed by the enjoyment of cooperative play. If you're a fan of co-op games, POPUCOM should easily meet your expectations for the genre.

For fans of detective games, Between Horizons is well worth a look. It builds a solid sci-fi world, offers a flexible story and many different endings, making it a unique and replayable detective game. However, the adventure part of Between Horizons seems to lack highlights.

After nearly two years of updates, V Rising has evolved into a content-rich survival builder. It not only faithfully recreates the various characteristics of vampires in its gameplay, but also creates a unique combat experience, making it a remarkably solid survival building game.

Compared with Pro Evolution Soccer 2019, FIFA 19 makes much more obvious progress, and I believe it's one of the finest games in the series.

Katana ZERO flings you into a challenging playground with intense battles and tricky time control skills. The story is a bit plain but still acceptable.

The evaluation of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is doomed to be polarizing. It has many advantages, and can attract a lot of players. Meanwhile, there are plenty of terrible designs that cannot be understood in it too, such as lengthy game pace, tedious missions and boring combat. To love or to hate, that is the question.

The upgraded alchemy system is the best fun part of Atelier Sophie 2. This game has innovated the classic turn-based combat mode in a unique way, and the improved encounter mode also makes me delighted. However, the story line is unremarkable, some items in the main story line are quite difficult to fabricate, some materials required for devising formulas are difficult to locate, and there are unreasonable aspects in the two-person alchemy system. All these issues will seriously undermine your experience in the game and preclude the game from being outstanding.

As a survival game, Grounded has a good story and gameplay, but only if you can accept all kinds of bugs and terrifying spiders. The game creates a mini world that allows players to explore driven by curiosity, and there is some guide missing when the player is exploring. The difficulty of the single-player mode seems a bit unfriendly, reducing the fun of the player experience.

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a fantasy role-playing game that is highly playable and extremely rich in content. Although there are still some obvious bugs and optimization issues in the game, it is still the brightest new star in the fantasy role-playing games.

Generally speaking, the Pokemon Legends: Arceus is a work with outstanding plot and depth, excellent open world design and interesting new battle mode. Although there are many deficiencies in explicit aspects, it still creates the most ideal form of Pokemon world in my mind, and thus becomes the best series of Pokemon works in five years, worthy of the suffix of "Arceus" in the name.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a solid action game that draws inspiration from Souls-like mechanics while incorporating the fast-paced combat and stamina management of titles like Nioh. The result is a battle system that retains the tension of Souls-likes but also delivers the satisfying fluidity of traditional action games.

The Plucky Squire might be the most imaginative indie game you'll play this year. What if a character could step out of their storybook and change their world? The game answers this question through a delightful journey. Although the story and combat feel somewhat simplistic and don't fully live up to the creative premise, the overall experience remains enjoyable.

In the Souls-like genre, Lies of P definitely stands out. It skilfully captures the unique essence of the Dark Souls series and expands on it with features such as the weapon modification system. However, the level design and boss fights play it fairly simple, and the lies that should have been a core element don't shine as brightly as expected.

Marvel Midnight Suns show a unique understanding of strategic game, making the combat gameplay under the card system more addictive than ever. Each system is coupled so well together that you'll be plunged into it for dozens of hours without realizing it. For fans of Marvel superheroes, it's like a well-curated feast.

Assassin's Creed: Odyssey represents the magnificent view of ancient Greece with an amazing scale and unique perspective. It's more marvelous than any of its prequels, and of course, Odyssey is the best entry in Assassin's Creed series. However, the harsh level limit greatly restricts my exploration and forces me to improve levels or obtain loots by finishing a large number of repeated side quests, and it makes me feel dizzy, bored and sad.

Westwood Studio had created a masterpiece 25 years ago, which evolves the RTS game deeply. With some polishing, C&C is still full of fun but mainly enjoyable for series fans.

Even though it changed from top-down to third-person view,, Helldivers 2 remains an engaging and unique game. It keeps almost all the good things from the first game and puts them into a new way of playing, making it even more enjoyable than before. However, unstable network connections are still a stumbling block in your fight for Super Earth. Helldivers 2 has a good start. The big question is if the developers can keep adding new stuff to keep players interested.

Laser League is easy to play but difficult to master. Despite some online matching problems, it has great potential.

Lost Judgment tells an exciting legal and political story while also giving players a return to the experience of their campus life. The great martial arts actions and the rich world design make this work a classic that is even better than its prequel.

Football Manager 2018 builds a virtual world which can rival the real one, by using huge and complex database. Many new features in 2018 were designed just to let players experience a more and more realistic manager career.

With a decent end-game experience, The Division 2 becomes much better than its prequel, and I believe it's even better than Destiny 2 and far superior to Anthem. However, the PS4 version has suffered a serious Bug which repeatedly crashes the game since its initial release day.

I am not a huge fan of bloody violence, but I am still attracted by MK11's beautiful art style, great graphics, interesting game systems, and tons of game modes, including a very detailed teaching mode. No doubt it is the best of the whole series.

Excellent pixel art, profound plot and deep story background, as well as the complementation of puzzle solving and combat, make Eastward an excellent work worth experiencing.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla is the wildest installment in the franchise. Compared with Origins and Odyssey, it's slightly improved in terms of performance, the open-world, and variety of gameplay.

Metro Exodus makes great progress in terms of open-world and battle system. And of course, it offers an outstandingly thrilling story just like its prequels.

Cult of the Lamb is worthy of attention from both roguelike fans and simulation players - even if the gameplay is a bit lacking in both design depth. But the developers know how to use hell jokes to keep players interested.

Children of Morta is a decent roguelike ARPG.

If one wants to experience the masterpieces of the Mario franchise, the game is a must-buy. Each of the games deserve more polishing, but now they seem just so outdated from graphics to UI.

In a despairing atmosphere, the story of The Banner Saga finally meets its end. Your choice matters, and every move of the battle matters, so choose carefully. It has some issues in some ways, but overall, The Banner Saga has become an important part of the SLG family, with its very unique art style and strategy design.

Hitman 2 is a good game, only with a small amount of content. The core experience of assassination is still there, and even become more attractive. But it is too much like the Hitman released in 2016, and there are only 6 maps which do not satisfy me.

A Plague Tale: Requiem tells a thrilling and bizarre tale of a plague through bold performances and stunning scenes. But its lack of important gameplay such as combat and puzzle solving, the work has not reached a higher level in my mind.

On the one hand, Lunacid is riddled with outdated design, a deliberately crude retro aesthetic, and traps that often feel unfair. On the other hand, it offers a deeply unique experience that masterfully captures the essence of classic dungeon ARPGs from decades past and evokes the enigmatic charm of early FromSoftware titles. It's a game that thrives on its imperfections, delivering a nostalgic yet fresh take on a genre that feels like a lost relic rediscovered.

Death Stranding is a game about connection, and it connects not only every character of the game but also every gamer together. It's a masterpiece with great philosophy thoughts and combines great storytelling with innovative gameplay.

Playing Ubisoft's Far Cry 5 is just like eating a McDonald's Big Mac. It's really appetizing but never surprises me. I already know what it tastes like before actually biting in, considering all the Big Macs are made by the same recipe. So is Far Cry 5.

Jumping out of the submarine scene in the previous game, Little Nightmares 2 presents more familiar daily places like farms, schools, hospitals, which can create a strong sense of horror with everything weird.

Without doubts, PES makes a little step further every year, and eFootball PES 2020 is surely on the right track. The Master League feels more interesting since we can now play as a famous coach. How the ball reacts to different situation in the game is far more realistic than its predecessor.

Battlefield 6 focuses all its efforts on the core elements, map design, environmental destruction, gunplay, and the atmosphere of war, delivering the spectacle of modern combat with striking visual flair. While it may not stand out for gameplay variety, it remains unmatched in overall quality within the large-scale warfare genre.

Ninja Gaiden 4 feels like a pivotal point between the old and the new eras. Much like its dual protagonists, it refuses to abandon the legacy of Ryu Hayabusa the heart of the series while introducing the more modern and versatile Yakumo to draw in new players. The result is a game that remains deeply engaging, offering a near-peak action combat system that rewards mastery and precision. Even its flaws and frustrations feel distinctly, unmistakably Ninja Gaiden.

The Octo Expansion is a substantial DLC focused on single player campaign with great level design. Although the Autopass button is bad for players keeping passion to challenge, the DLC still successfully keeps Splatoon 2 fresh.

Whether you're chasing pure sensory gratification or curious about the cutting edge of Balatro-likes, RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike is a solid pick. Its core mechanics are finely tuned, making it an excellent choice for players seeking a relaxing, satisfying sense of numerical escalation. That said, once the initial novelty wears off, the repetition between runs becomes difficult to ignore.

A well-crafted strategy RPG just like the Advance Wars series.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is an elegant puzzle game based on the miniature gardening, which focuses on making full use of space and resources to explore various kinds of gameplay. The Nintendo Switch version perfectly adapts the new platform, and some new features and new levels make it even more fun.

Wargroove 2 feels more like a big DLC. The game systems have hardly been improved and there are very few new units and commanders. Fortunately, the Campaign mode offers a substantial amount of content with improved quality compared to the previous game. While the roguelike mode offers a fresh experience, the actual enjoyment of the game is somewhat limited.

Although Burning Shores is just a DLC with a gameplay length of only five or six hours, but its achievement in refreshing the graphical performance on consoles is commendable. For players who are more interested in the mechanics of the game, while its performance in areas such as boss battles may be a little lacking, the overall experience is still considered fresh and exhilarating. Not to mention that it further explores the core concept of 'cooperation' and adds to the lore of the game world itself.

Yuppie Psycho tells a thrilling career adventure story with a strong sense of mystery and it keeps me engaged all the time.

Although lacking in innovation, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is the best Star Wars game of all time.

Overcooked 2 has made significant progress. The kitchens are much more imaginative and dynamic, and the brand new ability to throw food makes the pace of the game faster and funnier. Besides, the online support makes it possible to play with your friends even when you are not sitting side by side.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a carefree and spirited island adventure. Whether you're navigating your pirate ship between islands in search of treasure, recruiting eccentric crew members from the streets of Honolulu, or battling enemy ships in the perilous pirate arenas, the game keeps you engaged at every turn.

The Borderlands series has long refined the looter-shooter formula, and Borderlands 4 feels like it has finally reached its theoretical peak. From seamless maps and freer movement to expanded skill trees, every change serves the same purpose: letting players and their friends dive into the endless loop of shooting, looting, and powering up in more satisfying and varied ways.

Hunt: Showdown has a level of complexity that surpasses many other titles, allowing it to excel in areas such as tactics and gunplay.

Ghostrunner 2 is a near flawless sequel that retains all the outstanding aspects of its predecessor, while making significant improvements to the level design and gameplay. Even more satisfying are the two non-linear, sandbox-style levels that expand the world both inside and outside of Dharma City.

Including the prequel game To the Moon, works from Freebird Games are always highly personalized and artistic. Gameplay is not one of the goals that they want to achieve. They're just eager to tell audience an affecting story. And of course, Finding Paradise is a huge success.

MARVEL Cosmic Invasion builds on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge with a more modernized approach, ultimately delivering strong combat feel and smooth, responsive action. But relying so heavily on well-worn, proven design also caps its ceiling, keeping it from ever reaching a truly impressive high.

Children of the Son ingeniously combines sandbox levels, tactical planning, and puzzle-solving within the scope of a single sniper rifle to create a unique little gem of a game. However, it is limited to being a good concept and a short experience, struggling to sustain replayability or deeper exploration of its mechanics.

Samurai Showdown is a unique FTG which has few combos. But only using fists and swords is not boring at all. On the contrary, it is fast-paced and fun to play. I am glad that SNK brought this old-school FTG to the current-gen platforms.

Catherine Full Body adds new story and game modes, making the game more fun to play. The cutscenes give us a story that is deeply rooted in people's hearts, and the sokoban parts are interesting too.

Borderlands 3 is the best game Gearbox has ever made. The weapons are interesting and goofy, the battles are intense and tricky, and the multiple open-worlds are beautiful and full of challenging missions. For Chinese gamers, it might be the most immersive 3A game in recent years because of the wonderful Chinese voice acting.

Rollerdrome mixes rollerblading with 3rd person shooting in a unique art style, making it quite enjoyable. But the repetitive gameplay and high level of difficulty are somewhat disappointing.

Ni No Kuni II tells a nice fairy tale with an iconic Ghibli art style. But the combat system is not good enough, and the design of side quests need some second thoughts.

If you never experience the impressive story of Halo franchise, Halo Reach is the very first step, and it runs smoothly on PC platform. However,it is such a pity that the Forge and Theater mode are pending, the game still needs some time to renovate.

NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black is the perfect appetizer before the release of NINJA GAIDEN 4 and a fantastic New Year's gift from Koei Tecmo to action game fans.

The Legend of Tianding is a sketch game of upper middle quality. There are some issues that will affect the game experience to a certain extent, such as the repetitive late miscellaneous battle, unclear mission guidance, bugs of individual levels in the design. But the refreshing experience of the plot, like reading the Hong Kong comics, is very unique.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD on NS brought this once masterpiece back to the player's vision. However, its crappy control and a somewhat old-fashioned design make it seem less attractive nowadays.

Anno 1800 might be the best 4X game since Civ 6 and definitely has brought back the series' glory.

Obsidian is simply continuing its exploration of what a modern CRPG can be, delivering another title that's genuinely worth playing today. The Outer Worlds 2 stands out by being willing to tell a less traditional story and express ideas that aren't always comfortable or harmonious. And honestly, that alone is exactly what I hoped Obsidian would do.

For veterans of classic adventure games, Keeper will undoubtedly evoke a strong sense of nostalgia. Its loop of exploring fantastical, varied worlds while solving puzzles is a clear homage to a bygone era. However, some of its more deeply retro design philosophies may no longer be as universally appealing in this day and age.

It's clear that Atelier Umia is trying to modernize the series, but when you start down the wrong path, every step forward only leads you further astray. An overly simplified alchemy system and a formulaic open world strip away the series' most essential charm, leaving behind a beautifully crafted shell that ultimately feels hollow. No matter how polished the presentation, it's hard to truly love a game that has lost its heart.

The overall performance of Age of Empires IV is very steady, retaining some of the classic design of the series, but also adding some improvements that speed up the pace of the game. The new documentary cutscene is an excellent attempt, and the fully evolved sound and graphics performance makes the battlefield more immersive.

SteamWorld Heist II is a big step up from the first game. With different classes, weapons and skills to choose from, it introduces new strategic possibilities to the gameplay. The non-linear exploration of a large open world adds depth to the experience outside of the intense turn-based strategy.

The pathless is a beautiful game, running around and fighting with every BOSS is enjoyable. But the world is so empty and lack of interaction that might make you feel bored soon.

Desktop Dungeons: Rewind has many classic designs that still look fresh today. In fact, this 3D remastered version hardly improves on the original, the graphics losing the delicate flavour of the original 2D art. If you were to ask a veteran player who has spent hundreds of hours playing Desktop Dungeons, the answer would undoubtedly be "not as good as the original". But if you were to ask whether Rewind is fun, I think it's still worth playing.

It's undeniable that Battlefield 5 is solid and the squad system is greatly improved. However, because of the absence of the Firestorm and Combined Arms, the gameplay doesn't show much difference compared with its prequels while the Grand Operations mode which is the only new mode in BF5 at this time is dull and full of flaws.

Syberia: The World Before continues the adventures of Kate Walker with a very delicate storytelling technique. It has a lot of clockpunk-styled mechanical puzzles, with a wide variety of patterns in puzzle solving with great fun. However, its storyline and characterization are hardly satisfactory, and the dialogues and CGs are not set up with any "Skip" options, making the gaming tempo seem very draggy. The fixed camera that does not allow the player to rotate freely causes many problems that affect the experience. The poor localization is even more deadly for this text-dependent storyline-based game.

Ubisoft has made another bold yet cautious attempt in Immortals Fenyx Rising. It combines the classic Ubisoft mission design with some outstanding ideas from other open-world games. One can't stop noticing some familiar elements within, but Immortals Fenyx Rising can do way better than being a copy cat.

Although the current Company of Heroes 3 is not perfect, and the designers at Relic Entertainment have had some bad ideas, the fact that this game has made it to the third title, to be honest, is enough for us old fans of the game to cheer and get excited about.

After the predecessor set up a huge sale with the beauty of Rysa, this sequel did not intend to make quick money or be perfunctory. The more interesting gameplay design has brought me a lot of different experiences. The process of collecting clues in the maze and piecing together the grand story behind the ruins made me addicted to it.

Stellar Blade is undoubtedly one of the most compelling games of the year, and what's even more pleasing is that it excels in every way. The combat system is both exhilarating and deep enough to give players, regardless of their action game experience, a great deal of enjoyment. The game has created a world similar to Nier: Automata, striking a perfect balance between the bleakness of a post-apocalyptic setting and a sense of hope. In addition, Stellar Blade offers players a degree of freedom that allows them to fully immerse themselves in the thrill of exploration and helping others.

A Plague Tale: Innocence features excellent narrative and atmosphere, but the gameplay is a little bit dull.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II remains a maverick in the gaming world. While its gameplay has not evolved from the first game, it has expanded on the aspects that set it apart from mainstream games: more realistic graphics, more moving performances, and an even more immersive depiction of psychosis that resonates deeply with players. This interactive film style game is very niche and I don't think everyone will appreciate it. However, there must be creators who make such games, and these games must exist. They allow those who live in a different reality every day to be seen and understood by more people.

For people who love the predecessors, Trine 4 can easily bring back the good-old memory. Eventhough the online gameplay and combat system are annoying, it remains attractive and impressive for the extraordinary scenes.

SIFU has quite a few highlights in scene style and action design, and its hardcore combat lets you know the true meaning of talented pupils are trained by strict masters. The "easy-to-die" gameplay is extremely merciless to the player, and only through blood and sweat can you transcend. All this, of course, comes at the cost of deterring many players from the game.

As a 4X game, Age of Wonders: planetfall may not as perfect as Civ series, but it stands out in terms of the combat system and fantastic sci-fi settings.

The second DLC provides more things to play and experience than the last one, with new combat, new puzzles, new areas to explore, and new story to dig.

Despite Black Myth: WuKong achieving world-class standards in art and presentation, with solid and engaging gameplay, rich content, and a narrative and artistic expression that is uniquely meaningful for East Asian players—especially those who grew up with Journey to the West—the game is not without its flaws. The inexperience in level design and the drawbacks of excessive resource allocation have indeed impacted the overall experience…As a Chinese player who grew up watching the Journey to the West cartoons and TV series, playing Black Myth: WuKong is an experience that deeply resonates with me. I appreciate the developers' unreserved presentation of Journey to the West culture, and I am in awe of the game's artistic presentation. This profound cultural empathy has already made up for any shortcomings.

Gears Tactics delivers a very deep dimension of strategy while maintaining the wild style of the Gears series. It keeps me engaged for multiple hours. But at the end of the day, repetitive missions make me feel bored.

Like a dragon: Ishin! is a blood-soaked battle feast. Not only does it have the historical weight of the Bakumatsu period in its plot, but it also features many classic characters from the Yakuza series. The game's combat system is arguably the best in the series, with an impeccable feel, rich and deep styles, and few parts that affect the gameplay experience, apart from some minor numerical issues. The sandbox-style open world of Kyoto still has plenty of playable content, but there is nothing innovative about it. In addition, its weapon enhancement and crafting system lacks practicality and fails to provide enough fun for players.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is remarkably hard to fault, to the point where it feels like a blueprint for what a modern Dragon Quest should be. The story has been significantly streamlined, with many narrative beats rewritten more coherently, allowing an already solid tale to feel refreshed. Meanwhile, its combat and world exploration benefit from extensive quality-of-life improvements, adding a wealth of convenient features that make the overall experience notably comfortable to play.

Fire Emblem Engage is a treat for retro fans. It retains the best of the GBA title, with excellent level design and a rich combat system. But the story is very dumb, making it the game's biggest weakness. Fortunately, Fire Emblem Engage itself is still fun enough for anyone with a passion for SRPGs to have a good time.

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma might just mark a fresh new beginning for the series. While it doesn't break much new ground, it approaches farming, building, management, and romance with genuine care and delivers each of them as well as it possibly can.