The ability to play as anyone and have them feel like real people with unique skills and backstories is engaging for dozens of hours. While I'm still waiting for one of these games to say something meaningful regarding their tinderbox political backdrops, the gameplay systems are interwoven smartly and deeply, making Watch Dogs: Legion the next major leap for open-world games.

You know when something looks weird or sounds off, and you can’t help but scrunch your face up and squint your eyes? As if it’s an involuntary response out of pure confusion? That happened repeatedly as I played Immortals of Avevum. The ideas and love that went into developing this are plain to see, which makes the middling-at-best end product all the more disappointing.

NBA 2K25 delivers an exceptional experience for seasoned players and franchise newcomers. With its updated engines, animations, graphics, sounds, and presentation, the game offers an incredibly realistic experience. However, I recommend that PC players hold onto their consoles for now due to prevalent cheating and poor optimization, which can lead to frustration. Moreover, the absence of crossplay with other platforms significantly limits the player base. Unfortunately, the microtransactions are more aggressive than last year, potentially providing an unfair advantage to those who spend money on online game modes. Despite these challenges, the game's visuals, gameplay realism, and overall enjoyment are truly impressive if you can overlook the downsides.

Temtem may look like Pokemon on the surface, but a deep battle system and engaging PvP elements make up for the similarities.

The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos is the game at its absolute best. It's a great murder mystery and a perfect excuse to jump back in.

When I play Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life, I feel the enchantment of nostalgia, but it’s mixed with the fresh features and looks of being remade. If you like farming sims, particularly the old Harvest Moon games before the name change, then I highly recommend Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life. Marvelous Inc. took an iconic farming simulator and managed to make it even better.

If you're looking for an RPG with deep combat systems and grueling dungeon designs, you'll want to look elsewhere. From a story perspective, though, it’s essential playing if you like RPGs at all. It might not be the most fun you’ll have with an RPG this year, but you’ll probably never forget your time with SMT 3 either.

Overall, I can’t fault EA Sports for its efforts with EA FC 24. The developer has taken the bull by the horns and given longtime players of the franchise hope for the first time in a very long time. However, it’s only a slight improvement.

Samurai Shodown has managed to make the trip to the Switch without sacrificing more than a little bit of graphical fidelity. If you pick it up, you’ll end up with a game that feels strangely foundational for 2D fighting as a whole, where every round is a tense game of rocket tag even if you have what you think is an insurmountable lead. If you’re looking for something flashy and crazy to play on the couch, it really doesn’t fill that particular bill, but as a fighting game, it’s got a lot of what keeps the genre relevant.

Star Wars Outlaws is enjoyable, comfortable, safe, and familiar game to spend a few hours in that will neither offend nor astound.

Bugsnax is memorable for its writing, world, and creative premise, but its more gamified elements somewhat spoil a delicious meal. Bugsnax isn't the best version of the game it could have been, but it's still a really fun adventure.

Under the Waves is one of those games that you have to complain about, but overall you still like it. First of all, the game takes not so much the plot or gameplay as the atmosphere. Lamp retro futurism, stunningly beautiful water depths, excellent simulation of marine life, Stan's beautiful nightmares (no matter how strange it may sound) - and all this is accompanied by well-chosen music. The audio-visual series is on top, and thanks to him you forgive the game a lot. If you like nautical themes or just meditative projects where you don't have to rush and kill someone, take note of Under the Waves.

Evil Genius 2: World Domination is a great base builder undermined by slow pacing, dense AI, and a little bit too much repetition. This doesn't make Evil Genius 2 a bad game at all — not in the slightest. And Rebellion have definitely stayed true to the original formula while ironing out some of the stickier annoyances.

Always fast and sometimes furious, Sonic Frontiers gives me a sense of wonder I haven't had with the 3D portion of the franchise in a decade, and it does so with the sort of flair I want from Sonic Team. It's not perfect, but it is a huge spin dash in the right direction for the Blue Blur. The next game needs to build on what Sonic Team has put together here because this is a formula with long legs.

My time with Aliens: Dark Descent was so fun at the start. When I realized I was having more problems with technical bugs than alien bugs, I started feeling iffy, and then the soft-lock was the sour cherry on top. I wouldn’t put this quite in the same vein as the infamous Aliens: Colonial Marines because there are still a lot of great ideas and mechanics here. But it’s disheartening to see something so fun ruined by glitches. My recommendation is to read how others feel and wait for updates. I don’t know whether my issues will be common or isolated, but I sincerely hope it’s the latter. If it’s the former — oof, game over, man.

At it’s core, New Star GP is an arcade racer. If you revelled in the audacity of Hotshot Racing, then this doesn’t stray too far from that track. There aren’t any big boss bombs, but it does park up with an audacious swagger that invites players to simply jump in and go. The brash colors, silly moustaches, and easy action steering make this an entertaining option, especially when handheld. The magnitude of the Career Mode and the strategic decisions, such as pit stops are meaningful but not obtrusive. New Star GP is just fun! It’s a great mix of ideas, tuned to perfection.

WarioWare Move It is short but filled with tons of quirky fun to be shared with friends. The Joycons are used in creative ways that'll have you in silly poses as you play through over 200 microgames.

Ghostwire Tokyo is essentially what I thought it would be, for better and for worse. It's charming but empty, ambitious but too formulaic, and it's got the most personality of any game I've played this year. I sincerely hope Tango has more Ghostwire in store, either as DLC or a sequel. Despite its issues, there's nothing else quite like it.

Though a bit short, Cindered Shadows is top-notch new content for Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

Deceive Inc. will live and die by its player base and so far, it's not doing too hot. It's a shame, too, since I'm such a fan of what the game has going on mechanically. The thing that's ruining the experience for me is something that's not technically a failure of any of the game's mechanics, but rather, a failure of those playing the game to grasp its concepts. Unfortunately, it seems like when you give players guns, they're inclined to shoot them regardless of whether or not it's in line with their objectives. Because of this, however, so much of my time with Deceive Inc. was spent in frustrating matches that stood in direct opposition to what I found enjoyable about the experience.

Overall, I would recommend Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed to Disney fans most of all, but also to 3D platformer fans. It is worth delving into if you have played the original 2010 title or if this is all new. It’s fantastic fun for the whole family.

Despite the flaws, something about Chernobylite feels like it's primed to enjoy cult classic status. Troubled but daring games are often the subject of smaller but passionate fanbases, and Chernobylite is nothing is not daring. Several of those gambles don't payout in the end, but the journey is always a weird one, even if not always an exciting one.

Dread Nautical has the unenviable position of following two genre giants that moved into its launch window, but it holds its own as a worthy opening act.

No More Heroes III is just more of the same. This game feels a decade old and like it was made for its most hardcore fans. It has all the same charm, humor, and fun gameplay, but also the same issues, mainly the dreadfully boring open world and repetitive structure. Those who played both of the two previous mainline games will know exactly what to expect here in No More Heroes III. There isn’t much evolution between them and this, and maybe there doesn’t need to be. But I still wish that the game would have matured a bit more along with its audience after all these years.

Iron Harvest leverages its unique setting and strong design into an impressive and memorable RTS.

If you aren't as big a mark for zombie horror as I am, there's a lot you can pick apart about Dead Island 2. It's dated, a little shallow, and is effectively over at its halfway point. It's still a good co-op game, and its story kept me interested up to the end; I can't hate a game where I can dropkick a zombie into downed power lines. If you pick up Dead Island 2, bring a couple of horror-nerd friends to Hell-A with you, and you can get a few good evenings out of it. For solo play, though, only true zombie maniacs need apply.

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time occasionally stumbles, but it often manages to be a strong showcase for the TV series.

It's hard for me to put a precise score on that kind of thing. I'd be happy to recommend it to anyone with a card-game addiction, it's got a few things going for it as far as being an RPG, and if you're interested in learning about Russian mythology, Black Book is practically an educational tool. However, it's also janky, inconsistent, and not great about explaining its systems. I wouldn't say that it's exactly unpolished — I get the feeling that Black Book is exactly what it was intended to be — but it feels like the sort of game that, back in the day, would've shipped with an inch-thick manual, which you don't have.

Carrion is a beautifully orchestrated symphony of blood, guts, and dismembered limbs.

Fans of classic arcade games will almost certainly be eager to jump into Arthur’s sluggish boots again for another romp through this classic adventure. For those on the fence, the best approach may be to download the original game in Capcom’s Arcade Stadium and see how it feels. Resurrection captures everything about Ghosts ‘n Goblins, warts and all, with little to no compromise.

The Thaumaturge successfully delivers a weird and surprising RPG that is filled to the brim with narrative. Whether you’re chasing down demons, or manipulating the minds of the socially elite, you’ll feel the power of the Thaumaturge. With its complex turn-based combat and choice consequence system, there are plenty of opportunities for replayability.

There's a lot to love about Void Terrarium, with its touching story and unique approach to the mystery dungeon genre, even if does occasionally frustrate.

Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind is an engrossing tale that fans of the visual novel and point-and-click adventure genre will enjoy. The updated art style and voice acting add much-needed layers of modernity to the game. It’s a one-and-done experience, though, so manage your expectations accordingly. Regardless, this is definitely one ghostly adventure you won’t want to miss.

Aeiral_Knight's Never Yield is a short, yet stylish endless runner with one of the year's best soundtracks. Aside from a confusing narrative, Aerial_Knight’s is a solid game and well worth the time.

Melody of Memory is a nostalgic, rhythmic celebration of Kingdom Hearts that fans of the series and the genre will adore. Drawing upon a rich soundtrack that ranges from original songs to Disney hits, there’s a lot to love in this new spin-off, but don’t expect any major story developments.

Trials of Mana is a graphically overhauled remake of a SNES classic, but it doesn't quite do enough to reach mythic status.

Back 4 Blood comes after a decade of L4D-likes and from the studio that made the timeless original, but it fails to capture the same magic even as well as some prior imitators.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contract 2 is so much fun to play. The action is dynamic, the levels are well crafted, and the progression system is compelling. This is a very good game, built on a strong execution of good ideas. It is separated from games like Hitman and Metal Gear Solid 5 by more modest ambition and mediocre polish but should be at the top of the list for fans of those franchises as the next best thing.

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed's love for the source material shines through, but its good ideas are hindered by a lack of content and repetitive gameplay.

Cris Tales has a top-notch art style and an eclectic cast of characters that all players will come to love. Pairing that with time manipulation mechanics and a beloved genre, Cris Tales could have been one of the better games to come out of 2021. Unfortunately, a lack of diverse enemy types, standard combat, and some questionable difficulty progression outweigh the highest highs, making Cris Tales feel too out of place alongside its cohorts.

Fort Triumph expertly blends genres into a strategy experience that's infinitely fun and endlessly charming.

In all, House of Ashes feels marginally better than Little Hope, which I felt was certainly better than Man of Medan. That means The Dark Pictures entries are, by my measure, on an upward trajectory, and I sincerely hope Supermassive is able to make more of them. While I don't think this series has achieved its full potential yet, I think it's just one really great script away from achieving that. As a game, The Dark Pictures is in a great place now. As a script, this third entry in the series goes for The Descent and winds up only decent.

Soul Hackers 2 is an ambitious game at war with its past, never quite daring enough to summon its full potential.

Darktide is a fantastic live service co-op FPS that is almost worth every penny. Almost. I love it to death, and it's ramping up to be one of my most played games of 2022, but it's not perfect. It will surely become one of the titans of the genre just like Vermintide and its sequel, but it's got a long way to go.

Survival: Fountain of Youth offers a blend of history and survival that makes for an impactful and challenging experience.

Forgive Me Father mixes the tried and true mechanics of classic FPS's with an atmosphere so thick it couldn't be cut through with a hail of bullets.

There's an absurd amount of classic Shmup love here, even if these collections are a little too light on extras.

Sonic Colors: Ultimate brings new visuals and some new bits and bobs from the original release, but it lacks the punch of some other entries to the series.

My overall impressions of Cities Skylines 2 at launch are that it’s a fun game that makes some head-scratching decisions at times. It doesn’t feel like a whole step forward, leaving a lot by the roadside on its journey to 2.0. Invariably, there will be loads of DLC, and modding is coming sometime after launch. This city will grow, just as our old hometown did over time. Though I’m having a lot of fun with Cities Skylines 2 and learning these new city streets, I can’t help but long for my old stomping grounds while playing it. At least right now.

It's not a forgiving experience, and though it's difficult to master, BPM proves surprisingly easy to pick up and play. If you're prepared to die a lot, you'll find an incredible game within, and it's one title rhythm fans would do well to put on their playlist.

Peril on Gorgon is the first of two story DLCs for The Outer Worlds. It tells a fun tale and, like the original game, doesn't overstay its welcome.

Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir does show its age at times, but that’s part of the game’s history and charm. The updated art style and great voice acting only help to make the experience better. The game, as well as its prequel, is an acquired taste, but fans who come into the game with proper expectations will find themselves a fun adventure.

Minecraft Dungeons offers a very Diablo-like dungeon-crawling experience without the gore and grimdark atmosphere.

Harvestella cultivates its characters and story, but other mechanics aren't quite as ripe.

Though its name offers no way around it, the creative ways you dispatch foes makes Orcs Must Die 3 perhaps the most addictive Stadia exclusive to date.

Whether you're a fan of Metroidvania style platformers or are just looking for a fun game that's easy to jump in and kill some time, KUNAI is an excellent option.

Grid Legends is certainly not a bad racing game and has a lot of redeeming qualities, yet it doesn’t quite live up to the high quality usually associated with Codemasters. Games like Forza Horizon 5 are more fun to play while the likes of F1 2021 and Dirt offer more realistic and challenging gameplay. The introduction of the unpredictable AI is a welcome step in the right direction, as are the improvements made compared to its predecessor. However, Grid Legends can’t shake a poor story mode that bogs down the action and will disappoint those expecting a cohesive and exciting narrative.

The fourth official expansion pack to the six-year-old MMO hardly does justice to the source material that it's based on, but it still manages to conjure up a decent adventure of its own.

More than anything, Floodland feels like a game that could really benefit from some updates and content changes. As it stands, there's a unique city-builder that fans of the genre will likely enjoy, but it could be one of those games that really turns into something special with the right support.

#Blud is a hard game to like. Mechanically, it’s plagued with issues that I hadn’t seen in an indie game since 2013’s Ittle Dew. The story is hard to love, too. It’s easy to blame all its faults on the inadequate game that surrounds it, but #Blud’s story is fully capable of undermining itself. That said, if you take the game as it is and ignore those problems, you’ll find that #Blud has plenty to give back. Whether you’ll find this exchange worthy, it’s up to you.

Outriders: Worldslayer is an admirable attempt to breathe new life into a solid but flawed experience. It succeeds mostly in making the problems more apparent.

Layers of Fear is difficult to recommend to anyone but hardcore franchise or genre fans. Newcomers might as well play this package over the originals seeing as they’re the definitive versions of each game. It’s a shame that a definitive version of a Layers of Fear game still doesn’t receive high praise. Layers of Fear 2023 feels like it wants to be a more substantial remake, meanwhile being too afraid to go the extra mile. If Bloober Team took the time to radically change the titles, along with further fleshing out its frame narrative, we could have had something special.

Disgaea 6 is focused more on improving what's already here, and it more than succeeds in that task. Yes, NIS will have to add some more substantial changes to the series beyond just some tweaks here and there one day. With Defiance of Destiny, I'm happy to wait a while longer for that day.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake attempts to be a lovingly rendered throwback to the licensed 3D platformers of the early 2000s. It's hard to argue that it fails on any of those counts. As a modern game, though, it feels antiquated in ways that hold it back. Not everything needs to reach for the stars, but The Cosmic Shake would have benefited from some fresher ideas.

Watch Dogs: Legion Bloodlines brings familiar faces to new places, and if you can stand the tonal in-fighting, it's a worthwhile, occasionally daring story-driven adventure.

Despite a few hiccups, Beyond Light sets the stage for a triumphant year of Destiny 2. If the franchise continues this way, the best is yet to come.

Iron Danger is a fascinating game to try and assign a score to. It is really based around one core concept, and however far that concept takes you is how much mileage you'll get out of it. Jumping back and forth through time using mechanics reminiscent of audio or video editing software can be a unique tactical puzzle. That said, Iron Danger lacks the polish or depth to appeal much beyond that interesting concept. A lot of people will have fun with Iron Danger, but I could also see it being a game that many load up and ultimately bounce off of.

Outriders is a good looter-shooter at times that has some moments of greatness buried beneath a generic if well-realized sci-fi veneer. In short, Outriders is not going to dethrone the likes of Destiny from its throne, but it is a welcome distraction that’s fun for being fun, even if there are parts of it that shine less brightly.

Even though DBZ: Kakarot retells the same story the franchise has been telling for decades, it manages to do so in creative new ways for hardcore anime fans.

A well-done and intelligent choose your own text adventure set in the venerable World of Darkness Werewolf RPG universe makes for a satisfying bit of interactive fiction.

Evil West has done something fairly remarkable by dragging the sort of shlocky, B-tier, 360-era action games into 2022 with basically all of the quality-of-life upgrades you’d expect from a modern title. This is how you remember games of 10-odd years ago, as opposed to how they actually play now.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is a fun and chaotic experience let down by a lack of content and personality.

West of Dead has plenty of great gunplay and a fascinating setting, but be prepared to die over and over and put up with an unrelentingly unfriendly continue system.

Little Hope renewed my faith in the Dark Pictures Anthology but is held back a bit simply from the lack of quality of life features.

Garden Story shows what RPGs and top-down adventures can be like. There's depth in its foliage and a charming world at its foundation. It just seems like the dev team tried getting too much from a plant that couldn't produce enough to meet demand, and the result was a watered-down version of the ideal. Still, new seasons bring new opportunities for growth, and I very much hope to see Garden Story sprout again in a new form.

You really need to play No Straight Roads. While the gameplay isn't amazing, the presentation is, and it's flawed in some truly interesting ways.

Nexomon: Extinction adds a healthy, welcome dose of RPG style to its story, but can't, or won't, step out from the shadows of its inspirations.

Sakura Wars is full of personality and, even with some dodgy combat getting in the way, a surprisingly absorbing game. It has memorable characters and an even more memorable way to interact with them.

Headland is a functional experience, but it lacks enough clever ideas or impact to make a lasting impression.

Meet Your Maker is a highly addictive first-person shooter/base-building hybrid. Its satisfying gameplay loop is cemented by various progression systems, filling that itch of watching bars and numbers go up at a consistent rate. The tools and systems are in place to allow for creative death traps filled with tons of hair-raising moments and satisfying encounters, further enhanced when playing with a friend. In fact, the community has already made expert use of existing content. Unfortunately, creativity can only take that content so far. Before long, deja vu will become this game’s crutch. Meet Your Maker needs significantly more content across the board to become a sustainable community experience.

Dragon Quest Treasures isn’t a massive 100-hour epic like Dragon Quest XI. The game can still comfortably occupy a couple dozen hours at least. The islands are large and hold plenty of secrets, side quests, and monsters to discover. It’s definitely aimed at younger gamers to get them into JRPGs with its young protagonists, cute graphics, and monster collecting gameplay, but it's fun for all ages.

NHL 21 provides more of the same, and with the uncertainty of the real world season, even less of what few changes fans come to expect of yearly releases.

Ever wanted to dodge zombie sharks while on a quest to destroy the undead animated by evil wizard-Hitler? Well, it doesn't get much better than Zombie Army 4.

Legend of Mana is vibrant and flexible in all the right ways for my preferences today, and I certainly fancy the game personally. The sheer slowness and obtuse nature of it may be too much for some players. There's a lot to see in Legend of Mana, but the experience never feels fleshed out. Fa'Diel is beautiful and enticing and hard to forget, but not because of the gameplay that binds it together.

Salt and Sacrifice is a labor of love, one that will scratch any Souls veteran's itch for more mysterious worlds to explore, even if it doesn't succeed at everything.

Nintendo Switch Sports is a great way to satisfy any urge to play motion control games. Unfortunately, it doesn't make any effort at being more than that.

I had so much fun with Exoprimal, and I’m looking forward to playing more. That being said, it feels a lot like recommending a show to someone where it doesn’t pick up until around 10 episodes in. I believe it’s worth pushing onward until the game opens up more, especially if you’re playing with friends, but I also wouldn’t blame anyone for not wanting to deal with it. There’s a lot of content planned for Exoprimal, including a new mode and new exosuits for the first season. That should make the full price a lot easier to swallow if you’re interested in buying it, although my recommendation is to play it through Xbox Game Pass if you can. It might stumble a bit and naturally carry the uncertainty of a live-service title, but I wouldn’t count this as a mark against Capcom’s recent record. If they manage to support it right with quality content, life will find a way.

At every turn, Avatar Frontiers is a game that boldly blooms. Each time I stepped away from the world, I found myself wishing to return. Whether I was soaring the skies on my Ikran or running through the forest floor, I was entranced by the world of Pandora. There wasn’t a moment of the game where I didn’t feel I was getting a first-hand experience of a living, breathing alien planet. However, much like James Cameron’s films, the planet’s allure outweighs the substance of the plot. So, while I certainly found myself empathizing with the Na’vi mission and my protagonist’s quest, it felt a bit run of the mill. With that in mind, newcomers to the franchise will experience an elevated hands-on version of Avatar’s initial arrival.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning changes little from its original release because it doesn't need to. This is immediately one of the best RPGs you can play this entire generation.

On the pitch, FIFA 21 remains the best it's ever been, but it's arguably not changed enough for longtime fans in almost any other way.

Stranger of Paradise is a mechanically rich and satisfying action RPG marred by poor balancing and performance issues.

Before We Leave is a relaxing take on the post-apocalypse and city building, with enough benefits to overcome its hiccups.

Echo Games' Rhythm Fighter provides a decent, yet ultimately unremarkable roguelike experience. While it offers a lot of the genre's staple mechanics, it doesn't do much with them — Rhythm Fighter often feels like the "lesser version" of something else.

Hot Wheels Unleashed gets its racing and assortment of cars so very right, but the way you go about unlocking more content is unfathomably restrictive and leads to frustration.

The Lost Gods is the third and final DLC for Immortals Fenyx Rising. While it introduces new perspectives and mechanics, it doesn't exactly come together into a cohesive whole. It's commendable what The New Gods is going for, but this isn't something most people will be interested in unless they're very interested in seeing the story of Immortals Fenyx Rising through to the end.

12 Minutes is a game about escaping a time loop, which is ironic given that it's so good that I wish I could see it all again for the first time myself.

A New God is the first DLC for Immortals Fenyx Rising, and it adds some extremely tough new challenges to its endgame, even if it's not as compelling as what's to come.

Rogue Lords needs a lot more polish before I could feel comfortable recommending it. The UI's messy, the pacing is off, and it makes itself hard to get into, with overcomplicated mechanics presented in obscure, difficult-to-interpret ways. I like its atmosphere and the glee it takes in letting you be evil, but if I wasn't reviewing it, I probably would've dropped Rogue Lords after the first hour. There's fun to be had here if you can push through it, but like a lot of Eurojank games, it doesn't feel like it's entirely finished.