If Stronghold: Warlords sees a little post-release love from the developers, it could turn into a great stepping stone for the franchise; there are some kinks that need to be ironed out, but it's got a strong base to build off of. If you're a long-term fan of the series or want something a little different with your next RTS, this might be what you're looking for.

Blasphemous 2 is a challenging Souls-like Metroidvania, with a top-notch atmosphere. Unfortunately, it will also challenge your patience, given its confusing plot, intentional vagueness, and repetitive use of the same puzzle platforming mechanics.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection serves up ample old-school gameplay nostalgia, though it’s appeal it limited.

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.

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.

Hellbound is a rip-roaring homage to classic Doom that hits almost all of the right notes.

Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown is a welcome addition to the PS4 and PS5, especially since there hasn’t been a VF game in years. Mostly, this remastered release serves to whet our appetites for the prospect of an actual full-on sequel in Virtua Fighter 6, but it’s well worth playing for its pure, responsive fighting.

Frozenheim is a visually attractive and enjoyable Viking-themed city-builder let down by shallow combat and questionable resource management.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a fun little title for fans of Action-RPGs with not much roleplaying to speak of. It’s far from perfect, but with a runtime of 15 to 20 hours, being a pleasant diversion is enough to earn its keep.

Whether you love Italian folklore, architecture, music, or just want to explore a new souls-like, Enotria: The Last Song, is a title you’ll want to pick up. It features easy to pick up combat mechanics, a spin on parrying, and a fully detailed world filled with foes to defeat.

Alone in the Dark (2024) revisits the original 3D Survival Horror with respect for the 1992 game and the games inspired by it.

Windjammers 2 feels less like a sequel and more like a remaster of the original. Despite the new graphic overhaul and increased roster characters, it’s still fundamentally the same game. That’s not a bad thing if you enjoyed the original, but in the end, we can’t help but feel this sequel could have been bolder and opened the game up to something more expansive.

A unique and well-crafted blend of genres with entertaining characters that barely misses the landing for its endgame.

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.

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.

Maneater: Truth Quest might not completely deliver on its irreverence this time around, but being a mega still delights.

The real issues arise as you get further into High on Life, and the game's humor and shooting both start to grow stale. I wish High on Life evolved more and put more complexity into its second half, which is sadly too focused on back-tracking. If you're a fan of Roiland's previous works, you'll likely find a lot to love here, and even if you're not, this a shooter with a unique aesthetic and sense of humor you won't find anywhere else. Just be aware that your hours of fun might come with a healthy dose of frustration.

Pop-quizzing Sphinx aside, the use of riddles and hints to figure out puzzles and object placement is a fun element, and overall Asha in Monster World is a fun old-school trip. There’s a bit too much doggedly vintage design at work here, but this is a remake of an old game. We hope Asha returns in something decidedly more expansive and modern though. With a bit more refinement, she could give Shantae a real challenge.

Liberated is a striking stealth-action comic book come to life, even if it is a little bit derivative.

With Biomutant, the end result is a game that I enjoyed playing, despite the criticisms and score. I burn out fast with most open-world games, but I wanted to explore every corner of this unconventional world, even when it didn’t always give me a good reason to. I don’t think you can call a game bold enough to mix so many influences together safe, but there’s a distinct sense Experiment 101 came close to playing it safe. Whether from budget restraints, time restrictions, or COVID impacts, I don’t know, but Biomutant needs a sequel or DLC to make the most out of the strong foundation already present.

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.

Chinatown Detective Agency is an engaging point-and-click adventure with gorgeous art direction that falls just a bit short.

Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed enhances the look and gameplay of the 2006 classic, but it does not solve some of the game's underlying issues.

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.

Monster Energy Supercross 4 is not a Jack of All Trades. It attempts to do many things, but most of them fall flat. However, what it does do well, namely thrilling and authentic motocross racing, it does with complete mastery. This is an occasionally great game that is often mediocre, and a minor upgrade as a sequel.

While its action and exhilarating set pieces shine, Bayonetta 3 ultimately feels like a subpar port of a great action game.

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.

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.