I don’t think Starship Troopers: Terran Command does much new in the real-time strategy genre, but the use of the license gives real flavour to the solid meal that the gameplay provides. Plus, a good bug hunt never goes out of style.

With The Quarry, Supermassive heads back to the woods with mostly positive results. The story is not much to write home about, and the paring back of physical control of characters' actions leaves some empty spaces. Still, the cast is generally likable, the presentation impressive, and there's plenty of joy to be found in manipulating the lives of these poor young souls. The Quarry has plenty of thrills, chills, and kills, but also an abundance of filler.

There’s not much about Sniper Elite 5 that’s particularly remarkable. That, however, didn’t stop the visceral X-Ray kills and the simple act of mowing down Nazis to see me through to the end of its campaign. There are plenty of other games out there that do stealth, action, or World War II better, yet the series’ formula is very much its own and does manage to carry a game that otherwise struggles to do anything interesting. Its flexible difficulty, the tension of invasions, and gruesome long-range executions keep things fun if the very premise appeals to you. But certain antiquated design choices and guns that don’t feel all that great keep Sniper Elite 5 from being memorable.

We Were Here Forever gives no quarter in its cooperative puzzling, fully trusting players to get on with it and work together. At its peak, the wondrous structure of this game is simply sublime, and perhaps the most invested I’ve felt in a co-op game since Portal 2. It doesn’t always hit those highs, and matchmaking was personally hit and miss, but We Were Here Forever generally dazzles.

A surprisingly polished game that’s as immersive and exciting as it is relaxing, Hardspace: Shipbreaker makes disassembling ships in Zero-G a blast.

Saber Interactive has crafted a highly entertaining asymmetrical multiplayer game in Evil Dead: The Game, and a lot of that is down to an understanding of how best to implement the quirks of the source material into game form. With possession, slapstick, gore, violence, chainsaws, and malevolent trees, Evil Dead: The Game is as Evil Dead as it could be.

Even when you do get a sense of the rhythm of its battles, there's always something to keep you on your toes, making Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters well worth giving a shot if you're a turn-based tactics fan.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga does a fine job of reinvigorating the Lego game formula, even if it continues to be mired in gargantuan amounts of busywork. Most importantly, however, it’s a highly entertaining Star Wars spectacle that brings humor and joy in Sarlaac-sized portions.

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands plays it safe, never leaning enough into its fantasy elements or bringing any significant changes to the Borderlands formula, but offering more of the fun looting and shooting the main series is known for. It boasts better writing and humor than Borderlands 3 while throwing in interesting spells and class powers that spice up its otherwise familiar combat system. Repetitive dungeons and a tedious endgame drag it down a bit, but if you’re looking to shoot dragons instead of bandits and sift through an endless stream of guns and items in search of the one that works slightly better with your build, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands has got you covered.

With a few of its existing rough edges smoothed out, Death Stranding Director’s Cut manages to be a more approachable experience than its previous incarnation, and for those coming back to it, there’s just enough new to warrant a second journey across America.

Ghostwire: Tokyo isn’t bad or broken. It’s just a game that’s not particularly ambitious and almost feels at odds with itself, leaving it with a lot of wasted potential. It might yield a couple of interesting online searches if you’re uninitiated in Japanese folklore, and you can pet lots of dogs and cats, but there are ways to go about doing those things without sitting through Akito’s snoozefest of a tale.

Elden Ring is a walking example of a 10 out of 10 game that isn’t perfect. No game can be perfect but there is just so much in here to love that it becomes hard to pay attention to its mistakes. Every handful of hours had the game open up more and, every time, I was desperate to keep searching, exploring, conquering. Now, over 100 hours later and two playthroughs, all I want is to discover more of what Elden Ring has in store for me. This isn’t just one of the best From Software titles but one of the best games I’ve ever played and I would be shocked if this didn’t have reverberations on the entire games industry.

There are a lot more intricacies and features we didn’t have the time to go into here, but suffice to say Distant Worlds 2 will keep you interested in its universe for a long time with no shortage of mechanics to learn. If large scale galactic strategy is your idea of fun, you can’t go wrong giving Distant Worlds 2 a chance to shine.

Far: Changing Tides largely sticks to the same recipe as its predecessor, making its vessel more complex and sending players on a journey through a different world. Its description as a companion game is fitting – although you will get slightly more out of it if you play the series in order – and while I loved the original, the sequel didn’t grab me as much. There’s something great about helping the small protagonist make a big hunk of metalwork by diligently pressing buttons, loading items into the furnace, jumping on bellows, and lowering the mast so it doesn’t collide with incoming structures. But pacing problems, environmental storytelling that’s a little too vague, and an art style that sacrifices contrast for a richer yet muted color palette, ended up making me less invested in the world and Toe’s journey. I’m glad I saw it through; I just don’t feel the same mixture of awe and sorrow that was so prevalent in its predecessor.

ELEX II will be an understandably divisive RPG, as is almost a given with Piranha Bytes’ titles. There are performance issues, incoherent conversation options, and some iffy combat. Yet its freedom is genuinely impressive, and its kitchen-sink approach to every aspect of the experience at least makes for an intriguing, if uneven, package.

After more than 55 hours spent playing, I’m still awed by just how great God of War is. This is the result of a clear, determined vision, its separate elements harmonizing almost perfectly to deliver an experience that understands the series’ blood-soaked origins but is also not afraid to push it into a more mature and nuanced direction. Kratos and Atreus’ relationship develops naturally as does their understanding of the foreign land they’re journeying through. The story takes its time, never rushing its satisfying reveals, and making way for a set of surprisingly personal boss fights, while the continuous camera shot used throughout the game is a masterstroke in terms of presentation. All this is built around a snappy and responsive combat system that has more depth than you’re initially led to believe. There are more jaw-dropping surprises I didn’t touch upon simply because it’s best that you experience them for yourself. Looking back, aside from the port’s few performance flaws, my only real complaint has to do with Sony taking this long to bring the game to PC.

Total War: Warhammer 3 makes it easy to lose countless hours spilling blood across its lush fields and rugged mountains, even before its Mortal Empires campaign inevitably turns it into a behemoth of a game. If you’re even remotely interested in the series or Warhammer Fantasy, this is one you won’t want to miss.

While I did enjoy my time with the expansion, it doesn’t feel like a vital purchase for someone who’s playing the game for the first time. But, if you’ve already guided several lords and ladies to glorious conquest or gruesome death, Royal Court provides a much-needed injection of new things to do that will spice up new playthroughs, at least for a while.

With so many studios trying to hit the coveted MMO market, one thing is clear if you want to succeed - your game has to be unique. You can make up for tonnes of mistakes if you can just carve out a market for it. Although it has its own issues of identity - with a Diablo-like fighting system and enough extra activities to feel full - Lost Ark is a game that I'm looking forward to seeing grow.

Dying Light 2 was my first contact with the series and it can certainly be an exhilarating open-world game. Its gorgeous city, intense chases, fluid parkour, and visceral, meaty combat are well worth experiencing. Although they never completely overshadow its accomplishments, boring gear, repetitive side missions, and a story that never finds its focus do, unfortunately, keep it away from greatness. But, if you keep some of your expectations in check, all these missteps can easily be drowned in an ocean of freshly-cut zombie limbs and peaceful paragliding.

A lean and mean addition to the Serious Sam family that experiments with a few new toys, and offers more of the same Serious Sam goodness we’ve been accustomed to. It has the odd instance of unnecessary padding via one too many gunfights, but overall keeps a breezy, brutal pace.

Nobody Saves the World’s form switching and punchy, responsive combat carries the game where its other elements let it down. The star of the show is its surprisingly dynamic twist on aRPG mechanics that makes figuring out builds to counter the dangers of its dungeons rewarding enough to warrant spending 20+ hours killing monsters and helping its sometimes oddball NPCs.

We’re only a week into 2022, but I’m extremely happy to be starting my year off with a game as fun and well put together as Fights in Tight Spaces. Though it occasionally feels like a bit of a grind, the focused gameplay and pleasing visual style make this a great game for players to come back to over and over.

I definitely enjoyed heading back to the simpler gameplay of Bubble Bobble 4 Friends. But the main game is far too short for any long-term gaming. The lower difficulty setting certainly allows younger gamers to play with a degree of confidence. However, it will leave older gamers wanting something extra. The addition of the original game does increase the nostalgia, but the issues of poor controller responsiveness somewhat limit the enjoyment. If you have a young family and want to show them a comparison between games of yesteryear and today, Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is worth a look, but look elsewhere if you’re looking for a challenging platformer.

Terminator: Resistance Annihilation Line is a worthy addition to the base game if you enjoyed your time there but it doesn’t do enough to fix its many flaws. While the story is rewarding and atmosphere creepy, there’s something just a little cynical about the whole thing.

Like Master Chief himself, Infinite lets its combat do the talking while looking towards a bright future. After that initial showing, we couldn’t ask for more.

As a celebration of all things Jurassic, Jurassic World Evolution 2 serves as a worthy successor to the original. As a park management game, it struggles to find a meaningful focal point. Given Frontier’s expertise in this exact department elsewhere, that’s more than a little disappointing. A light, messy sim that acts as a tribute to the prehistoric pandemonium of the Jurassic Park/World series.

Overall, a fantastic game that yields a relaxing experience and a gaming experience for all. The adventure is fun and awe-inducing. The graphics and music are coupled well together and marry each other to make for an amazing fantasy feel.

Battlefield 2042 should have been a massive, triumphant return for the series but, as much as it scratches that itch for both small and large scale combat, it brings some unnecessary changes to its core formula while missing the mark with some of its ambitious new features. With enough support, the great first-person shooter underneath might fully surface in a few months’ time, but properly enjoying it at launch requires jumping through several hoops.

The strength of Frogwares previous works is retained within more ambitious, freeform packaging. Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One can be abrasive, both in gameplay terms and in its depiction of an iconic character, but it offers such rich and rewarding depth to its detective drama that it’s much easier to accept.

The Origins Immersion Pack isn’t anything special. Whether it is worth it to you depends on if you’re interested in taking an African nation through the mission trees or want to play a fleshed-out Judaism. The free patch that goes along with it, however, should be welcomed by everyone, especially if it ends up doing what it says on the tin. From our limited testing, this seems to be the case, including a noticeable performance increase from 1.31.

Despite minimal flaws, Inscryption masters the experiment of blending a card game and horror into a bizarre mindtrip.

It’s no surprise that Forza Horizon puts itself right into the mix with 2021’s Game of the Year contenders. Playground Games has been getting it right for a decade now. This is the definitive experience in the series so far, one that excels both on PC and the Xbox Series X. Minimal issues, such as server connectivity, fail to spoil the party that is just crammed with happiness and adventure. A number of small improvements across the board elevates the racer to being best in class; a huge plus for Microsoft with Sony’s impressive-looking Gran Turismo 7 flashing its headlights not too far in the distance.

Age of Empires 4 does a lot well, building from the roots of the AoE franchise. Fans of the original games will find the improved graphics to be welcome and the gameplay to maintain the same fast-paced feel. History buffs will also find themselves delighted by the historical campaigns and the changing art style of the buildings as they progress through the ages. The only real downsides are the ease with which you can lose your rhythm, and the almost mandatory use of hotkeys in multiplayer due to bad pathfinding and unit AI.

Far Cry 6 finds the series at its most complacent and stale, showing little desire to push things forward and missing the mark when it comes to its story and villain. And yet, despite the tired recipe, there’s still an adequately enjoyable first-person shooter underneath that manages to offer the freedom expected of it and make popping the heads of countless dumb opponents feel satisfying. How much you’ll enjoy it really depends on where you’re approaching it from. As a new player, its world will keep you busy and show you a good chunk of what the series has to offer. If you’ve played previous entries in the series, you’re more likely to be left wishing there was more. Yara’s had its own revolution; perhaps it’s time for Far Cry to follow suit.

Deathloop turns both succeeding and failing into learning experiences and never makes you miss the lack of a quicksave option. It’s a mean feat that sets it apart from other games, and one of several reasons why it should be on the list of any immersive sim fans out there. It might not be Arkane’s best game and Blackreef may struggle clearly defining a personality for itself, but it’s certainly no stranger to great moments.

King’s Bounty II is a game where it takes forever to do anything. I averaged maybe 2-3 short battles for every hour of gameplay – perhaps 20 minutes of fun for 40 of drudgery. All this is doubly frustrating because somewhere under all this crap is a pretty solid strategy game. I just wish that King’s Bounty II would stop jerking me around and just let me play it!

It boasts some of the most imaginative levels out there, and they’re backed up by platforming and combat that feels very familiar yet also surprisingly fresh. Its story has a more personal note, yet fleshes out not just Raz and the characters around him, but the game’s universe as a whole. Simply put, Psychonauts 2 is a triumph in all the ways it needs to be, and this hopefully means that it won’t be the last we see of the series.

At the end of the day, Aliens: Fireteam Elite doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s a game that clearly knows what it wants to be. It’s not the most sophisticated co-op shooter out there and won’t exactly blow your mind with its uniqueness, but if you want to spend an evening shooting up Xenomorphs alongside friends, it has you covered.

Although not all of its features are as fleshed out as they could be, Humankind does hit several sweet spots, both in terms of combat and management, having enough going on to push you to click that next turn button. While it probably won’t be a “Civ killer” – not that it necessarily aims to be one –, it’s clearly a game that historical 4X strategy fans looking for a different spin on the subgenre’s formula should definitely consider trying out at some point.

If you love the atmosphere of Eastern European survival games but hate the jank, Chernobylite is for you. Its cycle of scavenging and questing is addicting, and its characters are fun to meet. But that also means it becomes too easy once you get a feel for the controls and mechanics. Add that with a story that isn’t scary, and you have a flawed game with an engaging core. It held my attention during its full runtime, and I can’t say that for a lot of games.

Crash Drive 3 might not have staying power thanks to its repetitive moments and lackluster quick chat, but it’s still a pretty fun game. It’s easy to get lost in an event or two and there’s plenty to unlock. It’s not complex, making it a good you’re looking for a game that loves the idea of cars rather than actually driving. It’s the best sort of juvenile, letting you just enjoy the concept of play. During the writing of this review, I’ve had moments when I just played more when I should’ve been finishing the damn article. It’s the sort of game that makes me wish I had a less demanding deadline. It’s unbridled fun, simple as that.

If you like your battles tactical this is a great game to sink your teeth into. The campaign escalates nicely and does a good job of selling the desperation of your mission. I’m not sure about re-playability but it does have a skirmish mode to play around in.

I have to say the change of pace from the more traditional province-heavy factions is very refreshing, and if you haven’t played Beastmen before, this DLC is a great place to start.

The narrative acts as a small, mostly harmless, reward in between lengthy bouts of grinding, largely pushing you from area to area. Barren locations and unappealing textures do kick things down a notch when exploring its world, but you’ll forget about them as soon as you enter combat and bask upon the detailed, epic monster models and their special attack animations. It’s not perfect, but underestimating Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin would be a disservice to fans and newbies alike, as it’s a fully-fledged turn-based RPG that also has a lot of the mainline entries’ DNA baked into it.

Valor & Victory is based on the original tabletop board game and for better or worse is meticulously designed for fans of that format. Those familiar with miniature wargaming are sure to find a game capable of scratching that same itch, but if you prefer your WW2 strategy more accessible, Panzer Corps 2 may be more up your aisle.

Heroes of the Inner Sphere is definitely worth picking up along with the main game for those jumping in for the first time, but players who have already spent hours with MechWarrior 5’s existing content may find the new additions to feel a bit been-there-done-that. The new career mode is my new preferred way to play, but the new structure, mechs, weapons, and mission type fail to significantly distance themselves from what’s already been present in the game.

Necromunda: Hired Gun checks all the boxes that should make a single-player first-person shooter tick, but its flawed execution and an ugly Warhammer 40K paint job give you few reasons to stick with it until the end. It’s functional and has a grappling hook that’s alright to use. But its tedious, unsatisfying combat, janky animations, and AI that’s prone to mess up all test your patience without offering any tangible reward. It misses out on making you feel like a bounty hunter – badass or otherwise – and all you’re left with, in case you do play through its campaign, is a sense that you could have spent that time playing something better.

Biomutant's strong presentation and beautiful world invite exploration, while its combat makes you feel like a badass magic-flinging, gunslinging, Kung-Fu warrior. Sadly, its tedious missions and weak story make it increasingly harder to stick with the game the more of it you play.

It goes without saying that WitE2 will appeal to a niche audience and I suspect you already know if that includes you. This series is geared towards people who want to simulate, as close as possible, the titanic struggle along the Eastern Front. You’re not going to like this game if the idea of setting reinforcement and supply priorities for units, seems over the top. With that said, the game is accessible. However, there’s no getting around the fact that you need to dedicate some serious time to unlock WitE2’s full potential and that’s going to turn some people off. But, if you’re willing to put in the effort, WitE2 is unparalleled in the strategic experience that it can offer. Put simply, it is a masterpiece of game design and execution.

The truth is Evil Genius 2 succeeds in expanding on almost every feature of the original, but it somehow manages to not fix a single one of its main problems. The original game also suffered from an intense lack of player control and management tools back in 2004, and Rebellion somehow missed all of that when designing its sequel. As fitting and poetic it is for evil to defeat itself through incompetence, it makes for truly terrible gameplay when a player fails at a game because he is not given the tools to succeed when the game misbehaves. It ruins what is otherwise a great and very well produced title, and the hurdles are too big to ignore -- Rebellion managed to make the concept of launching international schemes to rule the world a boring endeavour.

Black Legend isn't perfect, but it brings some really solid pieces to the game as a whole. The town is interesting and is designed well, the class system allows for a good amount of freedom of player choice, and the alchemy system is pretty novel. The writing (or lack thereof) is a stumbling block, along with the difficult healing system... but the atmosphere really draws you in and leaves you wanting more of Grant and its mysteries.

When it’s fun, it’s really fun. When it isn’t, it’s still totally competent. The final thought will have to come down to whether or not building and knocking down castles sounds like a fun way to spend an evening. If so, then perhaps Stronghold: Warlord is a castle worth besieging.

A Stitch in Time is a 2PH DLC through and through, bringing more of the same content available in the base game while somehow managing to not even remotely shake the boat. As always, the art team is always spot-on, but from a creative design perspective, the game has been in a deep slumber since 2018 that it has yet to wake up to. If you love Two Point Hospital and honestly can’t get enough of it, A Stitch in Time will leave you very, very satisfied.

The Lizardfolk are a very interesting army to play and the campaign has a lot of character. I personally found them rather weak and relying too heavily on front line cycling for my tastes, but the more I got to explore their strengths, the more fun I had. Overall, if you like Fantasy General 2, you’ll probably like Evolution as it mixes it up enough to be fresh, without taking away what makes it a great game.

The Yakuza series is one of the best at what it does, being an Action-RPG with explorable locations. The games in this collection are dated, but even so, they perform well today and are still enjoyable to play. For players who have played before on console, pick this up if you want updated graphics and the ability to play through the series again without having to worry about backwards compatibility on consoles. For fans on PC who haven’t played the full saga, I highly recommend the Collection as it’s important to understanding the story of Yakuza, and is plenty fun to play, even if it’s dated. For any players who are new to Yakuza, I recommend first checking out Yakuza 0 or Yakuza Kiwami, they are better starting points, the Remastered Collection is not the best place to jump in.

Not only does Little Nightmares 2 live up to its name, but it also improves on nearly every aspect of the first game. Players may run into a few frustrating hiccups along the way, but exploring this horrific world with Mono and Six is immensely satisfying. At the end of the day, I'd recommend this one to any fan of surreal horror stories with emotional twists, though you might have trouble sleeping when it's all said and done.

From Software might have started this genre, but Ninja Theory is hot on their heels when it comes to quality. Nioh 2 is an achievement. It’s equal parts challenging and rewarding, with a loot system that rocks, a combat system that is deep and nuanced, an online component that adds to the experience, and great performance on PC. I haven’t enjoyed myself this much in a long time. If you enjoy games of this subgenre and haven’t yet experienced Nioh 2, the time is now. Jump in, test your mettle, and become the samurai that world of Nioh so desperately needs.

FoGII:M consistently creates memorable battlefield moments. Winning a critical melee that collapses an enemy line and turns the tide of battle. A cavalry charge that unexpectedly smashes through an enemy flank. On overzealous charge that ends up in the rear of the enemy’s lines, isolated and vulnerable. For those looking for a more strategic experience, FoGII:M will fall flat. If you want tactical battles or a digital tabletop miniatures experience than FoGII:M is for you. The only thing missing from this digital tabletop experience is painting your army.

Good voice acting and cool, bloody werewolf fighting sequences could not fully save the rushed story and flat facial animations of this one-dimensional take on the rich World of Darkness universe.

Despite its linearity, I'd argue that The Medium is a genuinely chilling ghost story that's sure to leave a lasting impression. The splitscreen effects make for quite a few memorable moments, and there's no denying the growing sense of accomplishment as you solve difficult puzzles and make your way through the cursed resort. It may not be on the same level as some of its inspirations, but I'd definitely recommend The Medium to any fan of classic survival horror.

The team behind Combat Mission: Black Sea knew exactly what they wanted to make, and made exactly that product. The result is a wargaming module that appeals greatly to people who like this exact kind of game, but doesn’t do much to lure in or be kind to people who might want to dip their toe into wargaming. It is, in essence, grognard game design distilled. If you’re new to the genre and want to pick up Black Sea after reading this, I recommend being patient and keeping an open mind. It’s a different beast to mainstream games, but is immensely rewarding with time. If you are a wargamer interested in modern combat, I recommend Black Sea heartily.

Hitman III is a fascinating finale to the franchise that shyly continues the series’ tradition to iterate and improve on each entry.

While Orwell’s Animal Farm stays true to its source material, its repetitive and unclear gameplay weakens a stylized portrayal of the book. It’s not the worst way to spend a couple hours thanks to replayability and excellent narration, but it’s not compelling to get every ending and collect every stamp. You’ll get a lot more out of reading the book than you will from the game.

Call of the Sea feels like a mix between a puzzle game and a 1930s pulp novel. It blends these varied genres to mixed success; the puzzles are largely solid but you can find yourself banging your head against the wall in frustration for some, and the writing can be a bit campy but is carried by brilliant voice acting. While the game is decent, the visuals, the acting, and the setting are top notch. If entered with the right mindset, The Call of the Sea can be a good companion for an evening in.

In the end, Per Aspera is not the deepest colony builder, nor the most challenging. But it is still a fun game to play, in a relaxing kind of way. And when you zoom out and see your bases stretch across the surface or the planet begin to irrevocably change, it delivers a feel-good gaming moment. Narrative and a sense of scale are ultimately what set Per Aspera apart from other games in the genre. If you are looking for a laid-back terraforming experience, combined with an interesting story, try out Per Aspera. If you want a more personal or detail focussed colony building experience (one where you feel like you are overseeing the human settlement of Mars), than you're better off playing Surviving Mars.

The problem is that when it works, it works, but when it doesn’t, it really doesn’t. Luckily, the game’s low points like the horrible binary stealth system and the bugs and lack of QoL are either fixable or vastly outweighted by the good bits, and the overall tally still ends up being much higher than the average of many other games out there. That’s helped a lot by the moment-to-moment gameplay, which pays off just as much as the story beats; the movement system lets you climb almost any short object, vehicles are weighty to drive and have fantastic interior and exterior designs, and guns feel properly loud and heavy. It’s story and narrative kept me glued to the screen, and everything – from sex scenes and romance options to Keanu Reeves trying to kill you or help you throughout the game – are remarkably well done. Cyberpunk 2077 is a game crafted with love, and it shows...A remarkably well-executed open world game whose great heights exceed its profound depths.

The Unexpected Quest is by no means a bad game, as completing tasks and acquiring resources can be entertaining if you approach the title with the right mindset. Unfortunately, it’s incredibly hard to justify the price-tag when you consider the game’s relatively short length and repetitive elements. Casual players might get a kick out of the laid-back experience, but RTS veterans should look elsewhere for their resource-managing and quest-completing thrills.

Haven exudes an amount of confidence that’s not often seen. Every piece falls into its place and there is never a moment to suggest that developer The Game Bakers had any doubts about the direction in which it wanted to take the game. Its satisfying exploration of interconnected levels, light survival, story-driven visual novel elements, and rhythmic combat all serve the greater experience. It boasts some of the most organic writing we’ve seen in a while and strong protagonists with excellent chemistry. Kay and Yu embody weakness and strength, childlike wonder and maturity, and kick ass together when the need arises. It’s hard to dislike them. Regardless if you’re in it just for its story or want to see everything it has to offer, Haven always finds a way to reward you and never wastes your time.

The remastering of Sam & Max Saves the World is a delightful return to the comedic antics of our crime fighting duo. Some jokes might not land and a lot of puzzles can feel too easy, but the duo’s wit has staying power. Add that with some catchy new tracks and a remastering that makes the game more stylish than less, and you have a proper return to form. If you never had a chance to play Sam and Max Save the World, this is the best way to experience one of Telltale’s first games.

Ultimately, EoS is not a bad game. But the lack of content within its strategic layer holds it back from living up to its full potential. With that said, I think the tactical combat and RPG elements are pretty solid. If you are drawn to lots of X-Com style tactical combat and some over the top Prohibition themed hijinks, you will find some fun within EoS. However, people looking for a deep strategic or tycoon focused experience, will likely be disappointed.

I suspect that some players will encounter balancing issues when playing out in the wild, but winning a game after effortlessly zipping across the map and summoning Asuryiani troops as backup can be extremely satisfying, so I’d say that the Craftworld Aeldari DLC is a worthwhile package if you’d like to keep conquering Gladius in new and interesting ways (so long as you can spare the cash).

A great Viking game, but as far from a true Assassin’s Creed game as there could ever be.

When you finally begin to put the aerial maneuvers together and to great effect, as you’re dodging incoming falcons, stopping in mid-air to shake that tailing dragon, or barrel-rolling to produce near-miss fire.

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is definitely an interesting title, mixing the mundanities of rice planting with 2D hacking and slashing. While an acquired taste, those who like their games unique should have a fun time with Sakuna. If you can forgive an unlikeable protagonist and some repetitive gameplay at times, Sakuna is a solid title that shines even with its flaws.

Bugsnax is a feel-good adventure with a lovable cast, a rich variety of tasty prey to hunt, but thoroughly unremarkable gameplay.

A surprisingly inaccurate recreation of London ties into simplistic gameplay and terrible performance to create a deeply flawed and shallow game.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon reminded me why I loved video games to begin with. I cannot think of a game this year that has gripped me this tightly and didn’t let go. Here comes a game brimming with joy and excitement that is earnest with its drama and comedy. It’s the sort of game you can gush about for hours, and I will long after this review is published. Anyone who loves RPGs, open world games, comedies, crime dramas, and games PERIOD should have a lot of fun with the newest Yakuza.

A surprisingly well-rounded DLC that is focused on creepy death-worshiping and flesh-eating traits, but has an awesome ship design set even for those that don’t care about the Necroid stuff.

The Dark Pictures Anthology still lives in the shadow of Until Dawn, which remains the superior title, but Little Hope is certainly a step forward for Supermassive Games and a guaranteed good time for folks in need of atmospheric Halloween thrills. It may be a familiar cocktail, but the game remixes things well enough that it ends up with a distinctive taste, though your appreciation of the experience will largely depend on what you think of the finale.

A capable indie strategy title that does more with its Lovecraftian setting than most similar games of the past decade.

Supermarket Shriek has its moments and might be the sort of chaos you’re craving, However, its racing thrills can get stale and its longer levels can suck out the fun. There are worse games that use these sorts of novelties, but it won’t hold your attention for long.

While this is certainly a return to form for the franchise, the game doesn't quite escape the shadow of the original, with the forced narrative aspects sometimes overtaking gameplay. Nevertheless, when judged by its own merits, Amnesia: Rebirth is a quality horror title made by passionate developers out to tell a disturbing story. At the end of the day, I'd recommend this one to any horror fan up for some interactive Cosmic Horror this Halloween season.

This is a game in a rarely explored genre nowadays, and it does offer the interesting experience of fighting a guerrilla war on the Soviet front – a rare occurrence outside Russian games. If you are a fan of this kind of title and have a lot of patience for rough edges and frustrating stealth, Partisans 1941 might actually be worth a shot.

In the end, however, those are minor blemishes that can surely be patched after launch. Democracy 4 is the unique kind of game that targets a strategy niche, giving players control of governments in a more authentic way than the Civilizations out there do. This is the franchise’s strength, but also its weakness -- not every kind of player will have the patience and the mindset to parse through that much data and play the slow game to get policies across. Still, that is hardly the game’s fault, so if you are a fan of political strategy or just politics in general, you should definitely give Democracy 4 a very fair shot. [Early Access Score = 85]

A good management game with superb visuals, offering enough freedom to let you build your own merchant empire in the Caribbean to your heart’s content.

A real remaster that thoroughly updates an 18-year-old title into a proper next-gen game, and actually makes it better than the original.

Even if RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 hasn’t aged as gracefully as its predecessors, there’s plenty of fun to be had. If you still have the original and can run it fine, you don’t need to buy it again. But if you’re someone who never got to play it, can’t run Planet Coaster, and miss the old school approach to the Tycoon genre, the Complete Edition is a neat relic to a bygone era of gaming. Just be prepared for some outdated features and a shockingly small UI.

All in all, Isle of Siptah is an interesting addition to Conan Exiles, even in Early Access. A beautiful and varied map helps create a very intriguing place to explore, and the game does eventually open up from hordes of skeletons to werewolves, giant alligators, and even a dozen different bosses. Due to the large MMO-like scope of the game itself and short review time, I was able to beat most of the normal content but never got to the stage where you discover all the secrets of the maelstrom and find out if you can control the huge Kraken in the sky – but if you’re a big fan of Conan Exiles and want more than just dominating a scorching desert, give this expansion a shot and I’m sure you will be able to find out. [Early Access Provisional Score = 75]

As Far As The Eye is an interesting title, but it feels more artistic than functional. It is a perfectly serviceable game and it has lovely production values, but this is not the kind of title you look to for depth or range. On the other hand, if you want a specific, focused peaceful survival experience about tribes making their way to a safe place and don’t mind this being more of a puzzle than a proper strategy game, definitely give this little indie title a try.

Star Renegades had me enamored from the opening cutscene and sunk its claws deep with its tactically-sound combat, incredible aesthetic, pulse-pounding soundtrack, great story elements, and superb writing. I wish that its meta progression elements were more significant and that it didn’t insist on being yet another rogue-lite, but I still felt compelled - even after some really sour defeats - to come back and fight the good fight against the Imperium...Put simply, Star Renegades is one of the best indie game experiences I’ve had all year. Full stop.

Necromunda: Underhive Wars is a capable strategy games full of tactical options, but the glacial pace will put more people off than draw them in.

Inertial Drift is an espresso shot full of arcade-y goodness. Its approach to drifting isn’t just intuitive, but it encapsulates that Initial D fantasy wonderfully. It might be shorter than other games coming out, but that time spent is enthralling and well worth it. If you love arcade racing, you can’t go wrong with Inertial Drift’s “easy to pick up and tricky to master” style.

A superhero game where heroes are quite fragile, Marvel’s Avengers is constantly in doubt of where it wants to go and ends up arriving nowhere.

Kingdoms of Amalur was one of the most underrated games of the previous decade and its return will make that pretty clear to some players. However, the remastering of this borderline classic is hamstrung by a 2012 inventory and menu system, a 2012 user interface, and 2012 icons and health bar. That being said, the updated environments, characters, and other elements do look great and the actual gameplay is superb. However, it feels like a wasted opportunity that THQ Nordic didn’t spend the time to bring those lagging elements into 2020 along with the rest of the facelift.

At the end of the day there is a huge amount of content here, and everything is extremely replayable due to the open-ended nature of the gameplay (not to mention an unexpected sandbox mode). So, if you’re up for an addicting experience that meshes puzzles, driving/boating/piloting and balancing acts into a single creative concoction, I’d definitely recommend Radical Relocation.

WRC 9 will come with the racing sim action you’ve come to expect from the franchise. This also means that it’s not for everyone and can get bogged down in micromanaging in its career mode. It’s not for everyone, nor does it sell itself for the uninitiated. But if you enjoy the cars, the managing, the challenge, WRC 9 will be your cup of tea. Everyone else should find something enjoyable but nothing that’ll hold your attention for long.

In all, Kill It With Fire is shockingly fun for its simplicity. A game that wields excessive violence against the spider menace as many have wanted to do for so long, or perhaps at least joked about doing. The environments are very quaint and nice, which makes the surprising amount of destruction gamers can pull off all the more entertaining and appreciated, and the spiders that fill them are smart and sneaky little buggers since they can and will hide behind objects… including debris if gamers are a bit too eager to blow everything sky high. Definitely a worthwhile title if you want to kill some spiders.