Fruitbus could easily fall into the category of a cozy game, but it's so much more than that. The storytelling and scaling create an engaging timeline that walks the player through a fascinating story all while maintaining the principles of a standard cozy game.

If you're looking for a relaxing way to pass the time and improve your architectural skills, Poly Bridge 2 is worth checking out.

The unique premise of Vostok Inc. breathes new life into the tired genre, making this moneymaking game much more than something to just play on the toilet to pass the time. While it’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, I urge you to give it a chance if you’re on the fence; it definitely didn’t seem like my cup of tea either at first, but the embedded humor and interesting mechanics made it relatively easy to suffer through the annoyances.

It felt shorter than the past episodes, but also satisfying to see this story arc come to an end. The surprise cameo was much appreciated, but I think we all knew that character wasn't really dead.

It's rude, it's crude, and until Rockstar decides to port something better than LA Noire over or Sucker Punch stops being a Sony studio, it is the most fun you're going to have in an open world crime or mayhem type game on the Switch.

Little Hope is a return to form for Supermassive Games. After the somewhat slow and dry Man of Medan, Little Hope arrives with a narrative audacity and assured performances that place The Dark Pictures Anthology squarely on the top of the interactive filmic adventure game heap. With a rich, complex, and wickedly surprising narrative, Little Hope is well worth playing, despite some awkward moments and transitions.

EA was smart to snatch up the rights to Immortals of Aveum. It’s an impressive debut from Ascendant Studio, featuring a refreshing take on FPS combat, a great fantasy story with loads of interesting lore, and an endearing cast of characters. Bottom line – I can’t wait to see what Ascendant does next.

Bringing a new, adult spin to Zen Studios' winning pinball formula, Pinball M does enough new thing to differentiate itself from the Pinball FX mothership. Bringing a strong opening selection of tables and many ways to interact with them, Pinball M feels like the start of something new and mysterious. I can't wait to see where it goes next.

Like all Nintendo Switch ports, Crash 4: It's About Time makes concessions to run on the less-powerful hardware. Ultimately, though, the concessions are more than worth it to get a great game with a wealth of content running on the Nintendo Switch.

Dead in Vinland is a nice mix of RPG, simulation, and exploration elements. With nearly a dozen party members to recruit, multiple tasks to assign people to, and many different ways to interact with the island's inhabitants, there are multiple ways to go about playing the game and every decision you make will matter in the end.

Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway is a perfectly competent kart racer, which is elevated by an insane number of levels, characters, and configuration options. Far better than I expected, Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3 blasts players in the face with a slime-hose of options and game modes, offering hours of entertainment to kids and parents alike. Bottom line is, my kids like it, I like it, and we aren't going to stop playing it any time soon. I can't think of a better recommendation for a title of this nature.

Guacamelee is easily one of the best titles available on the PlayStation Network. It has a great mix of action and exploration with rock-solid gameplay to back it all up. The adventure is a little on the short side, but it begs to be played again and again. Plus, things get even more enjoyable when you take a long a friend on the PS3. Definitely check this one out!

While the visual style of the cell-shaded tables took a little getting used to, the overall pinball experience proved to be fantastic. Fans of these shows will definitely enjoy seeing how Zen has adapted them to the pinball world, especially those who love Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers.

I haven't found a more binge-worthy single-player action game this year. Control is wonderfully built, smartly written, and already dying for its season pass content.

Alone With You is the perfect game for people who want to sit back and enjoy a story that provokes sadness, relief, foreboding, attraction, and everything in between. It’s not a thriller or a fighter. It takes the concept of loneliness and transforms it into an experience that isn’t nearly as boring as it might sound at first. It could be more interactive if it tried, but the strong and complex narrative helps compensate for that—and makes it worth the money.

The Escapists 2 is a worthy successor to the highly popular The Escapists. The improvements to the overall look, feel, and sounds of the original make this one very much worth picking up.

Typoman is a challenging, if at times frustrating platformer with a great core concept. It relies too heavily on trial and error and the controls could be a bit tighter, but the puzzle design and stark, haunting aesthetic more than make up for any drawbacks.

The Evil Within 2 get so much right that it's predecessor got wrong, and it's actually a great game on top of that. The initial chapters of the game start off slow, but then once things get rolling, this game is really hard to put down.

It had been a while since I last played a Raiden game and Raiden V: Director’s Cut was pretty enjoyable after reacquainting myself with the series, my eyesight issues aside. The fact you can beat the game on any difficulty can seem a tad off putting, but this is actually a good concept for newer players so they can experience the story then increase the difficulty when they start to improve so they can get a better ending. That combined with the boss challenges give quite a bit of replayability to the game and being able to take things a stage at a time makes it great to play in short bursts. Overall a pretty good entry for the series.

Everspace took me a while to warm up to, but once I changed my control layout and started getting better at the dogfighting aspects, the game became a lot more fun. Between finding resources to survive and picking my fights with nearby outlaws or running away so I could live to fight another sector, Everspace never really feels like the same run twice, and that’s definitely a good thing.

There is quite a bit of difficulty to it as you have to learn each titan’s patterns and figure out how to expose and attack their weak points, and others may just see this as a rip-off of Shadow of the Colossus. If you can get past that, Titan Souls provides quite a bit of challenge, but admittedly could have gone on a bit longer for a $15 price point.

When I first looked at Miitopia I honestly thought it was going to be an incredibly simple RPG meant for a younger audience. While the game is simple and somewhat intended for younger players, it still has a look and feel that almost anyone can enjoy regardless of age or experience level. While sometimes too easy and simple, Miitopia is still a lot of fun and worth checking out.

Clockwork Ambrosia is a fun steampunk Metroidvania. There's a plethora of ways to customize Iris's gear and weapons. You might stumble upon a loadout so powerful that you may not want to use anything else, especially towards the end game. There's fast travel, but you may not find the relic to enable it for several hours. It depends on where you explore first. But if you like Metroidvanias and customizing weapons, Clockwork Ambrosia is worth checking out.

A solid, well polished WWII strategy title using the venerable Europa Universalis engine. It’s deep, it’s complex, and just a bit overwhelming.

Iron Harvest: Operation Eagle is a challenging DLC to a fun RTS game. Even though it can be played as a stand alone title Iron Harvest: Operation Eagle works best when accompanied by the main title Iron Harvest. The introduction of Ursonia and their campaign is a solid addition, even if adding aerial units to the game hurts its overall gameplay. The campaign story alone is worth the price of entry.

A sequel in everything but name to PS VR’s delightful Rush of Blood, The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR takes everything that made that title successful and refines it further. The shooting is great, the thrills are some of the best on the platform, and the overall vibe can be downright terrifying. Ride a coaster, shoot some demons, scream, laugh, and cuss. What’s not to love?

It’s a heck of a first effort from Nintendo when it comes to level editors, with a shockingly deep number of options. However its few limitations are puzzling, and its time-based content gating makes it very slow to start creating.

The Fractured But Whole is a solidly good RPG game that incorporates the South Park attitude with a lot less in-your-face crudeness than The Stick of Truth. It has a better fighting setup, an easier-to- digest storyline, and is still laugh out loud funny at times. What else do you need from a South Park game?

Pokemon Picross is a fun and interesting way of playing Picross, but I can see how some elements might turn a player off to the game.

Visual inconsistency aside, the newest entry in the King of Fighters proves to be one of its best. The gameplay and mechanics are as solid as ever and there's plenty for newcomers and old guard alike to enjoy.

It's not a very deep game, but LEGO Batman 2 manages to charm with its open world and large roster. Fans of DC will love how many characters show up, while everybody else will have a good time taking down the Joker once again. Best of all, this game sets things up for the far more interesting LEGO Justice League adventure that is bound to be announced any time now!

Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 is another solid addition to Stainless' series. It is refreshing to see a variety of new cards and decks but the game still feels held back by the inability to truly construct custom decks, which is the one feature that this series of games needs in order to accurately replicate the Magic the Gathering experience.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star does have some flaws, but the good does mostly out-weight the bad. The puzzles can be challenging, as well as the boss fights, but the normal battles as mostly there to suck up your stickers.

While notably short, 39 Days to Mars is a lot of fun, delivered in an attractive artistic design. It's really more puzzles than adventure, but the puzzles are satisfying to solve and never caused one of those "how was I supposed to know that??" moments.

Monster Hunter Rise distills the fun of boss fights into an entire game, and it excels at doing so. While it is good in single-player, the best experience is found online playing with fellow hunters. Despite not adequately holding the player's hand in regard to its ancillary systems, Rise never gets in its own way, and offers a fun experience for both casual players looking for short bursts of fun, as well as the more hardcore looking for a time sink.

Townsmen VR takes classic city-building mechanics and aptly converts them to the VR space, resulting in a well-made and delightful VR RTS/city-builder experience. Well designed interactions and smooth VR features make for a very fun and satisfying experience. Newcomers to the format might want to check this out just to see a different take on what VR can do well. An extremely entertaining, well-made delight that will eat hours off of your afternoon.

Neva is another feather in the cap for Nomada Studio, who once again have proven themselves to be artists in the truest sense of the word. Beautiful, haunting, and emotionally moving, Neva is a wonderful experience.

I had high hopes for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and it did not disappoint. The multiplayer suite is the best part of the package by a decent margin, and one of the best in the franchise thanks to the new Omnimovement feature and finely tuned gameplay. Zombies is a fun distraction when you’re needing a break from PvP, but it’s outshined by multiplayer and the campaign. Thankfully, Treyarch and Raven were able to get Call of Duty back on track in terms of campaigns with Black Ops 6, and even took a couple of big swings that paid off. Black Ops 6 feels like one of those evergreen releases in the franchise that people will be playing for years to come – some might even call it a classic Call of Duty.

The absence of multiplayer is a slight drawback, and the cosmetic ticket system could use some loosening, but all of that detracts very little from the sheer joy of this package. The new basement setting is fun, stylish, and packed with potential. This is the best these tables have ever looked (and played), and the feeling that you are really playing them is undeniable.

I can’t say enough good things about Rebel Galaxy Outlaw. It’s a sucker punch aimed at all the bloated, morbidly obese space sims out on the market today. Yes, there’s room for them, too. But Outlaw distills the ‘90s space-combat and trading sim into a great-looking, great-playing game for a new generation.

Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale is a nice blend of RPG and farming simulation. While it can be a bit on the easy side at times, it didn't get to the point where I was getting bored or felt it was too easy.

As someone who is terrible at the main series, I really enjoyed Monster Hunter Stories, even if it is a bit easy early on. The more traditional RPG-style of gameplay is a radical departure from what the core games are like, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth your time. If you can put aside the fact that this plays rather differently than the past games, you’ll find an enjoyable experience for new and returning fans alike.

The bottom line on Need for Speed Rivals for the Xbox One is that it's a gorgeous world that is pushing the hardware to its limit. Gameplay, however, is as close to the same as its Xbox 360 predecessor. For those who have the Xbox 360 version, it isn't a must buy.

Splatoon has a huge amount of potential wrapped in an addictively bizarre visual style. That said both the solo and multiplayer aspects are relatively simple and have a lot of room to grow with DLC and updates. Hopefully Splatoon will get better with age but for now its inky competitive action should keep you busy for a month or two.

Halo 4 is Halo in every sense of the word. This is the classic Master Chief-oriented Halo that fans love and have been missing for years. Robust multiplayer and a heart-pounding campaign that can easily be played multiple times over; plus, you know that the game is going to get extended support post launch which will keep you playing for months, if not years. Some old problems that have haunted the series in the past rear their head once again, but they aren't gamebreakers.

While it might not be the most complex role-playing game available, it's a worthwhile and entertaining purchase for players eager to set out on a casual fantasy adventure.

Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan is a modern day classic, everything that is great about JRPGs is on display here.

Zen Studios has released a new set of tables sure to please the Star Wars Fan in all of us!

Anyone who's a fan of Layton will find another great adventure. If you haven't had a chance to travel with the great Professor, this can be a great jumping off point to really get a good idea of what this series is all about.

Taking Superhot's amazing and addictive gameplay and expanding it in several directions, Superhot: Mind Control Delete feels exactly right. New bad guys, new powers, and roguelike randomized levels keep the game feeling much more rollicking than its intellectual predecessor. Mind Control Delete offers what the original game did not; endless hours of Superhot fun. Not bad for a free add on.

Aspire: Ina’s Tale is an enjoyable platform-puzzler with a great story and a relaxing atmosphere, but it’s one drawback is its short length. If you know what you’re doing or are pretty good at solving puzzles that involve platforming, the game should only take you a few hours to complete. If you don’t mind that though, Aspire: Ina’s Tale has a great story and a relaxing atmosphere that’s worth checking out.

Hearthfire is an inexpensive add-on to the critically acclaimed Skyrim, and it provides its value for new and old players alike, but in different ways. The customization options will give characters an even deeper attachment to the game world, and establish a perfect retreat for those who have a hard time keeping track of every arcane enchanter and forge. More customization options would help to set each abode apart from the next, but Hearthfire rewards us with what we all want: more Skyrim.

Somehow, the developers of Lego Horizon Adventures found the perfect recipe to simplify everything about Horizon while keeping the charm and the nuances that make the franchise so endearing to its fans. The development team knocked it out of the park in translating such a robust experience to a family friendly version that can be enjoyed by gamers of all ages. This is an enjoyable ride for everyone but especially for fans of the franchise.

American Truck Simulator, like the rest of the Truck Simulator series, is polished and entertaining.

Tribes of Midgard struggles with an outside force it has no control over that prevents it from being near perfect; it requires friends to play with. Alone, or with strangers who don’t work together there is just too much going on at once, making the game feel like an endless assault of chores that need done right away. But if you can get a regular group, taking down the seasonal boss is totally worth the effort.

Kudos to Sega for the massive risk they took on releasing Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F out here. It's a great deal of fun for music game lovers, and features a ton of stuff that vocaloid fans will love.

Child of Light is an artist's RPG through and through. Combat is more thoughtful than intimidating, the story is at once archetypal and clever, and the game's visual and auditory flare is truly something to behold.

Glitchy Pixel's new game proves once and for all that it's more fun to be the ghost.

All of the shooting and stomping and crafting lead Awakened toward a conclusion that left me wanting more, so much so that the original game's ending seems superfluous in hindsight. There's a steady, rhythmic approach to the battles in Awakened that can become repetitive, but they succeed in paving the way for even more future fights.

Killing giant insect scum was has never been as fun and addicting as it is now. The four different classes provide four different and fun ways to play the game and there is tons of replay value here to keep you killing incest for many months to come.

Pode is a fun and relaxing puzzle game that starts out simple and becomes more complex as the game progresses and you gain new abilities. While the game is meant for co-op play, it plays just as well single-player, though you will have to constantly swap between Glo and Bulder. Having a second player can also help with solving puzzles as you have a second person helping you out, but alone or with a friend, with its enjoyable art style and relaxing atmosphere, Pode is a puzzle game worth checking out.

Very few indie games have quantity and quality that can match those of triple A titles, but Asterigos: Curse of the Stars definitely makes the cut. This is an outstanding first project from Acme Gamestudio and I can’t wait to see what’s next for them. What you’ll find here is a polished narrative-driven Souls-like adventure held back only by some frustrating design choices.

All those stripped out game modes are back and they're just as fun as they should be. Gameplay is better than its ever been for both veterans and rookies while the presentation is spot-on and a pleasure to take in. There's no denying that the NHL franchise is back to where it should be.

Overall, a solid action shooter by MachineGames.

The family that slays together, stays together. When it comes to striking a balance between raucous gameplay and dramatic discourse, Children of Morta is an absolute gem.

Codemasters provides a little something for everyone in GRID 2. There are a wide variety of cars and racing styles to choose from, and the accessible yet challenging driving physics strike a good balance. A couple of innovative new race types incrementally freshen the genre, but there is nothing here to elicit a "Wow!" All around, it's a solid effort.

If you’ve played "Phantom Brave" and felt very pressed for both time and energy with each map then you’re going to love the more leisurely pace that Makai Kingdom takes.

Even though it has a few annoying and erroneous elements and an uncompelling, cringeworthy story, Dead Rising 3 is still an incredibly fun game. If you're looking for something where you can turn your brain off and go ballistic- Dead Rising 3 is going to be a perfect fit for you.

Hey! Pikmin is a radical shift for Nintendo’s quirky RTS series. It changes or eschews many of the series’ longtime mechanics in favor of a 2D platformer-adventure. Longtime fans might be disappointed, but Hey! Pikmin has the same charm and quality that garnered the original games a cult following—just in a more accessible, bite-sized form factor this time.

NBA 2K26 is another small but significant step forward for the franchise. It has never felt better to play an NBA 2K game, thanks to on-court gameplay improvements and quality-of-life fixes off the court. There is so much content that you almost have to pick a lane and stay there, while microtransactions are positioned as a fix for the FOMO you’ll inevitably feel ignoring one mode for another. But it’s still easy to recommend NBA 2K26 to hoops fans.

Hunt the Night requires a lot of skill and a lot of patience, but becomes more enjoyable once you learn how everything works. Everything looks, sounds, and controls great, and you’ll definitely begin to feel the challenge even in the opening areas of the game. Between the interesting puzzles and multiple ways to customize your loadout for dealing with enemies, Hunt the Night is an enjoyable game, though frustrating at times. If you’re up for a challenge, Hunt the Night will definitely put your skills to the test.

If you're keeping your PS3 and are looking for a good, casual racing game, you could do a lot worse that GT 6. If, on the other hand, you are moving to a PS4 and/or are looking for a good hardcore racing simulation, give this one a pass.

While not as challenging or involved as the best games from either series, this is still a crossover fans of both Wright and Layton don't want to pass up.

WWE2K22 has a TON of content that you wanted in a wrestling game. With revamped graphics, mechanics, and customization modes, this one will be hard to stop playing. MyGM and MyRise shine here, and while this title is going to be hard to top, but if this is the blueprint for WWE games going forward, sign me up.

Quantum Conundrum is about as close as you can get to ripping off Portal without Valve contacting their lawyers. Some of the puzzles are fun, but the game ultimately devolves into nothing more than platform hopping. The moments of brilliance cannot make up for some truly awful writing and an anticlimactic ending!

The heroes at Zen Studios deliver yet another fantastic pinball table adaptation. A striking combination of simulation and fantasy, fans can play Indy's stellar 1993 table any way they please. This table is yet another example of why Zen is considered the best in the business.

Nit-picky things aside, you end up with a game that plays easier than Madden, is downright hilarious, and won’t break the bank to purchase. It really could use a full set of teams (then maybe some fake ones) and players that can speak English, but it doesn’t take long for the game to remind you why you are playing in the first place – to kick the snot out of your opponent by any means necessary.

If you thought the second season of The Walking Dead was going to be more lighthearted, then prepare to be disappointed. All That Remains sees a more mature Clementine battling to survive by herself. As first episodes go, this one definitely gets the job done. The hard part is waiting for the second episode.

Viva Pinata is a very deep and rich game. This review has touched on only small parts of the overall experience.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted is yet another solid release from Criterion Games. It's full of memorable events, amazing visuals and the best online multiplayer racing action around. Unfortunately, it's also in the shadows of a much better racing game. Most Wanted is a fun game, but it never fully lives up to its potential!

Rhythm games usually wear out their welcomes after a few weeks, but Taiko’s hands-on addictiveness provides months and months of wholesome family entertainment.

Farming Simulator 15 earns a strong recommendation for both series fans and farming enthusiasts.

At $10 it's hard to imagine a better deal; the game is loaded with a ton of content and a great multiplayer experience making this a must-own party game for anybody who loves fast-paced action games.

Easily one of the most cinematic games released on any platform. The graphics and sound grab you from the first mission and carry you through to the end of the game. The only thing that is really holding the game back is the buggy/laggy multiplayer which will hopefully be fixed soon.

Remnant is on my list of biggest surprises of 2019. I was apprehensive since I'm not a fan of Souls-like games, but this one is right up my alley. The combat is fantastic and it's even better when you are playing with others online.

Voice of Cards: The Beasts of Burden hits with just enough originality to distinguish itself from the other games in the Voice of Cards series. This game is all about story and mechanics over presentation, though what is there will feel familiar and welcoming to long-time JRPG fans. With a great narrative, The Beasts of Burden is a great place to jump into this series and learn it’s not-too-complicated ropes.

Etrian Mystery Dungeon continues the streak of great Etrian titles. The shake-up in gameplay doesn't rattle the game too much for die-hard fans and will give them exactly what they want, while giving people unfamiliar with the franchise, a good entry level introduction.

I almost prefer the Wii U version of Black Ops 2 over any other; the gamepad feels great to play with, and being able to play online with another person is a great feature.

Some stability issues still hold Forestrike back but when it’s working, and it mostly does, it really works. The foresight mechanic is an excellent way to unlock fluid combat scenarios and it has the right amount of strategy required to be more than a mindless button masher. But you will need to find the right timing to mash the buttons so there is a level of skill required, but ample opportunity to practice your way to mastery. There is enough variety between the disciplines and the roguelike nature of earning skills and items on each run to keep things interesting long past when you get your money’s worth from a title that only comes in at 10 bucks to begin with.

With only two buttons and 20-second rounds, DiveKick may sound too simple to be any fun. But that's where you're wrong. This is a game that will not only bring new fans to the genre, but also keep the hardcore fighting fans coming back for more. Throw in a memorable cast of characters and you have one of this year's best fighting games.

Double Dragon: Neon is either another must-own game from WayForward or the worst game of the year; it all depends on who you ask. Despite the lack of online play and a few repetitive moments, I was won over by Neon's charm. The 1980s are alive and well in WayForward's newest game!

Not a remake, not an action RPG, but definitely a very refined MMO experienced tailored to be inclusive to solo and console players, New World has received a major shot of accessibility with the release of Aeternum. With a welcoming community, a refined story, and some very fun crafting mechanics, there is a lot of material here to dig into and enjoy. If you are looking for a new title to sink 1000 hours into, you could do far worse than this one.

The roster of hotshot golfers is now 21 members deep, several new-to-the-series courses are unlockable, and you can also toss your own face into the fray with the Photo Gamer Face tools.

WWE 2K19 is still rough around the edges and some game modes are still in desperate need of an update, but it's the best game from 2K yet and features a lot of upgrades and fun game modes to keep you playing all the way through until WWE 2K20.

If you played this back in the PS2 days, know that it is worth picking up again thanks to all the changes XSeed and Nihon Falcom have given this update. If you're fresh on the Ys series, then give this one a go, you won't be disappointed.

A brilliant world is offset by some cheap level design, a fantastic toolset and movement is offset by some terrible throw mechanics when left tooless. However, Budget Cuts 2 takes two long strides forward for every half step back and does deliver on its promise. It hits the mark this time around to provide a really good VR experience and would be recommended to anyone with the gear to run it.

Rune Factory 5 is a very fun "get to town and do all the things" game, which has been cleaned up significantly from it's initial release on Switch. The PC version of the game is clean and crisp, allowing players to address settings before even booting the game up. With a ton of fun activities and places to explore, Rune Factory 5 has a little something for everyone, and is appropriate (and fun) for all audiences. Farm, explore, romance, capture monsters; every activity is gently charming. Well worth a look for adults, but good luck keeping the kids away from it.

Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is an excellent ending point for this chapter of the series. It takes all of the groundwork laid in DoA5 and polishes it off in the best way possible. Armed with an excellent roster of characters and a ton of modes, this is a great introduction to 3D fighting on the new generation of fighters. Just be prepared to be smothered with DLC options.