While elements exist for roguelike and RPG play, the core of Sea Horizon is more of a loadout-building game similar to a deck builder. In this facet, it excels. It has a surprising amount of depth in working through and unlocking the many characters in its lineup and there is enough randomness in the roll of the dice to make every turn of every encounter warrant a strategy to match the resources at your disposal against the challenge set before you. It's intelligent and quite a bit of fun.

It’s not particularly challenging, deep or narratively profound, but it is consistently funny in a wry, innocent way and outside of some physics quirks the platforming gameplay is engaging. Pikuniku is a game you keep playing because you want to see how it will make you smile next; what will the next odd little character exclaim? What will the next hat let you do? What minigame is around the corner? Pikuniku is arty and ludicrous without trying too hard or shoving a message down your throat, and in that regard it fits into Devolver’s stable of IP perfectly.

Highly recommended for folks that enjoy cooperative play, or as a way to introduce a friend to basic stealth gaming mechanics. Covert delivers a lot of gameplay for two players—one on PS VR and the other on the companion mobile app. The heists remain fun and engaging without ever becoming too difficult, ensuring that everyone has a good time. Can't ask for much more than that.

While the on-court gameplay improvements from last year are incremental and subtle, NBA 2K25 is still the high-water mark for sports games. A more newcomer-friendly MyCAREER, and the addition of worthwhile game modes to MyTEAM make this one of the best entries in the series, even despite it constantly trying to reach deeper into your pocket.

The game's design, art, and simplicity make it a near-perfect Switch title. It's easy to learn, easy to play, and suffers only a few issues that detract from the overall experience.

Gunslugs is an action-packed mix of Metal Slug and Spelunky, seeing the player fight through randomly generated stages with only one life to live. Although simplistic, this old school throwback has a lot of charm and enough hooks to keep you coming back long after you've mastered the few stages and earned a high score.

While the combat system of the Bravely Default 2 is unique and offers a high risk, high reward style of gameplay not seen elsewhere, the overall experience plays out in classic JRPG fashion. I had fun grinding out XP for the jobs I wanted, with it never feeling like a chore, the true sign of a well made JRPG. The lack of mouse support for the PC version though is next to unacceptable with all the menus you work in. Classic JRPG style, not necessarily a modern day classic. The lack of true innovations keep it from perfection.

While it’s a bit slow to start, frontloaded with tutorials and exposition, and generally muddled at the outset, Rage 2 shapes up into an incredibly fun time and a natural evolution of a franchise I was worried Id had written off as a dead end.

After not playing a Trine game since the original, playing Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince makes me want to play through the first three games. The biggest issue I had was the difficulty as it was kind of simple for a lot of the game and even the boss battles weren't too complex. Trine veterans should have no problems clearing the game and newcomers will find a couple of options that can aid them if need be, and online multiplayer worked pretty well with two people. Whether you're experienced with the series or if this is your first time, Trine 4 is a simple and relaxing puzzle-solving adventure that anyone can enjoy.

A great twist on a genre almost as old as gaming itself, SteamWorld Dig gives platforming an injection of life and spirit that stands out from the crowd in this age of blockbuster gaming. It's worth playing for many reasons, but the fresh way it handles platforming is reason enough itself.

Pikmin 3 doesn’t mess with what worked in the previous two games, it just polishes and refines the formula into something that stands alongside other modern titles.

With some unexpectedly complex and challenging controls, Star Wars: Squadrons is not the sort of game that you jump into and play casually. Squadrons is a surprisingly deep flight sim-style space battler that benefits from all of the sights and sounds of the Star Wars universe. While fun played on TVs, Squadrons really comes to life in VR, despite some resolution issues. This is simply the best Star Wars space battle game ever produced, and is a dream come true for fans.

OlliOlli2 isn’t exactly easy for me to love but it’s a damn fine game in its own right. It nails the classic skating action of the old Tony Hawk games while mixing in fighting game combos and Donkey Kong style platforming. If you missed it on PSN it’s definitely worth a look on Steam.

A bit light in content, this expansion concentrates on adding features that enhance gameplay in the New World. The new features make Native American nations more rewarding to play, and add an interesting possibility wherein the Europeans could be kicked off the continent.

Both challenging and fun, Rube Works is a great testament to the brilliant cartoons that fascinated early 20th century newspaper readers. Relive the fun with Rube Works, a fun little game from Electric Eggplant.

A fascinating real-time strategy game that will completely immerse you in the action.

It's a gorgeous game with memorable battles. But because the game's focus is obviously on combat, no matter how pretty the towns are, they feel like backdrops for your character sheets and inventory.

Counterspy is all the best parts and all the worst parts of a great downloadable stealth game with delightful visuals. It's those worst parts of the stealth genre that keep me from recommending it wholeheartedly.

Soul Hackers 2 feels like a culmination of everything Atlus learned from previous iterations of its games. It’s beginner friendly enough for newcomers to join but also brings just enough challenge to entice veterans of the series. It leaves a unique mark with some genuinely creative mechanics while retaining core elements of Persona and Shin Megami Tensei, but is bogged down by some poor design choices. Painted in a fresh neon coat of cyberpunk and drenched in a deeply wrapped narrative, Soul Hackers 2 still deserves the attention of any JRPG fan.

Although it might look like your standard racing game, Pursuit Force is unlike any other game on the market. Its speed and energy is unparalleled on the PSP, making this one of the most exciting games you ever will play.

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.