As an expansion to Asphalt 9: Legends, Unite aspires for much but can't rise above some major flaws. The existing issues only exacerbate the problem, resulting in a grindy mess.

The long-awaited return of EA Sports' college football series is finally here, with a fun sporting experience despite some issues.

The Sky Breaker could have gone in several interesting directions, but opts for yet another bland conflict that lacks any of the engaging material from the base game.

Conscript is unlikely to deliver genuine scares, but this old school, atmospheric survival horror romp is still easy to recommend to fans of the genre.

While Nobody Wants to Die doesn’t really emphasize its gameplay as much, in turn, it offers up a story that is an absolute joy to experience, thanks in no small part to its well-realized cyberpunk world and well-written characters.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn successfully strikes a balance between being a great entry point into the Soulslike genre for those new to the genre, while still largely scratching the itch that genre veterans will be on the lookout for.

EvilVEvil might be a competent shooter in some aspects, but its shallow progression and bland graphics hold it back from truly shining.

This is certainly one of those games where the whole is greater than its parts, making the small irritants a little more forgivable in the end.

Flock is a relaxing game about taming creatures in a colorful open environment. With strong colorful aesthetics and excellent sound design, it's easy to see the appeal here. The exploration is superb, though the mechanics involved in charming creatures could've been more engaging.

But if you love Spy x Family, there’s still plenty to enjoy here. Exploring the Forger household, small as it may be, is unquestionably fun – and Anya is as expressive and amusing as ever, resulting in regular laugh-out-loud moments. It’s not a bad game, then – in fact, it’s something a little different in the licensed anime category. But it could have benefitted from a bit more variety.

Starry Studio's survival crafting shooter throws horror, looting and MMO elements into one big potpourri with mixed results.

Equal parts first-person shooter and kick-fest, Angry Foot is a adrenaline-filled romp with a few annoyances.

Zenless Zone Zero is a hack-and-slash extravaganza with stylish visuals.

System Shock is one of the most influential games ever made, and Nightdive Studios’ stunning recreation of the 30-year-old title makes it an important experience for returning players and newcomers alike, if only to understand how the genre got to where it is today.

All the glitz and dopamine-inducing loot drops can't stop The First Descendant from feeling generic, repetitive and just plain soulless.

The glory days of Super Monkey Ball may be far behind, but Banana Rumble is a new beginning. Tight stage design, responsive controls and an appealing aesthetic make it one of the series' best in years.

Luigi's sophomore solo adventure is still an absolute blast, and even though this is a fairly conservative remaster, it makes for a welcome return to the haunts of Evershade Valley.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak establishes its own identity in the extensive franchise, offering fun new characters, compelling combat and a relatively strong presentation despite some familiar flaws.

Beyond Good and Evil 20th Anniversary Edition is a great way to replay a beloved classic, and an even better one to experience it for the first time.

Bodycam presents an intriguing perspective for a multiplayer shooter and offers incredible attention to detail with its environments. However, it requires lots of work and features to make it a compelling competitive shooter. [Early Access Score = 60]

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is an excellent follow up to the base game. Shadow of the Erdtree's focus on great level design and fantastic boss fights makes it a must play for the fans of the genre.

Still Wakes the Deep doesn't fully realize the horrific potential of its intriguing setting, and some might find it to be a bit too light on gameplay, but thanks to an engaging story and gorgeous visuals, it's still a game worth playing.

Monster Hunter Stories can show its age in how simplistic it often feels, but it's still an enjoyable and charming RPG that genre fans will enjoy.

Monster Hunter Stories 2 isn't extraordinary by any means, but it's a charming, engaging, colourful experience that's still easy to recommend to fans of traditional JRPGs.

Night Springs may not be essential, but it's still an absolute blast.

When Destiny content is bad, it can be some of the worst out there. However, when it's good, there's nothing quite like it. The Final Shape delivers on all its promises and then some, providing an emotional catharsis for long-time fans while paving the road ahead for the future.

Star Wars Hunters is a surprisingly fun hero shooter wrapped around a somewhat aggressive live-service model.

Despite its open beta falling by the wayside, MultiVersus had a ton of potential heading into its full launch. While the netcode and gameplay feel solid, everything else needs extensive improvements.

Wuthering Waves won't unseat Genshin Impact in the open-world action RPG department, but it's still very solid out of the gate and worth keeping an eye on in the coming years.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Classic is an interesting exercise, since it doesn’t really have much to do with the original World of Warcraft Classic anymore. The sweeping changes it makes to leveling, class and quest design, while interesting on their own, also supplements the more intriguing small-scale stories told throughout the game.

F1 24 could have been the ideal follow-up to last year had its handling not been radically revamped. However, as it stands, it's still a compelling racing sim with fun Career Modes and a strong presentation.

Crown Wars: The Black Prince is a decent game that is let down by a variety of reasons. While the story, visuals and audio are all, at best, mediocre, the strong gameplay loop where combat directly feeds into the management mechanics is an excellent way to flex your tactical prowess.

XDefiant isn't a Call of Duty killer or even a close competitor. It has potential despite its many issues, but it has a long way to go before living up to it.

Hellblade 2 sticks to what its predecessor was good at, delivering a technically, visually, and narratively impressive experience, even if it's one that feels a bit too familiar and straightforward from a gameplay perspective.

A straightforward 1v1 samurai fighting game with very little content on its bones. Fine if you just want some quick and fun matches against friends, but there's not enough here to hold interest for long.

Controversies surrounding PSN account linking on PC games aside, Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut continues Sony’s tremendous record of fantastic PC ports.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is a unique, distinct, and memorable experience that leverages the strengths of video games as a storytelling medium. It is recommended for anyone who is interested in mystery stories or adventure games.

Braid Anniversary Edition isn't just a celebration of the indie title that surprised the industry in 2008 - it's also the best version of an incredible platformer.

While not as trailblazing as its predecessors, Homeworld 3 is still a well-made and worthwhile sci-fi real-time strategy with a solid story and exceptional production values.

The MotoGP franchise continues its reign as the tightest, most refined motorcycle racing game on the market, but few standout additions to this year’s game make it simply an incremental update over last year’s entry.

PAC-MAN Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs isn't quite as endearing as Pac-Man 99 and has its share of shortcomings. Its core gameplay will keep you busy for a time but lacks real staying power.

A fun but flawed management sim with a compelling roguelike loop. Lack of customization and content prevent Undead Inc. from reaching its potential.

Sea of Thieves has grown into one of the more beloved live service titles over the years and it's well-deserved, offering a gorgeous and engaging pirate fantasy.

Manor Lords still requires time to develop, especially when building out several of its more intriguing features. Nevertheless, its emphasis on medieval city-building with dashes of combat can prove enjoyable. [Early Access Score = 70]

Fallout 4's Next-Gen Update brings minimal changes, but Bethesda's post-apocalyptic RPG is still a fun game at its core, even with its issues.

No Rest for the Wicked isn't bad - in fact, there's so much potential in this mishmash of genres that it's worth keeping an eye on. At this stage, however, there are a lot of rough edges to smooth over. [Early Access Score = 60]

TopSpin 2K25 is a decent return to form for the franchise, especially when you stick to the more casual side of things.

Sand Land is a solid action RPG with a significant amount of vehicle customization and combat, gorgeous graphics, and extensive activities, making for a fun experience.

Phantom Fury is quite easily one of the most refined boomer shooters in the market today.

Fluid and adrenaline-fueled combat make Stellar Blade an intriguing experience.

Maybe there's some superficial, fleeting fun to be had here, but TMNT Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants is far too simplistic, straightforward, and shallow to ultimately be anything more than an utterly forgettable disappointment.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau delivers a genuinely touching and heartfelt story in a rich and mystical world, even if it lets itself down with its combat, platforming, and design.

While Final Fantasy 16's final paid DLC doesn't break new ground in many ways, it's another fine display of the action RPG's strengths.

As an aggressively old-school role-playing game, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes suffers in areas like combat, side quest design and balance but makes up for it with the story, extensive cast and strong presentation.

Whether you’re in it to build extensively and see how deep the research trees go, explore and uncover mysteries or chill out in a space setting, The Planet Crafter is worth checking out.

Despite its rather simple combat system, Broken Roads is a fantastic new entry in the RPG genre.

As a rogue-like that may not be on everyone's radar, Inkbound goes beyond expectations to deliver an addictive and gorgeous turn-based experience.

Abstraction's re-release is a blast from the past for fans with new heroes and maps, but it still falls short in several fundamental ways.

Freedom Planet 2 feels like the first game with a bigger budget, expanding on many of the key mechanics it employs from its Sonic roots while crafting a unique identity with its complex levels and refreshingly unique enemy and boss design.

Despite its laughable plot, Outpost: Infinity Siege starts with some potential. Unfortunately, the tedious rogue-like elements, extraction shooter resource gathering and other questionable design choices dilute the experience.

As a streamlined city-builder with some conquest and exploration thrown in, Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is worth a look.

It’s a great thing that Open Roads is an incredibly short experience, because when it comes to actually playing it, there just isn’t much there. Thankfully, its story and characters do more than enough to make experiencing Open Roads worthwhile, at least once.

Princess Peach Showtime! is a fun, charming, and well made game. It has its issues, but very few that its intended audience will care about. Hopefully it gets a follow up that gets to iterate on the core ideas.

Lightyear Frontier impresses with its sci-fi setting, non-violent approach and nature-focused gameplay, to say nothing of the gorgeous visuals. It has a ways to go, though, and some issues to iron out. [Early Access Score = 70]

The Show succeeds in honoring baseball’s past despite marginal gameplay improvements.

The PC version of Horizon Forbidden West might just be the new benchmark to compare other PC ports against.

While it never transcends its own limitations and fumbles, Operation Galuga is a solid entry into the Contra franchise that is fun enough to play on its own merits.

In spite of solid combat and fun traversal, Rise of the Ronin is, unfortunately, Team Ninja's most underwhelming game in years.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is a landmark release for open world action RPGs. From its thoroughly immersive world and its stellar combat to the incredible emergent gameplay its bevy of systems enable, Capcom's long-anticipated sequel delivers spectacularly in more ways than one. By definition, it's going to turn some people off with its many eccentricities, but it's those eccentricities exactly that make it such an utterly unique and unforgettable experience.

There are bright spots here that genre veterans can and likely will latch on to, but Alone in the Dark feels a bit too rough and unpolished in areas that are too critical to the experience to ever be able to truly meet its full potential.

Outcast – A New Beginning has moments where it can be a lot of fun, especially once you get your hands on an upgraded jetpack. Sadly, its archaic mission design and empty open world often means that there isn’t really much in there worth flying towards.

Lackluster content, clunky combat, dull exploration and more plague DRAGO entertainment's early access survival crafting title. [Early Access Score = 40]

When discussing first-party titles, Hi-Fi Rush is undoubtedly one of the best in recent years, providing fresh gameplay and incredible production values polished to a sheen. If you haven’t played it, rest assured it lives up to the hype.

Reveil isn't going to set the world of P.T.-inspired first-person horror games on fire, and issues with its writing and voice acting often drag it down, but with a strong aesthetic, surreal environments, and straightforward yet engaging puzzles and mechanics, it's still a solid experience that fans of the genre will enjoy.

Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection showcases how a streamlined yet content-packed shooter can still stand out today.

While WWE 2K24’s attempts at celebrating 40 years of WrestleMania with its new Showcase of the Immortals mode fall flat, the game’s excellent match types and the great new storylines in the MyRise mode will ensure that fans will have plenty to sink their teeth into.

When it comes to the joy of off-road driving, few games can capture the feel as expertly or effortlessly as Expeditions: A MudRunner Game. The lack of online co-op at launch, or even a central narrative might hurt it a bit, but it’s still an excellent driving game owing to the thousands of small player-driven emergent stories that can pop up, and the sense of exploration is still downright fantastic.

Sons of the Forest can fumble with its narrative, but its survival crafting fundamentals and sandbox still warrant a look.

Nightdive sticks the landing yet again.

The Thaumaturge is a narrative focused RPG with an interesting combat system and unique setting.

The Outlast Trials is brutal and unrelenting, constantly pushing you into the deep end and taunting you to stay afloat. Some aspects could use further touching up, but if co-op horror is your sickness, then this may be your kind of therapy.

Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance is a strange game that doesn’t seem like it would be all that fun at a cursory glance. Dig deeper, however, and you’ll find that all of its smaller systems mingle together in a way that brings about one of the more fun and unique real-time strategy games out there.

Nightingale is brimming with potential and can grow into something truly fascinating, but it has a long way to go. [Early Access Score = 60]

Pacific Drive can be broken down easily into other genres, but it's unlike anything available in terms of tone, atmosphere and execution.

While Wrath: Aeon of Ruin might give off the impression that it’s just another boomer shooter in a market already well-past saturation, it manages to forge its own identity by being a throwback to classics of the genre with a flair of its own. And of course, the incredible level design and gunplay go a long way in making the game incredibly fun. The only real downside is that, for its wild settings and visuals, the weapons never really break the mold of classic shooter archetypes.

From its incredible story and how well it tells it to its wonderfully realized setting and more, all of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons' biggest strengths are present and accounted for in the remake. Given how faithful of a recreation it is though, those who own the original will likely wonder if the remake is worth a purchase.

Mario vs Donkey Kong on the Nintendo Switch is a satisfactory update of a great and often overlooked entry on the Game Boy Advance.

Last Epoch offers a middle ground between its contemporaries in the action RPG genre, offering players plenty of deep character customization options while still managing to stay understandable and approachable. While its story might feel meandering, the endgame content is plenty fun on its own, and its dungeons are some of the most fun bits of content in the entire game.

The promise of those old, grand, globe-trotting Final Fantasy epics from the series’ 16- and 32-bit heyday in AAA form has been fulfilled at last. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth finally realizes the series’ central, implicit potential, looking to the past to pave the way for hopefully the start of a new golden age for the series.

When it's not annoying with the lackluster story and mission structure, Skull and Bones is tedious with its end game grind and activities. Bland and repetitive, it's simply a drag to enjoy.

Foamstars definitely has some charm to it, but the general lack of polish in the gameplay department and shoddy single player can bring the experience from initially impressive to ultimately underwhelming.

Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered offers an appealing new visual style but retains all of the frustrating mechanics of the originals. Hardcore fans will probably enjoy it, but it's not for everyone.

Helldivers 2 is essentially the first game, except bigger, louder and more epic in scale. Despite issues with matchmaking and some desperately needed quality-of-life, it's enjoyably engaging.

Don't Nod has taken several key lessons from Vampyr and applied them to great effect with its second action RPG. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden might not be revolutionary in anything that it does, and from a gameplay standpoint, it can sometimes feel a bit too straightforward for its own good, but with a well-realized setting, captivating story, excellent protagonists, and genuinely compelling choice-and-consequence moments, it's an easy game to recommend to fans of the genre.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League isn't the worst live-service title ever made, but its mediocrity is hard to deny, especially from a developer capable of so much more.

Silent Hill: The Short Message isn't going to set the horror genre ablaze, but it doesn't have to. As a free offering, it's a solid showcase with a heavy atmosphere and heavier subjects, even if its narrative could have been more subtle.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink's plot falters in several ways despite some impressive combat, bosses and gorgeous visuals. Nevertheless, it's a solid holdover for action RPG fans who don't mind grinding.

While the genre itself is filled with games that are often too derivative of each other without a strong sense of identity, Enshrouded thankfully bucks that trend. [Early Access Score = 70]