F1 Manager is a nice collection of elements that most manager sim fans would want, but rarely feels like more than the sum of those parts.

Europa is a peaceful experience while still managing to be a compelling 3D platformer in its own right. Despite the utter lack of any threat, it never stops being fun thanks to its gorgeous visuals and simple gameplay.

NTE: Neverness to Everness won't set the free-to-play world on fire, but it's still a surprisingly strong debut effort with a solid foundation.

When it gets going, there’s nothing quite like Aliens: Dark Descent in the market.

Back 4 Blood wastes no time trying to divert your attention from its obvious influences, but it doesn’t need to when it nearly lives up to the expectations its spiritual predecessors set so high.

Indy is back for another adventure and while this new chapter does a lot of things very well, it could have been so much more.

WRC Generations shows how much the series has grown by combining the best elements from the past several games.

There’s an immediate familiarity for House of Ashes in the Dark Pictures catalog, but this entry is as thematically complex and consequently engaging as any game in the series so far.

While it does have its stumbles, Soul Hackers 2 is a stylish JRPG with an intriguing premise and a compelling cast, and a fantastic battle system that more than makes up for the flaws it does have.

Some occasional technical issues and an unwillingness to truly burst out of the norms for the genre keep Darktide from reaching enormous heights, but within the confines it sets for itself, this is about as good as it gets.

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.

Both a worthy sequel to the beloved original and an excellent game in its own right, Life is Strange: Double Exposure is one of the series' most engrossing outings to date.

Gundam fans and newbies alike are in for a treat with SD Gundam Battle Alliance, which delivers a really well designed action RPG, on top of homages upon homages to decades of the Gundam franchise.

For series' veterans, RIDE 4 will be an enjoyable experience, but for newcomers, there will be times where it will feel like the game won't actually let you play it.

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.

Sonic Colors largely holds up well, and Ultimate is a great way to return or introduce yourself to what is arguably the best designed 3D Sonic game so far.

Children of Silentown isn't exceptional by any means, but thanks to its intriguing story, fun and simplistic gameplay, and excellent art design, it's still worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of point-and-click adventure games.

Rebellion's post-nuclear adventure is a shockingly excellent and wonderfully bizarre time.

Going toe-to-toe with Overwatch is a tough ask, but Marvel Rivals brings an impressive roster and its own nuanced action to the table, competing with and even exceeding Blizzard's efforts.

If you like farming sims and have some free time on your hands, Harvestella is worth looking into- though it's far from flawless.

Outriders actively props up its own strengths and encourages you to employ them, organically allowing you to experience its full potential and mostly outweighing a disjointed story.

Although lacking replay value, The Old Country is well worth your time thanks to its storytelling chops, decent gameplay and excellent production values.

The finely-tuned combat and stylish execution make Arcadegeddon an undeniably good time despite it lacking the creativity to fully utilize its own themes.

LEGO 2K Drive is an uneven experience. There's fun to be had here, but not without caveats.

While perhaps not as enticing as it could have been, the additions that this version of Skyrim offer keep it from feeling like a total cash grab.

Despite some flaws, AWE is a very good expansion that brings Alan Wake into Remedy's shared universe and teases exciting things for the future.

Sleep Awake is a solid game whose story, visuals, and audio design are excellent. The experience is going to have you invested in it from start to finish but isn't likely to have you returning back to it once you're done.

Escape From Tarkov might have been one of the first major extraction shooters, but the genre as a whole still has a lot to learn from its core gameplay and how it builds up tension.

Evotinction has solid stealth fundamentals, and Unreal Engine 5 provides a sleek aesthetic. However, the soulless story and characters hamper the experience.

Rise of the Ronin’s PC release is marred by performance issues which should hopefully be fixed through some patches focused on optimization. Underneath, however, there’s still a game with excellent combat, albeit with a bland story and quest design.

Even with the missing multiplayer, Crysis' sci-fi single player campaigns provide a decent experience.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl masterfully combines multiple genres to deliver an unmissable and entirely open world horror experience. Touting unparalleled emergent gameplay, stellar atmosphere, a captivating story, and gorgeous visuals, this is easily one of the best games available on Xbox Series X/S, even with the technical issues that hamper it.

Resident Evil Village: Winters' Expansion never feels like an essential, must-play addition to the RE universe, but those who enjoyed the base game will still find plenty to like here.

There's a lot to love about this year's NHL game. From the redesigned Be A Pro mode to the enhanced NHL EDGE authenticity, it's a notable step up from previous years. NHL 26 has perhaps the best 'superstar' mode of EA's current sports lineup, which is shocking considering how stuck in the mud it's been prior to now. If you've been on the fence about EA's pro hockey series, now's the time to jump in.

Fans of the classic arena shooter genre will undoubtedly be thrilled with this bloody fever dream that recreates the experiences of a past era in gaming.

Century: Age of Ashes combines a great mix of ideas for an approachable, fun free-to-play game.

Densely packed with ingenious systems, Weird West is a game of endless possibilities that encourages player choice and agency in a way very few other games do, and reacts to your actions across every level of interactivity.

Metal Eden's fast-paced gameplay loop and harrowing sci-fi setting serve as a solid backdrop for arena combat, but be prepared for a whole lot of talking.

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando doesn't break out so much as cater to the Left4Dead-leaning, even with its more open-ended approach and use of vehicles. It works more often than not - just don't expect it to aspire to much more.

The biggest EDF yet manages to provide simple ridiculous fun despite its lack of polish and some gameplay hiccups.

Disney Illusion Island is a charming, enjoyable, easygoing platformer that should appeal to everyone regardless of how familiar you are with the genre or how skilled you are on the sticks.

Sword and Fairy: Together Forever is a solid port of the PC version but doesn't offer much for returning players.

Tribes of Midgard is a great concept, but half-baked mechanics and design decisions prevent it from reaching the triumphs it could.

In spite of a lot of missteps and unforced, unnecessary errors, however, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are great outings.

Outriders: Worldslayer continues the base game’s trends in every single way possible. Its story is bad, the antagonist is boring, and the zones feel wasted, but none of that matters because Outriders: Worldslayer still has some of the most interesting gameplay systems of any loot game. And most importantly, it’s still a lot of fun.

The Mortuary Assistant's console re-release is the perfect excuse to dive into what's genuinely one of the scariest horror games in recent years.

The Wild West setting, intriguing lore and mech combat feel promising at first, but Bounty Star wastes them with a repetitive gameplay loop and dull story.

From a suite of real-world data to on-field animation expansions, MLB The Show 26 promises authenticity on stat screens and in stadiums alike.

Translating an octopus’ natural brainpower into gameplay mechanics, Darwin’s Paradox! engages this plucky cephalopod in tentacle espionage action.

Disgaea 6 is a pretty good, if flawed, game that should hopefully be the stepping stone to better ones in the future.

Dead Island 2 isn't ground-breaking, but it's a lot of fun.

Post-sunsetting and content vaulting, Destiny 2: Beyond Light had some big expectations to meet. Instead, it plays things safe, delivering a boring main campaign, the usual Power grind and routine busywork to keep players engaged. Even with some interesting story bits, strong art direction and a fun raid, it's hard to recommend for both new players and die-hard fans.

Paying extensive homage to the source material while weaving a compelling tale of its own, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is an involving experience with fun combat and memorable characters.

Additional visual improvements make S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy - Enhanced more than a straightforward upgrade for current-gen platforms. It's the best version of these classics, warts and all.

Freedom Wars Remastered is the 2014 classic through and through, with some bells and whistles. Just don't expect any massive overhauls or new content.

NASCAR 25 is a solid racing game but doesn't do enough as a racing simulator to make it stand out. If you like an authentic, challenging on-track experience, this one is easy to recommend. However, anybody other than a NASCAR enthusiast isn't likely to derive enough value from the game to justify picking it up at launch.

The compelling horror mystery at the center of Project Nightmares is occasionally fraught with a frustrating lack of polish.

Sonic Superstars started so well and with such potential but quickly fell off a cliff due to its irritating Zone design, forgettable soundtrack and odd aesthetic choices.

In spite of a lot of missteps and unforced, unnecessary errors, however, Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are great outings.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R polishes up the original game well, but fails to modernize its online functionality.

The Ninja Gaiden Master Collection is a barebones port of two of the greatest action games ever made and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. The fact that these are the Sigma versions, and that Team Ninja has done nothing to iron out the weaker moments of these games, drags this collection down, but it's still a good way to play Ninja Gaiden on modern hardware.

Evil West’s outstanding combat and flashy graphics make it a worthwhile experience that burns fast but bright.

While GigaBash's core gameplay systems of brawling are solid, everything surrounding that experience - the online component, content offerings, roster - are underwhelming when compared to contemporaries.

Total Chaos brings enough to the table to be worth trying, despite minor issues that may affect your enjoyment depending on how much they matter to you. For the most part, though, it’s a challenging survival horror experience that’s well-designed and consistently focused on building fear and tension.

There's something here that horror enthusiasts will definitely enjoy, and even though it might not become one of your favourite horror experiences of all time, Mundaun is still a game that deserves your attention, at least for one playthrough.

Trek to Yomi's outstanding visuals and presentation are quite enough to make up for its fairly straightforward and simplistic gameplay.

MADiSON is a must-play psychological horror game that'll have you on the edge of your seat from the first second right until the credits roll.

I appreciate the shots that NHL 21 takes at improving the formula, but at the end of the day, most of those shots are too little too late, and end up making the overall experience just barely better than mediocre.

Brushes With Death is a low-stakes start to Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's post-launch paid DLCs; non-essential but a decent side dish for first-time players.

The follow-up to Submerged reaps the rewards of its simplicity while also paying a price for it.

RoboCop: Rogue City may not have the expected level of polish, but it's undoubtedly an experience crafted by the hands of RoboCop fans.

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.

Rematch does a good job of providing a bite-sized arcade football experience that's backed by smooth performance and simple controls, making it easy to pick up and play.

The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition wishes to be the definitive edition of this planet-trotting RPG, but a buffet of problems ranging from minuscule visual upgrades to performance issues make it anything but.

Salt and Sacrifice mixes in a lot of standard RPG ideas with its interesting art style to deliver a worthy, if overly familiar experience to fans of challenging 2D action games.

Directive 8020 imbues every interaction in trust and paranoia, delivering emotional turbulence and atmospheric dread that’s only overshadowed by inconsistent mechanics.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora may not be for those suffering from open-world fatigue, but it delivers an immersive experience for fans with some solid gameplay and storytelling.

If you’ve never played this game before, or if you want to dive back into it but don’t have access to an older copy, Re-Reckoning is easy to recommend- but only because the game itself is as good as it is. If you were hoping for an impressive visual upgrade, this isn’t it, and those who already have access to a copy of the original game should probably save their money.

FIFA 21 is solid and still immensely playable, but very stale, and rather unnecessary.

This new flavor of Final Fantasy is mostly created with borrowed ideas, but still implements them well enough to be genuinely fun and addicting most of the time.

Romeo is a Dead Man has many fundamental issues, which is a shame because its sense of style and allure make for a uniquely surreal adventure.

Monster Truck Championship makes a case for the most impressive monster truck simulator on the market, but its lack of content hinders its longevity.

Gylt is a mostly solid albeit flawed experience that manages to keep you engaged until the credits roll.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 is a superb remake of the best officer game in the long running 'Three Kingdoms' series. Lack of multiplayer is a misstep, but there's a lot of streamlining and tons of new content here that are well worth your time and money.

From the Ashes is the latest expansion for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, adding a new area to explore and a fresh story to experience.

Despite the crashes, limited content and lack of practice modes, Gun Interactive's new horror multiplayer delivers tension-filled fun.

Tormented Souls is a little rough around the edges and hits a few noticeable bumps, but by and large, this is a solid survival horror game that fans of the genre's classics are sure to enjoy.

Lego Bricktales doesn’t break much new ground, but its satisfying and manageable build experience meshes well with its short-but-sweet world structures to provide an easily digestible and relaxing Lego experience.

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.

Teyon’s standalone chapter builds on Rogue City’s excellent gameplay loop with a well-paced story, excellent writing, and a polished experience that could have been longer but still delivers on all fronts.

Ugly visuals and an all around lack of polish detract from what is an incredibly strong, compelling, and well designed core adventure, one that represents the series' strongest outing in a very long time otherwise.

Evil Dead: The Game is another solid product based on a movie license that offers a good time for fans of the series and newcomers alike, but don’t expect it to knock your socks off beyond that.

Where Winds Meet is a free to play epic with fair monetization, tons of content, and outstanding overall value.

Forspoken’s story DLC feels like an earnest attempt at addressing criticisms the game got when it was first released.

A deep case of little brother syndrome.

Little Hope makes the direction of The Dark Pictures anthology clear, but it makes up for its evident formula with an interestingly convoluted story and increasingly nuanced branching paths.

The developers deserve credit – it would have been far too easy to do the bare minimum and call it a day. However, Bleach: Rebirth of Souls is a legitimately compelling and well made arena fighter, that allows for some very thrilling fights. While other parts of the package are weaker and drag it down, this is the rare anime adaptation that can be recommended even to those who may not already be fans of the property.

Initially full of potential, Heart Machine's latest eventually runs out of gas when it's not stumbling off some awkward combat issues.