Monster Hunter Rise knows exactly why its formula works and emphasizes it to a more accessible and rewarding degree.

Lone Ruin has the makings of the next great indie roguelike hit.

There's a level of expertise on display in Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider that makes me quite excited to see what’s next for JoyMasher.

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.

Regardless of how you choose to play Valheim, it is a fantastic survival crafting experience that is more than worth its cost for the potentially hundreds of hours you could spend in its world, and it will only get better with time. [Early Access Score = 90]

I have played through The Witcher 3 multiple times, and clocked in several hundred hours into the game across different platforms- and yet, jumping back into its brutal world, I still find myself transfixed.

Hello Neighbor 2 is a gorgeous game with a solid concept, but unfortunately it is held back by some serious bugs and bad AI.

Far Cry 6: Lost Between Worlds feels more like an experiment rather than a full-fledged release. The roguelite mode doesn’t really add any new compelling element to the game, and the core shooting in Far Cry 6 certainly isn’t strong enough to carry an expansion like this on its own.

The Callisto Protocol looks stunning and can offer small doses of fun, but from misguided gameplay choices and hyper-linear design to ineffectual attempts at horror and a bland story, it stumbles and disappoints in too many ways to be labelled as anything but a disappointment.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion is an impressive visual upgrade that, above all else, proves the quality of the original game yet again. Much of it can feel dated at times, but thanks primarily to its enjoyable combat system, it remains an easy game to recommend.

Gundam Evolution might have shamelessly lifted some of its presentation and mechanics from other games (and I think it did), but it’s still a great game at the end of the day.

Need for Speed Unbound feels like a breath of fresh air. The arcade-style racing has seen quite a significant improvement from its predecessor, and the game’s general styles and sensibilities definitely make it one of the most unique-looking racing games out there.

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.

A very straightforward remake misses some opportunities, but delivers a fun enough outing for the genre nonetheless.

Pentiment's unidimensional gameplay might not appeal to everyone.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns, unfortunately, is one of those games that I can only recommend if you’re willing to stick around its noticeable issues. As it currently stands, the game has the foundations for a phenomenal turn-based strategy game, and the gameplay variety offered by the different heroes you can play is a lot of fun. The writing and story, however, are not good reasons to play this game.

There's some fun to be had in Gungrave G.O.R.E, but it's buried beneath piles of significant issues.

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

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.

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.

Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0’s battle royale is an iterative upgrade.

The newest entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology takes a few risks but mostly sticks to the format to deliver another decent horror adventure.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, in acting as a short middle chapter between Marvel’s Spider-Man and its upcoming sequel, doesn’t really have the luxury to introduce radical new concepts that might turn the game on its head. Rather, it’s a fun, short romp through New York once again, but this time as a new protagonist. Its tightly-paced plot tells a great coming of age story for a new Spider-Man, and its greatest strength is the fun ensemble cast.

Somerville puts a unique spin on the Inside formula, and though it isn't quite as impactful as the games that inspired it, it's still a haunting, well-made adventure.

There’s nothing in the Bloody Ties expansion that warrants returning to the game, especially if you’ve been playing it since release. Its story is rather boring, and its new combat encounters are dull.

It's not a home run, but Sonic Frontiers does so much of the things that really matter so well that it is easily the most fun 3D Sonic has been in years – maybe even decades – and a genuinely fun and engaging game on its own merits.

The Chant is an intriguing experience with a lot of promise, but plenty of issues stop it from soaring to the heights it can.

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

The Entropy Centre is a surprisingly great game with well made puzzles and unique ideas, though it could have done with some much needed modern features.

Football Manager 2023 might be a small improvement over its immediate predecessor, but it's still an incredibly accomplished management sim that you can easily sink hundreds of hours into.

A roguelite FPS, Gunfire Reborn takes good and bad from both genres, making for a somewhat frustrating and inconsistent, though intermittently fun experience.

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

Sackboy: A Big Adventure, while downright gorgeous and playful, doesn’t really offer anything when it comes to even remotely challenging gameplay.

God of War Ragnarok surpasses its predecessor in every way.

If you’re a fan of the genre, this is a must play.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II suffers from feeling light on content.

While Star Ocean: The Divine Force may not be the most revolutionary, prettiest, or most action-packed JRPG out there, its fantastic cast of characters and generally fun story do quite a bit to make the game’s 40+ hour journey feel quite cozy. Add in the fact that you’re guaranteed to get some uniqueness through its two protagonists having their own bespoke story beats that warrant multiple playthroughs and you’ve got plenty of JRPG to bite into here.

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.

New animations help NHL 23 make steps toward greater authenticity but the series still needs a major overhaul.

New animations help NHL 23 make steps toward greater authenticity but the series still needs a major overhaul.

Asterigos has some promising aspects when it comes to gameplay, but the game feels sorely lacking in the technical department.

Fans of the sport will enjoy PGA Tour 2K23, even if it's a little rough around the edges.

New Tales from the the Borderlands delivers an entertaining sequel worthy of the Borderlands name, but doesn’t take enough risks to evolve the format.

Gotham Knights' insistence on being a modern open world RPG leads to some gameplay issues and painfully generic mechanics, but there's a lot of fun to be had here nonetheless, and an engaging story to experience. It may not be Arkham, but it's good enough in its own right.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection on PC is a phenomenal way to play both Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.

While Ghostbusters: Spirit Unleashed can be a decent experience with its brand of chaotic asymmetric multiplayer, significant shortcomings in its design and lack of content variety among others stop it from being as great as it could have been.

A Plague Tale: Requiem expands and improves upon its predecessor in nearly every way, delivering a meaty, excellently crafted, visually stunning, and thoroughly engaging experience.

Persona 5 Royal was a masterpiece when it launched, and two years later, it is more resonant than ever. No matter what system you play it on, you are in for a treat, and one of the greatest games ever made.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a massive leap over its predecessor, making a whole host of changes and improvements and delivering an utterly charming and mechanically dense tactics experience.

The Last Oricru gains momentum about as often as it trips over itself, resulting in a very mediocre game overall.

Scorn is an interesting game to play. Lacking any real story to follow, it instead relies on your own curiosity to see it through. You’ll be interacting with all sorts of disgusting things, and fighting off horrifying creatures, and if you’re the kind of person who can not only stomach the aesthetic, but actually enjoy it, Scorn will undoubtedly be a wonderful experience. For just about everyone else, though, maybe look at a couple of screenshots and trailers and see if you can stomach the aesthetic first.

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.

Overwatch 2 is a soft reboot of the hero shooter, enabling a quicker pace thanks to 5v5, well-designed maps, and extensive rebalancing. There are still some progression and monetization issues to sort out, but this update/sequel establishes a solid foundation for the series' future.

Dakar Desert Rally combines a lot of modern features that great racing games need, but occasionally gets in its own way with technical issues.

Deathverse: Let It Die has some interesting things going for it, but it ends up sorely lacking in other elements.

That Moonscars is like so many other similar releases only serves to make its ability to differentiate itself and stand out that much more remarkable. A well accomplished title that is easily recommended to anyone with even a passing interest in the genre.

This entry to the Valkyrie series makes a graceful shift into the action RPG genre while only stumbling in a few small ways.

The last game in the series to bear the FIFA name is a fittingly unambitious entry. It makes minor changes here and there, but there's not an awful lot to differentiate it from last year's offerings. Thankfully, the on-pitch action is still a hell of a lot of fun.

The DioField Chronicle deserves praise for some of its fresh ideas, but it's got more than a few issues that drag down the experience.

With a steep learning curve and bland presentation, Session: Skate Sim ends up being a mixed package.

Arkane Studios' shooter is finally available on Xbox Series consoles with a large new update, but it's still very much the same middling experience.

Return to Monkey Island is well worth the wait. This is a quest for booty you don't want to miss.

Shovel Knight Dig, while far from being the furthest departure from the franchise’s classic gameplay, still manages to be a unique experience thanks to the unique twist of having to use a platforming move set to make progress by traversing vertical space. The Shovel Knight gameplay is still as crisp as ever, and Shovel Knight Dig’s story and progression systems do a great job of staying out of the way, and ultimately encouraging you to try one more run.

Serial Cleaners offers up an incredibly unique premise, some fun characters, and a lot of great levels with a surprising level of interactivity to tell us stories that aren’t really told too often. Couple that with a great sense of style to evoke the 90s and Serial Cleaners becomes a surprisingly interesting game.

While the characters and story don’t do enough to push it over the top, Soulstice delivers a great action game that just about anybody can enjoy.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Hero is one of the best titles in the franchise and an incredibly well-made RPG overall. Experiencing the tale of the Special Support Section has never felt better, be it in terms of combat, writing, or presentation.

SBK 22 has a solid core for fans of the sport who want to sink time and master their bike, but it’s not a game you’re going to want to go into blindly.

NBA 2K23 does a good job with introducing some cool ideas into its stubbornly lackluster larger format.

Biomutant’s PS5 boost gives it a nice sheen but can’t help its mediocrity in other areas.

Splatoon 3 is simultaneously brilliant and frustrating.

Metal: Hellsinger is an easy game to recommend—the music’s great, it feels really good to play, and it looks great. The only real caveat to all of this is that, if you’re not a fan of metal music, Metal: Hellsinger might not have much for you. While its combat is great, the music is what truly elevates it from being just another boomer shooter.

Scathe falls short on every single count, making it feel more like a chore to play than an actual game.

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

Simply put, LEGO Brawls is a disappointing game.

Steelrising is a solid Soulslike with well-implement and familiar design and mechanics, but its alternate history clockpunk French Revolution setting is what makes the game shine. Spiders' latest is a game that deserves your attention.

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.

Pac-Man World Re-PAC is a simple and straightforward remake, but fans of 3D platformers will surely find something to enjoy here.

The Last of Us Part 1 doesn’t take many risks and ends up being an excellent but ultimately conservative remake.

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.

Madden NFL 23 is the best of the last several entries, but by lacking the overhaul it really needs, it only achieves so much.

The Saints Row reboot doesn't rewrite the franchise's playbook, but that doesn't detract from the fact that it is a fun-filled playground of carnage and destruction.

Midnight Fight Express takes a cool look, great music, and fluid combat to the next level in one of this year's best beat-em-ups.

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.

Despite some decent combat and sustainable charm, Rumbleverse has very little going on to hold your attention beyond one or two sittings.

Thymesia does more than enough to make its way out of the shadow of Bloodborne. It offers some fun levels to go around killing enemies in, and the combat is fast-paced, responsive, and most importantly, a lot of fun. Even its skill tree has some great ideas. This might not be the game for those who don’t like a challenge, but for those who do, Thymesia is excellent.

If you're itching for a brand new third-person shooter with some unique mechanics, then Rollerdrome may be the game for you. Its presentation, arena design, controls and combat are superb, and make up for the otherwise short length.

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.

Two Point Campus is a great management sim that manages to be quite deep, without adding unnecessary complexity, and its main campaign makes for a fun tutorial, and the writing is downright hilarious. The only real downside is that it doesn’t really do much new if you’ve already played Two Point Hospital.

If you haven’t already heard about Marvel’s Spider-Man, it’s a great game, and the new PC release is basically the best way to play it. Alongside great performance, the PC version also supports some niche PC options, including Steam Controllers, and the Steam Deck verification means that it can also run on Linux.

From small things like great sound effects and voice acting, to more fundamental victories like its mix of overworld exploration and solid strategy-style combat sections, there’s a lot to love here.

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

This is not the Digimon game you are looking for - and that might actually be a good thing.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a glorious package, tightly integrated and thoroughly compelling.

Endling - Extinction is Forever is a harrowing and surprisingly affecting experience.

Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels is a worthy addendum to one of the best racing games ever made.

As Dusk Falls is not without merits, but its price is maybe a little too steep for what it is.

Loopmancer can pack a punch, but it falls short of its own goals too often to be particularly memorable.

BlueTwelve Studio's adventure game backs its unique premise with plenty of substance.