Serafini Productions’ take on bullying and the impact of social media on troubled minds is not just relevant, but quite the entertainer when its systems manage to come together.

Clock Tower Rewind brings the cult classic horror game to western shores for the first time with some added convenience features and bonuses to boot. However, the game's intrinsic point and click adventure game DNA feels outdated and flawed. If you don't mind using a guide to help in your pixel hunt and solve archaic solutions, this remaster of one of the most influential horror games of the 90s comes recommended.

Deliver Us Mars is an easy game to recommend to those looking for a captivating and well-told story, but at the same time it's weighed down by significant gameplay and technical issues.

The Ascent combines excellent worldbuilding, satisfying role playing, exciting combat, and stellar visuals to deliver an astounding action RPG.

Worms Rumble is an extremely imaginative and fun riff on multiplayer shooters, and manages to transition the classic franchise to an entirely new genre and format extremely well.

Ad Infinitum emphasizes adventure and tragedy as much, if not more, than its myriad of horrors with above-average results.

Shadow Labyrinth is a very polished and well-balanced experience that is well worth the effort you will put into learning its mechanics.

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.

The Casting of Frank Stone sounds like a good idea in theory, especially for Dead by Daylight fans craving more storytelling, but the execution needed much more time in post.

Serious Sam 4 won't rewrite the book for narrative FPS campaigns and that's perfectly fine. It sticks close to the series' roots while offering some contemporary improvements and improved presentation. If you're hankering for some straightforward shooting action that doesn't take itself too seriously, Sam "Serious" Stone's got your back.

Disgaea 6 Complete doesn’t really shake up the original’s formula, but it’s still a good time. Sure, character models look pretty bland and animate weirdly, but the humour and general atmosphere is still great.

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.

While some annoyances stop Jett: The Far Shore from realizing its full potential, it's definitely a game that fans of experiences like Journey and Abzu might enjoy.

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.

There's certainly potential and creativity brimming in JDM: Japanese Drift Master. It's the execution needs some work, and the missions and open world do it no favors.

Biomutant works best on paper, but it has too many derivative elements for anything alone to stand out.

Warriors: Abyss is an excellent mash-up of a roguelite structure with the core gameplay of the Dynasty Warriors franchise. There is plenty of content to unlock, and the level of variety in creating builds for each run is incredible. Just be ready to skip through a lot of poor dialogue.

Aspyr has polished the graphics and fixed some of the camera issues that plagued the original, but all the janky problems at the core of the 2002 game remain.

Spirit of the North 2 isn't a complete lost cause, but it feels too rough and unpolished to qualify as anything more than wishful meandering.

Dead Island 2's first of two expansions delivers some flashes of enjoyment, but it feels a bit too repetitive, in spite of how brief it is.

Chronos doesn’t totally shed its VR veneer, but the simplicity of its roots make it an inviting, uncomplicated option for fans of Souls-likes and RPGs.

Despite many nods to Hood: Outlaws and Legends’ source material, the densely-packed progression mechanics and fun gameplay are the star of the show here. It stops short of being a total showstopper, but comes far closer than you might expect.

Haphazard at times and calmly cacophonic at others - Dustborn has much going on, and it's far from harmonious. Nevertheless, the characters and intriguing setting help sustain interest.

X-Out: Resurfaced is a pretty straightforward remake of an excellent 90s shoot-em-up set in the depths of the ocean. The enhanced visuals of the deep sea stages look vibrant and faithful, though a classic graphic toggle would've been nice. A new mirror mode, some added cheats, and a preconfigured submarine loadout screen are nice additions and all, but the lack of save options or online co-op is a missed opportunity. Still, what's here is solid stuff, especially if you like a well-earned challenge. This is a strong recommendation for fans of the game or shoot-em-up enthusiasts, but the $20 price tag might be too much to swallow for others.

With so many incredible releases over the past few years, Exoprimal feels like an odd misfire from Capcom. Its combat and graphics are good, but the live service elements, PvEvP focus, and more detract from the experience.

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

The Thing was worth playing in 2002 and it still holds up today with all the convenient bells and whistles included in this faithful remaster.

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.

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.

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.

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead is a solid effort initially, but pacing issues, iffy creature AI, repetitive gameplay, and other issues hamper it.

The complex systems at Port Royale 4’s core never flourish under the weight of its uninspired moment-to-moment gameplay and lack of structural balance.

Beholder 3 does a great job at depicting a totalitarian state controlled by an iron fist, but that promise is heavily undermined by thin gameplay mechanics and technical issues.

There have been plenty of moments during my time with Marvel's Avengers where I’ve genuinely had a great time. But this game keeps finding ways to drag itself down- at times it almost feels like it goes out of its way to do so. There’s just so much here that I can’t overlook, no matter how hard I may try. An unnecessary and broken loot system, a litany of horrible technical issues, uninspired and one-note mission design, and a story that fails just as much as it succeeds- it doesn’t matter how mindlessly fun the combat is, it isn't enough to overcome such a heavy list of problems.

Achilles: Legends Untold is a game that definitely has some interesting ideas going for it, but unfortunately, none of these ideas really come together well enough to form anything but a game that, at best, will help you waste a few hours.

How much you get out of this game depends entirely on how invested in Gundam you were to begin with.

The frenetic PvP arena shooter with portals returns but this time with a fancy new engine and battle royale mode.

Double Fine's latest sees creativity and destruction collide in an awkward, barebones competitive multiplayer experience.

For longevity, Rumble could use a smattering of other modes or potential options to alter the current game mode to stave off rapid burnout.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite could have been a much better game but its many bugs and glitches, and strange design decisions hold it back from shining.

A surprisingly deep soulslike package, no stamina included.

Starbreeze Studios' Payday 3 improves the series' base gameplay but falls behind on progression, matchmaking, quality of life and more. The lack of social options makes it an even lesser co-op experience.

Bright Memory Infinite brings the ideas of its predecessor to a much more satisfying conclusion and comes within striking distance of many of the games it’s inspired by.

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.

Oddworld: Soulstorm is a very compelling game, which veers on the verge of being an all time classic.

Despite a delay and several improvements, Tripwire Interactive's latest is a significant downgrade from its predecessor in many ways.

Ultra Age bets it all on its own style of conventional combat and mostly succeeds as a result.

NHL 25 is a solid hockey game bolstered by improved AI and small incremental improvements, but its changes don't feel as substantial as other titles in EA's lineup.

Rust Console Edition generally maintains its core tenants and starts its console life on the right foot in most areas.

Nightdive sticks the landing yet again.

Sengoku Dynasty is a game that could have, and dare I say should have, been so much more than it is. There's an inherent simplicity to its gameplay loop that lends it a sort of relaxing charm, but ultimately leads it to being an uninspiring take on an era in Japanese history that brings a lot of potential to the table.

Fallen Tree Games walks on the law enforcement side with its latest title, though it still suffers from fundamental issues.

Thanks to its focus on speed and a relatively high-skill ceiling, Redout 2 might end up being too niche for some. This also means that it’s a rather one-of-a-kind game these days, and if going down insane tracks at high speeds in futuristic rocket ships sounds fun, Redout 2 can be a great time.

Detective Pikachu Returns is a great ride for younger players, with its straightforward gameplay and fun story, but layers on enough edge and bite into the writing that long time series fans will enjoy what it has to offer as well.

Forever Skies offers a fun narrative survival adventure with a unique spin on how your home base operates. Sadly, its survival mechanics feel unnecessary and its combat is quite boring.

Monark has a lot of good ideas, but almost all of them are let down by a repetitive structure, grindy combat, and baffling design decisions.

Echoes of the End offers an engaging couple of days of play, thanks to its well-paced mix of combat and puzzles.

The Occultist gets enough of its world right to be an interesting game but it drops the ball on its gameplay.

The Harry Potter license and intriguing gameplay do little to save Quidditch Champions from faltering in multiple ways.

GreedFall: The Dying World is a worthy successor to the first game and an effective prequel to that adventure. However, with combat emerging as a major weak point, it may be a tougher sell for players expecting thrilling enemy encounters. Even so, it remains an impressive game that deserves credit for everything it does well.

Limbic Entertainment's theme park builder is a charming and enjoyable game that fans of the genre won't want to miss.

If you’re looking for a more ambitious upgrade, or if you’re looking for a more fleshed-out game with more thought put into its combat and level design, The Force Unleashed will probably leave you disappointed.

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

A product of its time, revamped for the present, Syberia Remastered offers a sleeker look at the start of Kate Walker's adventures but loses a bit of the original's magic in the process.

Madden NFL 24 is yet another instalment of what has already existed in previous years with a few notable improvements.

The worst campaign in Call of Duty history awaits, but even as an overall package, Activision's latest feels woefully by-the-numbers.

Graven is a new action title looking to tap into several different ideas at once. Whether they work together or not, however, is a different conversation.

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.

Deathbound is a fresh new Souls-styled action RPG with rewarding combat that might have too steep of a learning curve for some players out there.

There's a lot to love in the level design and tactical toolkit afforded. I just wish some of the bugs and performance issues were ironed out so I could enjoy them more. Unless you're a patient gamer who enjoys real-time-tactics games, or a long-time Commandos aficionado, you might want to wait for one or two updates from now to try this out.

Minecraft Legends isn't going to rewrite the book on action strategy games. However, it offers compelling gameplay backed by mechanics from the main game that rewards exploration and ingenuity, on top of having an easy control set-up.

Daymare 1994: Sandcastle is far from the perfect game. Plagued with technical problems as well as issues with fundamental design, it manages to be an average game thanks to its somewhat competent combat system.

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

A bigger and bolder sequel that ups the spectacle and ambition, though a few lingering flaws keep it from achieving true mechanical perfection.

After Us doesn’t reinvent the wheel in platforming and exploration, but it offers very compelling gameplay in both areas.

Martha is Dead is best appreciated from a distance, because while its narrative premise and setting are certainly impressive, the game itself is slow as molasses and frustratingly clunky.

With improved traversal, map design, and an option for multiplayer, Aragami 2 stands tall as a stealth title that brings the genre’s strengths to the forefront.

Industria is far, far from perfect- but it's not without its merits.

Dragonkin: The Banished offers a unique take on the loot-based action RPG genre, placing a strong emphasis on story and customization. [Early Access Review]

Cloudpunk reaches higher and achieves more than I thought it would, barely missing a spot among the giants of its genre.

While Midnight Murder Club has some clever ideas and decent core gameplay, the lack of a player base makes it more likely that the game will be killed off before it can recover.

Atlas Fallen has legitimate strengths in its quick, snappy sand surfing, but with clunky movement, inconsistent combat, and just an all-around lack of polish, it ends up being weighed down by far too many issues to be able to live up to its proper potential.

Front Mission 2: Remake holds up better than the original game, and while it still occasionally remains an exercise in frustration, it's a compelling and genuinely entertaining experience.

Sons of Sparta delivers tight platforming and genuinely satisfying combat.

AEW: Fight Forever feels like a return to form for pro-wrestling games.

Windbound can be made to sound excellent in an elevator pitch, but the actual game is plagued by conflicting ideas, inconsistent design, and unrealized potential.

The part of me that was looking for an engaging turn based tactics experience is disappointed in what Transformers: Battlegrounds has on offer though. It’s too bad the game doesn’t deliver a moderately higher level of challenge or complexity, because it does have the basic elements in place that it needed to do just that. In its current state, it’s a moderately enjoyable but largely forgettable game.

Based on its premise, Foreclosed should be a lot more interesting, but it doesn’t have the balanced gameplay or nuanced story to even crack that conversation.

Scars Above mixes gameplay mechanics from vastly different genres to create something refreshingly unique and fun to play.

Wicked Isle is a fairly meaty story DLC for the recently released Atomfall, but it does come with a few rough edges.

As Remedy's first co-op shooter, FBC: Firebreak is a successful experiment, and while it doesn't quite match up to the best in the genre, the Oldest House is still a good stage for some creepy, frenetic action.

Rather than letting its awful story simply be a good excuse for its excellent gameplay, Forspoken insists on constantly interrupting your fun to throw some truly bad exposition your way. Forspoken's character building and lore are a disaster but it manages to make it up with its incredible combat and traversal mechanics.

Post Trauma is an interesting experiment in the horror genre that tries to bring back classic gameplay styles to a modern age.

While there are several better titles in the Fatal Frame series, Maiden of Black Water has aged surprisingly well and can still deliver great fun.

It's worth playing for fans of the genre, and it hints at the developers having a lot more talent than this game ultimately lets on. However, Bleak Faith: Forsaken does have a lot of caveats for it to be universally recommended to everyone.

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.

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.

Squirrel With a Gun is a quirky, hilarious and a memorable title that provides fun platforming and surprisingly innovative combat.