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.