The Surge: A Walk in the Park is an over-the-top, hilarious expansion to a great game that sadly ends far too quickly.

Developed with genuine Sega Genesis tools, Tanglewood is the epitome of retro throwbacks. Outside of that novelty, Tanglewood succeeds through its intuitive puzzle design, constant drip of new mechanics, and varied locations. While the general lack of music and slow introduction do detract from the game, the sum of its parts is a genuinely great 2D platformer worthy of your time.

Likening this game to the movie Up, Arise: A Simple Story is much more than what its title lets on. It forces us to take a step back and analyze life. With its time control mechanics that manipulate the world in so many ways, platforming style of play, and its ability to tell a narrative story without dialogue, Arise is one of those games that makes you question whether small titles like this are becoming the status quo.

Neon Abyss plays like a panic-stricken, action, rouge game that knows exactly what it wants to be from beginning to the end. The guns are big, the options are plentiful, and randomness is the name of the game. The boss battles left me a bit empty, but this game is definitely more than a glass half full.

Capcom Fighting Collection sets the new standard all compilation games should be held to. There are a ton of games, though some may complain too many of them are Darkstalkers, accompanied by a suit of wonderful art and music. To top it all off is the fantastic online play and great visual and auditory presentation wrapping it up.

With visuals completely redesigned from the ground up, rebuilt mechanics, and even a dose of extra content, Observer System Redux delivers on the gritty retrofuturistic cyberpunk world of horror. Rebuilt stealth sections fixed the largest complaint, and the hitching in the original release is gone. The original was good, but this is great.

Beyond Good & Evil is an absolute classic, and the 20th Anniversary Edition makes it easier than ever to appreciate why. The characters are endearing, the visuals are mostly amazing, the music is incredible, and the gameplay is a ton of fun on top of all that. If this is your first time stepping into Jade’s sneakers or your 20th, now has never been a better time to explore the beauty of Hillys.

FIFA 2020 builds off the success of previous installments. There aren’t any groundbreaking steps that were taken to enhance the overall experience, but I don’t think FIFA needs that just yet. Perhaps a few years into the future, they can look to make some major changes, but like I said before, their formula (the way the game plays) is working and it would be foolish to drift away from it. If demand were to go down, that would be the time to make appropriate adjustments.

FEAR2 is a game that is evolutionary and not revolutionary but also seems to take a step back in many departments. The ending leaves the player hanging, Alma doesn't really make as many appearances as in the first game, the dumbed down AI, and the lack of a multiplayer community might spell death for the game before it even starts to take off.

An excellent downhill bike racing game that gives you an amazing sense of speed, anxiousness, great control over your character and changing weather as you go from the top of the mountain to the bottom.

The game is not that difficult, and the only thing you can really unlock is a few extra teams. The game is a little better if you can play it with someone else, but you will become quickly bored with it.

Bright, bold, and loud is the Metronomicon, and though it has a namesake broiled in evil, the game is pure, unfiltered goodness. A dance step game that is also a RPG battler, the game keeps you active, keeps you thinking, and loosens some of the stagnation for both genres by throwing them into a blender together. A grand concoction, The Metronomicon is a must have for any gamer.

Sega Ages: Puyo Puyo 2 is a blast from the past for anyone wanting to explore the series roots. Its display options toy with your nostalgia while the added perk of online play makes another reason to check out the classic block-dropping competitive puzzle series. If you already have several Puyo Puyo titles, however, you may not be missing much.

Spellbreak could be a huge hit if it was capable of filling out games with players, rather than bots. Even still, Proletariat’s fantastic sound design, music, gameplay mechanics, and art style creates a hugely immersive experience for the player; comfortably satisfying a player’s desire to experience games shaped around elemental magic. It’s a shame that such an incredibly rewarding experience is marred by bot-heavy games.

The Blizzard Arcade Collection is a great little compilation of some lesser known Blizzard games. The additional features such as rewind and save states, when available at least, are delightful improvements, and the definitive editions work amazingly well. I’m also impressed with such a great behind the scenes section with a lot of interesting content. But most of this smorgasbord is par for the course, and I expect a little more out of Blizzard. It falls under the competent category, rather than revolutionary.

Rainbow Six: Siege is one of the better tactical FPS experiences of the year, even with a smaller content offering than most. Microtransactions and limited custom options can muddy it up, but if you enjoy the core gameplay loop, there’s a lot to enjoy here for the multiplayer-minded player.

While not every gambit succeeds, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes delivers us the spiritual successor we all dared to hope for, but never expected to get. While things like the War Mode and some balance issues and bugs will require additional attention, there’s a great JRPG here worth playing.

Overwatch 2 is so damn good. 5v5 has breathed life into the game, Junkerqueen, Sojourn, and Kiriko are a breath of fresh air, and the game’s new high pace suits its competitive nature perfectly. The new maps are insanely fun to play, albeit with some needing tweaking, and the new Push gamemode only enhances Overwatch 2’s core experience. The only downside comes from its cosmetic-locked, 9-week battle pass system, which will be costly to continually purchase.

Skies of Fury DX is a great addition to the aerial battle genre. Based on actual events, it allows players to play a part in a historical battle. There's enough challenges and excitement to make you want to gun down enemy pilots for hours, which I happily did.

Warlords of New York is easily the best expansion for the game to date. With fresh foes, a new portion of New York to explore, great gear, and some brand new reasons to care about loot, it delivers on its lofty promises. Now, we just need Massive to settle in and swat some of these bugs…

Like its younger brother, UFC 2 looks to simulate the most complex contact sport on the planet, and in some ways does so with perfect accuracy. The new animation and knockout system looks better than ever, and the career improvements are a welcome sight, but the barebones career mode, consistent bugs, and ever-present AI cheating are a pretty nasty cut that, if unchecked, may stop fans from wanting a round 3 with EA Sports UFC.

Believe it when Uchikoshi says No Sleep For Kaname Date is a game made by fans, for fans. Kazuya Yamada delivers a heartfelt epilogue to the first Somnium Files’s self contained story. While the pacing feels a bit listless thanks to the narrative structure, and the escape rooms are straight up miss, those ended up being small blemishes in the grand scheme. What I'll remember is seeing characters new and old grieve and heal together. I laughed, I cried, and most importantly I was moved seeing the chaotic duo of a cuckoldry obsessed detective and his AI eyeball partner get no sleep because of the friends they made along the way.

While World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth hasn't been my favorite expansion in the franchise, it brought with it some great new dungeons, fantastic new raid encounters, an excellent new story, and gorgeous scenery. I have hope that what is lacking, or not working as intended will be adjusted over time. My love for the game, and the thriving community I have built within it are what keep me logging in week after week.

The Gardens Between is a masterpiece of minimalist storytelling, weaving a wordless tale of friendship and time. By drawing upon a few, nearly-universal childhood events, it allows the player to fill in the story with their own emotions and memories, creating a shockingly moving, personal experience. Featuring a gorgeous, surrealist style and challenging but fair puzzles, this is a must-have title for anyone who enjoys puzzle games.

Mechstermination Force is a wonderful follow-up to Bertil Hörberg’s Gunman Clive series. While it can get a bit frustrating at times, the silly atmosphere and tough but entertaining gameplay make for a great time for those who want some simple, unadulterated fun.

Chances are if you're a long-standing player of Rift, a lot of what I've said in this review is (while probably encouraging) not a surprise to you. Judging by the sheer amount of improvements I've seen since the last time I played, not to mention the content added over the course of the core game's many updates, I'm guessing Rift players know their MMO of choice is clearly handled with care and attention. But if for some reason you're a Rift player who has hesitated over whether to pick up this expansion, I'll sum up my take simply: it's fantastic. Go get it.

Longtime Monster Hunter fans may have radically different opinions from mine, but for what it’s worth, I’ve found this game to be full of wholesome fun. It’s hardly unique in gameplay and story, but what it lacks in uniqueness it makes up for in execution and presentation.

With a campaign that brings some of the most historical battles of the European Theater to life like never before, multiplayer that combines the best of the old and the new, and one of the most visceral Zombies games the series has had, Call of Duty WWII is a triumphant return to its roots, reminding us why those early games were so good in the first place.