In the end, however, Gyromancer feels like somewhat of a wasted opportunity because of some poor design decisions, which is a major disappointment.

While Killing Floor 2 doesn’t offer a lot of content, especially compared to many other multiplayer shooters out this year, at the end of the day, it’s still fun to shoot some Zeds with your friends. If you’re really looking for some quick, challenging multiplayer action, Killing Floor 2’s a pretty good place to start.

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny is a lot of fun. The HD update looks fantastic, while the classic gameplay remains intact. There are some solid quality-of-life updates added that fans are sure to enjoy. The enemy and boss designs are great, and the ensemble cast keeps things interesting. For better or worse, the gameplay is still totally on the classic end and, while most burrs have been buffed out, a few snags may remain for newcomers. This remaster is responsible for winning me over to the Onimusha franchise, and I hope more folks feel the same.

Hitman tries an interesting balance of stuffing a lot into a little, but doesn’t exactly pull it off with elegance.

A rental at best, pure and simple. There are vastly superior action titles on the market, and everything presented here played better in the first game.

The fighting game is fairly solid with several elements that, while not completely unique to the fighting genre, mix together for a unique experience. It takes the source material and does it justice.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Thieves Guild is the most promising addition yet to the otherwise bland and repetitive experience the game has offered in the past.

Homeworld 3 is everything I hoped it could be. It improves on its predecessors in every conceivable way, and adds meaningful new features including a cooperative War Games mode. I never thought it would happen again, but I’m happy to report…the mothership has cleared the scaffold...we are away once again.

Combining gorgeous if deceptively simple graphics with an innovative approach to combat, Absolver is a welcome breath of fresh air to the sometimes predictable fighting game genre.

Remothered: Tormented Fathers is a short yet sweet horror game that mixes stealthy gameplay with an incredibly creepy story. There are plenty of twists and turns that won't leave you disappointed. You can happen upon some terrifying moments depending on how you play, which makes you want to see more. This is meant to be the first game in a trilogy, and with what I've seen here, I'm excited to learn more about this world.

Tormented Souls feels like a labor of love, paying homage to its predecessors and delivering a survival horror experience akin to the games of the genre’s glory days in the PlayStation 2 era of gaming. This game will not pull in newcomers to the genre, but lovers of survival horror will enjoy this game for its puzzles, tension, and environmental design, even if the game is lacking in some major areas.

Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is an amazingly creative way of remaking a game. Taking a piece of your past and making it a building block for your future is genuinely impressive, and it’s a captivating tale that can be experienced now in a deeper capacity. He may not be the same after what he’s just experienced, but Sherlock Holmes has never looked better, and I can’t wait for the next one.

Styx: Blades of Greed is the epic conclusion to the Styx trilogy, setting the stage nicely for the war between men and orcs in Of Orcs and Men. The gameplay may feel a little repetitive, but it's also fun and satisfying when you master a new skill.

Songbringer’s procedurally generated world is a double-edged sword. While exploring a unique overworld is, on the whole, rather enjoyable, the map feature could’ve done more to aid traversal. On the flip side, dungeons feel rather uninspired due to the fact that they aren’t deliberately crafted. However, the aesthetic and combat system are both incredibly strong aspects of the game that prop up Songbringer’s weaker elements. While it does have flaws, the sum of Songbringer’s parts is an easily recommendable title for fans of the genre.

Anyone who wants to experience the tabletop wargaming experience without purchasing all those little minuatures should take a serious look at this game. It offers so much detail for the retail price.

While it isn't necessarily aimed at people used to more recent RPGs, Persona 2: Innocent Sin is a prime example of the entire reason many of us have loved Japanese RPGs for years.

A stop-gap measure, another coat of paint on a series designed for a specific audience that’s looking for a specific experience. The freshly streamlined interface may court some new blood, but a lackluster campaign and a failure to branch out from the micromanagement-heavy core sim experience makes this a tough sell for outsiders to the genre.

Cattails is a cute, light-hearted RPG that revolves around hunting, foraging, and trying to restore the Forest Guardian. The gameplay is easy to pick up and play at any time, but can become a bit monotonous after awhile. The game isn't very exciting, and is meant more for relaxing gaming.

Zombieland: Headshot Fever Reloaded is a great VR shooter with precise shooting, good enemy variety, a nice cel-shaded art style, and near infinite replayability. While the base campaign is short, the multiple goals, B-side levels, upgrades, and leaderboards help to flesh out the game and provide a compelling reason to continue jumping back into the chaos long after you first complete the levels.

God's Trigger is a fast-paced top down shooter in the realm of Hotline Miami, which brings with it some brutal deaths. The various abilities and ways to attack are fantastic. The story doesn't delve deep, but it does what's needed to keep you engaged.

Mortal Shell is an action RPG that uses the sleeve of the soulslike genre to create something unique enough to stand on its own two feet. Though its campaign is short and predictable, the beautiful world, interesting body-swapping mechanics, and strong technical performance more than make up for how liberally it borrows from other games.

Maskmaker feels like it’s going to give you full control over the game, then it takes it away from you and does it for you. The parts it gives you full control over, however, tend to be exceptionally tedious. The crafting system is great when the game wants it to be, and I loved exploring every nook and cranny that the game had to off, but in short, while the game feels like a bedtime story, ultimately it’s just that --- there’s not much lucidity that you’d expect from a VR game, and it feels more like an on-rails experience.

It might take you a bit to get your space legs, but once you do you're in for a great ride.

Laser-focused and brimming with charm, Donut County is one of the year’s best experiences. While brief, its laugh-out-loud sense of humor and laid-back, tactile gameplay combine precisely to create a game like no other. You’ll come for its physics based puzzle-solving, but you’ll stay for its quirky cast of characters and world. This is not a game to be missed.

Etherborn is a gravity-defying puzzle platformer with breath-taking visuals and MC Escher-like levels. The difficulty is enough to test your observation and critical thinking, but nothing gets stressful. You'll be done with a playthrough in around five hours, but it's time well spent.

Cyber Sleuth evokes nostalgia while also pivoting in tone and setting for fans who have grown older. The disorienting lack of story direction in the first half is made up for when its mysteries finally come to light, and it makes Cyber Sleuth’s world a great one to spend hours training Digimon in.

Star Wars Outlaws might play things a bit safe, but the solid foundation leads to a fantastic adventure. The gameplay is tremendous, with some of the most engaging stealth mechanics I’ve enjoyed in a game in a while. Add in some great characters, fun side missions, and a gorgeous open world, and Star Wars Outlaws is a great trip across the stars.

Suffice it to say, the more you play the more in-depth and rewarding the game becomes. The presentation is top-notch for a game of this genre, with beautiful visuals bringing your island to life and a rollicking score to keep your ears happy