Evil West doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it doesn't have to. It's fun and a great time, which is all it needs to be. It reminds me of a wonderful B-movie; I watch it because I like to turn my brain off and just enjoy myself. Evil West is just a blast, and worth sinking your teeth into.

With improvements in literally every single area of the game, Tactics Ogre: Reborn is the new standard for remasters.

ARK: Ultimate Survivor Edition had a suspect launch, but with the commitment and care of the developers, they have rallied back and the game makes for a fun time with friends or by yourself. The Island and Scorched Earth will test your survival instincts for sure. With the addition of the lovely ARK Dinosaur Discovery game you can download from the eShop for the kiddos and the new maps having a timeline in the future, you and your family will have plenty of things to do for the near future.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a triumph of a game, and now even more people can experience it. That experience may not be as stable as on PlayStation 5 given the diversity of hardware, however there’s also a lot more under the hood than you’d get on a console. With all of that in tow, including gorgeous ray tracing and a glut of accessibility options, it’s like Miles getting Venom abilities: more power to an already powerful entity. Just like Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered before it, Miles Morales makes the leap and sticks to the wall.

While The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me contains some incredibly effective horror, it has the rug pulled from under it by a flubbed finale and some immoral choices the game considers “correct.”

For a studio that hasn’t previously made any Lego titles, I feel they checked pretty much every box on what makes a Lego game a Lego game. This isn’t for everyone but isn’t made to be for everyone. If you are someone who seeks building in a game, I highly recommend Lego Bricktales. People often say that they don’t enjoy Minecraft because there aren’t guidelines or a direction to the building. I believe Lego Bricktales is the perfect solution and encourage people to give it a shot.

Return to Monkey Island is a fantastic end to Guybrush’s compulsive search for the secret of Monkey Island and perfectly encapsulates what made these iconic games so popular in the first place. Despite the 30 year absence, not a step was missed, as Return is just as funny as its predecessors and seeing Elaine, LeChuck, Stan, and the rest of the gang together again is rather bittersweet. Charming characters – old and new alike, great dialogue, fun puzzles, an intuitive hint system, and a story which sees Guybrush visit multiple islands, all blend to make Return everything I had hoped for. I’m glad that I was able to finally uncover the secret of Monkey Island.

Pentiment does what it does with a magnificent blend of dialogue, characters, and narrative. The winding path you’ll take has plenty of off ramps, and while all roads lead to Rome, the journey there feels unique to you. It’s so fascinating getting to your specific ending, you’ll probably even play it again to see what other decisions look like. Pentiment might not be for everyone, but for the genre, it’s a magnificent and compelling work of art.

Dyschronia: Chronos Alternate Episode 1 has a lot of rough edges, but is still an engrossing murder mystery with some unique VR elements. The seven hour adventure can be tough to get through thanks to some UX and technical shortcomings, but it’s more than worth it for the exciting finale. [Provisional Score = 70]

The Entropy Centre is a mind bending puzzle game that’s constantly introducing new ideas to feel fresh. Rewinding objects never gets old, and will change how you think for hours after you put the controller down. Add on top some hilarious writing, charming characters, and an intriguing mystery and you’ve got an instant classic.

Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher is a humorous mashup between Ultraman and Monster Rancher, allowing you to raise and train your very own Kaiju. It’s quirky and great for passing the time. The battle system could use a little tweaking to resolve issues with Kaiju not being able to land any attacks at all and then losing because the opponent knocked 50 Life down. My Kaiju, Boris, will forever hold a special place in my heart.

Bayonetta 3 has a lot of issues, especially in terms of story, but is well worth playing for the core combat. While the game seems to be doing its best to get you away from that, once you’re fighting, there’s nothing like it out there.

Frontiers boldly plants one foot into the future with its “open zone” structure while keeping the other stuck in the past with mechanics and level ideas that are over a decade old. This approach results in a satisfying game even if it does not push the series into as many new frontiers as it could. It still hits many of the right notes that long-time fans will appreciate and works especially hard to satisfy those who have felt like the past few Sonic games have been missing some personality.

It Takes Two is a fantastic co-op game, and feels right at home on Switch. Sadly the visuals take a big hit, but in return you get a few more options on how to play. It still remains difficult to get a co-op partner for the full game let alone enough controllers, however if you can manage you’re in for a great time.

A visually striking take on the survival horror genre, The Chant solidifies its own identity within the alternative science of prisms and natural remedies. Unique game mechanics serve to create an unusual but fun experience, even if at odds with the overall narrative at times.

Charon’s Staircase is more a thriller than a horror with a very intriguing story that has some pretty cool twists. Some of the puzzles are a bit ambiguous and will leave you scratching your head, but in the end you’ll have experienced another treasure of storytelling from the minds of a talented and dedicated smaller studio.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure isn’t at its best on PC, with consistent stuttering and not many graphical options, but it’s still a fun experience you can play with just about anyone.

It’s rare to see a sequel nail it this hard, but God of War: Ragnarök has once again raised the bar for every action adventure title. It’s the best game I’ve played in a very, very long time, and is, in a word, perfect.

There’s room for improvement, but Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’s move into a new generation of warfare is a reminder of why Modern Warfare is the best timeline. The campaign hits hard, with some of the best performances in a Call of Duty story, the multiplayer beckons with new complexities, and a refreshed Spec Ops opens the mode up to new possibilities. A couple of misses in the UI and basic features cause some frustration, but Infinity Ward has made THEIR game, and it’s an important step into the future of Call of Duty.

The Resident Evil Village: Winters’ Expansion is a nice bundle of story and gameplay content that managed to engage and entertain me despite being a short-lived experience.

Star Ocean: The Divine Force is a bold and exciting new direction for the series with incredibly fun combat, great characters, and a gripping story. It stumbles more often than it should, but this grand return was more than worth the wait.

The Last Oricru just can’t seem to make up its mind. Strong presentation and performance are enough to get you in the door, but lack any significant development throughout the 10+ hour playtime. Sporting a weak story, insufferable protagonist, and barebones souls-like systems, The Last Oricru does not bring anything new to the genre. Also, what in the world is an Oricru?

BONELAB is an incredibly interesting piece of tech with a terrible shooter holding it back. The physics barely work, the mechanics are cumbersome, and the puzzles are unintuitive and frustrating. There are a few moments where the combat can shine, but that’s not enough to make the game worth it.

New Tales from the Borderlands is confusing, messy, and accomplishes nothing over the course of 10 hours. The game meanders from incident to incident hoping you’ll laugh at a constant barrage of bad jokes, and lacks any heart.

Asterigos: Curse of the Stars is a game composed of two different genres and not fully committing to either. Doing so makes it not reach the potential I think the game could have had by sticking to simply one. Still, with fun combat and an explorative world, it is a solid experience. One that many gamers will be satisfied with but forget after the holiday season.

Last Days of Lazarus is a fun indie (almost) horror game with a lot to puzzle over. The game is well designed, taking much inspiration from the developer’s Romanian roots. The voice acting does leave much to be desired but the gameplay and exploration were a good offset.

Gotham Knights is filled to the brim with character and nods to the Bat-Family. While the locked-in 30 FPS might be a dealbreaker for some, the flawless co-op experience Gotham Knights provides is an amazing time for those who want to fight crime with friends. A fully immersive Gotham City for you to travel in your way, either straight through the story, or complete every side mission you can; your time in Gotham is up to you.

While a bit surface level at times, the cooperative experience of busting ghosts always brought a smile to my face. Whether you’re priming the proton pack or spooking civilians, fans of Ghostbusters will find a lot to love. However, fans of existing asymmetrical experiences may struggle to look beyond the simplicity.