The developers of UFO 50 took on a monumental task in creating 50 unique games for their fictional collection but they accomplished it in wildly successful fashion. Not only are the large majority of these games excellent, but when taken as a fictional canon, they make each other even better. Seeing how they bounce off each other, interact, and tell a story just in the way they evolve is a wonderful experience that’s unlike any other game I’ve played.

Evotinction may stumble in how it delivers its narrative, but it’s more than able to make up for that in the gameplay department. While starting simple, Evotinction soon becomes a varied stealth sandbox that provides a throwback to stealth games of years gone by. It might never reach the heights of its bigger budget inspiration, but in a world where stealth games are somewhat rare, it’s simply nice to see developers wanting to provide a throwback for fans of the genre, something Evotinction does successfully with its varied hacking-based gameplay.

Gimmick! 2 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, which is probably the best when a new development team builds on something they didn’t create. That said, this is a beautiful game that plays great and makes some smart updates to keep the difficulty, which so many loved about the original, while making things work for modern players as well. You won’t see anything truly new in Gimmick! 2, but if you’re just looking for an incredibly well-executed modern platformer, you won’t find much better.

All in all, I really had a good time playing Athena Crisis. It’s not only an incredibly competent tactical adventure inspired by Advance Wars, it’s even a tool to creature user generated content and share it with others. Throw in the ability to jump into the campaigns of other players and a lighthearted story of adventure, and you have a game that’s very easy to recommend.

Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a throwback to a game that was a throwback when it came out, and it shows. While updated graphics put a nice coat of paint on things, and the story is far more intriguing than you’d expect from this sort of title, they don’t mask that underneath it, all the core mechanics and level design here don’t hold up. Fans of Mickey Mouse might put up with them to see one of the more interesting versions of the character in recent decades; everyone else should brush up on a better platformer.

In some ways, Keylocker is like going to a concert for a genre you’ve never listened to. Many will be scared or turned off by a sudden wall of things they might not understand, but those who face the music have a high chance of walking away with a smile and a new obsession. Keylocker, for me, was that concert, and having braved a storm of rough learning curves and story-sabotaging bugs and glitches, I do sincerely hope that Moonana has more tunes in store once they get extra practice in.

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but it can be hard not to when the cover is as pretty as this one is. Still, once you get past the wonderful style of The Plucky Squire, you’ll find a game that has a lot of creativity, at least when it comes to its puzzles and exploration. Other aspects of the game are less successful, but they aren’t poorly executed; they just tend to feel a bit generic. It would have been fantastic if the developers had brought the same creativity to all aspects of this game, but anyone who enjoys thinking their way through their adventure should absolutely check it out.

Even with a few minor missteps, Kamikaze Lassplanes is still one of the most enjoyable and unique ecchi adventures I’ve played in quite a while. After spending 10 hours with the game, I not only found the story compelling and fun, but was also impressed by its willingness to deal with heavy concepts like what makes us human, and what price are we willing to pay for victory? Combined with lush artwork and great audio design, as well as replay value aplenty in multiple endings and standalone arcade modes for the Shmup levels, and you have an outstanding game by a very talented team. I highly recommend any fans of VNs check this out, even if they’re not super confident about their Shmup skills.

Like Prodigal and Curse Crackers: For Whom The Belle Toils before it, Veritus is an unapologetically old-school adventure made for a very particular demographic. It has its quirks and can feel a bit unfair at times due to some questionable design decisions. But stick with it for the excellent puzzles, delightful dungeon variety, and irresistible presentation. If you happen to be a retro gamer at heart with a soft spot for the Game Boy Color era, Veritus comes easily recommended.

Frostpunk 2 is the exact move this frozen franchise needed; in fact, it’s the only logical path it could have followed. Scaling up from individuals to factions may have kept some aspects of the original at arm’s length, but the feelings of desperation, urgency, and enervation not only remain, but are dramatically heightened. If you’ve ever wanted to be completely and utterly drained by a game that feels much larger than itself, Frostpunk 2 beckons.

While there are a few changes, like the photography losing a category and gaining no replacement and Frank looking and sounding just a bit off, the pros in this remaster far outweigh the cons. The addition of autosave, the ability to move while aiming, and even the extra mall music make Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster feel like the glorious resurrection the franchise needed. I can only hope Capcom considers reanimating other Dead Rising games after this because, like skilled morticians, they've proven that they're dead serious about preserving the classics.

Deadlink is an excellent mixture of Robobeat’s roguelike structure and DOOM (2016)’s frantic but strategic frenzied gunplay. That’s a very high compliment, as I loved both games very much, and Deadlink proves there’s still plenty of life in the roguelike shooting genre. The gunplay is rapid, clicks together well, and provides plenty of room for experimentation to help soak up some, but not all, of the burnout the lack of enemy and level variety brings. Even when I get a bad run, I still feel accomplished in what I get from it, whether that be more XP and Tokens or even a little secret nugget or two. Just make sure to keep yourself on the move; Deadlink goes full throttle right from the start. From the absolutely electrifying beats to the simple pleasures of racking the pump of a shotgun, every sound comes in crystal clear, and the Dualsense additions are icing on the cake. If you want to run and gun with a bit of randomness in between, Deadlink’s cyberpunk flair just cannot be passed up.

Iron Meat is a challenging, gloriously gory, and fast-paced run ‘n gun adventure with a fun story and solid replay value. If you’re at all a fan of Contra, you absolutely need to pick this up.

The Crush House does something different, combining aspects of social interaction, photography, and simulation with a deeper mystery waiting to be uncovered, always lurking below the surface. It’s an interesting combination, and while it could offer a more cohesive experience, there’s little else like it on the market. Reality TV fans interested in how the medium can translate to video games should absolutely give The Crush House a look.

I’m a little torn about Forgotten Mines. While I did enjoy my time with the game, I also fear it’s just unbalanced enough to dissuade most gamers from spending the time necessary to grind enough Gems to help stack the odds in their favor. And while the combat is fast-paced and punchy, it’s also unpredictable and often cruelly weighs everything against you. If you’re truly patient and can put up with dying many, many times in your quest to retake the mines, you’ll find a game to love here. For everybody else, this is a harder sell.

Natsu-Mon: 20th Century Summer Kid offers distilled Summer Break happiness in video game form, with its vast open world, boundless activities, and magnetic rural charm. I’ve played a lot of video games in my life, but I don’t know that I’ve ever quite played one like this. I can say one thing for sure, though—I’m already looking forward to my next summer adventure.

White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies is far from being the worst horror game I’ve played. But it’s nowhere near the best. Offering little more than truncated stories within self-contained chapters and gameplay mechanics that feel inferior to those within its predecessor, White Day 2: The Flower That Tells Lies – Complete Edition is a disappointing sequel for those of us who have spent years waiting for a White Day sequel.

Visions of Mana on PlayStation 5 is a remarkable and heartfelt revival of the Seiken Densetsuseries. It might not have the appeal of some of Square Enix’s mainline franchises, but it’s filled with tons of heart and love from an old school JRPG perspective. Ouka Studios has created a magical and memorable adventure that breathes new life into a beloved franchise that shouldn’t be forgotten.

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics may not have some of the single-player content or historical context I’d love to see in the very best collections, but what it does offer are six of the best fighting games ever made in arcade perfect form with seemingly excellent online infrastructure. That’s more than enough to make this a must-own for anyone remotely interested in the genre.

I was still itching for more just to keep lapping up the myriad nostalgic references scattered everywhere. Astro Botis a product of passion, playfulness, and perfectly portioned platforming pastimes. Team ASOBI has hit it out of the park with this one and quite possibly landed a Game of the Year grand slam.

Despite the minor issues I mentioned above, nothing could bring down my experience with Demon’s Mirror. This is an extraordinary rogue-like deckbuilder with clever implementation of chain-3 mechanics. Not only is it wholly engrossing and addictive, but it’s also really well-balanced. If you are at all a fan of this genre, you owe it to yourself to pick this up right now.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 was well worth the wait after all these years, as it magnificently captures the essence of the source material. With its intense and visceral combat mechanics, stunning visual design, and bombastic multiplayer action, it stands as a must-play title for fans of the franchise and newcomers alike. That being said, the game desperately needs more content, but Saber Interactive has already got that covered with their long-term roadmap.

Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown sits in a bit of an unfortunate spot on the road. It wants so badly to be like its older brothers, Forza Horizon and The Crew. Yet it misses its mark due to a laundry list of immersion-wrecking faults and bugs, a lack of technical details, and an unremarkable collection of cars. To Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown’s credit, Hong Kong can be an absolutely gorgeous sandbox with its impressive mix of urban and natural environments. Despite these shortcomings and its occasionally spotty steering and quirky rearview mirrors, there’s something worthwhile trapped under the hood. Buried somewhere underneath the attempts at realism, you can almost catch a glimpse of the fun arcade racer Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown is better suited to be.

I really hope this game gets its rough spots patched out because if you can look past its fussy controls and noticeable input lag, you’ll find Shadow of the Ninja – Reborn to be an otherwise razor-sharp remake from the team at Tengo Project. With its pixel-perfect presentation, meaty challenge, and excellent couch co-op that lets you and a friend take on the forces of evil simultaneously, it deserves your attention, even if there’s currently room for improvement.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is truly unique. The novel spin-off series of a beloved yet relatively niche franchise that remained half-translated in an official capacity for over a decade, Ace Attorney Investigations Collection should give hope to players holding out for other games seemingly locked forever in the land of the rising sun. With fresh gameplay and an important story to the franchise, Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is not to be skipped by any Ace Attorney fan and is a must-play for anyone even remotely interested in the genre.

Gori: Cuddly Carnage is a game that knows exactly what it is and doesn’t try to be anything else. It’s a chaotic, visually impressive romp filled with over-the-top violence and juvenile humor. If you’re looking for a mindless action game with a killer cat protagonist, it might just scratch that itch. However, if you’re expecting a deep story, engaging characters, or innovative gameplay, you’ll likely be disappointed. It’s a game that insists upon itself, doubling down on its particular brand of humor and spectacle whether you like it or not. For some, that might be enough, but for me, Gori: Cuddly Carnage was the kind of fun I forgot about as soon as I put the controller down.

Star Wars Outlaws may not be the most original game, but virtually everything about it is well-executed and a joy to experience. With an excellent story, interesting characters, great voice acting, and seemingly never-ending amounts of missions, this is my favorite Star Wars game in years. Fans will find plenty of reasons to once again get lost in this faraway galaxy.

When the combat is this good, though, it’s hard to complain too much. Black Myth: Wukong offers thrilling battles with devastating bosses in stunning arenas. Even without a particularly compelling narrative or much in the way of exploration, Game Science has managed to craft a highly memorable experience that borrows from other popular games but still offers a unique experience. Action fans will find what they’re looking for with Black Myth: Wukong.