Voidtrain offers an incredibly satisfying gameplay loop, rich progression systems, a compelling art style, and a story that, while far from sophisticated is intriguing enough to keep you invested from beginning to end. In many ways, Voidtrain is the quintessential AA game, and players interested in a more casual approach to survival gaming should definitely take the time to step into the void.

Van Helsing II eclipses its predecessor in almost every way.

Tour de France 2021 is a very good entry into the simulation genre of video games for this year. It may not be suitable for all sim game players simply because the game player might not be interested in the subject. Unfortunately that fact might relegate the title into the niche realm of computer simulations. It's not really a racing game, it's a pure sim that requires a character to gain experience and levels in order to progress to bigger things and new game areas. There's a lot to like in this year's edition. Sure it's basically the same as last year but I for one don't want to be riding on an old bike when I race. I want to ride this year's Tour route and I want to ride with the riders that will be in this year's race! Viva la France!

As with its predecessor, Deadfire is a truly engaging RPG in which there is always something interesting to do, or something to stare at in wonder. So much so, that hunting down Eothas - is - almost the distraction. The archipelago has lots of problems that are in need of a Watcher’s touch and most are intriguing enough that you want to get to the bottom before you progress the main storyline. If that is not the sign of a great RPG, I don’t know what is.

Maybe I’m just a softy, but Pinstripe is a game that I can tell is going to echo in my head for awhile. There aren’t any giant plot twists that catch you off guard and blow you away. There aren’t any new incredibly game mechanics that add a twist to the genre. There’s just good old fashioned quality storytelling put together by a guy that’s clearly got a lot of talent, passion, and love for the project, and it shines through from start to end. In a time of buggy, rushed releases and half-baked indie cash-grabs, it’s nice to play something memorable, well-made, and complete, and, for those reasons and more, Pinstripe is an easy game to recommend.

My overall thoughts about Draw Chilly are quite positive with the graphics, sounds and gameplay all working seamlessly together. However, replayability might be a bit limited if additional levels or another sequel aren't on the menu.

Aliens: Dark Descent is, without a doubt, one of the best games in the franchise's history. It's campy and ridiculous, intimidating and unsettling, tactical and yet still casual. It attempts to pull off a number of different (and often even opposing) themes and mechanics, and impressively rarely fails outright at any of them. The story, dialogue, and cutscene animation all work in tangent to produce a compelling narrative that stays true to the typical narrative conventions of the Alien franchise, taking what would normally be a forgettable cast and setting, and making them stand out through their reactions to situations and their contrasting personalities and approaches to dealing with the threats that face them.

Neversong is an absolute gem. It's apparent that a lot of love and time went into making this game brilliant. The story, gameplay, characters, and soundtrack all come together masterfully to create a dark, unsettling, yet whimsically fun experience. For a game roughly 3-4 hours long, the journey through this atmospheric world was nothing short of impressive. I would strongly recommend this title to everyone.

I may have failed beautifully in managing my city, but Cities: Skylines allows me to create a vast, complex ecosystem of a city that I can call my own, and it does so with style and grace.

I can’t believe how much I am gushing over this game. It looks like a simple and relaxing city builder at its surface, but there is so much more to it. Even with its deep skill trees and challenges, I found the game incredibly relaxing. Listening to the whispers of the wind and the dulcet strumming of an acoustic guitar as I guided my pupils to The Eye was a memorable experience. From the beginning to the end of any given run, the pupils would gain personalities in ways that made them feel more alive. I cared about the pupils in this game, I felt connected to the atmosphere and settlements it offers. This, paired with a great blending of theme and mechanic, make this a truly unique game.

It all blends into a winning mix that sees Tropico going from strength to strength delivering a fresh take on a concept that has captivated city-builder fans since the turn of the century. More than a decade after its inception, Tropico is still getting better and has me hooked all over again.

Pool Nation VR is a polished, fun game that does what every good early entry for a new device should do- showcases what it does that those coming before it couldn’t and does it well. Here’s to hoping that there are more like it to come. [Tested with Vive]

TimeMelters has an ambitious premise that could very easily have gotten out of hand for a small, three-person development team, but the experience is an incredibly enjoyable one through and through. However, the small team and modest budget do come through in the form of quite dated graphics and uninspired enemy design. Fortunately, that’s a minor gripe in an otherwise excellent package, and strong gameplay and unique mechanics make TimeMelters an easy recommendation for anyone to whom the premise sounds even vaguely appealing.

While not everything has panned out as brilliantly as I had hoped, I have to say this is the most fun I’ve had with a Civilization game since III (I know - heresy).

TopSpin 2K25 comes in a polished package. Both single-player and online matches feel good (though a ping differential can cause havoc), and feel lovingly crafted. A few presentational flourishes heighten the experience, but most importantly it's a game that rewards your efforts to improve at playing it. While it would have been nice to see a simulation-type focus on the life of a professional tennis player to flesh out the experience, the truth is, it doesn't need it to feel like a great package. It caters to those who want to continually improve and take on the world after conquering the tournament circuit, and also to those that just want a solid tennis game to play against AI or friends.

The Fall is a great story, well told, and it's thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish.

Maid of Sker doesn’t have terribly complex gameplay, but it’s a tightly-made game that succeeds in more than enough areas to make it worth checking out. The Sker hotel is haunting, filled with detail and character that makes it a joy to explore. The choral soundtrack is absolutely beautiful, befitting both the game’s plot and atmosphere. Horror fans have been absolutely spoiled with high quality games over the last few years, and genre fans would do well to add Maid of Sker to their list of must-plays.

Metro Awakening is one of the best VR experiences I've had so far, and may even be my Game Of The Year. If you are willing to get scared a few times, I could not recommend this game more to you. If It wasn't for the lack of a knife, I think this would have been a 10/10, but because of this, I avoided experiencing a majority of the stealth options. I hope Vertigo Games keeps up with this momentum because they are one of the best in the business so far.

Three Kingdoms is the most divergent Total War I’ve seen since Total War: Warhammer. I would in fact call it the first post-Warhammer historical installment, taking what is good in fantasy and using it to compliment the historical components of the game. On top of that, it revamps both diplomacy and spying, two aspects of the series that desperately needed updating.

Rollerdrome is beautiful to watch and satisfying to play. I would easily consider it to be an encapsulation of what makes games special. It has gameplay that is challenging but rewarding. There is an adequate level of assists to turn on for those not looking to be beaten down too much. And there's a level of replayability that can satisfy the perfectionists and score hunters. If it came packed with a story that took a few more chances it could have reached a near-perfect state. I'm still left feeling that this will lead to further adaptations of the action sports formula, but at the very least it's a game that knows what it wants to be and delivers exactly that.

If you’re looking for a deep sim, this game isn’t going to be quite deep enough to satiate your hunger. If you’re looking for constant guided goals and challenges, you’ll run out soon enough. Where Planet Coaster’s long-term legs are going to reside is with the people like me that simply enjoy the thrill of the build. It’s easy to sink hours into, even if you’re just trying to design a building or tweak some scenery. Quite simply, it’s the sequel that RollerCoaster Tycoon games of yore really deserve.

Overall, Bookwalker is an engaging game that takes an interesting premise and uses it to tell a story full of mystery and creativity. I enjoyed the meta-ness of me controlling a fictional character as he wrestles with how and if to control other characters that are fictional to him. World-building, puzzle-solving, and quality visuals and writing make Bookwalker a satisfyingly complete package well worth checking out.

I honestly had a blast with Death's Door, with the only major problem I ran into being some save file problems. Admittedly, playing a pre-release version of the game could have had something to do with that. The game is not phenomenally long, sitting at around twelve or so hours, with the chance of it being even less if you have fewer issues with the somewhat unforgiving nature of the game. There’s also no difficulty scaler which may turn off some players who want a slightly less difficult playthrough. If you too like to roll on the darker side of life, or death if you will, give this game a chance!

While the story never reaches the level of Bioshock or Portal 2, Wolfenstein: The New Order is a great experience both narratively and gameplay-wise, and has way more heart than it has any right to.

Playing the remastered Homeworlds is a trip through memory lane. Carried by the original’s fantastic story, the series has been restored to the point that it feels and plays like a brand new game.

Developer Walter Woods, in an almost entirely solo effort, has made a horror experience that easily comes more highly recommended than many of those from teams a hundred times larger or more. A lot of that has to do with the cohesion of the world, storytelling, and gameplay. As the story drew to a close, I felt disappointed that I wouldn't get to see the game continue its upward trajectory. But as credits rolled, I couldn't help but feel happy with the experience as a whole. The faults in Dark and Deep are inconsequential enough that mentioning them almost happens as an afterthought (not to mention that they're almost universally a potential patch away from not existing). The notable moments, though, are at the absolute minimum the bar that horror games should aim for.

After the many big bads we have fought along the way, it's good to take some time to remember that we're supposed to be fighting each other, too. So whether you rep the Alliance or the Horde, Battle for Azeroth has something for everyone. But if you were missing world PVP, it especially feels like a love note from Blizzard to the gamers.

Deep Sky Derelicts makes me happy. I play through a lot of early access titles, and I’ve often had reasonable ideas on how games can improve- only to have them released with little to no changes. That isn’t the case here, with changes to balance and resource availability turning this into a game I don’t have a problem recommending.