I can't say if Elden Ring will be something genuinely new or more of the same to players who have already battled through the other From Software titles, but playing it felt to me like something I haven't experienced before. I was incredibly stressed, I considered quitting out of frustration several times, but I never stopped having fun and wanting to play just a little bit longer.

There are some similarities to other pirate themed games but in reality how many different ways are there to sail the Caribbean fighting pirates? This pirate says not many. I would have liked to see the option to use a third person perspective while in battle but the first person works fine. In all, Buccaneers lets players having fun playing a pirate, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

While a fighting game isn’t exactly what one might expect for a sequel of a game like Persona 4 Golden, this reviewer finds it to be a fun fighting game with a compelling story that expands the world of Persona by introducing the Investigation Team to another team that once saved the world from a mysterious threat with the power of Personas.

Monark is full of dark themes, contemplations of Ego and Desire and what they mean, what makes someone truly human, and if or when they should set aside their Desires. Accompanied by a soundtrack filled with catchy J-Pop/Rap music from the V-Tuber group Kamitsubaki, and a team of developers fresh off the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series, Monark is a game that I had high hopes for. From a story perspective it succeeds and then some, but from a gameplay perspective I find it lacking in both combat and exploration.

There is fun to be had here, but aside from a few moments of joyous parkour, it's the sort of fun you can have in dozens of other open-world games. There is certainly some added fun in co-op with a couple of friends, but in a world where we get another open-world game every week, I just cannot recommend anyone go out and buy Dying Light 2 at full price. Especially not when it came out right before Horizon: Forbidden West and Elden Ring, both of which look far more promising.

Battle Cry Of Freedom looks great, it has a great soundtrack, and it plays just fine. As a big history buff with the old west and the Civil War being favourites, I was excited for this game. But since I'm also not real big into multiplayer games maybe I sound a little put off. But the game does give players a historical experience and does so very well. Flying Squirrel have satisfied all of their goals and they have come up with a solid game that will be enjoyed by many.

Other than some gore at the end of battles there really isn't much if anything to complain about with Warriors: Rise to Glory. The game is well done and it has a lot to offer other than just a bunch of nicely constructed battles. The house dynasty theme and the character creation feature really makes this game shine. The battles being so challenging shifts emphasis on to the family dynasty part of the game. That in turn elevates Warriors above games that just re-spawn or that offer different ready made characters.

Worse still is the insipid pop music that every venue in 2021 America plays at ear-popping volume. To add insult to injury, the music gets momentarily louder whenever you admit a guest to the club, making it even harder to ignore. The result is a mounting annoyance that drove me to mute the entire game.

Rainbow Six Extraction is a bold game for the Tom Clancy brand that jumps head-first into an over-the-top, absurd mix of horror, sci-fi, and military realism. It does at times feel more like a Siege DLC than a stand-alone game, but it’s a solid option for players not interested or intimidated by Siege's intense PvP community. There are several interesting design decisions meant to encourage teamwork and decision making in each missions, though I’m not sure if there will be enough variety without PvP to keep players hooked long-term.

After the Fall works well for the most part, giving players a VR version of Left 4 Dead. The gunplay and reloading mechanics are smooth and allow for immersion and tension as the hordes of zombies approach your small band. The user interface is well laid out and it is fun to shoot these undead with the small range of weapons at your disposal. Unfortunately, the length of the game and the issues with motion sickness caused by the jumpy rotation when turning may turn some people away. But if you want a Left 4 Dead style VR game, then After the Fall should be your go to option at this point.

Windjammers 2 is definitely a worthwhile game and it's a lot of fun. As I went along in the game my Windjammer playing skills improved. I didn't give up because the game does bring the satisfaction of playing a retro style sports and action arcade game that we all might have loved in days gone by. After mastering all of the tactics and game moves the option to go on line and play against extremely experienced human players is there and it should be taken advantage of. With that said, we wholeheartedly endorse the new Windjammers 2 game and give it a two thumbs up rating. Windjammers was worth the money and game playing effort some twenty seven odd years ago in 1994 and its just as viable and fun to play today in 2022.

For me, trying to figure out what makes the strange character of Sam Stone tick was enough to keep me interested ever during the slow bits of Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem. Even for those less captivated by the protagonist, I’d still give the game a solid recommendation. It’s a solid shooter with a fair bit of charm. While it’s certainly not the most original or daring work to grace the medium, it’s competent, fun, and priced appropriately.

Make no mistake, this game is the definition of niche appeal. Its visuals are ugly in a way that is not just visually repellent but deeply unsettling. Its world and lore are in turn, confusing, disturbing, and sickening. Playing its soundtrack above a certain decibel level probably constitutes a war crime. Yet the game demands attention all the same. It's brilliant, disturbing, and endlessly fascinating. I'm painfully aware that not everyone will love Cruelty Squad as much as I do, but those that love it will love it with abandon. For me, it's a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

Chorus is a fun space shooter adventure that seems to fill a void in the 3D space combat genre of computer games. Other than maybe a Star Wars themed spin off game there doesn't seem to be many pure space shooters available. Fortunately, Deep Silver has the resources and the time to give fans a good game where “flying a space fighter with the intent on blasting other space fighters into oblivion” is the main objective. Chorus is a very solid game where the pluses outweigh the negatives. One negative might be that the boss fights seem to be overly difficult with some of the later ones dragging on a bit too long. The flight model is smooth in nature and might take a bit of finesse to master. Overall, Chorus is a very well-done game, and we would recommend it.

If you like your battles tactical then this is a great game to sink you teeth into. The campaign escalates nicely and does a good job of selling the desperation of your mission. Being able to easily switch out your units and play around with army composition is also a really nice touch that means you don’t end up locked into a single playstyle. Campaign re-playability is somewhat lacking but the skirmish mode gives you the chance to play against friends so there is that. Considering how many new campaigns and modes were added to Deadlock over the years, we can probably expect some expansions in the future.

The Dragonborn add-on allows you to revisit Solstheim, the island from 2003's Bloodmoon expansion to Morrowind. While it's still a Skyrim location, It brings a little taste of Morrowind to the frozen North. Numerous Creation Club mods bring in quests, creatures, and items that link back to Morrowind and Oblivion, so there's a lot to explore here. Not to mention the seemingly endless number of mods available online that alter and enhance the game in many ways. From realistic AI conversations that make the townsfolk talk to one another instead of throwing lines of exposition at you as you pass to texture overhauls that dramatically improve the game's look (as long as you have the engine to run them). Which brings me to my biggest complaint about the Skyrim Anniversary Edition - tech.

Procedurally generated and varied maps do wonders in keeping what is, at its core, a simple and unchanging gameplay loop feeling fresh, albeit samey. Taking down bosses feels like an achievement, and the difficulty is well balanced. The few online contracts I took showed that the classes complement each other well.

The Senna Forever DLC is a fitting tribute to the Formula One Legend, and the fact that it complements the era with the retro visuals and gameplay of Horizon Chase Turbo, makes that much sweeter. If you want a fun, simple racing game to play with a bunch of friends or even with a younger family, or if you’re a fan of Ayrton Senna and want to revisit some of his classic races – albeit in an arcade style – then you can’t go past Horizon Chase Turbo and the Senna Forever add-on.

In a way, it’s a shame that In Sound Mind has the fundamentals of survival horror down so well I can’t help but imagine how much more compelling it would be if it weren’t let down by its heavy-handed writing and dull enemies.

When I was first assigned this game for review, I thought that it might be just another card drawing and puzzle affair that seem to be common these days. However, Inscryption kept my attention until the very end. The plot, the dark theme, and the mysterious mechanics is so well thought out that I have to give it an enthusiastic two thumbs up. The only downside that I can think of is that replayability might be limited after the first couple of play throughs. Even with that said, this title is worth the price of admission.

Tandem: A Tale of Shadows isn’t the first game to utilize dual-protagonist puzzle-solving, and it isn’t the first to use light and shadow as a puzzle mechanic, but it does do a great job of carving out its own niche in the genre with its presentation and puzzle creativity. The spooky atmosphere and charming presentation make this a perfect game to play in the midst of the Halloween season.

I have a lot of complaints about this game, but even with its flaws, I enjoyed it. I just think it could have been so much better. That being said, I’ve watched so many campy horror movies that have done much worse than House of Ashes. They might miss the mark on story elements and character decisions, but I can’t help but like the experience as a whole.

If you just like to blow stuff up with high-powered lasers and rockets, this might not be your bag of tea and you may not get a lot out of it. If you get the most satisfaction from playing the market, maximising profit, and running SWOT analyses on potential targets, it won't revolutionise your game. But if you're into storytelling and are willing to read stuff to get the most out of it – which I assume you are since you're reading this – then Legend of the Kestrel Lancers might just be worth a purchase.

There are some interesting concepts that are introduced but only minimally explored, and I found myself confused by the unfulfilled promise of a sprawling narrative. I’d be interested to return to this world again in a more fleshed-out game, but right now there’s not enough here to justify a purchase for most.

NBA 2K22 definitely hasn't earned a foul of any type, but may not quite win a championship either. Let's say that NBA 2K22 won its conference title and might have made it to the finals, but not an NBA Championship this year. There's always something else to improve before championship status can be awarded. NBA 2K22 is much improved over the NBA 2K21 edition. As with most all yearly serial sports franchise computer games developing a completely new game engine takes a lot of work and time, work that probably couldn't be completed with the years. When taking into consideration the disappointments involving the 2021 edition, Vision Concepts and 2K Sports really did a good job with the 2022 game. It rolled around the rim and dropped in for two. Here's hoping that future editions can sink the three-pointer.

Rogue Lords borrows quite a bit from other popular games, but it isn't really worse for wear because of it. Players looking for something completely fresh may be disappointed by the strong similarities with games like Slay the Spire and Darkest Dungeon, but the unique visual design and combat twists push this sternly into the "more of a good thing isn't a bad thing" category for me. If you like roguelikes and turn-based squad combat, this is the perfect game to spend some time with as we enter the early days of the Halloween season.

I enjoyed Hot Wheels Unleashed a lot more than I expected to, and it'll likely be my go-to pick-up-and-play racer for the foreseeable future. The game plays well, looks great, and has enough customization options to keep things fresh.

With a game that has players re-living the day on multiple occasions, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it would become stale. But each day plays differently as you learn clues to the visionaries and their daily patterns. And even though the Eternalists inhabit the same locations when you visit at the same time period, the skills and weapons you have acquired and imbued with Residuum allows gamers to play each section in a completely different manner. Whether you want to play a stealthy style game and methodically take out your enemies as you uncover the island’s mysteries, or blast you way through groups of Eternalists, Deathloop allows you to do so. But no matter which style you choose, it is so satisfying once you finally close the loop.