One of the largest differences I felt when playing First Light compared to IO’s Hitman was the feel of gunplay and physical combat. Both felt much more refined. Guns have just the right amount of kick to them, and fistfights are surprisingly more methodical. You can’t just spam button presses. Enemies will properly dodge and block Bond’s incoming strikes and hit back hard. [Hands-On Impressions]

On the whole, though, Windrose succeeds more than it falters, and it’s a surprisingly well-performing game despite being early access. I honestly can’t wait to see how this one progresses, especially as new regions and content are added in the coming months as the team works towards its full launch in the future. It’s definitely scratching that pirate fantasy itch I thought had definitively died when Atlas took a part of my soul to the briny depths with it seven years ago, and I don’t see myself stopping the sea shanties of my crew anytime soon. [Early Access Score = 80]

You don’t have to be a big Arena Shooter fan—or have a childhood full of campfire Capture The Flag—to find something to enjoy. If you give Last Flag a little time and meet it on its own terms, there’s a really fun, chaotic rhythm to it that starts to click. It’s weird, it’s loud, it doesn’t always go the way you want it to—but when it works, Last Flag hits in a way that’s hard to replicate anywhere else.

Don’t Lose Aggro is technically still in Early Access and does deliver a functional gamewith some entertainment value, especially at an incredibly low price point. It does, at least momentarily,scratch that tanking itch and provides a somewhat realistic scenario of what it’s like to tank in MMOraids; it even includes a healer who talks down to you. This is a good opportunity to support a solo devwith their vision and maybe get a few hours of tanking nostalgia, but if you’re looking for a full-fledgedgame it really does need more time in the oven. [Early Access Score = 60]

Saros is basically a sequel to Returnal in all but name. By building on the mechanics of its previous work, Housemarque has made Saros an even better roguelike and bullet-hell experience. It’s slick, powerful, and devilish in all the right places. The story wanes partway through, sometimes putting me on the verge of sleep, but masterful character performances from the main cast keep the sun from setting too early, and calling it a night.

I generally don’t determine where an expansion ranks compared to the other expansions until it’s finished. So much of our time is spent outside of the launch period, and quite a few expansions that have started off promising have languished. That said, Midnight might be the best World of Warcraft expansion to date. I’ve played them all. I have never experienced this level of things I can do, while also feeling the freedom that if I don’t want to do something, that is also fine. It’s amazing. Midnight isn’t perfect; there have been some bugs and hiccups here and there. In the realm of MMOs, though, that has been remarkably light, and Blizzard has been consistently patching things up. No surprise, I love it. Now, I’m off to hop back in the game.

I’m absolutely enamored with Pokopia. Its issues aside, this is a giant step forward in the cozy game genre. In fact, even though it’s only March, I’m already predicting this to be a serious contender for Best Family Game at The Game Awards in December. With 30+ hours in-game already, Pokopia has its claws in so deep that I don’t see any reason why it can’t be my next game to hit several hundred hours. I’ve got 5 towns to build or rebuild. I’ve got more secrets to learn and Pokémon to find. Pokopia will be at the tippy top of my list for quite some time.

Yet, as I sit here writing this review, I can’t help but be awed by what Pearl Abyss has built. It is a game that will push forward open-world design much like the games it was inspired by did in their day. Its combat will be the benchmark for many players moving forward, and its visuals are among the best on PC to date, full stop. I can confidently say that Crimson Desert is a modern masterpiece, despite its shortcomings.

From what we've played so far, Marathon feels like a modern love letter to the classic games from Bungie’s past, while keeping their sights on the future. While the learning curve is steep, the community the game is building is already growing strong.

While the best of both worlds approach largely works, offering immersive, atmospheric horror with Grace's storyline and spectacle and tense action with Leon, Requiem ultimately presents an uneven, not fully realized campaign that runs its course sooner than expected. Hopefully, with many of the long-running storylines finally being put to rest, the new foundations set by Requiem offer a new path forward for the series, presenting a clearer vision of what comes next.

Nioh 3 is a triumphant adventure that stands up to the mightiest contemporaries in the Soulslike genre… It’s impressive how consistently strong the series is, and Nioh 3 does not disappoint.

While the mechanical redundancies and mid-game pacing hurdles keep it just shy of perfection, DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined is a triumph of art direction and quality-of-life design. The bottom line: this is the Definitive way to play DRAGON QUEST VII, just don't be surprised if some things have changed since the last time you set foot in Eden!

Code Vein II is a game I could gush over for a few more pages, but I think it’s better experienced for yourselves. It’s an objective improvement over the first game in almost every aspect. The world is more fleshed out. The characters are more memorable. The weapon and Blood Code combinations are more interesting. As someone who adored the original, Code Vein II more than exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend it to RPG and Souls-like fans.

Endfield has done a great job of mixing so many complex systems and genres into a fun, narrative driven ARPG.

So far the opening hours feel like a world still trying to remember how its own systems are meant to harmonize. Let's hope midgame is able to pull it together. [Early Access Review]

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment finally gives Zelda her due, even if she already had her first time in the spotlight with last year’s Echoes of Wisdom. This journey feels much more meaningful, providing Zelda with a sense of agency and urgency within the overall Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom lore.

What I’ll take away from my time with Where Winds Meet is how much I enjoyed just roaming the open world and seeing the beautiful vistas, and how great those first hours of combat were. If developer Everstone Studio and publisher NetEase can figure out a way to make it so that future updates and additions to the game match that feeling, then there is real potential here.

Sword of justice, while fun and heavy on exploration, falters with the amount of menus and systems it throws at you. There is a lot to experience and as leveling did not take long, you get hit with a lot of content all at once in a bit of a disjointed way. Still, Sword of Justice is fun. The story itself hasn’t really hit the mark for me yet, but with branching paths and minimal bugs, it's been great being able to go back and make new choices. Overall, as Wuxia MMORPGs have been few and far between in the west lately, I will say Sword of Justice is a pretty good entry as long as you are okay with playing casually and are not a hardcore player.

Bottom line, Demonschool delivers a fulfilling RPG experience using a forgiving and enjoyable turn-based combat system. Bundled with a light, fun supernatural story with enjoyable characters and there’s no way you can "Be Chrool to Your Scuel" with this game, highly recommended!

Arc Raiders is a love child of a developer that genuinely cares about quality and player enjoyment. The simple attention to detail, the fantastic graphics, and the phenomenal soundstage work together with core player systems in a way that, honestly, not many other games come close to. I was so far away from the ledge when it came to Arc Raiders, I had zero interest in it, even looking into it, and yet one slight push from some friends, and a server slam event later, here I am gushing over it. With gaming giants all attempting to capitalize on a genre made popular by Escape from Tarkov, a game that I’ve long considered the crowning jewel of the genre, Embark Studios has taken Arc Raiders and made it the epitome of what an extraction shooter should be. It’s chaotic, it’s random, it’s sometimes painstakingly frustrating. But in the end, it’s fun. In the current gaming climate, where companies are pushing the limits on what to charge for games, Arc Raiders is a simple $39.99. With a game as good as this, selling over 2.5 million copies so far, what more can I say?

Anno 117 somehow feels like both a natural progression of the franchise that took all of the seasons of DLC and quality of life updates from the previous title and a big, bold swing to keep the title as the defining game in the genre. If you’re looking for a reason to think about the Roman Empire every day, Anno 117: Pax Romana is that. The gameplay is easy to learn but challenging to master, and in terms of bringing new audiences to Anno, I think this can do it, without overwhelming them with the systems. Still, that depth and challenge are there for those seeking it, especially for those among us with hundreds of hours in one save.

It’s not without its faults, though, with crashes, stuttering and weird bugs that will, hopefully get squashed soon, but the total sum of its parts cannot be denied: Europa Universalis V is Paradox at the height of its powers, and I cannot wait to see where things land as the game matures over time.

At its core, Fellowship feels great with some rough edges to be smoothed out. The core gameplay loop is wonderful and feels great for long-time MMO dungeon fans. For new players, Fellowship does a pretty solid job at introducing you to the core systems without overwhelming you. Ultimately, though, as with MMOs, Fellowship's success will be determined by player retention. If they continue to listen to player feedback and continue to refine what is already a solid offering, Fellowship could be the Dungeon Crawler many of us have been waiting for. [Review-in-progress score = 75]

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is another slam dunk for the HD-2D genre of RPGs. It brings two classics to life in a whole new way, and it opens the door to new players to experience these games--even if that door opens a little too far at times. This remake is the best of both worlds, as new players can experience Dragon Quest's origins for the first time, while longtime DQ fans can see these mainstay RPGs in a whole new light.

In the end, Blue Protocol: Star Resonance doesn’t deliver anything that hasn’t been done before. The time-gated leveling experience artificially extends the game’s shallow pool of content and after that dries up the endgame isn’t interesting enough to hold players’ attention for long. Add onto that a convoluted gacha shop, and you’ve got a very middling experience.

When it comes to Jackbox Party Pack 11, there is likely a game for everyone in your circle of friends and family. No, I don’t like drawing on my phone but since that mode keeps appearing in every pack, I imagine it’s popular with someone. No, I didn’t like the cringe of playing a microphone-based game in the same room as people who were actively laughing about everything, but someone probably would. What I do know is that Jackbox Party Pack 11 had something for me to enjoy and will find itself in my party game rotation.

Despite some of the technical difficulties that required a workaround, I couldn't put The Outer Worlds 2 down. The expansive worlds, the near infinite choice options, and storytelling that is arguably some of the best in the business really encapsulates everything Obsidian has managed to do right for over two decades. For fans of the genre, The Outer Worlds 2 is the quintessential RPG this year. Just keep in mind that despite it's abundant strengths you'll still be dealing with some flaws.

What Absolum truly does well with its take on a roguelite is offering plenty of opportunities to get invested in its world and characters, which is such an excellent quality to have for a roguelite, which tasks players with getting used to repeated excursions. Absolum is my favorite roguelite of 2025, and it's also one of the most satisfying genre mash-ups I've seen in some time. With time, I hope that Absolum will evolve even further and take Guard Crush Games' take on a roguelite beat-em-up to the next level.