The Conan Exiles: Isle of Siptah DLC is fun. I would have liked to see the area somehow attached to the main map, but I understand that there are, likely, technical limitations involved. To my knowledge, there is still no word on when server transfers will become available. The more I played this DLC, the more I have enjoyed it. But the remaining technical issues and visual bugs hold it back from being a fully immersive experience in the Conan universe. I am glad the developers have added more PvE elements to the new map. Though your mileage may vary at times. I played for hours without a single program freeze two days ago. Whereas yesterday I had two within a few hours. I initially enjoyed Conan Exiles' original map but became bored quickly. The Isle of Siptah DLC, with its various improvements, now feels more interesting to me in comparison.

Sea of Thieves has made enough improvements that I will likely rally the sea dogs I used to sail with back together to complete both adventures and have some fun. With the PS5 release, I can also make some new friends in the game. The biggest hurdle overall to the PS5 release is that this isn’t anything special for anyone who has played this on either a PC or Xbox.

ll in all, HeroWarz is a decent little ARPG for those who want to jump in, grind out a few instances, and jump out feeling as if something was accomplished. With a bit more attention to keeping players engaged through the addition of new features and events, it’s quite possible that HeroWarz will find its niche with its western audience.

Zenless Zone Zero achieves the flash and thrill of a modern fighter built for players of all skill levels. The fantastic combat can often get hampered by the pacing of story, and the mismatched feel of the world inside the Hollow and the slow-paced life outside of it. There are a lot of great game modes, some unique characters to collect, an enticing story and a fun arcade diversion that updates some retro classics. It’s obvious from the quality this is a Hoyoverse game. For the introductory price of free this is well worth your time, maybe even more than other Hoyoverse titles that require a higher cost investment. However, Zenless Zone Zero feels like it’s a Hoyoverse game that needs a little more time finding itself.

Between the flat power curve, unexciting items, and unlocking all your abilities by level 20, Torchlight 3 ultimately suffers a dire pacing problem. Getting to the end game is a fairly non-exciting and long grind and not enough changes with the experience at the end game to keep me playing. I think the developers could get there with a few good patches that make items exciting, enchanting less painful, and skills synergize better together but they have to recognize the problem exists to begin with. The groundwork is there for a great Torchlight installment if they would listen closely to player feedback and fix these pitfalls. Until then I’ll keep checking in with the patch notes and hoping for a No Man’s Sky-esque comeback but for now if someone asks me how Torchlight 3 is I’ll simply respond with “Eh, it’s okay”.

The Ascent equally frustrates and impresses me, one moment dropping my jaw with the city's neon-soaked beauty and the next making me clench my fists in anger. Veles is a brutal, unforgiving world, but it's one I enjoyed blasting my way through...when the game was being fair about it. Navigating the menus is a chore, but building a character is fun and the story is interesting enough that I don't mind the technical issues that pop up. It's not a perfect game, but if this is the beginning of a new franchise then it's a solid foundation from which to make its Ascent.

Unfortunately, I have to consider the entire game while I review Suicide Squad. Its incredible storytelling should cause you to give it a chance, but don’t be ignorant of its matchmaking issues, the highly repetitive nature of the campaign missions, or the fact that the end of the game comes off as super confusing. It may be worth waiting for a sale for anyone other than the most dedicated DC fans out there. Suicide Squad had great potential, but for me, it ultimately fell short.

If Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is any indication, the core philosophy of the game still works in 2024. Running around the mall with an array of silly weapons is still brutal fun, the time restrictions of 72 Hour Mode make each decision heavy and important, and the Willamette Parkview Mall has never looked better. However, there's some jank under the hood, a few key improvements are missing, and the story could have used a small adjustment or two for modern times. None of these problems, however, serve as mortal wounds; like the zombies, our enjoyment with DRDR keeps coming back whenever those issues turn up.

I’m enjoying my time in Hood when I can get in the right environment. It’s fun to take down a whole team in a string of headshots with Robin, or assassinations as Marianne. But that fun is incredibly dependent on whether I’m playing with my friends or not. At its very core, Hood: Outlaws & Legends is a good game, it just requires good people around you to make it so.

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is a good game and has the potential to be an excellent game with more patches and polish. It could become a very exciting title if the Questline development team eventually adds more depth to character-build mechanics through DLC, item design, or expansions. In its current state, it is a worthwhile experience if you are looking for another open-world RPG with an interesting storyline, lots of interesting areas to explore, and, at times, a spectacular-looking world setting. But don't expect a fully polished and bug-free experience.

Lost Sphear is a good JRPG from Tokyo RPG Factory that falls short of being great. The refinements made to the combat system from I am Setsuna are a welcome addition. The additional colors in the environment also spruce the game up a bit. However, no matter how strong the overall story arch is there are some deep lulls in the early game that are hard to push past.

Riding along the Oregon mountain side is pretty fun if you aren’t on chase missions, and there’s nothing more satisfying than the instant stealth kills, watching Deacon dig his knife into the spine of a freaker and pull it straight down. If nothing else, Days Gone is a good game that’ll hold you over while waiting for that next game.

As a fan of Destiny 2, I am enjoying Lightfall. It definitely had a bumpy start, especially if you’re a big story buff, but almost everything after the campaign has been solid. I wouldn’t say anything blew me away, but nothing has been horrible either. They stuck to the tried and true formula that has worked for them for quite a while now, and while I hoped for a bigger spectacle around some characters, Neptune itself, or even the raid, I am wanting to play more and do more.

In the end, Wildgate doesn’t try to hide what it is; what you see is what you get. If the trailer looks exciting to you then it’s really not that expensive to give a try. The PvP content can be quite intense and is really fun with a group of friends, but on the other hand the exploration and PvE combat is pretty shallow. One of the problems with space-focused games is that there’s a lot of room to travel but often very little to do, and Wildgate is no different once the initial appeal wears off. Thankfully, there is a roadmap that promises seasonal content drops and I do hope the developers are able to expand to game into something more.

More than anything, I'd say Portal Knights felt mostly pleasant to me. A relaxing push forward, the visual asthetic along with the relatively unthreatening enemies (barring a few surprises) it seems like despite the push forward, the game is more encouraging of players willing to stop and smell the roses; and then build a huge castle on top of them.

Medieval Dynasty isn’t meant to be rushed, rather, to be an experience and a personal challenge for those that want to see how long they can rule and keep the peace within their kingdom. While there are still clearly some stark improvements that can be made, I think that Medieval Dynasty succeeded in bringing something new to an already saturated and stale genre, and can be a lasting favorite, as long as they continue to make improvements and provide updates.

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis is the most impressive game in the series. Opening up the world, streamlining the classes, and introducing features slowly - like augments, upgrading gear, and multi-weapons, will go a long way to ease new players in to PSO2. Fans of the series will surely find a lot to love, but with a short story, limited questing, and a monotonous level grind that doesn’t provide much in the way of variation, I can see many players hopping back to the legacy PSO2 servers, or moving on to something else, until new content updates roll out over the course of the year. New Genesis is full of potential, and I’m PSE-Bursting at the seams to see what they have in store for us.

The Claws of Awaji expansion offers plenty of new content for Assassin’s Creed Shadows and satisfyingly wraps up the cliffhanger in Naoe’s story that was hinted at the end of the base game. The expansion’s pacing with Yasuke is better, too, but it’s a shame that he didn’t get a new weapon while Naoe did. Still, Claws of Awaji is a worthy send off to two of the best Assassin’s Creed characters in recent memory.

Crash Team Rumble impressed me more with every completed match. Those hoots and hollers from SGF make a lot of sense now, as it's one of those games where one late-game maneuver can spell victory for your team, and it can happen in an instant. Not being able to connect and play the fun game was frustrating – almost as much as connecting, playing one match, and then watching the game crash – but once I was in, I was having a blast. If Toys For Bob and Activision continue to support this game through building its roster, adding new modes, and offering more silly cosmetics, I can see this game enjoying a long and successful run. They just need to make sure we can log on to play it.

Atomfall is a really fun time that suffers from several flaws. They’re not quite enough to hurt the experience too much, but they’re noticeable. If what you want is a new survival experience, and you’re willing to put up with them, though, then I think you’ll be very satisfied, especially with the upcoming DLC.

Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream delivers a great deal for the franchise, offering an engaging story and the chance to team up with beloved characters. While I believe it stands as the best Sword Art Online game to date, elevating the series to new heights, its repetitive gameplay and lack of content variety may hinder its long-term appeal. While its nostalgic charm shines, whether this can sustain players' interest long-term remains uncertain. Still, I'm optimistic that future installments will build on the strengths Fractured Daydream has introduced.

Once you distill it all down I did have fun in Destiny. I just wish the ride would have lasted longer. The endgame grind is not what I was hoping for and has turned me off completely. Bungie has stated repeatedly that the game really starts at 20. If that is true then this game will have a very short shelf life. The grind just is not fun. Hopefully these special events will keep the game fresh and new for most players to drop in and out of and get more value for their dollar.

Despite its issues, Alone in the Dark is interesting enough to be worth completing. While much of the story overlaps between Emily and Edward, there are a couple of unique sections for each, and apparently if you uncover all of the hidden items there’s a secret ending available. With that in mind, Alone in the Dark can be completed in around 5 hours the first time and about half that for subsequent playthroughs because the puzzles don’t change depending on which main character you select.

Neverwinter is worth a visit by anyone who is a fan of both MMOs and of action-RPGs. Despite some glaring issues, including the lacklustre PvP and the Zen Market, the game is wildly fun and is a worthwhile detour on one’s journey through the MMO space today. It remains to be seen what Cryptic does with the feedback it has received from the players during the past month, but Neverwinter is one to keep an eye on as time goes by. As the title says, Neverwinter is an Astral Diamond in the Rough.

If you're a fan of the newer, more lighthearted Like A Dragon titles and enjoy quirky pirate adventures, then Pirate Yakuza is worth your time. However, if you’re looking for the grittier crime drama of previous Yakuza titles, you might find Pirate Yakuza is too wacky of a departure for the franchise.

Despite the optimization issues and random difficulty spikes, I do think that Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is ultimately good – it just could have been so much better.

Ultimately, Indiana Jones And The Great Circle comes out greater than the sum of its parts. The story kept my interest throughout, no doubt aided by the stellar voicework all around. Exploring these big areas and searching every nook and cranny for a hidden tomb or lost relic is a ton of fun, and solving puzzles gives your brain a challenge at the same time – jank and all.

Even with Death end re;Quest 2’s visual issues the combat and skill system keep the gameplay enjoyable. It’s quite fun watching monsters smash into each other and bounce off the arena walls like taking a part in a game of Beyblades. Just be sure you know what you’re getting into because there are several periods of downtime when experiencing the beautiful visual graphic novel portions of the game.