Far Cry 6 has some explosive action, but in my 25-or-so hours of gameplay the stretches between the most explosive missions bring the experience down. Yara is huge and full of things to explore, but exploration should not mean "walk 1000 in-game meters to get an objective that sends me 2000 meters in the opposite direction. Every character is expertly portrayed--not the least of which is Giancarlo Esposito, whose Anton Castillo ranks right near the top of best Far Cry villains. The world and the people in it are interesting, interesting enough to overcome the monotony, but getting there can certainly be difficult. Far Cry 6 doesn't move the needle at all, but it still holds its own amongst the other shooter games available.

Star Wars: Squadrons is a great overall package, though. At just $39.99, it doesn't have to include all the features you'd expect from a full priced triple-A studio title. For the money, it delivers a lot for the money. It's definitely one that will stay in rotation on my PC for quite a long time. Especially for the VR immersion.

Burning Crusade Classic has been an excellent launch of some of Blizzard’s best expansion content to date. It’s an excellent experience for veterans and players who never got to experience Burning Crusade the first time around. However, if you are looking for an authentic TBC experience, this isn’t it. I mean, you can’t get that no matter what because part of the experience is we all knew so little about WoW’s inner workings, and there’s no way to recreate that. If you’re looking for a version of WoW, that’s a bit of a slower pace and less handholding (unless, of course, you get certain addons), then you should probably give Burning Crusade Classic a try.

While this isn't my personal choice for a MOBA, I think it is a great take on the arena-styled MMO. You may find like me that the matches should be longer, but it will give you hours of enjoyment and if this is your game you could find a niche in a clan too. If you enjoy leveling up and progressing your character this is the wrong game for you. However, if you like to immediately jump into the thick of the action and climb a mountain of corpses to reach your victory, then Bloodline Champions has plenty to love.

Dawntrail is largely about working through flaws of all kinds, which it certainly has. But it has its highs, too, that I’d argue are worth fighting for—much like the lands of Tural, full of joy, full of better things. I enjoyed this new FFXIV journey thoroughly, but I know where it needs to build from, and any good adventurer knows to pick up that experience and forge ahead.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins is an entrancing experience that draws you in and keeps you with a vice grip. I lost count of the nights I kept telling myself, “One more battle,” until it was four in the morning. There are small niggling issues here and there; I’d have preferred one or two more weapons, the storytelling still gets dry occasionally and cam suffer from slow pacing, and it’d be nice to have more visual customization for Ziluan. But Dynasty Warriors: Origins is such a success on the levels that really matter, an emotionally resonant story and unforgettable battles, that it hardly matters. It’s a game that both gets back to the basics of what makes a Dynasty Warriors game, while also striking out into new uncharted territory. If Dynasty Warriors 9 felt like a whimper that could end the franchise, Origins is a resounding shout that says it isn’t going anywhere just yet.

Bugsnax’s weird and wild adventure is a delight, introducing me to a new society and really letting me learn what makes these characters tick. Catching Bugsnax is fun and rewarding, albeit frustrating at times as well, and with 100 species available there’s plenty to find. Inconsistent difficulty levels and too heavy of a focus on experimentation soured me a bit, but those areas can’t ruin a game that succeeds everywhere else. Give this a shot and I bet you’ll be talkin’ ‘bout Bugsnax for months to come.

The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle brings with it many great moments, and the landscape of the Systres is a joy to explore, especially the jungle prison of Amenos. While its story is predictable, I’m not uninterested as I look forward to the rest of the year’s content drops. In the end, it's this formulaic malaise that keeps The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle from being truly great.

Even with its blemishes the Division establishes itself nicely as a new tent pole for Ubisoft and the Massive Entertainment studio and lays the foundation for future expansions to come.

Hats off to Obsidian Entertainment for creating and curating a fantasy world I can care about again, and here’s hoping for many more adventures in the future.

If you’re a Pokémon fan you need to pick this one up, even if you’re not the casual laid back play is enjoyable for creature hunters of all levels!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Will you like Spellbreak? It’s hard to say. If you want frantic building and hecticly fast paced combat engagements, Spellbreak might not be the main game for you - though I’d urge you to try it. If you’re tired of dying before you can figure out where your enemy is, or not having enough mobility to collect yourself when ambushed then I 100% recommend you taking a look at Spellbreak. It’s probably my first battle royale experience that doesn’t end after 45 minutes of frustration and keeps me playing match after match. Give it a go - I don’t think you’ll regret it.

Overwatch 2 simply exists in an awkward transition phase between the game it was and the game it wants to be. It's not a revolution by any stretch, at least not how the original game was, but it's still Overwatch and that means it's still a ton of fun.

The Division 2: Warlords of New York is certainly a worthy expansion, rife with new challenges, a huge gorgeous world to explore, a completely revamped end game, and some welcome new progression features to entice players to keep coming back.[...] We have been on the cusp of some of the best content Ubisoft has ever presented, with Manning National Zoo, Coney Island, and now Lower Manhattan. While not every egg this goose has laid has been golden, Warlords of New York has me waiting expectantly, wondering what will happen next. There is no better time than right now to get into The Division 2.

Storm Legion is arguably the best expansion to come out in 2012 for any MMO. If you have not already played Rift now is a great time to give it a try. With the introduction of Dimensions Trion has set Rift up to have a lot of interesting and unique player created content to supplement Trion's internal development cycle.

Gearbox really listened to fan feedback from its launch of Borderlands 3 and is making sure that Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is launching as feature-complete as possible. If you’re a fan of looter-shooter mayhem, or are looking for a new co-op adventure set in swords and sorcery (and guns) then I would strongly recommend playing Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands. Now, who’s ready to riggidy-roleplay? ROLE FOR INITIATIVE, SUCKERS!

If The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the calm, reserved child, then Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is its loud, rowdy older sibling. The action starts at 10 and never lets up, giving me battle after battle of tight and fun Musou action. The story beats are for the most part great, but a few of them definitely left me wanting for more and not in a good way. Age of Calamity delivers on the action-heavy goods, just don’t come in here expecting the story to blow anyone’s minds...and that’s the real Calamity.

Overall, Dauntless is a ton of fun and a great game to play alone or with friends. It occupies realm of easy to pick-up hard to master perfectly and offers a ridiculous amount of gameplay for free. There are seven different weapons which you can freely switch between, and all of them offer a unique playstyle and abilities to master. Dauntless is the perfect game to run around with your friends in or to play by yourself focusing on your goals.

The graphics won’t blow you away and it won’t be making too many “best graphics of the year” lists. But it’s a loving tribute and beautifully recreated edition of a much-beloved classic. There’s a lot to like in this remake, and if this is the building block for what’s to come in the franchise, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic.

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

Regardless of the little bumps throughout the way, Dune Awakening’s narrative is worth pursuing. It holds Dune’s frustration with the system, reverence for the land, and respect for the figures navigating it, even the worst ones. It’s a bit cartoonish at times, and it has its values on its sleeve, but the same can be said of Dune, if we’re being honest.

There’s a solid 20-40 hours of game packed into Battle Chasers, more if you like to build characters, dungeon delve, and explore all the hidden nooks and crannies. For $30, there’s more on offer here than most modern AAA games..What it lacks in AAA flash and pomp, Battle Chasers more than makes up for with compelling gameplay and incredible story and art direction.

Green Hell is a survival game set in the Amazon jungle where I played as a man lost trying to figure out what was going on while searching for his lost wife and making sure I didn’t die of dehydration along the way. At the normal settings, the survival aspects of Green Hell were harsh enough to make me wonder whether I would actually finish the story. However, after some tweaking, I was able to enjoy most of the game. Though, in the end, I was left wondering whether the experience was worth it in the end.

There is more than enough variety to keep players coming back and having fun for months, just with the solo and collectible game alone. If you’re an extreme sports fan, Riders Republic is a no-brainer. For MMO fans looking for more than a madcap mass race challenge, I would let the game mature for a few months longer before picking this one up.