Being able to Play As Anyone in Watch Dogs: Legion is impressive at first, but it becomes a detriment to the core experience that's in need of revitalization. The hacking and stealth infiltrations haven't changed a bit, and with repetitive mission design and numerous technical issues, this latest chapter finds DedSec in an identity crisis.

With its highs and lows, this light-hearted adventure remains generally pleasurable and highly relaxing. Although it turned out to be brief and very casual, I am hoping that there will be more content for Journey to the Savage Planet in the future.

Midnight Fight Express will largely appeal to movie fanatics, as the beat 'em up combat encapsulates the feeling of one big movie-action sequence with its adrenaline-induced gameplay.

Afterimage looks fantastic, plays well, and is a ton of fun in its best moments. However, the lack of direction in its large world leads to constant pathfinding annoyances. In a genre filled with great titles, it's a solid option but one that doesn't truly stand out.

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is an acceptable entry in a series that is known for consistency. However, as the genre continues to evolve, it feels like the simple pleasures of the franchise are becoming less enjoyable. Whenever the titular heroine returns, hopefully she has some new tricks to unleash.

Thrones of Britannia is a thoroughly competent entry into the Total War series, though underwhelming battles and a lack of fresh ideas mean it will satisfy your craving for historical conflict, but without much excitement or many surprises.

EA Sports FC 24 may be a new name, but it contains the very familiar game. With minor improvements across the board, and thanks to a still solid foundation, it’s the annual sports entry that you'd expect, no more and no less.

The stealth mechanics and fun world traversal in Shadow of the Tomb Raider make it a great game. Whether Lara is smothering herself in mud to shank enemies and return to the shadows, rappelling down into gloomy caves, or blasting creatures with her powerful shotgun, this game has a grimy edge that makes it well worth playing.

Outlast 2 puts together all of its nightmares with amazing clarity and execution. It takes the best parts of the original and adds more variety through natural hiding spots, fantastic interludes, razor-sharp jump scares, intense chases, and more horrific foes. Not many horror games get everything to work this well together.

This sometimes convoluted action RPG won't be for everyone. Still, Code Vein should draw in anime fans looking for a gripping, challenging gaming experience. Souls fans should enjoy this too, assuming they're seeking combat that's a tad less stressful, with additional colorful twists to the old formula.

As long as you have good company, Strange Brigade is an expedition worth undertaking. However, that doesn’t excuse the many issues the title has. The game would have benefited from refinements both to the aiming system, as well as puzzle design. Still, this cadaver-blasting, treasure looting adventure is an enjoyable enough reason to gather a few friends together for, as long as you know what you’re getting into.

The Surge 2 still has the same great combat, satisfying exploration, and a mess of an inventory system that remains cumbersome to navigate. Many of the original game's problems are still here, but small quality of life improvements and a neat new setting make this outing just different enough to be worth a look.

While it's a shame Tripwire didn't improve enemy variety or add a new co-operative mode, Killing Floor 2 has some of the most satisfying shooting around as the old formula holds up well thanks to high levels of polish, good perk variety, and solid maps.

Not all of NHL 18's additions are equally successful, with the expanded depth of Franchise Mode overshadowing the flashy but unrewarding NHL Threes. The series continues to offer a good hockey simulation, and while the hardcore and those who play online will be satisfied, there's probably not enough here to make it worth the upgrade for casual fans of last year's edition.

Mario Tennis Aces is ultimately a solid party game whose weak spots mainly lie in the peripheral areas like the campaign, swing mode, and fairly limited customization. The core gameplay is enjoyable and takes center stage in the addictive, fun multiplayer modes.

LEGO DC Super-Villains distracts from its repetitive and formulaic gameplay with typical LEGO charm, great character interactions, and mirror-sheen polish. Ultimately, however, it’s just a nice coat of paint on a framework that’s on its last legs.

Despite excellent facial animations and wonderful music, Double Exposure has pacing issues, unlikable characters, dire gameplay, tonal problems, and is an incomplete imitation of the perfect storm.

Although not quite the triumphant homecoming fans hoped for, Homeworld 3 is still a sleek and at times spectacular space RTS.

The Expanse: A Telltale Series is a short, unexciting, and slow narrative adventure, full of unlikable characters and repetitive gameplay. Despite a great performance from Cara Gee as Drummer and a few engaging player choices, it is a waste of space.

Ghost on the Shore is a bland walking simulator that has decent conversations with a ghostly companion. Its vague narrative, unexciting visuals, and typical formula make for a forgettable trip.

Battle Chasers: Nightwar proves to be a solid turn-based RPG with polished mechanics, interesting dungeons, beautiful artwork and animation, and a lot distractions to keep you entertained. Despite some UI and performance issues, fans of the genre should still find it to be a game that is worth their time.

GRID Legends makes racing exciting again thanks to its concise story mode, strong AI competitors, dramatic races, vehicle variety, and strong multiplayer. It’s just a pity that most tracks are too familiar and team management is lacking.

LUNA The Shadow Dust is a streamlined point & click adventure that offers superb art design and peaceful music. While many of its puzzles are simple, some late-game challenges make fantastic use of the two well-animated characters in a brief tale told adequately without words.

Gran Turismo Sport debuts on the PS4 without a number in its name, signaling a shift for this long running car racing franchise. While the simulation is still very good, and the presentation is top notch, the lack of content in both single player and online modes will leave most participants unsatisfied. With a full asking price and always-online design, all but the most hardcore fans should approach with caution.

Beyond Blue is a beautiful and enchanting journey. The attention to detail and devotion to its creation, along with the companion documentary segments, show a love for the ocean. It’s a little on the short side, but there’s still so much to enjoy in this gorgeously crafted game.

There may be a lot of games you want to try on the new PS5 console, but if you're looking for a palate cleanser between the bigger, flashier games, Bugsnax is the perfect aperitif to your next-gen feast.

Given its low price, Nobody Wants to Die may be worth checking out for the visual style and unique atmosphere, but the basic gameplay and underwhelming story make for a forgettable adventure.

Evil Genius 2 is a fun, charming game which allows you to run an evil empire from your secret island lair. Despite some issues, the gameplay holds up to be a worthwhile experience.

Road 96 is an engaging and timely adventure, but the title's poor performance on the Nintendo Switch makes it a rougher go than it should be.

Aliens: Dark Descent brilliantly translates the 1986 movie into a fun strategy game with good combat, an interesting story, and rewarding squad management, marred by some minor stealth and tech issues.

Though not entirely devoid of the repetitious, occasionally aimless gameplay that afflicts several narrative-driven adventures, Last Day of June quite often redeems its down periods as a filmic, affecting examination of grief.

After a couple of unsuccessful outings, The Crew franchise finally finds itself on solid ground with Motorfest. It has to borrow a lot ideas to get there, and still has plenty of oil leaks to deal with, but at least there's finally some enjoyable arcade racing to be had.

The Medium is a flawed horror experience with an interesting story and a visually captivating spirit world. Fixed camera angles add excess clumsiness and the terrible framerate drops make it difficult to enjoy the split-screen views. With some glacial pacing and a lack of genuine scares or challenges, it fails to create a strong bond with either of its two worlds.

Ghostwire: Tokyo has an interesting setting, but a lackluster story, monotonous combat, and disappointing visuals make for a forgettable adventure that doesn't justify its next-gen-only status, or the full asking price.

South of Midnight features a striking setting with excellent music, and explores a world that is rarely visited. But its dull gameplay, uneven writing and repetitive structure don't exactly create a fairy tale ending.

Endling may look nice, but it is a monotonous animal adventure with simple fox-feeding gameplay, bland skills, and restrictive exploration.

Over-the-top and frequently overwhelming, Ruiner might be the first cyberpunk game to give an inkling of what it’d be like to have a deluge of sensory stimuli downloaded directly into your head. A guilty pleasure, and a damn good twin-stick shooter to boot.

Concrete Genie is a charming and wholesome adventure that makes up for its rather ordinary gameplay with striking art and personable creatures.

Persona Dancing: Endless Night Collection isn't going to change your life, nor be an experience to carry with you forever, but it is a charming and entertaining distraction that will almost certainly win you over while playing. If you're a Persona fan, it's a must-play, but even if you're not, this could still be a fun game to pull out when you need a pick-me-up.

An improvement over the previous instalment, Attack on Titan 2 tweaks its combat, character setups, and online modes to create an overall more engaging experience. Unfortunately, the core gameplay loop becomes boring after extended sessions, which takes away from its potential longevity.

The wondrous Dwindling Heights is well designed and gives Tilo plenty of opportunities to use his mousey avoidance skills and disguises to help characters. Although there is occasionally too much backtracking, Ghost of a Tale holds a memorable journey in its tiny paws.

Chernobylite combines a multifaceted narrative with stunning, atmospheric levels that repopulate with fantastic points of interest. Players can sneak or shoot their way around the faithfully recreated Zone and see the modest ripple effects of story choices they can alter following each death.

In Sound Mind tells an interesting story and provides an intriguing combination of first-person exploration, puzzles and shooting, but it fails to have the impact it could’ve had due to bland visuals, mediocre combat, and the fact that it’s a horror game that isn’t very scary.

Trinity Fusion is enjoyable to play, but the overall package feels lacking in comparison to others in the genre. The lack of character development, and underwhelming visuals are kept afloat by enjoyable core gameplay that should mostly appeal to dedicated fans of the genre.

Afterparty is one of the smartest games I’ve played this year. The characters are great, the dialogue is smart, and the drinking mechanics are inspired. If you can forgive its technical issues and a slow start, you too can enjoy the best drinks Hell has to offer.

Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition is a fun RTS. Historical Battles are a highlight and it's an easy game to grasp for newcomers with tutorials and the Art of War mode. However, bugs, lack of variety and a grindy level system hold it back.

Tell Me Why tackles a difficult subject quite well thanks to interesting central characters who interact maturely and drive the story forward. But limited use of telepathy, immaterial player choice, and a generally boring delivery tarnish this morose tale.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a decent entry into the retro-shooter genre that will appeal most to fans of the WH40k universe, while everyone else should probably choose a different, better game to fulfill their classic action itch.

Troy is a good addition to the Total War franchise with an interesting setting. However, it does not capture the imagination or attention like previous entries in the franchise.

Having a high-concept idea is all well and good, but it doesn't matter what kind of story you tell, or the world you create, if the act of playing the game is so unpleasant. While occasionally putting the pieces together, often Observation left me bored and frustrated.

Iron Harvest has a unique setting with some original ideas, and borrows heavily from another RTS series. But rather than improve on those elements, it oversimplifies them, and lacks the content to justify its full asking price.

Seasons after Fall is a lovely looking adventure that has some charm and decent gameplay, but it gets far too bogged down with repetition in the second half and this ultimately leaves an unsatisfying impression.

Carrion is simply a great time. The metroidvania gameplay loop is addictive, while its sound design and highly detailed pixel-art look makes it a joy to hear and look at. An average story and lack of an in-game map sap some of the enjoyment, but Carrion's ability to have you play as an unstoppable monster is gory grandeur.

Ara: History Untold is a decent foray into the historical 4X, with enough borrowed and slightly tweaked elements to make it worth a look for fans of the genre. Its original ideas become too much of a slog however, along with a scattering of UI issues and performance hiccups that need addressing.

While not terrible, Sky Force Reloaded asks too much of the player with too little to give back. With some reworking to the exorbitant grind, I would maybe recommend this, but there are far better shoot 'em ups on the Switch that deserve your time and attention.

TopSpin 2K25 is a solid return to the court for the veteran franchise. It's a bit lacking in content, from the limited roster to the repetitive modes, but the excellent gameplay mechanics offer a lot of hope for the future.

All in all, Bad North's gameplay is very engaging and keeps you on your feet. Despite some weakness in the narrative department, most design choices pay off. It is a polished experience that has kept me entertained for a good amount of time.

Omensight is perfectly competent in every major category, but isn’t strong enough in any one instance to truly stand out. The unique story-telling from Spearhead Games is definitely engaging, but I can’t say the same for the rest of the game.

Tesla Vs Lovecraft serves its function well enough as a simple action shooter. There isn’t much to the gameplay, but sometimes you can find a good time paddling through even shallow waters.

Shadow Bug is a unique platformer with some interesting ideas, but one that doesn’t always stick the landing.

While Mages of Mystralia might not live up to its full potential, the game has some charm and is fun enough to be worth a look. The $20 price tag is also pretty solid.

GRID is an average racing reboot with no real personality. Despite the short races, strong AI, two new street tracks, and the shift towards arcade, it struggles because of so many recycled tracks, poor damage modeling, and disappointing multiplayer.

SteamWorld Build is a sufficiently well-designed management game that is initially engaging with a good blend of underground exploration, but it eventually becomes a bit repetitive and is over rather quickly, without much motivation to start up another town.

A straightforward puzzle game that uses an established formula without much deviation. Vandals should satisfy anyone looking for this certain type of gameplay, but aside from a nice soundtrack, it does little to stand out.

For all the promise that Loot River held with its amalgamation of gameplay features, they, unfortunately, don't gel together well. This is compounded by the technical issues making for an experience that is more frustrating than it is fun.

Invector: Rhythm Galaxy squanders the rare advantage of an officially licensed soundtrack with some strange design choices and unbalanced difficulty that may repel newcomers, while being far too similar to its predecessor to attract returning fans.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide offers an authentic representation of the 40k lore, and while the cooperative action gameplay can be occasionally satisfying, it lacks content, has a few strange design choices, and suffers from too many performance issues.

The first mainline game for Princess Peach in nearly two decades is a charming adventure with some solid ideas and excellent boss battles. Princess Peach: Showtime demonstrates that the heroine is worthy of being a leading protagonist on her own merit, despite a few performance issues.

Pikuniku offers a few amusing moments, but its underwhelming presentation and simplistic gameplay make for an easily forgettable experience.

As a visual novel, Coffee Talk relies heavily on its writing, but the characters and the plot are so dull, they offer you no reason to care. Instead of visiting this fictitious coffee shop, find a local one in the real world - you'll have more fun.

HyperParasite is a tough title to love. The grind-heavy path of progression is a pain to deal with, and the visuals are muddled and unattractive. However, the gameplay is strong and addicting. Even in the face of constant death, you'll want to keep pushing forward.

Even if STATIONflow is about as dull as can be visually, and feels a bit rough around the edges mechanically, the rewarding gameplay often shone through, engaging me for hours on end.

WRC 10 is a decent rally experience, thanks to the solid driving model and improved vehicle feedback. The new tracks are good but team management has regressed and other changes are a mixed bag in what is a predictable yearly release.

The Quarry features arguably the best writing and cast that Supermassive Games have ever put together, along with some impressive quality visuals in certain spots. However, the gameplay formula lacks improvements and is starting to grow stale. This horror adventure should satisfy fans, but it's time for the developers to aim higher.

Lost Words: Beyond the Page ends up being as forgettable as its name. Outside of just a few brief highlights, the rest of the story is filled with inconsistencies and dull gameplay. The accessible price point is one of its few redeeming qualities.

Outstanding cyberpunk visuals and fun top-down shooting make The Ascent worth playing in single-player. But it could have been even better with less tedium, tighter pacing, and fewer bugs.

Fans of the film will certainly find things to like, but as you dig deeper into John Wick Hex, more and more of its flaws begin to surface. Bithell has always proven himself a creative game-maker, but he can't stick the landing on this one.

Cities: Skylines II is a modest improvement on its predecessor, integrating a good amount of features and content to feel like a worthwhile sequel. The underlying design remains great and should eventually reach its full potential, but a lack of structure and poor technical performance mean that it's not yet time to make the switch.

Children of Silentown is a nice-looking but bland adventure game due to basic puzzles and mundane objectives, although its second half shows more potential.

BPM: Bullets Per Minute is a fun shooter with some interesting ideas but with a difficulty curve more akin to trying to ram yourself through a brick wall. If you're a fan of the roguelike genre and rhythm games, provided you can get past the annoyances, then this could be a fun time killer.

Mirage: Arcane Warfare has some of the most fun and exciting melee combat around, but squanders the unique mechanics on dull game modes with low player counts in a transparent effort to ape Blizzard’s recent smash hit, and this ultimately works against the strengths of the gameplay to the point of bringing down the entire experience.

Underhero is a memorable and charming little adventure. By constantly mixing things up, the gameplay never feels stale. And the plot twists your expectations in ways you would have never seen coming.

Harvestella is an interesting concoction of a JRPG experience merged with farming, which results in pure escapist fun. The combat and farming aspects are by no means elaborate, but their simplistic approach creates a relaxing atmosphere that is great to play in short bursts.

Although it features moments of satisfying action and a few good end-game design tweaks, the majority of Outriders experience consists of conflicting design ideas, technical issues in multiplayer, and poorly implemented borrowed mechanics.

Umiro makes for a relatively straightforward trial and error puzzle game, and if that piques your interest and you can ignore the frustrations of repetitive gameplay, it's worth a look.

Despite the tremendous atmosphere, big open world, and familiar mechanics, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an uneven experience due to AI flaws, combat annoyances, laborious exploration, and technical issues.

MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries is a shooter with a considerable degree of customization, set in an alluring but static universe, with combat being its central and redeeming feature. The action tends to be generally fun and satisfying, although framed around repetitive missions. The missed opportunities are obvious - such as greater depth to your company’s management, or having a tangible impact on the game world.

Cosmonaut Studios may be minnows, but they have managed to create a title that stands tall amongst the best in the storytelling genre. Eternal Threads is a great experience that I can wholeheartedly recommend to both fans and skeptics of this type of game.

Read Only Memories: Neurodiver feels like a step back from its predecessor on just about every level. The plot is lacking in intrigue and severely underbaked, while the simplistic gameplay offers little challenge. While it's nice to get further detail on the universe of the series, this sequel severely disappoints.

Kunai is a short and sweet metroidvania with an exciting premise. In this era of rapid technological change, however, Kunai ultimately doesn’t do enough to separate itself from the pack.

Shio evidently understands the appeal of gliding elegantly between obstacle-riddled levels like an invincible pro, and often comes across as a more casual Super Meat Boy. Yet, the foggy storyline feels distanced from its rapid-fire level design, which can make the attempts at a meditative atmosphere feel forced and alienating.

Lightmatter rests somewhere in the middle of the pack when it comes to first person puzzlers. It uses the basic light tools satisfactorily, and the sharp visual style and brisk pace help it succeed. Unfortunately some technical blemishes offset its better qualities.

When The Past Was Around may be brief, but its splendid artwork, beautiful music and memorable story will stick with you long after you wrap it up.

South of the Circle is a minimalistic game that tells an initially engaging, but ultimately underwhelming story. And beyond the narrative, there's not much here to recommend.

With appealing pixel graphics and some smart tweaks to the bullet heaven formula, Swarm Grinder is a lot of fun... until it isn't. The lack of variety in playable characters, levels, and weapons drags down the experience, but die hard fans of the genre may still enjoy the grind. Those prone to nightmares involving insectoid aliens who want to suck your face off should probably avoid.

Disney Illusion Island is an excellent choice for anyone who classes themselves as a gigantic Disney aficionado or anyone looking for a family-friendly game. However, the enchantment of the experience may start to dwindle like a fading dream due to the over-simplistic gameplay.

Star Allies is a respectable entry in the Kirby legacy, but it isn't likely to be held up as one of the better entries. Maybe with some more content, I'd be warmer to the whole experience, but I did have fun and definitely appreciate Nintendo making yet another co-op platformer I can enjoy with my family.

Martha Is Dead is a good adventure thanks to its deep look into the mind of a character under stress. Aside from performance issues and missed opportunities, the game has great attention to detail and careful pacing.