While the returning sniping and stealth mechanics keep Sniper Elite: Resistance on target across some good open levels, the lack of innovation means it is not a surefire hit for everyone.

Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate chooses quantity over quality. While it includes tons of characters, the bland level and mission design lose their allure far too quickly, which is a shame. With a little more care and tweaks to mechanics, it could have been a strong entry in the series.

Despite its generic name, Storyteller should hopefully grab the attention of puzzle fans with its charming presentation and engaging design.

Vampyr is a smart action game that poses regular moral dilemmas as you decide to either heal or kill characters in a wonderfully dark city. With decent melee combat and an interesting story, there are not many vampire games that taste as sweet.

If you'd like to experience the sense of flow of iOS rhythm games or runners without the touch controls, Lost in Harmony’s isolated keys and horizontal scroller may prove attractive on the PC. But alas, it’s better suited to the smartphone, and with its rich, painted aesthetic and surprisingly grounded story, it’s probably amongst the strongest on that market.

Taur has a few exciting moments and addictive progression elements to get you far into the campaign, but repetitive design, uneven difficulty, and unsatisfying combat eventually wear out its welcome.

Fe feels like an experimental platformer trying to make an emotional statement. It leans heavily on the gimmick of using songs to interact with nature, but if you're not floored by this angle - there's not much else for you.

Despite The Cub’s basic platforming, with clunky trial and error, its slightly bizarre world, cool and varied music, and great visual design make it worth playing.

With its compelling narrative, gorgeous anime visuals, and multiple endings, Digimon Survive has all the winning traits that will make it a champion among visual novel and Digimon fans alike. Unfortunately, an incredibly simple and tedious turn-based battle system lets it down.

Siberian Mayhem improves on Serious Sam 4 in several areas, except where it mattered most: performance. The expansion’s poor framerates and tech issues are a shame when it has better level design and fun secrets.

There's not enough substance to Mr. Shifty to leave a lasting impression, but the moment-to-moment gameplay is certainly enough to get your blood pumping for a bit. In this case, that was certainly enough for me.

Effie isn’t going to blow any minds, but its tried-and-true action and 3D platforming design makes for a delightful callback to yesteryear.

The Dark Pictures: The Devil in Me has a promising start but ends up being a lackluster final game in the first season of this horror Anthology. Although the formula can still work, as demonstrated by The Quarry, with bland gameplay and uninteresting characters this sub-series clearly needs a facelift.

The Fidelio Incident is a solid exploration adventure that's elevated by an interesting premise, engaging story and great voice acting.

The Dark Pictures: Man Of Medan takes a while to get going, but eventually the scares start kicking in, and it’s a lot of fun screaming alongside your friends. This is a game that’s meant to be shared and is a blast to play in groups. A promising start to the horror anthology that will hopefully only get better with subsequent entries.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood is an adequate shooter, buried under a glut of unnecessary RPG elements and an obnoxious focus on cooperative play. Fans should look to the other games in the series to quench their thirst for straightforward Nazi killing.

Though not without some minor issues, Light Fall manages to overcome its fairly typical visual design and platforming gameplay thanks to the unique Shadow Core mechanics and an engaging narrator.

Deliver Us Mars comes crashing back down to Earth because of presentation failings, story missteps, and technical issues, despite a somewhat compelling personal tale involving the majesty of space travel and exploration of the red planet.

West of Dead is full of style and brooding atmosphere, but the clunky controls and a lack of polish overshadow a few of its original ideas.

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier lacks meaningful gameplay and its episodes needed greater distinction, but it still provides that same appealing Telltale drama about an unconventional family thrust into dangerous situations.

Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is a very faithful remake that captures every single quality of the original title. That means you're getting a wonderful new presentation alongside all of the blemishes of the past.

Rainbow Six Extraction is an experimental spinoff that has some potential, with a solid foundation borrowed from R6 Siege. But the experience is constantly torn between stealth and action, and with the repetitive nature of the gameplay and limited content, it's tough to say how many will keep fighting to the end.

Despite a tedious beginning and many generic traits, Scars Above comes alive near the end with decent third-person shooting set in an intriguing alien world that is oddly familiar in more ways than one.

The concept behind Absolver is intriguing, but its execution and lack of staying power make it a very tough recommendation. If you're willing to put up with tedium, maybe joining a guild and learning new moves will be for you. For others, I'd say give this a pass.

Cris Tales may not be as feature heavy as the JRPG classics it takes inspiration from, but it oozes whimsical charm with a vibrant anime aesthetic and a likeable cast. The gameplay, while serviceable, may get stale towards the end, but Cris Tales is still a title I'd recommend taking a chance on.

Despite its very inconsistent tone, lack of polish and finicky vehicles, the solid core gameplay and gorgeous open world make Ghost Recon Wildlands a highly enjoyable co-op multiplayer tactical experience.

With movement and combat upgrades, Outcast – A New Beginning eventually comes close to being a decent open-world shooter, but terrible fetch quests, bland activities, tech issues, and narrative gaffes mean that the colorful world of Adelpha does not bear enough fruit.

If you treat Where the Water Tastes Like Wine as a visual novel with added interaction, you’ll find a unique premise surrounded with a host of interesting characters and stories. As a video game, however, it is too stripped back to feel substantial and remain engaging through its lengthy run time.

A fast, punishing, stylish first-person shooter with a unique character-action-style formula and nuanced combat to boot. Hardcore and rewarding, if you can get a handle on it.

Jurassic World Evolution is a very pretty looking game, but one that doesn't have a lot going on under the hood. It can be infuriating, engaging and baffling in equal measure, but is only really made for the most diehard of Jurassic Park fans.

It falls a bit flat on some of the more traditional fronts for an open-world shooter, but The Signal From Tölva still makes for an atmospheric, absorbing trek across a strange and ancient landscape. Impressive effort.

As one of the most frustrating games ever made, I Am Fish is a special kind of awful. With horrible traversal, unforgiving physics, inconsistent challenge, and terrible stealth sections, it is about as fun as getting your head stuck in a fishbowl.

Repetition and a general lack of polish crushes Warhammer: Chaosbane before it has a chance to put up a fight. Although the game has decent visuals and competent action, it is just too stagnant, with the same basic enemies filling poorly-randomized levels.

Harold Halibut overstays its welcome like a free diver that descends too far. Its painfully boring gameplay consists of walking back and forth as the story unhurriedly transpires. Still, the oddball characters and sublime stop-motion aesthetics may hook a few gamers who are happy to wade in the shallows.

Like squeezing blood from a stone, The Outlast Trials is a repetitive chore that features monotonous searches and running laps through mazes until there is nothing left but pain and the option to share the misery with others.

Knack 2 offers a decently enjoyable campaign, with expanded combat options and streamlined gameplay mechanics. It's a fairly typical and accessible modern action/adventure with no big highs or lows, as it makes some improvements over its predecessor. And for some fans, that may just be enough to return for another adventure.

Lost Sphear is a middling JRPG that lacks style, tone, and substance. You can see certain ideas that are working hard to keep things afloat, but with a rough plot, bad cast, generic look, and combat that grows tedious, it fails to stand out.

With a game both simple in its execution and deep in customization and unlockables, Disco Dodgeball Remix offers an interesting new way to enjoy online FPS gaming, at least in short bursts.

Tannenberg is more accessible and has a greater fun factor than you might expect from a realism-driven World War 1 shooter, thanks to a great central game mode and consistently exciting and satisfying gameplay. Though you’ll need to be on board with bolt-action rifles and accept that you are going to die a lot.

Blacksad: Under the Skin holds promise, and it makes good on a few ideas. The noir storytelling is appropriately entertaining, and the gameplay manages to hold up, even if it doesn’t strive for much. However, the inconsistent graphics and terrible performance mar what would otherwise be a solid little adventure.

The Crew 2 offers a wealth of varied content to undertake in a huge open world, but the entire experience is shackled by too many gameplay and design annoyances, with hastily borrowed mechanics that never really come together.

Cat Cafe Manager is a very relaxing game, once you get the hang of things it’s easier to fall into a systematic routine. The addition of everyday-life sounds made me almost feel like I was in a real cafe. Although I did enjoy managing my own Cat Cafe—and adopting as many stray cats as I could—I was really disappointed that the story ended quite quickly. It would have been nice if each villager had a personal quest that somehow tied with restoring the shrine.

Clash: Artifacts of Chaos offers a beautiful new rendition of Zenozoik with suitable fisticuffs against whacky creatures, offset by awfully circuitous traversal and repetitive gameplay.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 does little to make you excited for the real event next year. Its collection of sports minigames varies in quality, the story is dull, and with a surprising lack of structured party play, there's not a lot of value here for the full asking price.

WrestleQuest has just enough charm and personality to make up for its more distracting problems. The constant references to the world of wrestling and fun appearances by legends make the stories of Muchacho Man and Brink worth following, but the gameplay could have used some additional refinement.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite does no favors to the franchise's reputation in video games. It's a mostly functional, but very repetitive and bland shooter that may only grab the interest of the most hardcore Xeno enthusiasts.

Moons of Madness needed to cut away all of the extra ideas on the periphery and figure out what it’s about. There are so many themes and concepts shoved into the adventure that they sprawl all over each other, taking up time and space, and failing to scare anyone.

Though ambitious and offering a powerful suite of creation tools for meticulous brick builders, LEGO Worlds is let down by its awkward controls, repetitive quests, an overlong trek to collect Gold Bricks, and a ton of technical issues.

State of Decay 2 refines and builds upon the formula of managing the survival of a group during a zombie apocalypse, with mostly well balanced difficulty and smooth co-op integration making up for plain visuals and some rough edges.

Eternal Hope had potential, and it has great presentation qualities. However, the lack of meaningful plot direction and unresponsive controls make the adventure more of a slog than it should be.

Maid of Sker is a competent horror adventure where the player explores a well-designed 19th-century hotel. But its clumsy stealth, forgettable puzzles, and lukewarm scares prevent it from hitting the high notes.

Trailblazers is a fun arcade racing game – from its varied modes to the solid presentation and unique gameplay, the formula for success is definitely there. However, a relatively high price, inconsistent AI and barren multiplayer prevent this title from reaching the podium.

Erica offers a very casual take on the adventure game genre with a rather convoluted story, but a great price and solid production values make it a novelty thriller that's worth a look.

Daemon X Machina is an underwhelming mech game that offers too few enjoyable qualities to recommend, even for the fans of the genre. Fleeting fun from the action is buried beneath a poorly told story, lackluster presentation, and barebones mechanics.

For a few moments, New Tales from the Borderlands captures the feeling of the series, but for the most part it's a rather generic and overlong trek that fails to excite, entertain, or amuse.

Plasma Puncher doesn’t look to revolutionize the modern beat 'em up, but its punchy character controls and tough, wave-based combat offer an addictive few hours of amoeba-murder that ultimately makes that okay.

Last Stop is an engaging piece of entertainment, but not really an entertaining game to play. The fun of the narrative can't overcome the lackluster gameplay and nonexistent player choice.

It may not consistently live up to the standards of Volition's recent pedigree, but Agents of Mayhem's cackling supervillains, destructive vigilantism and satisfying combat make for a jolly good open-world adventure nonetheless.

NBA 2K21 marks a new low, which is really disappointing. At times, NBA 2K has been my favorite sports franchise, reinventing itself in ways that reverberated across the industry. But this year's edition feels incomplete and lacking. I would recommend revisiting older games before picking this one up; maybe the next-gen version will be more complete.

Firmament’s deficient storytelling, bland and sparse worlds, clumsy primary tool, and occasionally broken puzzles mean it is not worth playing, even if you are a fan of Cyan’s previous adventures.

There is nothing special or complicated about The Gunk, but it proves to be a relaxing and light adventure that focuses on the manual removal of a toxic substance and the abrupt return of nature.

Seven: The Days Long Gone has too much going on for any of it to work well. The developers clearly wanted to build a big and elegant stealth-action game with all sorts of features and mechanics, but their inability to leave anything on the cutting room floor has resulted in game that's a bit of a mess.

The Hong Kong Massacre is obsessed with fist-pumping, high-octane action and is a great offering for action fans that enjoy the likes of Hotline Miami. The first two hours are largely spent finding the game’s wavelength, but the pulsing energy of the design helps propel you along. Before long, you’ll be swan diving through windows and lighting up rooms with gunfire in pure action bliss.

CastleStorm 2 tries to keep many of the same elements that made the original game fun, but it just doesn’t come together this time around. The new mechanics and expanded campaign design feel shallow and almost unnecessary.

Cartel Tycoon gets the basics right, and its low price may entice some fans of management games. However, more could have been done with the setting and some of the mechanics. There are better options in the genre.

Even as a simple party game, it's difficult to recommend Frantics. There's just nothing that really stands out as a high point. It's flawed in almost every way that really matters and doesn't offer the levels of entertainment one would hope to get from a game like this.

The Chant had the pieces to be a unique piece of survival horror entertainment, but the assorted aspects of the title fail to congeal into a satisfying adventure. The combat is clunky and bland, and the story has its moments, but doesn't deliver in the end.

Inked tries in earnest to make a small folk tale into a wider allegory about creative expression, and though admirable in theory, the self-reflexive bent ultimately hinders the sense of unease it creates through its pleasantly hand-drawn realm.

Song of Horror manages to provide atmospheric horror, but its lack of quality characters, unapologetically slow gameplay and heartbreaking save corruption bug make it a game that just isn't worth the time.

Despite some issues and a weaker entry than last year, there's still plenty to enjoy in NBA 2K24. The gameplay continues to be refined with smart tweaks, and the visuals are among the best in the genre. However, the continued push of microtransactions continues to leave a sour taste, and MyCareer is a disappointment this time out.

With so many Dark Knight adventures in our movies, TV, comics, and video games, you have to do something special to stand out. In the first few episodes, it looked like Batman: The Telltale Series might actually bottle lightning and create something excellent. But as the finale rolls in, it series fails to separate itself from the many Batman outings we’ve already experienced elsewhere.

As the existing fans look on with shock, Project Cars 3 decides to make a franchise U-turn. It doesn't cause any huge accidents and merges into the new lane with decent grace, but it's already trailing the pack of other arcade racing games, leaving many to wonder if it was worth doing.

The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human is a short, but memorable journey. Whether it’s taking down a pair of seahorses, or exploring the last remnants of humanity, the title is full of memorable set pieces that will delight, even in the face of existential horror.

Exception is a bog-standard platformer that rarely rises above mediocrity. Its saving grace is an excellent presentation and a fire soundtrack that you should check out even if you have no interest in playing the actual game. Otherwise, look elsewhere for your platforming kicks.

Down in Bermuda is an entirely forgettable puzzle game that blends into the background of an oversaturated genre. What makes it stand out is the steep $20 price tag, made even more outlandish by the lack of content.

Serious Sam 4 plays like its predecessors when it comes to the general shooting, featuring open areas and hordes of enemies. But it could have been better if it cleaned up the various technical and presentation issues that ruin the fun.

911 Operator successfully taps into some addicting resource management gameplay and effectively combines it with a unique emergency call center scenario. This foundation is solid, but repetitive mechanics combined with a lack of content and relative ease of progress leave this simulation feeling lackluster.

I enjoyed my time with Reverie Knights Tactics, and I think there's a solid foundation of a strategy title here. However, the disappointing finish to the quest, and lack of gameplay depth outside of combat cast a cloud over the entire experience.

As a visual treat and atmospheric marvel, The Callisto Protocol has the presentation to be Dead Space’s modern-day superior, but shoddy lore, gameplay quirks, and blandness mean it does not quite make the cut.

Deliver Us The Moon offers a strong mystery on Earth’s natural satellite. Plentiful world interaction, detailed environments, and a good structure help with pacing, although linearity and a lack of definitive answers make for a rough landing.

Soulstice features decent combat with a few unique tricks, but it grows repetitive. With a dull story and lackluster presentation, it might mostly be of interest to DMC fans on a budget.

Battlefield 2042 changes the franchise formula considerably but brings no real improvements. While it has added flexibility with specialists and the Portal mode, the balance issues, poor maps, technical problems, and missing features keep it from reaching the heights of its predecessors.

Freeform investigation with multiple outcomes is scarcely as good as it is in The Occupation, so it’s disappointing to see it paired with clunky stealth and an unwillingness to give players enough time to find the game’s best-kept secrets.

On the surface, Lake Ridden does not appear much different from other adventure games. But it doesn’t take long to see the flaws: a confusing narrative, busywork tasks, fetch quests, and a depressing and dreary world. The handful of good puzzles are simply not enough.

Just Cause 4 is an easy-to-play sandbox of chaos with a sprinkling of extreme weather. It holds strong due to an improved grapple and varied tools, and while this explosive sequel won’t set the world on fire, you can blow up enough things to make it interesting.

Although still impressive and unmatched in its scale, the 2024 sequel to Microsoft Flight Simulator can't be carried by its novelty alone. The added career mode seems competent on paper, and being able to step outside your aircraft adds immersion. But the entire experience is hamstrung by very disappointing visuals and data streaming issues, as well as plentiful bugs and design shortcomings.

MediEvil is a remake that should have taken more chances. Specifically, the gameplay needed to be reimagined for a 2019 audience. Instead, it just feels dated and obnoxious in a way that spoils its redeeming qualities.

While the colorful underground worlds in Little Orpheus look fantastic, the terribly bland platforming and irritating story drag the whole experience down into the depths.

While some walking sims have evolved, Open Roads is stuck in the past. Its two good characters cannot offset the bland interactivity and mystery that is as flat as the game's 2D conversations.

Sea of Thieves has provided some of my favorite gaming moments this year, but the repetitive voyages and reliance on currently infrequent player encounters to keep things interesting mean the seas are a bit shallower than you might expect in a full-price game.

Somerville is a nice looking adventure game with a unique puzzle element idea, but narrative and performance inconsistencies leave the overall experience a bit muted.

The Almost Gone is an occasionally enjoyable puzzle game, with a unique way of presenting levels. However, its high price and inability to adequately tackle heavy narrative themes leave it lost in the sea of mobile game ports.

Nerve has some interesting ideas, but its admittedly unique mix of roguelike elements, speed, and strategy doesn't always produce satisfying results.

The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game will provide some fun for fans of the film and the characters, but its high asking price and relative lack of content may underwhelm those who enjoy the typically better LEGO titles.

Marvel's Avengers has some good ideas, a satisfying campaign and enjoyable combat across a variety of heroes. But it suffers from repetitive and shallow missions, borrowed mechanics that aren't executed particularly well, and not least of all, pronounced technical issues.

Shining Resonance Refrain is a decidedly adequate game. It has dozens of hours of content, but those hours include passable battles, an average story, tired MMO elements, and a mediocre dating sim to boot. It's not going to twist the arm of someone who’s sworn off JRPGs like Persona 5 would, but it could do just enough to satisfy die-hard fans of the genre.

Transference is an enjoyable thriller that retains its effectiveness in a non-VR setting. Despite gameplay simplicity and underutilized live-action videos, the strong atmosphere and a few memorable scenes help this sci-fi adventure leave a lasting mark.

Rainswept delivers an engaging and often touching story, but its dated visuals, lack of worthwhile gameplay and disappointing conclusion leave it in a somewhat muddy puddle.