A Way Out pretty much succeeds in spite of itself. The storytelling is amateurish and a weak third act threatens to sour the whole experience. However, the hours before that are the dreams co-op games are made of.

Gears Tactics is a worthwhile spinoff that does a great job of integrating key franchise elements into a different genre. The story is shallow, and the missions get quite repetitive, but fans of turn based tactics should get some gory fun out of this one.

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.

Athena Crisis is squarely aimed at long-time Advance Wars fans, who will likely find much to enjoy in both the official missions and the potentially endless content created by the community. It falls short of the best in the genre, like Wargroove or Into the Breach, but is still worth a look for those who get a kick out of sending pixelated soldiers to their deaths.

Tetris Effect reflects the classic puzzle game through a particle filled kaleidoscope, putting players into a mesmerizing trance with its unique presentation, alongside classic gameplay. Its price point might jolt you back to reality, though.

Gravity Rush 2 expands on the uniquely enjoyable gravity shifting gameplay of the original and features a likeable cast of characters that should satisfy fans, despite a few missteps.

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.

Crytek have made something that feels truly distinct with Hunt: Showdown. The tense, high stakes PvP action blends well with southern swamp-horror PvE to create a fresh and compelling multiplayer experience, though the extreme lethality of the combat and a current lack of content might leave you hunting for a sale.

Engaging combat, a beautiful world, and intriguing story moments ensure Avowed is an action-RPG worth exploring, but tiresome encounters, progression quirks, and dull companions keep it from achieving divinity.

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.

Joggernauts is a charming party-platformer that will invoke feelings of both joyful laughter and rage. The game forces your brain to think in an obscure new way, as you scramble to juggle color coordination, pitfall hopping, and team communication.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a decent return to the series’ roots that puts stealth and free-running parkour back into focus. While it has several issues, and Basim’s story is uninspired, many will still appreciate silently exploring a smaller sand castle.

Resident Evil 3 proves that you can take a lot of the same mechanics and ideas, but when you implement them into a flawed structure, a lot gets lost in the mix. The 2020 remake lacks the depth, pacing, and general sensibilities of a great survival horror and ends up almost becoming an action game.

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.

All the creative problem-solving satisfaction of algorithm design with minimal nuisance coworkers. Algo Bot is a little bland and tiresome at times, but it’s still far cleverer than you and I.

Despite some pacing issues and uneven difficulty, Card Shark offers some very original card manipulation gameplay in a charming historical setting.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts alters the course of this honed-in franchise to offer a tighter and more customizable sniping experience. It doesn't iron out all of the issues and lacks big innovations, but it's a solid fix for fans of the genre.

FIFA 23 is the final entry of this footballing franchise under its current iconic name, and it's not really one to remember. While the gameplay continues to strive forward, most of the other new features are rather undercooked and the overall package lacks a bit of polish.

Stellar Blade is a mostly enjoyable action game with solid combat, strong presentation, and good enemy designs. Its scantily clad heroine is not very interesting, and neither is the story, but there is enough here to warrant a peek.

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.

Dreams is a creator-focused set of tools more so than a video game. If you've always wanted to get into game making, collaborate with the like-minded community, and weren't sure where to start, this is a great option. But if you're primarily after some quality gameplay, and not just bite-sized imitations, it's best to look elsewhere.

With no campaign, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is still a capable sequel with three decent multiplayer offerings. Blackout is an addictive campfest. Zombies has more content than ever before but remains stuck in its ways. Last but not least, traditional multiplayer remains strong as it puts emphasis on teamwork and brings a few intelligent new modes across solid maps.

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.

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.

Final Fantasy XVI continues to push the series into a new direction. While it has a well-realized setting, good characters, satisfying combat, and excellent cinematic large scale battles, the slow pacing, lackluster RPG elements and barebones optional content grind the excitement to a halt too often.

Battlefield V offers incredible pace as it sidesteps into the hardcore realm with modest success. Maps are open and satisfactory for Conquest, albeit with design issues, and some modes are too linear and chaotic. These inconsistencies, along with numerous technical issues, make it a good game that may eventually become a great one.

Despite interesting choices that alter events, Batman: The Enemy Within is not quite a stellar experience. Watching Joker come alive as he interacts with Bruce is alluring and the finale is impressive, but the second season squanders the best features of the original season and has the same problems as Telltale’s other recent efforts.

Dying Light 2 exchanges simplicity for scale but it is still a decent sequel. The parkour movement and combat are both excellent, but the poor story, simplified night gameplay, and broken co-op mean this is not the best zombie game from Techland.