Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is a fine game that makes it easy to get swept away in the pirate life and the thrills of ship combat. It’s a solid evolution on the first outing, though the technical flaws are significant and ultimately detract from the overall impression.

Doom Eternal’s core shooting is strong thanks to grand weapons and enemy variety, but it buries the action under irksome resource management and stilted combat arenas. The bland multiplayer and silly platforming only hurt it more, driving this sequel below previous games in the series.

Kentucky Route Zero is an incredibly dull and over-embellished text adventure that fails to engage, entertain, or provide much value to anyone but perhaps the uppermost art connoisseurs.

I wish there was more to do in Night in the Woods, but that doesn't stop it from being a delight. I love that it addresses something relevant and honest. It's a slice of life that speaks to a generation and explores a world with unusual depth.

Nex Machina is another impressive addition to the portfolio of Housemarque. It’s a top-tier shooter with dazzling visuals that never lets up on the action.

Nioh is a very impressive offering from Team Ninja, mostly thanks to the excellent combat and well-crafted main missions. From Software finally have some serious competition in the sub-genre they invented.

Subnautica links progression to dive depth and it pays dividends. It also provides useful tools and varied submersibles that facilitate the steady exploration of wondrous biomes far below the waves.

I don't know if I enjoyed Final Fantasy VII Remake as much as I was fascinated by it. The game is bound to divide fans and newcomers, but it's the kind of experience that's going to be dissected for decades to come - much like the original.

Sea of Stars may pinch its influences from numerous 16-bit titles like Chrono Trigger, but the gameplay feels neither stale or old. The gorgeous 2D environments and bizarre cosmic-esque plot will hold players' attention for the whole 35-40-hour runtime.

Astral Chain successfully combines great action, exploration, and puzzles together with a strong narrative. Despite a few problems with pacing and repetition, it's a fun, engaging, and above all original experience.

Although the core mechanic is not unique anymore, Pikmin 4 proves that it can still be fun and engaging to control your little army through a variety of nicely designed levels thanks to a few tweaks to the series formula.

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.

Gran Turismo 7 continues to go about its brand of racing simulation in a uniquely eccentric and elegant way. It looks and handles as great as ever, though there is not much novelty here to get excited about, and the always-online requirement remains unwarranted.

Indiana Jones makes a triumphant return in the Great Circle thanks to a stellar cast, good puzzles, gameplay variety, attention to detail, and solid technical performance. It is a must play for fans of the whip-cracking hero, and adventure gamers.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is an excellent representation of the source material it is based on, with solid mechanics and plenty of variety, and offers just the sort of over-the-top mayhem that fans of the franchise should thoroughly enjoy.

For creator Sam Barlow and his studio Half Mermaid Productions, the push to eccentric cinematography continues with Immortality, as the video game elements fade further into the background. Some may find this odd collection of indie flicks enticing, but many will be disappointed by the lackluster interactivity.

Marvel's Spider-Man combines exciting traversal mechanics, varied combat, great presentation and plenty of content to build up enough momentum and swing by the underwhelming story and boss battles without getting caught in a web.

OlliOlli World continues to kick flip its way across a variety of colorful and imaginative levels. Returning fans will be pleased with this familiar experience sporting a new art style, but newcomers may be put off by eventually increasing difficulty and repetitive trial-and-error nature of the levels.

Deathloop is able to break the cycle of repetitive AI encounters and uneven performance thanks to an interesting story, strong characters, and enticing exploration.

Huntdown is a blistering and blood-soaked adventure that may look retro but feels remarkably modern. The title takes the basic formula of the sidescroller and tweaks it with notable improvements such as a cover system and boss battles that require more than just brawn. The genre may be flooded with similar romps, but Easy Trigger Games' effort stands out.

Dead Space (2023) takes the original’s stellar experience into the modern age with excellent atmosphere, additional narrative content, level-design tweaks, and a few surprises to keep the flayed flesh fresh.

Return to Monkey Island is a good modernization of a classic pirate tale, even if it overuses nostalgia. Its array of sensible puzzles and light humor outshine pacing issues and a discordant art style.

Aside from some bland combat and performance concerns, Silent Hill 2 is a good remake that takes the original’s intriguing narrative and crams it with more survival-horror gameplay while upgrading the visuals to do justice to the fascinating setting.

Neva is a great looking game that provides a few hours of joy from simply being immersed in its world. The gameplay, story, and pacing are a bit more subdued, however.

The Magical Vortex that serves as the focal point for the campaign proves to be the spark of life that was missing from the series’ first venture outside of historical realms, and alongside a host of other tweaks and refinements, makes Total War: Warhammer II a strategic success that any fan of the series should be able to get behind.

Hi-Fi Rush is a charming action game with a great art style, fun characters, and solid mechanics. Sometimes, that's all you need.

Halo Infinite offers a brief campaign with uneven writing, and a functional but safe implementation of the new open-world levels. It's still a great shooter with strong core mechanics that help carry the experience, but as multiplayer is now standalone and free, the value proposition of this full priced solo adventure is rather diluted.

It may not be the deepest experience around, but in terms of pure gameplay quality, Cuphead is a must-play for those seeking a challenge thanks to excellent controls and a unique visual presentation.