New Dawn is more Far Cry for those who have extinguished all their other options, but its new additions aren't fleshed out quite enough to captivate newcomers looking for a substantial open world experience, or entice deserters that have grown tired of the franchise formula.

Days Gone is a fairly typical open world post apocalyptic survival title that offers a few memorable mechanics and story beats, but is eventually consumed by genre clichés. Poor technical performance further hinders its chances of survival, but perhaps with time that wound will heal.

The appealing post-apocalyptic presentation found in Life of Delta might draw players into its world, but the simple puzzles and barren story will keep them from building a lasting connection.

Song of Iron starts off as a promising minimalistic Viking adventure, before running out of steam and dipping in quality the longer you play - which isn't long, thus also putting its asking price into question.

The video game adaptation of Sand Land brings one of Akira Toriyama's lesser-known works into the spotlight. It follows the source material well and cleverly expands on the story, but the gameplay is lacking.

Though GRIP offers up some exciting racing and vehicular combat on a really wild and creative set of tracks, a frustrating singleplayer campaign and serious technical issues with the online multiplayer make it difficult to recommend in its current state.

Star Trek: Resurgence has an interesting story with thought-provoking scenarios and two good protagonists. While it makes adequate use of the interactive-story genre, there was room to improve the choices and gameplay.

OVIVO may be a bit artsy for some people, but the game is relatively short and always throwing something new your way. Even if it doesn’t leave a lasting impression, the game is good while it lasts.

The story and puzzles are decent in Aporia: Beyond The Valley, so it's a shame that the world is roughly designed, there are consistency and technical issues, and the horror element is shallow.

Trek to Yomi is a visual masterpiece with a solid story, unfortunately let down by its gameplay. Whilst there are some enjoyable elements, it doesn't hold up when compared to numerous recently released peers that do samurai combat better.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising has made a substantial effort to use a rich narrative with charming characters to create a genuinely wholesome world. However, the side quests serve as a barrier, as they entail the monotonous affair of gathering materials. Hopefully, Hundred Heroes will not fall prey to the same shortcomings as this introduction chapter.

Cozy Grove accomplishes what it sets out to do. That is, to provide a charming respite from the troubles of the world. The addicting loop of the island will keep me coming back, even if I don't necessarily love all aspects of the title.

NHL 22 makes a careful and mostly smooth transition to a new engine and the new console generation. The new ice looks great, and some gameplay tweaks are enjoyable, but beneath the surface the experience still feels very much the same.

Lichtspeer: Double Speer Edition is a bizarre juxtaposition of an off-the-wall premise and aesthetics coupled with some basic shooting mechanics that stress trajectory and timing above all else. There isn’t a ton of meat to the gameplay, but it’s a fun little diversion and overall satisfying gaming appetizer.

Pinstripe is not an overly exciting or satisfying gameplay experience, but its art style and haunting setting will stick with you. The repetition from backtracking, simple puzzles and general shallowness of the mechanics are bound to leave fans of the metroidvania games bored and disappointed. However, this unique version of Hell and a man’s struggle to come to terms with his personal demons is both intriguing and haunting. The haunting atmosphere created by the visuals and audio, including chilling voice acting and a great soundtrack, should hopefully help Pinstripe standout from the lot.

Relicta is a smart, well-designed puzzler. It provides a tough challenge that really forces you to carefully think about each move. It's not always perfect, but is a solid entry into one of my favorite genres.

Solid deck building fundamentals are let down by a lack of progression and weak not-quite-RPG questing. If you like the idea of a deck builder with a relatively open overworld and a cheery fantasy vibe, you might still enjoy this one, but it's hard to recommend above its more sophisticated indie peers.

The Invincible offers up plenty of sci-fi intrigue, but even as a fan of walking simulators, the gameplay just falls too short of the mark. I still enjoyed my time on Regis III, but there were definitely ways to improve the experience.

Etherborn is a creative and occasionally maddening puzzler that will test your brainpower. However, there's not a ton of content here, and the backing narration often comes across as pretentious nonsense.

The Sinking City is a decent adaptation of Lovecraft’s work, meshing dark themes with a variety of great investigations that culminate into tricky decisions. If the combat was less clunky and the world more polished, it would have beckoned all to its desolate shore.

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.

White Shadows is a middling puzzle-platformer with interesting Orwellian themes. Although its black and white world design is commendable, it is limited by bland gameplay and an ungainly eleventh-hour exposition dump.

NHL 24 puts all of its pucks into the online play basket, so only players who fall into that category will find some excitement this year. The new controls and pressure mechanics leave something to be desired, and the complete lack of offline mode changes is baffling, as are the still incredibly slow menus.

Nothing in Knowledge is Power really hooked me, but it’s certainly serviceable as a fun distraction. The power plays and bonus rounds mean you and your friends will probably get a good couple of hours of fun out of this, though it likely won’t replace your usual favorite trivia board game.

39 Days to Mars is serviceable, but there isn’t a ton of substance here. Most of the ingenuity and overall appeal can be found in the charming art style and some of the creative cooperative puzzles interwoven nicely into the gameplay.

Diverse movie scenes, twisted dynamic levels, and a handful of good scares help make Layers of Fear 2 a fine piece of horror gaming. Better story pacing and a clearer start might have seen it outperform the competition.

LEGO Horizon Adventures faithfully recreates the world of machines from the PlayStation game series, and has some fun combat. However, it is aimed squarely at younger players, and is rather brief. A fun and accessible introduction for newcomers, but returning fans will find this diversion not as worthwhile.

Although faithful to the 1997 movie, Starship Troopers: Terran Command as an RTS is not consistently enjoyable. Despite some good defensive sequences, its path-finding issues, bland missions, and excessive micromanagement bury some of the fun.