Hunt: Showdown is a clever, hard-nosed FPS that doesn't have enough substance to be truly essential yet.

Headspun is a well-meaning attempt at exploring a fascinating topic. Wandering around certain rooms like the Dream Theater and Memory Bank, you see some some vivid imagery, and are faced with interesting questions about the relationship between memories and identity. But it never delves deeper, restricting you to tedious minigames and superfluous base-building while you wait to see how story pans out. Headspun failed to entrench itself in my memory, and I wouldn't feel differently even if its swarms of bugs were squashed.

World of Warcraft Classic is still the exact same MMO I remembered losing so many nights to as a teenager, and 15 years later it's still just as fun and as frustrating as I'd hoped it would be.

Man of Medan tells a familiar story in a fascinating way, and even moreso with a partner.

Knights and Bikes tells a touching, albeit overlong, coming of age story about friendship and grief.

A novel premise wrapped in an awkward and repetitive survival slog.

Control's thin protagonist and abrupt ending are propped up by an abundance of mystery, wonder, and glorious room-destroying combat.

It’s not just cashing in on a fad—there’s a genuine love for everything '80s that seeps into every fuzz-filtered sound and every crunchy pixel. But there are so many games like this around right now. They’re doing fantastic things with the genre, to boot. Unless you’re screaming for a synth-tracked adventure, it’s hard to recommend Rad over its more contemporary counterparts.

An atmospheric, brilliantly written and acted detective thriller that tells a compelling story in a unique way.

Endearing, compulsive, and just weird enough to want to keep exploring.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw lives up to its name among space sims. It’s spirited, good-looking and vibrant, effectively spraying several cans of blue and pink graffiti over the existing space sim template. None of its systems are particularly deep, but skimming along over them can be an exhilarating journey.

A flawed but fascinating hybrid, Remnant: From the Ashes is a looter-shooter charged with potential.

Even alongside other recent, excellent retro FPSes, Ion Fury reminds us of how much this period of PC gaming has to offer. It's surely the best thing that's ever happened in the Build Engine, and although limitations of enemy and weapon design reveal themselves over time, the swift movement and sleek maps make Ion Fury a worthy indulgence in the past.

Age of Wonders: Planetfall, while a bit opaque in some areas, is the most entertaining 4X I've played in years.

Sticking points aside, Streets of Rogue is absolutely worth playing, and once you start, it’s hard to stop. It gives you more freedom than almost any roguelike, and its varied cast of characters, combined with the randomness of traits and mutators, mean no two runs play out the same way.

A refreshing hybrid of Metroidvania and roguelite, unfortunately hampered by inconsequential power-ups.

Maybe Tetris Effect is just Tetris, but it masterfully does what so many other game remakes aim for—an experience suitable for seasoned players as well as beginners, which enhances what’s already good and offers new reasons to love a classic.

Youngblood's gorgeous, terrible world is worth exploring, despite a slight narrative and oppressively boring progression systems.

Final Fantasy 14 is quietly one of the best games in the series, but Shadowbringers elevates it even further by telling a bleak and heartfelt tale that generously rewards the investment made by its most hardcore fans.

Haphazard gameplay and varying narrative quality put a damper on Night Call's strong mood and hints of brilliance.

Sea of Solitude is a gorgeous adventure that knows its way around mental illness, but doesn't make great use of the medium to tell its story.

Heavy Rain is poorly written and not as smart as it thinks it is, but has a genuine sense of choice and consequence.

Weighed down by a terrible campaign, this is still a superb multiplayer WW2 tactical RTS.

At its best when the screen is full of enemies, Amid Evil is a badass monster mash.

Bloodstained: ROTN faithfully recreates the metroidvania experience of the 2000s—a feast for fans of a very specific experience; a bit too old-fashioned for anyone else.

An occasionally entertaining detective game blighted by poor writing, rote combat, and a dreary open world.

Breezy fun that also rewards combo-chasing mastery. Barrel through the story once for a laugh, then replay the best levels until you are John Wick on a skateboard.

F1 2019 retains immaculate handling and visuals while adding cinematic spectacle and junior series racing.