VR can’t elevate Edge of Nowhere’s mediocre climbing, shallow combat, and contrived story. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

Despite the missteps with combat, and another storyline that is just too dry to get invested in even with well-produced cutscenes, I still recommend Catalyst. It’s annoyingly close to being the ideal Mirror’s Edge game, but retains a few of its predecessors’ issues, even if those problems have manifested in different forms. If you loved the first game as much as I did, there’s so much to enjoy about running around this big, gorgeous playground—I just wish DICE had stuck the landing.

Dangerous Golf has a good variety of levels and lots of stuff to destroy, but offers weak, unsatisfying control over that destruction.

Not quite on par with Sapienza, Hitman's third episode is nonetheless a detailed, intricate playground for murder.

In most games, frustration and annoyance are solid indicators that something isn't working. Here, they're part and parcel of competition. If I'm annoyed, someone else is having a good time. If I'm elated, someone else is raging. That can be difficult to put a score to, because it removes emotion as the guiding light of a subjective process. Here's what I can say for certain: Overwatch is a great, occasionally fantastic shooter, and filled with fresh, clever design decisions.

Shadwen begins with promise, but has neither the depth nor the variety needed to fulfill it.

The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine is an accomplished piece of genre fiction with some characters I'll come to miss. Pour a goblet of the red stuff and join them, you won't be disappointed.

A fun, imaginative platformer that’s full of ideas, but prepare to die, a lot.

A tense and spooky strategy roguelike that's as satisfying as it is harrowing.

The series leaves its garage looking even worse than when it went in. Decent handling doesnt save it.

A great setting, a good story, and more dialogue-based solutions than the base game provides.

If you find real history a bit bland compared to glorious nonsense made up by strange British people then Warhammer is the Total War for you.

One great RPG and one curio. Not a perfect port, but definitely Square Enix’s best stab at bringing Final Fantasy to PC so far.

Homefront: The Revolution feels slapdash, and after the initial fun of learning its systems, drab repetition reveals obvious exploits.

With Doom’s campaign, id Software found a sweet spot nestled somewhere between nostalgia and modernity that celebrates the pulpy sheen of big-budget shooters and resurrects an intense, simplified focus on the shooting itself. Doom sticks a bit too close to home to reinvigorate the genre, but it’s a reminder that FPS games aren’t limited to stop and pop corridors and political melodrama. It’s a reminder that sometimes a controlled, crafted appeal to base desires—going fast, flying high, and swift, tongue-in-cheek demon justice—are more than enough.

Tree of Savior's biggest grind lies in chipping away all of its flaws just to experience its nostalgic charms.

Classic Gearbox shooting with an experimental MOBA twist, but it’s no Borderlands.

The early game promises an instant strategy classic, but Stellaris is unable to maintain that pace.

Master its complex systems and Offworld Trading Company is ruthless, immediate and thoroughly rewarding.

A gorgeous tactics card game that's simple to pick up but has significant depth.

Huge, open and beautiful. Sapienza offers up a different sort of challenge to Paris, and is a promising sign for Hitman's future.

A tubthumping tribute to the 40K universe, with perfectly grim design. Multiplayer definitely needs work on its balance though.

A handsome and brutal strategy sequel that benefits from a range of intelligent improvements.

The immersion of VR elevates this strong action RPG journey into something special. [Oculus Tested]

Strong first impressions make this ideal when showing off your new Rift headset, but there's little to keep you flying beyond those first few moments. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

A leisurely stroll through a beautiful apocalypse. Rapture is stirring and heartfelt, but may be too slow and hands-off for some.

As a Baldur's Gate adventure, Siege of Dragonspear works well. While it's not entirely tonally consistent with the original series, it does a good job of inserting itself into the middle of the story without feeling like sacrilege. As a result, though, it requires that you still be invested in that story. The fact is, a decade and a half later, there are much smoother, more enjoyable RPG experiences available.

Genuinely amusing and one of the slickest VR experiences to date, Job Simulator is perfect for quick demos of your new headset, but has little long-term value beyond that.