Historical accuracy, and the sheer number of units and scale of the map notwithstanding, Steel Division 2's offensive gets bogged down due to its cluttered UI, confusing layout, and repetitive battles. It does have solid foundations perfect for more improvements in the future.

The game spends so much time trying to accommodate everything that it can’t get one specific thing perfectly right. But, at the same time, it’s this vehicle-swapping feature that also helps The Crew 2 to stand out and it creates some genuinely fun moments, even if you’re just free roaming.

Even in its current form, Diesel Railcar Simulator offers a pretty charming, hands-on train simulation experience. It’s simple, but rather fun once you get the hang of it. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how it expands as time goes on.

Pretty, action-packed, and fun while it lasts, Shadow Warrior 3 is well made as long as there isn't any dialogue, but there's so little content that the price tag makes it truly hard to recommend.

A very respectable attempt at creating a 3D puzzle platformer but its pacing issues and somewhat frustrating camera design prevent Skully from being a great game. Still, there's some good value there for those willing to dish out the hefty $30 price tag.

Despite the palpable chill in the air throughout, there's a cosy fire burning at the heart of Wildfrost. Gather round for a tough-but-rewarding deckbuilding adventure.

Football Manager is an annual series that really only has to worry about competing with itself. Aside from a few pipe dream projects on Steam, there are really no other football management titles around. Despite not all the feature changes being an unqualified success, Football Manager 2018 is still to be recommended as an absurdly detailed simulation title. To this day, it has a propensity for generating narratives rivaled only by the Paradox grand strategy games. But if you do already own Football Manager 2017 I’d regard the yearly upgrade as gently desirable rather than an urgent necessity.

F1 22 is a flawed entry that has been tainted by its desperation to seemingly appeal to casual players. Even so, the driving mechanics carry the game, and it still manages to be a fun racing experience. Against all of the odds, F1 22 pulled through and is something worth playing.

The new Campus expansion adds a relatively deep and challenging new layer to the Cities experience, though I wouldn't call it a must-have.

Despite a few glaring faults, EvilVEvil still provides a fun, addictive gameplay loop that can be enjoyed alone or with friends. Don't expect AAA polish and you'll have a great time with this vampiric shooter.

Dead Island 2 delivers bone crunching combat alongside a generic experience that feels ripped straight from 2011.

While pretty fun on its own merits, No More Heroes 3 is noticeably lighter on actual content than previous games.

This is a very enjoyable game, and I'm disappointed that a bug deleted my save. But it's got most of what I look for in action-adventure titles and there's a whole lot to like here, despite how bland and familiar it can be.

Having great customization options, weapons, and an easy-to-do progression system, Payday 3 has the right ingredients to be a great shooter. On the other hand, with no offline mode and a lack of content, it might be hard to get more players to jump into the world for the long run.

Hordes of enemies, hundreds of items, and numerous dungeons aren't enough to prevent Warhammer Quest 2: The End Times from becoming all too repetitive after only a few hours of play.

It feels like Monkey Barrels has all of the components necessary to succeed, yet they miss the target ever so slightly. The repetitive stage structure, weapons, and enemies undermine what could have been special, but helps to prolong the overall experience. This isn't going to win any awards for innovation, but at least you will get a lengthy campaign to sink your teeth into.

Redout 2 is a niche product that won't be for everyone. However, if you happen to fall into its target audience, then it'll offer enough to keep you entertained for some time. Just be prepared to fail over and over before things start getting fun.

It might be short and simple but that doesn't stop it from being plenty entertaining and gorgeous to look at. If the idea of blasting shadow creatures with an energy beam while standing in place sounds like a good time to you, you'll probably find enough to like here.

The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos has zany humor and tactical depth. Its characters feel unique and memorable too. Sadly, it's bogged down by a nasty bug that can occur during battles, a particular issue that became problematic towards the end of the game, and a lack of replayability.

While undoubtedly rudimentary, Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World remains a solid action platformer suitable for all ages.

Phoenix Point has some amazing gameplay ideas and even fun fluff, but it needs to work on quality of life and balance.

While “one of the most inventive typing games out there” is a summary in danger of being mistaken for faint praise, Epistory’s wonderful, paper-craft design and smart, word-based battle system combine to make it exactly that.

Kunai is a bite-sized Metroidvania that’s well worth the pick-up for the fast, frenetic action alone. Once all the foes have been fought and the bosses have been bested, the Kunai content well has run empty.

Sometimes exceptional, always ambitious, but periodically falling short of its aims, Torment: Tides of Numenera is testament to the tribulations of following a universally established creative triumph. Well worth playing, nonetheless.

Through the Darkest of Times tells a compelling, historically grounded story of German resistance fighters who stood up to the Nazis. Its sensitive handling of difficult subject matter makes it a great game for anyone interested in a serious, emotional treatment of Nazi Germany. Unfortunately, the somewhat shallow strategy gameplay falls behind the deep themes.

This hopefully isn’t the last we’ll see of Eidos Montreal’s Deus Ex, but if it is then A Criminal Past at least serves as a compact summary of their tenure at the helm. Nothing too radical here, just a well constructed prison level for Adam Jensen to be let loose upon.

Crusader Kings III: Royal Court offers a plethora of customization options and more role-playing flavor. Sadly, it's bogged down by its reliance on random events that can get tiresome later in your campaign.

Think of King of Seas as yet another spiritual successor to Sid Meier's Pirates! It has all the tools needed to keep you entertained for many hours. Unfortunately, it's also lacking in certain departments, leading to a more streamlined approach that can't compare to the classic.

Zorya: The Celestial Sisters can suffer and succeed by its unique format at the same time, but is generally an enjoyable co-op experience.

Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 still manages to offer a decent romp with its blend of stealth and action. Unfortunately, it relies too much on "long shot contracts" as opposed to the sandbox-oriented exploration of its predecessor. Likewise, given a multitude of challenges in each level, the autosave system becomes noticeably restrictive.

Despite having a lengthy campaign and sound gameplay mechanics, a number of technical hiccups, randomized rewards, and egregious repetitiveness hold back Fantasy General 2. It tries to combine a unique fantasy RPG experience with wargaming strategy, but it falls just a little bit short on both counts.

Flintlock is an explosive Soulslite that throws lots of weapons your way. The pacing may not be great, but that can be looked over thanks to the gameplay itself.

Musou-slashing meets light tower defense and the effortlessly heartwarming world of Dragon Quest; with all the vivid art direction, retro audio, and somewhat repetitive questing that implies.

As with Pacific before it, Order of Battle: Blitzkrieg is a refreshingly accessible hex-based war game. Maintaining supply lines, strategic use of terrain, and deft deployment of combined arms are once again the mechanics to master here.

A mid-season episode which keeps the narrative wheels turning, steps up the action in places, and (at last) gives the Ironrath Forresters some brief moments of triumph.

Hotshot Racing is an enjoyable racing game that will almost certainly be enjoyed by its target audience. There isn't much content, though, and it's an extremely basic, simple game that will be extremely familiar to anyone who played racers during the 90s.

Re:Turn - One Way Trip is enjoyable most of the time. It has a strong presentation and enjoyable puzzles, even if the game world's a bit too small for its own good and there are a few issues here and there.

Wattam features the best visuals, score, and cast to ever grace a Keita Takahashi game, but its gameplay proves to be a touch too shallow to preserve that childlike wonder beyond its four-hour story.

When Kitaria Fables works it works really well. But when its issues begin to arise, the experience of playing through it can get awfully frustrating. These unnecessary design oversights detract from the game's clear strengths. Regardless, it isn't bad, and given its relatively cheap retail price, it is probably worth giving a shot.

Fun, jolly, and with tongue planted firmly in cheek for most of the game: Watch Dogs 2 isn't a must-have, but it's still a rather good time.

Loopmancer has some nifty concepts and flashy combat. However, it's also bogged down by some simplified mechanics and a hammy narrative.

The Banner Saga 2 reaps all the benefits and foibles of strict continuity. It maintains the outstanding presentation and decision-based narrative highs of the first entry, but minor changes to mechanics are unlikely to sway opinion on the unique, but slightly peculiar, combat system.

In lieu of what many community theories predicted is a cute and casual adventuring experience with an adorkable cast of Grumpuses and Bugsnax. But all that being said, Bugsnax isn't without its tricks.

It might have some problems with its difficulty curve, performance, and the way it's being sold, but Lightmatter is a very solid puzzle game that offers a decent amount of playtime, some very good puzzles, and a great story.

While control issues still hamper Onimusha: Warlords Remastered, the game looks and runs better than ever, and the hard-hitting combat keep it fun and exciting throughout.

Solid. Dependable. This edition of Football Manager has set itself up not to concede, and to make occasional expressive forays into new territory. The scattering of innovations (hilarious character creator aside) are worthwhile, but some old, persistent quirks still rankle.

Environmentally diverse, and largely consistent in the quality of its conundrums, Soul Axiom is an imperfect but distinct first-person puzzler.

There are noticeable flaws in MyCareer's story and in other modes. Combine these with controversial and divisive microtransactions that have been mixed in, and you might have some qualms. However, NBA 2K20 still remains on a league of its own. With loads of content, amazing core gameplay mechanics, and unrivaled presentation, it keeps you engaged whether you're playing casually or competitively.

Cute and mostly entertaining, Gardenia needs better signposting and could have made better use of the gardening aspect.

Tandem: A Tale of Two Shadows does a good enough job at executing its well thought out premise. But, it isn't the revolution in puzzle games it purports to be.

As a huge multiplayer fan Call of Duty: Vanguard ticks all of the right boxes for me. It's chaotic and fast paced and besides some bugs that will surely be patched out, there's little to complain about. Unfortunately, the accompanying Zombies and Campaign modes are lacklustre and it is simply not worth buying the game for them alone.

An enjoyable adventure, but one that hews a little too close to its FPS Fallout roots.

This is a solid Star Wars game with excellent combat, great immersion for fans, and an engaging story. It looks great at most times, but runs poorly overall and needs patches for PC before it gets a solid buy recommendation.

The Bradwell Conspiracy is a masterpiece of narrative storytelling, brimming with wit and nuance throughout its 5-6 hours of so-so gameplay. While its latter stages begin to drag slightly, The Bradwell Conspiracy is well worth its 14.99 GBP asking price. This one is an essential for any Portal fan, and I can't wait to see what A Brave Plan has in store for their next offering.

The only legitimate complaint I have about Liftoff is that I wish the optimization were a bit better. While performance hasn’t been terrible, it does have some frame drops and stutters. The rendering field seems rather low, too. But that aside, this is an excellent simulator, and the user-generated content and consistent official updates will surely keep it active for the foreseeable future.

Darksiders III is a very good game marred by some severe issues. Still, I loved it. I only hope Gunfire Games addresses its issues.

Charming, adorable, and delightful, Cat Quest 2 offers a solid adventure-RPG romp. Sadly, it's best played in short bursts due to repetitiveness, and you're bound to seek help from another player since the AI teammate can be downright incompetent.

Pac-Man never really changes his ways, but Championship Edition 2 proves that a three-and-a-half decade old videogame star can still pull a crowd. This is a smart set of takes on what may genuinely be a timeless mechanical formula.

Industria lacks polish and isn't very long, but it's a well-made, interesting first-person shooter created with some clear talent.

Dogworld can be annoying at times, but it plays well and has an interesting story that makes it worth a playthrough. As long as the crummy bosses don't frustrate you too much.

Disintegration has its fair share of flaws, but it still delivers fast-paced action with a unique spin on the first-person shooter genre.

Flawed but fun, Saints Row: The Third Remastered brings back its ridiculously addictive formula to keep long-time fans and new players entertained for many hours. Sadly, it's a bit rough around the edges, and in no way comparable to a number of modern-day titles from the same genre.

Beyond a Steel Sky has some technical issues but it's excellent writing and interesting storytelling make it well worth experiencing.

Iratus: Lord of the Dead tweaks the team tactics formula of Darkest Dungeon but cuts down on the management aspect to focus firmly on moving quickly from combat to combat. It lacks the narrative flair or emotional punch of its inspiration but makes up for it with satisfying tactical options and a balanced challenge level.

Although the castle-smashing combat and humor remain enjoyable, Castlestorm II is bogged down by half-baked systems that often undermine each other.

Metal Wolf Chaos XD isn't particularly lengthy or challenging, but it's very entertaining and downright hilarious. As long as you're okay with playing what's mostly a straight port of an Xbox game from 2004, there's a good time to be had here.

Jade Dragon takes a slightly different approach from prior area-and-culture focused expansions for Crusader Kings 2, putting much more emphasis on off-stage activities than making new realms playable. That means the bulk of this DLC takes place through menu interactions, but I think Paradox has done a good job fashioning an engaging system out of this restriction. China is both a major threat, and a source of great (potential) personal power for those rulers within its influence. If you have little interest in playing an eastern-located realm, or lack any of the DLCs mentioned towards the start of this review, Jade Dragon is less compelling (those Casus Belli are nice, but won’t justify the purchase on their own). Otherwise, this expansion does a fine job re-igniting interest in an area of the Crusader Kings 2 map outside the usual western Europe feudal suspects.

It’s still the same compulsive, time-attack Trackmania, but some of the beautifully chaotic edges (particularly regarding custom online multiplayer) that made it a cult hit on PC have been dulled.

If you're in the market for a no-nonsense, balls-to-the-wall, frame-accurate movement shooter, then this neon-soaked game from One More Level will hit the spot. However, it isn't without its flaws.

Although A Plague Tale: Innocence features spectacular artwork and excellent characters, they can't make up for the boring, predictable gameplay.

The White March is an expansion of gorgeous new landscapes, new companions, and new challenges. It should push players out of their combat comfort zones, and is a fine excuse for some familiar PoE questing, but doesn’t yet feel essential.

Overall, I liked Call of Cthulhu a fair amount. I enjoyed the story, the atmosphere, and the environments. It’s a walking simulator for the most part, sure, but it’s a solid one. Although I can’t recommend it at launch due to price, fans of story-based gaming experiences will likely find a lot to like about Call of Cthulhu. Just don’t go in thinking it’s a stealth RPG and keep your expectations in check. If you can do that, you’ll likely have a good time.

This anthology series of six short but replayable episodes has just the right mix of charm, melodrama, and creepiness to make it worth a look.

A short but entertaining and beautiful look at cyberpunk dystopia, through the unlikely lens of a gig economy taxi driver.

The Persistence is worth playing overall, but the game is unfortunately plagued with artificial difficulty solely to pad out the length.

Othercide has a number of interesting quirks and its art design, with gothic and noir elements, creates a uniquely forboding atmosphere. Unfortunately, it's also got a ridiculous degree of difficulty that you normally don't associate with the turn-based strategy genre. The game's roguelite concepts are more than welcome, though repetition and restarts, combined with the genre's slower progression and mission system, will make playthroughs feel like time-consuming affairs.

The sheer insanity of Playgrounds‘ on-screen madness truly keeps me motivated to come back to the game again and again. But it’s those few unnecessary, backward changes that keep Playgrounds 2 from becoming a true champion.

The definition of short but sweet, except you're also short and a horrible goose. Possibly too short for some tastes, but an excellent and hilarious stealth-puzzler nonetheless.

Star Wars Outlaws does a lot of things right and a lot of things wrong, resulting in a gorgeously realized galaxy that feels simultaneously dated and innovative.

Starship Troopers does a lot of interesting things with the material from the movie franchise, but that creativity does not extend to mission objectives.

Airheart is a satisfying game to play despite the occasional annoyance of grinding. With a fun world to explore and lots of planes and weapons to use, there’s plenty to enjoy here. If you can overlook some of the annoyances that come with the rogue-lite genre, then you’ll likely have a good time as you grow in power to finally make that catch of a lifetime.

Problems with the game’s performance and lackluster AI, along with matchmaking issues which I’ve personally experienced mar an otherwise promising outing. In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war and a Tyra-need to polish Space Hulk: Tactics further.

Daemon X Machina doesn't break much new ground, but the gameplay is entertaining and anyone looking for an enjoyable piece of Japanese mecha will find plenty to like here. As long as they don't get completely turned off by the subpar story and dated graphics, at least.

Lies of P plays well enough with a world that's reasonably captivating but it struggles to find an identity for itself and follows in the footsteps of Dark Souls and Bloodborne without managing to step out from their shadow.

Warlander's visuals and story are generic and it's a bit short on content, not to mention the irksome bug that removes your permanent upgrades. But the combat and cutting mechanics are extremely entertaining breaths of fresh air that make the game very much worth playing.

Revita may turn off or encourage players with its main gameplay mechanic, which is an interesting take on the genre. However, some of the game's poor pacing and progression might shut out your heart from this beautiful-looking game.

Delightful, fun, quirky -- Book of Demons keeps you entertained as it provides a unique take on what Diablo and the ARPG genre provides. Unfortunately, it also becomes repetitive and aimless towards the end.

Dead or Alive 6 uses reliable mechanics while adding new twists to freshen up the gameplay. Combat is fluid, fun, and exciting, yet, overall, it's not without glaring flaws.

If you’re managing huge fields, the Bourgault pack will definitely be right up your alley. But, if you’re someone that likes to play on a map with either small fields or ones that aren’t square/rectangular, then you may want to rethink picking this DLC up. These machines are definitely best suited for flat, open environments due to their massive size. Believe me, if you intend to use AI helpers, or even if you try to maneuver these monoliths yourself—hills and curves will not be your friends at all.

Wonderful presentation, fun abilities, and a good sense of humor help buoy Away along, but it's disappointingly light on content and has no real replay value.

It'll do nothing to shake the series' reputation for check-box collectibles and all-too-familiar mission types, but Assassin's Creed: Syndicate plays to the structural strengths of a terrific Victorian London setting, enjoyable characters, and a few smart, iterative design changes.

Deserts of Kharak is a worthy addition to the Homeworld series, but as a unit-focused RTS it can feel a little flat and predictable until about three quarters of the way through the thirteen missions. It’s really not until late in the game that the missions become more challenging and interesting.

This gorgeous anime-style fantasy fighter is great for beginners and fans of 2D brawlers. It's fun, and flashy with genuinely endearing characters. However, a somewhat underdeveloped single-player experience and dated netcode hold it back from being truly top-tier.

There’s a fairly familiar (albeit shorter) list of things in FIFA 18 to sigh about and wish EA would use some of their ample resources to fix, even if you ignore my paranoid suspicions about bouts of idiocy from otherwise competent virtual footballers. But I must admit that this installment’s renewed emphasis on tricky defending and darting midfielders getting on the end of crosses makes it a fair bit more engaging than FIFA 17 felt on launch. It’s building on where that game left off at the end of its life-span, so if you’re already appreciative of the FIFA ‘feel’, and can cope with more involved defensive duties, you’ll find it suitably inviting. I complain, but another several hundred hours in FIFA 18 inevitably await.

Both well-designed in some spots and iffier in others, Tormented Souls can be highly frustrating, but is an overall enjoyable classic-style survival-horror experience that fans will be happy to have.

Cartoony and colorful, Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble offers an arcade-inspired twist on turn-based strategy gameplay, something that feels refreshing amidst a sea of realistic strategy warfare games.

Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters is nothing more than a decent but unspectacular JRPG. However, for Neptunia fans, it's a blessing. Idea Factory has finally gotten back to continuing the main story and has delivered a product worth talking about. It isn't the mainline entry that fans really want, but it's still leagues ahead of the other Neptunia spin-off games that it succeeds.

MXGP 2021 is a realistic racing sim that will likely appeal to veteran players who are already familiar with the series. However, the game's steep learning curve and lack of innovative game modes make it difficult for newcomers to enjoy.