Mutropolis is a charming throwback to old school point-and-click adventure games. While it doesn't do anything wrong, it doesn't stand out either. I would have loved to see more of the world and the characters and less backtracking and obtuse puzzles.

A really solid top-down racer that not only looks great but comes with a great variety of modes and challenges.

Patron is effectively a more difficult version of Banished. But there are enough subtle differences to differentiate them and the game's overall polish is fantastic. Some outlying issues need addressing but the developers have shown themselves to be passionate and willing to take feedback. It's already a very good city builder, but given time I think that Patron could become a staple of just about anybody's Steam library. For just $20, this is a steal.

This new entry into the Disgaea series makes some good changes with the 3D models and auto battler being particular highlights. Plus, the move to PC has fixed the various performance issues that were present on the Switch and having all of the DLC bundled together is a nice bonus. Even so, the overall package offers less value than its predecessors with it having fewer classes, weaker characters, and a general lack of gameplay innovation. Disgaea 6 Complete is still a decent entry, but it's also a step back when compared to both Disgaea 4 and Disgaea 5.

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.

While there are some notable flaws and shortcomings, Asterigos: Curse of the Stars does manage to entertain and provide the necessary thrills.

Phantom Brigade is great fun, but not for the length of time you're expected to be playing it. Any long-term engagement is hampered by a lack of variety.

Circus Electrique has a plethora of intriguing ideas. Unfortunately, most of these don't mesh well with the core gameplay, leading to a tedious romp.

With a few technical issues, a disconnected story, a very short new campaign, and an unbelievably nonsensical final boss encounter, Mutant Year Zero: Seed of Evil is a disappointing expansion to a once-promising game.

RAD has excellent gameplay and great visuals but is very, very difficult. Fans of extremely hard games will likely get a kick out of it, but people looking to slowly power up in order to make their rogue-lites easier should stay away.

Felix the Reaper at times leans into its quirky and unique art style. However, the biggest disconnect comes with the effort to unify this with gameplay. Puzzles often feel like a grind, leaving little mastery when all things are said and done.

9 Monkeys of Shaolin is a great beat-em-up with excellent combat and a strong presentation. It won't take you very long but it's a blast while it lasts.

Visually excellent but extremely short and packed with repetitive, clunky sword fights, Trek to Yomi doesn't hit all the right notes.

Decent gameplay and decent level design can't save The Chant from its poor story and total lack of scares.

While fairly short and easy, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake does a good job of bringing the cartoon world to life with good writing, fun platforming, and colorful, varied levels.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a prequel to Hundred Heroes set in the same world, and is a solid action RPG. But its tedious nature makes it hard to enjoy in the long run.

With an interesting environment packed with puzzles and mysteries but a distinct lack of enemy variety and scares, Fobia should only be checked into if you can overlook its detriments.

With eternally stagnant, overly repetitive combat with subpar lock-on to boring, tiny levels, SD Gundam Battle Alliance is a substantial step down from the quality of Artdink's PSP classics.

Breathedge has a lot going for it in its well-loved Early Access sandbox portion. But when it becomes more of a walking simulator, things take a turn. Regardless, it's a funny game that's still worth playing for anyone who enjoys the concept and the humor. But I can't help but think that many will be disappointed by the later parts of the game.

Destroy All Humans! has excellent visuals and is fun for a couple of hours. But it's so redundant, uninspired, and devoid of any real energy that I can't recommend it to anyone that doesn't already love the original.

Eugen have taken the classic RTS formula and created a compelling and fun strategy game. Well worth your money.

Silly fun that lives up to its premise and a ton of options come together to make this a remake that's worth hopping back in the saucer for. It also doesn't hurt that it's gorgeous to look at.

YesterMorrow is a thoroughly enjoyable, challenging 2D platformer with excellent pixel artwork and lots of familiar tropes. No one will be impressed by the story or the uniqueness of anything it has to offer, but the consistently strong game design and tight controls make it well worth playing all the same.

Naraka: Bladepoint's movement and combat are beautifully fluid, and they give the battle royale more depth than any other. You will sink endless hours into soaring through above buildings and dueling with enemy ninjas. It only has a few minor technical issues that are bringing it down. If fixed, Naraka: Bladepoint will be around for a long, long time.

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.

A treat for fans of H. P. Lovecraft's works, mystifying settings, and followers of the Cthulhu Mythos. Unfortunately, its weaker combat and exploration mechanics remain asleep at the bottom of the ocean.

With excellent visuals and lots of creative, unique ideas, Fashion Police Squad could have easily been something special. If only it wasn't so needlessly aggravating, cramped, and tedious.

Although it isn't perfect, Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts manages to hit its mark. With a simple yet effective campaign presentation, massive locations and stunning visuals, and the thoroughly engaging gameplay that keeps you coming back for more due to a user-friendly progression system, it's the best Ghost Warrior title to date.

Resident Evil Village Winters' Expansion adds some more content to the game. But it's mostly all rehashed and overpriced.

Familiar but still containing enough of its own identity to stand out among similar titles, White Shadows is a compelling, albeit brief experience. It could have done more with its gameplay and commentary, but the game is mostly a success.

Atlas Fallen may not have the most captivating storyline or impressive sound design, but it more than makes up for these shortcomings with its outstanding combat system, level design, and traversal mechanics. Fans of collect-a-thons will be pleased to know that Atlas Fallen offers plenty of hidden treasures to uncover, ensuring hours of gameplay. While it may be overlooked by some, Atlas Fallen is a true sleeper hit of the year that should not be missed by any gaming enthusiast. Overall, it's a must-play for those looking for a thrilling and action-packed gaming experience.

Knuckle Sandwich revives a lost genre while sparking a whole new one. It's uniquely clever and effortlessly funny.

Sparklite is overflowing with charm, and it is an absolute delight to explore the constantly shifting land of Geodia. While shallow gameplay, a lack of narrative complexity, and a few frustratingly random boss battles hold it back from "must-play" status, there's definitely something here for old-school Zelda and rogue-lite fans alike.

Layers of Fear 2 excels as a horror game and a mystery story, with excellent worldbuilding and plenty of creepy moments throughout.

Neither lengthy nor particularly interactive, Last Stop succeeds on the strengths of its writing, narrative, and characters.

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

Maquette has a strong narrative bolstered by top-tier voice performances and honest, relatable writing. The puzzle mechanics are unique and exciting, but the game is let down by signposting issues and obtuse design choices.

Solid in some ways, less-than-desired in others, Pacer is a fairly good futuristic racing game with some caveats.

Maneater can be entertaining, but it's extremely short and repetitive, with practically no story missions or unique activities.

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.

Porting issues aside, Batman: Arkham Knight is a decent enough game. It's not the spectacular swansong we hoped for from Rocksteady, but it's another solid - if predictable - slice of Arkham gameplay, with a couple of great sections along the way.

Its issues and occasional shortcomings didn’t hugely detract from my enjoyment, and instead just left me with a longing sense of “what if”. Tokyo 42 is still a good game. It’s just one that comes close enough to being a great one that its flaws sting a little bit more than they probably should.

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.

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

Vampire: the Masquerade - Coteries of New York is a well-written interactive story in the World of Darkness that fans of the franchise will enjoy. While mostly a good read, it's let down by repetitive visuals, bugs, and relatively shallow choices. Players used to approaching Vampire as an RPG should temper their expectations.

It's not the reigning champion of this hybrid genre, but Mage's Initiation is a promising challenger. If sequels expand on the basics shown here, this could well be a series worth watching.

For now, I can say that I am enjoying what Minecraft Dungeons provides. Having never played Minecraft before, and experiencing the charm and wonderment it has provided to millions only now, I do hope that its ARPG spinoff continues to entertain me as I progress further. Fingers crossed, so stay tuned for our updated review.

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.

The most impressive piece to Dangerous Driving is its aesthetic design. Each map is vibrant and awash color and the sound design has noticeable polish. However, the rest of the game feels rather shallow, especially for a spiritual successor to the Burnout series.

The level and character design is something to marvel at with World War Z, but it gets bogged down in its flaws. There's a good game buried in here but first impressions aren't stellar, and promises of updates don't do much for a fully released game with very noticeable problems.

Despite a sliding scale of difficulty and cheap boss tactics, Gods Will Fall has the improbable ability to endear itself to those it hurts most. Both masochists and newcomers alike will find something to love in this short, but challenging, Celtic ass-kicker.

Yonder’s world is an impressive and stylish creation. The variety of environments (both geological and natural) squeezed into its compact island make for an enjoyable, exploratory romp for as long as that novelty keeps its hold. But once the main 4-5 hour quest is done, you’ve seen the extend of what the game has to offer. That wouldn’t automatically be a problem, except the crafting and farm ownership aspects are too superficial to act as a compelling reason to return. As a result, this is a short and undeniably sweet title which lacks the depth of its contemporaries.

It lacks ambition and doesn't have much to differentiate it from its peers, but the design is so solid and the world is fun enough to explore that there's certainly a good time to be had in Elderand.

Ronin has little plot to speak of, but is focused like it’s own motorcycle helmeted avenger on a tight and tactical turn-ish-based combat mechanic. Looks a little like Gunpoint. Plays like Ronin.

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

If your specs are up to par, I’d definitely recommend picking this up if you enjoy fishing whether virtually or in real life. It has a few rough edges, but this is still an all-around great fishing sim.

TT Isle of Man - Ride on the Edge 2 provides an unforgiving and sometimes thrilling experience, and the physics make for a great racing sim. However, the sound design and graphics leave a lot to be desired. All in all, it's a good choice for someone itching for a motorbike racing sim.

Though there are a few minor issues, Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids gives you a lot of reasons to continue Eivor's journey thanks to a lush and vibrant land to explore. Fighting the druidic cult is also a treat owing to their usage of wild animals, poisons, and flames. The additional activities you can do, such as building your trading posts and finding collectibles, add more hours to the experience.

Button City is a good game that most people will have a fun time playing through. For just $20, it's reasonably priced and does a good job of putting a smile on your face. However, there is a missed opportunity to further explore certain topics which holds back the narrative's huge potential to be something more.

Scorn really brings the art that inspired to 3D life, meshes it with good music, and presents it on a stable platform. But the mundane puzzles and poor combat drag it down.

New World feels like a modern MMORPG. It looks beautiful, the combat is fluid, and there's plenty to keep you engaged. The island feels alive with warring factions and hostile enemies. And the fighting is very fun. You'll never be short of tasks to complete, but sometimes the narrative will leave you feeling uninspired. It needs a little more emotion injected into it. [Early Access Provisional Score = 80]

What feels like a tremendous opportunity to reimagine the Super Meat Boy franchise has been squandered. Pure and simple. We will eventually come to appreciate what Super Meat Boy Forever does well, but it is far from living up to the acclaim of its predecessor.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-reckoning is a handful of solid gameplay systems trapped in a world that’s lost its magic. There’s plenty to play with as far as combat and crafting are concerned, but the game is defined by its decision to choose quantity over quality.

Mosaic is the plight of the office worker reimagined for the not-to-distant dystopian future. The tedium, the soullessness, the loneliness — it's all here, presented with sleek, stylish art and simple, effective mechanics. But, the burden of virtual corporate slavery is perhaps too much to bear; the game is prone to frequent bouts of monotony that pull players out of the experience.

Blue Fire is a game I wanted to like, but couldn't due to its poor focus and loads of ill-considered design issues. Between the balance issues, bugs, and creeping frustrations, there's a lot stacked against the game.

A good game that needs some serious work. All the content is in and the gameplay is enjoyable, but it needs some serious polish to reach its potential.

It takes a while to find its voice and stretches a three song soundtrack to near breaking point, but this first episode demonstrates a willingness to take a stand-alone Guardians of the Galaxy plot in intriguing directions. Most importantly: it pulls off just enough jokes.

Unparalleled presentation and atmosphere spoiled by unwieldly combat and clumsy level design. The most memorable moments happen when your hands are off the controls.

Some of the best turn-based combat around mixed with a surprising amount of customization makes Soul Hackers 2 another engrossing winner courtesy of Atlus.

A generally enjoyable narrative game with strong characters and writing, Lake is a pleasant way to pass the time when its technical faults aren't making things difficult.

Games like Nuts don't come along very often. A compelling storyline and intriguing puzzles combine to create my favorite gaming experience of 2021, so far. Don't let it's simple demeaner fool you. There is far more going on under the hood than meets the eye. This is an investigation that deserves your attention, as soon as possible.

Surgeon Simulator 2 achieves what it sets out to. But it's really for a very specific type of player and many will not appreciate it. As a game, it's often frustrating and tedious, but since that's intentional I can't really fault the developers for expanding on the original in such a manner.

Creepy and compelling, the game is finally officially out of Japan and offering a good time for series fans. Even if the controls and movement speed still leave a lot to be desired.

With an unsettling atmosphere, gripping tension, and new actions for characters, The Devil in Me is a major improvement for the franchise. It just needs a way to skip scenes during replays to avoid the tedium.

Blair Witch is impressive and cleverly designed in many ways. Although there are answers to the abundant amount of questions that start to stir up over the course of the game, the end result still leaves many of those to be unanswered. The visual and sound fidelity provides an excellent foundation to the story that is being told. For psychological horror fans, it will scratch that much-needed itch.

The series returns with its incredible first-person shooting, wild gunfights, and a ton of Nazi killing. Unfortunately, that's about all it brings. The narrative is fairly shallow and it does little to add anything new while we wait for the next main Wolfenstein game.

It has the occasional nice moment, but I got sick of it a while before beating it. Furthermore, it can be beaten in under three hours, so that's really saying something.

Deliver Us Mars is decent enough but lacks the focus and narrative strengths that made the last game such a joy.

A well-written character in desperate need of a plot more compelling than this laboured retread of the captured-by-authoritarian-jerks Walking Dead staple.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated adds lovely visuals to a classic 3D platformer that has aged better than I thought it would. Excellent controls, imaginative and compelling level design, and plenty of belly laughs make this game worth going back to nearly 20 years later.

All in all, I can say that I still enjoyed the variety and challenges presented by these enemies. [Review in Progress]

The Shattering has some big ideas that it simply isn't able to deliver on. There's a distinct lack of narrative cohesion along with pedestrian plotting and boring gameplay. Still, the game does some things that make it worth a bit of attention.

An effectively creepy atmosphere combined with an intriguing story and unique combat, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is well worth picking up. It can slog some when it forces you to revisit the same areas that you just saw and the movement is clunky and awkward, but those can't sink the rest of the enterprise into the mire.

High on Knife is as perfect as a High on LIfe DLC can get. It builds upon the mechanics of the first game, providing a funny and fresh experience.

Graveyard Keeper is an undeniably unique game. It just stretches itself too thin. Even the titular role — the actual keeping of a graveyard — often feels secondary to the constant pursuit of new upgrades. Its central, twisted conceit goes a long way to making the grindy experience tolerable, though. Even at its worst, Graveyard Keeper sure to find an audience, as its macabre atmosphere and off-color activities aren’t things you see in games too often.

Interesting and fun at times, The Invisible Hand pretends to be about gameplay, but it's all just an illusion.

Death Come True has some curious idiosyncrasies , but it's simply a good movie with an enjoyable story and strong performances.

Metamorphosis is a good time with great visuals and an excellent atmosphere. But it's super short and the storytelling isn't quite as good as it could be.

Interesting and charming in its own way, The Survivalists will keep you entertained in short bursts as you try to complete the main objective and craft items to stay alive. Unfortunately, the AI system of your monkey companions is quite cumbersome and clunky. You'll often find yourself more annoyed than delighted due to all the monkeying around.

Gorgeous, creative, and ever so compelling, I Am Fish is a bold step forward for Bossa Studios, despite some agrravations.

Repetitive, meandering, and streamlined to a fault, Warhammer: Chaosbane lacks the depth to keep you invested well past the shallow endgame. It's a shame given the rich lore and enemy design.

Siege Survival: Gloria Victis has several mechanics and concepts that look good on paper. Unfortunately, general clunkiness when it comes to the UI and controls, as well as a lack of attachment to your characters, lead to a rather uninspired romp. Once you're finished with a single playthrough, there's barely anything that's interesting to look forward to.

Short and extremely easy, Kao the Kangaroo won't win over anyone that isn't itching for a new 3D platformer. But it's still fairly enjoyable and a solid way to spend a few hours for anyone looking for a collection-based throwback.

Thymesia has some refreshing ideas to set it apart among a packed field of Souls-like games. Sadly, many of these mechanics don't mesh well with the action or are completely useless. Exploration also feels generally unrewarding.

High On Life is a hilarious piece of comedy that also makes for an enjoyable first-person shooter, especially if you're into Justin Roiland's brand of humor.

Tannenberg has authenticity in spades. Sadly, middling animations, unreliable AI, and uninspiring combat sully what could've been a remarkable experience.

Shenmue III had to noticeably cut some corners, but is a true sequel with some new tricks up its sleeve. Newcomers will likely not really get what the fuss is about, but this is a very enjoyable game that I think will be appreciated more as time goes by.

Short but sweet, Scarf is an intriguing, enjoyable little game for most of its runtime.