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.