Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem has all the tools thanks to ARPGs that came before it. Sadly, its online mode has had a litany of issues, the controls could use some tweaks, the loot pool isn't as deep as you could imagine, character skills need some rebalancing, and a slew of shortcomings lead to a questionable launch after four years of development. Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem can surely reach the cream of the crop among ARPGs with more improvements, but it's going to take time.

Anyone who likes walking simulators or solid mysteries will likely be satisfied with The Suicide of Rachel Foster. It's got a well-written story and is set in a convincing location. It's also very easy to blow through in a single evening in lieu of watching a similar movie.

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.

Top-down, two-player food fights sure sound like a recipe for success, but Nom Nom Apocalypse lacks the mechanical garnish to distinguish itself in the competitive rogue-lite space. There's challenging battles, there's tactics, but nary enough depth to sustain long-term play.

Ultimately, Zombie Army 4: Dead War has the same feel as any later-day entry into a horror franchise does. It has delved all the way into the realm of schlock, completely unapologetic for its own existence. There’s something almost admirable about that, but the magic isn’t quite there. That said, if you and your buds are looking for a decent way to pass 10 or so hours, there are certainly worse choices than this. The shooting is among the best around and the X-ray shots are endlessly entertaining. I just wish there were more here to hold my attention past a single playthrough.

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.

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.

Ministry of Broadcast is very much like the games it takes inspiration from. But the insanely unreliable controls and the obnoxious slog of the game's tedious, trial-and-error platforming sections will likely try the patience of anyone who isn't looking for a blast from the past.

Days of War tries to be Day of Defeat or Call of Duty 2. It falls short of both, hobbled as it is by a myriad of tiny issues that combine into a lackluster whole.

Elderborn is almost a good game. It's got most of the ingredients that would require, such as strong visuals, tight gameplay, and varied enemies. But the placement of those enemies is so terrible and ill-conceived that it basically ruins the entire game. That along with a third act that feels like the game just gives up do a whole lot to damage what could have been a very compelling experience.

The Pedestrian is visually, audibly, and almost completely mechanically sound. Be warned, though, there isn't much in terms of hints along the way. But in the end, you'll be surprised at how far you can make it with drive and a little brainpower.

With its surprisingly creative level design, architecture, and platforming mechanics, Journey to the Savage Planet will wow your eyes, while its quirky humor entertains you from time to time. Unfortunately, flaws such as uninspired combat, lack of enemy variety, and a fairly short campaign mar what could've been a truly unforgettable journey.

Kakarot is mediocre as a game, but excellent as a Dragon Ball experience. The combat is just okay, the world is mostly empty, and the game has too much fluff, but as a longtime fan I enjoyed myself a lot.

Frostpunk: The Last Autumn has a promising concept and setting, but it fails to do enough differently to justify the toil. If these are the people you're trying to save, you might as well let the world freeze over.

Total War: Three Kingdoms - Mandate of Heaven presents a massive conflict and an evolving sandbox campaign, with several features and events to keep you entertained. Sadly, it's also bogged down by its reliance on older concepts that lack strategic depth, glaring bugs, as well as missed opportunities. Though you could expect to log in the extra hours, it becomes repetitious to a fault once the rebellion has been quashed.

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.

When all the profanities have been said and all the odd jobs have been done, Orangeblood is a one-of-a-kind experience that’s equal parts endearing and incoherent. There’s just enough to see, hear, and do to warrant a two-day getaway to New Koza.

Iceborne adds a lot to the game and should keep players busy for a long time. The performance will hopefully improve and the price tag is high, but there's a lot more Monster Hunter to see with this expansion. Plus, you basically have no choice but to buy this if you're already deeply invested.

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.

Paranoia feels like someone got hold of the license and then either couldn’t figure out what to do with it or had a lot of nice ideas that were then horribly constrained by budget and time. Were it budget-priced or still in Early Access, it might be forgivable. But as a full, major release? It’s too short, too annoying, and too uninteresting to recommend to anyone – even the most ardent of Paranoia fans.

It's rare to find a game that does this much right so often. With a huge amount of content, an entertaining story, and interesting, varied gameplay, Dragon Quest Builders 2 is really an unmissable title for anyone with even a passing interest in games about building.

The new Road to the Black Sea expansion for Euro Truck Simulator 2 offers a huge amount of gorgeous new scenery to explore. It's a great buy for both newcomers and veterans.

I know that great VR games are few and far between, but Budget Cuts 2 is far from worth it. It’s sad to see a great first outing followed up by what feels like a cash grab sequel. Cut the money you would have spent on this from your budget.

Frog Detective 2 makes up for a lack of complexity and length with its dopey, surreal humor and charming visual aesthetic. An evening well spent.

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.

MechWarrior 5 is lengthy and complex but extremely tedious and often obnoxious. What could have been a very enjoyable experience is dragged down by bad movement, menus, and pacing.

Interrogation: You will be deceived uses its detective story and a compelling cast of characters as a jumping-off point to explore morality and social issues. Even if it sometimes gets a bit lost in the philosophical weeds at the expense of its narrative, the core gameplay of conversation puzzles and resource management is solid and the noir atmosphere absorbing.

Halo: Reach has an engaging campaign and numerous multiplayer game modes to keep you pre-occupied. Unfortunately, various issues abound from technical woes and lack of options, to matchmaking problems, and it's hardly what you'd expect from the flagship FPS franchise's arrival on PCs. Like the protagonist's namesake, this effort is more of a "six" unless we see more patches down the line.