If Dynasty Warriors 9 was the volatile reboot the series desperately needed to endure, the Empires is proof the mixture isn’t quite settled yet. What Empires adds in terms of being an engrossing strategy sim, it loses in paring back its open world warfare to something that feels far too much like the series back at its worst. Persevere with its shortcomings, though, and Empires can bring you riches.

An entertainingly substantial, if simplistic take on tower defence warfare, Toy Soldiers War Chest’s thrills are prominent, yet a little dulled by some technical issues and a needlessly greedy pricing model.

Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China is a decent stab---no pun intended---at bringing the series to a 2.5D realm, though it's sadly let down by poor level design and dull combat.

Spirit of the North Enhanced Edition may look great at 4K and run smoother at 60 FPS, but with no gameplay changes, barely any meaningful use of the DualSense, and a lack of gameplay improvements the indie-adventure doesn't offer much of a reason to play. This enhanced edition isn't bad by any means, but it just doesn't offer much of a reason to check it out for new or returning players, especially given the price increase.

Excellent turn-based strategy game, highly reminiscent to Advance Wars. Beautiful, highly detailed artwork that can sometimes be too 'busy' for the eye. Interesting storyline and world building that I want to see more of in the future. All told, a game that will absolutely lull you into playing 'just one more turn'.

Clunkier and much rougher around the edges than we'd like, Call of Cthulhu nonetheless does justice to its source material and provides a decently entertaining supernatural detective romp in the process.

Have A Nice Death makes a couple mishaps that affect its flow and theme execution a great deal. Still, boss fights and engaging combat make the experience worth trying. It may not be for everyone, but roguelike fans will enjoy it.

Auto Chess is a great introduction to the Auto Battler genre. Since it's a free-to-play title, there's no risk in giving it a try. While the colorful cartoonish graphics are amusing and core gameplay mechanics are solid, the actual battles are a bit lackluster. In the end, I just didn't find myself building any long lasting attachment to the game.

If you're after an accessible and welcoming bus simulation title, Bus Bound fits the bill in a serviceable fashion. Riding buses, collecting passengers and managing routes are all well implemented, and the handling of each vehicle makes each journey slightly different. Hardcore sim fans may be displeased with the lack of esoteric manual features and the inability to walk outside of the buses, but ultimately Bus Bound is a welcome aboard for anybody who wants a sim offering without the torturous nitty gritty technical graft.

While some of the former issues remain, Atelier Ayesha still has a charm, feel, and execution to it that deserves another audience.

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water does some things well and misses the mark on others. It generates tension well, but it depends too much on the simplistic, yet rewarding camera-based combat. Either way, Maiden of Black Water offers something compelling for horror fans to dig into, as long as you can accept its shortcomings.

A fine recreation of trivia with a real focus on the questions, That Trivia Game is best enjoyed with friends as its limited additional content and modes will struggle to sustain the interest of a lone player.

Arslan boasts great story and character concepts woven beautifully between stunning action sequences. Gameplay is straightforward, but a diverse cast of playable characters prevents too much monotony.

It is wonderful to revisit the setting and characters of The Outer Worlds. But due to the way the expansion is nestled within the greater story, the admittedly entertaining and well-written adventure ultimately feels a bit hollow. Fans will enjoy hanging out with Parvati for a few hours – and some narrative twists keep things lively – but some changes or expansions to the gameplay would have been very welcome.

Varied and fun to play, Shadow of New Despair captures the intensity and feel of 70's and 80's monster/sci-fi movies, though its difficulty curve is sometimes hard to swallow.

Not the big jump in quality we saw from the last Don Bradman’s to Ashes Cricket, Cricket 19 is at least a small improvement on its predecessor, strengthening its modular gameplay options and packing in a bit more detail to the engrossing career and Ashes modes. It’s fair to say more was expected of this latest willow-whacker, but it does manage to keep the series on the path to greater things.

Frozen Synapse Prime marries classic turn-based action with thoughtful design like turn previews and asynchronous multiplayer. Graphics can be bland, and design frustrations wear at the experience, but it's a satisfying strategy romp made better with friends.

Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred brings some new content to the table, including the new playable class, a new zone, a new coop mode, and some new story. However, the story lacks the kind of oomph and satisfaction that usually comes with Diablo. To boot, Party Finder limits itself with the seasonal and non-seasonal characters, and the Spiritborn class is still receiving early adjustments to how it plays. Still, there's a great free patch that comes alongside the expansion. This creates the perfect opportunity for returning players to check out where Diablo IV is now. The free quality-of-life changes might just help persuade you to jump back in the deep end.

A sci-fi marvel, Torment: Tides of Numenera lays a narrative path for what could be something major. The pristine storyline shines through for those willing to sift through the cumbersome issues.

Everything provides a mellow environment to explore, with the perfect auditory compliments for your journey. The experience may be lost on some, but that's okay. Others will thoroughly enjoy getting lost in the experience, despite minor frustrations like the needle-in-a-haystack search.

Tachyon Project does enough to get noticed in the sea of modern twin-stick shooters thanks to its inventive setup, but there’s still something missing that means it never hits the heights of the very best in the genre. For what it is, and what it costs, you’ll get more than enough out of it.

An accomplished adaptation of one of history's most timeless board games, Backgammon Blitz just falls short of being the definitive version of the game on account of its lack of cross-save functionality and redundant Blitz mode.

Alone in the Dark is a success in more ways than it's not. There are notable issues preventing it from reaching that upper echelon but nonetheless developer Pieces Interactive has crafted an engaging experience with enough charm that fans of the series, or indeed the genre, will no doubt lap up.

A solid debut title for La Cosa Entertainment, KLAUS looks good and tells its story very well. A bit too easy for seasoned players, which feels unrewarding, but still plenty to like about this quirky platformer.

Atelier Sophie has a target audience in mind here, and while it offers a compelling crafting with alchemy, the narrative lacks much intrigue to keep things moving.

Fallout 76 is a blast to play. It's easily my favorite Fallout title to date. Fallout 76 has it's fair share of problems but they don't make the game unplayable. Fallout 76 isn't for everyone but for those who stick with it will definitely find what it has to offer.

With only two major games in the franchise starting at the end of the Fairy Tail story, Fairy Tail 2 seems like an odd choice. While it's perfect for franchise fans, people looking to jump in for the first time will lose out on many stories and content. The game features an intense combat system, even though it's a tad on the easy side and has plenty of worlds to explore. Overall, it's just a shame that almost all of Fairy Tail 2 feels rushed and budgeted compared to developer Gusts' more recent titles.

Going Under is not a bad game, its story is fun, sometimes witty, and at times, a tad meme-like. If you play a lot of roguelikes you may find it a bit thin on the ground. However, if you are new to the genre, want something a bit lighter, or just want to try something a bit different Going Under may be for you. It has a depth in its difficulty options, it looks very nice, and plays well. I think it just depends on what you are looking to get out of the game. There is stuff here to like, it is just not for everyone.