Without question, Ninja Gaiden 4 has amazing combat. Yakamo journey will send you head first like a blood-soaked death tornado. Those seeking old school gory action will love it, and its challenge will satisfy long time fans of the series. If you can turn your brain off and enjoy its forgettable story, there is a fun game here. But its lacking in depth for those looking for the next great ninja revenge tale.

Whilst Finding Frankie’s Fall Guys approach to mascot horror is a refreshing time, the overall package is a short horror breeze that will delight fans of the genre but won’t offer much to anyone else. There are some memorable moments, but they’re too far between, and you’re often brought back to a tedious gameplay loop inside a story that doesn’t offer all that much either.

Despite its flaws, Rogue City delivers what most fans of the franchise have been craving: a bloody, explosive throwback to the glory days of action. While it doesn’t do anything exceptionally well and has its fair share of frustrating mechanics, nothing is truly game-breaking. If you’re looking for a game that lets you feel like RoboCop, this is it—just don’t set your expectations too high.

Overall, Disney Speedstorm is a good kart racer. The overly complex in-game economy and lack of Grand Prix or other modes outside of single races may push some gamers away, and I wouldn’t blame them. At its core, this solid kart racer does just enough to make it worth checking out, but it won’t be challenging the title of Mario or Crash any time soon.

Payday 3 is an improvement to a triad and true formula Payday 2 instilled — a formula that keeps you coming back for more. It plays both sides — wanting people to keep stealthy while giving players the option to make it more difficult by going in guns blazing. While I had fun rekindling my love for Wolf, Hoxton, and the gang, it’s just a modernized rehash of the same heist simulator we knew from a decade ago. As good it may be, it suffers from the live-service issue of a lack of content and an uncertain roadmap.

With some smarter storytelling, better stage design, and variety, this could be a 10/10 game, but instead, this falls considerably. It punishes you a lot in the second half of the game, but you won’t forget how much fun it had been up to that point.

Gotham Knights would be a great game, its sandbox approach to exploring Gotham is top-notch and its story keeps you just engaged enough to keep playing. The problem lies in the game’s lackluster combat and endless fighting cycles of beating up the same factions over and over and over with little to no variation to dialogue.

I can’t recommend SteelRising to everyone, especially die-hard Soulsborne fans who relish in a story where the information isn’t spoon-fed to them. I do, however, applaud Spiders for trying to take on the Soulsborne genre. I only wish they had understood that perhaps they took on more than they could chew.

NBA 2k23 is more of the same thing, but refines the formula for fans of more realistic sports gaming. While its microtransactions are obstructive as ever, Jordan’s Challenge is a labor of love for basketball fans. You’ll get to play moments of history with an authentic flair to it thanks to some beautiful old-school filters. And while the graphics are slightly inferior and it lacks The City, last-gen is still a viable option to experience this brushed-up basketball simulation.

Call it my unyielding love for the franchise, but Sega needs to amp up their game if they want to earn my respect back. Sorry Sega, but a few new animated cutscenes I can watch on YouTube for free and a bunch of hackneyed ports of games I’ve purchased dozens of times aren’t enough to justify the price tag. Going back to the song “It Doesn’t Matter,” maybe someone should let Sega know that pride comes before the fall.

Clockwork Aquario is a fascinating piece of arcade history and an enjoyable action platformer. While it may be extremely light on content for today’s standards, this title offers gameplay that takes you back to the 90s in the ways you expect. And, for that reason, it should satisfy your enthusiasm for retro gaming.

While it has its rough edges, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition is a worthwhile remaster of three classic titles. Its visual overhaul prevents these games from feeling overly dated, and the quality-of-life improvements modernize the experience in a way that meets today’s standards. Sure, its new art style and character models won’t mesh well with everyone, but it may grow on gamers as time goes by. And sure, while these aren’t the “definitive” editions we expected, this is an admirable attempt to introduce three groundbreaking games to a new generation, and I’m glad it exists.

NBA 2K22 is a surprisingly solid perennial release, refining and improving upon troublesome and dull mechanics with a generally more fun, accessible court experience. While its RPG ambitions are admirable, its quest system pales in comparison to the next-gen version. Overall, though, this current-gen version stands firmly on its own, offering a solid suite of modes and sweet basketball simulation.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is the video game equivalent to that one kid in class with a sugar rush and an addiction to pixie sticks. Sure, it might be entertaining for a little while, but the more time you spend with it, the more you realize it’s just rambling on aimlessly. Ultimately, with its lack of a clear vision and focus on what makes a game fun, Cold War isn’t going to entertain you for long.

When you strip all of the bells and whistles off of Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate Edition, you are still left with a painfully mediocre fighting game with a horrendous monetization system. Sure the fighting may be fun in short bursts, and the gore factor may be fun eye candy, but this game felt as though it didn’t have any care put into it outside of the basic fighting controls.

NBA 2K21 is a sports title that ticks all the boxes in simulation gameplay but falters tremendously in its plastic progression systems. Virtual Currency puts a stranglehold on your enjoyment, and it plays a big part in upgrading and purchasing in-game stuff. Sure, it might have a decent (albeit short and cliched) story mode, but the ball is in your court as to whether you want to fork out your hard-earned money on microscopic differences. Although, at the end of the day, it seemed like hoop dreams to think anything of substance would be changed. Stick with previous entries or wait for the next-generation version.

Shing! is a beat ’em up with a few good ideas and facets to admire. While many of its ambitions aren’t executed in the best of ways, Shing! serves as a decent distraction with friends. Its four-player cooperation, competent if iffy combat, and polished art style make it an okay journey for its humble several hours of playtime.

Despite some flaws, Twin Breaker: A Sacred Symbols Adventure is a sincere homage to an underrated sub-genre. It captures what made classics like Arkanoid and Breakout beloved while putting its own special spin on the formula. The result is brick-breaking bliss that I would recommend to most lovers of arcade indies.

While a lack of content and online multiplayer bogs it down, this indie succeeds in delivering action-packed matches filled with delights and surprises. When considering its core purpose as a couch-versus revival, PandaBall’s fun factor is as black and white as its featured furry mammals

Bubsy: Paws on Fire! is a game that you may actually find enjoyment out of. Behind its childlike design and mobile-friendly layout is a genuinely challenging platformer. Gameplay may feel stale in a mere hour or two and the death screens may grate your ears every now and then, but it at least provides a challenge and fairly solid gameplay. Am I saying I enjoyed this game? Not really, but I certainly enjoyed it more than I expected I would from such an infamous franchise. It also proved, to me, that the developers are really trying to bring Bubsy back and improve upon him.

Castaway Paradise has a lot of potential to be a fun game. It’s relaxing and satisfying in the same way that some good mobile games and Animal Crossing are. The cycle of completing tasks, rebuilding, and customizing works pretty good. It’s not as in depth as other games of this genre however. And despite all the charm it eventually falls a bit short of being really good.

Rainbow Skies is very much a mixed bag. A delightful mixed bag but a mixed bag nonetheless. It falls short on some things but overall is still a pretty good game.

This game tries to change things up by using fruit as weapons but overall it's a disappointment. The difficulty feels unbalanced, monotony sets in quickly and the tracks don't really feel very inspired. Although there is enough content available, it doesn't compensate for our major complaints.

I enjoyed Through the Woods even though I’m sure there are quite a few people who won’t. This short adventure is driven by a neat narrative and great atmosphere even if the delivery isn’t always perfect and the graphics could use improvement. But the inclusion of Norse lore and interesting creatures made for a game that is very unique in its own right.

It might be worth a play if only just to try something a little different in a world that is getting pretty watered down with rogue-like games.

Killing zeds is a fun way to get in my daily exercise requirements but, more than that, the co-op mode can truly be a blast. If you’re looking for something you don’t have to commit to in order to enjoy yourself for a few minutes, Incursion will do the trick.

For the most part, I really did enjoy my time in Dungeon Rushers. The game is funny, has solid combat, a crafting system, and fully customizable skill tree for the whole party. If you’re looking for something you can just jump in and out of, it’s certainly not a bad game and it’s at its best in bite sized gaming.

If you fancy a good mystery, maybe The Raven Remastered is the right game for you. But if it’s a saucy story you’re looking for, look elsewhere. Although it sounds like a pretty tasty tale to dig into, The Raven Remastered will leave you with more questions than answers.