fault – StP – Lightkravte feels more like a side story that happens before the first two fault games rather than a full-fledged prequel. Revisiting the fault universe just to tell the story of an unremarkable boy who desperately wants to be a painted feels a bit forced, but it’s probably a decent waiting room for those who can’t wait to play the sequel to fault – milestone games coming later this year (or when it's ready). Do I recommend Lighkravte to those who didn’t play the first two fault – milestone games? Absolutely not. I suspect you’ll have a much more enjoyable experience playing those games first because you’ll better understand the setting and some of the characters would be more relatable. Lightkravte is not interesting enough as a side story, but it’s certainly an important piece of the puzzle in the fault universe.

I enjoyed my time with Through the Nightmares, even if it came with lots of level restarts and challenges. The game’s world is charming, visually impressive, and they do an excellent job at introducing new ideas and mechanics very often. I will say some of the levels, especially in the beginning, tend to feel very similar. But that thing slowly wears off as you enter the latter part of the first world, and as you delve into the other 2 worlds. If you’re new to platformers, maybe Through the Nightmares is not for you. I found this game is better for those grizzled veterans that are always on the lookout for a challenge. The overarching story is great, the gameplay is immersive, albeit frustrating at times. But as a complete package, Through the Nightmares is a wonderful experience and you’ll have a blast going through all these handcrafted levels. However, you need to arm yourself with a lot of patience.

MotoGP 26 continues to refine the series, and it has some notable additions. It’s more of an incremental upgrade rather than a massive new entry, but that’s fine. You get the latest tracks and riders from the real MotoGP, along with a great career mode, the exciting arcade control system and even Ride Off, which I found to be quite fun to mess around with. With that in mind, the fact that you’re only getting a new track when compared to the MotoGP 25 version might keep some people away. However, with yearly releases, you always want to have the latest riders and teams, so this is the superior version from that perspective. The best way to get into MotoGP 26 is to expect it as a yearly update of the roster and a new track, along with great visuals. Also, I think this is the better version for people who are into arcade racing, while also respecting veterans and offering them a pro-level control system, too.

Even though it’s not a flawless game, Deathtrap has the potential to redefine the tower defense genre and make it more addictive than ever. The combat feels smooth and the multitude of choices you have to take during each scenario keeps you interesting more than other tower defense games.

The game has a compelling atmosphere and very good writing, and although there are some slight technical issues that pop up from time to time, they are easily cast aside by the immersive quality of the experience.

At the end of the day, Unbound is one of the best racing games this year, and the return of Criterion has proved to be the winning card for EA. It’s a fun game to play, there’s no doubt about it, and proper support for new-gen consoles means it could stay around for quite a long time.

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishment isn't anything groundbreaking, but it's probably one of the best narrative-focused mystery games on the market. It's definitely a polished experience and may very well be the best Sherlock Holmes video game ever created, with a tense atmosphere, satisfying cases, and varied mini-games and puzzles.

Distant Worlds 2 is a rich space-based, real-time strategy experience that can provide hundreds of hours of fun to a dedicated fan. The writing and narrative aren’t interesting enough but the mechanics more than make-up for this weakness. The automation options are deep and make it easier to focus on certain aspects of the 4X concept, delegating the rest to a decent computer algorithm. But before anyone jumps into Distant Worlds 2, they should set aside time and patience. Make extensive use of the in-game help, read forums if you need to, delegate a lot at first, and only engage with what you like. Code Force has delivered a solid strategy package, which means updates and DLC can only improve it and add accessibility and fun.

I like Primal the most when it's many systems interact in interesting ways and when it forces me to think of new ways to deal with a powerful predator or a powerful group of enemies, but there are also moments when the entire experience feels to close to both Far Cry 4 and 3.

Without a doubt, Back 4 Dead is all about the co-op gameplay and mixed with the newly introduced card system. If you combine the two, killing those ugly creatures is extremely fun, though be warned, it’s also extremely challenging as well. On the other hand, if you’re not the biggest fan of co-op multiplayer and would rather stick with the solo mode, this isn’t as exciting as it should be. Though, as I said, even the co-op multiplayer has a bad side, as the overall experience depends on your team and their way of playing the game.

Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a traditionalist game in a genre that has been getting a lot of modern takes recently. A lot of players might feel like there’s not enough here, in terms of both variety and innovation. But there’s value in giving modern players a game that understands the classics and offers both a universe and a set of mechanics that recall the best that they had to offer.

But the gameplay seems too limited after one episode and the story has failed to deliver anything truly engaging, other than a vision of a tornado, which I still hope is metaphorical rather than real.

Dying Light 2 is bigger and better than the first game. It improves on the original in every aspect while keeping the same formula. It’s a grindy game that can take either hundreds of hours to complete, or just a regular open-world action-adventure that you can finish in about 25-30 hours if you’re just interested in the main story. My main quarrel with Dying Light 2 is that it promises so much at the beginning, yet it fails miserably to deliver on that promise. If not for the exceptional combat and parkour mechanics, this might have been just a mediocre title, so this alone redeems it from among the mass of unremarkable triple A titles that are more show than substance.

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is an exceptional RPG, which respects its classic origins, without being afraid to adapt modern mechanisms. With a fresh combat system and a story worthy of the most famous D&D games, it is highly addictive for the fans of the genre, while being a friendly companion to those who prepare to embark on their first quest. If the issue with the way too long and frequent loading times will be fixed, it will be a must-play game.

I can easily see myself spending hundreds of hours playing Humankind but not before it gets at least a round of updates to deal with crashes and some performance issues. The core of the 4X gameplay is easy to understand but hard to master, with a very big possibility space. The main selling point, moving through civilizations as history progresses, creates plenty of potential for cool stories, overpowered empires, and surprising twists. But the overall experience sometimes feels like less than the sum of its parts. Amplitude has such a reputation for creating unique civilizations and mechanics that I expected more.

It’s rare these days for a survival game to put narrative and resource management mechanics on the same level, and do both very well. Overall, I think The Pale Beyond tells a captivating story while torturing players into finding the best solutions for keeping their crew alive. The first playthroughs will always be frustrating, but that’s because the game doesn’t prepare players for what’s coming. When all is said and done, The Pale Beyond is an enjoyable experience if you love survival games, but if you’re looking for a purely narrative experience, look elsewhere.

Gloomy Eyes isn’t very complex in terms of puzzle design or too innovative in its storytelling. But the mechanics and the universe boost each other, while the two main characters are cute enough to keep players engaged. The game is relaxing and fun, even if the story doesn’t offer too many surprises. The Tim Burton-derived presentation enhances gameplay at first but becomes tiring after a while. Gloomy Eyes doesn’t fully deliver on its potential but offers a solid set of puzzles built around a charming pair of heroes.

Observer System Redux is a better game than the original and manages to convey the thought-provoking story in a more structured fashion, with added details. It does not offer just a graphical upgrade but also manages to better portray the surrounding moral and physical decay, improving the atmosphere and the overall experience. The bugs are annoying, but can easily be fixed. Those who did not try the game yet, should go ahead and dive into this adventure, they will not regret it. Thanks to the added extra content, Observer System Redux can be also recommended to those who already unveiled Dan’s story. Still, it feels that it would have been more appropriate to offer System Redux as a free upgrade to those who already own the game, instead of charging extra money for it.

Projected Dreams is a good puzzle game with a unique take on the genre. The shadow work starts off pretty easy, but the developers find ways to add variety and increase the challenge level. The rooms where shadows are projected are also fun to interact with, especially when hunting for a new cassette to play. The story and graphics are pleasant enough but don’t stand out. The shadow puzzles are the main reason to engage with Projected Dreams, especially for players who are interested in looking for multiple solutions for each album photo. The entire experience is even more interesting when playing with a kid who hasn’t yet had the experience of shadow play in the real world.

Solasta: Crown of the Magister is a great entry point for those looking to play a D&D-inspired game. The streamlined ruleset makes everything easy to understand and you don’t even have to spend hours creating your character (unless you really, really like to roll your stats until you get certain values). The only thing that I couldn’t get past are the character models, which look absolutely terrible. However, the dungeons, which are designed both horizontally and vertically, as well as some of the ground locations are beautiful and immersive for a D&D campaign. The voice acting is also top-notch most of time, and the same goes for the soundtrack.

Despite being a bit tedious, Blasphemous offers many satisfying moments like being able to find a shortcut or a shrine when you most need it. Some of the quests are really interesting and even if they're not mandatory to finish the game, I would strongly recommend trying to finish as many of them as possible. The way the story is told (or rather discovered), the amazing artwork, and the fast-paced combat are aspects of the game that grabbed me throughout my playthrough. You'll indeed have to do a lot of backtracking if you want to complete as much as the game as possible, but the rewards are worth it.

World-building is pretty good, and the presentation adds to it with its striking black-and-white. Only the combat can sometimes feel like a chore, especially when enemies with long names start showing up. I never got tired of listening closely for bug sounds but some players might. Cryptmaster is a perfect example of how wonderful an indie title with a strong innovative mechanic can be and it should find as wide an audience as possible.

There are lots of great things to be had in Primal Planet. The time period they base the game on is something we rarely explore in games. On top of that, the pixelated world design is stunning, and I think the world itself looks incredible. The combat is also very good, although sometimes it does enter soulslike territory. And yes, there’s the map design that could get some improvements here and there. Did that deter me from playing? Not at all, I liked the fact that you can start crafting stuff, exploring the map and finding items/resources is always cool, and the animations/small cutscenes they have truly add a lot of character and personality to the game. Yes, there will be some frustration here and there, but in the end, the game is extremely fun, although it can take a bit to get used to some of its elements.

#IDARB is a fun experience when it comes to local co-op play, offering enough wacky elements to keep its general premise as interesting as possible. Unfortunately, control issues, poor online matches, and a few other problems keep it from really impressing.

The biggest asset and problem that the game has is its difficulty level, because it does create that feeling of challenge that every good rogue-like needs and can produce moments of small but enchanting triumph, but it also tends to limit access to the story a little too much.

The Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection is an excellent package featuring 7 fun games that will eat up many hours of your time. Capcom is very respectful to the source material, and the updates they made, like better visuals and remixed soundtrack are tasteful. Plus, you can always revert to the original versions, if you want. The games have a fun story overall, but there are some pacing moments and weaker villains at times. However, they do a great job with the combat, which is very compelling and you will find it extremely enjoyable. The addition of multiplayer is also exciting, because playing against other people helps you improve your skills, while also learning from mistakes. Even for someone new to the Star Force series, this collection was a lot of fun to play, and it has that hook which keeps you playing for hours. I am confident that fans of the originals will have a blast with this game as well.

It takes the overall story to some interesting new areas, but some aspects, such as the Rodrik sequences, tend to feel repetitive and uninspired.

Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef is a great action game, designed from the group up for chaos and surprising moments. The mechanics and the presentation are well integrated, and the combat mechanics are top notch. I would have liked a chance to kill members of all the races of the science fiction Warhammer universe in the game. And I hope that the team at Rogueside takes the design of Shootas, Blood & Teef and expands them to give me and other players that experience.