REPLACED is a beautiful, narrative driven experience, and that’s where the game is at its best. It tells a very interesting, gripping story, and I found myself fascinated with the great locations, mesmerizing backgrounds, but also the intricate characters found within the game. Sad Cat Studios hit it out of the park here, the game is not only visually impressive with its pixelated art style, but also the well-written story. REPLACED also brings excellent social commentary, making us think twice about our society and its path forward. It’s certainly not without its small issues, like combat being repetitive and platforming not shining that much. But it’s definitely one of those games that will make you pause and look at the scenery often, while pondering about your life and your role in society. Plus, if you are a completionist, there’s plenty of lore and extra info to be found here. All in all, it’s a delightful game, but keep in mind that it’s all about the story rather than action.

GRID Legends is without a doubt an evolution of the 2019 installment, even though hardcore fans of the franchise expected a bigger upgrade. The overhaul is not very obvious at first, and this is why I think you should give it some time. Try the story mode, even if it’s quite short, and pay attention to the smallest details. This is what GRID Legends is all about. It’s a more refined version of its 2019 sibling, and in many ways, it feels the racing experience even more involving. But at the end of the day, it’s essential to always know what to expect. GRID Legends isn’t by any means supposed to be a racing sim. It’s still an arcade title, and as long as you have this mind, there’s absolutely no chance you’ll end up disappointed.

Kaiju Wars is the sort of video game that understands that huge monsters make for incredible threats, which in turn allows players to derive a lot of satisfaction from stopping them in their tracks. The game has the narrative, the mechanics, the scenario design, and the presentation to keep gamers always engaged, guessing how they can pick up an extra medal or tackle a mission on Hard. The development team has been quick to react to player feedback, adding more options. And I hope that they will also introduce more scenarios and, maybe, a few extra mega-monsters to deal with. Kaiju Wars is not revolutionary, but it delivers a tight strategy package that celebrates its inspirations while spoofing them.

Disney Epic Mickey Rebrushed is a pleasant surprise and just as much a love letter to Warren’s Spector game as that creation was to the Disney Universe itself. The ability to change the surrounding world and see the consequences of your actions still feels fresh and engaging. The new addition might not be groundbreaking, but they help leave behind the shackles of the Wii and turn the game into an experience without frustrations caused by certain limitations. And even better news is that in the future we might see a remake of the sequel, making the story whole.

Sins of a Solar Empire II is a great space-based real-time strategy game. It is designed to primarily appeal to those who liked the original, splitting factions into two, introducing variation to the star systems, and adding to the tactical complexity. The game does not offer a campaign, but each match generates its own unique stories. The multiplayer infrastructure is solid and there are plenty of options to work with. And the game offers quite the visual spectacle, as big fleets clash with energy beams and missiles striking targets everywhere. Sins of a Solar Empire II could have used an entirely new faction, like the threat the Vasari are running from, and a few more innovative ideas but I like its mechanics and every match feels unique.

World Splitter has a killer core mechanic. The dimensional rift introduces a wide array of possibilities even in a relatively simple level. I spend a lot of time moving it around, seeing how it affects enemies and the environment, trying to see the best way it can help me get from left to right. The game also knows when and how to introduce new elements and twists to keep the gameplay fresh through the six big worlds. The problem is that discovery and experimentation are directly linked to failure and frustration. My rabbit dies repeatedly and sometimes I don’t exactly understand why, so I kill him some more to test out theories. After some time I understand what and how to do and finish a level with a decent result (the targets the game sets are for much better players). I only wished the development team offered more ways to cut down frustration to make more gamers enjoy World Splitter for longer periods.

Green Hell is a console port that unfortunately does not manage to rival its PC counterpart. What can accomplish is to stand out from the relentless wave of survival games, as a title with personality, with both perks and flaws. The gameplay manages to keep its edge, but the challenges are even more frustrating because of the technical issues. If you are in your element when facing impossible odds, Green Hell is right up your alley. The abuse on players is relentless and creates an almost Stockholm syndrome-like experience. All the survival enthusiasts will keep coming back for more and more punishment.

Outshine is a difficult and unique experience that mixes arcade-style elements with typing-powered combat. The game wants to make the player as comfortable or as challenged as he wants to be. For the player who brushes up on his typing skills and wants to feel the adrenaline of a high-score chase, this is a great title. It also offers a good way for people trying to learn one of the supported languages to improve their skills, especially when played with some of the aids turned on. The sometimes over-cluttered visual space can be frustrating, as is the fact that it’s often hard to make progress without dropping the difficulty. Outshine gets bonus points for its innovative mixing of ideas and will certainly make any player much better at typing after some sustained sessions.

The game isn’t perfect, it definitely has its shortcomings. Forcing a character loadout onto you at times does make the game harder, and moving around is not as fast as some people might like. The voice acting is also an acquired taste, I enjoyed it, but I can see some players not enjoying it. But in the end, as a complete package, I think that Skygard Arena is well-worth checking out. The gameplay is extremely fun, I had no crashes, nor any disconnections while playing online, either. It’s a fun romp in the tactics genre, while also being beginner friendly.

Imperator: Rome is an example of how hard it can be to reconcile gameplay and history. On launch, the game failed to deliver the mix that players expected from Paradox. The Marius update, especially with the tweaks to warfare, is closer to the historical record while also offering gamers plenty of agency. Heirs of Alexander is a good paid expansion, even considered apart from the free update. The Diadochi wars are fascinating and complex. I played quite a bit as the Antigonids and I still have options to explore. The other successor kingdoms have the same amount of content. For anyone who exhausts the stories of the Diadochi, there's more to discover and more places to conquer when playing as Rome, Carthage, and the rest, making Imperator a joy to return to.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a great follow-up to The New Order, adding plenty of adventures for BJ, not to mention new enemies, weapons, and more. Throw in the Nightmare stages and you have a compelling package with great value for your money.

Wolfstride is an obvious labor of love that manages to be much more than the sum of its gameplay and presentation parts. The mecha battles and management would have offered a very solid loop on their own. The game could have easily been a mostly narrative-driven game with a relatively small number of repetitive mini-games. The combination of both creates an emotionally charged adventure that immerses the player, makes him care about relationships, and drops in cool mechs engagements. Think of it as heavily inspired by Cowboy Bebop but with more mech brawls.

At the end of the day, Agent Intercept is a fun game to try on a rainy weekend day, but I don’t think too many people would play it again after completing the story mode. And unfortunately, this doesn’t take more than a few hours once you learn how to be a lethal agent.

Luckslinger is a charming platformer that puts luck in center stages and backs it up with some pretty good secondary mechanics. While it takes a bit of time to get used to its innovative features, it's certainly worth it.

Pharaoh: A New Era is a great remake of a classic city-building title. The first three Caesars might have established the formula for the historic side of the genre, but the first Pharaoh refined it and impressed with its pyramid and other monument building. A New Era captures that magic and brings it up to modern standards.

A bit more text would have been nice, as the possibility to maybe study some archives and extract more about the backstory of the game universe would have made the wait for the next installments much more justifiable and pleasant.

Knights of Honor II: Sovereign is a good historical strategy game. It gives players lots tools to affect their world and quickly produces results that bear little resemblance to the real past. Kingdoms fall in spectacular fashion and players need to carefully play their hand to gain new lands without attracting the attention of powerful neighbors. I do think the knights from the title should have more ways to interact with each other and the world around them. But the mix of interactions, classic development mechanics, and tactical battles offers a strong mix of ideas. Knights of Honor II: Sovereign will be fun both for long-term grand strategy fans and newcomers to this genre.

At the end of the day, FIFA 23 is a release that’ll probably keep many players on board next year when EA Sports FC will be thrown into the battle for the very first time. It’s a major release in pretty much every regard, and while some things are missing, such as VAR and the support for only three substitutions, this is by far the best FIFA. Ever.

Overall Mafia Definitive Edition is a solid remaster, that despite its numerous flaws should be experienced by the original gangsters and the new wave of players as well. We can comment about the technical errors, about the holes in the revamped story, and other shortcomings, but all in all, Mafia still proves to be am immersive experience, even after 18 years. This Mafia is not the same as the original, but it is better because you can enjoy it in 2020. The hardcore fans of the original will find a lot to nit-pick. But they can return to the original, to remember how archaic it is, or can they try to beat the game in classic mode, “enjoying” the quirks of the original recipe. Despite the criticism, we have to admit that Hangar 13 managed to take an 18 years old game and make it work in 2020, without crushing its soul.

Weird West has a great set of gameplay mechanics that don’t always deliver the best experience. The five-character stories have great moments, although the side-quests are often more engaging. You can take down an important enemy in three ways or more, but the chaotic aftermath might be impossible to handle. Using all the money obtained from a job to replace bullets and medicine is not a way to make progress. But I appreciated the interaction between systems, the way the world reacts to player actions, and the many unexpected encounters. Weird West does have frustrating elements but it offers the kind of experience that’s rare in modern games, one filled with surprises, mysteries, and consequences.

Serious Sam Collection is the most complete console edition ever released, but these games feel more natural and appropriate on PC. There is no better alternative if you want to experience Serious Sam on consoles, but if you have a PC, and you don’t need the most modern or expensive one, you are better off enjoying Serious Sam with a keyboard and mouse, as it was intended. Still, the console version remains a fun experience and despite its dated looks, Serious Sam immerses its players completely, transcending them in the middle of the action. You don’t need strategies or tactics, just the controller and the mood to blow up everything alien you encounter in the game world. Technically there are no improvements, the fun is still as mindless as ever, and the price of the package is a fair one.

Tinytopia is a good entry point into the city management genre. Its ideas are sound, and the mechanics are simple yet engrossing, especially for the player who wants to see the highest tier for all the buildings he can use. The levels, both real-world and gimmick-based, are also good and varied. The biggest issue I have with the experience is that it does not evolve too much once the core concepts are established. My Pharaoh and Caesar-dominated childhood probably makes me want more complexity in city-building and bigger projects to work on. But the development team at MeNic clearly understands that there’s space in the genre for an entry-level title with clever twists and delivers on this premise well.

I’m not sure that the narrative element of the game works as well as the presentation and the focus on choices. But Trolley Problem, Inc. is a quick, enthusiastic, and very different experience, compared to what the medium mostly delivers, and I encourage players to take a few hours out of a week to see what it has to offer.

Beyond the Long Night is a fun, focused experience that makes good use of both the time loop and the associated rogue-lite structure. Combat might not seem hard but it’s very easy to lose a heart focusing on enemies rather than their actual attacks. The universe is filled with discovery potential but some players might struggle to invest in that. My biggest issue is the time limit, which feels too tight to allow gamers to become fully engaged with a successful run. There were moments when I hit on a good superpower and the rooms were manageable when it comes to combat and then, suddenly, the red force was chasing me. Beyond the Long Night mixes twin-stick action and time loop mechanics well but it needs a few more gameplay hooks to be among the best in its genre.

Dr. Fetus' Mean Meat Machine creates an interesting combination of platforming and puzzle elements. The gameplay is easy to understand and the levels deliver a stream of interesting new challenges. Fans of Meat Boy’s adventures are the obvious target audience but the mechanics are interesting enough to draw in players who don’t love extra-hard complex action. The presentation helps especially the very good soundtrack. The game’s choice to offer an invincibility option means that it’s actually possible to eliminate any kind of frustration linked to a lack of progress. Simply knowing that it was there made me actually try harder to get through Dr. Fetus' Mean Meat Machine's more challenging sections.

Land of the Vikings is a decent to good city building and survival experience. The narrative elements are not very engaging, and the Nordic theme exists mostly for visual flair. All the gameplay mechanics will be familiar to gamers who have tried other entries in the genre before. But there are some nice touches, like the boat building and the way statues and decorations improve the village and its inhabitants. The game needed more innovative elements for both its core concepts and its story. Land of the Vikings is engaging and creates a nice sense of progression and the developers are saying they are planning to add more ideas in updates, while also squishing bugs.

For the King II is entertaining for fans of tabletop RPGs who want to play with a group of friends despite not being in the same room. Battles can be difficult and require some solid tactical thinking. This fantasy world won’t win any points for originality but offers a nice space for adventuring. Every mechanic is better when groups play cooperatively. For a solo gamer, gameplay can become repetitive enough to frustrate. For the King II is a good expansion of the first game’s ideas that might need a few updates to deliver on its full potential.

SUMMERHOUSE is a small building game that isn’t interested in scores, sprawling cities, or complex zoning. It just gives players the tools to create homes using a relatively varied array of parts, with some unlocks. It’s a relaxed approach that makes it equally fun to create weird buildings that cannot exist in the real world or to try and replicate memories of places one really visited during the summer. The lack of structure will be immersive for many gamers, but others might have problems staying engaged. The city-building genre offers a ton of options for anyone who wants deep systems and complexity. SUMMERHOUSE, a title created by a solo developer, is for anyone who just wants to put pieces together and build something in serene landscapes.