Battlesector is a good mix of setting and mechanics. It shows how fun and engaging a properly scaled and designed Warhammer 40,000 experience can be. The campaign has interesting choices as it progresses and offers a good level of challenge. Fans can also set up varied skirmishes or face friends in multiplayer (a Slitherine account is required for full functionality).

Ninja Senki DX features some good improvements over the already tough as nails freeware experience from several years ago. It’s quite fun to experience as a newcomer, provided you sharpen your skills as fast as possible and don’t lose your temper with the constant restarts, and quite challenging for veterans through the extra modes and revised elements.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning remains a solid RPG, but one that did not age well. Developed initially as an MMO turned into a single-player experience, the game is fun, but it is not an RPG for the ages. Some minor tweaks have been added gameplay-wise, but Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning remains a repetitive game, with inventory management that is a pain in the butt. For all these reasons, if you have already played the game, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning will offer nothing new, and will prove to be only a minor improvement over the original. However, if you missed the original and you are looking for an action RPG with fun combat, you might want to give it a chance.

While the game is pretty simple and far from being a compelling and engrossing experience, being merely good, if you like serene affairs that focus on exploration and let you choose your own pace, without being overly challenging, you’ll find Qbeh-1 to be a pretty good fit.

Ultimately, Near-Mage is a likable game that doesn’t quite realize its full potential. The foundations are solid: the magical setting is imaginative, the art is appealing, and the premise holds promise. But much like Gibbous, it’s a case of style over substance. The narrative unfolds slowly and lacks urgency early on, the gameplay rarely challenges, and the moral choices — while present — lack meaningful weight. This leaves Near-Mage feeling more like an interactive storybook than a deep or dynamic adventure. Still, if you enjoy whimsical fantasy worlds, Eastern European folklore, or just want a light magical journey with a touch of humor, Near-Mage is worth the trip. Especially if Gibbous didn’t fully click with you, this spiritual successor presents a very different flavor of storytelling and world. Even if you may find yourself briefly enchanted, don’t expect it to cast a lasting spell.

Strictly speaking about the game, I enjoyed the atmosphere quite a lot, and the unique blend of medieval, steampunk and modern elements made the game seem quite unique. The zombie waves and the gameplay in general are extremely engaging, and combat can keep you on the edge of your seat at times, especially when you underestimate enemy forces. All in all, They are Billions is a game that definitely deserves praise, but playing it with anything other than a mouse and keyboard can be literally gamer’s Hell.

Fall of Porcupine is a nice slice-of-life adventure experience. The main story moves a little slowly but the main attraction here is the anthropomorphized animal characters. Finley interacts with plenty of them and they slowly reveal personalities and quirks, while often behaving in unexpected ways. The medical-focused mechanics are also pretty charming at first when the player is healing a tortoise by playing a short rhythm game. Their increasing variety is not enough to keep them engaged as players experience new days in the town. Fall of Porcupine offers an original take on the narrative adventure genre and has enough cool character moments to compensate for the repetitive gameplay.

Overall, Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is a good game, although the fact that it was made using the same resources as Yakuza is way too obvious. Fans of the series will no doubt enjoy the gameplay and the story, but if you have never seen the anime or read the manga, then you won't be impressed that much. All in all, if you are a fan of gratuitous anime violence coupled with some heartwarming moments that alleviate some of the guilt, Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is the right game for you.

Steelrising is an interesting take on the soulslike formula. Exploring the French Revolution in the body of an automat is definitely something that I never thought I’d enjoy. However, while things look promising on paper, the execution is quite poor. Although I did enjoy the combat and level design, I can’t get past many of all the technical issues the game still has on PlayStation 5. Even after two patches, the game still crashes after a few hours and there’s nothing you can do. There are a few other minor bugs present that don’t really take away from the experience, but it does make it clear that Steelrising needed more polish before release.

Rogue Lords presents an interesting take on the roguelike genre. Although it draws inspiration from many games, including Darkest Dungeon, Slay the Spire and Iratus: Lord of the Dead, Rogue Lords sets itself apart thanks to some compelling gameplay mechanics. Moreover, all the additions to an already traditional formula feel well thought out and extremely fun. The writing and the art style are top-notch as well, and so is the voice acting. If not for the balance issues and the repetitive nature of the formula, Rogue Lords could have been a truly great game. Even so, if you love games like Darkest Dungeon and Slay the Spire, you’ll certainly enjoy Rogue Lords.

Wizard with a Gun creates an effective mix of action combat, building, resource management, and rogue elements. The narrative has just enough mystery and quirks to keep players engaged but the focus is squarely on exploration and combat, which involve a lot of repetition but remain engaging. I love how player choices feed into the fights and I appreciate the tension introduced by the Chaos timer. The game’s art style enhances its mechanics and makes the world a pleasure to spend time in. Wizard with a Gun is fun both in single-player and when played cooperatively and gives fans of the genre a chance to find a unique playstyle.

For now, FIFA 20 is better than the previous edition in terms of gameplay, and that’s somewhat sufficient. But it dropped the excellent The Journey single-player only to replace it with a stale mode. With a little luck, we might get to play Volta outside of FIFA when it belongs. To sum it up, as Comrade Dyatlov points out, it’s not great, not terrible. For any other game, this would be a bad thing, but for FIFA’s microtransaction model, it’s everything that Electronic Arts hopes for.

DOA brings justice to a fighting game series that has stood the test of time, bringing a perfect mix of fun combat, the same interesting characters we all know and love, and clothes not suited for colder seasons. The graphics are good, the combat mechanics are polished and revitalized with the introduction of the Break-Holds and Break Blows, and the outfits are plenty and more customizable than ever. In fewer words, DOA 6 is the "DOA-est" entry in the franchise so far, and the new tutorial system is perfect for introducing new generations of players to the game.

The way it's all designed, with gameplay and narration interspersed with relevant background videos exploring the importance of the things you’ve just uncovered, further serves to make the entire experience meaningful and endearing.

WRATH: Aeon of Ruin is part of an already long line of modern first-person shooters that target players' nostalgia for the genre’s classics. The engine is built on Quake tech and both the levels, and the enemies are designed to trigger a nostalgia response. It’s unlikely that fans of more modern FPS experiences will be interested. The big combat moments are tense and get the adrenaline flowing, especially when players remember how long it’s been since they used a soul tether. Unfortunately, WRATH: Aeon of Ruin has too many corridors and relies too much on enemies who teleport in to turn into the classic that it wants to be.

It's clear that Watch Dogs Legion is Ubisoft's first step toward innovation after so many years of generic formulas. I'd say it's a good start, but the “play-as-anyone” system is quite basic and doesn't offer that variation and richness that you would expect. It's a great and ambitious idea, but the execution is far from perfect. Despite these shortcomings, I have to admit that Watch Dogs Legion is actually a good game. I'm not familiar with Ubisoft's plans, but Legion opens up a lot of potential for the future of the series. Anyone who liked any of the previous games will absolutely love Watch Dogs Legion. It offers a lot of content that you can go through with a customized team of hackers, so no playthrough should be the same.

El Hijo A Wild West Tale is a stealth game that also tries to juggle puzzle elements, and the balance is lost along the way. It is not a bad game, but one that starts you hiding in the environment, but by the end of your adventure, you will remember mostly the puzzles. It teases you with all the possible approaches but does not grant you enough freedom to actually put them into action. Although it targets the whole family, it can be recommended only for those who are looking for the challenge due to the steep difficulty level. Still, El Hijo A Wild West Tale radiates candor and innocence, two qualities that recommend it to everyone.

Heidelberg 1693 is a hard game and will not be to everyone’s liking. Just like old school platformers it shows no mercy and forces you to “git gud”. The replay value is pretty high, and the most dedicated players are rewarded with a Hard Mode that makes things even more nightmarish. Even though the musket mechanic is fresh and enjoyable, the game itself does not reinvent the classic formula. Those who remember fondly Castlevania or Ghost ’n Goblins will have a blast playing Heidelberg 1693, and the chance to revisit their childhood traumas.

Dread Templar is a fun first-person shooter that will appeal to anyone who enjoyed the classic titles in the genre or the recent 2016 Doom reboot. It delivers over-the-top violence and classic combat sequences but also introduces more modern ideas, like the ability to slow down time when swamped by a ton of opponents. The old-school look and the thumping soundtrack create the perfect atmosphere for demonic culling. The levels are also pretty good, giving players space for a variety of approaches to combat without creating a maze. The developers understand the universe they are working in and make Dread Templar one of the best examples of the recent boomer shooter wave.

Luckily, many aspects of the game are well above average, such as the anime artwork and the story. If you can get past the somewhat clunky combat and boring world, Code Vein can be appealing more often than not.

Cities: Skylines - Snowfall is a good expansion for dedicated fans of the city builder genre who have seen everything that the core game and the After Dark expansion have to offer regarding gameplay.

The Great War: Western Front is a good strategy game that tackles a historical period most titles in the genre overlook. Both the strategic and the tactical sides feature interesting mechanics and plenty of choices that affect the course of the war. The computer mostly puts up a good enough fight while the multiplayer side has plenty of options to create varied situations. But the game sits at a weird crossroads in terms of abstraction. It has plenty of realist elements but also allows corps to instantly move across the map. It rewards deep preparation but some battles can be won by simply carefully avoiding some enemy defenses. The Great War: Western Front captures the frustration and tension of World War I trench warfare well but struggles to make it a great video game experience.

The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication is better than its predecessor, but not by much. I have a hard time taking it seriously as a horror game, and I have seen much better walking simulators. It lacks in almost every aspect, and I could choose much more suitable games for a Halloween scare. Yet, if you are a fan of J-horror you will most likely enjoy it, especially if you are into Taiwanese lore. If the developers manage to fix the pacing issues and rely less on cinematic storytelling the next episode might be quite interesting.

Empire of the Ants is a gorgeous video game that gives players an ant’s eye view of both combat and platforming. It looks spectacular most of the time, especially the environments, but takes plenty of liberties when it comes to ant society and general creature abilities to create a decent narrative. The strategy game elements work well, although there aren't many complex systems to master, while platforming feels unnecessary. The single-player campaign offers some interesting tactical challenges, and the free-for-all three-sided multiplayer is pretty exciting. Empire of the Ants does not innovate much but offers a unique strategy experience.

Stargate: Timekeepers delivers a decent core gameplay loop. Working with a variety of characters to move stealthily and eliminate enemies can be fun, especially when players are dealing with the more complex enemy setups. The constant visual reminder about quick saving is a good idea. But the narrative fails to make interesting use of the complex Stargate universe and none of the characters will keep players engaged. There’s little in the game that actually involves the Stargate system itself. Timekeepers is fun for fans of the stealth tactics space who are looking for new challenges and for die-hard fans of Stargate who are looking for another story set in that universe.

Quantum Witch is a short experience that has very good narrative beats. Ren’s adventure starts off a little slow, with many visits to a hint skeleton and some cult interactions. But once she goes magical and visits new worlds, the characters become funnier and the questions bigger, exploring big themes in interesting ways. Unfortunately, the actual gameplay is pretty limited, with only a few situations where the plane-shifting power is engaging to use. The presentation is good but requires some love of the 16-bit look. Quantum Witch is fun but it needs extra mechanical depth and a few more places to visit to appeal to a wider audience.

Mighty Goose is a very good experience for a clearly defined set of players. One needs to love old-school arcade action to love it. An interest in wacky characters helps, as does a focus on gameplay and an interest in trying to best one’s old scores. The game knows what it can deliver and offers a very pure experience for those who know what they want from it. The problem is that the developers do not push the limits of the space they settled in. The companions and the special powers are attempts at this but limited ones. After three or four levels even the idea of battling new bosses failed to excite me about the game. Mighty Goose is another title that needs more than very good execution of core concepts to stand out.

Harold Halibut is an adventure game that although reminds us of a walking simulator due to its simplistic gameplay, thanks to its atmosphere and unique visual style manages to become a memorable title. It is a slow burning adventure that prioritizes the story and presents it through engaging dialogues and plenty of details hidden in plain sight. Despite the leisurely pace, the game remains pretty short and has no real replay value. It is an intense and almost poetic experience that holds up a mirror to both the individual and society, making it a worthwhile experience for the fans of the genre and for those looking for a great story.