When you finish Warmind, and it’s not going to take long, you won’t get the impression that you’ve achieved anything special. The strikes, the raid, and all the rest do play a role, but it’s just not enough. We can only hope that Bungie will have learned the lessons of the first Destiny and give us the things that we desire, and not just what they planned a long time ago.

A Golden Wake is very sober, very grand, but it has a lot of pitfalls, both when it comes to actual gameplay mechanics and to its story, which has a couple of misses. But overall, it offers a pleasurable and, most importantly, memorable experience, with some pretty sharp and witty writing, and a flavorful depiction of a fascinating era.

It's challenging to find something worthy of mentioning, and that in itself is bad. I like the fast-paced gameplay, the voice acting, and the somewhat crazy story that makes no sense. It's the best anyone could extract. Now even the inclusion of a cooperative mode doesn't save it. The stale gameplay is probably the biggest issue. Not much has changed, and the concept feels old. The graphics are forgettable, the weapons are not interesting, the animations are not great, and the overall quality leaves to be desired. Playing on our melancholy can only go so far.

I desperately wanted The Callisto Protocol to be a success so that we can have another Dead Space-like franchise to look forward to, but as it stands, I can’t recommend this game, especially until its issues are fixed in a future patch. I do hope that if there’s a sequel, developers will come up with something fresh to make us forget about the first game.

The gameplay continues to be chaotic and the team-playing vibes are almost non-existent if you’re not playing together with friends. Portal is pretty much the only solid selling point right now, and unless the new Battlefield urgently receives massive improvements, it could easily turn into one of the biggest disappointments of the year.

Where the Heart Leads is not for everyone. If you like interactive visual novels and you enjoy dramas rooted in real life, the game will feel like a hidden gem. If you prefer gameplay over the story and you already have a bad opinion about walking simulators, there is nothing here for you. This being said, Where the Heart Leads remains a relatable experience, and going through it, you are sure to find some connections with your own life. It's that kind of game that surely triggers emotional reactions just by looking back at your life choices.

There are exciting and pleasant strolls down memory lane, and then there is the remastered Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (sadly). Yes, it is updated! So, it can pass as a functioning game, but it is by no means modern or enjoyable. It completely lacks the atmosphere of the original release, and the entire game feels as tedious as it was 22 years ago. With some more tinkering under the hood, this game could have been reborn from its ashes as a cult classic, but the scope once again was different: a cheap remaster that can be sold for a quick buck.

MythForce is a great cooperative action experience for gamers who are nostalgic for Saturday morning cartoons and their limited fantasy universes. The overall narrative isn’t very engaging and filled with tropes. The four heroes each come complete with a unique approach to combat and their various abilities create some cool combo moments if players actually work together. The biggest issue is how quickly fun disappears when players take on a dungeon on their own. Characters gain power slowly and moving through the same spaces, battling the same enemies starts to become repetitive. Mythforce will deliver fun moments for players who have a good multiplayer group and like the presentation.

A decent experience, but it's weighed down by its random nature and the lack of good early game options for less combat-heavy characters.

Just Cause 4 is the perfect example of a game built around a concept or engine, which makes for a fun experience, without offering any depth or expectations.

The coolest effects are the flashlights and the bullet tracing, but the awe stops there. The textures are rather bland, the levels don’t have all that much detail, and the characters animations, for the protagonist and enemies, are almost at a minimum. When you put all of it together, you’re left with something that’s just there, with decent visuals and not much else. The sound department doesn’t help either. The only redeeming quality if the voice and the interactions with the drone, but they are few and far in between.

The writing is at its best when a situation escalates from relatively believable situations into absurdity and satire. But there are just as many moments when the results of player choices feel forced or when the game is trying too hard to draw from the real world. SuperPAC clearly understands how to make politics into solid game mechanics, they just need to better calibrate the tone of their world.

Ancient Space is a good game that fans of strategy titles will love to spend time with, but it might be too difficult and too limited in terms of content in order to attract new fans to the genre or to serve as a spiritual successor to Homeworld.

Overall, the mind-bending puzzles, unique gameplay mechanics and the fact that it is all wrapped up in an intense and heart-warming emotional story make it the go-to game for those who love romance, puzzle solving, and romancing while puzzle solving.

Stories Untold is an interesting experiment, that starts well, immerses you in a mysterious world of puzzles, but ends with a rude awakening. The first three episodes are great until they focus on the puzzles, but the walking simulator part puts the game experience on a slope and unfortunately, it never recovers. It is unfortunate that Stories Untold builds up such an immersive experience just to ruin it with such a humdrum story. If you are a fan of adventure games you will have to try it, even if in the end you will be left wanting more puzzles and a story that would do them justice.

Everdream Valley tries to walk its own path, one that is not very different from other games of the same genre. There are some odd game design choices and a couple of bugs, but nothing that affects the fun of the overall experience. However, after about 10 hours, the time it takes to completely finish it, I can’t help but feel like that’s something still missing. The game feels a bit rushed, as some features seem to not have been fully implemented probably to release the game faster. Luckily, all these issues can be fixed easily, but even with those Everdream Valley is still an enjoyable, cozy experience.

SOULVARS is a complex video game dedicated to fans of classic Japanese role-playing games and, especially, to those who love their deep combat systems. Newcomers might find combat hard to comprehend but the game does offer the resources to understand the mechanics and use them in cool ways. Because exploration isn’t very engaging and the narrative can be a little hard to follow, players need to really love the combat to remain engaged. SOULVARS is clearly a labor of love but it will mainly appeal to those who appreciate the same classic titles as the developer.

AEW: Fight Forever is a great video game for fans of wrestling who have been watching All Elite Wrestling since it launched. It gives them a chance to fight using their favorite performers, experience the spectacle of their biggest events, and create a custom character that can then aim to win against the champions of the moment. It’s also a chaotic and fun experience with friends. But I don’t think the title can bring new fans to wrestling or to AEW. Gamers need to know at least some things about this world to enjoy matches. The game never acknowledges that results are predetermined. AEW: Fight Forever offers a good foundation to build on if the developers aim to create a future title that will capture the entire breadth of wrestling and gives any gamers a way to become engaged with it.

Giga Wrecker Alt. redefines what it means to make a good platformer riddled with puzzles and obstacles, turning it into a core gameplay element that will keep you busy and second-guessing your choices consistently. If that isn’t enough to convince you, then the fast-paced combat and the unique bosses you will encounter will certainly draw out your inner warrior. The gameplay is addicting, a lot of the mechanics used are new, and even the humor is enough to at least make you chuckle from time to time. Either way, Giga Wrecker Alt. deserves a place in any self-proclaimed puzzle solver’s digital library!

Knights of Pen and Paper 2 will certainly appeal to those who liked the original and are looking for another trek through its trope driven world that packs some interesting surprises and a new set of characters and abilities for the combat scenarios.

Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed remains a good example about how a remake should look and feel. Although part of the PS2 era, the game has aged well, and it remains largely entertaining. The new elements do not feel out of place, but they also do not overhaul the game experience. If you loved the original, the remaster will be a pleasant stroll down memory lane. If you are a newcomer, I recommend starting with the remaster of the first game to understand the story and fully appreciate the evolution of the gameplay.

At the end of the day, Session: Skate Sim is either a brilliant release or a frustrating game to try. It all depends on where you are when it comes to a realistic skateboarding experience and your expectations towards a digital version of it. If you’re not a professional skater and just want to try out a new game, there’s absolutely no doubt Session: Skate Sim isn’t for you.

Unfortunately, limited player involvement is much clearer on the PC. I liked the concept, I liked the setup, and I was looking forward to seeing what the hollow Earth had to offer. But I never felt involved in the action and failed to connect with the universe. Little Orpheus has solid production values but needed more and better gameplay to link player and character, to drive a feeling of accomplishment into the experience.

Investigating a 20-year-old murder wasn’t something I expected to do when playing this game, but I am impressed with the game’s intriguing premise and how it all unfolds. The fact that you get to be a detective during the 40s is a highlight too, along with some of the puzzles you encounter. It’s not meant to be a very long game, however I wish it was longer, because there are many points where the gameplay feels very satisfying and intriguing. Then again, The Last Case of John Morley is not without its faults. Its mechanics are very simple, which leads to a lack of diversity when it comes to puzzles and challenges you encounter. The use of AI assets is also a downside that me and some of the playerbase won’t appreciate, either. I also wish the game had more leeway when it comes to how you solve the case, instead of feeling so linear. So yes, it’s not perfect by any means, but it’s a satisfying detective game that doesn’t overstay its welcome.

The generated terrain and towns are interesting and present both simple routes and more complex situations to get through and it’s a pleasure to simply watch the trains as they travel through hills and plains in order to move their loads or their passengers...Unfortunately some of the complexity of the game is hard to appreciate because the developers have not offered a clear tutorial or a series of explanations for newcomers, although the community has created some that appear on the official Steam page.

Say No! More is an example of what a small team with a clear message and design direction can deliver. Studio Fizbin has crafted a short but happy game that explains why uttering a certain word is necessary and makes players feel powerful while saying it. I felt like a better human being after I finished it, even if it might not actually lead to more instances of “No” in my own life. There’s a little bit too much earnestness in the writing at times, especially during the final third, but once one buys into the premise it is easy to get past it. Say No! More talks about the importance of choice and self-expression and curious players should ignore its thesis and say “Yes” to this narrative-driven experience.

Grit and Valor - 1949 offers a strong combination of alt-history universe and real-time tactics that should have taken a few extra risks. The World War II with big stompy robots concept is easy to grasp and players will quickly understand how positioning and good upgrade choices lead to victories. There’s plenty of variety when it comes to mechs, attached parts, and battle boosts. But given the setting. I wanted to see weirder mech abilities and a wider range of challenges. Grit and Valor - 1949 will satisfy gamers who like fast combat and a solid run-based structure but might struggle to find a wider audience.

In many ways, Gotham Knights is a game that does everything differently from the previous Arkham games, and maybe this is the reason why so many people seem disappointed. An open-world Gotham City, four members of the Batman family to defend civilians, lots of puzzles to solve, and so on, all are part of a package that takes time to discover and which kind of grows on you the more time you give it. Sure, it’s hard to ignore the clunky controls, the performance glitches, and the graphics that need more polishing, but otherwise, there’s a good chance you’ll have a lot of fun playing Gotham Knights.