While I find it hard to recommend Rising to most people at full price, I wholeheartedly recommend that anyone even vaguely interested check out the free version. There is a lot to love about Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, and without risk of buyers remorse, players should jump into the free version to see if they are a good fit for Gran’s merry band of adventurers.

Jackbox Survey Scramble is a solid showing which offers a nice selection of short simple games to slip into your rotation as filler. The codes for the room remain on screen throughout, meaning people can drop in and out of the games for maximum flexibility. The survey results could use some tweaking, to avoid you having to guess six different words for boogers when the question is sticky things, but since the intention is to adjust the survey results using player data anyway I have hopes this will improve over time. I’m excited to return in a few weeks and see how things have panned out.

There are certainly areas where All In Games could improve for a sequel, but Ghostrunner is a blast. It's one of the best games of the year and something I'd easily recommend to fans of Mirror's Edge or first-person games in general.

Obviously, it would have been better if the collection had included the first Star Gladiator and Rival Schools games, and it would be nice if Capcom had provided us with characters and features locked to the console ports of these titles. However, you can always ask for more and the point stands that what’s here is already one of the best retro fighting game collections on the market.

Everspace 2 doesn’t have a great story and its systems aren’t particularly deep, but the things it does well more than make up for its shortcomings. Once you get into the rhythm of traveling from map to map and clearing all of the objectives, it’s alarmingly easy to lose track of time. Rockfish has stuffed so many stunning locations into this game. Whether you’re skimming the surface of a desert planet, circling a half-destroyed moon with its core exposed, or navigating through tight corridors to deliver ramen in a floating metropolis, there’s always something new to see. I’m so glad there’s finally an approachable space sim out there, and I can’t wait to dive into the Ancient Rift endgame loot farm. This is a game I’m going to be playing for a long time.

The game engine is just getting a bit long in the tooth. In any case, with what’s shaping up to be one of the best Formula 1 seasons in years, there’s never been a better time to get into motorsports and the best place to start might just be F1 22.

Taking a more relaxing approach to the classic puzzle platformer genre leads The Pedestrian to a big win here.

And yet, as you struggle through the game's often abstruse systems, there is something rewarding in it all. More clarity both over where to go next and what the game itself is built upon would be welcome, but what is here is worthwhile and, for those with a greater tolerance for getting lost over and over or finding the right way and being unable to progress because the search has tired you out to much, A Highland Song holds some promise. After everything, the view is just about worth the climb.

When you fail a Trial of Fire, you learn and you move on. The thing about this game is that every single run is better than the last one, even if it’s decidedly more short-lived. In fact, that’s actually a blessing in disguise - more time for another go before bed, eh?

You will be forced to make hard decisions and live with them as Alex Chen, some of which will have an irreversible impact on the narrative. Yet there’s no harrowing conclusion to be uncovered here. Much like real life, each revelation is a punch you must roll with, whether it’s losing a loved one or conjuring up the courage to confess your love to a crush. No matter how trivial or monumental, True Colors makes each moment matter as it forms the identity of a woman I came to care for and relate to in ways that few games have managed to achieve. This brings me back to the sibling bond between Alex and Gabe, and how it feels like a virtual replacement for the bond between myself and the brother I wasn’t able to bid farewell to. I had that chance here, and I can’t describe how much that means to me. Without being overly poetic or needlessly saccharine, I’m glad more games are engaging with how we can learn, grow, and love as human beings, and the rewards that come with accepting such hardships along the way. Life is Strange: True Colors truly is something special.

I can't help but feel like Stormland is limited by the technology rather than maximizing it. Insomniac, to their credit, is helping push the medium forward and I know they'll be at the forefront as VR continues to grow. Stormland is so much fun to play that I wish there was a more advanced platform to play it on. Having said that, you won't find a shooter with better mobility than Stormland. If you've been waiting for a AAA FPS in VR, it's here.

Utilizing virtual reality to help get gamers up off the couch is a great use of the technology, and BoxVR is about as good as it gets when it comes to fitness games. It's a fast, challenging, and entertaining way to try to lose some extra pounds with your VR helmet.

Silicon Dreams is a tremendous detective game. The way you grill these androids for information is highly engaging. I was surprised many times by the responses I got from my interrogations and the narrative continued to get more and more compelling as I went on. If the idea of delving into the minds of androids to see what makes them tick sounds like a fun time, then you should experience the dystopian nightmare that is Silicon Dreams.

Venba is a truly wonderful game, and executes what it sets out to do wonderfully. The art is gorgeous, the music is excellent, and the storytelling is somehow both broad in what it manages to elucidate about the South Asian immigrant experience while deep in the family dynamics it portrays. The cooking gameplay does eventually get a little stale towards the end as it attempts to include more recipes with less detail, and quite honestly, it’s more of a visual novel that touches on cooking than an actual cooking game. That said, I still found myself sniffling and wiping tears away by the end. It’s a sincere, full-throated love letter to Tamil culture and first-generation immigrants everywhere, and in that sense it is unique and singular in its ambition. I loved Venba, and have already recommended it to my Indian friends. I can only hope that it reaches far beyond that audience.

Even after playing Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero with a massive grin on my face for more than 60 hours, I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of everything that it has to offer. Its smart evolution of Budokai Tenkaichi’s combat, stacked and detailed roster, and near endless amount of modes and features make it one of the best Dragon Ball games of all time.

As someone who adores games like Spelunky for forcing the player to digest every bit of information, Sifu strikes that exact same spot with the force of a freight train, delivering a combat system that is truly unrivalled. As a game, it's one of the most engaging I've played in some time, it's just a shame that it won't appeal to all players thanks to its surprising difficulty and that it took some developmental liberties with representing Asian voices.

I have no doubts that the Steam Workshop will do wonders with this game. If modding is supported properly by the developers, which it appears will be the case, we could have some seriously impressive mods down the line. I’ve already played around with the Beyond Stranded mod that adds a bunch of new traits, survivors, and expeditions - it’s a clear indicator of what is possible given enough time and effort. As it stands, though, Stranded: Alien Dawn is already a good game, but with more customization, narrative elements, scenarios, and general expansion on some solid foundations, it can become a great game.

Although it may be short, its masterful movement and shooting are a shotgun blast to the face - and I mean that in the best way possible.

Though flawed in areas and certainly a victim of the limitations endemic to virtual reality, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is an admirable attempt at maturing the medium and modernizing an all-too-stagnant gaming space. It’s a warts-and-all sort of experience which, at the moment, can only really be appreciated by VR veterans, but, even for casual players, Saints & Sinners is a worthwhile undertaking which stands head-and-shoulders above the complacent competition.

Halo: Reach is probably better played on a console considering the issues encountered on PC, but they aren't enough to wreck the release. The campaign is excellent, showing why Halo is one of the most acclaimed first-person shooters. There might be some drops in the frame rate, but the gameplay is still excellent. The story is engaging, showing what it means to be a soldier in a time of peril, with the final level being incredibly memorable.

Despite my minor grievances, Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters is exceptionally fun. It’s a treat for the eyes, ears, and the bonce. It’s violent, gore-filled, crunchy, and full of charm. Underneath all of that is a wealth of depth and customization that begs to be explored. If you’re a fan of the setting then this is an easy sell. If you aren’t, then this is still a fantastic introduction to a wacky universe that’s well worth delving into.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD really does revitalise this maligned Nintendo classic. Motion controls proved divisive at launch, but with two robust control schemes included here, and the extra fluidity of 1080p60 visuals, this should finally please everybody. The linear structure of the game and relatively empty space of the sky will still frustrate some, but the core sword fighting gameplay and linear Zelda structure is better here than it is in many other games. If you want a traditional 3D Zelda experience, then Skyward Sword HD is an easy choice.

Two years ago, Sackboy: A Big Adventure proved Sumo Digital was more than capable of creating its own unique vision of Media Molecule's banner Little Big Planet series. Now in 2022, as I write this while listening to the game’s choral remix of Material Girl, I can’t help but be excited for what is next for weird potential of future Sackboy games. People should go back and play this game, just not on PC.

Despite having spent plenty of time in Littlewood (yes, I kept the default name for my town), I still often find myself wondering when the other shoe is going to drop. When will I be thrust back into a life of combat to defend the town and community that I have spent hours upon hours rebuilding? There’s been nothing to indicate that that is going to happen, and I hope nothing ever will. I have every intention of continuing my journey in Littlewood for a long time - whether that comes in the form of extended hour-long playthroughs or five to ten minutes at a time.

Those looking for an easygoing yet surprisingly deep JRPG will be taken with Monster Hunter Stories 2, even if some of its more notable flaws are harder to forgive. But once you look past those, you’re left with a wondrous little adventure with an engaging battle system, lovable characters, and an emotionally resonant narrative that sunk its claws in far deeper than I ever expected it to. If you’ve never been able to vibe with the mainline games, give this one a punt.

From milking bugs to slaying frogs with jetpacks, Tails of Iron is an off-the-walls, brilliantly intuitive sidescroller, but it has a heart and keeps you gripped from start to finish as you slaughter a conveyor belt of would-be challengers. It’s not about avenging your father, not entirely - it’s about family and community. Vin Diesel would be proud. Sadly, it’ll probably get lost in the busy end-of-year shuffle among the triple-A powerhouses. But in the downtime between releases, make some room for Tails of Iron - it’s one of 2021’s best.

Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure is both a pleasing and frustrating puzzling journey that leaves you thinking both about the steps you make in-game and the ones that you might or might not make in your real life.

The Outer Worlds 2 shows that Obsidian won’t be left behind as other great RPGs launch to critical success, and that the developer needs to play to its strengths. I only hope that it learns to take itself more seriously, because the setting is brimming with potential that is yet to be realised.