It's not especially original, and at this point seeing any piece of media where someone quits their job, magically overcomes all their debt, and runs off to write poetry in the woods is something worthy of eye rolls and tongue clicks. It doesn't help that the game controls like a hapless man in his late twenties who can barely muster the energy to move his spinely legs.

I have my nitpicks, although I’m not too proud to admit that they are drastically outweighed by my predilections. Pokemon Unite is a game I can see myself playing for a long time - just add Blastoise to the roster already, eh? I’m dying to see what a Unite move with massive reptilian shoulder cannons looks like.

For the handful of shortcomings it has, Knights In Tight Spaces is still a worthy successor to Fights In Tight Spaces, and the first deckbuilder to really catch my attention in 2025. Hopefully, this franchise will do what all the best action movies do, and continue to spawn sequel after sequel; after all, everyone loves a good fight scene.

Resistance isn’t a bad game by any stretch. With dense missions, gorgeous environments, a clever new mode in Propaganda, and a likeable new protagonist, it’s a solid entry in a fantastic series. But it doesn’t do anything new: this is the same shooting and sneaking as it has been for almost a decade now, and Hawker alone doesn’t bring enough to help Resistance stand out as anything more than just more Sniper Elite.

Perhaps it isn't the most polished or modern game of 2020, but it's definitely one that I'll keep coming back to, and it's absolutely the best remake to come out of THQ Nordic yet.

No doubt about it: Project Cars 3 is an absolute treat. In-depth and expansive enough for veteran racing genre fans, yet accessible and inviting enough for more casual players, Project Cars 3 is a title that other racing games should aspire to be - from its selection of vehicles to its contact-packed Career mode to the online features and events that are sure to foster a fun and competitive community. While (for me) many racing titles grow stale fairly quickly, Project Cars 3 is one game that I’ll be playing for a very, very long time.

There are moments of beauty in Highwater, most of it instigated by environmental design – I loved coming across surprises and marvelling at how even after catastrophe, human beings continue to do their thing. But unfortunately, as much as I love the game’s aesthetics and very competent turn-based combat, it doesn’t have all that much to say about its complex themes, and finishing it felt like a relief.

Atomic Heart is the result of 15 years of thoughtful world-building and storytelling, but fails to live up to any of it. Individual parts work well, and would fair far better if the padding was stripped away, but those who enjoy combat for its own sake will be happy with the amount on offer. I’ve never encountered a world that was simultaneously so intriguing and so off-putting. Every system implemented to pad out the playtime is the antithesis of fun, yet I’m still drawn to the more bespoke parts of Facility 3826. Atomic Heart is three times too big and beats erratically, but its more confident components prevent it from flatlining.

Despite my own disappointment with the last few installments of this series, Warriors Orochi 4 reminds me why I fell in love with it all those years ago with Dynasty Warriors Gundam. It’s tight, polished, chockful of content, and an almost constant dopamine rush.

Super Rush is an excellent golf game, but the fact that only one of the advertised modes can be played with three-to-four players simultaneously on a single console is a little bit disappointing. Still, this manages to be the best Mario sports title on Nintendo Switch, and a great multiplayer gem for low-energy gatherings with pals.

Like a good book that you simply can’t put down, Storyteller will charm you with its whimsical and inventive gameplay, so much so you’ll finish it in one sitting. But therein also lies its biggest flaw. While Storyteller has a superb foundation and core idea, the puzzle mechanics aren’t challenging, and the gameplay is too short and lacks variety, so you’ll breeze through it in no time at all.

At its core, The Solitaire Conspiracy isn't much more than a gussied up version of Solitaire. Still, the work done in creating an intriguing narrative and piecing it together with an amazing style makes this little venture worth picking up. With the team not opposed to doing some DLC down the line, it could also become a much more substantial game in the future.

There’s little that’s particularly groundbreaking in Serious Sam’s brand of predictability, but there’s also comfort to be found. As Sam said, the fights are their own rewards, after all.

For a game about delving into memories, Evergate isn't particularly memorable. Its style and gameplay are very evocative of other more noteworthy platformers. But that doesn't mean this is terrible. It constantly introduces new mechanics that increase the challenge with an eccentric take on the afterlife and reincarnation. It won't be mentioned in the same breath as popular indie platforming titles like Celeste or Super Meat Boy, but if you're a fan of puzzle platforming games in general then Evergate should make for a grand old time.

Ete might be simplistic, but it has so much heart and gives you so much room to express yourself that, like a paintbrush and an easel, it can be more than its parts. Technical hitches disrupt its flow and a shallow narrative can hold it back, but it’s worth seeing what you can create for yourself.

C-Smash VRS is an interesting revival of a forgotten classic, perfectly suited for the virtual reality medium from the active nature of the gameplay to the futuristic visuals. However, it conspires to make the experience frustrating with precise controls, harsh timers, and a lack of solo play modes despite the (doomed to be mostly unused) multiplayer option having a far greater range. It's not quite 6-Love, but it's just about 6-Like.

Ad Infinitum is an enjoyable horror game for genre aficionados, and tells a compelling story in a unique setting. It has a few moments that will have even the most grizzled horror veterans whimpering in a corner, building tension to create some pulsating scares, all the while giving you enough time to compose yourself before the next one. But you’ll need to look past some frustrating design decisions and pretty glaring performance issues to get the most out of it. Beyond that, there’s just enough there to make your time with Ad Infinitum worthwhile.

The Everwar between Lucium and Rasharn reminds me of what it feels like to play Immortals of Aveum, a game that feels perpetually at war with itself. Its jokey tone is at odds with its high stakes and the world it wants you to care about. Its movement-focused arena design is at odds with the precision it would require to make it start to sing. Its magical flavor is at odds with how bland its combat is. Its name may suggest something that will last forever, but I doubt I'll remember much about it by the end of next week.

The Devil in Me is an excellent evolution in The Dark Pictures anthology that weaves an interesting story in a complex and exciting environment that’s both fun and horrifying to explore. It’s the perfect choice for horror fans, full of tense moments, jump scares, and gory scenes. While some of the new features are a little hit or miss, it’s arguably the best title in the anthology. It could do with a little more polish in places, but it’s a game I am keen to replay to delve into the background story further, and hopefully, next time, I’ll ensure everyone lives.

Tron: Catalyst’s fatal flaw is that it plays everything overly safe, and never rises too far above ‘fine’. It’s terrified of you getting lost in an excellent world that could have been ripe for exploring, and its systems aren’t developed enough to make combat or looping ever feel engaging. It never quite shakes off the feeling of being a budget Hades; it’s, at the very least, a fine way to kill a few hours, even if you forget about it immediately after.

Evan's Remains is cut from the same cloth as games like Celeste and To the Moon, though it doesn't quite reach the heights of either of them. The game falls into the category of "short/cheap indie title that can be fun for an afternoon," but we can't help but feel that it had the potential to be so much more.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space is one of the best asymmetrical horror games so far, standing side-by-side with the likes of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. It’ll be interesting to see if it fares better under the enormous shadow of Dead by Daylight than Sumo Digital’s efforts, but it’s stepping out of the gate with some interesting concepts that reinvent the way the genre plays, making survivors more formidable and killers more tactical, encouraging teamwork and adding so much more depth to each match.

Riven remains one of the most captivating and challenging puzzle games I have ever played. You can’t help but leave the game wanting to learn more about the strange and mysterious world it welcomes you into. I encourage anyone to play this remake, however, while it’s a fine VR game, it’s best enjoyed on PC so you can fully commit to note-taking for puzzles and avoid the added frustration of whipping your headset on and off.

Is the game worth your time? Yeah, it’s worth a go, it’s on Game Pass, innit? This is where I can see Rainbow Six Extraction shine. Very dimly. If the game poses a genuine challenge and a progression system that feels rewarding over the long term, there’s no reason why this polished experience can’t retain at least a few players across the coming months. It’s not easy being a video game in 2022: you’ve got some real big hitters on the way, and if you’re not hitting hard then you’re just going to get knocked out, pretty little Siege engine and all. You alright there, Extraction? You’re looking a little woozy.

Your House is a short game, clocking in at about three hours to beat it all in one go, and with five clearly separated chapters if you want to play in small bursts, but because of that, you notice the time to take walking back and forth in tunnels, not being able to take the turns you want to take but having to guess or remember the entire layout and each room's name. This, combined with puzzles that seem to solve themselves and the strained narrative, drag down any enjoyment the individual problem solving might have granted. Your House is a good facsimile of an escape room, but the flaws only become more apparent in the digital realm.

Crime O’Clock feels like wasted potential. As a hidden object game, it has the foundations of something decent, with its lively scenes and impressive worldbuilding offering up just enough pixel-clicking for fans of the genre to get a few cheap thrills out of it. But instead of leaning any further into its time-bending angle and becoming a truly impressive puzzler, it’s happy to sit and throw a few naff minigames at you, hoping it’s enough to distract from the severe lack of any actual substance.

Playing Cris Tales is like reading an especially lyrical Paulo Coelho novel, except every ten pages or so, someone slaps it out of your hands. Then you realise some pages are out of order, and you need to flick through the seemingly random pattern before you continue. Also, some pages are so smudged and coffee stained you can’t read them, and a few pages haven’t been translated at all. When Cris Tales works, it’s a wonderful experience, and there’s a great game in here somewhere, but it sabotages itself at every turn. I’ll be keeping a close eye on Dreams Uncorporated - but Cris Tales is a near miss that looks to the future, while clinging too hard to the past.

It's a shame that The Callisto Protocol is so uninteresting at its core. Though it looks gorgeous on the surface, a dozen hours of nothing special can have a clarifying effect. Like a monstrous two-headed enemy banging Jacob's head into the ground until it collapses, the game's tedium forces you to reckon with the fact that there just isn't much once the facade splatters away.