Ultimately, Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts 2 is a really strong stealth shooter in an unfortunate package.

Legend of Mana is a competent port of an odd little game, which is honestly an achievement for Square Enix. The fun of the original is intact, and small quality of life additions help ease the grind of '90s JRPG design. Ring Ring Land doesn't add much, but it doesn't take away either. The Mana series has gotten a lot of love from both fans and Square Enix recently, and this Legend of Mana remaster keeps the brand growing strong.

It’s a brilliant game, one that gets deeper the more you engage with it, both on a gameplay and a thematic level. It had all the ingredients to be one of 2020’s indie breakouts, and it baffles me that it passed so many people by. I hope the Switch release brings it to a wider audience.

There’s a tendency to recommend bad games to the most devoted fans, but I think fans of Drizzt and Co. will hate this game even more than the uninitiated. The saving grace is that Dark Alliance is included with Game Pass, so it won’t cost you anything to check back in from time to time and see how it’s doing. There is an enjoyable game buried here, I just wouldn’t expect to see it anytime soon.

If you enjoyed the first Red Solstice game, then perhaps this will be a satisfying sequel that continues the saga. But unless you got a bunch of buddies who are all itching to furiously click mutated aliens to death, you'll probably have a better time loading up another game of XCOM than trying to survive in the Martian wasteland of Red Solstice 2.

This is the first major game from the developers at Itzy Interactive Inc., so hopefully, they learn from the mistakes made here and deliver something better in the future. But Mad Devils is what they have right now and it's a hell of a bad way to waste your time and money.

If nostalgia is what you're looking for, then this remaster will definitely do the trick. It's a time warp back to a time where RPGs were tough as nails and devoted to making you suffer. It's not quite on the same level as anything in the Diablo series, but Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance might be worth a glance if you can look past its ancient flaws.

Intermission is an excellent expansion for the world of Final Fantasy 7 Remake, introducing Yuffie Kisaragi and expanding upon her character and history in ways that simply weren’t possible in the 1997 original. She absolutely steals the show here, bolstered up by a selection of compelling newcomers and a continuation of the main narrative that teases a tantalisingly exciting future for this ambitious project. I’m unsure when we will next see something from Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but if it’s anything like this - we’re in for a treat.

Game Builder Garage feels like the perfect place to build a game prototype. You can create a basic idea, see if it works and is fun, and then maybe take that concept into a real game engine development kit - but not much more. It can truly pique the curiosities of kids, and I hope it does, but it's launched in a world where it has big competition, and the depth and charm of those tutorials which only Nintendo could pull off so well can't carry the rest of the experience.

Chivalry 2 doesn’t necessarily feel like a totally new game, but it brings a lot of little changes that make it feel like a fresh experience. While there are still a few kinks to be worked out, Chivalry 2 brings everything that I loved from the first game and takes it to the next level in an incredibly fun and addicting experience.

It's a fast-paced and fun fighter with a colourful cast and some truly excellent tunes. It's easy to play it for hours online as an experienced fighting game player, or just blast it for 30 minutes with some friends over the weekend. It can be chaotic and unpredictable, but it's always gorgeous and engaging. Guilty Gear Strive is easily the best fighting game of 2021 so far, and there doesn't seem to be much on the horizon that can top it. If you're looking for a new fighting game to play this year, this is the easiest decision you'll ever make.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a wonderful platformer with hectic and hilarious combat. New character Rivet is the game's brightest spark, and while the story is a trifle overambitious, the characters and loveable enough and funny enough to constantly keep your interest.

If you happen to be craving a new isometric puzzle-platformer then this could make for an alright distraction, but you have many other better options out there. Retro Machina is a game that takes too much inspiration from the past, which may sadly lead to it being forgotten in the future.

It is a little rough in places and there's room for improvement, but I'll gladly play something that's as weird and creative as this over another generic triple-A open-world game. If the idea of a mech game crossed with Fern Gully sounds like a good time to you, then I'd say Stonefly is definitely worth a try.

Sumire mostly accomplishes what it sets out to do through its remarkable visuals and emotion-evoking narrative. It somehow manages to be both thought-provoking and soothing, despite some shortcomings with the dialogue options.

Just Die Already has its charms, but the novelty wears off pretty quickly. I’d even go so far as to say this toes the line with the masocore genre. It’s a difficult game, but I did find myself chuckling often at the utter ridiculousness that I was witnessing. I could see it being a fun game to casually stream with an audience.

If it wasn't for its awful art style and attitude that screams "look how rad we are fellow teens!" then I'd probably like it a whole lot more. But as long as it adds more content, I can see this gaining an audience with players who are really into over-the-top sports games like Rocket League. Just remember the five D's of dodgeball and you'll have a fun time in Knockout City.

Biomutant is a game that's still evolving. Plenty of bugs need to be ironed out, its combat system could use another coat of paint, and it desperately needs new puzzles – they rarely move beyond a simple "match-two-colors" format. Much of the game works exactly as intended, including a robust crafting system, a fantastic suite of side quests, and an open world that's begging to be explored. Dozens of great ideas are lurking just below the jank, and so is an enjoyable game if you're able to look past them.

There’s no doubt that this is an incredibly fun way to play Capcom arcade classics - better than throwing all of your loose change at a game you’ll never actually finish, at least - but the selection available here hasn’t left me feeling inspired. The games in this collection feel like the last options, the games that could never be sold individually. Cult classics like Darkstalkers and every other version of Street Fighter are entirely missing - instead we have a bunch of Capcom arcade games that, for the most part, weren’t deserving of sequels, or any other recognition this far removed from their release. It sounds harsh, but these are the rejects, propped up by Street Fighter 2 and Ghosts ‘N Goblins. There’s fun to be had here, but without nostalgia you probably won’t find much to love.

If you're not sick of long open-world games or stories about zombies, then you should be able to squeeze some enjoyment out of this. Days Gone might be a ride that goes on for too long, but it's a mostly worthwhile journey with a few good stops along the way.

Even with those smaller issues, I have absolutely no trouble recommending Mass Effect: Legendary Edition to anyone looking for a good RPG, a good story, or just a good shooter. The effort put into the original Mass Effect is commendable, especially considering its age, and Mass Effect 2 and 3 are as great as before but with better visuals and the ease of access of all being on the same disk. Like the title says, this is a legendary trilogy, and it’s one that everyone should play.

Ultimately Shin Megami Tensei 3 HD Remaster is a perfectly acceptable port of a cult classic PS2 RPG. Playing this at the same time as Mass Effect Legendary Edition has definitely coloured my perception of what we should expect from a remaster, but despite the fact it doesn’t have AI upscaled textures and 4K60fps presentation, it’s still a masterful example of how to build atmosphere in a game while still keeping players engaged, instead of bored. It also features Dante from the Devil May Cry series, which always helps.

You don’t need to be a fan of text-based adventures to enjoy Cyberpunkdreams. For fans of the cyberpunk genre, this is a game that you absolutely need to play. While chance and luck play a large part, the experience is exactly what you make of it. You’re more or less in charge of what happens to your character based on the decisions that you make. Even in my weeks-worth of playtime, I’ve barely even scratched the surface. There’s so much lore in this game. There’s even an e-book for those interested in diving into the Cyberpunkdreams world even more. More content is planned post-release, and with a dedicated community of players, Cyberpunkdreams is one game that you need to check out.

The idea of trying to execute a medieval GTA-style heist while fending off other players is so good that I want it to work. This is just missing some kind of secret ingredient to make everything come together. Maybe after some time and the addition of DLC, this could be a worthwhile game to play with friends. Hopefully, that happens sooner rather than later, as right now Hood: Outlaws and Legends feels more like a missed opportunity than a bullseye.

I was still, however, absolutely blown away by the tabletop RPG experience that Demeo offers. Not once did I experience any sort of motion sickness, meaning I can play Demeo for extended periods of time – far more than any other VR title can boast with me. I can’t wait to play Demeo with my regular D&D group as we ease our way back into in-person sessions. As a solo adventurer, though, Demeo is perfect for when I’m in need of a quick-play session with other players from around the globe.

Its attachment to the past can hold it back from greatness, especially in regards to its dedication to bombastic set-pieces and a hesitation to explore its own ideas. Village is drenched in excellence throughout, but the occasional fumble stops it from reaching the heights of both its predecessor and the seminal masterpiece it is so desperate to imitate. There’s also not nearly enough big lady - she needs her own game.

I enjoyed my time with The Colonists. It's an easy, breezy game that doesn't intend to punish you by having Gandhi constantly declare war on you. The fact that it has a decent campaign starring lovable little robo-ducklings is just the icing on top. So if you want to chop down some trees and watch a little robot fisherman provide for his village, The Colonists should make for a delightful bit of strategy fun.

It's interesting to get a look into the past that's as well cared for and presented as Shadow Man Remastered. Maybe I didn't find a new favorite, but there's no reason why you might not end up loving this. If you're okay with having a walkthrough ready and are willing to traipse through the same few corridors numerous times, Shadow Man is certainly a good way to kill some time between big releases.