Mother Russia Bleeds is a rose-tinted callback to the genre’s giants. Playing the game, you will be reminded of the time spent in youth playing Final Fight, and Streets of Rage. However, you will also be reminded of how one note those games truly were, and how it was more than just graphics that advanced as hardware did.

Nitroplus Blasterz – Heroines Infinite Duel plays it too safe, to the point of taking the game’s potential and squandering it.

Despite what is a promising combat formula as well as the supporting systems behind it when it comes to skills, crafting, and upgrades, there are also several equally frustrating aspects of it that hold the game back. The hope is that Mundfish is able to fix some of the more glaring issues post-launch, but right now, it feels less like a welcomed revolution and more like a nuclear disaster.

Warriors All-Stars sticks with the formula it knows best, and that works. For players looking to dive into a lengthy game with nothing but that satisfying punchy feel of the hack-and-slash combat, this is absolutely perfect. There’s an endless stream of side missions and content to tackle, and the unlockable cutscenes between the crossover characters are just the cherry on top. However, for players who might not entirely be sold on Omega Force’s classic combat, or even for players who have taken a 16-year break from these Warriors-style games and are just returning, you might find that it drags on a tad too long with no real variety in gameplay to shake things up.

A solid start. While I’d definitely like to see Telltale take their foot off the gas when it comes to driving the story along in future episodes in favor of more quality time with the characters, the high-tempo introduction to the series is sure to keep players hooked. Unfortunately, Telltale’s trademark decision-based gameplay isn’t quite as strong as has been so far in The Walking Dead: A New Frontier, but if you’re a Guardians of the Galaxy fan, you’ll likely still enjoy following the story.

Despite having some wonky A.I. and lacking a coat of polish, the moment to moment gameplay is engaging. This is not only thanks to the massive roster of officers to pick from, but the wonderful variety of missions offered to players.

My hope is that it finds its audience so that we might yet again see Dr. Reid on an even grander scale in the future.

It’s a remake that knows what we want and gives it to us, instead of instituting needless changes. What changes there are are often subtle, or add to the game instead of detracting from it. This isn’t a remake to play if you want something drastically different, but if you want a more interactive approach to movie night, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better (or season-appropriate) option.

For all it has to offer, The Last Remnant Remastered is still the same adventure longtime fans still know and love. Its visual upgrades and other changes make it the best version to play, but its lackluster plot and complex combat system might turn others away.

If you’re hungry for more of that classic gameplay that involves backtracking, hunting down statues and keys to solve cryptic puzzles, and exploring enclosed spaces with fantastic horror movie camera angles, Resident Evil 0 will satisfy that hunger. It’s a wonderful Resident Evil game with a few drawbacks. But even though it has been remastered with so much love and care, it’ll still be that one game in the series that people eventually forget about.

While it definitely isn’t Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley, Little Dragons Cafe manages to stand on its own and offer a simple, charming experience that’s easy to love in spite of the technical issues.

The best sequels improve from its predecessors in every important way, and this is sometimes true in Grow Up, but it’s mostly more of the same in a bigger space. That isn’t a bad thing, because it’s a ton of fun, but I was left with a sense of finality for B.U.D. and friends. It’s a wonderful thing that we live in a world in which Grow Home gets its big sequel, and we have one more great game because of it.

Hardcore fans of the original game may find some fun here, but those who have played more comprehensive farming sims from recent years, like Stardew, don’t expect it to keep your attention for too long.

Immortals of Aveum, in some areas, is a major success. A wonderfully crafted and frequently beautiful word is the perfect backdrop to enjoy its excellent combat system that’s as detailed as it is spellbinding. In others, it’s a frustrating case of overly-complex lore, a mediocre cast and a borderline dislikable protagonist. The result is a game that’s fun, if some way off as emotionally investing as it could – and maybe should – have been.

Overall, I do not think that The Devil in Me is boring by any means, but it is also not nearly as impressive as I would expect a season finale to be.

Enotria: The Last Song is a faithful recreation of the original Souls games with a fresh new coat of Italian paint, and it brings with it enough personality and mechanics to stand on its own two feet. Unfortunately, the experience is held back by performance issues, bugs, and a lack of enemy variety for difficulty.

If you're in the market for a short adventure to tide you over for an evening or two ahead of September's big releases and its atmospheric premise intrigues you, go right ahead. However, if you're looking for the next smash-hit horror title, you're best going elsewhere.

Final Fantasy Explorers is a game that both newcomers and veterans to the online Action RPG genre should enjoy greatly.

This is a decent start to The Dark Pictures Anthology, but at the end of the day, I really do feel that Supermassive could have done just a bit of a better job at polishing up the issues and tying up the plot a little better.

It’s a beautiful, lonely world and the Ghibli-like aesthetic works incredibly well in its favor. However, some control issues and harsh random difficulty spikes hurt it by slowing down the experience.

Hopefully one day we can get a decent sequel in the series with the tight controls, intelligent AI, and fun city-building mechanics we deserve.

It’s great to see how far the games have come in terms of managing all those damn menus, presenting an experience that is true to the source material, and figuring out how to take the combat system and make it fun and fluid. But in the end, it feels a bit too safe.

When all the pieces slide perfectly into place, Absolver truly shines as one of the best action experiences I’ve had in some time. But with all the pressure hinged on solely the combat, it takes only one hiccup to throw it all off (and there is definitely more than just one in the game).

In short, this game feels very much like a stepping stone on the way to a better Demon Slayer game in the future — one with a wider variety of playable characters, more new combat features, and a longer storyline that can afford to cut out filler moments that pad the experience.

The simplistic visuals and sound design of Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop!? may make the game seem aimed at a younger audience. Make no mistake, though, the gameplay has plenty of depth and complexity.

Outcast: A New Beginning lives up to the ambition the same developer achieved all those years ago. A captivating story, interesting characters, thoughtful world-building and slick action are only slightly marred by an inconsistent frame-rate, repetitive quests, bugs, and occasional crashes.

If you picked up the expansion pass hoping for a lengthy and interesting story, or some new gameplay then you’ll probably find Isle of Armor a little lacking as I did. That said, the price of $15 isn’t overwhelmingly prohibitive so if you’re a fan of Sword and Shield, you’ll probably be OK with another similar helping.

Star Ocean: The Divine Force is an excellent step forward for the series and should mean plenty to longtime fans. Between the changes to combat and the enhanced exploration abilities, there has never been a better time to sink your teeth into this action RPG series. However, Divine Force doesn’t shy away from delivering a lengthy, epic journey that might wear players down before they ever get to the finish.

I can only recommend it if you’re looking for a new farming/harvesting simulator, specifically. And even then I want you to temper your expectations a bit, at that.

For those who were expecting the next Dead Space, I’m sad to report that The Callisto Protocol just isn’t quite it. Instead, Striking Distance Studios has crafted a largely by-the-numbers horror-action title with terrific presentation that could’ve been something truly special. Unfortunately, while your journey across the titular dead moon is a sporadically fun and entertaining ride, it fails to authentically push the genre forward in any meaningful way. Still, despite all that… at least you get to stomp on stuff, right? Phew!

It has a weak supporting cast, a forgettable story, and it simply doesn’t know how to engage its players on a narrative level. It’s a real pity, especially since this is a refreshing game that has such a uniquely designed world that you won’t soon forget, and it’s proof that DICE has the potential to create something truly special here.

There are plenty of nostalgic aspects present in this crisp and beautiful high-definition title, reminiscent of games gone by. At the same time it shakes things up with some drastic changes to the game play that can be too jarring for some to want to put up with, making it a bit of a black sheep to many. For those who take the time to master the play style, however, it is incredibly rewarding and satisfying.

It has a whimsy to it all the same that makes it worth trying, at least for a while. You may get hooked, you may not. It’s no bigger a gamble than a park full of carnivores, and in the worst case scenario, far less messy.

The complexity of its underlying systems is well-masked by the ease with which players interact with the game, and there’s plenty of replay value with so many different paths to choose from to help your agency succeed.

The thing that surprised me most about Knack 2 was how the experience got better as I kept going. The first few missions can be slow, but once the story and combat got their hooks in I found myself having a blast with the game.

It’s story and lore have plenty to love about them, and when paired with the depth of the combat system, it makes for an engaging and entertaining experience fans of JRPGs will at least want to take a look at.

PES 2017 on PC is a mess, especially when comparing it to the PS4/Xbox One version.

Having fun in Sea of Thieves is a slow burn at the moment. Most of the game involves you just chilling on your ship while looking for other pirates to steal from, or for the raids to start. It’s not a game that you can play every single day for hours on end, and most people will certainly tire of it after seeing all of the PvE content available now. Even so, Sea of Thieves is incredible in the way you can interact with players and be whatever kind of pirate you want to be.

Ultimately, I would recommend High on Life, but if you do, go into it with the mind that it’s a video game with a sense of humor that may fall short on you. Despite feeling a bit dated and some jokes missing their mark, I’m looking at you alien “fluids” seller, the game works despite how dated the actual gameplay is. Plus, its inclusion on Game Pass is reason enough why you should play it. Worst case scenario, you turn it off and only spend a few hours learning about how your nameless protagonist and Morty, I mean Kenny, saved the human species with a bunch of talking guns.

With less “busy work” tasks and repetition of tearing down enemy towers or defenses to lower the ‘threat’ within a given area, it could have been a smoother ride, but who said that an all-out war across the dusty expanse was supposed to be smooth?

Oblitus puts a whole lot of content into a small, tightly-made package. The overall aesthetic and backing music are great, and the constant threat of death taking all of your accomplishments away drives play very well.

For a few rounds, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is a great party game. The events themselves are varied and fun to play but the story mode that’s the draw for lone players moves along at a snail’s pace.

The only fun in Farming Simulator 17 comes from you, and when you need to actively search for fun in a game, you know you’re not dealing with a good one.

Not without its frustrating moments, WrestleQuest feels like a refreshing alternative to the usual yearly simulations. A game for wrestling fans first and foremost, but not only for them. Through all its winks and nods and underneath all the nitty-gritty, it is a game that reminds us all of the foundations of our fandom. Despite how silly things get, professional wrestling thrives when we all have the ability to lean into a character’s authenticity — no matter how over the top.

Whereas the core of Arslan: The Warriors of Legend is nothing new, it brings enough flair to the table so that it feels like it could be new. If any Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors, or Warriors Orochi fans have been looking for another great example of the hack and slash genre, this is definitely it.

As the EX might signify, the game is an update to last year’s Super Galaxy Squadron, which is included in the purchase. In addition, an available Endless mode means that, while you pay power through the story in an hour or so, there’s plenty of action still waiting to be found.

There is a lot here to recommend. Moons of Madness delivers, and like the best horror experiences doesn’t outstay its welcome, or let you become too comfortable with your surroundings.

While it isn’t without its problems, Dragon Marked for Death embodies the best parts of the multiplayer facet of the side-scrolling 2D action RPG community. Anyone who enjoys the genre and has Nintendo Online would be remiss to not give this game a try.

Exist Archive may test your time and patience, but if you’re willing to make that commitment, you should find a worthwhile experience.

If you want a game which is pretty much the polar opposite of the vast majority of modern AAA titles — in most of the right ways — I can wholeheartedly recommend Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain.

While Snake Pass looks and sounds like a 3D platformer of old, the ‘think like a snake’ idea that the gameplay is built around makes it a game that will influence platformers of the future. The puzzle is the movement, and since that movement is so fun and engaging, it makes for enjoyable experience, even if the unreliable camera makes it more frustrating than it should be.

Despite the constant back and forth between jobs and saving frontiers, I had a great time strapping in for the ride. Dillon’s Dead-Heat Breakers offers a refreshing experience from both the racing and action, mixing both genres with a heap of tower defense for a truly unique experience.

When you finally get over the initially steep learning curve and find fellow like-minded players that you can group up with, ARK: Survival Evolved becomes a truly enjoyable sandbox game where anything goes. But not even the impressive dinosaurs and cool tech can cover up just how repetitive the game really is, and how you’re forced to sink in hours and hours of grinding before you can finally start to get to the ‘good’ stuff.

State of Mind stands as the most ambitious brainchild of award-winning German game writer/designer Martin Ganteföhr and it executes its purpose as a satisfactory narrative-driven experience despite it uninspired setting and disappointing main character.

Automatron manages to take everything that made Fallout 4 great and magnify it. The customization afforded by the robot building, the interesting new weapons, the mysterious adversary, and the hordes of mechanical enemies make for an enjoyable experience throughout that will last well beyond the final quest. It captivates the best of science-fiction while never deserting the core of the franchise that fans love.

If you’re someone who has not played a Mystery Dungeon game before and are looking for a chill and passive dungeon-crawler to sit back and relax while listening to a podcast or watching a television show, this will work wonders for you. Just don’t expect a deep Pokemon RPG with meaningful progression or impressive visuals.

Sea of Solitude has the story and visuals of a much better game. Kay’s story of loneliness is powerful, compelling, and clearly personal to the developers at Jo-Mei Games, and it’s enough to make whole game worth playing. Even if you’re fascinated by the story though, the tedium of actually playing Sea of Solitude will diminish its impact.

The gameplay may be uninspired, but Erica is the best FMV game we’ve had in a long time and is the perfect length for a single evening’s entertainment.

There’s plenty of content to wade through with the lengthy story, assortment of side missions, and multiplayer options with friends or strangers (strictly co-op not versus).

This is a series that needs to take a few years off and go back to the locker room if it ever hopes to be taken seriously again.

If you love the previous game or just are really craving a good giggle, New Tales from the Borderlands is most definitely a must-play title for you in 2022. I happily give this one a rating of 4 and a half skateboards out of 5.

If you’re after a big dumb shark game, Maneater will scratch that itch. The quality of the gameplay and some of its RPG mechanics might make you wish there was some more depth and variety to it all though.

Long-time fans of the series might be disappointed, but it is at least check the same boxes that all of the other titles in this niche genre do. More casual players will probably just want to pass on this entirely, as the pros won’t outweigh the cons.

Tiny Metal is an admirable return to the traditional turn-based strategy genre. There’s enough of a challenge both in the campaign and skirmish mode to keep players happy for a good while, but the lack of any sort of multiplayer at launch hurts its overall score.

Ninjala is a surprisingly entertaining free-to-play game that doesn’t require players to pull out their wallets to have a little fun. The microtransactions are all cosmetic, free content is on its way to add even more depth, and the visual style just oozes with charm.

It’s adequate; it has compelling moments; it passes the time, until enough time passes and you’ve had your fill. To say that it’s repetitive would be akin to calling an online shooter or a sports game repetitive: whilst it absolutely is, it all comes down to whether or not the fun can sustain the repetition.

Yet with all of that, you still cannot shake those microtransactions.

This is the perfect October release to coincide with Halloween but can easily last beyond the season. Consider it a successful effort that’ll bust out of any ecto-containment system.

As a stealth-action experience, Serial Cleaners is most certainly a breath of fresh air, continuing to build on the foundations set by the series’ first outing in 2017. Between the added uniqueness of the rest of the crew, the diverse and interesting level designs, the non-linear story with freedom of choice, and just good old cleaning action to be had, Serial Cleaners is everything you would want in a sequel; just be wary that some polishing is still needed for the perfect finish.

Midnight Murder Club is fun, if flawed, with all the makings of a cult hit, but a live service game needs to be more than culty.

If you’re a big fan of the hyper-precision platforming genre, it’s got a pretty good take on it with some great dressing. If you’re looking for an action-oriented stealth experience, though, steer yourself elsewhere.

Overall, how much joy you’ll be able to find in Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception comes down to how patient you are willing to be with the game’s many missteps. If you manage to hang in there and look beyond the ugliness of the misogynistic themes and a cast that errs on the side of okay but falls short of its potential to be great, you will undoubtedly find an enchanting story that’s actually worth your time.

Once you warm up to its cast, Dustborn's unique twist on a super-power adventure in an alternate-future America makes for an engrossingly great time, even if some of its gameplay leaves more to be desired.

Gundam Versus has a lot to offer, and fans of the series will no doubt be pleased with the frenetic combat and roster. It may not be as accessible to those that don’t know anything about Gundam, but there’s still a fast and engaging battle system to take part in with a strong multiplayer offering. While the staggering roster of mobile suits is intimidating, it’s impressive how much variation there is, and just trying each one out and mastering it is going to take you quite a while.

Seven’s narrative is certainly its main draw and rescues the often woeful gameplay. The lackluster stealth and bland combat are big issues, as is the frustrating world design.

If you’ve got no problem delving into some of the darker corners of the human mind, this is a solid pick-up.

I’m excited for the inevitable second series so I can go saving the galaxy with the Guardians once more. However, Telltale really needs to up its game in making these decisions feel more consequential if its experiences are going to keep with the times.

Deracine has a world worth seeing, but it’s not likely to stick with you once you’ve left.

TERA is a low-risk game to try out. Yeah, the questing isn’t anything to write home about it seems, but it’s still a fast-paced, free-to-play MMORPG, that is genuinely fun to play thanks to its dynamic combat.

NBA Playgrounds scratches that arcade basketball itch we’ve had since NBA Jam. The gameplay and progression are simple and fun to mess around with but unbalanced power-ups and a shallow online multiplayer offering keep it from being as consistently fun as the classics.

Mario Party: Star Rush has some fun and original mini-games, and looks great. Toad Scramble’s new fast-paced simultaneous is enjoyable enough, but it’s too bad it can’t be played online. What is also unfortunate is that luck plays way too much into who wins and loses and will inevitable frustrate players. Some minor tweaking along with the inclusion of online play could have made this one of the best entries in the series in a long time, but instead, it’s another disappointment.

Casual and hardcore fans of My Hero Academia alike will still find something to enjoy in the game, and those looking for a fun arena brawler could still do far worse than this sequel.

Its combination of the English language, beautiful orchestral score from Curry, and picturesque environments create a perfectly moody and melancholy escape.

I highly recommend playing the Horse Ranch if you love caring for these animals, want to try out a new Sim experience or enjoy farming simulators. Despite its lack of gameplay, it pairs well with the base game and the rest of the DLCs, bringing in a new wave of challenges. The pack has a lot of potential to open other doors in the franchise, and it’s already made me begin my traditional binge-playing for the next few months.

Everything in the game, from the bad humor to the kinda fun combat, coalesced into a mess that I wanted to continue exploring, if only out of morbid curiosity and my love of loot. Unless you are a die-hard dungeon crawler, I don’t see this game holding your interest.

A mixed bag. There are plenty of points where it fails to utilize its potential, and leans back into unfortunate pitfalls in order to pad it’s runtime. However, it’s still a worthwhile experience for fans of the series, and shows that introducing new characters and ideas into the series’ framework could lead to an outstanding game in the future.

Exploring themes of horror, personal relationships, and personal agency, The Charnel House Trilogy weaves a fantastic tale that is well-written, and relatively well-acted.

Battlefield 2042 is an excellent effort and filled with a ton of competitive multiplayer content at launch with much more planned in the near future. There are some technical issues such as respawns and visual bugs to sort out, and some game modes and specialists might need some tweaks, but DICE is off to a great start and Battlefield 2042 should likely be relevant and popular for years to come.

Where the heart leads is a victim of its own ambition.

Rollers of the Realm gets points for its unique play style and responsive, approachable play. It’s definitely not an easily mastered mix of genres, but it’s well-done enough that it takes more skill and concentration than it does luck.

Mafia III took me through a grand tale of loss and, in the end, after all of my macho escapades, I was left more empty, realizing no amount of killing could change what was done. For that reason, Mafia III is not a game to be missed by anyone.

Goat Simulator 3 is what you’d expect from a modern sequel. It’s bigger, more content-rich, and is largely an improvement over its predecessor from a visual perspective. But getting even deeper, it’s a reminder of simpler times, when just running around and making your own fun used to be more the du jour.

If there’s one fault My Hero One’s Justice has it’s a lack of ambition, to really try and go for something inventive and new, like its anime counterpart. Still, if you’re jonesing for more My Hero Academia, this will see you through the wait until Season 4.

Digimon World: Next Order is definitely a game for fans who are looking for a challenge. If you’ve always felt you had it in you to take your own Digimon partner and save the digital world, this is certainly a game you should check out. But, if you’re just looking for a new RPG that lets you fight with trained monsters, there are other options available that don’t require long hours before the payoff.

While it’s not exactly reinventing the genre or creating anything brand-new, INK is a decent and inexpensive addition to the library of platfoming fans.

If nothing else, Spacejacked easily meets the most important criteria I have when reviewing games — fun. Its frantic pace, interesting take on the genre, and well-executed mechanics make for an enjoyable experience. The design and sound may not stand out, but they’re certainly not bad.

The Final Station’s pairing of on-foot side-scrolling survival with time and resource management on board a train makes for an consistently fun, if not short experience.

There’s a great game inside of Hood: Outlaws & Legends. When it comes together properly, it’s one of the most interesting titles I’ve seen in a while. As it is now though, there’s not enough content available to truly show off its potential, and early adopters will be left waiting for it to grow into something truly exceptional.