I have no doubt that a lot of people are going to love that the game is super difficult, especially if you enjoyed Absolver, but I am just not one of those people.

Anyone who loved the first two games is going to go nuts for this one, as it kickflips the franchise forward in just about every way.

I enjoyed my time with Dying Light 2 and found it an entertaining open-world experience that I want to keep playing beyond the 30 or so hours I put into the main storyline.

While Endwalker fails to eclipse Shadowbringers in most areas, it succeeds in what is by far its most important mandate: properly ending this extremely long storyline in an incredibly satisfying way. It’s a solid tale from start to finish. The expansion adds beautiful new areas, well-constructed new jobs, and all in all, ticks off everything that you want a Final Fantasy XIV expansion to do with the level of polish that players have come to expect. So take a deep breath Final Fantasy XIV fans, Endwalker is fantastic.

If you can overlook the limited available modes and move past the potentially devastating feeling of being one-turn-killed online, Master Duel is a Yu-Gi-Oh! game that will allow you to build — and more importantly, defend against — a deck of that caliber.

How much do you want to replay Uncharted 4 and The Lost Legacy? That's the question you've got to ask yourself right now. If your gaming docket is looking pretty rammed, then this is one you can probably pass on for the time being. However, if you just can't get enough of Nate, Sam, Chloe, Nadine and Sully, then this one just about warrants a purchase. It's the definitive way to experience these PS4 masterpieces, and has me dreaming about the possibilities of a true PS5 Uncharted title.

Overall, Windjammers 2 is a massive success that fans of the franchise will surely enjoy and those new to the game will quickly understand why the fans of the original game love it. The lack of game modes with meaningfully different gameplay is unquestionably disappointing. Yet, the core gameplay is just so good and enjoyable that hours will pass in the blink of an eye.

While I had some grievances with the Threat Levels for solo players, and had wished for a few more objectives to bolster the current roster and help reduce the monotony of playing multiple Incursions in a single session, I kept finding -- and continue to find -- myself eagerly wanting to hop back on and earn level up my Operators a little bit more. Just how long this feeling continues to linger at the back of my mind, ultimately comes down to whether any post-launch updates will come to the progression to make it feel more rewarding and less grinding.

It still excels, in every sense of the word. From story and gameplay to visuals and soundtrack, this game has it all.

This is the evolution the series needed and provides a promising foundation for the future of the series.

If you have a few hours to spend and want to play something that is unlike anything else this year, then Solar Ash is absolutely worth checking out. Anyone who is a fan of the action-adventure genre will no doubt enjoy this memorable experience.

Danganronpa Decadence has been a long time coming. The series itself is just such a perfect fit for the handheld device, and coming back to it has been such a joy. This is the kind of series that keeps you up at night, jabbing at your screen under the covers in the dark as you soak in every new bit of information, trying to unravel the mystery. It’s completely engrossing, and a wonderful addition to the Switch library.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have their flaws and are not particularly ambitious remakes, but they’re somehow still fun. I don’t regret the 25 hours I spent with the main story of Brilliant Diamond, and there is enough post-game content to keep me interested for a while longer. I just can’t help but wish that these gems shined just a little bit more brilliantly.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have their flaws and are not particularly ambitious remakes, but they’re somehow still fun. I don’t regret the 25 hours I spent with the main story of Brilliant Diamond, and there is enough post-game content to keep me interested for a while longer. I just can’t help but wish that these gems shined just a little bit more brilliantly.

It is clear that Ruined King: A League of Legends Story is a work of love, combining a well-written narrative, engaging characters, and a world worth exploring and experiencing. The combat elements add to a familiar formula, and the turn-based elements are not that hard for anyone to wrap their heads around. Save for a few yet annoying bugs and glitches, it is hard not to see Ruined King: A League of Legends Story as a bonafide breakout hit for Riot Forge and Airship Syndicate.

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.

Sherlock Holmes Chapter One takes the series in a completely opposite direction of its predecessors, souring its potential in favor of adding gameplay elements that pad runtime and take away from the investigations. Fans of the series may find some joy in getting to experience the original content or solving clues the hard way, but I was certainly not one of them.

For those looking for more of the same, Call of Duty: Vanguard does exactly that. It’s the same, great-feeling FPS with a fresh lick of WWII paint complete with all of the weapons, locales and caveats that come with it. It’s not a revolutionary entry for the series, but it’s not a particularly poor one, either.

At the end of the day, I'm not so sure that Shin Megami Tensei V really pushes the envelope forward for the series. It doesn't have the emotional brevity of the excellent Nocturne, nor does it present the same kind of moral quandaries that IV did. It certainly looks better and plays incredibly well, and from a gameplay perspective, this would easily be the most accessible entry of the bunch. It won't disappoint series fans, especially those who have been waiting for a series comeback for years, but it might be time for Atlus to think about where the series is headed next.

Forza Horizon 5 is a superb racing game. Despite these slight niggles it still manages to put a beaming smile on my face every time I go hurtling off a danger sign, masterfully overtake the leader of a race to snatch the victory, or perfect a drift. It's easily one of the best-looking games on the Xbox Series X, and its extensive roster of cars and events will ensure it's engine keeps quietly ticking over for months on end.

With how the current controls and gameplay loop sit, though, I can’t find myself wanting to sit down and play this much longer after its release. Here is to hoping Ubisoft and Riders Republic get even more extreme in the future.

When you’re climbing up to the fifth floor of a late-game dungeon while fighting battle after battle in a bland-looking environment, it’s tough to stay engaged or excited, even though it’s a relatively short experience overall.

All in all, Mario Party Superstars is a good remake of some incredibly fantastic classic games. It looks great and plays just like the Mario Party games of years past. Sadly, it falls short of being a must-have for all Switch owners outside of Mario Party fans thanks to its relatively small and stagnant roster and board selection. But in the end, the wonderful gameplay is the biggest redeeming factor that makes Mario Party Superstars an enjoyable experience.

Making a debut on new hardware has its pros and cons, but for NHL 22, the overt emphasis on Superstar X-Factors was a huge gamble to take that did not pay off. If this is your first NHL game in a while, then there is a solid foundation in NHL 22 with various game modes that can appeal. For fans who are hoping for more, however, it is disappointing to find little to no improvements despite all the hype, just like a draft pick that turned out to be a lemon.

I still found myself sinking hours at a time into the charming world of Moonglow without even realizing it. Its voxel art visuals are beautiful and the soundtrack is suitably chill. Moonglow Bay has been developed by a truly passionate team, one with so many great ideas that, in trying to implement them all, perhaps haven’t had the time or experience to flesh them out with the depth they truly deserve. Still, if the idea of saving a town through fishing sounds like your cup of tea, Moonglow Bay is worth checking out. Just be prepared for a rather simplistic ride.

At the end of the day, if you already liked The Dark Pictures games, you should really enjoy House of Ashes. Its story is unique, complex, interesting, and suspenseful without relying on cheap scares. If you didn’t like Little Hope or Man of Medan, but are still open to enjoying the series, House of Ashes is worth giving a shot.

I can’t recommend New World to anyone who isn’t already 100% invested in the idea of faction politics and PvP, but there’s a solid foundation here. Give it an expansion or two, and this could turn into something truly special.

I cannot recommend playing Marvel's Guardians enough for the experience it provides. Its decision to focus on story, characters, and ambiance instead of trying to throw in a bunch of content that pads the adventure results in an amazing game. It is right up there with the Arkham Trilogy and Marvel's Spider-Man as one of the best superhero video games of all time.