Outer Wilds gets most of the “big picture” stuff right. It boasts a solid structure, wonderfully imaginative planets, and an involving slow-burn mystery. Unfortunately, clunky controls, a few irritating design choices, and a multitude of other little issues bring the game back down to earth. If you value originality over execution, Outer Wilds is worth the ride, but expect some turbulence.

For those that are looking for a relaxing game that can be completed at a leisurely pace, this may suit you. Although the game presents more of a structured approach that many players may find preferable to a game like Minecraft, Dragon Quest Builders has a number of flaws that appear to hinder the player. As a result, the game can feel quite drawn-out and boring at times which may prevent players from wanting to stick with it until the end. Nonetheless, it will be very interesting to see what Dragon Quest fans make of it.

The focus placed by The Riftbreaker's gameplay loop on resource management may be too monotonous for some players. It's a game that focuses on its base-building mechanics more than its Action RPG mechanics. Still, it's a decent mixture of both that can either be loved or hated by players.

Helldivers 2 is broken at launch. That much is almost unquestionable. The game has many high highs and also abysmally low lows. While I can recommend it for players who are seeking a good time due to the physics and the wacky situations a group of players can find themselves in at lower difficulties, it also is a tough recommendation for players seeking thrills with challenging yet fair content. That may change in the future if the developers can fix all the bugs and connection problems.

Although the game was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the actual gameplay elements of it, the story just didn't grab me. Initially, I was also deterred by the massively contrasting art styles and the finicky menus. Overall, the game is a pleasant experience, appropriate for gamers of all ages. If the story had some more flashy dramatics, it may have pulled me in earlier. The Plucky Squire is very evidently a product made with a lot of love, and you can tell that from the level of polish it has.

This is a game with genuinely days upon days worth of missions, challenges, objectives, characters and things to collect. It's not content light by any means - though it also doesn't change up at any point during its entire playtime. This is a pretty great Dynasty Warriors game, and Warriors fans will find hours of fun, but I'm not sure that more casual fans of action games will find it as endearing.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a decent game, but one that becomes repetitive quite quickly, though fans of this sort of action combat could find it enjoyable.

As someone that loves Dark Souls, I can say I enjoyed aspects of Salt and Sanctuary, but comparing the two games side by side seems incredibly unfair. Similarly to the Souls games, Salt and Sanctuary requires time and patience for players to reap its true rewards. While that may be attractive to some, it doesn’t quite have the same level of depth and finesse that would warrant it as a worthy substitute for one of the greatest RPGs ever created.

Little Nightmares II often manages to recapture the unsettling essence of Tarsier Studios’ original game, but almost every attempt to expand the formula falls flat, resulting in an experience as lumpy and misshapen as the game’s shambling monstrosities. If you loved the original Little Nightmares and need to know what happens to Six next, this sequel might be worth your time, but more fair-weather fans may regret reliving this particular bad dream.

Rock Band Rivals offers less than expected, considering the state in which Rock Band 4 was released back in October last year. The content provided is not quite sufficient when taking the length of the Rockudrama and the poorly executed Rivals mode into consideration.

It seems Capcom ran out of inspiration partway through making Mega Man 11, as only half the game’s stages, bosses, and Special Weapons are up to series standards. There’s some old-school fun to be had with the Blue Bomber’s latest if you can ignore the bad stuff, but given the eight-year wait, this feels like a Mega misfire.

Although the allure of returning to one of the most engaging Elder Scrolls titles might be overwhelming, Skyrim Special Edition itself feels dated, with little improvements made in terms of gameplay and graphics. You'll play it for hours, but you'll keep wondering why.

If you’re looking for fun arcade baseball action with a bombastic presentation, Super Mega Baseball 2 is a no-brainer. The easily adjustable difficulty makes these a great game to play with kids. While it won’t have any of the big names in baseball, you can still find a lot of fun in the deep customization and easy-to-pick-up controls.

Genshin Impact is a remarkable game in many respects, boasting vibrant visuals, a rich, sprawling world, deep systems, and finely-tuned action. Unfortunately, the game’s free-to-play gacha business model often undermines its own sense of adventure and excitement. Genshin Impact is a good -- potentially great -- game locked in a loot box it can’t quite escape.

Visage is one of the most terrifying games I’ve ever played, full stop, but it’s not going to be for all horror fans. The game’s perplexing puzzles, convoluted story, and rough edges will turn off some, but if you can stick it out, there’s a good chance it will eventually sink its hooks into you. Good horror can take time to process, and I believe Visage’s dark presence will only grow with time.

Would I recommend giving it a go? For the art style alone, I probably would, yes. It's an absolutely gorgeous game, and there were moments that I genuinely had a smile on my face. It was a shame that there were other moments when I literally sighed and said, "I've had enough now," although this may not be the same for everybody.

Goodbye Volcano High throws quite a bit in the pot, and the end result is a fairly hearty experience, at least by indie visual novel standards. Your first playthrough will probably take most players five or six hours and there’s some reason to replay if you want to change your responses and friendships, although I’m not sure everyone will want to repeat their senior year.

The games in this collection are timeless; they deserved far more respect than this.

Atlas Reactor has enough going for it that it is definitely worth trying out if you are in the mood for a tactical turn-based game. As someone who isn’t huge fan of turn-based games, I can’t say Atlas Reactor does anything to convince me that I should play it every day. While there is so much to do in Atlas Reactor, including Ranked PvP, daily contracts and even a poor story mode (essentially more contracts), I simply don’t find the game enjoyable enough to keep going back to. That being said, the game is F2P (to a certain extent) and what you play during that time will be enough to convince you whether or not you’ll want to spend money on it.

Hand of Fate 2 captures some old-school RPG charm, but deals a few too many bad cards in the process. The game’s appealing premise is marred by unsatisfying progression, punishing randomness, and clunky combat. Nostalgic RPG fans will find things to appreciate here, but given the popularity and diversity of actual tabletop gaming these days, it’s hard to fully recommend the half-stacked Hand of Fate 2.

Darkwood is a fine open-world survival experience, and spins a good yarn, but doesn’t quite succeed as a horror game. The ominous veneer wears off quickly enough, and you’re left with a somewhat cumbersome Don’t Starve clone. Darkwood has its moments and will please a certain dedicated breed, but less masochistic general gaming audiences may find the title more tedious than terrifying. Don’t venture into these woods unless you’re prepared to rough it.

Honkai Star Rail highlights the issues that Genshin Impact had despite how many issues have been addressed. The game's barebones RPG mechanics will definitely improve over time, but it still will take a lot to convince any enthusiast to pick this game over other turn-based RPG gacha games.

The Artful Escape is a rockin' Space Opera but it doesn't have much going for it besides its pretty visuals and incredible music. The platforming is basic and the plot is serviceable, but it's nothing that audiences haven't seen before. I'd recommend this game only if you're a fan of rock music from the '70s and '80s.

Remnant II is an impressive technical and artistic accomplishment in some ways, offering an intermittedly-striking, cutting-edge procedural world that’s satisfying to unravel. Unfortunately, a forgettable story, middle-of-the-road gunplay, dull loot, and some performance issues means this fantastic world isn’t always that fun to inhabit. Some folks, particularly those with a regular co-op party, will be drawn into this dark multiverse, but others may find Remnant II only provides scattered fragments of excitement amidst the frustration.

The first three Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters are a somewhat solid remastering effort that could have been so much better with a few tweaks. While the amazing rearranged soundtracks sound great and the balancing tweaks make the three games still feel great to play, the divisive overhauled visuals reminiscent of the 16-bit entries, technical issues like the lack of a V-Sync toggle and display settings not saving and lack of additional content found in prior remakes make these remasters a truly worthy purchase only for those who live and breathe Final Fantasy.

WWE 2K25 doesn’t manage to build on the momentum created by the last few entries in the series. For every step forward, such as online MyGM or the varied Bloodline 2K Showcase, there’s a step back, like the lifeless MyRise career mode and some questionable changes to core gameplay. The biggest blemish is The Island hub, which excels at separating players from their money and not much else. There’s certainly still fun to be had with WWE 2K25, but the series risks dropping back to the midcard if it continues on this new trajectory.

Arise: A Simple Story is a beautiful, moving experience I couldn’t stop swearing at. The game delivers a lovely yarn and some clever level design, but clunky controls and an infuriating camera leave this platformer stranded in purgatory. Arise’s story may be worth your time, but only if you’re the patient type. Simple as that.

Layers of Fear: Legacy is a scary reflection of humanity, but perhaps not as scary as your own reflection on the Nintendo Switch's screen.