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.

Jagged Alliance 3 marks a long-awaited triumphant return for the franchise, with the last undeniably great release being Jagged Alliance 2 over twenty years ago. Creating an exceptional balance on both a strategic and tactical level, bringing back character attributes and progression, an entire inventory system, perks and more, forcing you to balance your broader economy and ensuring you can't just sit back - Haemimont Games have successfully created a game that will challenge, that I have found compelling and fun, and one that has kept me hooked into a "just one more day" loop and a few very late nights at that.

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.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black isn't quite the definitive edition of Team NINJA's second entry in the series, but it comes close. While Ryu Hayabusa no longer faces overwhelming hordes of enemies, the game's intensity, deep combat mechanics, excellent enemy variety, greatly overhauled visuals, and solid level design make it one of the best ways to experience one of finest action games ever released, performance issues notwithstanding.

Warhammer 40K: Chaos Gate – Daemonhunters successfully separates itself from most other tactics games on the market while also capturing the gritty spirit of Games Workshop’s universe. Daemonhunters’ punishing difficulty spikes may turn some away, but hardcore strategy fans looking for an uncompromising challenge will likely embrace the chaos.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is a conservative update to one of Link’s less-heralded adventures that’s unlikely to change many minds one way or the other. The padding, control limitations, and other issues fans have long bemoaned are still in full effect. That said, there’s really no such thing as a bad Zelda game, and this one still shines at times thanks to a strong story, excellent dungeons, and some intense boss battles. If you’re impatient for Breath of the Wild 2 and have never played Skyward Sword, by all means, give the game a shot, just keep your expectations slightly grounded.

Anno 1800 is a visually stunning, incredibly compelling management-strategy game. One thing of particular note is just how great and addictive the gameplay loop is, hooking you in as you watch your cities develop and expand, made all the better as you unlock and build a wide variety of buildings. There are slight issues though, with an unintuitive UI and trade system, which due to the way resources are spread around the game can be irritating. Simply put, Anno 1800 is an incredibly addictive and engaging game, with a few flaws, but nothing that stops it from being a great entry in the series.

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.

Moonlighter is a wonderful game that uses a delightful separation of tools to make you want to keep playing. It innovates the dungeon crawler genre in the most ingenious way possible.

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.

Planet Zoo is a great management game that lets you impose your own goals and always gives you something to strive for. With incredible graphical fidelity, a huge overlapping array of mechanics to balance and incredible detail, the only issue is the sometimes annoying controls.

If you're wondering whether bringing the madness to our doorstep, making the entire campaign co-op and including an impressive toolbox to create new levels and missions while still retaining that visceral gunplay the series is known for keeps Far Cry 5 fresh and worth playing on Day One, my answer is: yes, absolutely.

F1 25 is a good game, make no mistake about that. With a near flawless presentation, improved my team mode, and additional features, there's a lot to do. There are a few pitfalls here and there, but nothing that takes away from what is another genuinely good release by Codemasters.

Good tracks and great racing combine in this well-positioned futuristic racer. It’s nothing groundbreaking, and is very similar to its predecessor, but it has enough new content and multiplayer fun to keep me coming back for hours.

Age of Empires IV is, in almost every way, a true sequel to Age of Empires II. It plays great and has a few new features that add more tactical elements to combat and how you develop your faction. On factions, it truly allows them to differentiate themselves from each other. There are slight issues, such as the population cap that feels very restrictive and the lower-quality of unit models, but these are minor in what is an otherwise outstanding game, and one where an undeniable amount of effort and work has gone into - which includes hours of documentary-style clips to support the campaign.

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

Although feeling hands off in the day to day running of the team as a company, the real joy of Motorsport Manager comes from your preparation for the races and the races themselves. Improving your cars but then watching them in the race, planning your pit stops and attempting to plan everything to the second makes for a tense and exciting, experience.

Syberia - The World Before is a return to form for the series, and an all-around solid adventure game featuring an engaging story that nicely blends together two different timelines, charming characters and good puzzle design. The experience, however, leaves something to be desired when it comes to innovation, making the game a must-buy only for fans of the series.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy is a satisfying collection of mysteries, many of which are still as sharp as when they were first published. Sure, certain aspects of these games feel a touch dated compared to some of the newer, edgier visual novels out there, but few can top Phoenix and friends when it comes to charm. This HD update is a bit barebones, but, overall, these classics are well-represented.

Company of Heroes 3 is a triumphant return to the game that raised the bar for Real-Time Strategy. With unparalleled action on the battlefield, that alone makes it work your while. The new grand-strategy campaign is a welcome addition, though it has some flaws, ranging from performance issues and bugs to simply being too easy. Despite this, it's impossible not to recommend Company of Heroes 3 for the excellent game that it is.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a very good 2.5D platform featuring a familiar experience heavily inspired by the Donkey Kong Country series and some interesting mechanics for the overworld map which deepen and expand the experience. While the game is not innovative in any way, it's an extremely enjoyable experience that no fan of platform games should pass on.

Taking a step back from Kim Hung Tae's character designs for a moment, Stellar Blade is a phenomenal action RPG that evolves from the framework of NieR Replicant and NieR Automata to become one of the next cult classics.

A Plague Tale: Innocence is definitely among the gaming surprises of 2019, exceeding expectations in the best possible ways. With its gripping tale, charming characters and solid gameplay mechanics, the game is a must-have for those who like single-player games with a strong focus on story and character development. Even if the tale does not take in you, A Plague Tale: Innocence still offers a compelling third-person stealth experience that fans of the genre will surely appreciate.

While Steins;Gate 0 doesn't quite have the same emotional impact as its predecessor, this full-fledged sequel stands out as one of the finest visual novels and an amazing chance to reunite with the members of the Future Gadget Laboratory.

Redout is a great modern revival of a racing genre we had lost somewhere along the way. Die-hard racers who prefer high-speeds and death-defying jumps will for sure want to check this one out.

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II keeps virtually the same scope and structure of the independent triple-A game made in 2017 by Ninja Theory. The story is just as poignant, the visuals are stunning, and the experience is one that every Game Pass user should check out for themselves. However, those hoping for a more traditional game in the vein of the God of War reboot will inevitably be disappointed, and this is unlikely to have nearly that level of success, which is what Microsoft still desperately needs.

Age of Wonders: Planetfall is an imaginative sci-fi strategy game that adds some interesting new layers to the series’ empire management and combat mechanics, but, ultimately, the game falls just short of greatness. Combat needs to be a touch deeper and standard 4X ingredients like trading, religion, and government policies are missed. Planetfall is certainly worth exploring, but not all strategy fans are going to want to set up permanent residence.

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.