The only major flaws holding this game back are that there only two playable factions and only one faction gets their own single-player campaign. But aside from that, Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector is a great, addictive strategy game that wonderfully translates the rules and action of the tabletop into a video game format.

The controls are smoother on the PC, but the new version offers everything you could want from a Pathfinder video game.

Rise of Iron is a solid expansion to Destiny that may bring back even the most jaded fans. It's a great addition to a good game, that is fun for both new players and those who've been a Guardian for three years.

Diablo III's Necromancer plugs a hole in the heart of long-time fans of the franchise, who wished for the return of the Diablo II staple. It brings a huge amount of versatility, allowing for solo play, ranged damage, support, and melee, with beautifully rendered armor sets to compensate. The voice acting is well realized, and the Necromancer is just so damn fun to play and learn.

The game looks gorgeous and runs like a dream on Xbox One X at 4K 60 FPS.

For the first time, EA has brought a full Sims experience to console, with all of its features intact – even cheats. The Sims 4 doesn't always feel at home on Xbox, though, with clunky menus, confusing controls, tiny text, and a mess of tutorials. But if you prefer to game on console rather than PC, The Sims 4 is still worth the time and effort. The character creation, building, and social interactions are engaging enough to keep simulation-minded players busy for years.

Life is Strange: True Colors struggles to justify some of its earlier chapters, but makes up for it with strong characters and a fun LARP session to mix up the gameplay. Though it doesn't quite live up to the mystery and intrigue of the original game, True Colors still shines on its own.

Ninja Gaiden 4 hardly re-writes the rules on what these kinds of games should look like, but fans who have been awaiting the return of the franchise may prefer this first re-entry takes things back to basics to some degree. Built in partnership between Koei, Microsoft, Team Ninja, and Platinum Games, Ninja Gaiden 4 has emerged a surprisingly coherent and confident product. Stunning and stylish hack n' slash gameplay could've been backed up with more compelling characters and story beats, but for those who simply want to carve a bloody path through endless enemies — Ninja Gaiden 4 is up there with the best of them.

Your Toy is a great indie horror experience that expertly fuses engaging, creative and tough puzzle design with a chilling, ambitious story and unnerving horror gameplay. Despite some sections where the game suffers from the obscurity and complexity of some of the puzzles, Your Toy overall is an excellent title that's definitely worth picking up if you're brave enough to go toe-to-toe with a homicidal teddy bear.

Although the first Project Cars didn't quite capture the hearts of mainstream gamers, the sequel has a much better shot thanks to its polished career mode, wealth of motorsport types, and unparalleled track selection. The difficulty is still on the unapproachable side, but racing sim fans will likely stick it out anyway. I'll be surprised if Forza 7 doesn't top this one overall, but it's still great to have options – especially one that appears on both Xbox and PlayStation.

Darkwood is a tense and challenging horror and survival game with superb atmosphere, great visual presentation, and a strong gameplay core, but it's marred by clunky movement and unintuitive combat mechanics.

Though the gameplay does suffer from feeling too easy at many points, the depth of the game mechanics and excellence of the visuals help carry Thrones of Britannia to greatness.

his is a tight platforming adventure that overflows with whimsy and charm, never overstaying its welcome. Fans of the genre (and Sega platformers of old) will find Belle and her world bewitching.

The sighs of frustration and feet jiggling is also a pleasure to watch in other people as they play. If you're a little bit evil inside, pass the controller to someone else and watch them squirm for maximum karmic bonuses. Share the frustration, it's the only way to not go entirely mad.

If you're looking for a (mostly) peaceful gameplay experience that relaxes you and immerses you into an artificial world, Planet Alpha is definitely for you.

Star Wars Outlaws is a fun single-player open-world RPG that allows players to take part in the criminal underworld. Being able to decide which syndicates to work for and who to betray during each quest adds a level of strategy hereto unseen in previous Star Wars games. Infiltrating restricted areas, exploring familiar locales, stealthily taking down enemies, and hacking into terminals adds to the scoundrel experience. The unique Abilities skill tree also makes character progression feel far more natural than many other games. That said, the story isn't the strongest and there are a few bugs that need to be worked out. Otherwise, this is a fun game for any Star Wars fan.

Though the game can get boring after long periods, and the abundance of crude jokes can be annoying, Pit People is nevertheless a great strategy game that's at its best when played with others, but a lot of fun when played solo, too.

Hunting Simulator 2 is an addictive open-world game, but it may have limited appeal due to its genre.

Though NHL 20 doesn't show massive improvements in any one area over its predecessor, there are enough additions and refinements to make it worth exploring.

Despite some visual issues during gameplay, Laser league is nevertheless one of the most intense competitive multiplayer games Xbox has seen in quite a while.

Though very aggravating to learn at first because of the terrible tutorial, Pure Farming 2018 is nevertheless an excellent farming simulator that brings new content and ideas to the table.

The Coma still manages a strong sense of dread thanks to its dark atmosphere and unstoppable killers. Throw in an intriguing story and sharp writing, and The Coma: Recut is an excellent remake of a horror title that console players never had a chance to play until now.

Today's gamer generally needs concrete objectives to work towards. Sky Force Anniversary hits the mark because it has a fun upgrade system and loads of objectives to complete on every level. You can still play for score, doing your best on the highest difficulty levels and/or participating in the weekly tournaments. Whatever the case, you won't find many shmups with more universal staying power than Sky Force.

While Lords of the Fallen and The Surge may have Dark Souls roots, the more I progressed in The Surge, the more I started to see Deck 13 shining. The shadows are falling away, The Surge is miles better than Lords of the Fallen, and some trademark mechanics are starting to creep into the light. Deck 13 has polished and primed The Surge, and it now feels like it's time to stop comparing it to others and let it be noticed for what it is. Calling anything a Dark Souls clone at this point is purely lazy and an insult to the many smaller ways in which they're no way alike.

If you were only ever going to buy one DLC pack for Forza Motorsport 6 then make it this one. It adds enough to the game overall to be more than worth the $20 outlay, especially if you've been craving a NASCAR game on the Xbox One.

State of Decay 2 is by no means a perfect game. It retains the quirks of its predecessor, complete with mixed production values and a litany of smaller problems. That said, the game has never crashed on me, and is wonderfully atmospheric, with great music, sound, and masterful use of lighting to create fear and tension.

Capcom's new franchise takes another stab at combining action and strategy game genres, and it does so with great success. This tower-defense-like pits you against varied hordes of enemies across diverse challenge stages dripping with style, and it's a lot of fun to conquer. It can sometimes be frustrating more than invigorating, though.

Compulsion Games has crafted a love letter to Southern Gothic with its third-person action-adventure game South of Midnight. The characters feel larger-than-life and intimately relatable all at once, while the narrative doesn't shy away from the brutal nature of the South's history. Combat is fun, though limited enemy variety does drag toward the end of the game. Overall, it's a story that feels intimate and uncomfortable, and one I hope others experience.

Pressure Overdrive is a fun arcade style game for anyone who likes racing games and shooting things. The short levels make it easy to jump into, and with plenty of ways to customize, there is an avenue for many different styles of gameplay.

Avowed takes us back to the world of Eora from Pillars of Eternity, and The Living Lands is the most eccentric, colorful, and wild adventure yet. Obsidian Entertainment has done a wonderful job capturing the "magic" of RPGs like Skyrim that makes exploring every crevice fun, and immersing yourself in this world is stupendously easy. You can still find the limits of this more focused RPG, though, and performance isn't flawless, even on Xbox Series X.

Hopefully Playtonic continues to support Yooka-Laylee with updates and refinements. But even with a few rough edges here and there, this is still a huge game that platforming fans must not miss.

This is a gorgeously executed murder mystery puzzle game where there's more than meets the eyemask. The main story is further fleshed out with collecting guest invitations and finding 52 playing cards, giving you an ever greater reason to leave the guests to their fates for a little longer. The puzzles are wickedly difficult, with the perfect amount of obviousness that will have anyone kicking themselves for thinking within the box.

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight is somehow a breath of fresh air and a celebration of classic design principles in equal measure. The return to more dynamic, old-school talent trees enhances the class fantasy with a seasoning of new abilities across the board. At the same time, the retreat of pressuring, artificial power-gating systems promotes a more healthy gameplay loop. The game is also gorgeous, with a more promising storyline, elevated cinematic delivery mechanics, and deeper core systems which make for one of WoW's best expansions in years.

After a fairly great entry in UFC 4, EA Sports returns with another stellar entry in its fighting series. The addition of a deeper impact system, changes to the submission system, and new striking mechanics make UFC 5 not only more fun to play, but just as thrilling as its predecessors have been.

WWE 2K24 may not offer much in the way of new content for die-hard fans of the franchise, but what it does offer is a great re-entry point for fans revisiting WWE games. Full to the brim with different game modes and the option of playing your favorite WWE Superstar or creating your own story, WWE 2K24 transported me back to my teenage years with the franchise, with a special bit of polish.

The trial and error methodology to creating something that doesn't blow up on the launchpad means you're actually learning real lessons, even if it's something simple like overloading the weight on one side making it fall over.

While the lack of basic features is a bit grating, and server mishaps can take away from the experience, Switchblade is still an extremely competent vehicle MOBA. The developers are clearly dedicated and passionate, and if the game continues on its current path, it may become the next Rocket League.

Minecraft Legends is a wonderful addition to the expanding Minecraft universe, perfectly encapsulating its character while exploring a new, unique action-strategy genre. Its two halves aren't always perfectly balanced, though, and there are certainly ways the game can improve.

Metal: Hellsinger delivers engrossing rhythm-based shooting fun alongside a genuinely fantastic metal soundtrack. The game is short and lacks environmental variety, but the allure of a bigger high score should keep players returning for more.

Overall, the PC port of Monster Hunter Rise is superior to the Nintendo Switch version, thanks to the PC enhancements. It has some of the best combat mechanics in the Monster Hunter series, the new monsters are an absolute delight to hunt, and the improved frame rate and resolutions enrich the hunting experience. It does have a couple of flaws, but they are minor issues in the grand scheme of things.

Adventure game fans should grab this one up. Clunky controls aside, you'll have a great time visiting The Inner World. With the sequel arriving in July, the wait for the next installment will be far less painful for console gamers than it was for PC players!

Its puzzles are both simple and clever, opening it up to a wider audience, but switching between characters in order to use different abilities tends to be more frustrating than not.

Persona 5 Tactica is an enjoyable Strategy RPG spin-off romp despite featuring a relatively run-of-the-mill 'good versus evil' storyline. The tactical gameplay elements are filled with exciting and engaging ideas alongside welcome quality-of-life improvements. If you're a die-hard Persona 5 fan who enjoys strategy games, you absolutely will get a kick out of Tactica. However, those looking for a serious challenge will likely find they breeze through the mostly undemanding combat.

The amount of single-player content feels light too, compared against the robust packages offered by Injustice 2 and Mortal Kombat X. Perhaps we'll get a new mode as DLC eventually, as Marvel vs. Capcom 3 once did. Still, multiplayer is the final destination for most fighting games, and Infinite doesn't disappoint on that front. Good online options and genuinely fun gameplay mean that series fans will have plenty of incentive to keep fighting each other in the months to come.

The Surge 2: Kraken is a good addition to the base game because it adds an easy way to level up.

Despite an extended stay in Game Preview, Ooblets' 1.0 launch has been plagued with glitches. Still, the charmingly quirky game developed by a small indie studio is hard not to love.

Darksiders: Warmastered Edition is a facelifted update on a last-gen hack-and-slash favorite. While the updated graphics to add to the flair of the game, it's repetitive and simplistic gameplay may be a turn off for some gamers. If you enjoyed the original on Xbox 360, then this is a great game to play for nostalgia value.

Astria Ascending's 2D puzzle platforming blended with turn-based combat and stunning art style does all the heavy lifting to keep players interested as the game's writing feels a bit generic.

Shenmue III is a good game, but feels quite dated.

FIFA 22 adds some big improvements to the way the game functions, and better yet, makes the game feel even better as you play. Add to that some big changes to modes like Career Mode, and FIFA 22 is a huge improvement from past entries.

The Siege of Paris takes us to a brand-new location and brings back the wonderful black box assassination missions from Unity, but mostly fails to provide a compelling narrative to back that up. Like Wrath of the Druids before it, a few new gameplay mechanics don't prevent The Siege of Paris from being more of the same.

If you're looking for something easy and simple to pick up and play with your friends, Strange Brigade is definitely worth considering...However, if you're interested in something more challenging and intense, or simply want something with better presentation, Strange Brigade isn't the title for you.

A great addition to any city management gamer's library, Buildings Have Feelings Too! uses limited resources and space to craft complex puzzles wrapped up in a charming setting.

The Viking setting and Norse mythological themes make for a perfectly interesting alternative to Diablo's standard holy-warriors-versus-demons setting.

For more casual fans there's much more on offer there albeit without the real-life licensing. It's got more modes, more vehicle types and ultimately, more longevity before you have to think about the multiplayer option. It also doesn't implement any artificially bad handling.

The narrative genre often takes a closer look at human emotions, something we don't often see in other genres. Blackwood Crossing takes a bold leap into examining emotions and family dynamics, tackling subjects such as love and grief, separation and moving on. It's a topic that lends itself well to the genre, as the minimalistic gameplay places a magnifying glass over the narrative the game competently weaves.

This year's WWE game has a lot to love, from the huge roster to the revamped MyCareer mode. But it also suffers from the same old issues, such as the lack of a proper comprehensive tutorial, stiff and unintuitive controls, rough character models, and a general lack of polish.

Though there are some glaring flaws in the gameplay systems, it's still a fun title, and the enjoyable visuals and music help make it worth your time.

Journey to the Savage Planet is full of breathtaking alien environments that you're encouraged to explore. I loved solving all of its puzzles and scanning each new flora and fauna I came across, but the shooting mechanics and world-building could use some more work.

Wizard with a Gun from Devolver Digital and Galvanic Games successfully builds an enthralling apocalyptic world with unique time and magic-based mechanics to power its addictive, roguelite gameplay loop. Some rough performance and visual edges detract from the magic, though.

Star Trek: Infinite is a fun strategy game and a great entry point to the genre for newcomers that doesn't cost as much as many big games, but a plethora of bugs bog down the gameplay and mission design.

For the first time in years, NHL 24 feels like a brand-new hockey game made for a modern generation. The addition of some much-needed gameplay features makes for a great time, but relatively unchanged game modes make this more of a small leap than a big jump.

Scorn presents one of the most visually striking and untouchably atmospheric game worlds in recent memory. Ebb Software also admirably challenges horror gameplay conventions and profoundly examines humanity's insatiable desires. Unfortunately, the crawling pace might deter players from seeing it through.

A tough as nails puzzler that in some ways blows Portal out of the airlock for its brain-bending antics. Those familiar with Pneuma: Breath of Life will find The Turing Test very much in the same vein. You'll explore and you'll work out puzzles in order to progress, all with some kind of social or humanistic undertone such as the meaning of life — or whether AIs will one day overthrow humankind and we will all be fleshy meat-slaves to our new robotic overlords.

Black Desert is a great MMORPG, but it needs more technical polish on Xbox One. Even on Xbox One X, it's far from perfect due to its lighting and performance problems. Unfortunately, it also lacks a lot of the content found on the PC version. Pearl Abyss has promised a series of updates which will bring over new regions and features, but it's unclear how long that will take.

This episode feels significantly shorter than episodes from other franchises, but it isn't. Three hours just flew by and you won't miss any achievements because they're all chapter based.

World of Warcraft: Midnight is the middle act of the Worldsoul saga. Xal'atath has succeeded in her plan to subvert Azeroth's champions once again, potentially leading the planet to ruin. But hey, at least you'll have a cozy house to wait out the apocalypse in. Midnight is potentially one of the most pivotal expansions in recent WoW history, but the expansion is creaking under the weight of its sheer ambition. A variety of bugs, gameplay disruption, and polish issues hold back what is otherwise a very solid expansion.

New Tales from the Borderlands is a solid narrative adventure game, but it fails to live up to the standards set by the original. Even though it has great gameplay systems and presentation, the story's disjointed structure, lack of adequate character development, and spotty comedic writing left me feeling disappointed.

Zau's journey with grief is compounded by his desire to be a valued member of his society, and to fill the empty footsteps left behind by his father's death. Surgent Studio's efforts to twist the heartbreaking experience of a son mourning his father with metroidvania style gameplay gives homage to how one person's time with grief is not always linear. Just as grief presents new challenges, we learn new tools to cope with the obstacles. It is an excellent juxtaposition that is marred with some frustrating technical issues and the need for just a bit more polish.

Mafia 3 isn't without its problems, but they should be overshadowed by the depth of the story of the game. It is really carried through its use of narrative cut scenes, which unfortunately lets the gameplay elements of Mafia 3 down by a wide margin.

WWE 2K22 adds some big improvements to core functions like gameplay and combat, while also introducing new modes like MyGM that make the game feel much fresher. Add to that a big graphical overhaul, and WWE 2K22 is a major step forward for this franchise.

Combat and platforming controls remain unchanged, which benefits Soul Reaver 1 but hinders Soul Reaver 2 and its clunky movement tweaks. Both games flaunt lavish character upgrades and stunning re-renders of the original's cutscenes. Still, environment texture upscales are often unnoticeable, and the lack of video options is a sore point, especially as the all-new map screen misbehaves on 16:10 screens at launch.

Strategy and simulation games can and do work on console. Titles like Surviving Mars and Halo Wars 1 and 2 have proven that you can make separate gamepad controls without fully necessitating keyboard and mouse support. But for whatever reason, They Are Billions for Xbox simply doesn't measure up. At the very least, the game is very affordable at $25, and the core gameplay is ace, but you'll want a mouse and keyboard hooked up to your console to get the best experience.

Sniper Elite: Resistance is the meat and potatoes of Nazi-killing games, and that's okay. It doesn't, however, do anything at all to shake up the gameplay from Sniper Elite 5, apart from introducing us to yet another generic protagonist. If you're going to stick with the same old template for the main character's design, then just give us Karl back again.

High on Life 2 can be a pain when it comes to performance, but if you're willing to look past that, there's some decent gameplay wrapped in the funniest dialogue a game can have.

Given the impact that Outcast originally had on open-world PC games, it's wonderful that original developer Appeal and Big Ben have rescued this game from obscurity by bringing it to modern console and PC audiences. If they really wanted to win over new players, though, they really should have improved the controls and added the ability to skip past dialog during conversations. Outcast: Second Contact is still a great game, but you'll have to tolerate some dated elements to enjoy it fully.

Ghostrunner is a thrilling ride for most of its 8-hour runtime, thanks to its fantastic soundtrack, sci-fi visuals, and fast-paced gameplay. The game starts to stumble, however, when the platforming stops and the combat begins.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising is a promising taste of what players can expect from the visual presentation of this captivating franchise. What it's lacking in enemy variety and mission diversity, it makes up for in style and flashy combat.

Ultimately, Black Myth: Wukong is a very solid action RPG, complete with thrilling cinematic boss fights, diverse, gorgeously rendered locales, a rich combat system replete with build options, and a well-told story. However, it holds itself back with bland level design and disappointing enemy variety, along with a superfluous gear system and a few noteworthy performance issues.

Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter delivers a gratifying story-driven experience, interwoven into an authentic representation of 19th century London. With great voice talent behind its cast, the game manages to form engaging inter-character relationships. While the game is held back by its level design and some unintuitive mechanics, it provides a consistent depiction of a mystery-filled London.

F1 Manager 23 is another great F1 experience and does so many things right, but its lack of multiplayer causes it to fall short of being one of the greats.

Team Sonic Racing offers a satisfactory experience. If you love Mario Kart 8 and want something on Xbox One, the game should satisfy you in the interim. However, you might want to wait for another, better game like Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled.

Though Moonlighter has several problems that prevent the game from truly achieving greatness, the excellent art and music and the fun gameplay experience make it worth a try if you enjoy roguelikes and want a new title to play.

Technomancer is a great RPG that isn't quite as good as it could be. The few small flaws that it has are outweighed by a fantastic story that will pull you in piece by piece. The story isn't something we've seen before, the gameplay is well done, and the graphics are all on spot.

Ghostwire: Tokyo is an atmospheric and somewhat ambitious game, with a vertical semi-open world gameplay arena dotted with ghoulish nasties and side-quests steeped in folklore, atop a supernatural thriller plot. The game's combat is sluggish initially, but it becomes increasingly satisfying as you unlock more powers. Weaving elemental magic sprinkled with some stealth elements for good measure. Sadly, everything new and fresh Ghostwire: Tokyo brings to the table is hamstrung by the game's awful performance on Xbox, which makes the game a true slog.

For what it lacks in scope, Bad North makes it up with an addictive, rewarding roguelike strategy gameplay layer.

If you're willing to overlook some questionable design choices, there's plenty of fun to be had with Outriders. Despite its numerous flaws, Outriders manages to provide loads of incredible, over-the-top fun.

Battlefield 2042 has a strong core and has the potential to be one of the best games in the series. However, balancing quirks, performance issues, and some fundamental design decisions are holding it back from true greatness.

NHL 23 is a step up for the NHL series as a whole, with changes to gameplay features resulting in a much more accessible experience. New inclusions to the game's Franchise Modes and online play also make it one of the best entries yet.

Antab's GRIDD: Retroenhanced is a solid rail shooter with slick retro-esque visuals and a catchy synthwave soundtrack from Dream Fiend. Rail shooters are slightly limited compared to traditional shmups and twin-stick shooters, but they certainly provide a feel all their own. GRIDD could benefit from a bit more content and polish. Still, it should easily appeal to fans of rail shooters like Starfox and Panzer Dragoon.

Trials of Mana gives modern features to a lesser-known classic. Combat tends to be overly simple, and the story is really basic, but it's still a fun, colorful adventure for JRPG fans to experience.

Ghost Recon: Wildlands is a solid sandbox adventure for groups of up to four friends. In solo play, Ghost Recon: Wildlands loses a bit of its mojo, but the game's unprecedented scale and piles of content should prove euphoric for fans of open world games.

There has been a range of mixed feelings about what Blizzard has put on offer with Vessel of Hatred. Just as the story starts to ramp up, it ends quite abruptly, leaving you with the sour taste of knowing you'll need to pay another $40 next year if you want the conclusion. Some of the new features, like mercenaries, feel a tad underbaked. And the new dungeons are still littered with the same choring events from the base game, with many of the same enemies and even the same layouts in some cases. But, the 4-6 hour story has some incredible highs. The new Spiritborn class is incredibly fun to play, and the game's artwork and music direction continue to be a strong suit for Blizzard. But too much of Vessel of Hatred's base experience is undermined by the story's pacing, which runs you through its major events and new characters with a breakneck cadence. And right at the end, it sends you back to grind out more Helltides and familiar dungeons, begging the question of how much here is actually "new." For every new angle in the endgame loop, there are new bugs and balance issues that frustrate the experience. Blizzard is working fast to correct them, but it's only possible to review what's on offer today, and what's on offer today isn't very polished.

Once you're through the early stages and you have a little more openness on what you can build and where, there's a ton of enjoyment to be had. But all the while there's still some underlying linear aspects to the gameplay that keep you in check.

City of Brass is a great game that's mostly elevated by its setting and visuals. Once you get into the rhythm and understand how each enemy reacts, it becomes rather enjoyable, even addictive. It's a shame that the controls aren't optimized and there aren't other visual options. It's easy to overlook these drawbacks though.

Dead Island Definitive Edition puts a facelift on an old favorite. While it holds up fairly well, Dead Island is definitely starting to show its age. If you're an old fan, or you've never checked it out before it's a fun game until it becomes repetitive.

Outward is an RPG with bold new ideas that it executes really well, but it's lacking when it comes to fundamental things like combat feel and open-world design — two things that are important to do well. Overall, the game is good, but it could stand to be a lot better.

For its $14.99 cost, the replayability is through the roof, with a selection of different assets to pick from, and weapons, mods, and upgrades to apply. The swings and roundabouts the game throws at you balances the game well in that it's challenging enough to want to keep playing, but every challenge in your way can be overcome with patience.