Super Dungeon Bros adds some fun and flair to a classic genre by never taking itself too seriously. Pick a rock god and run through level upon level of dungeons in order to wipe out enemies and find all the best loot.

There's a lot to like in Twelve Minutes, but when you start to get into the puzzles at the core of the game, things begin to get bogged down.

Saying this is the best Need for Speed games in years may not mean much when some of its recent predecessors were just decent, but Need for Speed Heat is a return to its roots for better or worse, and is still fun to play even if there are better racers out there.

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep elevates the gameplay, but falters on a storytelling front.

Little Hope delivers solid scares and weaves a clever tale that, unfortunately, collapses in on itself.

Sonic Frontiers is an above-average 3D Sonic game with potentially intriguing ideas, but the positives are constantly at odds with the negatives. While it may have an engaging combat system, classic Sonic platforming levels, and awesome boss fights, they do not make up for bland open-world locales and an overabundance of dull mini-games that break the game’s pacing.

The complete absence of story and story-based quests means that only players who really dig mining and building will get much long-term value from this one. Leaving out the story and story quests is a big missed opportunity to capitalize on what makes MMOs so special.

The latest DLC for Total War: Warhammer 3 has some fun new lords and units, but a steeper cost means it's not quite the obvious jump-in point that past packs have provided. All three Legendary Lords provide new ways of engaging with the existing factions, with the Changeling's campaign providing a particular highlight.Whether or not you should jump on this pack immediately depends on just how many of the three leaders you're interested in trying.

Black the Fall might not hit the same level as the games it tries to emulate, but it does a damn good job of trying. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and found the puzzles to be varied enough to hold my attention, and difficult enough to be persistently rewarding.

Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is a decent brawler if you're looking for casual fun while chatting with your friends on Discord. If you're expecting much depth from the plot or combat mechanics, you'll likely be disappointed.

Conglomerate 451 has a strong first couple of hours. The story takes place over the course of 75 weeks, a mission for each week. You play the director of a paramilitary organization that's been tasked with destabilizing the rogue corporations which have taken over the district 451 in the city of Conglomerate. Though the setting is a bit heavy-handed, unlike say the original Mirror's Edge, it's not bad, but no one will chalk it up as telling a groundbreaking story in the cyberpunk space.

After Us features a sprawling, desolate world painstakingly crafted to show the destruction wrought by human greed, but its camera controls and level design make the platforming awkward and often frustrating.

Black Forest Games did a fantastic job recreating the original Destroy All Humans, but its problems run deeper than superficial graphics. Its nostalgia and a few gameplay enhancements, while welcome, won't make this an adventure worth revisiting for most.

Though a fun concept and quite enjoyable in the opening hours, MechWarrior 5 suffers from really repetitive gameplay, sharp difficulty spikes without warning, and bad writing.

War Hospital is a fantastic concept mired by bugs and crashing issues. During Chapter 1, the game struggled with various bugs, UI quirks, and performance degradation. But perhaps most egregiously, was the fact it crashed on the victory screen without an auto-save to back up 4+ hours of progress. As it stands right now, War Hospital is difficult to recommend, even though it emulates the best aspects of Frostpunk quite well.

Though there's fun to be had with West of Dead, cruel difficulty spikes, bugs, and unruly aiming prevent the game from achieving greatness.

It has the top down shooter feel of Smash TV but on a much larger and free roaming scale, the Super Attack is reminiscent of Streets of Rage, and it also may remind you of other games like Commando or even Contra. For me, these only endear the game to me, as it's taken parts of my favourite games when I was younger and turned them into something modern. It isn't as polished as some Xbox One indie titles, but for a debut, it's playable and mostly enjoyable, if not ridiculously hard to play alone.

Redfall is a serviceable first-person open-world shooter with perhaps the most needless "RPG layer" in the history of always-online games. Tools that might make the sandbox more fun are arbitrarily spread across four separate playable class characters. Weapons you enjoy using will lose effectiveness as you "level up" with the game's pointless progression system, which only hinders the otherwise interesting campaign. There are far too many similar shooters out there that simply do almost everything Redfall is trying to do, only far better. Redfall struggles to grasp an identity of its own in a very noisy market. While embers of fun do exist in Redfall, it's maddening that this is the product of the legendary studio that gave us Prey. Arkane is very clearly out of its depth with Redfall.

Citadel: Forged with Fire is a good game, but needs more polish.

Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions gives you the chance to play the wizarding sport that was missing in Hogwarts Legacy. There are fun characters to unlock, plenty of fun cosmetics, and iconic locations from the books to play in. Aspects of the game have been altered to make it more multiplayer friendly than in the books. However, the game feels very imbalanced when it comes to online matchmaking and even responsibilities within a team. It needs some considerable tweaking but can still be fun for big Harry Potter fans.

Torchlight 3 is a lighthearted, simple co-op ARPG that might provide some fun to casual ARPG players or serious fans of the series, but doesn't do much else to justify its existence.

Despite its colorful and interesting world, the game feels like a chore to get through because of these performance issues. While the frame rate isn't as bad as some other titles out there, in order to get engrossed in a title there can't be any technical distractions. Unfortunately, that isn't the case for Elex on Xbox One, and it doesn't matter how great the content is, the lack of polish is what will push consumers away.

Ubisoft promises Hyper Scape will shape "the future of battle royale," but as it stands, it's not as fun as it could be. Wonky weapon balancing and floaty combat steal the game's momentum and stop it from being a stand out in its genre.

Butcher's main selling point is its pixelated violence and gore. Blood from kills actually stays where it lands and will be visible on subsequent playthroughs, which is a cool touch. The premise is supposed to resemble classic shooters like Doom and Quake, but you play as a good guy in those games, not a bad one. Just being a remorseless killing machine (with no other explanation for your actions) might've appealed to my teenage self, but not so much nowadays.

Some fluffy dialogue moments came off as immature, but in all, this fairly priced RPG packed more punch than first met the eye.

While the game has an intriguing premise, an attractive art style, and sits at a breezy length, it doesn't do enough. It wants to fly close to the sun, but it can barely get off the ground.

Bleeding Edge misses its mark, but there's a spark inside this game worth keeping your eye on.

Among The Sleep is your run of the mill psychological horror with a unique perspective and a thought provoking story. A relatively short experience at 4-5 hours long, this crowd-funded game is actually something to be admired, both graphically and intellectually (if you read between the lines).

Small flaws only minorly detract from an otherwise uplifting and enjoyable game. While TurnOn is a game about restoring power, it also leaves us with the feeling that just once in a while, we should probably turn (everything) off, too.

Rise & Shine reminds me of the original Battletoads from Rare, a game that would've been excellent had it not been so punishing. All of the work that went into creating such beautiful art, packing in so many gaming references, and creating the interesting bullet abilities, is undermined by the excessive challenge. Players who like tough games will love Rise & Shine, but it will never truly shine unless the developers rebalance the difficulty.

Anthem offers amazing combat, astounding visuals, and excellent all-around production value, but suffers from baffling design choices and awful writing that hold it back from being something truly special.

Saber Interactive has a decent framework here. With more polish (and perhaps a less hideous character art style), an NBA Playgrounds sequel could potentially live up to the NBA Jam legacy. But I can only recommend this particular game to basketball fans with local friends to play against and a tolerance for clunkiness.

If Golf Club 2 played like Mario Golf or other traditional golf games but had all the same features, I'd play it forever. But the golf mechanics here are an unforgiving and acquired taste, limiting the game's appeal. If you can handle the analog swinging and steep difficulty, this might be just the club for you.

Dying: Reborn isn't a particularly scary game, especially since you can't die. But it does possess a delightfully odd atmosphere and lots of fun puzzles to solve. This style of game, with all its indie seams and quirks, won't be for everybody. But if you can attune yourself to its quirky presentation (or just want those easy Achievements), Dying: Reborn won't kill your good time.

Resident Evil 4 is an atmospheric thriller that will recapture the hearts of old fans, but may be problematic for folks who are new to the game.

Despite the quality aesthetics and cool Zelda II-inspired game structure, Elliot Quest is a hard game to recommend. The stubborn refusal to explain anything is just one of many obnoxious design decisions that distance the player from the game. I normally love this style of game, but even I gave up in annoyance after a while. If you like old school games and can stomach deliberately obscure design, maybe you'll enjoy this one more than I did.

Dead by Daylight is a lot of fun once you get into a match, especially with friends. The tension of struggling to complete objectives while avoiding an invincible killer can't be understated. But the downright unfair difficulty for survivors can be discouraging, especially since you have to play a very long time to unlock useful perks to make things easier.

While this remaster succeeds in bringing the positive aspects of Guerilla's gameplay to a modern-looking experience, it also brought the negative ones as well. When you factor in the unacceptable performance flaws, it's disappointing. The game is decent... but it could have been so much better.

Crackdown 3 just doesn't meet contemporary standards as a premium $60 title, with dated visuals, thin gameplay features, and an under-delivered story. There are too many open world superhero-style games that simply do it better. That said, it's not a bad game, by any means. To enjoy Crackdown 3, you probably need to be the type of person who really likes basic sandbox mayhem, because that's effectively all Crackdown 3 has (and wants) to offer.

Control's AWE Expansion will satisfy a lot of Alan Wake fans who have been theorizing for nearly a decade about what happened to the writer. While it does introduce some great ideas, you'll ultimately have to wait for whatever Remedy does next to get real resolution.

Exoprimal is a somewhat fun action shooter that can’t decide what it wants to be. What potential fun there is to be had in its awesome PvE boss fights and horde-mode missions are bogged down by tacked-on and unfun PvP-elements and locking gameplay content behind hours of story progression without informing the player beforehand. If it had launched with the PvE-only Savage Gauntlet mode and removed all PvP elements from Dino Survival, Exoprimal would’ve been a better and more focused game.

Disintegration is built upon a fantastic concept and can be a blast at times, but there's always a frustrating issue or two around the corner that drags the experience down.

Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville offers fleeting enjoyment, but the foundation that it's built on is solid and can be improved with the proper support.

If you're looking for an Xbox Pokemon alternative with a bit more teeth, Nexomon: Extinction fits the bill.

A gorgeous forest setting is sullied by an extremely short story and little explanation of what to do. Once you figure it out, however, you'll be charmed by all the little details and, of course, the adorable characters.

One-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows is a great fighting game, but its open levels need more work when it comes to the voice acting and animations.

Call of Duty: Vanguard's campaign and multiplayer are serviceable enough, but nothing exceptional for the series, while Zombies is disappointingly limited in scope and ideas.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance's large open world is packed full of things to do in a setting many can relate to. It's by no means perfect, which is unfortunately down to the sheer scope of the project for such a small team of developers. Still, you're going to get many hours of entertainment from this game. It's available now for around $60.

Compared to its predecessor Neon Chrome, Time Recoil falls a bit short. The campaign structure is too linear and doesn't give you any larger goals to work towards other than advancing the story. The powers system is a bit unintuitive and would work better if it didn't require kill combos.

While GRIP is very enjoyable and plays wonderfully in singleplayer, it falls apart the second you try to access the multiplayer. This effectively strips you of half of what the game has to offer, and it's hard to recommend buying while the game is in this state.

Many of Battletoads' design sensibilities may seem archaic in 2020, but that was ultimately Dlala trying to build on the chaotic formula set by the original. Battletoads struggles as a single-player game but soars as a varied couch co-op experience party game for up to three friends. And hey, it's often laugh-out-loud funny too.

Despite my love for the art direction and music of BELOW, the gameplay's flaws have led me to ultimately dislike the game overall. It's not completely bad, but a lot of it feels shallow and bland compared to other roguelikes.

Ubisoft's free-to-play first-person arena shooter is less Call of Duty and more Overwatch, but the Snowdrop engine shines even on maps that are way too large for their purpose. Weapon grinds are sluggish, leaving players with more time in the game access to better attachments, while newcomers struggle to even leave their spawns. The lack of skill based matchmaking is being celebrated by influencers on social media, but in practice it makes for unbalanced matches where high ranking players are steamrolling beginners, even in the Welcome Playlist.

Though the story itself and the characters are relatively well written, the game's shortness and poor voice acting take a lot away from the experience. Good visuals and sound can only do so much.

The Park threw me a curveball I never expected in its portrayal of severe mental illnesses and its ability to warp and distort reality. I really enjoyed the game as a whole, short as it is, but I feel my experiences with depression, and the fact I am a parent, will make me see something a little different to other players as maybe neither of these things are relatable to you. But the story is well told (when you can read the font), and without falling into a bad pun territory, it really is a ride I won't forget for a while.

Farming Simulator 22 manages to scratch the itch of any hardcore simulator fan looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life for some time in an idyllic rural setting where they can raise livestock and produce. The mechanics can be a little convoluted for new players, but online multiplayer and a robust modding community can help anybody become an experienced farmhand.

Warcraft III: Reforged still delivers the same satisfying core gameplay and laudable campaigns, but Blizzard under-delivered on promises and removed features that made the original game something exceptional.

Arcade Game Series: Pac-Man is the best home version of the original Pac-Man arcade game yet. Whether or not the new features warrant an upgrade from the Xbox 360 version depends entirely on your devotion to this Pac-Man game and whether or not you care about Achievements. If you do like both Pac-Man and Achievements, this release is a no-brainer.

What started as a mostly unpleasant experience, turned into one of the most fiendishly fun yet difficult games I've played in a very long time. When I got over my bad case of Gamers Ego, I learned to roll with the punches the game dealt me and tried harder. I discovered little exploits I could use to take down some harder monsters a bit easier. I learned how to use weapons properly and which items stack with each other to make powerful builds.

While its 11 years in the making has given the developer, Virtual Air Guitar Company, some strong foundations, its first air guitar game, Air Guitar Warrior isn't King of Kinect Mountain. While it starts off fun, it quickly becomes challenging which may leave people feeling like they've bitten off more than they can chew. I would love for this to be the game that wakes Kinect back up, but there are a few too many bum notes.

The Bradwell Conspiracy doesn't do enough to deliver on puzzles, but with good writing, some big puzzle game fans might find some enjoyment.

Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris features many compelling ideas, but its technical foundation needs more work.

Cyber Complex is a fun arcade strategy game that looks simple but is definitely far more challenging than it lets on. For folks who enjoy fast paced strategy games, this is an excellent game to spend an afternoon with. At only $9.99 it's worth the price, even if it doesn't hold your attention for long.

Those who welcome demanding, reactive and deep gameplay will find a lot to love about the Cobalt. It harshly punishes the impatient, but it'll reward those who take the time to master it.

If you're willing to adjust to the game's age (which Capcom fails to hide) Resident Evil Zero is a decent horror purchase for the patient and methodical gamer. If you're a long-time fan of the series, you'll enjoy what Zero represents. Besides cashing in, I like to think that Capcom is gauging interest in the classic formula and in that respect, Resident Evil Zero is a history lesson worth bringing back from the grave.

If you enjoy multiplayer games of this type and are willing to overlook the engine anomalies, you may find yourself rapidly addicted to the game's exploration density and loot systems. If you're easily frustrated by bugs and issues, you may want to sit tight a bit to see what Bethesda does to polish things up, cus oh boy, it could use a bit right now. If you're a fan of the single player, branching narrative the series is known for, you'll want to wait for Fallout 5.

Crysis Remastered has beautiful lighting and textures, but a stylistic misunderstanding of the original as well as technical issues galore make this remaster feel lacking.

One thing is for certain, developer iFun4All's Serial Cleaner concept is on point, and it certainly seems like something that could spawn into a franchise in its own right. At $15, Serial Cleaner is a worthwhile purchase if you're looking for a light puzzle game to play in short bursts, because trust me, you will get mad at it here and there.

American Fugitive stands as a decent homage to classic GTA titles, but its rough mechanics, annoying gameplay quirks, mediocre story, and lack of side content left me disappointed.

Warmind offers a lot of new content with some fantastic weapons, but the unbearable grind and Heroic Strike problems heavily detract from the game. The fact that the new campaign is lackluster and it's still hard to find Exotic Engrams doesn't help either. Additionally, Bungie failed to deliver on Masterwork Exotics because only a handful of items can be upgraded at this time.

I found the screen lock and wrap mechanics repetitive at times, and I definitely wished for a story and greater meaning from the adventure. Still, considering the $9.99 price, puzzle platforming fans might still want to give this fantasy a shot.

The Falconeer is an undeniably beautiful game with unique storytelling and jaw-dropping environments, but repetition ultimately keeps it from being great.

Livelock succeeds as a story-based co-op shooter. It just needs some tweaks and a little more content to sit with the best in the genre.

On the surface, Dragon Ball: The Breakers is a homely spinoff with confusing controls and an apparent lack of budget. However, the more I play, the more I adore its fascinating ideas and glowing peculiarities. In spite of its notable shortcomings, this asymmetrical multiplayer title commits to outlandish gameplay mechanics and delivers a charming, absorbing Dragon Ball experience unlike any other.

Party Animals' adorable, floppy characters and variety of maps should make for an easy win. However, awkward mechanics and sluggish controls can make the game very frustrating to play.

Where Brawlout excels is its accessible—if shallow—combat, its tight controls, and its vibrant characters with appealing visuals to boot. But balanced gameplay is everything in a game like this, and Brawlout falls short in that regard.

Biomutant has an interesting setting and world but is held back by technical issues, an unintuitive combat system, lack of proper characterization, and very repetitive missions.

The tweaks to the gameplay - including the Skill Stick and slowing down of things in general - are massive improvements, and the inclusion of The Yard and a revamped Face of the Franchise make it so that any player can jump in and have fun. Unfortunately, there are also still many problems, including various bugs and glitches found early on, and in the way that the classic Franchise mode has been handled. Madden NFL 21 is almost certainly a must-buy for fans of the sport, but fans will have to hope that as we move into the future, EA is ready to take things to another level once again.

Shred It is sometimes a little buggy — the animations for the jump aren't seamless, and there have been occasions where the character hasn't landed a jump or has hovered through a large part of the course. These glitches aside, Shred It is great for filling in a few spare minutes and soaking up lots of easy achievements in the process.

Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck had a lot going for it based on its premise, but retreaded enemies and mostly underwhelming locations let down an otherwise fun expansion.

The Hitman HD Enhanced Collection leaves a lot to be desired, despite supporting 4K resolution on Xbox One X and running at 60FPS. I'm not discounting each game's greatness for the time that they first launched — they were regarded as solid entries and still are — but as an HD collection they fall flat.

Serious Sam 4 fails to capture the spirit of older games and somehow manages to feel like a step back for the series. While there is a Serious Sam game here, it's wrapped in a shell marred by consistent visual and audio glitches, ugly graphics, and some seriously dated game design.

None of these issues are enough to bring a fighting game down on their own, but together they make for an excruciating exercise in patience, and I might have been able to find that patience if the game at large had more to offer. Its hyper-focus on gameplay does it no favors in that regard. Wait for a sharp discount if you must have it.

An innovative concept can be found behind Soul Axiom, but various missteps in its delivery hold back its potential. With frustrating puzzles and bland level design, it feels the developer's approach to the game has been misguided, limiting what could've been a detailed and engaging storytelling experience.

Bee Simulator is fun for a short time, but won't keep people's attention for long. Its charm can't save it from boredom. When you throw in the price tag, it's tough to recommend.

What should have been a staple of VR shooters to come turned out to be little more than what feels like a rehash of a 2000's shooter. While the gameplay might have you yawning at times and racked with frustration in others, The Gallery at least provides an incredible wealth of stories from real WWII veterans that brings a level of intimacy to what could otherwise feel like a soulless experience.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood provides some fleeting $30 amusement, but it's such a step down from previous games that I can't help but wonder if there will be lasting damage to the Wolfenstein name.

While Jurassic World Evolution has a great concept, it fails to achieve anything close to greatness once you get past the first day of gameplay. Excellent graphics and nostalgic euphoria can only carry a product so far.

Ultimately, I think it would be best to pass on Wenjia. While the visuals are great, it's too short and there's too little depth in the gameplay to justify the price. When you consider that the game's levels also break and that there are some performance problems as well, you would be better off spending the extra $4.99 to get Ori and the Blind Forest.

Dangerous Golf isn't really a bad game, as such, but it's probably too expensive for what it is. I was really looking forward to playing it but have ended up feeling a little unfulfilled. It's a great little time waster, but I think it would have been better as a mobile game than something sold for $20 on the Xbox One.

While Wartile is a gorgeous and beautifully sounding game, the lack of challenge or depth in its gameplay and the risk of severe crashing problems holds it back from being something greater.

Despite these flaws, Lies of Astaroth is still a passable game. However, until PvP, daily rewards, and other small details are corrected, some people may find it somewhat lacking.

With a user interface barely optimized for controllers and a release three years after its initial alpha, it feels that consoles are a mere afterthought of the original vision.

With some updates to the game's loot system and improvements to performance, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin has the potential to be a worthwhile action RPG for diehard Final Fantasy fans. However, there are just way too many things this game doesn't get right. It certainly isn't one of the best RPGs on Xbox, but if you have a few dedicated friends willing to endure this adventure via online co-op, you can undoubtedly share in a few great laughs. Still, I can't recommend Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin for anyone interested in a serious Final Fantasy story.

If you don't mind doing extensive web research in order to understand the ins and outs of Graveyard Keeper's gameplay progression, you'll be able to enjoy the best of what the game has to offer. However, if you would rather not deal with the hassle, I recommend passing on this one and checking out Stardew Valley instead.

If you buy this game, you'll have an insane amount of fun, whether you buy loot crates or not, but after spending dozens of hours playing my Heavy, it's apparent to me that EA has designed progression to become a struggle for those who don't want to buy crates. If there's a line to cross, EA didn't just step over it, they blew it up with the Death Star.

You can't just release a racing game at this price point with no campaign, no real incentive to keep playing, and so many unenjoyable game types. World Series feels like a free to play game that the developers decided to charge $30 for. From a developer like Codemasters that is renowned for its racing games, World Series is an obvious misfire and destined to be forgotten.

One must put up with a lot of rough edges to enjoy Farming Simulator 17. But if you can do that, it certainly offers a deep farming experience and plenty of realistic licensed machinery.