If you enjoy fast-paced strategy games, than Overcooked 2 is guaranteed to give you a good time, though I think anyone can have fun with this game due to how simple the basics are, how lighthearted the tone is, and the fact that the game doesn't really get hard until later on. People who can't multitask well will admittedly struggle, but in general, I still think Overcooked 2 is definitely a title you should pick up.

If not for the clumsiness of the new moves and the hair-pullingly hard bonus stages, it would be a perfect game. But Sonic Mania is still a long, wonderful return to form for the series that fans and newcomers alike should enjoy. Hopefully the upcoming Sonic Forces can maintain this level of quality, like Sonic deserves.

The Bayonetta & Vanquish Bundle contains two amazing games, but the visuals are quite dated.

This is truly a special game. It's obvious that Hogwarts Legacy was made by passionate Harry Potter fans for passionate Harry Potter fans as there are plenty of Easter eggs to discover, magical abilities to unlock, and fantastical experiences to uncover. However, the game is not so obtuse as to push away newcomers or those who haven't engaged with Harry Potter lore in a while.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is a reminder of how good platformers can be when in the right hands. Taking you through several diverse dimensions with their own unique challenges, Crash Bandicoot 4 combines responsive controls and a gorgeous art style to create an exciting adventure. Do I remember the story? Not too much, but the gameplay is where Crash shines. A new Modern mode in addition to its Retro mode makes it even more accessible for everyone.

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.

World's Edge and its partners successfully revive the most underrated Age of Empires game with the launch of Age of Mythology: Retold. More than a pure definitive edition, this classic strategy game gets a full-blown remake with smart gameplay changes and a bevy of options to make it approachable. Aside from a few bugs and glitches that should be addressed, it's a phenomenal game for RTS fans to sink their teeth into.

Starfield has been an absolute mission of a game to review. I shouldn't need to emphasize just how big this game is. It's a Bethesda game, and it spans a large quadrant of our very own Milky Way galaxy, with hundreds of star systems and around a thousand planets of potential gameplay experiences. Starfield pushes Creation Engine to its absolute limits, and for sure, the cracks of age are starting to show. While aspects of Starfield could've used more iteration from a design standpoint, it's ultimately one of Bethesda's most cinematic and impressive titles to date. With incredible writing, slow-burn stories that snowball into some of Bethesda's most immense moments, and tight RPG FPS combat that thrills in ship-to-ship battles, boots-on-the-ground firefights, and zero-g death ballets — Starfield is a landmark experience, with a bright future ahead of it.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon swaps out its long-running protagonist and gameplay tropes to magnificent results. The team at Sega has crafted one of the most absurd, most entertaining, and most fun JRPG I've played in years.

ABZÛ is a short but utterly engaging experience. Not only does it let players discover an undersea world, it does so with impeccable artistry. There's just so much undersea animal and plant life, all of it colorful and exciting. Remember how beautiful the pot dealer in American Beauty thought plastic bags were? That's the level of beauty that ABZÛ actually achieves.

The only thing holding NecroDancer back from being a perfect game is the difficulty of playing as some characters. But don't let the difficulty dissuade you – rhythm role-playing games simply don't get any better than this.

Blizzard clearly learned from the mistakes from Battle for Azeroth's endgame launch state, injecting piles of content that actually contribute to player power in meaningful ways. On the one hand, the time gating on the story elements is irritating, but it's not like most players will find themselves short of things to do. Shadowlands has some of the most stunning art in the game's lengthy history, and the cinematic treatment represents a step up for the studio. Despite balance issues, Shadowlands may end up among the likes of Legion and The Burning Crusade as one of the game's best expansions to date — if Blizzard listens to its players, rather than its shareholders.

For anyone who grew up with a love of action movies, Superhot's value can be found in the concept alone. The game has managed to capture the choreographed combat of classic action movies and implement this into an interactive scenario. Superhot is among the best indie games available on the Xbox One, successfully executing a unique and innovative idea.

Warhammer 40,000 enthusiasts will appreciate the finer details, but anyone that just wants to carve a path through teeming alien mobs will have a lot of fun, especially if they're playing in co-op. There are some technical problems to address, but with a robust roadmap of new missions and enemies in the coming months, I'm looking forward to taking up arms with the Emperor's Angels again and again.

Path of Exile isn't a mega-budget game like Diablo, but you'd hardly know it.

Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs is a must-buy DLC for any fans of strategy games looking to challenge themselves, but the difficulty and higher price tag should be noted.

Helldivers 2 is a fantastic co-op game where anything can and will go wrong, thanks to several clever design choices. Calling in orbital bombardments while laying waste to alien swarms and robot armies has never been more fun. However, server capacity remains an ongoing problem for anyone looking to get in.

The Plucky Squire combines 2D action-adventure with 3D platforming for a 4th wall breaking good time while serving as a family-friendly love letter to the art and literature that creatively inspires us.

Grounded concluded its early access tenure with one final update to pull everything together and add hours of fresh new content, resulting in one of the best games of 2022. Grounded is bound to inspire other titles in the survival genre for years to come.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy is an excellent remake of the originals. It's a lot of fun to play and looks stunning. Unfortunately, the lack of a 60 FPS option, even on the Xbox One X, and the awkward camera controls in some levels detract from the experience. Despite these issues, the remake pays homage to some of the best platformers ever created, and it's evident that developer Toys for Bob spent many years crafting this package. It's a labor of love and that shines above all else.

While the gameplay can feel rushed sometimes, Steel Division nevertheless is a great game that authentically recreates the World War II conflict and brings some new ideas to the RTS genre.

It's kept the core of fun, with impeccable control and a well-paced learning curve. It's never a chore to play.

Resident Evil Village is one of the first games that feels truly "next-gen," with absolutely stunning tech bolstered by the industry-leading RE Engine. Stunning visuals, truly bizarre creatures, a memorable parade of eccentric characters, and truly satisfying gameplay make Resident Evil Village soar, even if a few quirks in the plot delivery deflate the spectacle. Resident Evil Village is a truly excellent game and one of the best entries in the legendary franchise. Long may it continue.

Whether you're a novice or expert chess player, the sharp looks and wealth of features make it a great buy.

Overall, as DLC goes, Synthetic Dawn is a great value for the money. You get a whole new species to work with, which isn't too unfamiliar to others already available, but it takes advantage of hive mind-like mechanics. The new traits, technologies and minute gameplay alterations make playing as synthetics unique and interesting, even if you already have more than 1,000 hours clocked.

With menus and controls specific to controllers, Age of Empires 4 on Xbox works beautifully and provides fun strategic gameplay for up to eight players. There are plenty of different ways to enjoy the game from historic solo campaigns to skirmishes against other players (or the computer), but it might be a little harder for newcomers to the Age series to learn how to play. Still, the quality-of-life improvements for Xbox all work together to create a fantastic RTS experience on console with different features than what's available on PC. Plus, you can play with keyboard and mouse on Xbox if you want.

SOMA is a great achievement in the survival horror genre due to its story.

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.