It’s been a while since I’ve had this much fun in a cooperative focused title and I think POPUCOM has found a great balance between difficulty and player choice without sticking around for more than it has to. Throw in a lovely presentation and you’ve got a fantastic cooperative puzzle-platformer that can be enjoyed by all.

Relicta offers up some clever, challenging puzzle scenarios that use physics in a way that feels natural while also embracing the sci-fi elements of its presentation. The difficulty can occasionally spike, and the story elements, while entertaining, definitely take a back seat to the actual puzzle solving gameplay. But when that gameplay is so good and rewarding, that’s no bad thing.

Insane Robots is an excellent card battler that doesn’t demand too much from the player. Perhaps its greatest achievement, however, is how it manages to blend together so many simple and fun ideas to produce a compelling and diverse experience. With its abundant loading screens to the side, Insane Robots provides a vibrant and energetic journey that never loses its focus or charm.

Much in the same way as the previous two Two Point entries, Two Point Museum is a delightful and cheeky, yet deliciously approachable management sim that’s top of the class when it comes to comedy, irreverence and accessibility. While Two Point Museum continues the series momentum rather the delving into something entirely unexpected, it still contains many subtle and not-so-subtle new features that improve the entire Two Point franchise. The variety of exhibits, the discoveries and treasures you can uncover from undertaking expeditions, as well as items, structures, personnel, and children, keep Two Point Museum plodding along as an entry that fascinates as memorably as attending a real museum. Although you’re continuously extinguishing the problems of running a successful gallery of grand exhibitions, you’re rewarded with unlimited progression, and you can move along at a pace that serves you more than ever before. Now that’s the third great Two Point experience in a row to savour. Undoubtedly, Two Point Museum is a Jurassic success.

Aesthetically, Neon Abyss is beautiful – the neon 16-bit retro look takes me to the warm fuzzy feeling of playing SNES as a young boy. The controls very good, though I’m not a big fan of having jump on LT. I can see why this is the case, but it’s a shame that I couldn’t remap this as I could with most other buttons. I enjoyed some of the great features like passive abilities, different guns including a cat gun, unlockable characters and eggs, which follow you and have the chance to hatch into buddies that help you.

Overall, there’s a lot to like about Resident Evil Village. The story and characters are great, most of the scenarios are fantastic fun to play, and when it hits best it rivals the top tier of the franchise. It’s a little too action heavy for my tastes, but even so that action is generally a lot of fun. Is it the best in the series? No. Is it still bloody good? One hundred percent. I’m cautiously excited to see where we go from here, and am already looking forward to a second playthrough.

While there are improvements that could be made, there’s no doubt this is an excellent way for fans of the graps to get even more enjoyment out of the sports entertainment lifestyle. There’s so much to do across so many modes, such a hefty creation suite that is all but limitless, and underneath all that a fun if sometimes frustrating gameplay system that will serve perfectly well until the next time out.

A Hat in Time is a sensational platformer that boasts hours upon hours of inventive and diverse fun.

Brutal, deep, and stylish, God’s Trigger is without a doubt one of the most compelling top-down shooters of the gen. The game’s depth and variation, together with its one-hit-death mechanic, collectively ensure that the experience remains constantly fresh and engaging throughout. The only drawback is that it’s too easy to circumvent much of the difficulty, but even then, the fun rarely gives up. If you enjoy the likes of Hotline Miami, you’re going to love this.

It might hit the camp button a little too hard at times, but overall Dark Nights with Poe and Munroe is an enjoyable live-action adventure. The episodes are short enough to get through in one sitting and are packed with replayability in the different outcomes of our choices, as well as entertaining tales told within. Live-action games have had a bit of a resurgence of late, and this title easily rides high as one of the best.

I came into Spellbreak hesitant for yet another entry into the Battle Royale genre and yet I’m sitting here writing this a convert; it looks and sounds great, and the core gameplay is unique enough among its peers that it is easy to recommend if you fancy something that doesn’t rely on traditional gunplay. Of course, the usual FTP monetisation is present, but it’s a small (optional) price to play for what is an incredibly fun game.

The gameplay and strategy behind it, the scenery and the music is everything I expected from Neon City Riders when I first saw the trailer. Even though it’s not a 2-D side scroller I picked up major Scott Pilgrim VS The World and River City Girls vibes, which are my two favorite games. When any game reaches that level it’s without a doubt considered a masterpiece in my book. Please, suit up, indulge yourself in the 90’s vibe, and clean up the streets and take back Neon City.

All in all, Still Wakes the Deep has been a fantastic horror experience. It looks and sounds great, the sense of tension and fear is very well handled, and even the few moments that drop the act don’t give us enough time to catch our breath before things go sideways again. Topped of with a touching story and well rounded characters, Still Wakes the Deep is not one to be missed.

It Takes Two is a game that all gamers should play. The co-op only aspect could turn some people away, but they make it very easy to play the game with others. You can play split-screen locally or online with anyone on your friends list even if they don’t own the game. And the co-op gameplay is what really makes the game shine, the expertly crafted levels are so much fun to explore, traverse, and complete. The seemingly never-ending flow of new mechanics makes the game feel fresh and makes playing as each character a unique experience. Hazelight Studio seems to have mastered the art of making co-op games, each game they create gets better and better. I can’t wait to see what they’re planning next.

It’s easy to compare this game to other Metroidvania’s like Hollow Knight, Bloodstained or Blasphemous, though while it doesn’t quite reach the same lofty heights as those games, yet Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights is a fantastic experience from start to finish that can be enjoyed by more than just fans of the genre. It can be challenging at times but a few quality of life features make it more approachable than some of its genre brethren. It’s a solid action adventure with satisfying combat, a stunning art style, and a huge detailed world waiting to be explored that tells a rich yet sorrowful story.

Killer Queen Black is pure, joyous fun. Get together with a group of friends and you’re guaranteed to have an absolute blast. There’s not too much to learn in terms of mechanics, but that doesn’t stop each game feeling fresh and different. It’s on Game Pass, and features cross play, so I’m hoping it can gather more of a community that it seems to have now. If it does, I can see KQB having a long life. Please, please check it out!

Overall Dakar Desert Rally is a diamond in the rough. With the upcoming features adding another layer to the game and a little bit of rounding off and Saber Porto/Saber Interactive have come up with a winner. Newcomers and casual racer fans will love how the game looks and have plenty of fun in sport mode while hardcore fans or players who love a challenge will have a great time mastering.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a solid action-RPG with an intriguing world full of worthwhile stories and characters to meet. Combat is a weak point (though upgrades help somewhat) and for as well written as the Haunting cases are, they all follow a very similar template. However, it’s a testament to DONTNOD’s skill that even despite these foibles, we had nothing less than a great time with Red and Antea. It’s not as flashy or as deep as some other titles out there, but for our money Banishers is more than worthy of your time and money.

To the common eye Super Mega Baseball 3 looks like Arcade version of baseball, in the vein of NBA Jam‘s take on an arcade version of basketball. Beneath the mask is a well polished baseball simulation that I believe baseball fans will enjoy. Even if you aren’t a hardcore baseball fan this game still is something to play if you’re just trying to past the time.

As you can hopefully tell, I very much enjoyed The Innsmouth Case. It’s easy to pick up and get into, full of interesting and witty writing, plenty of alternate routes and options, and even surprisingly decent in the audio/visual department. Fans of the choose your own adventure style books of old should absolutely be checking this one out.

Black Ops 4 is the complete multiplayer package. Some design choices lack originality, yes, but Blackout has all the tools to be as big a multiplayer shooter as Modern Warfare was eleven years ago, while also offering a solid complement of competitive and cooperative modes.

Other than some awkward controls at times, Homebody has risen up the ranks to be one of my most enjoyable gaming experiences this year. The time loop/puzzle/survival horror combo is smartly put together, with a fantastic sense of progression constantly. Combined with the retro presentation and well written, engaging tale, Homebody is an easy recommendation to make.

I can’t say that Sparking! Zero is the best Dragon Ball game ever made, as my track record is on the lower side, but it’s the best anime arena fighter I’ve played in a while. The bar has been set, and it’s incredibly high. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to train in the hypersonic lion tamer.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice’s most riveting achievement isn’t how well it functions, nor how well it’s written and voiced, nor how well it looks, but how well all of that unifies into such a dark and compelling experience. The constant tension throughout the entirety of this unique and engaging journey will disturb you, intrigue you and stay with you, long after the credits roll.

The distinct art style and visual palette is as dominant today as it was eleven years ago, and it’s aged incredibly well as a result.

Overall, I’ve had a blast playing A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead. It nails the sense of dread and atmosphere, and regularly did I find myself on the edge of my seat as I just evaded the creature again. The use of Alex’s asthma is handled well, albeit a bit over-done at times, but it adds to the fear and horror of the experience. The use of a mic in real life is a short-lived gimmick, but other than that this is a great survival horror stealth title that makes tremendous use of the Quiet Place setting.

Overall should you play Overwatch 2? The answer is a resounding yes considering that the game is free. While it isn’t something that I would necessarily play for long hours into the night, it’s definitely a game that’s up my alley and it gives me something else to play with friends, which is always my number one favorite aspect in any game that I play. At the end of the day if you don’t like it, you can always uninstall it and move on to something else with no regrets whatsoever.

Wizard of Legend is easily one of the best dungeon crawlers of this gen so far. There’s a plethora of challenging content to get through and no shortage of magical combinations to enjoy. The gameplay itself, despite the occasional minor drop in frame-rate, remains fluid and precise throughout. This is further upheld by its natural charm, its energy, its general depth and its vast replay value.