All in all though, I’ve really enjoyed my time with The Talos Principle: Reawakened. The puzzle mechanics are smartly designed and put to use in some truly ingenious scenarios that test our logic and ability to plan ahead and think outside the box. The new chapter is a worthy challenge for returning players, and bundling that in with the base game and DLC is pretty damn good value.

I will admit, although I am a bit older than the characters in Lost Records, I am close enough to their ages that the friendships, environment, feelings and music all resonated with me. When the credits rolled on Tape 1, I didn’t just like Lost Records, I loved it. It was a tale of friendship, adventure and testing the depths of ‘best friends forever’. If Don’t Nod can follow this up equally with Tape 2 on April 15th, this might take first place for me in the series and give me the same feeling I first had when I first played Life is Strange back in 2015.

While it’s a short career at just a few hours, it’s certainly a memorable one. Techno Banter is filled with hilarious and clever writing that’s sure to illicit some laughs. It’s an odd premise but it works surprisingly well and is wildly weird in all the best ways.

Is PGA Tour 2K25 worth buying? Yes. The developers are constantly improving the game and making it more accessible. The graphics are finally next-gen. The EvoSwing system may take time to adjust to, but it adds a new dimension to the gameplay. However, the more casual players will probably wait for the game to go on sale.

I actually enjoyed Cuisineer more than I thought I would. Once I got a few upgrades and didn’t have to come running back to town after filling my bags in ten minutes, I started to enjoy it much more. Having a fridge full of ingredients meant I could run my restaurant all day and make some good coin. There’s certainly some pacing issues, an endgame grind, and could use much better tutorials, but playing casually, running a dungeon or serving patrons here and there is quite enjoyable and relaxing.

It takes some time for all of the mechanics to really make sense due to the poor tutorials, but once it does, Metal Slug Tactics goes from being a frustrating experience to a challenging but very rewarding once. Even being turn-based, it feels like a true Metal Slug game, and while I wasn’t sure how the genre change was going to turn out, it’s clear much care and effort went into not only making a great game on its own, but also keeping core fans in mind with a creative spin-off. Mission Start!

When you know how the story ends, it’s more about the journey than the destination. You know there’s going to be a sad ending, so seeing how Johnny’s life unfolded is both beautiful and heartbreaking. There’s plenty of emotions that you’re sure to feel going through the four to five hour journey, as the story is heavy hearted and tackles some serious topics. To the Moon is a compelling story that ties together quite well and in an interesting way, I just hope that its two sequels eventually come to console as well.

Neva is a must play for fans of artistic and narrative games. The tight gameplay mixed with impressive hand drawn graphics and animations make it a joy to play. Its emotional story delivers an experience of love and loss that is enhanced by its beautiful score and immersive environment. You’ll spend about 3 to 4 hours within the world of Neva, and for me it flew by. I don’t know if it’s a game I will revisit more than once, but it’s a game that I am sure glad I experienced.

While Empire of the Ants may be a watered down basic RTS game at its core, the flipside to that means that it's more approachable for those that aren’t generally into the genre like myself. RTS enthusiasts will surely want more than what’s offered from a gameplay perspective, but I quite enjoyed the simplistic and streamlined take. While I generally don’t want my games to have thousands of bugs, Empire of the Ants is an exception.

It’s not often that a visual novel sticks with me after the credits roll, but Slay the Princess - The Pristine Cut has been with me the last week or so after getting many endings. There’s an intriguing story, great penciled artwork, and flawless voice acting. The branching paths and dialogue options are substantially different from one another and makes for one of the more memorable visual novels that deserve to be up there with the best of the genre.

A mix of combat, platforming and puzzle solving, Pepper Grinder is a cute indie game that will last a few hours, more if you want to collect everything. Once you get a feel for the controls, when levels flow, is when Pepper Grinder is at its best as you leap from one dig to the next.

If you’re a fan of 2D Beat ‘Em Ups, loved TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge and/or simply grew up with these types of games, you’ll love Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Revenge. Digital Eclipse has delivered a love letter to the Power Rangers’ heyday of 1993-1996. It’s a nice treat for the holiday season.

I will admit, I was apprehensive about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and I had high expectations. Movie-based games are hard to pull off. Taking care to protect the IP but also creating a new story to appease many levels of fans isn’t an easy task. The game surpassed my expectations on every level, and I couldn’t put it down. It’s been a very long time since a game has had its grip on me like this one has. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle feels like the best Indiana Jones movie you’ve never seen, and I am already hoping we will see another adventure for Indiana Jones in the future.

The OST once again is the standout. The metal soundtrack makes you want to put up the horns and headbang along to some great tunes. If you’re a fan of shmups and want to shoot some aliens to a kick ass metal soundtrack, Valfaris: Mecha Therion is an easy sell.

MechWarrior 5: Clans is a solid mech game that does have a lot of drawbacks. Yes, the story isn't the best, and yes the graphics outside of the cinematic characters leave a lot to be desired, and the sound outside of the weaponry should all be removed... But despite all of that going against it, I have to say that MechWarrior 5: Clans is a fairly enjoyable experience if you're into the genre. While priced now at $49.99, I can say that you should save your money and pick this up when it's on sale. There is a lot of room for growth with this game, and hopefully with some upgrades of its own and some fine tuning, this can become a truly sensational mech experience.

Some may grow tired of the year Call of Duty entries, and I’ll admit, they’re usually hit-or-miss for myself as well, but I’ve been thoroughly enjoying all Black Ops 6 has to offer. Campaign is one of the best in years, Zombies being round based is the correct move, and multiplayer feels solid overall.

Just Crow Things is a silly game full of mindless tasks wrapped up in potty humour. It’s nothing to be taken seriously and that’s a really wonderful thing. It’s not complicated mechanically, and I think it would be a lot of fun for players of all ages. While the gameplay can be a bit repetitive and the humour rather juvenile, I had a lot of fun with the game and it’s an easy recommendation from me.

Overall, Life is Strange: Double Exposure is a rather good game. Although it’s held back from being great by an almost too confined campaign, repetition and some pacing issues, it’s a quality release that should appeal to most, if not all, fans of this series and its genre. It’s worth checking out if it intrigues you, and is deserving of recognition, though I wouldn’t say it’s the best game in the series. I personally enjoyed the original and True Colors more.

There’s always something to do and work on, and while some elements could have used a bit more explaining and be a little more console friendly, overall it’s port to console was done impressively well. Of course, I ‘cheated’ a bit with having my Razer Turret to make typing quicker, but it wasn’t a requirement, as the default controls worked just fine and intuitively with a controller in hand. I'm going to be adventuring on Aeternum for quite some time at my own pace, and won't be surprised when I reach a few hundred hours of playtime. Console players may have had to wait a few years, but Amazon Games has clearly put in a hefty amount of effort to do it right, but better late than never.

18 songs may not be a large tracklist, but the numerous difficulties and leaderboards encourage multiple playthroughs and trying to beat your previous scores. It’s going to take some serious practice to meld the musical and combat portions of gameplay together without having to think about it too hard, but once it does, it feels quite good to ride those ribbons while taking out some baddies with a barrage of missiles.

While there are some game breaking bugs and issues and achievements, all of these can be fixed with future updates. While the quantity is limited, the quality is not. It goes without saying that Gori: Cuddly Carnage is one title that delivers a quality story that is full of mind ****s and rewards you for going further down the rabbit hole.

While it’s intended for a younger audience, that didn’t stop me from enjoying every minute of the seven or so hours it took me to reach its final page as a full grown adult. While it may have not been a challenge in the slightest, it was a wonderful adventure full of humor, wonderful artwork, adorable characters and some really interesting gameplay. It’s clear The Plucky Squire was made with a lot of love and care, and I’m glad to have helped Jot along in his wondrous adventure.

There’s no denying that the pixel artwork of Kazuko Shibuya and the iconic melodies of Nobuo Uematsu have not only stood the test of time, but are just as great all these decades later. With updated graphics, rearranged music, and a handful of options to make the game more accessible, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster is a wonderful trip down nostalgia lane for decades-long fans like myself, but also the best way to jump into the series if you’ve not played the classics that started the long running and much beloved franchise. Pixel perfect nostalgia.

The innovative combat is quite rewarding once you’re able to master it, but you’re going to have to persevere and struggle through that first few hours to really grasp how to do it properly. It’s clear Keylocker was made with a lot of passion and care across the board, and it’s probably one of the more unique and original games I’ve played in a while, I just worry many will not persevere through the early challenges that the game does practically nothing to teach you.

Cat Quest III is simply a delight to admire with its bright beautiful colors and great artwork across the board. Even in the dark dungeons, you can appreciate its brooding aesthetic. Even though some might be disappointed with its short campaign, there’s plenty of side quests to complete, including NG+ with a drastically raised level cap, and an Infinity Tower to challenge yourself with. It’s hard not to smile when playing this paw-some indie game, as it’s just got a fantastic and warm vibe that doesn’t overstay its welcome.

Overall, I’ve never really played a game like Closer the Distance, and it’s one of the reasons this review took longer to write. I had a lot of big feeling about the game and its themes. Somehow this rated Teen game found a way to delve into some very deep topics without glossing over them or making them too light. There were some heartbreaking moments and some moments of levity too. All of that is true with the grieving process. Sometimes you will be sad, and other moments you will think of happier times and share a laugh with people who also knew the person you’ve lost. I often think about the line I heard somewhere that grief is really just all the love you never got to show someone. It’s a line I think of often and the developers found a way to make this game feel authentic and I appreciate them for that.

With the first year of updates already planned and shown, there’s sure to be some cool additions for Solar Crown... eventually, but with the iconic Casino not even arriving until Summer 2025, you’ll need to embrace the grind to tide you over between Seasons. An arcade racer with a heavy social focus is what made Test Drive Unlimited popular in the first place, but in the years since its absence with Forza Horizon releases, the bar has been raised, one that Solar Crown isn’t quite at just yet. Solar Crown has the DNA of what made Test Drive Unlimited so revered, but it doesn’t quite have the same heart yet.

There are plenty of modes to enjoy, single or multiplayer, and makes for a simple and enjoyable game you can play for a few rounds or number of hours. It’s clear HYPERCHARGE Unboxed was made with a lot of care, and if you’ve ever wanted Small Soldiers to be a game, this is it.

Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER starts out strong with an interesting cyberpunk narrative that had me intrigued with its cast of unique characters, but with a short runtime of around four to five hours, the final chapter seemed quite rushed and made the ending feel unsatisfying since it was just starting to get good. Even so, Neurodiver was still a psy-fi adventure I’m glad I was a part of, even if it didn’t quite and as strong as it began.

Now that Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse caps off the trilogy remakes, I’m hoping for renewed interest in the series, as there’s nothing quite like its humor, even still. It’s bittersweet to see a game you enjoyed (again) come to its conclusion, though I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the nostalgia trip with one of my favorite duos.

I loved Tchia enough that I will go back and search out every collectible I’ve missed. I was all the cute costumes and decorations for my raft. The game takes about 10 hours to play through, and although it was quite repetitive at times, I enjoyed it. It’s a straightforward game full of simple pleasures.

I could see some players not enjoying themselves since much of the ‘gameplay’ is simply running to a spot in the house and watching some dialogue, but if you become invested into each of the six individual stories and can understand how they are intertwined, it can be exciting to see how each decision changes follow-up events. While there’s no replayability once you’ve experience all of the events and save everyone, it’s still a great play on a weekend for narrative game fans.

Go Mecha Ball surprised me. Half pinball, half twin-stick shooter, it shouldn’t work on paper, but it really does. Once you can embrace the chaos and find the best way to play for yourself, it can be exciting. Feeling like it’s truly an original experience, Go Mecha Ball is a fun trip as you dash from one enemy to the next do it all again in the next run.

You know that B-movie that not many people enjoy, but you just absolutely love it for whatever reason? Outcast - A New Beginning reminds me of something like that. It may not have a AAA budget, and it’s certainly clunky in some places, but I enjoy its 90’s vibe even with its flaws. A beautiful world to explore and enough to keep you busy for quite some time, even if it is busywork much of the time, I’m glad I finally got to have an adventure with Cutter Slade and hope for another in the future.

Even with very minimal knowledge of League of Legends, that didn’t matter at all as a newcomer to its world, lore and characters. Nunu and Willump are an adorable duo of inseparable best friends that I’d enjoy to have more adventures with. If this is the start of more League single player adventures with their more charismatic characters, count me in for each one.

MotoGP 24 also does all this in a beautiful graphic package. When you're catching the apex of the corner while in a pack of other riders or blasting down the straight at full throttle with the grandstand off to the side, MotoGP 24 does a great job at delivering impressive bike models that sound just as incredible as they scream down the tracks. MotoGP 24 offers a wealth of quality motor racing in a streamlined package that provides controller ripping tension and body leaning turns.

While Long Gone Days may not be the most engaging RPG I’ve played recently, you would be hard-pressed to find one with as much passion for the subject matter presented. How you feel about the story will likely vary between person to person, but as someone with strong ties to the military, but also being a person who strongly dislikes the thought of war, it spoke to me on a deeper level than I anticipated. I would have liked the combat to be more engaging and some of the topics to be covered in more depth, but overall it was a surprising and ambitious game that I am glad I got to experience.

Overall TopSpin 2K25 is an absolute smashing success. It finds a simplistic and streamlined way to bring a lot of depth and fun to a tennis game. While some of the 'rinse and repeat' formula is found everywhere throughout this game, this is how a sports game should be presented. If you're a tennis fan, TopSpin 2K25 should be at the top of your list.

At the heart of the story, Paper Trail is about living your life despite your past, and living your life in the moment and to its fullest. This is a story I think can resonate with everyone. It’s about forging your own path, literally, even when you have been told "No". Paper Trail is a perfect example of a simple mechanic executed well. It’s sweet aesthetic blends nicely with just enough spice in the difficulty presented with the puzzles and doesn’t create a sour experience with overstaying its welcome. It’s a fantastically balanced game that I will encourage anyone to check out if they want to give their grey matter a little workout while engaging in a cozy story.

While the World Tour may not take long to reach the finish line, there’s enough challenge to try and get 100% completion if you want to collect everything. While I could see myself going back now and then for the online challenges, it may not have the most longevity and replayability, but Horizon Chase 2 was still a fun and stylish sprint to the finish line.

Botany Manor is a great little game. Charming and sweet with a nice balance of challenge and laid-back puzzle elements. Delightfully immersive due to its first-person perspective, it makes exploring the manor feel like a joy versus a chore.

While the lack of focus may turn some 4X city-building fans off, Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is a fantastic adventure for newcomers to the genre or those looking for a less stressful experience. No intricate building planning, no tech trees, and no micromanaging of your population; just build, grow, and learn as you play. The Falconeer was wonderful, and Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is set in the same world but is a fresh style of game. After playing this, I feel confident that this cements Tomas Sala as one of the most creative developers I know of. I would highly recommend this game to anyone looking for a new city-building experience or just a chill game to explore your creativity.

Remastering beloved games is a balancing act of remaining faithful to the original games, yet improving just enough for new fans to enjoy as well. While it doesn’t stick the landing in every aspect, and as a Remaster it does feel a tad bareboned without much extras, it’s fascinating to see how far the series has come and how nostalgia distorted my actual memories. Not all things about the original trilogy has aged very well, but the glow up is quite a welcome addition and Lara looks great as ever.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is an absolutely beautiful game, not just in its visuals, but also the audio and Senua’s actual journey from the original game to what she’s become in this sequel. There’s a famous quote stating video games can’t be art; I’d argue that Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II proves this inaccurate. Artistry across different senses and technology come together to craft an amazing and meaningful tale worth experiencing. Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II is a linear narrative driven action game that is unique, intense and incredibly immersive. With a focus on mental health and illness, there’s nothing quite like Hellblade II, a visual and audio experience unlike anything we’ve experience before, raising the bar of what ‘next-gen’ should mean. Once again, a Hellblade game is going to be in my GOTY contention.

Overall, MLB The Show 24 has done a great job of continuing to bring a legacy of excellence, celebrating history, player immersion, team control, and thrilling challenges. Whether you’re a seasoned slugger or a rookie at the plate, MLB The Show 24 knocks it out of the park. Batter up!

While I could see that some may not enjoy the optional exploration component as much as I did, especially for a puzzle game, the world was so unique and beautiful it couldn’t help but be memorable. I wish I found the original game sooner, as The Talos Principle II should absolutely be in the same conversations as Fez and Portal as one of the best puzzle games there are. There’s an impressive amount of detail, from the environments, puzzle design, character development, and plot, The Talos Principle II is a must play if you’re a fan of puzzles and narrative that comes together in a meaningful way.

While it may be a tad on the expensive side ($31.99 CAD), I quite enjoyed my time with it alongside Hebe and friends exploring their world, certainly memorable for its unique design and colorfulness. Ufouria: The Saga 2 is a sequel that I don’t think anyone asked for, or saw coming, but I’m all for it given how adorable is all is. It’s a small and quirky game that’s certainly on the easy and casual side, but sometimes a game like that is a welcome change.

WWE2K24 has a lot going for it. Improved and smoother graphics are evident and there is a lot of solid single-player gameplay (which I enjoy). The roster is extensive, and I thought the MyRise story modes were both well done. It appears as though the team has worked on implementing a few features commonly asked for by the community although I really think the basic create a wrestler suite still needs some work.

Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator was as advertised; a cozy gardening game, but I found the tasks quite repetitive and wished there was more variety of things to do. I am hopeful that the developers will add some additional content, possibly some more flower varieties as well. More than anything else, I hope they fix the messy inventory system. Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator is like a seedling in a greenhouse. It has all the parts to make something beautiful and is just waiting for the right gardener to come along and spend some time with it.

While the tutorials for a lot of the mechanics are lacking or not explained well, with enough time, I went from not really enjoying myself to having to do just ‘one more run’ for a specific upgrade. Once you’ve wrapped your head around all of what’s possible and how to craft, it goes from being a confusing and frustrating grind to being a fun yet repetitive shooter. While it does become tedious at times, Wizard with a Gun starts to really shine once you learn of its elemental intricacies.

Overall, I have found Hotel Renovator - Five Star Edition to be quite enjoyable and easy to get into despite the things I wish were improved, like the items menu and the NPCs. So if you're into building designs, operating a hotel, and pleasing random guests, all while learning about your character's family and hotel history, then I would say this is a great game for you to spend hours on.

If you’re a survival horror fan, you should check out Alone in the Dark. Although it’s a bit dated and a bit flawed, it remains a rather solid game; so much so that I enjoyed beating it twice within one week. Don’t play it for the combat, but do so for the story, sound and settings. It’s worth checking out for sure.

A Little to the Left is a cozy little game that you can drop in and out of and spend as little or as much time as you feel like. It’s relatively simple in nature, has easy controls, and is good for multiple ages. Because of the ability to play via the cloud, it could be a great game to play on the go too. Despite some finicky controls, it was a great game to decompress in the evenings and I look forward to them hopefully adding more content in the future.

Even without any dialogue or traditional narrative, Airhead manages to tell a story, though it may differ from one to another depending on your interpretation. It’s clear that Airhead was built with a lot of heart and passion but I found it hard to truly enjoy from being constantly stressed about finding a constant air supply. Challenging puzzles and classic Metroidvania gameplay is to be had for fans, and while it may not be a long adventure, it was certainly memorable for as long as you can hold your breath.

King Arthur: Knight's Tale does a fantastic job at taking turn based tactical gameplay from titles we love and adding its own twists and dark setting. Strategic combat, moral choices, and a compelling narrative makes it difficult to put down. While it can be brutally challenging at times, even on the easier difficulties, turn based tactical combat is front and center but can feel a bit repetitive after a few dozen missions. A fresh take on Arthurian legend, King Arthur: Knight's Tale offers a memorable journey across Avalon as you try to rebuild Camelot and seek vengeance.

Do not be fooled by its cute cartoon design and its pillow fort save points. Promenade is a brilliant platformer.

Bish Bash Bots is a tower defense game at its core, but with all of its other mechanics in play, it’s quite a unique and challenging one, especially solo. Clearly designed to be played alongside friends, it’s a blast with some co-op buddies, but a constant frustration when solo.

The only drawbacks are felt within the scenery and the online aspect of the game. The Creators Club allows you to customize your train through livery designs and you can unlock new logos and design elements through completing route challenges, but it would have been nice to offer some type of head-to-head challenge or something that would be far more engaging. Despite a few shortcomings with the graphics and the online content, Train Sim World 4 is a top tier simulator that exemplifies what it means to be a true simulation game. Recreating the experience down to the finest small detail should be the goal of any great sim game, and Train Sim World 4 by Dovetail Games is the definitive train experience.

Baldur's Gate 3 hits just right in all the places, from making important character decisions, to the things you hear from eavesdropping on NPC conversations, free exploration in a vast world, and group play alongside friends. With so many options, from how you look to the way each scenario plays out, the possibilities are damn near endless! I would recommend Baldur's Gate 3 to anyone really, regardless if you're a fan of RPGs, a new D&D player, D&D veteran, to anyone interested in checking it out just because of the hype. Do it, it's absolutely worth it.

If you enjoyed Avicii Invector’s gameplay, you’re sure to enjoy Rhythm Galaxy as well, though I’d suggest checking out a few of the songs and see if they are what you’d enjoy, as a music game is only as good as its soundtrack. I do feel as though Invector: Rhythm Galaxy is missing an overall theme or tone with its varied soundtrack selection, but it’s challenging gameplay and gorgeous aesthetic make it hard to not recommend.

The retail price for Lil’ Guardsman is under $20 USD and for the amount of gameplay you can extract from it, it’s well worth it at that price. Lil’ Guardsman was charming and filled with witty dialogue and engaging gameplay. Although at times it was repetitive, not once did I feel like I wanted to walk away, in fact, I kept wanting to see where my next decision would lead me and who would be the next visitor at the guard shack. The voice acting was brilliant, and the writing was so smart. I encourage you to take some time to visit The Sprawl for yourself.

I'll admit, I expected Make Way to simply be another MicroMachines knockoff that I’d forget after a day of playing. Instead, I’m leaving it installed just in case I have someone over, as it’s simple enough to pick up and play and would absolutely be a blast with some friends. When not only the gameplay is fun, but creating the tracks as well, races never became stale due to being completely unique every single time, and the constant slow drop of tile unlocks kept me wanting to play one more race.

Teardown gave me exactly what I expected from it after watching the trailers. It wasn’t overly complicated, and I could play the campaign to complete the heists or simply just go around destroying things. Sometimes you just want to watch the world burn and you can do that in Teardown as well.

While not the most unique retro FPS I’ve ever played, I enjoyed my time with Forgive Me Father due to the unique skill tree and weapon alterations you can choose, along with a badass metal soundtrack that I wasn’t expecting. If you’ve ever wanted classic DOOM but with the Lovecraftian setting, Forgive Me Father is absolutely what you’ve been waiting for, flaws and all.

Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic was a fantastic way to chill over the course of about 7 hours. While spending time finding hidden objects in wonderful worlds, I found it hard to find things I didn’t like about the game.

An unexpected but completely fitting crossover, The Crackpet Show: Happy Tree Friends Edition looks, sounds and plays just as you’d expect something from the iconic violent cartoon. While it won’t be for everyone, I enjoyed my time each run trying to take out the difficult boss and complete the Episodes and Seasons. It’s been quite some time since I’ve thought about Happy Tree Friends, but it certainly put a smile on my face to see them once more as I blasted hundreds of enemies for some likes.

There are few certainties in life; We live, and we die. Everything else in the middle is uncertain. The Gap did a wonderful job at taking me on an emotional roller coaster and although it’s a dark and complex game, it was so well done that I’m still thinking about it days later. I hope more people play this game and I can’t wait to see what Label This does next.

While a horror/dating sim sounds like a strange combination, it works here. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure I’d like the game mostly because of the voice lines, but I grew to adore how the story played out. Equal parts creepy and romantic, Little Goody Two Shoes is more similar to the dark fairy tale games I love than not, and I found myself drawn in like the Hans Christian Anderson stories I’m so fond of. Sometimes you find games outside of your comfort zone, and they make you wonder what you’ve been missing out on, Little Goody Two Shoes has done that for me. I think I may go look at some of the other titles Astralshift may have in store for me.

Although I wish Kingdom Eighties was longer, I’m a sucker for anything ‘80s, and the nostalgia in Kingdom Eighties is enough for me to recommend this to others.

The Invincible is a slow paced first person walking simulator but with a heavy emphasis on its storytelling. It may not have the excitement you’d expect, though I can’t delve into much more of the story for fear of spoilers. Having never read the novel I wasn’t sure what to expect, and the fact that the game is a prequel to the novel is exciting, and now I have plans to read the source material. If you enjoy a slow burn sci-fi story, The Invincible tells quite an interesting and compelling tale, one footstep at a time.

Even though I was initially apprehensive to play Lies of P simply due to its genre, they’ve managed to stand apart from the sea of poor Dark Souls and Bloodborne clones out there. Even though there’s very few in the genre I enjoy, Lies of P is up there on the list, as it was still quite challenging but was balanced just enough that I was able to enjoy it and make progress as well. Bloodborne fans are not going to want to skip this one, as Lies of P is clearly a huge love letter to the game in many ways, and if I was lying you'd see my nose growing.

Born of Bread is adorable, witty and full of puns. Even with my criticisms stated above I can easily recommend this for fans of the graphic style and simple RPG gameplay. It grabbed my attention from the bakery window and left me satisfied.

Just like Pinball FX, the tables look and play fantastic. Sure I would have loved to have a 120fps mode to match my TV, but each table looked unique and truly represented its franchise quite well. While having two titles, Pinball FX and Pinball M, might confuse some, Pinball M is arguably the ‘better’ title simply given the fact that Zen Studios didn’t try and nickel and dime with shady Pinball Passes or useless microtransactions. With a wealth of horror based games and movies, I’m hoping to see more tables come to Pinball M in the future, as its success will be based on continual table additions. Make a Friday the 13th, Nightmare On Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween or SAW based table in the future and I’ll continue to come back for a bloody good time.

Ugly is a beautiful game full of heart, good puzzles, and a dramatic story. Heartbreaking, and emotionally draining, it’s the story of all of us in some ways. How we process trauma and how we are often the product of what happens to us throughout our lives. It’s hard to believe that such a small team made this game. It’s only $19.99 USD as well, a bargain for what you are getting. I have played a lot of emotionally charged indies, and many dark fairy tales, but something about Ugly has changed me and I can’t wait to see what Team Ugly gives us next.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Warstride Challenges, but it’s a well-polished speedrunner for those that really care about climbing leaderboards and shaving fractions of a second off of runs. While it’ll be a little much for novices and those that don’t necessarily have lightning quick reflexes, those craving to run stages repeatedly to become the best in the world will surely have plenty of content to work towards for some time.

Bang-On Balls: Chronicles is chaotic and a lot of fun. Although it’s the first game for Exit Plan games, you can tell that this is a group of developers with a lot of AAA game experience in their arsenal as the worlds are exceptional and so full of details. It’s an easy recommendation for me to make if you are looking for something to lose yourself in for a few hours at a time.

Robocop: Rogue City offers an ever-changing storyline based off your character's choices while paying homage to the amazing source material found decades ago on the silver screen. While not a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination, neither was the Robocop movie trilogy and it has become an icon of film, so why not this game? This is when I realized that I needed this game to be imperfect to be a perfect representation and Teyon delivered that in spades. If you're a fan of the classic Robocop and would love a chance to dive into a story that links movies 2 and 3 perfectly and have it been cannon, then you owe it to yourself to pick up Robocop: Rogue City, or else there could be.... trouble.

If you’re looking for a good, fast, racer then Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged should be on your list. This is especially true for those who enjoyed the first game, because this is mostly more of the same with some select improvements and additions. It’s still not the best or tightest racer around, but it’s good fun. Its slight control issues and occasional bouts of frustration are more easily overlooked this time around, too, partially thanks to a new difficulty system which makes the game much more accessible.

Having watched UFC and MMA for many years, making sure I catch every main PPV I possibly can, and met a handful of fighters, I really enjoy watching the competition, and what UFC 5 does so well is recreating the brutal sport. Being accessible enough for those that want to simply stand and bang by button mashing, to the hardcore fans that want to showcase their submission skills online, UFC 5 is the latest contender to enter the octagon, being as real as it gets, though can feel like simply a prettier UFC 4 at times.

I enjoyed Party Animals far more than I thought I would and attribute a lot of this to the group I’ve been playing with. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t play a lot of online multiplayer games. This game just doesn’t hit the same way playing solo for me. I’m not sure it has the longevity, but with them adding new context for Halloween recently, I am hoping developers Recreate Games will keep supporting it to keep players coming back, even if it’s just to check out new content. Party Animals is a fantastic combination of quirky, comedy and cute, and although I have my issues with the sluggishness of the controls, I would recommend it to anyone to try, especially if you have a Game Pass subscription. It’s great for a laugh to step away from reality for awhile too.

Wildmender is a beautiful indie that balances easy game mechanics, as solid survival component and just enough magical twists to keep the story interesting as well. Creating a beautiful oasis of your own from a barren desert was extremely satisfying, and I’ve spent a lot of hours going back to Wildmender over the past few weeks. It’s a game that just won’t leave my thoughts.

Sometimes you can just tell when a game is ‘special’, and Jusant gives this feeling almost from its onset. With stunning vistas, a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, and relaxing gameplay, take a few hours out of a weekend and experience its gorgeous ascent.

Hexapoda is a simplistic shmup that should certainly entertain for a weekend, and while I don’t see myself revisiting it later in the future, it’s solid overall with nothing really to complain about as you try and climb up the leaderboards each run. Good luck trying to survive the harder difficulty modes though if you want a real challenge.

While El Paso, Elsewhere isn’t perfect, and has some issues – especially on the technical side, but not limited to it due to repetition and the odd shooting issue – it’s quite a good game and well worth checking out if you’re into this type of third-person shooter.

With multiple endings, engaging combat and a decent narrative, Virgo Versus The Zodiac really surprised me. RPG fans have a new journey to sink a dozen or two hours into, and it’s hard to go wrong killing heretics while riding a colorful Alpaca.

Ultimately how you feel about the Paleo Pines comes from what you want to get from it. If you are expecting something like Jurassic Park, it’s not going to satisfy you. If you’re looking for an advanced story, it’s not here either. It’s a perfect game for those who want a cozy farming-style sim with cute dinosaurs. However, it’s more of a farming-sim lite than most farming sims I’ve played. Paleo Pines is more about exploration and collecting than farming. I think it has a broad range of appeal for a lot of gamers, and it gave me exactly what I wanted from it. While there wasn’t a lot of variety of missions and could become repetitive at times, it’s the perfect game to just pick up for an hour or two if you want to decompress. It’s also only under $30 USD so it won’t break the bank either.

While I question the timing of its release being smashed in between two of the largest titles of the year, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is excellent at what it’s trying to be; a challenging tactical squad based stealth game. It’s a deep shame that this is developer Mimimi’s final game, as they’ve since shuttered their doors, but they can be proud of their magnum opus and hang their head high at creating a memorable undead pirate themed experience.

If you’re in the market for a good hockey game, NHL 24 is worth checking out. I’d recommend playing the EA Play trial first, but wouldn’t say boo about purchasing the game outright. That said, if you have NHL 23, or can get your hands on it, you may want to just stick with that. I unfortunately cannot say that this is a better game, even if it is still a good one.

Ultimately, Mortal Kombat 1 delivers a quality story that is rarely found in fighting games and one that naturally allows for many years of stories to be told. It can't be overlooked though the number of shortcomings that unfortunately plague this game, which is disappointing. If less is more than please NetherRealm, give us more. More kontent, more kreativity. This should be the one that starts it all over again, but unfortunately Mortal Kombat 1 feels like a step backwards rather than forwards. Despite all that though, despite the lack of content and all the shortcomings, Mortal Kombat 1 is an incredibly fun, gory, and fluid fighting game that should be enjoyed by all the fans of the fighting game genre. It may not have a lot of kontent, but what it does have is exceptional.

Forza has done so much for Motorsport, and hopefully when they expand on this platform and provide more driving content we can very well see the expansion of things such as legendary races that are recreated. When you decide to set out to create what could arguably be easily regarded as the premier driving simulator, Turn 10 did exactly that. Forza Motorsport is a phenomenal driving game that combines mind bending physics for driving accuracy melded with an audio and video presentation that is second to none. When you can combine those two elements to near perfection like Forza Motorsport has done, it goes without saying that Turn 10 has done an absolutely amazing job paying attention to and focusing on making you a better driver. That is the ultimate goal of any Motorsport game, and Forza wears the crown.

The animation was a blocky pixel style and played well into the family-friendly chilled aesthetic. The music was lovely and in keeping with the simplistic style of the game. Most lifestyle sim games have a certain feel to them, and Alchemy Garden is no different. Although Alchemy Garden has some rough edges, and could really use some accessibility options added to it, it’s a delightful and cozy lifestyle sim, and I will likely continue to dabble with it, creating potions and gardening, for some time.

I promise you, I dub the We Were Here games a "Friendship Test" for a reason. You’re going to be amazed how difficult it is to describe odd shapes and what you see, or flabbergasted at how poorly your friend is unable to do so. While our first playthrough was an hour and a half, I can see us playing once more to try and get those coveted gold tickets by improving our scores. We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip acts as a taste test to the series, but is its own standalone experience, and since it’s currently free, make sure you and a friend download it to see how good your communication truly us and if you'll remain best mateys.

Everhood: Eternity Edition isn’t just a mere port, it adds a whole new slew of songs for veterans to enjoy as well. The addictive rhythmic gameplay is tough but fair and elevated by the fantastic soundtrack for anyone that loves good beats and chiptunes. The story does take some unexpected dark twists, but it was surely a memorable ride. I’ve never taken any drugs in my life, but I can only expect this is what it might look like if I did. Already a cult hit, I hope more experience the unique weirdness of Everhood that had previously not heard of it, much like myself, as I now anticipate its announced sequel.

Everspace 2 has provided a quality example of how a sequel can excel from the original. While the game may be overshadowed by another recent space adventure game out there, Everspace 2 is so good and well-built that people may start to be saying "Star what?". While I still hold the belief that the majority of Kickstarter games either under deliver, fail miserably, or even cheat their backers out of money, when games like Everspace 2 come around, it's no surprise why these are the titles that deserve to be highlighted as examples of near perfection that, unlike the Easter Bunny, do exist. If you are looking for a highly polished, incredibly fluid and well-developed space combat game, don't look to the stars, look to Everspace 2.

Simply put, Sea of Stars is an instant classic.

Oaken does feel unique in the deckbuilding genre, though the gameplay slows quite down once you’re trying to truly strategize, inspecting every unit and trying to come up with a plan. Those that enjoy roguelikes and deckbuilding will surely find something enjoyable with Oaken, just be prepared to sink many hours into upgrading your units to make the next hour+ long run that much easier.

Dust & Neon could be a worthwhile try for twin-stick shooter fans, or even rogue-lite fans to some extent, but it can become repetitive and somewhat easy. Dust & Neon will be enjoyable for a short amount of time, but it won't provide endless hours of gameplay.

Nova Lands doesn’t really give you anything new in the management genre, but it is charming, colourful and addictive. I wasn’t bored at all. Really that’s all I want in a game like this, and I think it’s a great introduction to the genre for anyone who might be interested.