While Anthology of Fear might not outright scare you, it’s supposed to make you feel uneasy and tense, which is does in certain sections. With some very heavy themes and shocking scenes, I was hoping for more of a build up to these climax, but instead the ending felt as though it came abruptly out of nowhere and not all that satisfying tying up loose ends. If you’re a fan of the P.T. demo, this may be worth a look, just expect a short runtime with a story that will be forgotten aside from a scene or two.

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.

I have to say I went into Hellboy Web of Wyrd with zero expectations, even as a fan of the live action movies. I walked away after playing with the view that it is definitely not a bad title, but it’s not a great one either. The visuals are good, the voice acting is solid, and the gameplay has some merits, although the latter is affected by the rinse and repeat gameplay that does become quite repetitive. If you are looking for something different, or are a fan of that short horned, devilish hero, then it would be worth your time to check out Hellboy Web of Wyrd.

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.

KarmaZoo surprised me, as I wasn’t sure what to quite expect, but came away addicted to a fun and quirky cooperative game where I actively wanted to help other players that I couldn’t even talk to. While it is quite a grind if you’re going to want to unlock everything possible, it’s quite fun for a few rounds here and there in between other games and downtime.

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.

A narrative driven walking simulator with a ton of symbolism and horror backdrop makes for a decent playthrough at least once. There’s multiple endings based on certain actions and choices made, but given how slow you walk and the simpleness of the puzzles, once felt more than enough to uncover a war torn family's closet of skeletons.

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.

Lastly, the lack of any amount of care in this port is downright embarrassing. At least a half dozen spots has portions that label the PC controls, like pressing “R”, "Left Mouse Button”, or to “Click”. The controls are poorly optimized for a controller, menus are a mess, and having to search the store for specific parts is a pain. It’s abundantly clear that virtually no effort went into porting this to console, even in its title, which is a shame, as the actual dismantling and rebuilding portions are relaxing, but the amount of game breaking bugs makes it impossible to recommend, even to motorcycle enthusiasts.

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.

As with the first game, Overpass 2 is not what one would consider a traditional racing game given the events you participate in and the sim-like management of your team. You will be frustrated when you first start playing, even if you’ve gone through the tutorial, but push through and it gets somewhat better. Like the original, the foundations of something cool is here. I know when I reviewed the first game, I hoped that there would be a sequel with improvements in various areas, and although there are some, Overpass 2 still has annoyances that continue to hold the franchise back. The experiment of the first game continued with the release of a second, but the result is one that feels like it could have used more time. So, the major question is: “Dare I wish for a third kick at the can?”. In some ways yes, but they need to take the time to make improvements, or the third time could be unlucky.

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.

When you boil down Car Detailing Simulator’s gameplay elements, it really just comes down to changing one soiled texture into a shiny one by holding the Right Trigger and moving the Left Stick. For how simple the gameplay boils down to and for how repetitive it is, it’s oddly soothing, relaxing and addictive. More than one night playing I found myself saying ‘just one more car’. It’s not the most polished simulator out there, but it’s entertaining in its own way.

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.

I'm not saying Payday 3 should have the same amount of content as Payday 2, but with the low amount of heists and guns and the sloppy progression system, the game in its current form is mediocre when compared to the previous entry. With that being said, if it gets the same treatment as Payday 2 with post-launch content, Payday 3 could live up to be something really good that surpasses its predecessor. Right now, though it's not much, but I do think the future can be bright for this game.

An odd blend of visual novel and brawler, Shuyan Saga is certainly unique in its own right elevated with its great artwork and colors, though brought back down with its combat and gameplay. For a martial art that’s all about fluidity, it feels quite rigid at times. With an arena mode, a quick side mission after the story is complete, and two endings, there’s surely some reasons to play again if you’re really trying to get your value’s worth.

While not the most memorable campaign of the series, and nowhere near the quality of Modern Warfare II’s epic setpieces, it’s a serviceable entry, but feels more like filler that should have been DLC rather than a fully-fledged entry that brings new excitement and potential fans.

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 don’t like to be negative, but when there’s so few redeeming qualities, it’s practically impossible to recommend Demolish & Build Classic, even to those that enjoy playing bad games. Graphics are appalling, controls are even worse, and there’s really no enjoyment to be had when you’re constantly frustrated and confused because the game can’t take one minute to explain what or how to do anything you’re required to.

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.

Because of the effort to add all the extra modes, there’s certainly some replayability, and the online leaderboards always had me checking my score after a run. While I’m sure some shmup fans will have a fun weekend or two with it, it’s probably a bit too bland for me to remember in the future.

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.

Revhead is trying to be two separate games at once, though never really excelling at either. The mechanic portion is clearly its strong point, with the racing component being the weakest portion by far. The concept is what makes Revhead unique, building your own car then taking it to race, it’s just been executed poorly for console. Even with the atrocious controls, I still want to buy junker cars, strip them down for parts and sell the engines for a profit. Revhead needs to decide whether it wants to be a simulator or an arcade game, not this awkward mix of both. Unless you're a diehard Revhead, you might want to take this one back to the shop.

Roguelikes are meant to be played over and over as you slowly make overall progression each time. This works when the gameplay is addictive and you’re constantly teased with the next upgrade to feel more powerful. While great for short sessions with a run or two here and there, Nova Strike is perfectly serviceable, but with only a couple Chapters to complete, it doesn’t feel as though it will have a long shelf life in my played rotation. Not bad by any means, it simply feels like a generic shump, though the $10 USD price tag is about right for what you get content wise.

The light-hearted narrative and the way the background is created to look and feel like a storybook all give Trine 5 a delightful cozy feel. It’s gorgeous and there is something about the aesthetic that caught my eye immediately, even though I had never played any of the previous Trine games. It is a gorgeous and charming puzzle platformer and I think most people would find something for them to enjoy in the gameplay. The easiest difficulty level makes for a very chill experience when playing. I’d recommend taking this trio of heroes on an adventure soon.

Bethesda has not only crafted a new compelling and wondrous universe to explore where you can play in any way you desire, they’ve created one of the most important games of this generation and prove once again they’re the best at what they do.

At the end of the day, Immortals of Aveum is a good game, and a nice first effort from Ascendant Studios. It’s fast, it’s challenging, and it’s decently long. There are some things that keep it from being great, though, and they kept me from loving it overall. I’m glad I played this one, however, and had been looking forward to it ever since I saw its name on a release schedule and Googled it to find out what the hell it was.

Although short of gameplay time, Stray is a beautiful and engaging game that has definitely made an impression on me. I will be going back into it to pick up some more of the achievements and also to just spend some time as a cat. Whether you’re a cat person or simply enjoy adventure games, Stray manages to scratch so many boxes. Like an adorable cat looking for attention, I encourage you to pick this one up.

From Software has always strived to develop quality games that not only are some of the most challenging around, but also some of the most rewarding. While the learning curve is steep, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon delivers a remarkably in-depth mech customization game that is less mindless combat and shooting and more tactics, strategy and adapting to hostile situations in order to survive. Every challenging moment will leave you on the edge of your seat, and should you persevere and succeed in your mission, Armored Core VI will deliver a euphoric sense of accomplishment and skill rarely found in gaming today. Think you have what it takes to take your mech combat skills to the next level? Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon awaits you. See you on the field of battle.

I thought LISA was going to be a cute and casual relaxing experience, but what I got was a dark and very adult themed narrative where nearly every character has some sort of messed up backstory. The apocalypse really brings out the worst in people, as showcased in nearly every interaction with strangers Brad comes across in his search for Buddy. I now see why LISA: The Painful and Joyful are cult classics, though there are certainly some possible triggers here that have no early warnings beforehand. Full of misogyny, abuse, murder and nearly any other messed up topic you could think of, LISA takes a certain focus and mindset to get through with its seriously heavy material mixed with laugh out loud moments.

You’re going to die a lot, and in the beginning it’s going to feel unfair, especially when you starve to death. You’ll eventually learn all of its quirks and how to circumvent many of its ‘unfairness’, but I found I had to focus on doing that more so than simply enjoying a mindless zombie slasher. Ed-0: Zombie Uprising has a long grind to strive towards, but it’s monotonous and feels like a very low budget title, even if there are brief moments of fun here and there.

AEW as a promotion is my favourite. Their talent and presentation are a spectacle, and I was hoping for that same feeling from the AEW: Fight Forever game. I enjoyed it, and I’d recommend it to wrestling fans with a few caveats. It’s not a full game yet, but it’s also not a standard full priced game either, so that’s the fair trade off. It has great bones and there is something enjoyable there, it’s just not fully formed. It needs much more content for its creation suite, and more content overall. If you don’t play online, there just isn’t enough there to stay interested long term. That being said, I’m hopeful for the future of the IP and hope to see more from them. Also, there really was something special about when I saw my create a character join AEW and I got that “Ophelia Payne is All Elite” graphic. That is my favourite memory of AEW: Fight Forever.

I know that I complained about elements of Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm in this review, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good game. Sure, it’s held back from being great or even exceptional by these things, but it remains a very solid 3D RPG. If you’re looking for something to scratch your Zelda itch, and maybe don’t own a Nintendo Switch, this is something you could definitely check out. I personally enjoyed it more than my time with Tears of the Kingdom, despite adoring Breath of the Wild, but that’s because I hated the new physics puzzles and building mechanics they added in, and didn’t enjoy those elements at all.

Just like the character of Gollum, I’m a bit split on how I feel about the game. I do believe that there is a really great game hidden in The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. It’s clear that the love for the character, lore and the world are there in its DNA. The dialogue between Gollum and Sméagol was enjoyable and well done. Although slightly graphically dated, the world was quite beautiful when you weren’t underground (which was the majority of the game). The issues arise from the mechanics of the platforming and puzzle sections just not being finished. I simply can’t recommend this game at full price. Also speaking about price, an extra cost is associated if you want the lore compendium and elvish voice acting. This is paid DLC and really should have been included in the base game. Sadly, this wasn’t the precious game I was hoping for.

Marble It Up! Ultra reminded how much I really did miss the classic Marble Blast Ultra, and now it’s been improved in virtually every way for a new generation of rollers. While the base stages won’t take too long to complete ‘properly’, you’ll easily spend hours trying to improve your times by fractions of a second to work your way up those online leaderboards. Marble It Up! Ultra is a fantastic Roll Playing Game I’ll be jumping into for some time.

I loved Harmony: The Fall of Reverie. It spoke to me in a way that not a lot of games do. I was not really prepared for the feelings I had when I wronged someone I cared about, or when I used influence in a way I wouldn’t normally in my real life; I was left feeling uneasy with my decisions. I easily put over 100 hours into it over the past six weeks, and I’m sure I will put more into it still as I decipher other potential story outcomes. It’s a beautifully written story that I was fully invested in, although I will admit I found it stressful at times since I was responsible for decisions that affected both worlds with no way to reverse my choice if I made the ‘wrong one’. Harmony: The Fall of Reverie raises the bar when it comes to games that promise consequences based on choices made. I firmly believe this is DON’T NODS best game to date.

Because of the lack of pressures or complicated movements I think this is a game that opens itself up to be playable by a wide variety of ages and ability levels. While I didn’t see any traditional accessibility options available, it is a very simple game to play and enjoy. I would have enjoyed more levels and a bit more difficulty, but it’s easily one of the cutest games I’ve played recently and an easy recommendation to give. I encourage you to help Fluffy Milo satisfy his milk cravings.

Sadly, Aquarist is just ‘fine’. I struggled more than I wanted to, it didn’t give me the really chill gaming experience I wanted from it, and I find it really hard to recommend to people when they ask about it. If you’re okay with some less than stellar controls on controller though, it’s lovely to play with the fish tanks and it’s much better since the patch was added. It has the potential to be great, it’s just not quite there yet. I will likely dabble with it a bit here and there as I enjoyed the fish a lot, but can’t see me spending the hours that I do in other simulation style games.

Drill Deal - Oil Tycoon doesn't quite hit the nail on the head. The more I play, the more annoying and tedious it starts to feel, as the contracts and missions don't seem to differ too much. It can be challenging to master initially, but after a bit, you get the hang of it then it loses its charm and you start to recognize the imperfections. To put it shortly, Drill Deal – Oil Tycoon feels like it's teetering on the edge of being decent with its ideas, but needs more execution.

Other than the glaring lack of online multiplayer, I had little complaints overall. Sure combat can be a little chaotic and hectic, especially in the final stages, but that’s to be expected in the genre. I remember how long it took me to beat the original game on NES when I was a kid and trying to survive a fight against Abobo when they appeared. Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons brings some of that nostalgia back, made for a modern audience, complete with iconic soundtrack and characters.

The pixel art is done quite well, as is the smooth animations and overall aesthetic. While a few doorways can blend together with the background and make it difficult to discern, the Lovecraftian Castlevania setting is done quite well, complete with fitting and moody soundtrack. If you’ve been itching for a new Metroidvania and want to try some unique combat mechanics, Skautfold: Usurper is a perfectly serviceable recommendation under $20.

Even without the game breaking bugs, Deadliest Catch: The Game will test your patience with its monotony and repetitiveness. I’m actually a fan of ‘boring’ simulator titles like these, but when the game is constantly a frustration and requires you to restart through no fault of your own, it’s difficult to recommend until hopefully fixed. With a big name endorsement I was hoping to be competing against some of the great Captains and iconic ships, but with the lack of any multiplayer and more bugs than crabs, it might be best to wait until next season to go crabbing.

It takes a little time for Full Quiet to really show how expansive it is for a classic NES game with the same technical limitations. Full of modern day mechanics but de-made into a full functioning and entertaining NES title is nothing short of impressive. Retrotainment Games and 8-Bit Legit have once again made a retro 8-Bit game that I wish I had growing up as a kid with my NES.

Admittedly a very casual baseball fan, I thought I was going to play a few games and basically have my fill, but I’m finding myself continuing to play a few games here and there due to being able to scale the Ego system to my liking. Super Mega Baseball 4 may not be quite for the hardcore baseball fan that desire a true simulation, but it’s great at making the sport accessible to all types of fans, even the casuals that want to hit a few Home Runs and enjoy a few quick games.

While mechanically simple, Nocturnal is very well made and feels quite polished. While able to be completed in a single sitting, it short length felt like the appropriate amount of time, as anything more would have started to wear out its welcome. A great indie title that deserves some attention, Nocturnal is challenging in the darkest times, but makes for a satisfying experience when you fight against it with flames.

Stay Out of the House has some great suspense and I was constantly looking over my shoulder and listening for my captor nearby. Full of jumpscares, they don’t feel cheap, and the atmosphere feels like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in video game form. Like a great B-movie or slasher flick, Stay Out of the House might be a future cult classic if you’re into retro PS1 graphics and tons of blood and gore.

The graphic style is similar to other visual novels out there. 2D characters appear pasted over the backgrounds and they slide in and out of shots. There is no voice over, so there is a lot of reading involved. I am happy that there are a lot of ways to customize the text windows as well. In the beginning I found it difficult to read the white text on the light background, but I was able to pop into the options menu and make a dark window to make the text stand out. This is highly appreciated, especially in a game with as much reading as this had. As with other games of this genre, you can manually tab through text, or allow it to auto play. Fast forward is also available to you. This was particularly useful when playing through a second time, only wanting to pick the alternative dialogue choices and decisions, and not needing to see everything I had on my first run. There are over 50 original songs in Kuroi Tsubasa, all created for the game and there are two music videos in game as well. The console release also has a bonus chapter not available before.

At the end of the day Tiny Troopers: Global Ops is a nice follow up to Joint Ops, and even if you haven’t played any of the games on mobile, PC or on console, there is some fun to be had here. Fans of third-person twin-stick shooters will enjoy their time with Tiny Troopers: Global Ops, and those looking for a fun couch co-op experience should look no further. We can’t forget those that may need a break from all the heavy AAA titles on the Xbox Store too, as they should be open to looking at this relatively inexpensive game that is a nice break from the normal. Go ahead, shoot some terrorists in a setting that should bring a smile or two to your face as you play.

I’ll admit, I was a bit skeptical about playing Star Trek: Resurgence given that I’m not much of a Trekkie at all. None of that mattered though, as even though I didn’t know much of the previous context or background lore outside of main concepts and characters, I still quite enjoyed my narrative focused mission with Commander Jara Rydek and Engineer Carter Diaz. While it hasn’t converted me into a full Trekkie, it certainly had me going down a Star Trek wiki rabbit hole, wanting to learn more about certain races, characters and factions. Live long, and prosper.

Sadly, Redfall had unbelievable potential and a dynamic studio behind this that is known for quality gaming, but under delivered at quite literally almost every facet of the game. Redfall, unfortunately, should be avoided, and in fact, I hope that the industry starts taking a look at these games and starts evaluating its processes, because if you're only as good as your last game, then Arkane isn't looking good at all.

Meet Your Maker gives you a really unique first-person shooter/dungeon crawler experience with fun base building that can all feel pretty rewarding if you put the time into it, though that comes with either the lack of a story or an extremely lackluster one. All of that can be easily ignored with its uniqueness and can keep even frustrated players coming back later for just one more base raid.

Lucy Dreaming is exactly what I was wanting from a Point & Click adventure; full of humor, great pixel art, quirky puzzles and memorable characters. A lot of attention went into adding plenty of smaller details into Lucy’s world, making it feel much more alive and full. A must play for Point & Click adventure fans, Lucy Dreaming was simply a joy to play, even if the British humor won’t always land for everyone.

I can never fault a game based on my skill to play it, so I am not letting that affect my review score. A blurry story and strange choice of button mapping were my only real downsides to Teslagrad 2, but it’s beautiful game that doesn’t really try to outstay its welcome. If you like puzzle platformers/metroidvania style games or anything inspired by Scandinavian design, Teslagrad 2 might be worth checking out. It has a fairly inexpensive price tag of $20 USD/$26 CDN and is a good way to enjoy a few hours (or many hours in my case). Teslagrad 2 identifies itself as “Metroidvania meets Scandinavia” and I don’t think I could ever think of a better tagline that that.

Panic Porcupine isn’t for the faint of heart. If you get frustrated by dying numerous times, then you’re going to have a bad time. On the other hand, if you enjoy a challenge or even want to speedrun, there’s a lot on offer. You’ll need to have reaction speed and accuracy if you want to see Panic complete his journey, and while you might simply assume it’s a Sonic knock-off, it’s more akin to a Super Meat Boy than anything else.

While there’s an intriguing story that unfolds at a decent pace, it’s easy to get sidetracked with the overwhelming amount of optional things to do. While the story is about the right length, I eventually gave up trying to do everything as combat become a bit repetitive a few hours in. That said, Ghostwire: Tokyo was still a great playthrough and I’m glad it’s arrived for Xbox players to now enjoy as well.

While I expected a simple firefighting game with Nuclear Blaze, it is that, but has a decent story that kept me wanting to find out what happened until the very end. Sure it may be quite short, but there’s at least enough reason to play through twice as you try and find all of its secrets and rescue cats. What’s better than saving some felines in an underground nuclear base while putting out flames and uncovering a dark secret?

Tin Hearts is a standout for its puzzles. I’m not saying the story was weak by any means, but perhaps the puzzles were just that good that it made it feel weak. I found myself wanting to skip right to the next puzzle, that’s how much I enjoyed my time with them. It oozes warmth and charm and is filled with a sense of nostalgia that isn’t often seen in games from my experience. If you want an easy playing puzzle game that won’t leave you frustrated, or if you are a fan of heartfelt stories, I think Tin Hearts is perfect little game to tinker with.

Strayed Lights is short and sweet with a run time of around five hours to complete. A unique third person adventure game for a debut from Embers. The unique combat style was something I didn’t truly enjoy at first, but once you learned the cadence of each enemies’ attacks it became more intuitive and almost Zen like at times, especially with the soundtrack swelling during the boss battles. It’s easy to overlook the shortcoming with the finicky platforming mechanics or lack of variety in enemies when you were feasting on the sights and sounds around you. It’s a great debut from Embers and a reminder that sometimes simple things can bring you joy. In short, Strayed Lights shines bright.

With a healthy amount of interesting achievements to work towards, I didn’t even notice that a good five hours went by the first time I played before I realized what time it was. Very addictive and relaxing, Garden Simulator is a great way to de-stress when you need a gaming palette cleanser and don’t mind the ‘jank’ from simulator games. Flex your virtual green thumb and place those garden gnomes for all to see.

Full of puns, Cavity Busters certainly borrows heavily from The Binding of Isaac and Enter the Gungeon, yet does enough to make it stand out amongst others in the crowded genre. It’s chaotic, frantic, gross, and I enjoyed every minute of it once I was able to get over the learning curve and adjusting to the frenzied gameplay.

Full of subtle humor, I might not have laughed out loud but I surely chuckled a few times at the puns or situations, the ghost hamster being my favorite character of the bunch. While it’s a short adventure, it’s a memorable one. The world and characters are endearing and even though I’m usually not too interested in visual novels, Melon Journey: Bittersweet Memories is charming and endearing, feeling like one in a melon.

Bramble: The Mountain King isn’t a very long game; I’d estimate about 4-6 hours to play through it. I was fully engaged through the entire story and felt it never overstayed its welcome. It’s a beautiful game set in a dark and disturbing world. If you are a fan of narrative driven games, especially those with a dark undertone, I think you’ll enjoy Bramble: The Mountain King.

Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is much more than a simple remake, it’s a new take on the original. It dives further into the psyche of Sherlock and lets you get to know Watson better. The sights and sounds have been reworked and it was an enjoyable experience even when frustrated with my skills in problem solving. It’s definitely a case worth investigating.

While original Bendy fans will certainly get the most out of it, it was difficult to feel invested as a newcomer with the clunky combat and forced stealth sections. That said, the world is created quite well and has a great atmosphere, I just didn’t feel all that invested and become frustrated at times with the backtracking.

God of Rock is an interesting title that blends the odd pairing of fighting and rhythm games, and while it may not always stick the landing due to its odd design choices, there’s some entertaining moments here and there. Even with online play and a track creator, it’s clear extra effort was made to have God of Rock be something special, even if it misses a few notes.

Don’t be fooled by the Casual difficulty setting, Guns N’ Runs is quite challenging and demands near perfection and quick reflexes to be successful and progress. While I struggled with the controls throughout, especially having to dash at specific angles or timing, there’s nothing inherently bad about Guns N’ Runs, it simply didn’t hook or excite me all that much.

Dambuster Studios has delivered a fun, immersive and very polished game that fans should really appreciate and enjoy. Thus, the wait was most definitely worth it!

Good things come to those who wait. We waited years for EA Sports to deliver a quality golf game, and not only have they delivered a quality golf game, but they have delivered THE golf game by which all future games will be judged. EA SPORTS PGA TOUR isn't just a new golf game, it's the standard. Deep character development, tons of different shot types to master, focus on accuracy and experience and the deepest collection of utilized data pertaining to golfers and their shots and performance are just a few innovations in EA SPORTS PGA TOUR that make it the uncontested king of Golf. The question shouldn't be are you getting this game, but when. A few slight blemishes within the game do, exist but now that the bar has been set, all of us Golfing fans are eager to see where the future goes with this sport's representation in video games. Congratulations to EA Tiburon for creating the best Golf experience any gamer could ever play.

With impeccable Lovecraftian vibes and a sinister story underlying the simple fishing game I thought it was, DREDGE was a masterclass on worldbuilding, suspense and fear - without gore and violence. DREDGE never really strays from what makes it great. It’s a tight indie title that knows what it is and executes it to perfection. I’ve never played anything like it before and I am beyond thankful that I was able to review this gem. DREDGE It’s definitely one of the best games I’ve played this year, maybe even the best. I’d even hazard to say it’s quite the catch.

ACL Pro Cornhole certainly looks and sounds like a match of Cornhole and has certainly recreated the sport, but getting consistently demolished by the near perfect CPU every single match only stays entertaining for so long. While it’s hard to recommend outside of the diehard Cornhole fans, those that enjoy the niche sport will surely find some entertainment here, even if the game is trying to constantly setup blockers to prevent you winning.

Although my experience wasn’t very broad in terms of my knowledge in multiplayer shooters, I will recommend Deceive Inc based on the fact that any skill level can play. If you enjoy titles like Overwatch and Apex Legends, they will feel at home playing Deceive Inc and still have a great time. Even I could enjoy myself and get in on the action. I had a pleasant time with Deceive Inc and I’m looking forward to the next time I can play.

At the end of the day, Resident Evil 4 Remake is a really good return of a classic. It looks better, plays better (especially since Leon can move while he aims and shoots now), and features some appreciated changes. However, it still feels somewhat dated, and doesn’t feel as polished as the Dead Space Remake that came before it. I also question some of the developers’ decisions that made it harder/cheaper and more frustrating early on.