FIFA brings it, and although I wouldn't put this game up with the best EA Soccer games of all time, your money will still be well spent if you go home with it.

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.

Should you find yourself wanting to plow straight through to the center of cult activity and really stick it to the Seeds, or slow down your pace assisting every Tom and Nancy you come across, Far Cry 5 has got you covered. Whether you want to play online with a friend and have a laugh or two in a goofy custom map, or get down and dirty with the local country folks, the choice is up to you. After all, this is Far Cry, and this is Hope County, Montana. You’re about to have a hell of a time.

I didn’t realize how much I really loved the original Shadowgate until I started up this remake and heard the iconic opening music. If you were like me and grew up on the original Shadowgate, you owe it to yourself to pick this version up to experience the difference three decades can make. If you’re new to the title or genre, it’s still a great investment that will challenge your puzzle solving skills, even if it can be a little obtuse at times.

This game is worth every penny, even with a few bumps in the road. If you're a fan of puzzles, and appreciate a fantastic story laid out in beautiful graphic detail that is complimented by a soundtrack and soundscape that is of the top tier quality, then The Turing Test is an absolute must buy for you.

The Crash Trilogy holds onto its roots and respects the original releases by keep everything that matters, and by that I mean the things that made it so successful, intact. The steep difficulty curve will no doubt scare away some prospective on-lookers, but for those that grew up playing these games it just wouldn’t be Crash without it. The N-Sane Trilogy is a no-brainer pick up for anyone that wants a challenge, but digs a great deal too. Three well renowned games for the price of one is absolutely N-Sane.

Although rather simple in style, and even though I found myself wanting additional skills and upgrades available to me, I found myself very easily falling into the ‘just one more run’ mentality. Knowing what mistakes you’ve made and hoping to avoid them the next time. This proves to me that although simple, the game was very addictive and engaging. It’s no wonder Rooftop Renegade walked away with an Indie Showcase and People’s choice award at PAX Australia in 2022. I really hope that we’ll get some DLC sometime in the future and I can’t wait to see what Melonhead Games gives us next.

I enjoyed my time with Journey to the Savage Planet, not only for its simplistic gameplay and exploration of an interesting and beautiful planet, but especially for its humor. Even the way that you hold items in your left hand throughout is funny, as is every email and commercial you receive on your ship. Typhoon Studios has created something special in their very first outing as a developer, and while it may not be perfect, it sure was an interesting Journey to the Savage Planet.

Having spent nearly 30 hours in Greedfall, I’m glad to have experienced it. The narrative is deep, rich of lore, complex and has many twists and turns; it’s just a shame it feels a little too long by the end with some superficial padding of forced side quests. If you’re a fan of Dragon Age or Witcher 3 and have been craving a new RPG to sink some hours into with some depth, Greedfall should be at the top of your list. It’s a shame that it released in the busiest holiday window and will be overlooked by all the other AAA games out there, but those who manage find it amongst the crowd and give it a chance should be more than pleasantly surprised.

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.

A Pixel Story is well worth the purchase as the time and enjoyment is fairly high, and I truly adored my time with the unnamed Pong ball hero from start to finish. If you enjoy platforming games of any kind, A Pixel Story needs to be the next one you experience, even more so if you grew up in the 8 and 16-bit eras or appreciate those classic games.

The only real downside to BLACKTAIL is the limited gameplay. It is mostly linear and your skills only expand minimally. You will explore and you will backtrack (a lot) over the 15-20 hours of gameplay. With a price of $29.99 (USD)/$39.99 (CDN) I think it’s outstanding value in terms of what you get for the price. I was surprised to see the sticker price after completing it. While nothing really stands out as new for the gameplay in BLACKTAIL, it has an outstanding setting and fantastic narrative. The voice acting is top notch. While Yagas quest to find her twin sister Zora is the engine that drives the story, you’ll quickly discover that it’s really the journey that matters.

There is a lot that Sniper Elite 5 has going for it that makes it a quality experience. There are some graphical glitches though such as weapons being invisible and some other shortcomings that ding it, and one of the biggest gripes is the actual in game audio. There are moments when you need to listen in on a conversation to get intelligence for something nearby, but the music becomes a dramatic loop of annoyance that if it weren't for subtitles, I probably would have missed out on the information. This applies to every level but can be avoided should you be tactful like I mentioned earlier, but should you go loud and proud, your ears are going to hate you for listening to the same dramatic loop over and over and over and over and over again. Despite all of that however, Rebellion is well on their way to turning Sniper Elite games into tremendously enjoyable sniper experiences and one that I'm personally looking forward to seeing where Sniper Elite 6 takes us.

Overall, 10 Second Ninja X has found a harmonic balance between making the levels JUST difficult enough that it’s nearly impossible to get 3 stars, but only requiring 2 stars per level will keep you from feeling the need to rage quit and throw your console out the window like so many of it’s predecessors do. Give this game a shot; it’s well worth it.

Bioshock: The Collection takes what we remembered about our time in Rapture, and the city in the sky "Columbia", and tugs on the heartstrings of our emotional attachment that started with the Big Daddy and the Little Sisters, and plays our soul like a Stradivarius. After all these years Bioshock: The Collection still provides one fantastic gaming moment after another.

In today's world, you can pay full retail price for a RPG experience and most people expect a grand cinematic interactive experience, and an overwhelming majority of the time they are disappointed. Not in the pretty graphics, or the sounds, but in the story. Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 provide what could arguably be called the greatest RPG experience ever found on a digital platform (even better than Final Fantasy VII). Yes, the graphics are dated, but now they are 4K dated, and the audio sounds better than ever before, and the story you find in both games is the reason why for $49.99, Baldur's Gate Enhanced Editions is the best value for money that ever existed on any outlet to date.

At 800 points, this game is so charming that if you even remotely enjoy puzzle solving, it’s worth the purchase. Don’t take my word, try the demo, but be prepared to crave some delicious pie afterwords.

The Way I See It: If you’re looking for a challenging and engaging turn-based tactics game and you aren’t afraid to get slapped in the face for your hubris, this game should be on your list.

This game definitely does not have the unabashed "Must keep playing" sense of 2K's last lights out title (The Bigs 2), nor does it carry the replay oomph the EA titles have to date, but there is more than enough to keep the avid sports gamer busy, and pure basketball fans and gamers likely will not see a better game this year.

Street Fighter x Tekken should be looked at for any fighting fan, as it's a blend of both universes layered on top of some truly interesting and unique mechanics.

Thanks to the hard work of SNK, Samurai Shodown has become the emperor of the fighting game empire. Breathtaking graphical deliverance of tactical, cerebral fighting that can be over within the blink of an eye, thanks to the balance and content of Samurai Shodown's gameplay mechanics. I do wish there was more in terms of content that would keep me drawn into their world, but what is there is nothing short of mind blowing.

NBA 2K21 is a good, but severely flawed game. Once those flaws get fixed though, there won't be a better basketball game on the market.

As the name suggests, you are going to need to work together in order to make it through this game. I lucked out and was able to play this while out of town visiting some of my best friends who are also heavy into gaming. We were all in the same room and we all took it pretty serious, so we were able to get pretty far. I’m not saying your group has to be super serious to enjoy this game, but if you’ve got friends that just want to have fun and not play a serious puzzle game, then they may not have the best time. I had a BLAST (get it? A...blast...? I’ll see myself out) playing this with my gaming buddies and look forward to getting into some of the hardcore ones.

Simply put, Sea of Stars is an instant classic.

The Witness is one of the most emotional roller coasters you will find in gaming today, and on top of that, it's one of the most cerebral and intellectually challenging games you will probably ever play. Completing this game will require the comprehensive ability to decipher keys which in turn will teach you solutions, and you will need to combine all of this together with the ability to adapt on the fly because every single puzzle is different. Would I pay $39.99 + tax for this game? Regrettably no. Sadly, the game does do a good job at giving you a lesson in isolationism, and while that is unique, the game itself doesn't feel like one flowing cohesive experience with any sort of point. If this game was priced at $24.99 or below though, it would be a must buy every day of the week, and twice on Sunday.

If you're a fan of The Walking Dead, zombies, survival horror games, open world action adventure games, then without question State of Decay 2 is a day one purchase.

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.

Autonauts is a great game for anyone to play, from kids through adolescents and even adults. Some understanding of coding would be an asset but isn’t necessary to learn and enjoy your time with it. With the ease of learning this game, the challenges and the creative problem-solving involved, Autonauts is a game that you can easily enjoy for several hours at a time. I certainly enjoyed playing it and look forward to several more hours spent automating Autonauts' cute little world.