With its childlike visuals and ability to pull you into the fairy tale unfolding on the screen, its roster of characters that make you invested in their outcomes and with a dark tale to discover and overcome, it was so much more than the simple point and click adventure game I thought I had in front of me when I hit 'Start’.

I wasn’t sure what to make of Corpse Party before starting, and even after getting a handful of different and unique endings, I still kind of don’t. I can see the appeal and why it garnered such a following if you’re a fan of the genre, though it certainly won’t be for everybody. While I question a few of its design decisions and writing, there’s plenty of content to experience in this remaster of a remaster of a remake.

I didn’t think that Sherlock Holmes Chapter One would be something I would initially gravitate towards, but I’ve been converted once I felt like a genius after solving my first case, wanting to know more about Sherlock, Jon and his mother’s passing. Not being forced to find one ‘correct’ solution to cases was a breath of fresh air and I was completely content with the ending I received. While it’s not episodic, I’m hoping to get some form of a Chapter Two someday, as I want to see how my Sherlock evolved into the legend.

Despite the few bugs and glitches I encountered, I found myself easily sinking hours at a time into Moonglow Bay. Its familiarity, the need to help someone going through the same grief I had experienced myself, the nostalgic voxel art and delightful music all really made me escape into this coastal community and really feel like I was part of all of it. It was clearly developed by a passionate team who took care to really make it feel this way. I think it may have benefitted from a bit longer development time, but they pushed out a patch quickly and I will take on another playthrough of it before too long. I loved the idea of helping to save a small town like I grew up in and I look forward to spending some more time chilling in Moonglow Bay soon.

Forza Horizon 5 is a must buy game for racing fans and casual gamers alike. I don’t know how, but Playground Games has made gains over Horizon 4 that I really didn’t think would be possible. The visuals are stunning, the sound is amazing, the number of things to do is almost overwhelming and the gameplay feels refined, making it an amazing open world racing game experience. The freedom to go pretty much anywhere in the Mexican will eat up a lot of time. Sure, there have been network issues, but these seem to be disappearing, allowing for an almost flawless experience. So, why are you still reading, go play this game on Game Pass, or flip a few extra dollars for the deluxe version and you get the VIP ranking, access to two expansions and a few extra cars that you might most likely enjoy.

With each match not lasting more than a minute, games go quickly, so even those with the shortest attention spans shouldn’t get too bored with very little downtime between games. While my kid didn’t really have a connection to the My Singing Monsters characters or world, she still enjoyed playing a tournament here and there with me, trying out all the games. Some are better than others, but with 25 total games, there’s just enough variety, though the longevity may not last with only local multiplayer.

Aside from all the quest issues, I like the idea behind YouTubers Life 2. To me, it perceives itself as a fun and unique gaming experience, though feel like it’s not polished enough to where I’d spend a ton of time in it. While I've not played the first YouTuber’s Life, I think I’m going to find another place to live and move out of NewTube City.

Did Call of Duty Vanguard turn me into a fan of PvP shooters, no it didn’t, but I am certainly glad I played it and am looking forward to playing some more Zombies with friends once it launches for everyone. I loved the campaign though, as well as the four operatives, and Monaghan was just terrific. The visuals, sound mixing and score were also top notch in every way.

Any way you look at it, The Eternal Cylinder was a whacky and enjoyable ride. I found myself sad when I lost a family member and felt guilt when I didn’t have enough materials to revive them after death. The fact that ACE Team made me connect to these small creatures in such a small time just proves to me that I will always cheer for the underdogs and always try protect my friends and family. If you’re looking for a simple game that stirs the imagination, you should definitely check it out.

Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town is adorably cute just like the original game, but it does feel a bit dated at times, even from simple things like switching tools that require a bunch of D-Pad presses. Even though many mechanics have been updated and modernized, it’s still quite a time commitment to get your farm back to its former glory. While the $49.99 CAD asking price seems a little steep, I’ve had hours pass by simply because I wanted to work on my farm ‘one more day’ before calling it for the night, constantly being distracted by one task or another.

I really do think there’s something unique here under the hood, but it feels like it just never came together in the way that was originally intended, which could be for many reasons. While I’m on the fence about recommending a purchase given the situation that is still yet unresolved, I’m not factoring any of this into the final score, simply judging it on the experience I had playing from start to finish, one that I was glad when the credits rolled instead of feeling accomplished due to its repetitiveness.

Aside from the basic retro-style soundtrack and the frustrations, I had an excellent time playing BATS: Bloodsucker Anti-Terror Squad through! The small number of levels and medium-level difficulty makes this a great little indie game, perfect for a quick gaming session to get your heart racing and the thrill of being a vampire. I will recommend this to my friends who want to try a new small indie game with heavy blood content and will also probably play through it a few more times. My overall recommendation is to spend the $12.79 (CAD) and give this game a spot in your library because it proved to be a lot more fun than I originally gave it credit for.

No Longer Home is a thought-provoking game that tackles a lot of really complex ideas and feelings. It has a beautiful design, including elements reminiscent of Broadway productions, an interesting soundtrack and, despite my frustration with Ao and Bo at times, it left me wanting more. I spent a lot of time thinking about this game after playing it while writing this, and that alone means it impacted me in a way. Which, for a narrative loving gamer like myself, is all I really want.

You can tell that a lot of extra love and attention went into this pack. The animations of the menus and games have all received an upgrade, and every game has a special closing song that is a lot of fun to listen to. Stuff like that was usually only saved for one game in the pack but I am glad they had the extra time and money to do it for all the games this time. I think this pack has a good variety of games, and none of them missed the mark this time. If you have a group of 5 to 8 friends or like to stream online and have your viewers play along, then you’ll find there is a lot to do and a lot of fun to be had with The Jackbox Party Pack 8.

While it may be an obscure title, one that I’ve never even played before, shmup fans will surely no doubt enjoy their time with it, either with its true original version or a mode with a bunch of modern day tweaks that make for an arguably better experience overall. Gleylancer is a highly underrated shump that was enjoyable to play and replay with new challenges or settings.

This years entry has brought the EA NHL series to a whole new level and it makes me excited to see what comes in future iterations. I have been playing EA's NHL series for many years, and over the years I have seen the minor and major upgrades and improvements that have come yearly. I am extremely impressed with this year's entry, making NHL 22 easier to navigate with more options for gameplay modes, all without taking away from the experience that has continued through the years. Same game with massive improvements and I love it!

Insurgency: Sandstorm isn’t the prettiest game I’ve played, graphics could be crisper and cleaner, but it’s raw and gritty. As someone who isn’t as comfortable with PvP gaming, my reflexes can’t keep up anymore, though I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing Insurgency: Sandstorm. Co-op play with a team against AI was a much more pleasant experience than I anticipated and actually found myself wanting to play more than expected.

For how tedious the gameplay loop is, I found myself oddly addicted to wanting to repair another rover after completing one. There are some awkward controls and a lot of monotonous repetition, but it’s oddly satisfying at the same time. If you ever wanted to know what it would be like to be a Mars rover mechanic, under twenty bucks will introduce you into its tedious career.

Overall, A Gummy's Life is your standard brawler game, so if you enjoy beating up your friends and doing it amusingly with gummies that have come to life, then I say go ahead and check this one out. I did find that I couldn’t handle long playtimes of this game though due to repetition. That being said, the asking price feels a little steep, listed at $25.99 CAD for a game that I see as a kind of break from your regular gaming choice now and then. I don’t know that I would have paid that, but I did have fun with it once I did a lot of practice in the training arena and become the Queen of the gummies.

Simply look at what comes with Aftermath; the two new maps and new class are clearly the highlight and while it runs better on the latest hardware, the asking price seems a little steep for what’s added. Granted, core players can upgrade for about half price ($25.99 CAD), if you’ve previously played World War Z before and was wondering if the latest DLC is going to be enough to change your mind from its repetitive design and grind, Aftermath might be an afterthought. Even so, it’s always fun to fight against a swarm, hoping to survive against hundreds of zeke’s.

For a small studio, it’s impressive what was created in a few short years given how expansive Astria Ascending can be. I think a large part of my disappointment simply came from seeing the legendary creators that were involved and the overall experience not living up to my expectation, so part of that is on me. That said, if you want to enjoy some beautiful hand drawn artwork and an addictive combat system, Astria Ascending is also on Game Pass, so there’s little no barrier of entry without much commitment.

ConnecTank is cute, fun and a little bit stressful, also reminding me of being at work, only I’m not getting paid. I really like the character of Finneas Fat Cat the XV and the other big wigs that give you gigs to do because of the tongue-in-cheek sense of humour, like when Finneas mentions that he could destroy a scratching post out of frustration.

Viewing Embr critically I could list a ton of problems and issues I encountered along the way. Playing online with a friend or two makes me forget all these when we’re laughing because I just yeeted someone from the third story and missed landing them safely on the mattresses below. The laughs are memorable alongside some friends if you’re simply playing for fun and not focusing on the arduous grind to unlock everything. Embr doesn’t take itself seriously, and if you can do the same there’s some enjoyment to be had alongside others.

Far Cry 6 may be my favourite entry into the series. The ridiculous weapons, wonderful Amigos, beautiful scenery and charismatic Esposito made it a fantastic experience for me. Although it doesn’t ‘reinvent the wheel’, it knows it’s audience and did improve and add some new ideas. If you enjoy the Far Cry series, you should definitely make some time to visit Yara.

Hades, in my opinion, is probably the best roguelike game I have ever played and I can not find a single negative thing to say about this title except that I wish there was even more levels or perhaps the addition of a co-op mode with some of the characters that Zag bonds with. But that doesn’t take away from how spectacular this title is and how much I highly recommend that you try out Hades. My only regret is I didn’t get to play Hades much sooner.

While it may not be as tough as others in the genre, I did enjoy most of my time with Tails of Iron. The constant backtracking along with forced “side” quests really felt like padded hours onto Redgi’s adventure, and this is where it started to tire. When I was progressing my main adventure I was wanting to continually play, but having to go back and forth through the same areas a half dozen times became tiresome. Even so, Tails of Iron will last you roughly 10 hours and you can tell it was designed and created with heart and has a lot of charm to it.

NBA 2K22 is probably best entry that the series has seen in many years. On the court everything flows exactly as it should with many improvements from last year. Unfortunately, microtransactions are still rampant everywhere in the game, and to be able to compete online with your created character or in MyTeam you're almost forced to spend money if you actually want to be competitive. If you have skipped the series in the last year or two, it may be time to take a look now. It is not best of all time, but it has taken a very big step in the right by listening suggestions from its players.

Crown Trick surprised me with its synchronous movement mechanic, adding a unique layer of strategy but allowing me to play at my own pace. If you’re into dungeon dwelling or roguelites, there’s something of value here with its charming style and great artistic style. For those not sure or on the fence, Crown Trick is available on GamePass, making trying it out as simple as it gets to see if it hooks you.