Sniper Elite: Resistance is available on Day One on Game Pass, and that’s how I’d recommend anyone but the most ardent fan of the series plays it. At $60 MSRP it’s a big ask for something that can be completed in a night or two. While there is some replay value on offer there isn’t enough new here for those familiar with the series to warrant a full purchase. If you love Sniper Elite and want more though, then you’ll find nothing here to displease you.

In short, this is a solid port. It’s well worth the dime if you’re looking to kill some time. Kingdom Rush is a solid franchise, and those who play it are forever wise.

Hell Is Us is a game of two tales. One of a gripping world with devastating stories of humanity and lack thereof, challenging the player to truly think about their actions, understand the morbidly beautiful world around them, be able to solve intriguing puzzles and challenges without holding their hand, including the soulslike-inspired combat itself. The other tale, however, is of aimless wandering, tons of trial and error, getting stuck on some convoluted multi-level puzzle in some needlessly large and maze-like area, or dying to to some clunky combat features in some oddly designed areas. Such incredible highs with such frustrating lows are a rare sight, and your overall enjoyment of the game will largely depend on how much you tolerate the latter. I still feel like recommending Hell Is Us, to some people at least, because it is a unique experience worth digging into. Just, remember to arm yourself with a lot of patience – and maybe a guide or two.

Overall I’d argue this is probably the best Double Dragon game yet. It does just enough to modernise the franchise without straying from the path well traveled and alienating fans of the franchise. Which is a particularly tough task given the age of the series and the seemingly directionless path it has taken over the journey. The omission of online co-op is a bummer, but given the state of online co-op in scrolling beat ’em ups, I feel like this complaint loses more and more steam with every game that doesn’t include it. I feel like Rise of Dragons lays a pretty good foundation should they choose to continue making more games going forward. If the next game can tighten and speed up the combat and go back to a more conventional control scheme it could be something truly great.

Now mind, if you do enjoy the oppressive approach to randomness and lack of resources, Daemonhunters is a great XCOM-like with your favourite band of Marines. Even a newcomer could pick up this game pretty quickly thanks to a solid tutorial and a decent user experience. It’s a blast up until the chaos begins and that just might be a make it or break it moment for the player.

The Spy Who Shot Me expertly manages to both be a homage and a parody to the legendary GoldenEye 007 on Nintendo 64, offering a little humorous gem that plays like old school shooters (though not all that much like its source material), but not without a handful of shortcomings and compromises that doesn’t quite allow it to enter the hall of fame of boomer shooters. Still, the game’s cool style, cheap price (about 8 bucks) and surprisingly decent gameplay variety makes this an enjoyable romp to blast through on a rainy evening or two, starting this 2024 on Xbox with a fun and funny experience.

Voyage is a well-designed cooperative exploration game with an incredibly intuitive and simple design scheme.

The game has a lot of good things going for it. The narrative, puzzles, combat and new game mechanics make for an interesting and worthwhile experience but the extended game length is unnecessary and makes it feel like the story is being padded out to breaking point.

The Case of the Golden Idol is not a game for everyone, but I suspect many who miss the classic adventure and point-and-click games of yesteryear will find an enjoyable and satisfyingly tricky detective based puzzle game to tackle here.

Crime Scene Cleaner is an odd duck. It’s mix of zen-inducing gameplay in some truly horrific crime scenes is delightful, though a lack of things to do post-campaign is a bummer.

TUNIC is both an incredible and incredibly frustrating title. The combat lets down what otherwise is a masterpiece.

Ultimately, Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition is an excellent port to modern systems of a game that, however, has not aged as well as some other classics. A lot of interesting ideas clash with severely outdated level designs and game mechanics even compared to the original Doom released a whole year earlier, making it more of a Wolfenstein 3D follow-up with more verticality and variety than something modern and truly elaborate. The nostalgia factor is high, and the meme weapons and power-ups remain hilarious to this day, so I can still recommend getting this version of the oddity that is Rise of the Triad to fans of the game back in the day or just those who, like me, can’t stop revisiting boomer shooters from the 90’s; as, indeed, the controls are great on Xbox, the amount of content is stellar, and there’s plenty of options to play with too. Shame it lacks the co-op and multiplayer options present on PC. Many better shooters from the time may exist, but few are as crazy as Rise of the Triad, which is probably reason enough to visit or revisit it – though perhaps it’s better to do so on PC.

Sweep the Board is a fun party game that’ll hold you and your family slash friends’ attention for the night. If you don’t have any of that, you could always go online and make new ones that way. But I think you’ll get most of your mileage out of this game by being a fan of Demon Slayer.

Rounding things off, Killer Frequency is a good use of your gaming time. It is well-written, nicely voice-acted, fairly short, and can be seriously creepy at times. Fans of slasher films will have a blast playing this. While I think it would probably be best experienced in VR, it is worth experiencing on a console.

Spartan Survivors won’t win any award for its simplicistic artstyle and quite basic bullet heaven formula. Yet, for a free Halo fan game, I have a hard time asking for much more. The gameplay loop is enjoyable. The game is packed with Halo-themed characters, weapons, enemies and locations. There’s 10 levels and much to unlock. It’s currently only playable on PC, but it’ll hit Xbox consoles in the future, as well. Whether now or when it hits consoles, do give this one a fair shot if you’re into Halo, as it’s clearly a project made with passion by someone who loves the IP.

Star Wars: Episode I: Jedi Power Battles is a game with plenty of cons and pros alike. It’s an unashamedly simple and fun brawler, with a lot of content, a good variety of characters, a surprisingly meaty story mode for the genre and various extra content – all of which can be played with your (local) co-op buddy of choice. Do arm yourself with patience, however, as many game mechanics are a bit undercooked and unprecise, with a lot of bizarre level designs and features that didn’t quite receive the polish they needed, and that this remaster hardly really improved upon. As a quite minimal upgrade to a forgotten but solid game, clearly this one’s for the hardcore fans, who can jump back to the similarly flawed but enjoyable prequel trilogy’s beginnings.

Wolfenstein II: The New Order is almost great but is held back by a number of issues. A few design choices Machine Games made far too often took me out of the game and frustrated me to no end. For such a great feeling game, the lack of damage indicators to and from enemies made the game feel off far too many times. An outdated health system forced me to play the game differently than I wanted to. Instead of the clear intent at fast paced chaotic action the game does so well, I was too often hiding behind cover, scouring for health packs, and dying in seconds due to frequent difficulty spikes. Even with these issues, I still had an overall positive experience with the game due to strong story beats and chaotic moment to moment action. Wolfenstein II is a game I would recommend to anyone but is a game that may leave you feeling a bit frustrated in the end.

The highly competitive nature of Running Fable and its extremely inviting price (about 8 dollars/Euros, check your region!) make this little speedy platforming title a fun little experience that can probably last you a good night of fun or two with your gaming buddies, as long as they’re able to look beyond some lack of polish here and there.

Schim is certainly cute, charming, and has a surprisingly emotional look into the themes of depression and midlife crisis. Perhaps it could dig deeper into its arguments, and maybe even dare a bit more with its gamepaly. Similarly, with a length of only about 3 hours and limited replayability, the launch price of 24.99USD/24,99EUR feels a little excessive, and I would absolutely recommend waiting for a sale. But when that sale does arrive, give Schim your consideration: it’s a quite beautiful little game with an intriguing concept and even a good message to give to its players.

JoJo is a pretty solid fighter and a pretty good upgraded port to boot. Some may find the price somewhat prohibitive given the semi-bare bones modes on offer combined with the fact that we are ultimately talking about a port of a niche near decade old fighter, but if you can look past that, there’s fun to be had. Jo Jo Manga/Anime fans should definitely be giving this a go.

Fallen Legion: Rise to Glory features a solid arcade-like gameplay engine, even if the repetition and poorly told story weigh it down. Still, I’d be hardpressed to find something similar that can scratch the same itch that this game does: an advantage I think the developer YummyYummyTummy should build and iterate on for future instalments.

If you’re a big fan of bullet heaven shooters, do keep an eye out for Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel, though perhaps it’s not quite an essential buy just yet.

At the end of the day, I had a fun time with Looney Tunes: Wacky World of Sports. Sure it is a bit janky, its progression for unlocking new content is odd, and the lack of online multiplayer is a bit of a stinger. Yet, its simple arcade recreations of popular sports brings me back the simple days of mascot sports games of old, and it brought me a good couple hours of Looney Tunes-themed fun with my partner as well.

The Pathless has a nice visual design and cleverly designed puzzles to solve. The movement mechanic is different but may not be to everyone’s taste and could even be off-putting for some. My main issue is that once gameplay has been established in the first and second sections it is pretty much repeated for the remainder of the game. I am sure that there are people out there (completionists especially) who will love this game as it is, but I cannot help but feel that a bit more inventiveness and a less cliché story would have made it much better.

Another Crab’s Treasure is a balls-hard Soulslike that was one of the most frustrating experiences of my reviewing career until I gave in and used its game-saving accessibility options. Once the difficulty was better balanced the game’s humor and heart were able to shine through.

Grim Guardians: Demon Purge is a good action platformer that comes together remarkably well. Another score for Inti Creates’ catalogue of fun 2D platformers.

I’m torn on Knock on the Coffin Lid. When all elements align, it’s an audiovisually striking turn-based card game with an interesting lore, good player agency, and an addictive combat loop, one that’s easy to understand but hard to master. Yet, a series of difficulty spikes, an obtuse build system,m and a massive amount of repetition ensure that most of the hours spent in the game are wasted behind trial and error and replaying through many times seen before content, with even a handful design oddities that would need a quality-of-life patch or two. It could have been one of the finest card games on the console, but a handful of bizarre design choices don’t allow the game to reach its full potential.

Graphically the game looks average at best. It is a muddy and grimy-looking affair. The lighting system works well for the dark settings but a lot of the texture work for the environment and some of the enemies look last gen.

And hey, if it wasn’t your cup of tea in the end, at least you’ll have another way to play the original PAC-MAN, which unlocks on story completion.

Ultimately, while the quality of the games in this package is varied, with so being the effort going into the actual remastering process too, this is hardly an essential purchase. It is however a package that is nice for hardcore fans of the franchise, but also those who want to rediscover the most advanced classic Tomb Raider (IV, that is), the bizarre piece of gaming history that is Angel of Darkness… and also Tomb Raider V, I guess. Sometimes, even missable games are worth a solid remaster.

If you can handle some curious design quirks, a few bugs, and don’t mind poking around in the dark looking for clues, The Last Case of Benedict Fox might just be a breath of fresh air.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate is a decent game. The Casey Jones & the Junkyard Jam DLC is worth it if you’re interested in the base title, though I’d only give it a full recommendation if you have a friend or three to play with.

To wrap things up Wavetale is a heart-warming story of discovery and reconciliation. Traversal of the islands requires players to overcome some rather creative platforming challenges and never gets repetitive. Although it takes a while to get going, the story is well written and the adaptive music and environmental design of Strandville bring the place to life. This title has a lot going for it and although it is not the longest experience, it is well worth several hours of your time.

The game’s variety is not very high in fact, and once you see all the transforming vehicle has to offer, it doesn’t really have many new tricks left up its sleeve. It only lasts a couple hours so it’s certainly not a grave issue, but it’s quite noticeable that Agent Intercept was a fun, if basic mobile game, and the transition to consoles hasn’t really added much value to it.

Robocop: Rogue City is a 7, but it’s a really fun 7. It knows what it is, and it sticks to that no matter what. The writing isn’t the best, and some of the characters look straight out of a $3 steam simulator title. Still I had a ton of fun beating this one over the course of a day and a half so if you love the series it’s well worth checking out.

For fans of the series and its world, I think they’ll definitely find yet another fun, physics-based adventure here.

Big Helmet Heroes is a charming little cooperative beat ’em up that’ll be a delight to smaller family members and parents alike. A lack of unique objectives throughout most of the stages might be a bit of a bore and visibility issues can sometimes frustrate, but there’s enough here for an amusing local coop experience.

God of War Sons of Sparta has a weak start, solid middle, and strong ending. If you can get through a tedious first few hours you will eventually be rewarded with solid combat and an emotional story.

Spray Paint Simulator is decent fun. I do not know if the devs have any DLC planned post-launch. As is, there is enough here once you’re done, I think most will have enjoyed their time and be ready to move on.

On the field has seen a marked improvement over last year. The overall presentation is great, but the microtransaction heavy focus still detracts from things for those interested in the FUT mode. Being tied to the online servers for so much of the game’s functionality is worrisome when the servers have been in such rough shape during this launch period. Also, the game is $70 on series consoles which is a big ask for a yearly title. Overall it’s a step in the right direction that I hope carries the franchise back to its once great heights.

This game reminds me of another Bandai Namco-published series, God Eater, in a lot of aspects. From mission setup down to multiplayer progression and level design. I think if you like those games, you’ll find fun in BATTLE ALLIANCE. And despite the grinding, there’s enough content to go over for in a single campaign playthrough with a season pass (sold separately, of course) of content that will come later. I liked the story and its original characters, even if I can’t say I enjoy the presentation of prior Gundam events very much.

A.I.L.A is a solid experience, with a strong beginning and end, let down by a weak middle. If this version of VR existed in the real world, then the medium would have taken off far more than it ever did. It’s a good setup for a horror game, and fans of the genre would do well to check this one out sometime.

Ultimately, like many licensed games based on pre-school programs, Dora: Rainforest Rescue is not a deep or innovative platformer. It is, however, very loyal to the Dora IP, it is bright and colourful and incredibly accessible for even young players’ first videogame ever. It could have used some more inventive or variety, but it’s a great Christmas gift for young Dora fans.

RENNSPORT has all the core elements in place to be an engaging and accessible racing simulation. A handling that feels solid even a controller, a more welcoming approach than most hardcore sims have, and a lot of solid ideas to have great racing going at all times – against the AI and online alike. Yet, with only 12+2 tracks, a limited selection of cars, a lack of polish in many areas, various missing features and a confusing microtransaction model, it needs more time in the oven to truly become an essential racing simulation.

Destiny 2: The Final Shape mixes incredible environmental art, fun gameplay, and a compelling new subclass with a boring story full of predictable cliches. It’s not the rebirth of Destiny 2 that some were hoping for, but it’s still as fun to play as ever. If you felt burnt out this expansion isn’t likely to change that. If you want to ignore a disappointing story and enjoy a gorgeous new area to play through with a plethora of fun new toys then this one is worth checking out once the server issues clear up, if the $50 price tag doesn’t scare you off.

Don’t Stop, Girlypop! presents a brilliant audiovisual experience, combining over-the-top “girly” Y2K aesthetics with one of the fastest FPS modules on the market. If you’re a fan of the 2000’s pop culture, the high-energy female vocaled pop music of the era and have been dying to dazzle your weapons in a shooter, this game is for you. Those searching for an Ultrakill-tier boomer shooter, however, might walk away disappointed, as underneath it all is a slightly clunky, not particularly memorable sequence of arenas with big hordes of enemies and weak platforming on the side.

Somerville feels like great ambition being stretched a little thin, and fundamentally, the way it feels to actually play makes me wish it spent a little longer in the oven, refining and polishing the best parts.

Magical Delicacy is a beautiful albeit tedious 2D Metroidvania. It’s fun is hampered by clunky platforming and resource management that get in the way of what I want to be—a witch that can cook, not a scavenger.

Circus Electrique is visually very arresting and is quite possibly the most challenging game in terms of complexity that I have ever played. Die-hard fans of tactical turn-based combat and management simulators will absolutely love this title while casual gamers or newcomers to these types of games may struggle even on the easy setting. It is clear that this has been a labour of love for the developers and is certainly one of the most unusual games to be released on Xbox this year. If Steampunk Victorian archetypes and challenging gameplay are your things this game has your name written all over it.

If not for some of the problems I encountered, Little Nightmares 3 would be a rock solid continuation of the franchise from Supermassive Games. While it doesn’t quite hit the narrative and atmospheric highs of Little Nightmares 2, it brings in some smart new ideas, two player co-operative play and makes for another wonderfully sickening time in Nowhere. It’s just a shame it was such a frustrating journey.

Episode Aigis is a great addition to Persona 3 Reload, if only for the additional story content and new battle challenges. But this episode sheds too much from the base game, leaving a tedious adventure in the wake for those looking for The Answer.

Yeah, Rita’s Rewind doesn’t quite stand toe to toe with the greats of the genre, even the modern ones, but it’s still a very worthy entrant into this classic genre still in the midst of a high quality revival.

Chronicles of 2 Heroes is a solid platformer with a few quirks. Its challenges are unevenly distributed and its physics are rough, but I like the hero switching concept and I found a lot of fun in taking on some of the game’s difficult puzzles. I can definitely recommend this game to the folks that love pixel-perfect jumps.

Children of the Worm adds in some good-looking new environments, a throwaway story featuring a solid new character, and some of the craziest firefights I’ve ever seen. Solo or alone Back 4 Blood is always a good time, and the base game is still on Game Pass. As long as one member of your group owns the expansion you can all play it, and you’ll have a hell of a (short) time if you do.

Signalis is a rather fascinating adventure with gorgeous retro visuals and excellent audio colluding with an exciting story and lore and great story to offer a world absolutely worth exploring. It’s therefore also a huge shame that it’s let down by repetitive and annoying puzzles that have the player run back and forth in identical corridors, a painfully limited inventory and an unimpressive combat model. Fans of old school horror games and space sci-fi should still find Signalis an interesting experience, and those subscribed to Game Pass can try it day one on the service.

Ten Dates does many things well. For a reasonably cheap title, it has a high-quality look to it, the acting is at the same level as I would expect from a television drama and the gameplay is very inclusive. Interactive movie games have come a long way in the last couple of years and this one is no exception. Of course, it is no ‘Immortality’ but that game has to be considered the zenith of this genre. It may overstay its welcome in the end, but fans of the first game will have a lot of fun playing this. Are Twenty Dates on the horizon? Only time will tell.

Funko Fusion is a simple game, perhaps overly so, following the footsteps of Travellers’ Tales’ iconic LEGO games but with the Funko figurines instead of the brick characters. The IP crossover aspect is sound, and the game is very accessible, but excessive repetition and a baffling lack of any form of co-op at launch, with online co-op but no local co-op coming down the line, surely severely crippling its value in the eyes of much of the target audience. Once co-op is finally added, as long as the online one fits the bill for you, I’d still recommend playing through the storyline at least once, at least to the people who are craving for a new LEGO-style adventure and are looking for a new twist or two on the formula.

Blades of Fire is not going to be a game for everyone. It’s beautiful, runs great, and has some design decisions that made me pull my hair out. It’s incredibly long, and I do not think that it benefits the game in any meaningful way.

Sword Art Online: Last Recollection is one of the better games in the franchise’s history. The combat mechanics are solid and questing can be fun, plus it’s good fan service. It’s a bit of a shame every other aspect drags the game down, but that won’t stop you from enjoying Last Recollection especially if you’re looking for a simple, single-player MMO-style experience.

Atlas Fallen is close to being damned good. It is let down by a lack of variety in enemy encounters, poor side quests, and dreadful writing. Still, the combat quickly becomes damned fun and with the option of co-op, it’s well worth checking out if you want some God of Crackdown-style action platforming adventures.

As a remake of a 2006 title is one of the best looking to date. It doesn’t add or change much to the overall package but if you’re looking for some good fun, especially with a friend, then Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed is worth picking up if the price is right.

Atomic Owl is an enjoyable little romp that has some good ideas and even goes as far as to trust the player right off the bat with the protagonists full arsenal. The visuals are lovely and the music was probably the highlight of the game. But middling level design, uninteresting boss fights, and a lack of polish do drag down what could otherwise have been a really good game.

Return to Grace is a short but sweet narrative adventure game. The puzzles are infrequent and never frustrating, while the storytelling and voice acting do an admirable job in telling this futuristic tale about the hopes and dreams of humanity. I think it’s well worth checking out on Game Pass.

If you’re expecting more action and puzzles, then boy, you might bounce right off this one once you’ve finished gawking at how pretty it all is. My advice? Take it slow, and enjoy every moment with this bizarre and eccentric cast of characters. Games like Harold Halibut don’t come around very often.

Beyond Blue: After the Storm is an enjoyable little underwater adventure that gives insight on man-made disasters along with the lovely living things beneath our feet. Though their importance is stressed, information comes off slim at best and paired with a decent VR experience at the very least makes this game a fun edutainment journey for all ages.

It may not be the “AAAA” game Ubisoft touted, but with a solid enough foundation, a decently planned bevy of seasonal content ahead of it, and the uniqueness of making the ship and gear the focus, it may be finally on the right course after all.

In Ravenlok’s well-paced narrative and gameplay structure, I’m sad to say that I didn’t find the game to be very compelling. For every fun puzzle there was another quest or dull combat sequence that I button mashed out of with ease. Still, I could appreciate the expectations the game places on the player to simply figure things out on their own and having a straightforward, no-nonsense plot. A lost art in gaming (and arguably other mediums) today.

Ultimately, DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing gets the job done without excessive amount of effort. There’s more than enough content, but the quality of the racing and its general balance is just not on par with most of the better Mario Kart clones out there, let alone the last episodes of the Nintendo franchise. A handful of cool ideas such as dynamic shortcuts and the Trolls characters giving special characters give the game a little bit of identity, amid the many design and visual elements that ape Mario Kart way too closely at times. But unless you absolutely need a kart racer with the likes of Shrek and Kung Fu Panda in its roster, this is a fun but ultimately not essential game.

Despot’s Game: Dystopian Army Builder is a really fun if slightly flawed strategy game that I’m glad I decided to check out. While it’s not something I might recommend to most for a purchase it is definitely worth trying out on Game Pass if you are subscribed.

Moonscars is really close to being a great game. The combat can be stupidly fun, the animations are fantastic, and I loved the story and music. Balancing issues with the death penalty and a too stringent adherence to older Dark Souls mechanics inevitably lead to immense frustration, though.

Jokes and gaming slash cartoon references swim freely in this self-aware point and click adventure. I thoroughly enjoyed the humour in “Jorel’s Brother and The Most Important Game of the Galaxy” short runtime, even with a middling middle portion. A good title to experience on the go and for fans of the original television show.

Ereban: Shadow Legacy is an occasionally pretty, decently fun title. It’s not too long, and if you’re into collecting things there’s a solid reason to replay each chapter. I’m not sure when it is going to hit Xbox but if you have even a decent PC and love stealth platformers then this could be one worth picking up.

Pool Party is a fun sit-down and get-dirty physics-based party game that’s a lot of fun to play but feels lacking in its content offerings. Easy to pick up and play for everyone, even the less gaming-inclined.

Extremely Powerful Capybaras is an enjoyable co-op romp for up to 4 players, making for a chaotic but fairly stylish bullet heaven experience. Taken as a solo game or comparing it to its much more ambitious contemporaries, however, it does very little to stand out, and its basic gameplay doesn’t quite hold the depth necessary to warrant many repeat runs. Hardcore bullet heaven fans like me and those seeking a fun co-op experience will have a good time, but there’s countless more interesting titles in the genre by now.

Gear.Club Unlimited 3 is a tough game to rate. At its core, the driving is sound, the graphics are decent, the game mechanics are interesting, and the career is meaty enough to bother. It even offers a 60 frames per second mode, something previous episodes did not – at least, on Nintendo consoles. On the other hand, it has various important flaws related to the overall racing, and the lack of online multiplayer is a huge step-down from the previous game which did, eventually, add said feature. What we’re left with is a mostly competent, not particularly memorable arcade racer with a handful of highs, but some baffling lows as well. It is a fun game, and on Switch 2 there aren’t too many better alternatives for this kind of racer. But if it follows the previous episode’s path, it may get new content, proper multiplayer and astonishingly deep discounts before long. Perhaps you’re better off waiting for all of that to happen, before jumping in.

Fashion Police Squad is smart, plays pretty well, and doesn’t overstay its welcome. It’s priced at $20 on Steam, and if that holds true for the Xbox launch then this one is an easy recommendation for any lover of first-person shooters and fashion.

It feels pretty good, looks great, and as long as the price isn’t too bad it’s worth checking out.

A Little to the Left is at its absolute best when it’s focusing on finding just the right spot for everyday things, and at its worst when it’s operating on its own, chaotic-puzzle logic. Those two worlds and design choices are at odds in my opinion, and collide to unfortunately produce an uneven end result. However, I feel confident in saying any puzzle game fan will find something to like and perhaps even love here, and with it being available to try on Xbox Game Pass, it’s worth a download.

Enotria: The Last Song is a beautiful, weird tale that almost nailed the gameplay and customization side of a Soulslike. It is by no means a bad game, it’s just not one I can easily recommend for all but the most ardent players of the genre.

Spirit Mancer offers a nice variety of cards to build your deck with, both beforehand and on the fly. And the hub has enough to keep you busy for a short while before you jump into the next mission. And though combat does become repetitive not too long into the game’s runtime, Spirit Mancer’s beautiful presentation, co-op mode, and unique take on deckbuilding combat makes it a fun romp within the genre.

Tour De France 2024 isn’t for everyone, and it feels somewhat poorly made in a lot of areas, but it’s still an interesting game for cycling fans who, especially on console, don’t have a lot to pick from anyway.

Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood, & Teef is a hilarious, fun, and joyous game. It knows what it is, and it leans heavily into being dumb and fun.

Paper Perjury is an enjoyable adventure title and one that should scratch the itch of puzzle solvers and adventure enthusiasts alike—with a great presentation to boot. Despite the issues I took with the game’s narrative and world-building, know that I enjoyed playing Paper Perjury far more than I ever did playing Dual Destinies or The Great Ace Attorney, and I think that’s the best compliment I could ever give.

Would I recommend Syberia VR? I’m not really sure as, despite my large number of reservations and frustrations, I ultimately did enjoy the experience. It’s all very much thanks to the creative world of B. Sokal’s Syberia and seeing some of the sights in virtual reality really was a treat. This is a great adventure game turned clumsy VR experience, but if you can put up with its oddities, you’ll have a good time.

I had high hopes for this game and I was excited to play it. The aesthetic and the story really intrigued me and I was so eager to discover the tale as I went along, and sadly, I didn’t get to experience much of it. Unusual Findings has a promising premise but the movement and convoluted puzzles ruined it for me.

It is a faithful 1:1 port of the mobile game, for better or worse. The controls work well in the end but did require some time to get used to. At only $10 at launch, it’s an easy purchase if you’re already a fan or someone new to the series. Here’s to hoping that this is just the start of the franchise porting over to consoles.

Raccoo Venture isn’t a chore. It’s beautiful and the music is lovely. I loved the environment design and when you do find challenges, they are fun to tackle. I do think that Raccoo’s jumps get too tight later on, having the player jumping off specific angles to make jumps isn’t fun especially if they’re not part of the beaten path. The game performs amazing on a wide variety of systems, too, and that’s impressive given it’s just one man making this game. Raccoo Venture has its landings, you just need to get used to them.

When I found matches, I had some good fun running dungeons with folks. There’s something special about watching twenty people unleash explosions all over your screen, a health bar being whittled down faster than pizza leftovers in a family of six, and callouts coming left and right. SWORD ART ONLINE Fractured Daydream brings about the chaotic nature of MMOs I really haven’t seen in a long time, especially in casual play, and for all its caveats it’s not a bad cooperative action game—but do mind the fractures.

Chasm: The Rift is an old-school FPS that didn’t set the world on fire at the time and is quite far behind some of its contemporaries. Yet, a rather original level design style, good action, and a cool gibbing mechanic make it a worthy playthrough for hardcore “boomer shooter” fans, while casual fans should probably find one of the many, more iconic alternatives from the era.

Broken Mind can sometimes be a fascinating experience with some interesting story beats and curious playable segments, but it’s sadly hampered by formulaic puzzles, clunky combat and uneven technical polish. The game is still worth a shot for those looking for peculiar horror games.

No One Lives Under the Lighthouse is a solid low-budget indie horror that aims a little too high with its gameplay mechanics. They only happen in certain endings, and its short run time means any horror fan will gladly seek them all out. At a $12 MSRP it is a no brainer if you enjoy getting the shit scared out of you.

Formula Legends is a wasted opportunity. A lovely artstyle, an interesting driving model, a lot of love for the history of Formula 1 are felt through and through, but the inconsistent physics, poorly balanced AI, various glitches and a complete lack of multiplayer end up severely hampering the experience. I feel like it’s only a handful of updates away from becoming a truly enjoyable arcade romp, but as of today, I only feel like recommending it to hardcore fans of the genre who can probably close an eye on a lot of issues.

It ultimately feels like the game’s developers are not really sure who they’re targeting with this game. It doesn’t have the depth and simulation levels to be appreciated by hardcore racing fans, but it also has a difficult driving model that isn’t at all snappy and reactive, making each corner feel like a major commitment under braking and while riding out the racing line. And with only the limited variety of tracks that the island offers, an unimpressive and frankly unnecessary open world addition, flat graphics and rather basic game features, it’s hard to recommend the rather average experience that is TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3, one that I hoped would be a bigger upgrade from RiMS Racing.

Ultimately, the shooting is serviceable enough in its old-school style, but it’s a bit wasted on braindead AIs in near identical rooms and no variety whatsoever. Despite the game lasting just about an hour or two, it somehow manages to feel stale before the end credits roll. Still, it’s a supercheap game, debuting at just under 5 dollars (or your regional equivalent) and a 20% launch discount on top. A low price doesn’t hide the game’s shortcomings, and indeed the low variety, uninspired level design and basic AI weigh against the game – yet the charming visuals and odd random humor makes it worth a quick run for hardcore shooter fans who, like me, feel the need to play everything in the genre that looks even remotely interesting. And God Damn The Garden is interesting, if flawed.

Star Wars: Dark Forces Remastered is a remaster done right. Its main issue is the game it is remastering doesn’t hold up to modern titles well enough. If you have that itch to dive back in and the $30 price isn’t too much then it is well worth the price. If you don’t have those feelings though, it’s tough to recommend.

Garfield Kart 2 is a fun kart racer, in some ways better than its predecessor – but everything it does better is because it shamelessly copied another, much better game. With so many quality mascot kart racers out there, you can probably opt for something a little more remarkable.

Ultimately I’m a bit torn on Boti: Byteland Overclocked. On one hand, it’s gorgeous and charming, but it’s gameplay and the myriad of bugs I ran into really soured the experience. On the other hand, Boti is still fun to play and I wouldn’t mind going back for the collectibles and a hundred percent run in the future.

This is a well-written and visually impressive game that conveys the developer’s clear love of its cinematic serial-based inspirations. It is a chilled experience and a fairly pleasant way to spend five hours. Unfortunately, the simple control scheme proves to be not up to the standard required for a game in this genre, and after a rather weak ending there is very little replayability for all but the most hardcore achievement hunters.