Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 can be slow and lethargic, sometimes to a fault. It's a game that's more concerned with the plight of a villager than the saving of a kingdom. And yet it's in those very moments, the conversations in the back of a cart, the early morning horse-rides in the brisk, cold air; that the magic, charm, and humanity of it all shines brightest.

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.

I enjoyed playing Civilization VII. It hits the right notes for me and it’s a good opening salvo for a game I expect will continue to grow with its player base through time. Yes, the age change can be a bit jarring and yes, the crisis mechanic didn’t always hit right for me in my first couple of games…The core elements of the game are there, they work and it’s fun to play. The incentives and dynamism that the new approach to Civilization switching with the legacy paths will keep the game fresh both across games and within them. Abandoning games after about 80 turns was a big issue for me in the last few titles. I’ve not had the notion to do that yet.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is a worthy successor to one of the best indie games of the last few years. With it’s addictive gameplay loop, compelling and touching story, great art design, and more, I’d say anyone even remotely interested should give the game a look. Especially considering it’s releasing on Xbox Game Pass, and heck, is one of the best games for cloud gaming there is.

As much as Robobeat’s pace and style hits all the right notes (heh), I feel like it doesn’t truly live up to the high standards of other rhythm-based FPS games on Xbox, such as the aforementioned BPM: Bullets Per Minute and Metal: Hellsinger. While the game’s mechanical depth is sound, with lots of skills, traversal options and weapons, the overlong and battles in flat, unmemorable arenas make these encounters less exciting than they could be. Still, it’s a fun time, and while it doesn’t have the option of importing custom music like on PC, fans of fast-paced boomer shooter should still have a good time with Robobeat.

It’s an audiovisually captivating journey through liminal spaces, a dream-like experience that masters the concept like few other videogames before. Personally, I absolutely can not wait to play the upcoming levels, because Dreamcore is already an amazing and unique ride. This is one dream I won’t immediately forget.

Eternal Strands is a fantastic first title from Yellow Brick Games. It’s an IP I hope to see more of in the future, as its excellent gameplay felt like a breath of fresh air for the genre. It’s out Day One on Game Pass and even in this bloated 2025 release schedule I wholeheartedly recommend checking it out no matter where you play.

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.

Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter is a thoroughly enjoyable Metroidvania with detailed action-RPG mechanics, that still offers challenging soulslike combat without feeling like a punishing ride on its easiest mode. On its normal and hard difficulties, the game offers a grind that will leave you feeling tested at best, and a crying mess at very worst. It’s an extremely well-put-together experience that I can wholeheartedly recommend.

Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is a fun game with some serious looks and performance issues on Xbox Series consoles. If it’s cleaned up at all by a day one patch then it’s an easy recommendation. Available Day One on Game Pass it’s a solid solo title and one that’s a ton of fun with friends.

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.

SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada is a strange game for sure. It’s an enjoyable enough mecha-based extraction shooter, with serviceable combat and traversal and with the excitement of this genre’s formula. Said gameplay loop does very little to stand out from the crowd, despite a somewhat unique presentation, and the technical woes and limited content and variety thereof, end up limiting its potential. It’s also a paid game with tons of baffling microtransactions, timers to wait out, massive grinds and glacial progress, which could make you lose interest rather quickly. At its core, Bandai Namco’s latest is a solid extraction shooter, make no mistake. If you’re looking for that, jump in; this is certainly a very solid game in a vacuum, mechanically stronger than my score would imply. Arriving this late into the genre, however, it really should be offering more and better content than it does to really stand out – and it should respect players’ time and effort more.

I’m the kind of person who can sit in front of an idle game for hours, as I multitask something else like writing reviews or watching a TV show. Yet, Tap Wizard 2’s bizarre game design initially made me want to log off after a couple minutes at a time, and I really had to force myself to sit through various ascensions and countless deaths just to see if something more exciting came along. Eventually, the game evolved to a point that I could say I was having a decent amount of fun. But unless you’re a hardcore idle game fan and need a fix, you can likely this one out, as the first 10-20 hours of this game are easily the least enjoyable part of an otherwise quite okay game.

Team Ladybug’s latest release is a grand one—the slower-paced nature of the action feels good to play especially as you get a better grasp of Shin and his companion’s move sets. The downtrodden Osaka city landscape has plenty of exploration potential and baddies to encounter, meaning that I can wholeheartedly recommend Blade Chimera to the 2D Metroidvania aficionado and novice alike.

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is bigger and better, giving the player more combat options and opportunities while offering a map full of movement and combat-based challenges. There’s a solid variety of enemies and bosses along with unique scenarios that keep gameplay fresh and you on your toes. Tie it up with great visuals and music, and you have the best sequel to Ender Lilies that could possibly exist.

The developers at Megagon Industries have done a great job on building on their first game by adding a bunch of excellent new ideas, a fun multiplayer suite and what feels like a great, fresh take on skiing with the tight, responsive controls they’re known for. It’s addictive, thrilling stuff and I can’t wait to hit the slopes as soon as I’ve finished writing this. It’s available on Xbox Game Pass and Steam, and I hope you try it out.

Playing Tales of Graces f again gives me a chance to reflect on the game’s story, which I enjoyed more so in my last playthrough some eight years ago. But I enjoyed running through the game’s campaign way more than Vesperia’s (which is nothing but a blur to me) thanks to fun cast members with a great English dub and an incredibly fun combat system. Don’t go into Tales of Graces f Remastered expecting deep worldbuilding and level design and I think you’ll have a lot of fun that way.

Threefold Recital is a great 2D narrative adventure title, no thanks to its unique setting and enjoyable characters. The team has done an excellent job between balancing story delivery and breaking up the eventual monotony with distinctive minigames that are both repeated and one-off. Behind all this lies themes of living and identity that resonate not only for the three leads but for the player as well.

Make no mistake, I had fun playing DRAGON QUEST III. I appreciate what it’s done and brought to the table. But over the course of its runtime, I found myself losing interest thanks to a bombardment of random encounters and not enough between all that. So many games have come since then (and are still coming out today!) that have been greatly influenced by this JRPG classic, bringing their own twists and turns to storytelling and battle systems. There’s a good time to be had here in the HD-2D Remake, but if you’ve never played DRAGON QUEST III before, walk in with tempered expectations and to be down a few more hours than the game really should’ve been.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins is a brilliant reboot of the series. Playing as a central character instead of hopping between classic heroes works. It looks damned good most of the time, sounds great, and features an excellent mix of group and single-fighter combat. For those new or returning to the series you’ll find dozens of hours of combative bliss.

I like every part of Alien: Rogue Incursion except for the most important one, the combat. It looks amazing, sounds great, and has a solid story. I am sad to say that I found said combat, and how often it was forced upon me, to make the game tough to recommend at launch. Not only that, but this is a ‘surprise’ Part One. At $40 I hope that the full package, many patches later, can find the brilliance that’s hidden underneath this game’s faults.

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.

It is a really solid platformer with a tonne of variety and stuff to do. But I want to be very clear, I don’t think this game is for the gamer who actually grew up on the Smurfs. It’s for their children, who probably don’t even know who the Smurfs are.

Marvel Rivals is an excellent start to what should be a long-running franchise. NetEase has done a great job of proudly using mechanics that are well-known while crafting a uniquely crazy experience all their own. This 6v6 hero shooter/fighter has started from a place of strength. With proper leadership, it should only improve and grow as the years pass this multiverse by.

The Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered feels barebones. You get these titles with a few new bells & whistles and not much else. It is thoroughly disappointing for a game that was in more need of a full gameplay remake than just a graphical uplift. With so many great remaster/collection packages hitting, I wish this one had been given a little more love.

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.

Despite bugs and some questing that isn’t all too interesting, Drova drives home a sort of old-school design that is simple, fun, and frustrating when the going gets tough. This is a damn good 2D RPG that action and computer role-playing game fans won’t want to miss out on.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle isn’t an average game - it's something truly special. It's got its flaws, but it’s an irresistible invitation to wear the fedora of one of my childhood heroes, to crack the whip and fully embrace the thrill of discovery and embark on a genuinely fantastic adventure. Whether you’re a lifelong fan of the franchise or a newcomer with only games like Uncharted or Tomb Raider under your belt, this game delivers an experience that feels both fresh and heavily steeped in nostalgia. Indiana Jones is the original tomb-raiding adventurer and MachineGames have, to put it simply - nailed it. They've crafted an unforgettable journey that’s worthy of the franchise. Ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime? The mystery of the Great Circle awaits.