Matsuro Palette offers a unique concept to the point ‘n click narrative adventure genre. A solid visual style and accompanying sound design gives this game an allure that kept me going, in search of the mystery behind this young lady in the painting. If you’d like a short, bittersweet tale that involves you dying in many ways, look no further than here—a unfinished canvas that desperately needs your help.

After a tumultuous dev cycle, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 shines despite some rough edges.

Mindcop is a great detective adventure that puts emphasis on creativity and critical thinking for the player to find the perpetrator. The tools you’re given are adequate for its open-ended approach to game design, and ultimately, it’s up to you to help Mindcop uphold his reputation against a townspeople who carry plenty of baggage.

Does it make for a compelling videogame? Despite a few shortcomings, I feel that it does, as the game’s excellent graphics and tense atmosphere put a nice little ribbon on the package. But this isn’t a game for everyone, and not just because of the (optional) microphone gimmick, so beware what you get yourself into. I still think it’s one of the most unique and memorable horror games in recent times, which is something that mostly makes up for the other flaws found.

Ultimately, Fear the Spotlight doesn’t really try to reinvent the formula, serving as a smart, respectful and well-designed homage to the PS1-era of horror games and the 90’s aesthetic in general. Lovely visuals, great voice acting and genuinely spooky vibes more than make up for the fairly simplicistic gameplay loop and short length, making this retro horror game one of the better picks for a playthrough in a spooky season.

Rise of the Golden Idol is a fantastic game. It is a brilliant 10-15 hour affair that focuses on your mind instead of your reflexes. While it’s best with a mouse, I wholeheartedly recommend it no matter where you’re playing. It has a thoroughly ridiculous and satisfying story and is a worthy sequel to one of 2022’s best games.

Toy Tactics is deceptively simple yet a lot of fun. It’s got the charm of toys clashing about as environments, spells, and the right tactics change the course of the game. And all the while offering varied objectives, great level design, and quite a number of modes for play. If you’re in the market for a unique real-time strategy game, look no further than Kraken Empire’s latest hotness.

Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival keeps to its core tenants by offering a simple yet fun rhythm game for all to enjoy. This is the ultimate package, so to speak, and I can easily recommend it to just about everyone.

This type of game has a ceiling it can normally hit. It’s a lower-budget genre-bending revival of a beloved but older IP. Leikir Studio has managed to find an excellent blend of old and new. While it can be insanely difficult on hard, it’s just the right amount of punishing on normal. As it is available on Day One on Game Pass for Cloud, Console, and PC I think this one is an easy download or buy for any tactics fan.

SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS is a good collection of two fun games. Sonic Generations is still a solid romp even if this port adds more issues to the game while Shadow’s offering is action-packed and builds on the former’s strengths. This is the most you’ll ever get of Shadow the Hedgehog for quite a while, so dig in while it’s hot.

Slitterhead has a weirdly intriguing plot and cool art design wasted by endless repetition and outdated game design. There’s something here. I found Slitterhead pulling me during the first few hours. It was the last 80% of the game that was a dreadful experience.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard isn’t just in my Game of the Year rankings, it’s in my Best Games of All Time. BioWare has finally matched their recent excellent third-person combat with some of, if not their best, story work to date. This game is an absolute triumph for those old and new to the series.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Campaign is excellent. While the story might not be perfect it was just logical enough to keep me happy. It’s available at launch for Xbox Game Pass Console, PC, and Ultimate members on Cloud, Console, and PC. I’d only recommend a purchase if you’re into the MP and Zombies as well, as $70 is a big ask. Still, if you’re looking to shoot the ever loving shit out of a lot of people, there’s nothing quite like a good Call of Duty campaign. It helps that this one is great. [Campaign Review Score = 85]

Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem is a simple stunt game, not really a racer, as players have to do flips, donuts, smash stuff and so forth with these giant-wheeled behemoths in Hot Wheels fashion. It lacks the depth or variety of most Monster Truck games on console, and in particular the lack of any race modes is a bit disappointing, but the focus on younger audiences and a forgiving difficulty should make for a decent Hot Wheels experience, for those that seek such a game. The lack of almost any multiplayer, aside from the 2-player local play is a big bummer for the longevity of the game, but if you want an enjoyable solo romp to run through, it’s a good time.

Slay the Princess – The Pristine Cut is a fantastic visual novel with excellent production values and a lot of dialogue options. You’ll go through a tonne of emotions (mostly unease), but you’ll always remain engaged thanks to a great voice cast and a script that is more than happy to explore uncomfortable ideas.

Shin-chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is a fantastic adventure game in that it is laid back, funny, and easy enough to be enjoyed by just about everyone be they child or senior. You might not know who Shin-chan is, but don’t let that stop you from taking it easy and looking up once in a while.

Alan Wake: The Lake House is a disappointing finale to the game’s content. It was released alongside a solid quality-of-life update, and if you have already spent the extra money on the Deluxe Edition/Upgrade then you might as well check this one out. Just use a guide to keep frustration down.

Card-en-Ciel is a fantastic card battling title. I didn’t think I’d find myself so enamoured in playing a card game like this, but the plays at hand along with how the overworld plays into the battle system along with daily and weekly battles makes this game a extremely replayable title.

I enjoyed the first videogame of the Unknown 9 universe, and I sure hope it won’t be the last, as I wanna keep going back to this vast fictional world. And while I absolutely want to applaud Reflector Entertainment and Bandai Namco for trying something different, perhaps they stuck a little too close to the action adventure videogame genre’s tropes, in an attempt to better appeal to the masses. Still, it’s a game that has some good ideas and a terrific lore, one expanded upon by all the transmedia products out there. Fans of action adventure games should take this leap of faith into The Fold and give Unknown 9: Awakening an honest shot, with its budget price that should help with pulling the trigger over such an… Unknown quantity.

It looks beautiful and has some great midi-style music, but is let down by a gameplay loop that simply doesn’t hold up.

It looks beautiful and has some great midi-style music, but is let down by a gameplay loop that simply doesn’t hold up.

The accessibility and approachability of MechWarrior 5: Clans then, may come at a cost – at least for now. It may just however, lead to a mainstream rejuvenation the series so sorely deserves, and with its launch into Xbox Game Pass, bring a whole new generation into our Sibko.

Developer Critical Games has done a commendable job putting together a fantastic retro RPG. One that paces itself well, offers unique mechanics at every turn, and has a fun cast of characters. It also bridges the whole meta-shenanigans of computers playing host to video games quite well and uses that advantage whenever it can. 8-Bit Adventures 2 gets a thumbs up in my book and trust me when I say I’m not always keen on throwing the toe’s cousin up like that.

A licensed Transformers racing game with actual robot combat elements being one of the most unique and fun racers of 2024 was certainly not on my bingo card, but I ain’t complainin’. A very solid racing module, a lot of smashing and bashing in car form, and then a fast-paced, if quite simplistic third-person robot-shooting intermissions make for a legit fun time, with even a surprising depth in the loadouts and available characters. Sure, a bit more polish and variety wouldn’t have hurt, and the progression is rather bizarre – and the lack of proper multiplayer is a bummer. Still, Transformers: Galactic Trials is both a great Transformers game for fans young and old, and an exhilarating racer with a lot of fresh ideas and a quite solid execution all around. Keep an eye out for this one.

The addition of 2-player modes and various improvements make a lot of sense, and do improve the Aaero formula a good bunch, but at the end of the day it’s hardly a hugely transformative sequel. Still, I fail to see that as a devastating flaw. Aaero2 brings us more awesome tracks to ride rails and shoot alien creatures on to the beat of the rhythm. Sure, it could have been a slightly more ambitious sequel in terms of game mechanics, progression and variety. Yet, even so, Aaero2 is one of the most interesting music-based games in recent memory, one that will have my grinding rails while banging my head back and forth for quite some time.

Fans of the genre are unlikely to find a better game this year than this. Now I’m off to have a good cry and hug my kids.

The risk of too much-simulated suffering is that the most challenging decisions can leave you feeling emotionally detached, as the end often justifies the means. This dynamic makes Frostpunk 2 a unique experience where you can never truly be the ‘good guy,’ only ‘less bad.’ It’s better to play this in short bursts, as it will keep you from becoming emotionally numb to all the suffering in Frostpunk 2.

Last Time I Saw You turned out to be an enjoyable narrative adventure. I love the attention to detail, not just in its artwork but the stories of its cast members. A perfect little play for everyone.