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Senua's Saga: Hellblade II keeps the basics intact, and while a strong lead character, great animations, and simple but enjoyable combat continue to deliver, the poor pacing and performance issues prevent this sequel from breaking free of its past.
More a brief collectathon than a worthwhile adventure, Little Kitty, Big City is a somewhat charming but ultimately forgettable feline trek to get back to taking a nap.
With neat retro visuals, smart puzzles, and an interesting theme park location, Crow Country is an appealing survival horror game that suffers a little from clumsy action and minimal challenge.
TopSpin 2K25 is a solid return to the court for the veteran franchise. It's a bit lacking in content, from the limited roster to the repetitive modes, but the excellent gameplay mechanics offer a lot of hope for the future.
With dull gameplay, conflicting art styles, stiff dialogue and a weak ending, Indika is a philosophy-infused discussion of religion that's unable to carry its burdens.
Harold Halibut overstays its welcome like a free diver that descends too far. Its painfully boring gameplay consists of walking back and forth as the story unhurriedly transpires. Still, the oddball characters and sublime stop-motion aesthetics may hook a few gamers who are happy to wade in the shallows.
The video game adaptation of Sand Land brings one of Akira Toriyama's lesser-known works into the spotlight. It follows the source material well and cleverly expands on the story, but the gameplay is lacking.
Stellar Blade is a mostly enjoyable action game with solid combat, strong presentation, and good enemy designs. Its scantily clad heroine is not very interesting, and neither is the story, but there is enough here to warrant a peek.
Pepper Grinder is highly enjoyable, but a touch too short. It's a very unique platformer that manages to stand out in a very crowded genre, even if it fumbles during the final levels a little bit.
Although the Australian setting is good, and it occasionally shows potential, Broken Roads is a clumsy party-based RPG with mediocre combat, pacing issues, and bland fetch quests.
Close quarters action games are already stressful enough - but piling on roguelike elements, and having to watch basic AI try to execute on your elaborate plans, makes for a tactical game that's often as frustrating as it is satisfying. There is plenty of content here, but only for a rather specific audience.
Children of the Sun is a dark and engaging puzzle that successfully transports familiar mechanics into a fresh setting at the speed of a flying bullet.
The first mainline game for Princess Peach in nearly two decades is a charming adventure with some solid ideas and excellent boss battles. Princess Peach: Showtime demonstrates that the heroine is worthy of being a leading protagonist on her own merit, despite a few performance issues.
While some walking sims have evolved, Open Roads is stuck in the past. Its two good characters cannot offset the bland interactivity and mystery that is as flat as the game's 2D conversations.
MLB The Show 24 may not offer up many changes when it comes to outfield action, but the modes continue to be improved. I loved seeing Road to the Show finally get some dev time, and Storylines continues to be one of the strongest modes introduced by the series. If you're looking to escape from the potential disappointment of your real-life ball team, you'll find plenty of ways to do so here.
Underneath the spaceship setting in Between Horizons is a grounded detective game that features good logical deductions and math-based solutions. More case depth and presentation tweaks could have taken the mission further, but it is still a fine option for the gumshoes of this generation.
South Park: Snow Day is an authentic adaptation that has a couple of decent ideas, but the drab combat and a short runtime leave it stuck in a snowbank, to be rescued only by the faithful fans of the show.
With movement and combat upgrades, Outcast – A New Beginning eventually comes close to being a decent open-world shooter, but terrible fetch quests, bland activities, tech issues, and narrative gaffes mean that the colorful world of Adelpha does not bear enough fruit.
Rise of the Ronin is a case where more isn't always better. It's got varied and challenging combat, a wealth of content, and a wide variety of mechanics in a story that spans over a decade. But while most of the individual components work, many feel unrefined, and their sheer volume doesn't elevate the experience.
As buggy as the bayou, Alone in the Dark is a disappointing return for the classic horror franchise. Derceto Manor has corners worth exploring, and the puzzles are smartly designed. However, the clunky combat, lack of scares, unengaging story and drab voice acting sully the overall package.