Sam Barlow's epic mystery of self-reference and cinema is an elaborate, ingenious enigma - one that would be even better if it didn't want to be solved.
A lean and tightly-restrained mashup of more than just Rock Band and Doom, Metal: Hellsinger captures the earnest spirit of an underloved genre.
Much like its heroes, God of War: Ragnarök learns to love itself for what it truly is: gargantuan, excessive, and wonderfully absurd.
Much like its endless enemies, Darktide's many small issues add up to a real nuisance - but stupendous atmosphere and vicious action just about prevails.
Disparate parts pull together to form a beautiful game that's only more potent for its awkward adolescence.
Navigating a tonal minefield with just enough confidence, Company of Heroes 3 is a big, refined, and beautifully textured addition to an already brilliant series.
Quality of life tweaks and vast depth can't overcome Football Manager 2019's uncharacteristically clumsy, all-consuming training rework.
The former Civ 5 director's long-running passion project is filled with nice ideas, but they never threaten to pull together.
Competent strategy pastes flat-footed, surface-level sci-fi over a genre that lives and dies by its nuance.
Pok'mon Sword and Shield add some brilliant new creatures, but like their gargantuan Dynamax forms, the games feel like a hollow projection.
A likeable indie with cracking source material and a special setting, The Flower Collectors is just missing the magic of detail.
A predictably grim spin on a legendary action license that really deserves better, Predator: Hunting Grounds is unworthy prey.
Pok'mon's first ever expansion offers sunny vibes and another, more open world, but is still lacking the substance to do much with it.
Limited by a rote and rigid world, Sucker Punch's samurai homage pairs okay action with enjoyably committed, if awkwardly fawning melodrama.
A mostly thorough remake of 2002's original, Mafia: Definitive Edition has its moments - but it struggles by the standards of today.
Pok'mon Sword and Shield's final expansion is a fantastic, enticing endgame area that also shows just how great these games could have been.
Superliminal meets The Unfinished Swan in an admirable debut effort from Grateful Decay, that's best when it sticks to the ingenous premise.
Amplitude's big play for the historical grand strategy crown is ambitious and considered, but it's missing a little magic.
The original Pok'mon Diamond and Pearl were strange, uneven games. The remakes file them down to something still enjoyable, but textureless.
Despite an endearing commitment to its relentlessly positive tone, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands almost feels designed by a dice roll.