Richard Wakeling
The rhythmic interplay between Metal: Hellsinger's rip-roaring soundtrack and frenetic action is a magical concoction.
With an engaging and aggressive combat system, and a unique alternative-history setting, Steelrising is an interesting albeit familiar Souls-like.
The Saints Row reboot ditches the over-the-top aspects of its predecessor, but still feels like it's trapped in the past.
Midnight Fight Express is a modern beat-'em-up with extensive motion-captured animations that bring its frenetic combat to life with wince-inducing satisfaction.
Two Point Campus emphasizes partying and friendship just as much as studying and attending class, adding a unique twist to this business management sim.
Sunbreak lacks fresh ideas and withholds its new monsters for far too long, but small changes improve upon Rise's spectacular monster hunting.
Neon White's story stumbles at times, but its slick, breakneck action is flawless and elevates it to be one of the year's best games.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is a love letter to Turtles in Time that modernizes the classic beat-'em-up while retaining its 16-bit essence
The Quarry picks up where Until Dawn left off, introducing another group of personable teens you'll attempt to keep alive. Or not.
Sniper Elite 5 emphasizes player agency with another thrilling sandbox that excels when you're looking down the scope.
Salt and Sacrifice imbues its Souls-like formula with elements from Monster Hunter, creating a peculiar mixture that falls just short of realizing its full potential.
Trek to Yomi oozes style by evoking the legendary samurai flicks of Akira Kurosawa, but its stilted combat lacks the substance to make this a classic in itself.
Rogue Legacy 2 improves on its predecessor in every way, with smart new additions that elevate its satisfying roguelite loop.
Postal 4: No Regerts is an abysmal video game with no redeeming qualities other than the fact that it eventually ends.
Norco weaves a compelling and utterly wonderful story that's dark, beautiful, evocative, and distinctly human.
MLB The Show 22 stills plays a phenomenal game of baseball, but incremental updates reveal a series that's lacking in ambition.
Ghostwire: Tokyo's unique supernatural combat and eerily beautiful open-world paper over the cracks of its subpar story and inconsistent side missions.
Tunic harkens back to the 16-bit era with a challenging adventure full of discovery and wonder.
WWE 2K22 makes a surprising recovery and puts the long-running series back on track.
Excellent combat and an engaging endgame are undercut by Lost Ark's archaic MMO quest design and emphasis on microtransactions.