Squeenix's epic-ish isekai game has cool magical combat, but it's far too big for its own good, and that scale leaves it feeling empty and disappointing.
The Callisto Protocol isn't that scary and has potentially annoying combat, but it would still be pretty fun if it didn't run like your three day old reheated takeaway.
The Chant has some good enemy design and interesting resource management, but its psychic-horror weirdness just doesn't get weird enough.
Saturnalia is a pulse-raising, shiver-making, dark little whisper; a beautiful horror game, and you won't have played anything like it before
You wait 8 years for a sort-of sequel to your favourite Borderlands narrative adventure game and when one finally turns up it's an unfunny disappointment
Scorn's dreadful bio-mechanical world is a fantastic example of horror design and level design alike, but its lovely mess of flesh is let down by messier combat.
There are some early access bugs, but Coral Island's slightly kinder, eco-friendly farming world is a compulsive treat full of beautiful details.
The Excavation Of Hob's Barrow is a short, mostly easy puzzle adventure more notable for it's a wonderful atmosphere of complete dread.
Return To Monkey Island might be playing the entire nostalgia hand, nevermind the card, but it's also a very good modern point and click game that makes a perfect new entry to a beloved old series.
Steelrising has a great premise, and all the ingredients necessary to be a great Soulslike game. It just doesn't get the mix right, ending up all the more frustrating for how good it could be.
Immortality is an ambitious and considered look at art, storytelling, film, religion, and many other things, but it doesn't quite catch all the metaphorical apples it throws in the air.
You can spend many happy hours in the new Saints Row game, without it leaving a lasting impression. The story is rushed, and for all the slick shooting and driving this game doesn't feel fresh.
Some of the busywork feels dated even for a 2018 game, and this re-release suffers from the existence of its own sequel, but Marvel's Spider-Man is a great, fun-filled, web-swinging romp. The PC port keeps all of its charm.
Equal parts terrifying and amusing, Madison is doing some really great things with the first-person horror template. If only it had eased up on the puzzles a bit.
The Quarry is a thrilling-ish monster-movie in game form. The charismatic characters and tropey twists get this loose series of games back on a fun, classic horror trope track - with a bit of gore thrown in.
Card Shark is a collection of cheat 'em up mini-games that's clever, beautiful and stylish - but it'll demand 100% of your attention until you've finished it. Playing it like a real person with a life is hard.
Silt has immaculate undersea monster vibes, but finicky puzzle solutions and ungenerous checkpointing make them hard to properly enjoy.
Mystery and intrigue at a vampire court is fun, and there are some great puzzles and conversation battles. But Swansong also has a lot of walking in between them - as well as some potentially annoying bugs.
Eternal Threads is like if Return Of The Obra Dinn was a time-travel soap opera. It can be messy, and you'll run into walls of frustration, but if you can get over these hurdles, this is a fun kitchen-sink-drama-meets-sudoku.
Despite feeling that this puzzle-adventure's story needs a ruthless edit, FixFox's weird futuristic world is just such a lovely place to exist, fix stuff, and make friends in.