Frostpunk: The Last Autumn DLC takes everything you have learned while playing through the brutality of the base game and tweaks the formula just enough to bring you a new feeling of dread, loss, and despair while remaining true to the brilliant mechanics and narrative of the game.
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath is an enjoyable remaster which has managed to age with grace, bringing back a classic feeling that isn’t too dated and is just as easy to play now as it was back in 2005.
Phoenix Labs has built Dauntless to be the same game for all gamers. That has been their mission from the start and in that they have absolutely succeeded.
Lost Ember is defined by its exuberant art style, musical score, and narrative. It tells a simple yet coherent story and gives you just enough at each memory to make you want to press onwards and learn what happens next.
Pokemon Sword and Shield present a revitalizing and refreshing perspective on the series, taking steps back to the series’ roots to remind players what it means to try and become the Pokemon Champion.
Need for Speed Heat is a big step in the right direction for the iconic franchise
The Outer Worlds is a first-person shooter like no other. Offering an open world sandbox in which the entire game is your play-thing, I was easily sucked in and didn’t want to leave.
With charm, wit, and brimming with positivity, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a fantastic new direction for Playtonics dynamic duo.
With cross-save, all new gear, revamped armor, and the finishing blows added to what was already a solid shooter, Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is a worthwhile successor to the Forsaken update and a genuine treat for anyone who loves shooters.
Seriously. Borderlands 3 is sure to be a contender for GOTY and it can only get better with more content and bombastic badasses.
The combat can leave a little something to be desired and these odd bugs for the NPCs break immersion more than a few times, but overall its an emotional investment I’m happy to make. This may not be exactly the RPG you are looking for, but if you are a fan of complex narrative it should definitely be on your radar.
Daemon X Machina goes beyond the expectations of a mech game with the Outer playing an integral part in tactics and combat.
The game is just as addictive as playing a real pinball machine, and the stages last just long enough to comfortably play in short bursts, but the challenge of “just one more run” is ever-present as you repair the giant construct to save the village and simply must know what happens next.
Children of Morta is a resoundingly impactful, thoughtful, and humanizing rogue-lite with an all-consuming narrative you simply can’t stop chasing.
For fans of space flight sims, this game is a beauty to play if only it could be handled with a controller.
RAD is a fun, weird, rogue-like game that is incredibly approachable for all players. Whether you love the challenge of sudden death or you just want to branch out, Double Fine has made a game that caters to both sides and has fun doing it.
While the gameplay and narrative is as solid as you would expect from 11 Bit Studios, the cost to upgrade is really it’s only downside.
If you already own Darksiders 3 you should buy this DLC and get the full experience, but the fact you NEED the DLC to feel like you have the full game is unfortunate to say the least. Had this been included in the game at launch and the much-needed QOL upgrades been implemented, Darksiders 3 would have truly been the successor of the franchise.
God Eater 3 is a middling experience of ideas and gameplay that paradoxically work and don’t work.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 took everything that worked from the original, adorable, nostalgia-riddled experience and upped the ante with better graphical effects, a stronger progression structure, and a more mature narrative that still has the classic Dragon Quest charm