At its core, Dear Esther represents an exploration (or walking simulator, if that’s one’s preferred assessment) title for exploration fans.
Despite a lackluster story that doesn't stand out until it's too late, the color-changing gameplay provides a considerable amount of enjoyably unique puzzle and platforming sections for fans of the genre, with simplistic enough controls for players of all skill levels to experience.
Need for Speed Unbound brings plenty of style and builds upon the high stakes dynamic established in 2019's Heat to create an engaging and enjoyable open world racing game.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is an exciting step forward for the series that continues to surprise with its increasingly deep combat, gratifying exploration and joyful presentation.
Rollerdrome effortlessly combines thrilling speed and adrenaline-inducing combat to create an exciting mashup of genres that will appeal to sports and action fans alike.
Mario Strikers: Battle League is the most stylized and chaotic Mario sports game to date, with quick, intense matches that reward strategic and aggressive playstyles.
Nintendo Switch Sports doesn't revolutionize motion-controlled gaming, but instead brings it back at its peak with six enjoyable sports that play great locally or online.
Riders Republic makes a strong case as one of the best and most varied extreme sports games to date, with a solid offering of unique vehicles that are fun to use and master.
Twelve Minutes features a compelling time loop story with strong performances that will keep players hooked, even when the lack of guidance brings that momentum to a halt.
Outriders is an exciting evolution of the third-person shooter genre, with thrilling sci-fi powers and satisfying gunplay that makes nearly every battle feel fast-paced and gripping until the last enemy drops.
The Pathless is an enjoyable adventure to a serene island filled with satisfying puzzles, mesmeric traversal and gripping boss showdowns. Some small frustrations, including unnecessary stealth sequences and little reason to deviate from the main objective, hold the game back, but the polished moment-to-moment gameplay combined with the inspired soundtrack make for a pleasing and fun experience that's easy to recommend to fans of open world and puzzle games.
Star Wars: Squadrons nails the inherently exciting feeling of piloting and fighting in its iconic starfighters, but the paltry single player and multiplayer modes fail to do anything ambitious or impressive with the core gameplay.
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout capitalizes on its bold and wacky take of the battle royale genre through its polished gameplay and wide variety of minigames that make it easy to pick up and tough to master.
The adrenaline-inducing, high stakes nightlife of Need for Speed Heat is an exciting idea that pushes the franchise forward after years of stagnation.
What the Golf is the ultimate parody of the titular sport by boiling it down to its fundamentals and constantly upending the player's expectations to create a humorous and memorable game.
Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is an unexpectedly ambitious remaster that puts a fresh coat of paint on the accessible and deep kart racer.
Take Us Back is a well-constructed but ineffective conclusion to Telltale's The Walking Dead series.
The concluding chapters of Clementine's journey remains as emotional and stressful as ever, but rarely feels purposeful enough to be a worthwhile finale for longtime fans.
Done Running is proof that Telltale still has plenty of ideas to innovate and reinvigorate the adventure genre, where even small changes including new camera perspectives and an improved presentation can go a long way, even if the story hasn't quite found its footing yet.
Batman: The Enemy Within is an improvement on the first season in nearly every way, with enhanced combat sequences, a strong presentation and voice cast and an engrossing relationship between Batman and the Joker that produces some memorable and heart-wrenching moments that feel well-justified by the player's choices up to those moments.