Black Ops 6’s campaign is a much-needed return to form for the long-running franchise, providing a fairly meaty experience that’s never afraid to surprise players while at the same time delivering some of the best set pieces in the series. This is modern Call of Duty at its best, shedding its corridor shooter DNA whenever it needs to, and embracing it again at the next step if that means the player will have a good time, and I couldn’t be happier with it.
Frostpunk 2 manages to keep true to the spirit of the original while at the same time increasing the scale a hundredfold via the addition of smart political systems that will once again have players questioning their own beliefs.
Space Marine 2 is not only a complete package in an age of games as a service selling promises, but also an extremely fun third person action game made by people who clearly love the setting and wanted to share that love with the fans.
Sins of a Solar Empire 2 is a more than worthy follow-up to the acclaimed 2008 original, offering a noticeable visual glow-up, but also improving on almost every other aspect as a sequel should.
The First Descendant is an extremely derivative looter shooter that takes most of its mechanics from Warframe, but newcomers to the genre will almost certainly have a blast in its futuristic gunfights.
Jagged Alliance 3 manages the impossible, as Haemimont Games delivers a worthy follow-up to Jagged Alliance 2, and successfully modernizes this long dormant tactics series.
Redfall is Arkane Studios’ first major misstep, a game that feels unfinished and without soul, as if it was designed by a committee looking to cash in on all the newest trends with no care for the developer’s past glory.
Paper Cut Mansion is a very charming roguelite survival horror title that manages to tell a compelling story while serving up inventive puzzles and serviceable action.
ELEX II is a massive improvement over its predecessor, though its dated graphics and awkward combat can drive players away before they get a chance to truly explore the vast world of Magalan.
Sifu is a gorgeously presented martial arts beat ’em up that will sometimes manage to get in its own way, but almost always ends up making up for its mistakes with exciting combat and a novel approach to death and failure.
Far Cry 6 doesn’t revolutionize the formula, but it offers enough new content and ideas to keep players busy with the series’ best entry yet.
Humankind is an incredibly addictive historical strategy title that will only get better with time.
Curved Space may look like a one-trick pony with a simple gimmick, but it's actually a very engaging twin-stick shooter teeming with good ideas and fun combat encounters.
Streum On Studio’s latest release might be a bit rough around the edges, but it’s a blast to play.
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground is a fun marriage of roguelite elements and turn-based tactical combat, though bugs and other issues prevent me from giving it a glowing recommendation.
Biomutant is an extremely fun open world action RPG, but it suffers from uneven combat and lackluster mission variety.
Days Gone’s post-apocalyptic Oregon looks great and plays even better on PC, giving anti-hero Deacon St. John the redemption arc he deserves.
Resident Evil Village is an excellent addition to the series, expertly mixing horror, action and exploration for an experience that will stay in gamers’ minds for years to come.
Total War: Rome Remastered is a great graphical upgrade of an excellent game, but it suffers from poor AI and annoying bugs.
Hood: Outlaws & Legends is a breath of fresh air in the multiplayer arena, offering an interesting mix of PvP and cooperative action that is only let down by a few unbalanced mechanics that could have used an extra polish pass.