Viewfinder is fun while it lasts and has more than one moment that will leave players with a smile on their faces. It doesn't live up to its full potential, but it's still a solid game and one that will hopefully inspire others to explore similar concepts. It's easy to see how Viewfinder's picture-to-reality idea could be huge for something like a horror game or even a first-person shooter. Applying the brilliant idea at its core to something with a better story and more content would be the makings of an instant classic. What's here is still certainly worth the price of admission, however.
Those that give Crash Team Rumble a chance will find fun, fast-paced platforming gameplay that rewards coordinated teamwork but is still perfectly entertaining with randoms. Toys for Bob has proven that the Crash Bandicoot-style of platforming is right at home in the online multiplayer space, but the game's longevity is a legitimate concern. Anyone interested in the game should jump in now while the community is most active, but those that don't want to risk spending $30 on a game that may fall off in a few months may be better served waiting to see if Crash Team Rumble gets a free-to-play re-release down the road.
The 2023 Layers of Fear is definitely the best way to experience the Layers of Fear games, but they were never particularly good to begin with. While Layers of Fear is what put Bloober Team on the map, the studio has put out significantly better games since then, like sci-fi horror game Observer, the Blair Witch game, and the Silent Hill-inspired The Medium. Horror fans should consider checking those out before taking a chance with Layers of Fear.
Amnesia: The Bunker is genuinely scary, and its puzzles are fun to solve. Old-school survival-horror fans in particular will find a lot to like about the game. It randomizes certain elements in subsequent playthroughs to keep things interesting and that combined with its open-ended nature makes it the most replayable Amnesia game, even though it doesn't quite stick the landing like its predecessors. Luckily, Amnesia: The Bunker is a day one Xbox Game Pass game, so horror fans can brave its terrors for themselves without making any kind of major financial commitment.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is polished and runs perfect, with fast-paced and exciting combat. Gamers that grew up playing 90s FPS games will get a kick out of how much it borrows from Doom, Quake, and the like, but many will tire of the archaic design choices that have been abandoned by modern games. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun represents the best and worst of 90s-era FPS games, so while it has a solid foundation, it fails to deliver truly compelling content to go with it, making the game difficult to recommend to anyone that's not a hardcore Warhammer fan or who isn't desperately nostalgic for the 90s.
Ravenlok is not for hardcore gamers that want to invest hundreds of hours into their games or who are looking for a challenge. It's a short, sweet, easy game that's perfect for sitting back and relaxing or as a good starter game for kids. It's totally at home on Xbox Game Pass and subscribers shouldn't miss their opportunity to check it out.
Dead Island 2 offers plenty of over-the-top zombie-killing fun, especially in co-op, but it's dragged down by serious technical problems.
Even discounting the upcoming community creations, WWE 2K23 has so much content baked in that fans should be able to play for hours on end without even scratching the surface of everything the game has to offer. Whereas WWE 2K22 was a rebuilding year for the franchise, WWE 2K23 is all about building on that foundation, offering players more bang for their buck and taking everything a step forward. There is still plenty of room for improvement for sure, but WWE 2K23 is easily one of the best WWE games of the past decade.
The Last of Us is truly one of gaming's best, but the PC port is not the ideal way to experience it. Eventually, The Last of Us Part 1 on PC will be in a state where it lives up to or even exceeds its PlayStation 5 counterpart, but right now it's difficult to recommend. Buried beneath the poor performance is still one of the best games ever made, though, so PC gamers who don't mind playing with Medium graphics may still be able to enjoy the incredible story and gameplay if they absolutely can't wait for everything to be fixed.
Even without its extra game modes, the Resident Evil 4 remake is still phenomenal. It offers nonstop visceral combat and clever changes that help it feel both new and familiar at the same time. The fact that the Resident Evil 4 remake is not as content-complete as previous iterations of the game hurt it, but what's there is still so good that most will be able to forgive it.
Unless one is really desperate to unlock a bunch of easy achievements, there is no real reason to play Scars Above. It's like a video game rough draft. Some games have been accused of being half-baked, but Scars Above is like raw dough. It has some interesting concepts and weapons, but it never grows into anything resembling a full-fledged gaming experience. Its budget price of $40 is still asking way too much, even for the most diehard third-person shooter enthusiasts. Scars Above may mimic games like Returnal and Dark Souls, but it is highly unlikely to please fans of either game.
Returnal marks yet another high quality PC port of a PlayStation exclusive game and is a must-buy for anyone that hasn't already played on PS5.
Hogwarts Legacy lives up to the hype, and we can confidently say it's the best thing to come out of the Harry Potter franchise since the original books and movies.
The Dead Space remake improves on the 2008 original in every category with significantly upgraded graphics, gameplay, and more.
High on Life is a fun first-person shooter game with a memorable and hilarious story as well as a couple of serious bugs that need addressing.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are an ambitious attempt to take the Pokemon franchise open world, but they fail to live up to expectations.
The Callisto Protocol is an excellent game while it lasts, but it's missing important features that would have propelled it to the next level.
Evil West's core combat is an absolute blast, though the game's short length and underwhelming presentation may be deal-breakers for some gamers.
Bayonetta 3 is an over-the-top thrill ride from start to finish, with incredibly fun gameplay that outshines its few shortcomings.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's campaign is a disappointment and while there's fun to be had in multiplayer, it's missing important features.