Ben Thomas
Thanks to an enjoyable combat loop and wonderfully dark environments, Diablo IV is a great blend of the previous two games in the series that brings a slew of basic MMO features while preserving the core tenets of the franchise.
Amnesia: The Bunker has a fantastic dynamic involving light and power management, as you explore an atmospheric WW1 bunker and avoid a monster with a keen sense of hearing. Despite a lack of puzzles, a bland story, and a few monster quirks, it packs enough good horror to keep players on edge.
Firmament's deficient storytelling, bland and sparse worlds, clumsy primary tool, and occasionally broken puzzles mean it is not worth playing, even if you are a fan of Cyan's previous adventures.
Deep and tantalizing combat, enticing exploration, smooth platforming, and strong narrative moments lead the way in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. This sequel improves nearly everything and only the suboptimal framerate leaves a sour taste.
Age of Wonders 4 is a deep and addictive turn-based strategy game that offers excellent player choice with custom worlds and varied rulers, alongside tweaks to the proven formula. Only its technical blemishes cast a dark shadow over the glorious realms found within.
The uncompromising investigation process, misdirected horror, tedious clue-searching, and unsatisfying story make Sherlock Holmes The Awakened a bit of a sad case.
DREDGE offers an addictive fishing loop that pairs well with its surface-level Lovecraftian horror, undone only by a missed opportunity to dive deeper.
Resident Evil 4's excellent variety, involving combat, and rollercoaster pacing makes it one of the best in the series and a faithful recreation, mired by a parasitic companion and a few weird franchise tropes.
The appealing post-apocalyptic presentation found in Life of Delta might draw players into its world, but the simple puzzles and barren story will keep them from building a lasting connection.
Clash: Artifacts of Chaos offers a beautiful new rendition of Zenozoik with suitable fisticuffs against whacky creatures, offset by awfully circuitous traversal and repetitive gameplay.
Despite a tedious beginning and many generic traits, Scars Above comes alive near the end with decent third-person shooting set in an intriguing alien world that is oddly familiar in more ways than one.
Atomic Heart's captivating Soviet robo-topia crumbles under the weight of a poorly delivered story, clunky action, unnecessary open-world traversal, and a glut of technical issues.
Deliver Us Mars comes crashing back down to Earth because of presentation failings, story missteps, and technical issues, despite a somewhat compelling personal tale involving the majesty of space travel and exploration of the red planet.
Dead Space (2023) takes the original's stellar experience into the modern age with excellent atmosphere, additional narrative content, level-design tweaks, and a few surprises to keep the flayed flesh fresh.
Children of Silentown is a nice-looking but bland adventure game due to basic puzzles and mundane objectives, although its second half shows more potential.
Crude, repetitive, rarely scary, and quite often boring, Choo-Choo Charles butchers an unusual concept and only offers a few moments of mediocre tension.
As a visual treat and atmospheric marvel, The Callisto Protocol has the presentation to be Dead Space's modern-day superior, but shoddy lore, gameplay quirks, and blandness mean it does not quite make the cut.
Inspired by Portal, The Entropy Centre will make you think backwards as you complete good puzzle chambers with the help of an energetic AI companion and refreshing detours.
Intriguing visual design, a well-tuned action loop, and varied puzzles hold SIGNALIS steady against interference from silly item juggling and an incomprehensible narrative.
With a slightly different driving model, that is less enjoyable, and a severe lack of new content, WRC Generations is not much more than a compilation of previous entries with a different coat of paint.