Tim Reid
Kingdom Come: Deliverance deserves a lot of credit for succeeding in its highly ambitious and original realism-driven approach to role-playing game design, though the amount of broken quests and general lack of polish in combination with an ill-conceived save system bring down the experience significantly.
A polished and enjoyable but somewhat aimless survival focused city-builder that slowly loses its appeal once you figure out how to survive the initial starting-up period.
The New Blood is a highly enjoyable old-school expansion that is slightly brought down by a weaker second half and some minor technical issues.
Tannenberg is more accessible and has a greater fun factor than you might expect from a realism-driven World War 1 shooter, thanks to a great central game mode and consistently exciting and satisfying gameplay. Though you'll need to be on board with bolt-action rifles and accept that you are going to die a lot.
State of Decay 2 refines and builds upon the formula of managing the survival of a group during a zombie apocalypse, with mostly well balanced difficulty and smooth co-op integration making up for plain visuals and some rough edges.
Despite its very inconsistent tone, lack of polish and finicky vehicles, the solid core gameplay and gorgeous open world make Ghost Recon Wildlands a highly enjoyable co-op multiplayer tactical experience.
Despite some superficial similarities to other recent multiplayer focused games, LawBreakers is ultimately its own beast with challenging, deep gameplay that succeeds thanks to the unique movement system, low-gravity combat and fun, varied classes.
Total War: Warhammer is a polished entry that breaks away from traditional history with some good novelty value attached to its new setting, though excessive streamlining of the campaign and reduced battle scenarios notably detract from the experience.
Though its glacial pace certainly won't be for everyone, Space Hulk: Tactics offers up a substantial helping of enjoyable turn-based tactical gameplay with two distinct and well designed factions in the hostile but compelling Warhammer 40k setting.
Rainbow Six Siege is a thrilling asymmetrical tactical FPS that unfortunately suffers from technical issues and frustrating instant deaths.
Borderlands 3 sticks to the formula established in previous games. Despite suffering from technical issues and some pretty obnoxious characters and dialogue, the improvements to core mechanics, a great variety of locations and enemies, and series-best procedurally generated loot make it a more than a worthy sequel that should enthrall fans for dozens of hours.
Mordhau's incredibly satisfying melee combat and slapstick ultra-violence make for a riotously good time on the medieval battlefield, though a lack of maps for the best mode and lingering technical issues are cracks in the armor of this otherwise thrilling multiplayer slasher.
There is a fantastic RPG at the core of Elex with some excellent world and quest design, remarkably diverse factions and environments awaiting those who can get past its slow start, clumsy combat and overall lack of fine polish.
The Golf Club 2 is a satisfying and challenging golf simulation that succeeds thanks to the depth and quality of its core mechanics and number of courses available, despite a lackluster visual presentation and lack of proper online multiplayer.
If you can come to terms with Mass Effect: Andromeda's rough edges and embrace its focus on exploring interesting planets and sub-plots above a single epic storyline, there is a substantial and captivating interstellar adventure to be found within.
Despite a lack of innovation and some repetition, Mad Max is a consistently entertaining and utterly stunning open world game that will keep you driving late into the night.
Another big, deep, engrossing action RPG in the Souls series that is more polished but ultimately weaker due to a fractured world, lack of direction, uneven difficulty and uninspired boss fights.
After releasing ‘Quantum Break’ exclusively on Microsoft platforms, developer Remedy is back with their third-person action-adventure title, Control. In the game, you play as Jesse Faden, whose search for her missing brother has led to a place known as the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC).
Darksiders Genesis marks a return to form for the series, with a classic experience underlying the shift in camera perspective and budget price tag. Some minor issues with controls during puzzles and navigation aren't enough to dampen enjoyment of this surprisingly great prequel spinoff.
The addition of proper online multiplayer and the PGA Tour career mode make The Golf Club 2019 a meaningful improvement over its already impressive predecessor, even if the initial learning curve is on steeper side and the visual presentation remains stuck in the past.