Road 96: Mile 0 certainly takes risks - both in narrative and gameplay - but unfortunately it does not pay off. The trippy skating segments are amusing, but are probably not what traditional adventure fans wanted from this prequel.
Despite its generic name, Storyteller should hopefully grab the attention of puzzle fans with its charming presentation and engaging design.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a well-made metroidvania spinoff, with solid - if not particularly imaginative or complex - gameplay. Targeting a younger audience through easy gameplay and a fairy tale aesthetic places it in an awkward spot within the rest of the franchise.
Terraformers may not be greater than the sum of its parts, but its unique mix of mechanics and low asking price should help spark curiosity in fans of strategy games and card based roguelikes.
The Pale Beyond has a nice art style and tries to balance an intriguing story and survival gameplay, but the two elements never find common ground, and the technical issues eventually drag the whole experience into the icy waters.
Company of Heroes 3 proves that its unique and addicting RTS formula remains intact, and while it has plenty of solo and multiplayer content to keep you engaged for hours, a few design issues and presentation weaknesses prevent it from being declared an outright triumph.
Ten Dates features a solid cast with occasionally great chemistry and believable dialogue, but it misses the opportunity to improve on its predecessor, with a rigid structure and unsatisfyingly short runtime split between two standalone character paths.
Hi-Fi Rush is a charming action game with a great art style, fun characters, and solid mechanics. Sometimes, that's all you need.
The Forest Quartet is a nicely atmospheric puzzle game that is over a bit too quickly and doesn't live up to its musical inclinations.
Need for Speed Unbound has a few original ideas, and though some aspects needed tweaking, the core racing gameplay and a focus on car customization help the franchise keep drifting onward.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide offers an authentic representation of the 40k lore, and while the cooperative action gameplay can be occasionally satisfying, it lacks content, has a few strange design choices, and suffers from too many performance issues.
The Dark Pictures: The Devil in Me has a promising start but ends up being a lackluster final game in the first season of this horror Anthology. Although the formula can still work, as demonstrated by The Quarry, with bland gameplay and uninteresting characters this sub-series clearly needs a facelift.
For a few moments, New Tales from the Borderlands captures the feeling of the series, but for the most part it's a rather generic and overlong trek that fails to excite, entertain, or amuse.
Somerville is a nice looking adventure game with a unique puzzle element idea, but narrative and performance inconsistencies leave the overall experience a bit muted.
Bayonetta 3 vastly expands its scope and has the biggest enemies and set pieces in the franchise to date, but in the midst of the bombastic action - along with some dubious gameplay and narrative choices - it loses a bit of its soul.
God of War Ragnarök is an innocuous sequel that continues on the path laid out by its predecessor. The writing and narrative leave something to be desired, but with solid gameplay and great presentation, there's plenty to see and do in these Nine Realms.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord continues to offer a unique mix of grand strategy and large scale 3D battles. The strategy aspect could have used more depth and variety, as well as a better designed campaign and a lot more tutorials. But it's the battles that steal the spotlight, with thrilling large scale encounters. While the developers couldn't deliver on all their ambitions, the distinctiveness of the gameplay still helps the sequel stand out.
Fans of the original game will find very little to be excited about, but ultimately Overwatch 2 is a solid free to play hero shooter with polished gameplay and enough content to be worth checking out.
NHL 23 is packed with modes and content that should impress almost any hockey fan, even if some of the technical elements could use a sprucing up. But in a world where NHL 22 exists, there are just far too few additions and improvements to recommend this year's game for returning players.
FIFA 23 is the final entry of this footballing franchise under its current iconic name, and it's not really one to remember. While the gameplay continues to strive forward, most of the other new features are rather undercooked and the overall package lacks a bit of polish.