Orcs Must Die! Unchained cleverly mixes action and strategy gaming to create a fun and light-hearted horde defense game. Its F2P implementation is subtle and works well, and the game is a great way to whittle away a few hours where you feel like killing something.
Theseus has some interesting ideas, and it manages to create an immersive atmosphere, but it doesn’t flesh out its concepts enough to create a full-fledged VR adventure title. It feels like it has some great ideas but it doesn’t explore them as much as it could have
While some difficulty spikes make it frustrating, Sundered is a capable action metroidvania that deserves a look simply based on its incredible world. Lots of indie games try and create a bleak, desolate world that you need to sift through the ruins of, but Sundered creates surreal and often disturbing sights with real talent, and it’s a world you won’t soon forget
Supergiant Games delivers another unique, memorable title with Pyre. It manages to work on two totally separate levels, presenting a beautifully drawn fantasy virtual novel and a surprisingly complex twist on the classic game of football. Its story can be a little slow and a little bizarre, but it ends up having a lot of charm, and its core game is likely to become a local multiplayer classic
SUPERHOT VR is a totally new VR experience for the SUPERHOT world, and it’s amazingly well crafted. While the controls on PSVR can be a bit wonky, you’ll surely feel like you’re an action hero pulling off elaborate combos frame by frame. It’s not that long, but it has enough content to make for a really fun VR experience.
While it’s by no means a bad shooter, Demon’s Crystals doesn’t have much to offer to help it stand out from the pack. Its lack of content and somewhat repetitive nature make it a more ideal recommendation for shooter fans looking for a nice arcade shooter on sale
Housemarque has delivered another superb shooter with Nex Machina. It’ll have you dashing about, trying to save the humans and mowing down hordes of mechanical monsters. It’s a must for any fan of the genre, and its variety of modes will accommodate casual as well as hardcore fans
While it’s lighter on the scares than its big brothers in the horror genre, Perception ends up being much more memorable due to its well-crafted story and unique way of creating danger. Its central mechanic forces you to be careful and quiet, and its final chapter delivers a wallop that more than makes up for a slower start.
A capable RPG sitting atop a lackluster shmup, Drifting Lands is much more focused on the looting and upgrading than it is on sidescrolling shmup action. Fans of ARPGs who enjoy the sidescrolling shooter format might enjoy this one, but it’s a tough sell for purists who want a more varied shooter.
Probably the best anime-style fighter out there and one of the greats in the fighting game genre, Guilty Gear XRD Rev 2 delivers a robust fighter that takes some time to master but rewards that patience with some remarkably fluid fighting action and a diverse cast with a unique range of moves and special attacks. It’s not quite like anything else out there right now, and I definitely recommend it for fans of the genre
After waiting for more than 6 years for a sequel, you'd expect Tekken 7 to come back with the might of an iron fist, and Bandai Namco absolutely nailed that. A bit more serious than its predecessor, Tekken 7 is also more technical, precise and demanding without being less entertaining, thanks to its varied roster of characters. While it might not be the prettiest fighting game around in comparison to the current competitions, the rest works perfectly, especially the online modes which are for me the best in the genre so far. In short, Tekken 7 is a great competitive game for friends and rivals!
It’s obvious that Akiba’s Beat is inspired by hit titles like Persona and to a lesser extent Tales Of, but it misses the mark and doesn’t manage to deliver what made those titles great. The story has its moments, but its bogged down by a wordy script and clichéd characters. The repetitive combat doesn’t help, and Akiba’s Beat goes down as another forgettable JRPG.
Impact Winter does some great things with the survival formula, and its focus on cooperation really forces you to think twice about your actions, but its technical issues on PC mean you’ll have to wait for some patches to get things in working order
Trackmania 2: Lagoon is another great entry to the series, and if you’re a fan of tropical paradises and racing at breakneck speeds to shave seconds off your scores, it’s a great title. It offers a ton of content and a seemingly endless supply of user content, so there’s a lot to get into.
Stardew Valley is a simple game at first, but you’ll find it’ll quickly suck you into a world of farming, bonding, and adventuring. It’s got a real simplicity about it which, along with its charm, makes it a really fun title that is now available on console.
TumbleSeed starts off simple enough, but in classic roguelike fashion it quickly becomes a tricky, demanding (literal) balancing act with a variety of buffs and obstacles. Fans of light, arcadey titles should check it out
A bit more demanding than usual, NBA Playgrounds fits in the right line of NBA Jam and NBA Street, without a constant comparison. The game may be arcade in looks and gameplay, but it tries to compensate for a slightly more demanding timed control schemes, which might not be fun for all. Too bad that the solo as the multiplayer part have been shipped almost half-baked at launch, and I really hope that the updates and patch will be coming fast to keep the momentum.
Expedition: Vikings is a great game for fans of Viking lore. It tells an engaging, well-written story while doing its best to remain faithful to Viking lore. It has some rough edges, but overall it’s a great tactical RPG.
Renowned Explorers: More to Explore! is a game that strategy table-top lovers will certainly enjoy, and its simple mechanics hide a deep, intricate system of progress that pushes you to really think things through. Its light humor and likeable cast of rogues is a great bonus.
While Syberia 3 is a great way for newcomers to explore the unique world of Syberia, a wealth of technical issues prevent this promising adventure game from really shining. We hope future patches can take care of it, because the story at the core of Syberia is just as engaging as ever, and while its puzzles aren’t that tricky, it’s got a story worth telling.