Bizarre and brazen but totally sincere, ELEX is a rough diamond that offers everything a hardcore RPG fan could want in a very rough and ready package. For everyone else, however, it's a total oddity and one that's hard to unequivocally recommend.
It's fun for a while, but Agents of Mayhem is just a lot of wasted potential.
Marvel's Avengers is held up by a surprisingly excellent single-player campaign and let down by its stagnant gameplay loop and widespread technical issues. We definitely can't do this all day.
While a technical wonder with strong gameplay, The Last of Us Part II tries so hard to disconnect itself from its predecessor that it ends up disconnecting itself from the player.
Terminator: Resistance doesn't do much new, and it doesn't do much well, either. It's lagging in almost every department, yet when you put it all together, it's a charming relic that may just surprise you.
Terrible balancing, repetitive gameplay, and a scarcity of content make Vicious Circle feel like a game that wasn't ready to be hatched.
The early joy of discovery in Ancestors is betrayed by repetitive gameplay vignettes that feel like serious work before long.
Even if its gunplay is fluid and its new protagonists offer a nice change of pace, Wolfenstein: Youngblood forgets what made the previous games so enthralling to chase trends that betray the Wolfenstein DNA to its own detriment.
Undeniably entertaining and often thrilling, The Hong Kong Massacre's chances of matching its inspirations are seriously undermined by a lack of care, variety, and an utterly lifeless story.
An interesting and widely untold story can't do enough to gloss over The Mooseman's gameplay pitfalls.
Perception is a good attempt at trying something new in the horror genre without ever really delivering on the scares.
While it has plenty of rough edges, Pieces Interactive's take on horror royalty is the best the series has been in decades.
Reigns: Three Kingdoms adds plenty of new ideas and frustrations, but anyone looking for a bit of regicide on their Steam Deck could do far worse.
Layers of Fear 2023 really isn't the most necessary remake ever and those who didn't like the original games certainly won't be converted, but this is a pretty compelling package for psychological horror fans.
With that said, Melody of Memories is still somewhat enjoyable and the IP it represents is doing the game a lot of favors. Fans will be able to sink several hours into it and I think it is better played in short bursts anyway. I’ll definitely fire the game up again for that couch co-op — even though both parties have to be at the same difficulty level — or to play against my wife or AI to see more of the mechanic that lets the player throw extra hurdles and tricks at their opponent. It isn’t the best game in the rhythm genre (that’s Gitaroo Man), but Melody of Memories is going to entertain a lot of people, make a ton of money, and get fans playing through the whole series again.
Even if the puzzle density and technical issues may drive you to madness, this cosmic horror still has something unique to offer.
The undead series about the undead stumbles a little in its revival episode, though it still retains tension, great setpieces, and undeniable heart.
Pikuniku is a bizarre and often hilarious puzzle platformer that is too hamstrung by its brisk campaign to make it much more than a neat distraction.
Far Cry New Dawn is an interesting experiment for the franchise. While it borrows some mechanics from the Ubisoft family that feel out of place and suffers from frustrating padding, the core Far Cry experience might be enough to tide you over once it finally gets going.
While still fun, FIFA 19 feels like a familiar stopgap until EA Sports figure out how to start innovating with its flagship once again.