Richard Costa
- System Shock
- Subnautica
- Disco Elysium
If you don't mind silly and over-the-top action scenes that make most people roll their eyes, A Way Out will provide some decent mindless entertainment to you and a co-op buddy for a few hours. Otherwise, this is one to avoid.
FAR: Lone Sails is a miniature masterpiece, no less great for its compact simplicity. A must-play for anyone interested in post-apocalyptic scenarios, atmosphere-heavy games, and low-key environmental narrative.
A swaggering sequel that reaches for the future as it embraces the past, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is a unique and ambivalent roleplaying experience.
Red Faction Guerrilla was a frantic open world romp and mayhem simulator. This remaster is a total recall of the original with a fresh coat of paint.
At once a love letter to classic point-and-click adventures and a beautiful, brave experiment in its own right, The Lion's Song revitalizes its genre.
A short and mystical experience marred by several flaws, Gray Dawn falls short of its great potential.
Unavowed succeeds as a mature point-and-click adventure set in an urban fantasy world, though it falters in some of the fine print.
Phantom Doctrine is a life-consuming espionage simulator that offers a deeply complex cluster of systems to explore. Its turn-based tactics gameplay is a feat of engineering that will offer players many hours of combat thrills and stealth schemes.
What Beast of Winter lacks in content it makes up for in depth with an intriguing plunge into the history of Eora.
Shadows: Awakening doesn't do much that is new or interesting, but it does achieve a mostly enjoyable ARPG experience that will appeal to diehard fans of the genre.
Return of the Obra Dinn breaks the mold of the gaming medium as an enthralling first-person mystery adventure with overtones of Edgar Allan Poe. This is an extraordinary conjunction of cerebral puzzle, supernatural nautical tale, and ornate art direction.
Though tainted by a broken difficulty mode, Thronebreaker stands on the shoulders of The Witcher as a morally complex and often harrowing Macbethian tale of royal revenge and revolt.
Even if you can get past the countless technical issues, Underworld Ascendant is a poorly designed abomination that ruins the Underworld series even to those who've never heard of it. This is the final nail in the Immersive Sim™ coffin. Bury it and salt the earth.
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a competent albeit narratively underwhelming tactical RPG with novel stealth mechanics and solid turn-based combat.
Slay the Spire is a vertiginously challenging and infinitely replayable roguelike deckbuilder set in a highly original dark fantasy universe.
Seeker, Slayer, Survivor plays like filler DLC. It's below average and lukewarm at best, with very little of what makes an Obsidian RPG in the mix.
There was a lot of potential in Kingmaker, but also a lot of wasted potential. The developers might still be able to salvage this potential if they listen to criticism and are willing to overhaul the game in every possible way.
Eastshade is an immersive and contemplative adventure set in a quirky fantasy universe. In spite of some performance issues and underdeveloped mechanics, it achieves a memorable gaming experience.
While it doesn't offer much in the way of closure, The Forgotten Sanctum is a satisfyingly eccentric expansion with Cronenbergian elements and an atmosphere vaguely reminiscent of Planescape: Torment.
The Occupation is a taut investigative simulation and stealth thriller. It's infused with a realistic and multidimensional approach to mechanics, systems, and level design. This is a must-play for fans of Deus Ex and Dishonored.