Salt and Sanctuary checks all the boxes for what a 2D Soulslike should have but doesn't do much beyond that, delivering a worthy, albeit conventional addition to the sub-genre.
The solid story, good graphics, and decent amount of content make SpellForce 3 Reforced a reasonably good time if you can put up with the side effects of it being forced into a console experience.
Arcadegeddon has solid gun play mechanics and a setting that most will appreciate but its generic structure and lack of enemy variety hold it back from truly shining.
Teardown has some genuine moments of chaotic fun that are sometimes interrupted by long periods of tedium and some minor performance issues.
Madden NFL 23 is the best of the last several entries, but by lacking the overhaul it really needs, it only achieves so much.
Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed has been brushed up nicely despite some inconsistent performance and prolific bugs.
F1 Manager 22 does a decent job learning from other management simulations but only rarely feels like a step forward for the genre.
NBA 2K23 does a good job with introducing some cool ideas into its stubbornly lackluster larger format.
Dakar Desert Rally is almost great with its beautiful environments and nice variety, but falls short because of its inability to nail down some of the basics.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 beats out the last several Call of Duty games, but resists the potential to be truly great.
WRC Generations lacks the depth and polish of its simulation counterparts but still delivers a fun capstone to the several WRC games that lead up to it.
The newest Dark Pictures game tries some new things and offers some good scares despite not out-doing previous entries by much.
We Happy Few features one of this year's most interesting settings but fails to fill it with quality gameplay most of the time.
Earthfall has some great flashes of fun, but lacks the imagination and balance needed to sustain it for very long.
For every time MXGP 2020 races forward, it seems to slip backwards somewhere else. Depending on what you want out of a motocross game, this could either be a cautious recommendation or a hard pass, neither of which are likely to impress you.
Necromunda: Hired Gun wisely aims high but ultimately flubs the execution on too many fronts to warrant a universal recommendation, but for the most hardcore Warhammer or first-person shooter fans it may be worth a look for the amusing marriage of its ideas.
RiMS Racing makes an honorable attempt at raising the bar for customization but it comes at the cost of nearly everything else.
While it never totally fails to be an acceptable action RPG, most of Tails of Iron’s initial appeal doesn’t outlast its humdrum gameplay.
NASCAR 21 Ignition provides a sufficient, no-frills NASCAR-themed racing game with little else going for it.
Roller Champions loses its momentum too fast, but provides great bursts of genuine fun along the way.