Powerwash Simulator forgoes any semblance of complexity to provide players with a game pure and unflinching in its quest to tickle a certain part of the brain that just wants to clean... or listen to some podcasts.
Life is Strange 2 on Nintendo Switch is a faithful port of a four-year-old game. The story of brotherly love leaves a lasting impact, even if this aging console continues to show its seams.
Yuppie Psycho: Extended Edition places players in a surreal corporate hellscape. A brisk horror adventure crosses grim visuals and dark humor while providing hours of new content and context.
An ambitious amalgamation of familiar formulas, Broken Pieces starts strong but a lack of direction and variety bog down the narrative, eventually causing the game to fracture and cloud the earlier hours of enjoyment with doubt.
The Last of Us Part 1 is a complex endeavor. Naughty Dog has overhauled one of gaming's touchstones, injecting more life into an intensely human experience while opening it up for new audiences and attempting to draw in veterans.
The Callisto Protocol aims its sights at being an uncompromising vision of terror, frequently succeeding through oscillating tension and stellar sound and lighting that toy with players' fears and expectations.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard crystallizes what made both the series and BioWare a force to be reckoned with over a decade ago. An emphasis on memorable characters and personalized combat allows this new entry to swell with magic, proving the developer still has stories to tell.
Much like last year's Exoprimal, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of The Goddess shows a Capcom willing to take risks. In this particular experiment, a tower defense/action strategy hybrid is bathed in Japanese culture with deliberate--sometimes slow--gameplay.
Despite veering into a number of dated tropes and choosing not to reinvent the wheel, Ghostwire: Tokyo thrives on its devotion to Japanese folklore, a cultural touchstone propelled by unique combat and a haunted city worth exploring.
Players not fond of a nostalgic challenge may bristle at Infernax's devotion to the past but beneath a few rough edges is a gory romp that hits a lot of classic notes.
Remnant II punches far above its weight class. Delivering everything players should expect from a sequel, Gunfire Games has created a thrilling, clever spin on a well-worn genre that boasts creative world design and satisfying gameplay that continues to evolve.
Loopmancer has difficulty committing to the hallmarks of better roguelites, making progression a chore. But past the questionable localization and writing is an action-focused platformer with personality and a few good ideas.
Deathloop brilliantly transcends its shackles as an amalgamation of "Arkane's Greatest Hits" by offering players a thrilling, stylish take on shooters. Combat puzzles involving webs of untruths and harrowing escapes turn Blackreef into a time loop you won't want to break from.
Star Wars Outlaws captures the thrilling unrest of the criminal underworld players rarely get to see in a Star Wars game. Shepherded by the charming Kay Vess, the game has many open-world hallmarks but carves out an identity by allowing players to shape the action.
Taking cues from Zelda and Stardew Valley, Garden Story is a charming adventure packed with action and crafting that can often be oddly paced, dampening the fun of an otherwise delightful time.
Star Ocean The Second Story R may well serve as the blueprint going forward if Square Enix or any other developer wishes to remake games from this classic era of RPGs. An unquestionably gorgeous art style uplifts all modern touches, breathing life into a 25-year-old game.
Wayward Strand revels in its ability to funnel players' curiosity down multiple avenues of branching intrigue. Though light on actual "game" there is little excuse not to become easily transfixed by its whimsical, touching nature.
The Crew Motorfest is a wildly engaging arcade racer that excels through its diverse Hawaiian setting and unique vehicle playlists. Players who enjoy Ubisoft's dense open worlds will find plenty of activities to keep them satiated.
RoboCop: Rogue City is a gritty and fascinatingly faithful rendition of the 1987 Verhoeven film. It shirks trends of most modern-day shooters to deliver weighty combat in an imperfect, yet wholly entertaining, package.
Biomutant is an amalgamation of familiar concepts and mechanics most players will have encountered across dozens of games. Despite being busy and sometimes under-cooked, Biomutant aims high enough to mostly reach its unique aspirations.