John Schutt
As endearing as it is challenging, Skul takes the rogue-lite mechanics you know and adds some flair of its own and a unique take on the fantasy narrative
The Nioh Collection brings two of the most satisfying last-gen games to next-gen, offering improvements both new and returning players are sure to love.
Breathedge isn't a perfect space survival game and is sometimes aggravating, but there's plenty to enjoy, and few recent games can be so relaxing.
Outriders is a good looter-shooter at times that has some moments of greatness buried beneath a generic if well-realized sci-fi veneer.
Returnal is a tightly designed roguelike with some of the best gameplay the genre can provide, and it's the first game since Demon's Souls to provide a reason to own a PS5.
A demanding pixel art Souls-like beautifully rendered and artfully crafted, Eldest Souls is not without issues, but it's worth your time for its bosses, art, and world.
GRIME takes influence from more genres than most games and succeeds at combining them into a cohesive whole. It's well worth your time.
Battlefield 2042 wants so many things that it succeeds at almost none of them. There's a good game buried beneath it all, but you'll wade through a lot of sludge to get there.
Solar Ash is a complete package, with stellar gameplay, a well-told story, and a realized world ripe for exploring.
Almost nothing compares to Elden Ring in quality and depth. This is a game everyone should try at least once if only to get lost in the Lands Between.
Return to the world of Eldest Souls with the Depths of the Forgotten DLC, a worthy continuation of a good, sometimes great, boss rush Souls-like hybrid.
Salt and Sacrifice is a labor of love, one that will scratch any Souls veteran's itch for more mysterious worlds to explore, even if it doesn't succeed at everything.
Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak is a worthy successor to the base game and improves on it in almost every way.
Outriders: Worldslayer is an admirable attempt to breathe new life into a solid but flawed experience. It succeeds mostly in making the problems more apparent.
Thymesia is one of the best Souls-likes to enter the genre in years and is worth your time, attention, and occasional rage moment.
Steelrising neither reaches the heights of the best Souls-likes nor sinks to the lows of the genre's worst, and it can't hide its flaws with next-gen shine.
Tear down Hell itself to some of the best heavy metal in all of gaming with Metal: Hellsinger, one of the best experiences of the year.
If you want more of the same well-built experience, Overwatch 2 provides the same quality as the original game. If you wanted anything more, you'll be disappointed.
It's time to tame the untameable.
Remnant 2 is a proper sequel, both fun and frustrating.