Daniel Starkey
Surviving Mars tasks you with leading humanity's first colonies on the Red Planet. But Mars is hardly forgiving, and it will fight you every step of the way.
Fe is a fantastically gorgeous game that invites you to get lost and discover life.
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition introduces gameplay tweaks and 4K visuals to a 20-year old classic, but not everything holds up to modern standards.
Attack of the Earthlings is a humorous, inverted take on the familiar alien invasion story, packaged within a decent turn-based strategy game.
Doom VFR has some of the most satisfying and gratuitous action you can get in VR.
Rive is a challenging side-scrolling shooter with tight platforming and a tenacious affection for over-the-top action.
Need For Speed Payback feels like stepping into the latest Fast and Furious, and it's a great ride.
A shining example of what exploration-based games can be, dropping many of its franchise's worst traits even while being sometimes held back by the mundane. Buy it.
Project CARS 2 offers an incredible drive in spite of technical issues and broken AI.
Total War: Warhammer II is a hybrid turn-based strategy and real-time tactics game that stands among the best of both. Its emphasis on campaign pacing, fantastical battles, and complex battlefield tactics easily positions itself as an all-time great.
Tooth and Tail is an exhilarating, minimal RTS set during an animal Civil War in the 1910s. With plenty of gallows humor and a 16-bit Don Bluth aesthetic, it breathes new life into a tired genre.
'Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite' is crazy fun for esports pros and comic fans alike
Building upon the sturdy foundation laid out by XCOM 2, War of the Chosen sets a high mark for an already exceptional sci-fi strategy series.
The Mage's Tale attempts to bring classic PC dungeon crawling into virtual reality, but disappoints at nearly every turn.
Steel Division is an aggressive, focused tactical game that deftly leverages historical realism to create unique twists on the RTS formula.
The Surge is an entertaining twist on the Dark Souls formula that strikes a tenuous balance between iteration and invention.
Expeditions: Viking is a rough-hewn game with an abundance of charm. Deep role playing and nuanced, tactical combat save this technical mess.
Dawn of War III mashes micromanagement and big-scale strategy together in a system that's messy but exhilarating.
The Ringed City is a well-executed conclusion for the revered Dark Souls series.
Torment: Tides of Numenera is a fascinating old-school RPG that doubles down on the concept of role-playing.