Avowed is a terrific game from Obsidian Entertainment and is their best outing since Fallout: New Vegas. The world is rich with exploitable zones and characters to interact with.
Urban Myth Dissolution Center is a thrilling visual novel that uses its gameplay to the fullest effect.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is a phenomenal RPG that players will love spending countless hours on. Bohemia is prosperous and thriving, with a lot of natural interactions that can lead players on quests that feel like an adventure.
The PC port of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a fantastic upgrade to an already superb game. Everything is highly customizable for the player and will make any doubter turn their head.
Faced with saving her family’s eatery and armed with nothing but her trusty spatula, Pom must explore the dangerous world to discover the ingredients she’ll need to cook up delicious recipes that will keep customers coming back for more.
Tails of Iron 2: Whiskers of Winter is a phenomenal game that new and old fans will love. It features gorgeous animation that's similar to childhood classics like Watership Down or The Secret of NIMH.
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a fun time for any platformer fan. The levels are creative and will leave gamers with their jaws on the floor with how imaginative it gets.
Human Within does an outstanding job with its message of AI technology becoming corrupted by the worst people possible. While some players will make the inevitable comparisons between this game and Black Mirror, this should be taken as a compliment. The future seen in the game is one that may seem barely out of reach, yet close enough. The game is an inspired and creative take on VR gaming, especially whenever it lets players assume control of Lyla's actions during the tech link sections. At worst, the algorithm puzzles were a bit of trouble, as getting a specific moment to trigger something can be more annoying than fun thanks to iffy controls. With the game clocking in at just around three hours, Human Within gives players a short and sweet, thrilling experience.
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune offers a great preview of what future Uncharted games will provide. Nathan is such a fantastic protagonist that he rightfully became one of the PlayStation's flagship characters. Experiencing his adventure of trying to find Sir Francis Drake’s treasure is a great time, both from a gameplay and narrative standpoint. The game might show its age when it comes to annoying platforming that lacks today's polish and when its graphics erroneously prioritize photorealism over function, but these aren't enough to deter gamers to the point of skipping one of the best franchise debuts of the 2000s. If someone hasn’t played any Uncharted games, Drake’s Fortune is a tremendous start.
Backyard Soccer '98 is another success for the Backyard Sports franchise's revival. The charm of the series (both the original and this relaunch) lies with the players and their quirks. Everyone gets a moment to shine, which helps build a team into a fun strategy. League Play and Practice offer tons of variety in gameplay and player choice. However, the lack of tutorials feels off, considering that not as many American kids know about the sport as they do about football or basketball. Despite this missed opportunity, Backyard Soccer '98 is still an excellent time for any soccer fan who wants to jump back into their '90s nostalgia, or experience something new.
The announcement of Horizon Zero Dawn getting its own Lego title came out of left field, but playing Lego Horizon Adventures is all one needs to put any doubts and concerns to rest. Making Horizon's world much lighter and kid-friendly through the lens of Lego was a most unexpected but welcome surprise, not some cynical spin-off. Burch and the rest of the cast seemed to have a lot of fun portraying their characters in a more comedic tone. At its worst, the gameplay wasn't perfect; it needed additions from both the Lego and Horizon worlds to balance each other out. But even so, it doesn't matter if players are newcomers or established Horizon fans; everyone should play Lego Horizon Adventures.
After playing Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, any qualms about this remaster can and will vanish. This is an in-depth remaster that’s just shy of being a remake. The way Nixxes Studios manages to rework countless motion capture footage to make interactions more lifelike and having the environments pop more than they did in the past is incredible.
It makes sense that Meta bundled Arkham Shadow with new purchases for their Meta Quest 3/3S, as this game is a headset seller. Camaouflaj made a full-length Arkham VR game that perfectly immerses players in the world. Being Batman is rewarding, as taking out enemies never felt better. Getting involved in a conspiracy that engulfed Gotham while fighting legions of enemies with some of the superhero genre's most famous gadgets is pure Dark Knight goodness. With these in mind, Batman: Arkham Shadow isn't just the best VR title out right now and a great holiday gift, but it's the worthy continuation of the Batman: Arkham games that fans have been waiting for.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure is the sequel that fans have longed for, and it's worth the almost-10 year wait. Max is still a great protagonist, and watching her try to figure out Safi's murder provides some intense moments. The new powers provided excellent gameplay and choices, even if some puzzles were too easy. While the art was stunning, the issues with the sound were a little distracting. Not helping were some instances of lousy lip-syncing and low audio levels. That said, these are minor bumps along the way. If any player wants to see Max again, they'll be happy with Life is Strange: Double Exposure.
Metro Awakening is a thrilling title that newcomers and longtime fans will love despite its few but glaring flaws. The game smartly rolls out different weapons and gadgets, so it's not too overwhelming for the player. Shooting monsters and planning out stealth strategies is a lot of fun, even if the combat itself may feel more cumbersome than it should. It's frustrating that there were moments when the game needed to be restarted as the frame rate dropped significantly. With the holidays coming up, Metro Awakening is a must-have game for any VR lover, old-school Metro fan or both.
Super Mario Party Jamboree shows the franchise still has a lot of life to it. The boards and minigames work in harmony to deliver a good party mode. Having Party Planner Trek serve as the story mode is a great choice, as it provides a nice story while giving incentives to beat the mode. Some of the motion control modes didn’t hit as well, and playing online could lead to problems. These minor bumps don’t stop the party's momentum, as Super Mario Party Jamboree is an excellent addition to the Switch’s final years.
Marko: Beyond Brave achieves its simplest goal, which is being a good and fun Metroidvania. It may not go above and beyond the genre's constraints and expectations, but fans will still find the gameplay enticing enough. The exploration and unlocking of new abilities keep the game from going stale. What really holds the game back is the confusing map, which gets in the way of truly exploring and appreciating the world. While not bad, the story and lore are also so bland that they're practically skippable. Despite these, any Metroidvania fan should play and support Marko: Beyond Brave.
The DLC is held back by bugs that will hopefully be patched in the future, and preferably sooner than later. But even with the eventual updates and fixes, this is still a DLC that adds no spice to the base gameplay. Yet despite not making any big additions to the gameplay, Shattered Space is still a fun time. This consistency is a testament to the DLC's quality, and that of Starfield as a whole. It's for these reasons that Shattered Space is a good reason to dust off Starfield from the backlog and give it another shot.
Neva is a game that'll speak to any pet owner and touch their soul. The story between Alba and Neva is simple, but it is a tale packed with emotion that will make anyone tear up. It also boasts some of this year's best visuals with its watercolor background and vibrant colors. The gameplay and puzzles might be lacking for some, but it does the job.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed is a surprisingly good movie tie-in game. It has more to offer than most modern beat-'em-ups and the few tie-in games that are still made these days. It takes inspiration from the Persona franchise, which hasn’t been done in games of this kind. Thanks to the movie's returning cast and the game's expanded character development, Mutants Unleashed stands out as one of the rare, excellent movie tie-in games. Unfortunately, its camera and combat get in the way of being really great or even perfect. Still, for turtles fans, especiallyt those who loved Mutant Mayhem, this is a game that’ll make them shout "Cowabunga!"