Spelunky 2 is an absolute delight to play, even in the midst of my repeating failure in the game. Its randomized level generator and the bevy of tools to strategize your way through each level makes for a fun time. While the PvP isn't up to snuff with the main adventure, the ability to play this game with friends (online or local) will keep you occupied for months to come.
The Game Band did a great job with Where Cards Fall as it is a perfect amount of puzzle, but without a lot of frustration attached. The main gameplay mechanic of moving and adjusting a stack (or several stacks) of cards is clever, and beautifully thought through, and well-executed. It is a puzzle game that I highly recommend.
Roboquest from developer RyseUp Studios is a simple, fun, and fast-paced shooter that presses you as much as it rewards you. While not everything in it is gold, there is enough packed into this to make it a fun experience.
Ghost of Tsushima is a narrative-driven game that has unique combat, a plethora of exploration, and enough heart to keep gamers coming back for more even after the game is beaten. The lack of a combat camera locking system will certainly cause some frustrations, but that is small potatoes when compared to the rest of the experience. This is the game Sucker Punch said it would be, and you won't be disappointed.
Overall, the gameplay design for World of Warships Legends is simplistic, though complicated underneath the hood.
Rage 2 is definitely a step up from the original, with a bigger world that feels a lot more desolate (in a good way). It has a variety of lands to explore, unique bosses to run into, and a bevy of leveling trees that will keep you motivated throughout the gameplay. What it needed and didn't get were a better story and less repetition. The game has grown, but it still has more than enough room to continue to grow.
If you're looking for a solid experience that keeps going and motivates you to keep going through rewards and short missions, then you'll enjoy Defiance 2050. It's a solid title that does what is advertised. Just excuse those last generation cutscenes.
HOB: The Definitive Edition made a good jump to the Nintendo Switch, a system that needs more than first-party titles to make it a legitimate contender late in this generation. HOB is a cornucopia of genres in one title that focuses heavily on action-RPG than puzzles, which means you will be moving and shaking more often than stopping and thinking. It is entertaining, engaging, motivating with its intentions, while slightly flawed in its design. It's definitely worth looking into, though, if you're looking for something to fall into without a huge commitment needed.
Arise: A Simple Story is worth a go and worth your time and attention. It carries a heavy-hearted story that is backed by stunning visuals and few flaws.
The longevity of the gameplay in Remnant: From the Ashes might be a bit grind-y for a mainstream audience. If you can accept that grind, then you have a good story waiting for you with a beautifully woven tapestry led by leveling and a competent upgrade system, which helps keep the gamer motivated to continue. Is it a perfect game? No, but it's a damn good one, especially with friends.
Out Run is another gem in the Sega Ages library. It emulates its arcade predecessor perfectly, and it feels tighter in the controls department. Beyond those, there's nothing else to offer, which is fine for a classic. You don't want to change what people love for the sake of updating.
Tanglewood is a solid game that shows there is still life in a video game era long since forgotten. I highly recommend it, if not just for the puzzles and visuals. It's a well-made game.
Overall, The Sims 4: Get Famous is a fantastic expansion pack that brings a defined goal to Sims 4 gameplay. Working your way to the top through various gigs until you're a superstar is a beautiful rush. The amount of thought and steps you have to put into the process makes this expansion complicated, yet fun. It certainly still has that Sims 4 groundwork to the process, but the feeling of accomplishment, or failure, is a bit more defined in Get Famous.
Plebby Quest: The Crusades is a deep strategy game with a humorous wrapper to move it along. It was built to seem familiar, sporting a Risk undertone prevalent throughout, but it's much more than just a simple strategy board game. Much, much more.
Neverout is an interesting VR title turned into a Nintendo Switch experience that seems to be better suited to handle it. It's fun, it's challenging, and it can be a bit frustrating now and then, but it's still worth checking out, especially at the price point.
Samurai Shodown is a fun release that brings back memories of a simpler time in the fighting genre where focus laid squarely on technique and gamer ease-of-use. The inclusion of a variety of modes helps to beef up the fighting content and offer up good challenges for those seeking them. All of this makes the experience more engaging and entertaining.
Thunderful's Curious Expedition is a very fun game. It has a lot of complicated strategic parts you have to think about in order to be successful, but all of them create a learning experience, much like Oregon Trail did for gamers back in the day, that motivates you to keep going.
Deliver Us the Moon is quite good in its narrative design and its atmosphere. The only real crux with this game is that it just needed some finer tuning when it came to difficulty and glitches. In the end, it's still a good game to take a chance on, if not just for what it makes you feel along the journey it proposes.
Contra Anniversary Collection is another successful release under Konami's Anniversary Collection moniker. It brings the old series back to life and reminds us that Konami really loved gaming back in the day. Hopefully, they can get that old feeling back again and reignite some of the other series that lie underneath their control.
Outright Games' Ice Age Scrat's Nutty Adventure shows some passionate love for the film series and constructs a game that young gamers will eat up. Does it have a fair share of issues? Yes, the levels feel too big and there's not enough to do at times, but young gamers won't really need that intricate design and complication to enjoy it.