Pikmin 4 is, to put it simply, Pikmin at its best.
Homeseek is a punishingly bleak post-apocalyptic city builder where every action feels consequential.
Company of Heroes 3 may not always hit the right notes, but as far as RTS console ports go, it doesn't get much better than this.
Stranded: Alien Dawn makes one small step for man and one giant leap for survivor sims-kind.
Difficulty spikes, no matter how steep, are fine in games of this ilk, but it's harder to forgive Have A Nice Death's approach to rewarding players. There is, however, so much joy in Have A Nice Death's gloriously grim setting that it's absolutely easy to recommend, but for roguelike players that prefer their rinse-and-repeat gaming a little more forgiving and, most importantly, rewarding, there are plenty of better options out there.
Perhaps my biggest takeaway from Wild Hearts is that I didn't once find myself lamenting for Monster Hunter. Wild Hearts was perhaps a risky endeavour, but it's one that's paid off with impressive results. While genre newcomers can treat the land of Azuma as a gateway to monster hunting, long-standing genre fans will find plenty here to keep them happy until the next Monster Hunter adventure arrives.
Starship Troopers - Terran Command Terran Command is impressively faithful to its classic '90s sci-fi source material and a solid space adventure in its own right.
A wonderfully difficult beat-'em-up that puts the player at the forefront of their very own martial arts epic.
Triangle Strategy is unique in its sprawling story, and its success is only solidified by an excellent combat system that makes battles as intense as they are intimidating. With deep lore and an overall mature approach to a genre too often dumbed down, Triangle Strategy is an RPG fans dream.
A fast-paced Doom-lite that doesn't overstay its welcome.
Oddworld's weirdest moment has never looked better.
A welcome return for one of Nintendo's best forgotten IPs.
There's still some way to go to make the JWE franchise a viable management sim, but this sequel goes a long way to right a lot of its predecessor's wrongs.
SkateBIRD is ultimately, incredibly charming, but incredibly flawed. It's fun, when it doesn't punish you for its own shortcomings, and the that doesn't mean it's a faultless experience
Layers of Fear 2 may not be the quintessential horror-puzzle spookathon, but it's certainly a thrilling, claustrophobic ghost story that easily holds its own. It's at times uneven, and the puzzling isn't as interesting as the backdrop, but for sheer storytelling prowess alone, it's definitely worth setting sail on this ghost ship.
The Colonists is a charming sim with plenty of content to satisfy your pioneering dreams
If you're worried that Disco Elysium might be too slow for you, you're probably right. It's a visual novel through and through, where 90% of the gameplay is reading. It doesn't skip any big issues, it doesn't mind reminding you about the human condition, right after making you giggle uncontrollably; it wants you to be engaged, intoxicated, and uncomfortable. If you value engaging writing and exceptionally gorgeous graphics over a fast paced RPG, Disco Elysium is an adventure absolutely worth investing in.
I'm not done with Starbase Spacetopia (or whatever it's called, I give up), I still want to nail the perfect base, especially now I've fully understood all the games systems, and for the most part, I'm having fun. On top of the campaign and free play mode there's a perfectly serviceable multiplayer mode too, albeit the current small player base means it takes a while to locate a game. Is it the pinnacle of base management strategy games? No, far from it in fact, but it's a more than serviceable space station sim that satisfies the itch for galactic domination.
Pioneers of Olive Town offers familiar beats but none of the conviction of its contemporaries