Sonic Superstars isn't going to set the world on fire. It's not going to be in the Game of the Year conversation at the end of the year (especially not after the year we've had). But what it is, is a really fun 2D Sonic game that feels like both a return to a simpler time for the series and a way for the series to advance forward with new innovations.
Hellboy: Web of Wyrd probably isn't going to make a dent in your game of the year list, but it doesn't need to. In a year filled with absolutely incredible games that are reshaping the very nature of games as we know it, Hellboy: Web of Wyrd is just a really fun brawler that you can beat in a few days and is pretty enjoyable overall. Pick this up when you've hit the end of your backlog (probably sometime in 2035) and you'll have a grand old time.
Baldur's Gate 3 is a game that only happens once every ten years. It's the culmination of years of early access and passion from Larian Studios, a deep love for the source material, and the desire to create something that speaks to as many people as possible. With an absurd amount of replay value and dozens of possibilities for where your character will end up, this is easily on the shortlist for Game Of The Year 2023, and an argument could already be made that this is one of the greatest games of all time.
Your opinion on Sonic Origins Plus is going to boil down to whether you're willing to spend money on games so old that your fridge could probably play them. If you're a huge Sonic fan, then these are worth the purchase. If not, then your fridge will probably do, honestly.
Deliver Us Mars is engaging enough, and flinging yourself around Mars with a pickaxe is a great deal of fun. However, its puzzle-solving becomes dull far too quickly, while its serviceable story is hurt by jarringly animated and voiced characters. This isn’t a game I’ll go back to in a hurry, but as a six-hour distraction, there are worse ways to spend a day.
Sniper Elite 5 is a really fun time, but it's bogged down by a dull story, graphical glitches and boring characters.
Teardown is quite a fun game with a short campaign and an incredible amount of potential.
Techland has a hit on its hands with Dying Light 2! While the game has been a long time coming, it is a fun, enjoyable game that features well-written characters and great world-building, along with some amazing parkour. However, the combat can be repetitive, voice lines constantly repeat and there’s a few concerns regarding the bugs I encountered. Other than that, Dying Light 2 is solid.
Solar Ash is a beautiful adventure across worlds. While it can feel rather empty pacing-wise and overly ambitious to a fault, it’s still worth playing for people who love colour-filled skies and a huge expanse to skate across. Just don’t expect the combat to blow you away or the story to give you an existential crisis.
Just amazing. Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy is a triumph in both the gameplay department and the story department. There are a few flaws here and there, mainly bug issues likely to be fixed in the day one patch, but they're not enough to dampen the experience in the slightest. A must-play, a wonderful game.
Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality should have been one of those games where you really feel like The Doctor, but a half-hearted VR walking simulator working with only references to please long-time fans, feels like a huge missed opportunity and a reminder of why Doctor Who doesn’t get that many game releases, no matter which incarnation of The Doctor you like.