Sackboy: A Big Adventure, while downright gorgeous and playful, doesn't really offer anything when it comes to even remotely challenging gameplay. In that aspect, and many others, it feels like a game made distinctly for children. While that's not entirely a bad thing, there are plenty of other 3D platformers out there with better gameplay and more interesting level design. Even kids can get bored of a game if it's too easy, after all.
While Star Ocean: The Divine Force may not be the most revolutionary, prettiest, or most action-packed JRPG out there, its fantastic cast of characters and generally fun story do quite a bit to make the game's 40+ hour journey feel quite cozy. Add in the fact that you're guaranteed to get some uniqueness through its two protagonists having their own bespoke story beats that warrant multiple playthroughs and you've got plenty of JRPG to bite into here.
Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection on PC is a phenomenal way to play both Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy.
Scorn is an interesting game to play. Lacking any real story to follow, it instead relies on your own curiosity to see it through. You'll be interacting with all sorts of disgusting things, and fighting off horrifying creatures, and if you're the kind of person who can not only stomach the aesthetic, but actually enjoy it, Scorn will undoubtedly be a wonderful experience. For just about everyone else, though, maybe look at a couple of screenshots and trailers and see if you can stomach the aesthetic first.
Serial Cleaners offers up an incredibly unique premise, some fun characters, and a lot of great levels with a surprising level of interactivity to tell us stories that aren't really told too often. Couple that with a great sense of style to evoke the 90s and Serial Cleaners becomes a surprisingly interesting game.
Shovel Knight Dig, while far from being the furthest departure from the franchise's classic gameplay, still manages to be a unique experience thanks to the unique twist of having to use a platforming move set to make progress by traversing vertical space. The Shovel Knight gameplay is still as crisp as ever, and Shovel Knight Dig's story and progression systems do a great job of staying out of the way, and ultimately encouraging you to try one more run.
Metal: Hellsinger is an easy game to recommend-the music's great, it feels really good to play, and it looks great. The only real caveat to all of this is that, if you're not a fan of metal music, Metal: Hellsinger might not have much for you. While its combat is great, the music is what truly elevates it from being just another boomer shooter.
Scathe has a lot of clever and interesting ideas. Unfortunately, it's the execution that lets it down. Somewhere underneath the agonizingly-slow progression, pointless plot, and a visual mess as a result of its desire to also be a bullet hell, Scathe is a game with potential that's sadly never reached.
Thymesia does more than enough to make its way out of the shadow of Bloodborne. It offers some fun levels to go around killing enemies in, and the combat is fast-paced, responsive, and most importantly, a lot of fun. Even its skill tree has some great ideas. This might not be the game for those who don't like a challenge, but for those who do, Thymesia is excellent.
Two Point Campus is a great management sim that manages to be quite deep, without adding unnecessary complexity, and its main campaign makes for a fun tutorial, and the writing is downright hilarious. The only real downside is that it doesn't really do much new if you've already played Two Point Hospital.
If you haven't already heard about Marvel's Spider-Man, it's a great game, and the new PC release is basically the best way to play it. Alongside great performance, the PC version also supports some niche PC options, including Steam Controllers, and the Steam Deck verification means that it can also run on Linux.
As Dusk Falls is an incredibly easy game to judge within its opening hours. If, by the time you finish the first chapter, you find yourself liking the characters and wanting to know what happens, As Dusk Falls is great. If it can't grab you by that point, however, there isn't any other reason to keep playing, thanks to its dull gameplay and hit-or-miss art style.
Outriders: Worldslayer continues the base game's trends in every single way possible. Its story is bad, the antagonist is boring, and the zones feel wasted, but none of that matters because Outriders: Worldslayer still has some of the most interesting gameplay systems of any loot game. And most importantly, it's still a lot of fun.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course thankfully doesn't try to reinvent the wheel. It takes the already-phenomenal gameplay of Cuphead, and just adds more Cuphead on top. Miss Chalice is also a great new character, making going back to the base game fun, even if you've already finished it.
Disgaea 6 Complete doesn't really shake up the original's formula, but it's still a good time. Sure, character models look pretty bland and animate weirdly, but the humour and general atmosphere is still great. The only real problem with Disgaea 6 Complete is the lack of options in character classes.
Thanks to its focus on speed and a relatively high-skill ceiling, Redout 2 might end up being too niche for some. This also means that it's a rather one-of-a-kind game these days, and if going down insane tracks at high speeds in futuristic rocket ships sounds fun, Redout 2 can be a great time.
While it lacks some polish here and there, and its main story leaves a lot to be desired, the pure absurdity behind Metal Max Xeno Reborn helps make it greater than the sum of its parts. The vehicular combat is fun, and the optional boss fights are an all-round great time.
The Quarry may not be attempting anything groundbreaking, but what it does end up having, it executes on perfectly with great acting, a tightly-knit story, and relatable characters for a fun couple of nights of horror.