Jesse Lennox
Dune Awakening is an impressive MMO adaptation, but its combat gets lost in translation.
There were times I wished The Alters was a pure adventure game without any of the survival elements, but that friction is what makes it work. While the interpersonal relationships and conflicts between the Jans are the heart of the experience for me, and what I can wholeheartedly recommend, I came to appreciate the basic survival loop as a way to add more agency to all the choices I made. Like all the best sci-fi stories, The Alters will leave you with plenty of philosophical questions to chew on.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero delivers thrilling fights, but its disjointed story mode doesn't hold up its end of the bargain.
With a strong spy story and performances to match, Phantom Liberty gives Cyberpunk 2077 the extra chapter it needed.
Steelrising has some lofty ambitions, but poor execution slays this potentially innovative Soulslike.