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Viewfinder is a delightfully fresh and enjoyable puzzler. The unique photo dropping gimmick is implemented perfectly, and repeatedly built upon over the course of the campaign. Some elements outside of the gameplay could have used work, but this is still a solid debut effort.
With a great underwater setting and an interesting story featuring lots to uncover, Stasis: Bone Totem's mix of horror and puzzles mean it is a veritable sunken treasure.
Exoprimal offers some initially fun and chaotic multiplayer action, but it delays new enemies and objectives for far too long, and without a good reason. The dino enemies and the PVPVE systems don't end up being particularly interesting either, and given the high asking price, it's probably better to get your action fix elsewhere, at least for now.
Invector: Rhythm Galaxy squanders the rare advantage of an officially licensed soundtrack with some strange design choices and unbalanced difficulty that may repel newcomers, while being far too similar to its predecessor to attract returning fans.
AEW: Fight Forever nails the gameplay mechanics, but struggles in several other areas, with a lackluster presentation and gaps in the roster. It doesn't hit the lows some of the recent WWE 2K games, but it also can't match that series' current high.
Despite some witty dialogue and a few poignant moments, OXENFREE II: Lost Signals is an unexciting talkie-walkie with conversation interruptions and dull gameplay.
The concept of a Crash Bandicoot MOBA game sounds appealing, but this fight for the precious Wumpa fruit has missed the mark. Crash Team Rumble lacks content at launch, and despite some decent gameplay mechanics, just isn't worthy of the franchise name.
Final Fantasy XVI continues to push the series into a new direction. While it has a well-realized setting, good characters, satisfying combat, and excellent cinematic large scale battles, the slow pacing, lackluster RPG elements and barebones optional content grind the excitement to a halt too often.
Aliens: Dark Descent brilliantly translates the 1986 movie into a fun strategy game with good combat, an interesting story, and rewarding squad management, marred by some minor stealth and tech issues.
Harmony: The Fall of Reverie may have an original setting and good art style, but its uneven pacing and arbitrary gamification of player choice removes much engagement from the narrative.
Thanks to an enjoyable combat loop and wonderfully dark environments, Diablo IV is a great blend of the previous two games in the series that brings a slew of basic MMO features while preserving the core tenets of the franchise.
Street Fighter 6 is a big improvement for the franchise, and a reminder that Capcom is the best in the genre. The gameplay is as crisp and engaging as it has ever been, and the amount of modes included in the game will keep players busy for quite some time.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum offers a bleak and lackluster adaptation of Middle-earth, with one of its more divisive characters in the spotlight. Whatever potential the game had is buried under dull, generic gameplay, a variety of technical issues, and low quality visuals.
Amnesia: The Bunker has a fantastic dynamic involving light and power management, as you explore an atmospheric WW1 bunker and avoid a monster with a keen sense of hearing. Despite a lack of puzzles, a bland story, and a few monster quirks, it packs enough good horror to keep players on edge.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a decent entry into the retro-shooter genre that will appeal most to fans of the WH40k universe, while everyone else should probably choose a different, better game to fulfill their classic action itch.
LEGO 2K Drive feels like a modern spiritual successor to the 1999's Lego Racers that borrows several beats from powerhouse racing franchises like Forza Horizon and The Crew 2. However, unoriginal quests and shallow microtransactions prevent the experience from being special.
Firmament's deficient storytelling, bland and sparse worlds, clumsy primary tool, and occasionally broken puzzles mean it is not worth playing, even if you are a fan of Cyan's previous adventures.
Planet of Lana has a great visual style that should help it stand out in a universe full of 2D puzzle platformers, even as its gameplay and story are easily forgotten.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom improves and expands upon its fantastic predecessor in several ways. Link's new abilities provide significant, and excellent, changes to the core gameplay. Even the narrative offers an interesting backstory the land of Hyrule, while also giving Zelda time to shine. It's one of the best titles that the Nintendo Switch has to offer.
Afterimage looks fantastic, plays well, and is a ton of fun in its best moments. However, the lack of direction in its large world leads to constant pathfinding annoyances. In a genre filled with great titles, it's a solid option but one that doesn't truly stand out.