Splatoon 3 continues to ride on its ink wave of success thanks to a solid gameplay foundation, with some minor tweaks, extra content, and an improved user experience. Whether or not that's enough, after years of development and another full price tag, will depend on what you're looking to get out of the experience.
Gerda: A Flame in Winter offers a somewhat optimistic glimpse at the lives of ordinary folks caught in the war. It will push players to decide where their loyalties lie, though the drama of conversation is often lost for the sake of an RPG point system.
For creator Sam Barlow and his studio Half Mermaid Productions, the push to eccentric cinematography continues with Immortality, as the video game elements fade further into the background. Some may find this odd collection of indie flicks enticing, but many will be disappointed by the lackluster interactivity.
The 2022 reboot of Saints Row manages to put together a decently engaging crew, but just about everything else is a litany of issues - from shallow and repetitive missions to unsatisfying action mechanics, poor presentation, and plenty of bugs.
Two Point Campus plays it safe and offers a different take on the familiar formula of its predecessor. It's a well-designed management game that has enough charm and content to draw you in, but staying engaged in the long run can be a challenge.
South of the Circle is a minimalistic game that tells an initially engaging, but ultimately underwhelming story. And beyond the narrative, there's not much here to recommend.
Cartel Tycoon gets the basics right, and its low price may entice some fans of management games. However, more could have been done with the setting and some of the mechanics. There are better options in the genre.
Stray is a solid enough adventure game with archetypal mechanics and level design, elevated by its nice atmosphere and a unique perspective on the world.
Please Fix The Road is an often challenging puzzle game that sticks to its stringent design, without too many bells and whistles, and should appeal to some players looking for a rather specific puzzle design experience.
The Quarry features arguably the best writing and cast that Supermassive Games have ever put together, along with some impressive quality visuals in certain spots. However, the gameplay formula lacks improvements and is starting to grow stale. This horror adventure should satisfy fans, but it's time for the developers to aim higher.
SILT successfully conjures a dark and unnerving underwater atmosphere, and fans of similar titles should be satisfied - though it's a case of style over substance, as the gameplay largely falls flat.
Despite some pacing issues and uneven difficulty, Card Shark offers some very original card manipulation gameplay in a charming historical setting.
Vampire: The Masquerade - Swansong has grand ambitious, but its dated presentation, shallow gameplay and uninteresting story make for another disappointing outing from this brooding universe.
Gibbon: Beyond the Trees has a noble cause, to bring attention to the issue of animal conservation and human impact on the planet. And while it looks fairly good in doing so, the repetitive gameplay and sluggish pacing prevents this adventure from making any big leaps.
Despite the prospect of fun multiplayer moments, there's just too little content in Nintendo Switch Sports, and the minigames that it does offer have been done better elsewhere in Nintendo's own library.
Dorfromantik is an enjoyable light puzzle game with a pleasant presentation, strong core central mechanic, and plenty of replay value.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim weaves a complex, intriguing tale that spans many characters and time periods, and manages to pull it all together in the end. This narrative 2D adventure offers little traditional gameplay - though the battle sections provide a satisfying enough distraction.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is a full-priced offering that seems like it would have been better suited as DLC, like its predecessor. It's still a solid shooter with some whacky characters and a fun story, but it doesn't take any risks or innovate on the established formula, and the multiplayer issues are an annoyance.
Ghostwire: Tokyo has an interesting setting, but a lackluster story, monotonous combat, and disappointing visuals make for a forgettable adventure that doesn't justify its next-gen-only status, or the full asking price.
Elden Ring is an unrelenting, engrossing, challenging, and marvelous experience. It brings the Dark Souls formula to an open world setting without skipping a beat, with all of its cryptic nature, punishing combat and wondrous level design. It's still not for everyone, but those who dare enter this realm may find themselves in one of the best games of the year.