Brendan Lowry
The NieR Replicant remake is an excellent action RPG with one of the best game stories ever and updated combat, but it's not without a few problems.
Chivalry 2 is perfect for folks who want to have a chaotic good time and enjoy the fantasy of fighting in romanticized medieval battlefields. There are a couple of downsides, but it's still an amazing game that we can't recommend enough.
Deathloop is one of Arkane's finest games yet, featuring incredible gameplay, excellent levels, tons of charm, and writing that's sure to bring a smile to your face. Watch out for the overly demanding specs and the occasional performance dip on PC, though.
Overwatch 2 represents the arrival of the foundational changes Blizzard's hero shooter needed in order to return to its former glory. While it's not perfect — few things ever are — the changes that the game makes to Overwatch's gameplay structure, progression systems, content release schedule, and presentation are absolutely stellar.
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is the fastest and flashiest game from Team Ninja yet, featuring awesome offense-focused melee combat with some distinctive twists. I'd have liked some slower storytelling and more unique pieces of loot, but overall, this is a must-play for any Soulslike fan.
Dead Island 2 is everything a Dead Island fan could ask for. Between its addicting combat mechanics, excellent character and gear progression systems, hilariously satirical writing, and goretastic presentation, this long-awaited sequel has proven it was worth the wait.
After nearly a decade since the launch of the original Lords of the Fallen, CI Games and HexWorks deliver a reboot that exceeds all expectations. With responsive, precise, and challenging combat, innovative twists, stellar grimdark presentation, and more, it's one of the best Soulslikes I've ever played.
Donut County is, for the most part, an incredibly fun experience from start to finish.
Though a few aspects of the Turok series' design haven't aged well since original release, these two games nevertheless deliver on an incredibly fun and satisfying experience that all fans of casual shooters should try out.
While Shadow Tactics offers a decent gameplay length, the lack of replayability makes the pricing a little questionable, but over all, if you're a fan of the genre, you will find it to be a worthwhile investment.
If you don't mind dealing with a high level of difficulty, Lichtspeer may be the perfect game for you.
Despite an average story, Ys Origin solidifies itself as an excellent classic thanks to the fantastic gameplay and superb visuals and music.
Steel Division: Normandy 44 is a real-time strategy game that introduces a new way to play the genre, but the lightning fast pace of the game is a little too much.
While the singleplayer experience is forgettable and the open world is small, the meat of Absolver lies within its deep gameplay and engaging combat.
Despite some buggy unit pathfinding and poor voice acting, Sudden Strike 4's tactical depth, excellent controls, and gorgeous overall presentation make it the best console RTS since Halo Wars 2.
The Escapists 2 wraps superb gameplay up with a retro art style and energetic soundtrack to deliver an addicting, tense, and challenging prison escape simulator that unfortunately is marred by a lack of polish and some overwhelming tendencies in the latter stages of levels. Nevertheless, it's one of the best new indie games on the market.
Though a few aspects of the Turok series' design haven't aged well since original release, these two games nevertheless deliver on an incredibly fun and satisfying experience that all fans of casual shooters should try out.
Darkwood is a tense and challenging horror and survival game with superb atmosphere, excellent visual presentation, and a strong gameplay core, but it's marred by clunky movement and unintuitive combat mechanics.
A simple yet surprisingly fun motorcycle racer
Your Toy is a great indie horror experience that expertly fuses engaging, creative and tough puzzle design with a chilling, ambitious story and unnerving horror gameplay. Despite some sections where the game suffers from the obscurity and complexity of some of the puzzles, Your Toy overall is an excellent title that's definitely worth picking up if you're brave enough to go toe-to-toe with a homicidal teddy bear.