Ian Birnbaum
- Arma 3
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skryim
- Kerbal Space Program
Vermintide is a brilliant twist on the Left 4 Dead formula, and deserves much of the same praise heaped on Valve.
A obsessively tuned, finely crafted shooter that more than recreates the speed and pure joy of '90s classics.
A wonderfully executed, brilliantly stressful reinvention of party-based dungeon-crawling, Darkest Dungeon is great fun, even when it's cruel.
There's a lot to parse, but understanding the nuances of Frozen Cortex reveals a deep strategic experience that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Frozen Synapse.
With deep strategic systems, omnipresent dread, and clean turn-based combat, Xenonauts is a triumph of rebooted game design.
Don't let some clunky inventories scare you off from this excellent strategy RPG.
An excellent beat-em-up with tons of wit and great combat, Full Metal Furies belongs on any couch co-op playlist.
Two very similar factions dull its edge, but Grey Goo's old-school take on strategy still makes it one of the most interesting new RTS games in years.
A limp story and weak jokes are worth putting up with for Victor Vran's great combat system.
KSP's sandbox gets bigger by focusing on what makes it a great PC game: flexibility, freedom, and random explosions.
A shot of adrenaline for the year-old game, these new armies bring the best parts of Company of Heroes into the upgraded Company of Heroes 2 world.
A leaner, smarter take on Magicka's fascinating combat system, Magicka 2 is the co-op adventure you've been waiting for.
Some issues keep it from being a stand-alone great, but fans longing for a reboot of Dungeon Keeper could do a lot worse than this clever, enjoyable dungeon manager.
A great combat system is restrained by thoughtless multiplayer mode design.
An intricately detailed RTS, Men of War: Assault Squad 2 is packed with features and refuses to tell you how to use them.
The graphics get a little prettier, the story gets a little darker, and another Call of Duty counts time as we march together toward death.
Weedcraft, Inc is a tricky tycoon game that overextends itself—but almost nails it.
A punishing take on the Rogue-inspired genre, Bedlam is weird and colorful and stressful.
A bloated, grindy mess, but so packed with options that a better game is hidden inside it.
Strider is a liberating, free-form action platformer studded with frustrating callbacks to an arcade era better left behind.