Cultured Vultures

The first third of Inscryption is the most captivating and effective stage of the game, but unfortunately its quality dips in the latter portions leaving the game feeling uneven. Nevertheless, Inscryption is a game fit for the spirit of Halloween and is a definite recommendation.

While there’s still some ramshackle charm and memorable silliness to be had, The Good Life takes every opportunity to sell itself short and make playing it a frustrating, repetitive, and user-antagonistic experience.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits grounds itself on relaxation, healing, and cuteness, getting us to reflect and meditate on the beauty in the world when there is darkness abound. While lacking in several narrative areas, the gameplay and overall peaceful vibe of the title keep it engaging and enjoyable.

Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan is a fun and wholesome platformer-RPG with a charming aesthetic and engaging nonviolent gameplay for gamers of all ages.

JETT: The Far Shore has admirable ambition in its narrative that its mechanics can’t match. This planet might be a nice place for a visit, but you likely won’t want to live there.

Despite a couple of missteps in terms of what the remaster adds, Alan Wake is still an excellent horror shooter well worth checking out. The intriguing story, satisfying gameplay and mystifying world just beg you to be suckered in. Now, I should probably get around to finishing that Control DLC, eh?

A fabulous collection of one of gaming’s most deceptively difficult games, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is pure, unadulterated fun.

Hot Wheels Unleashed feels like wasted potential. Throwing together the sheer breadth of the brand’s history into one, all consuming celebration of a game sounds great — it worked for Smash Bros., after all. Still, some strange design choices, poorly implemented creation tools and overall tedium severely hamper this enjoyable arcade racer.

Aragami 2’s persistent bugs, technical issues, and a lackluster presentation bog down what can otherwise be a fun and intricate stealth action game.

Simultaneously a throwback and a breath of something new, Eastward is a magic trick of blending familiarity with novelty and grim apocalyptic sci-fi with wide-eyed fantasy. In the future, if there’s any justice, we’ll be referring to similarly spirited and stylish games as “Eastward-like.”

With its dedication to fantastic storytelling and some innovative tweaks to its gameplay, Lost Judgment is guilty of being a damn good game. The sentence? Continued love and adoration from its fans, case closed.

Skatebird wears its heart on its feathered sleeves, and for that it deserves respect. I sincerely am looking forward to what games the developers make next, because I want to play the game that lives up to these ideas in a satisfying way. Skatebird isn’t it.

Deathloop is an awesomely entertaining ride with stealth and puzzle elements that help make it feel like the big crazy sci-fi adventure it wants to be.

If you’re new to video games or are looking for something different that doesn’t want to get your heart racing, TOEM is definitely for you. Just remember to slow down and see the sights along the way.

Though Life is Strange: True Colors isn’t as action-heavy as previous games, its relaxed atmosphere, witty writing, and visual upgrades easily put it on par with the best of the franchise.

If you’re a JRPG skeptic, Tales of Arise won’t change your mind, because it was never interested in appealing to you. For those with the right kind of palate, Tales of Arise is that artfully-made burger and fries. For that clientele, the game is a success, made with confidence and charm.

Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut is a wonderful open world game that’ll appeal the most to players who never managed to experience the game on PS4, with the next-gen enhancements and new content really adding to the game’s value. However, if you’ve already played Ghost of Tsushima on PS4, it might be a bit tougher to convince you to make that return trip.

Monster Harvest is a simple but engaging farming sim with an interesting twist that makes a good first impression, but ultimately suffers from bugs and the weight of its own ambition.

Though there’s some technical issues, some more devastating than others, The Big Con is a heart-warming teenage road trip that’s worth playing

Psychonauts 2 is a wildly creative, engaging, and thought-provoking masterpiece that bears the standard for all 3D platformers going forward.

Just like many of its undead characters, King’s Bounty 2 fails to revive a venerable franchise due to its lack of innovation, archaic design decisions, and grindy backtracking.

Humankind is a refreshing and authentic take on the historical 4X strategy subgenre, albeit with some balancing problems that keep it from greatness.

In the end, while Greak: Memories of Azur isn’t a pitch-perfect debut for Navegante, it’s filled with enough compelling ideas, excellent world-building, and charismatic charm to overcome its flaws. If you’re looking for a quick and fun puzzle platformer, Greak will not disappoint.

FORECLOSED wants players to embrace its brightly colored future, but watch out for a little jank and some frustrating sections that may scare some people off.

The game ends up feeling like one of those really impressive interactive simulators in a museum that’s been ported over to PC rather than something fully-fledged that takes advantage of the platform. It’s tough to recommend Carrier Command 2 to anyone unless they can regularly organize teams of 4-8 players, as the single-player simply isn’t enough to carry the game through a multitude of frustrations.