PCInvasion

Halo: Reach has an engaging campaign and numerous multiplayer game modes to keep you pre-occupied. Unfortunately, various issues abound from technical woes and lack of options, to matchmaking problems, and it's hardly what you'd expect from the flagship FPS franchise's arrival on PCs. Like the protagonist's namesake, this effort is more of a "six" unless we see more patches down the line.

This game fails at almost everything it sets out to do. With janky animations, embarrassing story, awful combat mechanics, and horrible enemy layouts and AI, there's just not much positive to say about it.

Darksiders Genesis may be a new look for the series, but it doesn't sacrifice the glorious chaos fans have come to love. Gorgeous visuals, weighty combat, and a surprising amount of replayability make Darksiders Genesis something everyone can enjoy.

Phoenix Point is an engrossing project that has many a flaw and rough edge. You’d think, by the length of this article, that the game is bloody amazing. And in many ways, it is, in that it tries to be both the old X-COM game (rather than XCOM) while also being different and unique. However, it lacks polish in basically every area of the game. And when that’s done (patches do wonders), we can see if the gameplay can win over the lack of immersive story.

Although Arise: A Simple Story has its share of flaws, the experience is well worth the time. The graphics are beautiful, the levels are incredibly creative, and the musical score is deeply moving. Taken together, Arise is an excellent first effort from a new game development studio. If this is Piccolo’s first go at making a video game, I can’t wait to see what they do next. Arise tells a simple, yet moving story with beautiful graphics and incredible musical score. However, its gameplay sometimes tends to work against itself, despite its intuitive controls.

BattleTech: Heavy Metal DLC could stand to have more exciting content, so that it isn't overshadowed by the accompanying free update.

Shenmue III had to noticeably cut some corners, but is a true sequel with some new tricks up its sleeve. Newcomers will likely not really get what the fuss is about, but this is a very enjoyable game that I think will be appreciated more as time goes by.

Lost Ember departs from typical video game fighting and puzzle-solving to tell a heartfelt story through the eyes of its animal protagonist. Thanks to its stunning art direction and obvious love for its subject matter, it offers a genuine emotional payoff despite having some elements that still feel undercooked.

Although it isn't perfect, Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts manages to hit its mark. With a simple yet effective campaign presentation, massive locations and stunning visuals, and the thoroughly engaging gameplay that keeps you coming back for more due to a user-friendly progression system, it's the best Ghost Warrior title to date.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order certainly tries, but as Yoda pointed out, you either do or do not. For the most part, it does -- but without the grace or precision of a full-fledged Jedi Knight. The apprentice is not yet the master.

Bland, boring, and uninspired, Narcos: Rise of the Cartels isn't quite the tie-in product that fans of Netflix's series would want to see. It's bogged down by flawed fundamentals, a repetitive campaign, and unengaging gameplay.

Some technical issues still exist and delving deep into mysterious sites doesn't mesh well with the overall gameplay. However, Age of Wonders: Planetfall - Revelations does present an engaging campaign. Likewise, its unique mechanics such as the Heritor secret tech and Forgotten faction's use of Entropy weapons are worth a try.

Sparklite is overflowing with charm, and it is an absolute delight to explore the constantly shifting land of Geodia. While shallow gameplay, a lack of narrative complexity, and a few frustratingly random boss battles hold it back from "must-play" status, there's definitely something here for old-school Zelda and rogue-lite fans alike.

Bee Simulator completely nails the fluidity and speed of bee flight. This is a great tool to have when exploring the world within the game. It isn't a true simulation title. Rather, it throws in a story and collectibles for a wider audience. And if you're into learning new factoids about insects and animals, Bee Simulator wraps all these things into one. Be wary, though, as the NPCs can come off as empty and robotic, sometimes taking away from the immersion.

SCS has done a fantastic job at capturing both Utah's natural and man-made beauty. It offers a huge variety of scenery objects with an amazing amount of detail that will make for some seriously scenic drives in American Truck Simulator.

It reaches a point where, even when you’re not playing Red Dead Redemption 2, you’re still thinking about playing it and checking off everything on your long to-do list before riding off into the sunset. Although Red Dead Redemption 2 for the PC has plenty of technical quirks, they're easy to overlook once you're immersed in the story and the breathtaking beauty of the world.

Superliminal seems like a great game at first. The perspective mechanics on display make a fantastic first impression, but the game's design falters as it goes on. The weakness of the puzzles and unevenness of the overall game drag it down in the end.

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition has the content and the depth to keep you entertained for a time. Unfortunately, the visuals and core mechanics are woefully behind the times. It's a nostalgia trip for fans given the low price, but it's lacking in this new age of strategy games.

Song of Horror's scariest aspect is its permadeath feature - not because it's spooky, but because slogging through levels is an absolute chore. Worse yet, Song of Horror punishes the player for exploring its admittedly beautiful environment. Neat technical features and meticulously crafted lore do somewhat make up for its faults. But ultimately, none but the most hardcore horror fans will give this game the time of day (or night).

Atelier Ryza is a great game slightly marred by a poor port, lack of enemy variety, and hard-to-find ingredients. But anyone who likes crafting games absolutely owes it to themselves to play this, as it's a huge amount of fun.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is the best entry the series has seen in nearly a decade. A riveting story, beautiful visuals, and addictive multiplayer are bolstered by new features that will keep you coming back for more. Modern Warfare is a must-play for anyone who enjoys the older Call of Duty titles, especially considering the steady flow of free content we've been promised.

Afterparty fully embraces its weird, offbeat premise with crazy situations, and that’s what makes it so enjoyable. It’s not a difficult game by any stretch, but it’s one that encourages replays to see how different choices and drinks play out. The game has devilish charm and wit topped off with some sweet plot twists, making it well worth the time to play.

Bugs, glitches, missing features, sluggish gameplay, and unreliable systems -- it's a smorgasbord of problems that would lead anyone to conclude that WWE 2K20 should not have been released in this state. In modern times, WWE 2K20 is the jabroni of pro-wrestling games.

Moons of Madness isn’t scary, but its variety, strong storytelling, and solid puzzles make it a game that I think is worth playing. If you’re hankering for a Lovecraftian story or an atmospheric sci-fi game, it will likely fit the bill nicely. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it comes together in satisfying ways and is the only game I’ve ever played that required me to know how to balance a centrifuge. If that intrigues you, you’ll probably find a lot to like here.

Corpse Party 2 has a strong first chapter, but it's hard to really recommend since the others have been missing in action for so long. Fans will want to support the localization, but other people would be better off waiting to see if the game is ever finished.