I’ve played 30 hours of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and so far it’s a fine-tuned open world RPG that learned from it’s predecessors, with changes that improves character progression, and has a world filled with intriguing activities and the usual fluff that will keep you busy for hours on end.

With its myriad design issues and lack of content at launch, it’s difficult to recommend Marvel’s Avengers. But this is a game that can only get better, which isn’t publisher apologia, it’s just an undeniable truth for any game that leans so heavily into a future of post-launch updates.

While it is important to cover and show the accuracy and authenticity of the sport, Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions’ secret to success is that it puts the spotlight on its beloved characters and their unique abilities to tell a great sports story. No matter how ridiculous or unbelievable they are, it works as long as it entertains and inspires their audience.

Mortal Shell is bleak, twisted, and poses a challenge from start to finish. It will leave you wanting more, and while some mechanics weren't as fleshed out and diverse as I’d hoped, this game from Cold Symmetry is a commendable adventure that deserves the attention of those who love the subgenre.

There are a few setbacks, but none of them so much as taint the fact that Horizon Chase Turbo: Deluxe Edition - a simple and fun experience either alone or with friends - is a solid choice worth considering for arcade racing enthusiasts.

Though I wanted to love the game, The Origami King’s elements are disparate overall: while the writing is superb, you’ll spend as much time solving easy puzzles and seeking out only-somewhat hidden Toads as you will engaging in memorable conversations.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time revisiting Star Wars Episode I: Racer. Despite its occasional quirks and missed opportunities, it does deliver on a consistent, mostly-bug-free performance that made me pine for both LucasArts’ heyday, and the golden age of high-speed futuristic racers, which have all but disappeared as a sub-genre.

Ghost of Tsushima offers a serviceable number of thrills through its combination of demanding sword combat and stealth murder tactics, but is undermined by its refusal to innovate on the broader trappings of open-world games.

Despite its short length, for hardcore action aficionados, I feel there’s a lot to recommend Lithium City, a title that reminded me of the simpler days, back when action titles were less about the power fantasy, and more about limiting player options and forcing them to adapt to sets of carefully-crafted challenges.

Some design choices and presentation choices in X-Morph: Defense could leave you on the fence with this one, as its charm will only kick in once you’ve experienced a few missions that leave you barely standing and wanting more.

Kentucky Route Zero sometimes feels like a choose-your-own-adventure title, except instead of choosing how the story progresses, you choose how the characters internalize the story, environment, and their interactions, which sounds restrictive in theory, but in practice makes the whole experience both fresh and infinitely more satisfying. 

The Last of Us: Part II is a game that may challenge your moral compass. I can foresee that this will be talked about by players for weeks, even months, making it a rare experience worth soldiering through.