Psychonauts 2

Psychonauts 2

Psychonauts 2 is an impressive sequel as while it’s been 16 years since the original, Double Fine hasn’t skipped a beat and advances its story in a way where it feels like a direct continuation. As Raz gets to meet his heroes for the first time, he learns that not everything is at it seems as while a powerful figure from their past is set to return, he must also deal with a spy amongst them.

Dreamscaper

Dreamscaper

Dreamscaper is another roguelike that immediately got my attention upon first seeing it, inspired by the likes of Hades and The Binding of Isaac. It is here, as Cassidy, where you will dive into your own dreams, combating evil representations of things such as Fear, Loss, and Negativity. Cassidy will also come to rely on the people around her, supporting her when she needs it most as she looks to uncover some painful memories.

Twelve Minutes

Twelve Minutes

Twelve minutes is a time loop game that is focused on uncovering a mystery. You’ll discover its clues as you converse with a few characters and items around your tiny three-room apartment. With an all-star voice cast starring Willem Dafoe, James McAvoy, and Daisy Ridley, I expected some stellar performances, but the stilted dialogue format causes those well-acted moments to feel tonally broken and wastes the incredible talent of these performers.

Dodgeball Academia

Dodgeball Academia

Dodgeball Academia, a bite-sized 9-hour sports RPG is rather enjoyable, allowing you to jump, roll, and dodge out of the way of a variety of spicey dodgeballs as you work your way through an inner-school championship, keeping an eye out for your friends, and an even closer one on your rivals.

The Ascent

The Ascent

Much like its streets and alleyways, filled with trash and neon spectacle, The Ascent lives in both of these worlds. It can often be buggy and have a few hollow systems, and yet be incredibly engaging, fast-paced, and utterly beautiful. Had the game seen a delay to fix its launch issues and adjust its deeper systems to feel more worthwhile, I’d have a strong case for this to be a contender for my game of the year.

Skydrift Infinity

Skydrift Infinity

Skydrift Infinity is a fun arcade-like flying game featuring power-ups, boost rings, and a ton of planes and skins to unlock as you play. If the game sounds familiar, it’s because it was originally released on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC back in 2011. Its main campaign is enjoyable enough, but the lack of full lobbies makes its multiplayer unreliable at best.

Death's Door

Death's Door

Death’s Door is incredibly special. From its polished take on what I loved about Hyper Light Drifter, or its level design and item use that we see in some of the best Zelda games, to the incredibly subtle detail to its animations and visuals, Acid Nerve has created a truly stand out game that begs to be experienced.

Worms Rumble

Worms Rumble

Worms Rumble is a fun if thin offering of PVP action starring those lovable Worms from ages past. Its action is dressed up with various costumes and weaponry in a Battle Royal space with a few extra modes to pad out its content. It’s certainly enjoyable, but much like its inching along cast, it lacks the legs to likely remain relevant and keep its community playing.

Scarlet Nexus

Scarlet Nexus

Scarlet Nexus is as Anime as it gets. It has a wonderful cast of characters, a bonkers plot, engaging and fast-paced combat, and a vast array of costume pieces to trick out your team in. Pick from two wildly different protagonists as you borrow powers from your party in an effort to take down grotesque creatures known as Others as you unravel a conspiracy in your midst.

Greedfall: The De Vespe Conspiracy

Greedfall: The De Vespe Conspiracy

Greedfall: The De Vespe Conspiracy is the first and likely only DLC for Greedfall, a game that while had several issues plaguing it, was an adventure I adored. However, after pushing through the DLC, the excitement I had for returning to this game for a new adventure feels wasted as this short addition feels more like a bad side quest.

Space Jam: A New Legacy

Space Jam: A New Legacy

Sure, it’s free, but there are tons of free games that at least look like they have effort put into them. This feels like something made over the course of a day and found its way onto the Xbox. Again, it’s free, does feature three-player co-op, so who knows, someone may enjoy this, but I couldn’t wait to uninstall it.

Chivalry II

Chivalry II

Chivalry II is a blast. It’s a PVP-focus medieval gore-fest that satisfies even in the face of getting slaughtered over and over again. With four classes that each have three subclasses of their own, finding the combination of weapons and abilities that work for you, offers you a ton to work towards. Level up, earn gold, customize your warrior and charge in screaming, just maybe duck when you see that axe coming at you.

Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance

Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance

Dark Alliance should have been a home run. The world, its story, characters, and the gameplay should have been great. While the game does at least offer up some decent visuals, nearly everything else it aims to do is met with bad design choices, a massive amount of bugs, and combat that feels lethargic in its responsiveness. Dark Alliance is all-around a massive disappointment and does little to earn its worth.

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is an adventure that showcases the hardware’s lightning-fast SSD in regards to its gameplay, a game that while is designed as being another safe bet by Sony, is a masterful journey that impresses at every turn. From its engaging gameplay to its vastly enjoyable cast, Rift Apart is a superb game that truly needs to be experienced.

Neptunia ReVerse

 Neptunia ReVerse

While this isn’t exactly Idea Factory’s Skyrim per se, the small adjustments made to ReVerse feel largely minimal when compared to the more drastic changes ReBirth had to the original. That aside, there is fun to be had here, but for fans who have already played through this adventure, the new additions here for ReVerse are passable at best.