Halo Infinite is going to mean something different to a lot of people. It’s also the first of the series to release on a subscription service, let alone having the entirety of its multiplayer available free to play. The long-awaited return of the Master Chief is also structured in an open world, giving you a vastness that the series has only hinted at before.

Ruined King: A League of Legends Story is another branching out effort by Riot Games to place their well-established League of Legends characters into new games, tv shows, and more. While the title is cut from the same cloth of Airship Syndicate’s own Battle Chasers title, the depth, and variety of its refinement make it feel like a whole new experience, even if a few bugs attempt to ruin the fun.

Forza Horizon 5 is a damn impressive game regardless of how similar it may feel to its predecessor. The massive map size in Mexico is varied enough to keep the races engaging, and the visuals on the Series X never disappoint. While I certainly have issues with how overwhelming the map can feel at times, this is still without question, one of the best games of the year.

Riders Republic may be a successor to Steep, but it does just enough new to really feel like the birth of a new franchise. From biking to snowboarding to tearing it up in the skies with your rocket pack, Riders offers a thrilling series of races and events that shine, even if some small issues set it back and keep it from standing tall on the winner’s podium.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a surprisingly fantastic game that felt constantly rewarding with an iteration of the team that ends up delivering a heartfelt and memorable campaign. As Star Lord, you’ll attempt to keep the team from killing each other as a threat looms over the entire galaxy, one that will require the team to come to rely on each other in ways they never expected.

Tales of Arise is a vastly thrilling adventure that offers up a wealth of great characters, some truly stunning locations to explore, and a rewarding combat system that allows for a lot of diversity from its cast. While the story itself is decently told, there is a lot of repetition in its dialogue and conversations that does border on being a fair bit tedious for its own good.

When it was announced that these two brands would collide in Ninja Wars, I was curious as to how over the top it would get, given the title’s teen rating. While it distances itself from most of what Senran Kagura usually offers, we still get a fairly action-packed adventure, albeit with some gameplay issues that greatly hold it back.

Metroid Dread is a stunning return to form for the beloved bounty hunter. With a fairly substantial map to explore, enemies to destroy, and weapons to master, Samus will have to contend with nearly invincible robots that will stalk her almost every move. As Samus explores this mysterious planet, she’ll uncover secrets that will change her forever.

Waifu Discovered 2: Medieval Fantasy advertises itself as a strip’em up action shooter, and they’re certainly not wrong. As you get into your ship, outfitted with guns and missiles, you’ll combine them with a variety of rune crystals as you look to destroy the evil that resides in the clothing of elf girls, vampire vixens, sexy knights, lewd mages, and more.

With such a diverse cast of characters from a brand that has grown up with numerous generations of gamers, you would assume that Nickelodeon would invest heavily into creating a game that does what it can to honor its vast history of characters oozing with personality. Sadly, in the creation of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, all that personality was left at the door.

Gamedec is a detective thriller told within the confines of a cyberpunk world. You’ll leave the real world behind as you dive into a series of games, each with its own mystery buried within. With a variety of skills, dialogue options, and branching paths, every adventure here can go one of a dozen ways. While the game certainly lives up to much of its premise; frequent bugs and other issues, unfortunately, hurt the game in its current state.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a truly wonderful adventure with gorgeous visuals, stunning animations, and a combat system that while varied in a few abilities, brings a level of challenge and depth that I wasn’t fully expecting, especially with its charming and kid-friendly art direction. Kena is simply put; magical.

Xuan Yuan Sword 7 is likely going to be western audiences first shot at the beloved series. This self-contained tale of Zhao and his sister Xiang is an extremely well told one. Everything from the combat system, story, and its cast of characters, all shine in this remarkably well crafted Chinese adventure.

Omen of Sorrow by all accounts sounds like a kick-ass fighting game. You play as one of 12 monsters, or monster hunters, various creatures known the world over, and fight in burning forests, chilling London streets, or in long-forgotten pyramids. While the game can excel in some of its visual aesthetics, it fails hard at literally everything else.

Tormented Souls can certainly look to entertain fans of the classic survival horror games, fused with mechanics and gameplay systems of the era. While modern gamers may not fully embrace a lot of its outdated designs, I still think there is a solid enough game here that shows tremendous promise for a potential franchise.

Life is Strange: True Colors is the latest main entry into the beloved series, helmed by Before the Storm’s Deck Nine, the new stewards of this franchise. As Alex Chen, who has reunited with her brother after eight years apart, you’ll dive into the mystery around his recent death, a secret that has repercussions to not just her, but the townsfolk as well.

When accompanied by friends, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is an enjoyable time. With a wealth of classes, weapons, and skills, you can fight your way through hordes of Xenomorph as you attempt to uncover what Weyland-Yutani is up to. With 12 missions and an enjoyable, if repetitive, horde mode, not to mention additional content to be released in the future, this might be one of the best Aliens games in some time.

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 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.

WitchSpring3 [Re:Fine] - The Story of Eirudy is a charming JRPG that tells the story of its titular character, Eirudy, as she navigates the interactions with humans for the first time in her life. While Adrian, a boy she meets in the forest wants to be her friend, his ties to a mad man looking to destroy her will have her often choose between protecting herself, or going with her heart.