KOF XV feels like a greatest hits of the series, featuring a wealth of past favorites, and is a gorgeous game to boot. Its fighting systems are deep enough for the hardcore player yet friendly enough for newcomers, which is sadly not shared with its nonsensical story. Despite its great presentation and gameplay, it lacks staying power in its few modes, which hopefully will see some love via various DLC additions later on.

Horizon Forbidden West is a damn impressive adventure with stunning visuals, a solid story, and a presentation that is often unrivaled. However, the game is also plagued by several technical problems, a map that has already labeled where all the fun is, and a collection of activities that can often feel like filler.

Shadow Warrior 3 certainly lacks the depth of its predecessor but does in some ways make up for it with its fast-paced action and focus on delivering a gory and mobility-centric experience. With a satisfying grappling hook and the ability to wall-run and rip apart enemies for new weaponry, Lo Wang’s newest adventure is a flawed but enjoyable action-shooter.

Elex II fits well into the eurojank conversation, offering a world and gameplay approach that fits well in that classification. It’s not a technical marvel or visually stunning, but it is an incredibly fun adventure to those who set certain expectations on what it’s going to offer. As you form alliances in an effort to combat an alien threat, Jax will use his numerous powers to save Magalan.

Monark, a horror-aesthetic JPRG by some of the creative minds of the Shin Megami Tensei series, is certainly an interesting game that does more right than it does wrong. While it has a largely enjoyable narrative, punctuated with a solid overall cast and deep combat system, it can often feel undermined by an incredibly poor progression system that brings the grind to the forefront of the experience.

While Dying Light 2 largely succeeds with its visceral combat and traversal systems, as you attempt to track down your sister in the wide-open zombie-filled city of Villedor, it fails at creating an engaging narrative or giving us a memorable cast through its often too overwritten story.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the breath of fresh air the series has needed in years, offering a wide-open wilderness set in the past as you put together the very first Pokedex. While its visuals are easily controversial among its fanbase, its gameplay and pacing make this adventure one worth taking.

The walking simulator has often resulted in some fantastic gaming experiences. From Dead Esther, Gone Home, to the more horror-influenced Amnesia series. While The Dead Tree of Ranchiuna is certainly a fit for the genre, it lacks any significant offering in anything that resembles a satisfying experience.

Chorus tells the story of Nara, an ex-disciple of a cult called The Circle, and responsible for the destruction of Namika Prime. Stricken with guilt over the atrocities she committed in their name, she flees to the far side of the galaxy, hoping to atone for her sins far away from her former Master.

Rainbow Six: Extraction has all the trappings of a traditional Rainbox Six game, but throws us a curveball with the inclusion of Aliens. While the game initially has Left 4 Dead vibes, the stealth nature of its early game certainly works in its favor, leading up to its intense action-packed endgame that tests your teamwork as much as your skills with a gun.

As you travel this strange world in the hopes of a big payday, vacuum arm’d Rani, will encounter a long-lost secret that will cause her to dive deep into the planet’s mystery. While The Gunk certainly sounds exciting, and can often be enjoyable, the execution of its mechanics and upgrade systems are shallow at best, making it out to be a game that will largely be forgotten.

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.