Developer Cold Symmetry's budget action-RPG is a love letter to From Software's work, but Mortal Shell's take on similar ideas feels aimed at those who struggle to get through Soulsborne games.
Hitman 3 doesn't make changes to the World of Assassination formula--instead, it refines it through excellent level design.
With Beyond Light, Destiny 2 can still get cyclical and repetitious, but its new abilities and improved storytelling make it feel much more alive.
Control in the cloud is a solid way to experience one of 2019's best games, even if it's not the prettiest.
The follow-up to Frictional Games' seminal 2010 horror game tightly hones the developer's approach to story, frights, and frustration.
Avengers feels like two separate games smashed together, and while they don't always sync up, both parts are linked by deep, intelligent combat spread across varied heroes.
AWE is full of fun lore tidbits linking Control to Alan Wake, but it underwhelms as an addition to both the latter's universe and the former's weird game world.
Developer Cold Symmetry's budget action-RPG is a love letter to From Software's work, but Mortal Shell's take on similar ideas feels aimed at those who struggle to get through Soulsborne games.
Liberated wants to be a playable V for Vendetta, but despite a beautiful hand-drawn art style, it can't match the quality of its inspirations.
Maneater's ability to make you feel like a nonsensically powerful prehistoric monster is matched only by its comedic chops, but it's marred by loose, frantic combat.
Doom Eternal intensifies the battles with Hell's hordes by requiring you to constantly calculate the best ways to rip, tear, and stay alive.
Respawn Entertainment's foray into the Star Wars universe balances Force powers with tough difficulty to make the best Jedi game in years.
Shadowkeep's return to the moon provides the usual quick story and new activities, but it's the many under-the-hood changes that really shine.
The Coalition adds a lot of smart new ideas to the Gears of War formula in Gears 5.
Telling Lies expands on the core ideas of Her Story with more expansive, nuance voyeurism, but it runs out of energy before the end.
