This game is a hilariously chaotic experience from start to finish. Attempting to communicate effectively with your bomb-defusing partner while having limited information proves to be amazingly fun instead of overwhelmingly frustrating.

The amount of bombs to defuse is somewhat small, but the Steam Workshop provides plenty of custom-made puzzles for you to engage with. This is my go-to co-op game whenever I'm meeting someone new.

100%: Some bombs in the Exotic section can prove rather tricky depending on how comfortable you feel with their gimmicks.

Metal: Hellsinger is one hell of a rhythm shooter. The music is death-defyingly good and the weapons are a ton of fun to experiment with. The miniature challenges are also nice pace breakers, though the primary campaign isn't that long to begin with.

There are a few things holding this game back. The sigils are fun to experiment with, but ultimately don't impact gameplay that much. There were a few hiccups in terms of rhythm sync and the final boss is a sharp increase in difficulty compared to the gameplay before it. Still, Metal: Hellsinger is a great time and surely deserving of a sequel.

100%: Finishing a level without being off-beat once can be frustrating, though with some patience it is definitely doable.

A short and simple strategy game. The tactical gameplay, battle systems, and story are all basic - not bad, but not remarkable either.

It's interesting enough to hold your attention for a while, though maybe not long enough to see all of what the game has to offer. Probably a fun pick-up-and-play game for a weekend.

100%: Nothing to write home about. Hard-difficulty story mode may be the only thing to give you some amount of pause.

A decently made action-adventure game. Journey to the Savage Planet is very upfront about its style of humor. If you don't enjoy immense amounts of satire or meta-humor, you'll probably be looking elsewhere.

Gameplay consists of traveling between various areas defeating enemies with all sorts of weird weapons and exploring a vivid world. Most systems in the game are on the shallower side, but if you can appreciate the game's light-hearted nature, you'll find a fairly fun experience to be had.

100%: Some Metroidvania-style achievements, such as eating every orange goo or finding all the Explorer Logs, will require some backtracking. You will need a friend to play with in order to get some achievements.

The first of the Arkham games. Arkham Asylum is a more contained experience than its sequels, focusing you along a path so you can experience the story it wants you to. That's not to say it's bad...quite the contrary, in fact. While not all of the big bad villains from Batman's past make a return, the ones that do are beautifully realized.

Combat is fluid and responsive, though it can feel a bit samey at times. Approaching puzzles, stealth sections, and fights in creative ways with your plethora of tools can help the gameplay feel fresh. The enemy AI can act a bit weird sometimes, but they are predictable enough for you to craft a master plan on how to take them all out.

100%: Finding all of the Riddler trophies can be a bit bothersome/confusing. A few puzzles are a bit obtuse, but most are relatively straightforward. The combat and predator medals can also be a point of contention. You may end up restarting the same instance over and over until you finally nail down the sequence of events you need to perform to get all the medals.

Lego Marvel Avengers is a decent entry in the Lego universe of games. The story comprises the first two Avengers movies; confusingly, the game starts with a level from Age of Ultron, then has you play through all of the first Avengers movie, then the rest of Age of Ultron.

The gameplay is about what you expect from a typical Lego game. Characters are mostly fun to use and cool to see. There were a few performance issues/bugs on the PC version, but overall the experience was mostly solid.

100%: Typical collectathon achievements will require you to get every character, minikit, and gold brick. The largest hurdle to overcome will be collecting everything in Manhattan.

Eldest Souls wears its influences on its sleeve. From its story, to its combat, to the general atmosphere of the world, the game is not afraid to mimic From Software's iconic series. Prepare to die again and again against larger-than-life bosses.

Combat is simple and controls are tight. The Shard and Infusion systems help to create a build that matches your playstyle. The only enemies in the game are the bosses of each location, which can make the overworld feel a bit empty. Eldest Souls is a little on the short side, but it's overall a great experience.

100%: The hardest achievements by far are completing the game deathless and beating each boss hitless. With enough practice, you can get a feel for most attack patterns. Some fights, such as Eos, are absolutely rage-inducing to try and complete without getting hit.

My guilty pleasure and personal favorite of the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy XIII gets a lot of complaints, many rightly so. Most gameplay before reaching Gran Pulse is walking around cramped corridors. The characters can be grating and whiny at times.

The redeeming factor amidst the plethora of complaints is the combat system. The Paradigm system is perhaps my favorite way to engage in ATB-style combat. It's tactical, quick-paced, and allows for a surprising amount of depth.

The game also looks fantastic and features amazing setpieces and locations. It might not be the Final Fantasy game for everyone, but give this game a chance and it can really shine.

100%: Some of the later Cie'th Stone missions can prove rather difficult, especially the final one. The most time-consuming achievement bar none is the Treasure Hunt achievement. Farming Adamantortoises for ingots and trapezohedrons comprised almost 50% of my completion time for this game - certainly not for the faint of heart.

Supergiant Games's first outing and man...what a game this is. The story is rich, the gameplay is fun, and Logan Cunningham does a phenomenal job of guiding you through the game with his earthy narration. It's short, sweet, and manages to hold your attention the entire time.

The different upgrades, weapons, and shrine idols all help gameplay feel varied and involved. The game allows you to choose how difficult you want your experience to be.

100%: The hardest bunch will be completing the various Dreams with 5+ or all 10 shrine idols invoked. The Score Attack achievement can also be a bit tricky. These achievements do take some practice, but they are certainly doable.

A fun murder mystery visual novel with some Zero Escape-style twists. A few quick-time events were peppered here and there, but the gameplay isn't any drastic departure from your typical visual novel game.

I was invested in the story and its numerous twists. Some of the anime perviness was cringe-inducing, but the story was good enough to look past the minor grievances. Ota's route ending did make me cry a bit.

100%: No achievements that were difficult since they're mostly tied to progressing down the various story branches. The hidden Somnium items can prove to be somewhat tricky.

A trilogy of platformers with everyone's favorite Bandicoot. It's easy to see why these games were so popular when they were first released. Colorful levels, cartoony character designs, and a simple control scheme all bolster the platforming experience.

Some levels can be rather difficult, especially when going for relics. Depth perception can also be an infrequent issue; sometimes, you think a jump is perfect only to flat-out miss the platform. In spite of these rather small grievances, the N. Sane Trilogy provides a wonderful opportunity to reexperience Crash's beginnings.

100%: The gems and relics are going to be what consume most of your time...and patience. Some medal times require you to play nearly perfect, which can prove frustrating on vehicle levels and a few select other levels, such as The Lab.

A Metroidvania masterpiece. Gameplay is sharp. Controls are crisp. The world-building is wonderful. Visuals are beautiful. The soundtrack is to die for.

Hollow Knight tells a compelling story without much dialogue. The world itself invites you to explore every nook and cranny, talk to every character so that you can piece together the story of this world. I only wish I could experience this game for the first time again.

The free DLCs are nothing short of amazing and further solidify Hollow Knight as not only one of the best indie games, but of the best video games ever made. I could blather on and on about how absolutely amazing this game is, but you should honestly just play it for yourself.

100%: In true Metroidvania fashion, you'll be spending a decent amount of time retreading old ground with new abilities to get upgrades and hidden items. The speedrun achievements are fun, and certainly doable once you have a path plotted out. Beating the game in Steel Soul mode is no joke - you're gonna need to practice for this one. The Pantheons can also be maddeningly difficult, but also extremely rewarding to finally conquer.

The first entry in the Darksiders series. War's game focuses more on a God of War style of combat with a few puzzles and platforming elements sprinkled in to keep things somewhat fresh. Liam O'Brien does a wonderful job voicing the stoic War.

Darksiders feels like a mash of multiple games and, thus, can struggle at times to carve out its own identity. The story and setpieces are memorable enough. Combat can feel rigid and fluid at the same time. While the game doesn't do a whole lot to make itself stand out, it is fun for what it is.

100%: Apocalyptic difficulty can be challenging and will require some practice/upgrades to beat. The most annoying achievement by far is riding Ruin (your horse) for 100 miles. There's really not enough space in the main game's map to justify this distance requirement, even with the amount of backtracking you do. Find yourself a rubber band for your controller and save your sanity.

An incredibly fun puzzle-solving experience with a friend. Easy enough to pick up and play with anyone you can think of. Puzzles are creative and clever. The world itself is colorful and vibrant.

From military squirrels to giant plants to a talking book of romance, It Takes Two is a fantastic experience with your duo partner of choice.

100%: Nothing overly challenging. Finding all the minigames can be a bit hard since some of them are hidden well.

The gateway to the Monster Hunter series for some, a phenomenal 5th gen outing for me. World revolutionizes the hunt, adding interactability with the environment at unprecedented levels. Add stunning graphics and an amazing soundtrack and you have an unforgettable Monster Hunter experience.

Iceborne takes the amazing base game and adds even more over-the-top spectacle and gameplay. Fatalis is one of the hardest fights in the entire series and I was genuinely elated to finally overcome the challenge. A few minor complaints, such as lackluster weapon designs and the annoying cutscene interactions with multiplayer, don't come close to detracting from this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

100%: The crowns will, without a doubt, be the most time-consuming part of completion. You will lament seeing a silver crown for the 13th time.