Jason Dailey

“Take the magic of NBA Jam's gameplay, trade NBA players for robots with abilities, toss in some roguelite systems, give it stop-motion-style animation, and BOOMSHAKALAKA – you've got yourself a slam dunk.”

“Arma Reforger offers some of best military roleplaying around, but the gameplay is complex to a fault at times on PS5. Hardcore might be an understatement, as it's one of those games where your enjoyment is determined by how much effort you put into it. Despite the deep complexity, Arma Reforger can be deeply rewarding as well.”

“With an atypical amount of polish and a variety of satisfying road work to complete, Road Maintenance Simulator 2 is a surprisingly good simulator. It features an excellent blend of precision versus peacefulness that is sometimes difficult for games in the genre to nail down, which makes it an easy one to recommend.”

“With an atypical amount of polish and a variety of satisfying road work to complete, Road Maintenance Simulator 2 is a surprisingly good simulator. It features an excellent blend of precision versus peacefulness that is sometimes difficult for games in the genre to nail down, which makes it an easy one to recommend.”

“Highway Police Simulator is a broken and buggy mess at this moment in time. With that said, and as strange as it sounds, this simulator has potential. Whether it can right the ship will be determined in the weeks and months ahead.”

“Uncle Chop's Rocket Shop blends simulator-esque puzzle solving with a roguelike framework. The result is an often tedious slog that requires the utmost patience, a laser-focused attention span, and a love for tinkering. Put simply, at the end of a long day at work, this is not the game you want to cozy up with.”

“Far more than just an Unreal Engine 5 tech demo, Empire of the Ants is a brilliant RTS game. Smart, confident gameplay design keeps things simple while challenging your tactical abilities at a near-perfect pace. It's one of the best surprises of 2024.”

“A worthy upgrade that brings it closer to the fidelity of its sequel, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is the best version of a great sci-fi RPG. Guerrilla Games and Nixxes Software have turned this remaster skeptic into a true believer.”

“Wildermyth is one of the best turn-based RPGs I've ever played. Immersive storytelling, brilliant pacing, and simple yet complex gameplay makes this one addictive game. It's so good that not even a save file bug could turn me away from it. Don't miss this one.”

“Starship Troopers: Extermination on console puts the rough in Roughnecks. Technical issues, poor crossplay implementation, and frustratingly chaotic gameplay design leave much to be desired.”

“Toy Tactics is a great example of "less is more", brilliantly opening-up the RTS genre to newcomers, while still managing to challenge longtime fans with confident, intuitive gameplay design. An excellent singleplayer suite overshadows a seemingly DOA multiplayer mode, but that shouldn't stop you from playing one of the finest strategy titles in recent memory.”

“Caravan SandWitch is a gorgeous, cozy exploration game with a story that falls flat. It won't hold a spell over you for long, but a weekend is all it needs.”

“While the on-court gameplay improvements from last year are incremental and subtle, NBA 2K25 is still the high-water mark for sports games. A more newcomer-friendly MyCAREER, and the addition of worthwhile game modes to MyTEAM make this one of the best entries in the series, even despite it constantly trying to reach deeper into your pocket.”

“A roguelike for fans of city-builders, Roots of Yggdrasil deftly extends its branches to those who typically shy away from the live-die-repeat nature of the genre. It's not perfect, but speaking the city-builder language makes this an inviting roguelike experience that will challenge but not frustrate you.”

“I've never been as emotionally affected by a video game as I was by Farewell North. It's a gorgeous bit of storytelling, flanked by music and art that is just as beautiful. You can see its emotional gut-punch coming, but good luck avoiding it.”

“Shoulders of Giants: Ultimate is not the roguelike that breaks the mold for those trying to get into the genre, and I can't say that roguelike veterans would find its gameplay loop compelling either. It's wide range of weaponry and abilities does create bursts of fun, but unfortunately it wears thin relatively quickly.”

“A delightful creature-collecting zen 'em up, Flock's charming vibe and flowy movement is a perfect weekend game.”

“Good track design and a blistering sense of speed are not enough to compensate for relatively mindless racing. Horizon Chase 2 serves as an ode to arcade racing classics that reminds us just how far the genre has come.”

“XDefiant will likely divide competitive shooter fans, as it did us here at Gaming Nexus. Fans of classic competitive shooters will find a lot to like in the Ubiverse shooter, even its take on hero abilities. But it may not go far enough in any direction to truly stand out in a crowded market.”

“Planet of Lana is a joy to behold, having been crafted with aplomb by a team of artistic and musical virtuosos. The gameplay itself is nothing you haven't seen from other side-scrolling puzzlers, but it gives a wide berth to the stunning art and musical score that reach Disney levels of quality.”