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If you can find a troop that understands this isn’t Call of Duty, and wants to work together, it’s an immensely gratifying game. Injuring someone feels as good as getting the kill in other titles. One well-placed bullet could do either, with a time-to-kill that is a haunting reminder of the history playing out. Granted, Gallipoli may prove too unforgiving for many–this is a world where you often can’t move and reload at the same time–but that’s no complaint. The back-to-basics feel is refreshing in the current market, with deliberateness in your actions replacing the need for perks and power-ups.

Overall, I’m impressed by what Expression Games has been cooking here. While many players will no doubt find the learning curve too daunting and won’t appreciate getting murdered by invisible bullets, there’s something special here that walks the fine (and uncomfortable) line between ‘war as entertainment’ and the horror of seeing a friend’s limbs fly off as you hug the nearest tree. For our deeper (and scored) thoughts after the game goes live, come back in a few days. [Review in Progress]

While the journey is not a smooth one, The Mound: Omen of Cthulhu takes you on a voyage of co-op terror that assaults the senses and unsettles the nerves. Its cosmic horror bag of tricks offers a refreshing experience, even as its power begins to fade.

Black Flag’s narrative was always strong, focusing on Edward’s journey to freedom and the losses he must bear as he explores every nook and cranny of the Caribbean Sea. The remake doesn’t change that; instead, it fleshes out the story with meaningful additions. Besides, parkour doesn’t fix what wasn’t broken in the first place. Black Flag was, and will remain with the new version, one of the strongest Assassin’s Creed titles in the franchise.

Endless Ragnarok isn’t a game changer for Granblue Fantasy: Relink, but it does stock the base game with better-balanced and deeper endgame gameplay. There’s not much new in terms of story, and there’s a fair bit of reskinning and rehashing going on, yet this is a smart expansion for a relatively breezy RPG experience.

It takes a while to get to the core of what makes Moonlight Peaks a viable alternative to your life sim of choice, so be prepared for a slow start if you're well-versed in the genre. But if you want a relaxed life-sim experience with chilled-out yet compelling things to do in a charmingly supernatural environment, it is rewarding.

Copa City brings a refreshing take on football management by focusing on an aspect of the beautiful game that gets overlooked elsewhere. Planning and executing the matchday experience for a club and its city works fits snugly into the various sub-genres the game employs, but be ready to face a frustrating lesson or two if you’re playing on console.

Yacht Club Games’ return bridges the gap between souls-like games and their 2D action-adventure ancestry with enough confidence and energy to instantly become a new indie classic.

Directive 8020 is another solid entry from Supermassive Games, even if it falls short of the studio’s best horror experiences. The decision-making mechanics remain as tense and entertaining as ever, especially when playing alongside friends. While uneven pacing, cheesy dialogue, and technical hiccups hold it back from greatness, the game still delivers an engaging sci-fi horror adventure filled with memorable choices and strong atmosphere. Fans of Until Dawn and previous Dark Pictures titles will likely find plenty to enjoy here. It may not be the standout entry in the franchise, but it’s still an enjoyable and highly replayable horror game.

Strong driving feel with more natural, slightly chaotic traffic systems.