Gaming

Call of Duty: Vanguard doesn’t drive the franchise forward in any major ways, but its tense, cinematic campaign and satisfying multiplayer modes are worth experiencing.

Mario Party Superstars is a solid, if unambitious, compilation of the best the series has to offer.

Forza Horizon 5 may not reinvent the wheel, but it sure does make balding tires as compelling and satisfying as ever.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is the franchise's best entry yet, acting as a playable horror film. But it still shows room for improvement.

At its best Riders Republic successfully captures the sense of adventure and risk-taking that make extreme sports so appealing.

The SteelSeries Arctis 7+/7P+ improves on a good design, but also costs a little more money than the previous model.

The Maingear Vector Pro is a powerful gaming laptop that delivers exceptional performance in a thin chassis — if you can afford it.

Age of Empires IV may not redefine the real-time strategy genre like its predecessors, but it’s still a deep and challenging dive into the world of medieval warfare.

The Corsair M65 RGB Ultra Wireless is a clever take on an excellent gaming mouse, but good performance can’t quite cover for some bizarre design choices.

The Alienware Aurora R11 packs powerful hardware in a distinctive chassis, although it’s loud, heavy and expensive.

Back 4 Blood is Left 4 Dead in everything but name. Delivering tense co-op zombie-shooting action, it’s the true spiritual successor to Turtle Rock’s classic franchise.

New World offers players — even MMO veterans — a satisfying mix of combat, character growth and discovery.

Metroid Dread meets — and arguably surpasses — its lofty expectations, with demanding gameplay, clever level design and an ambitious story.

Far Cry 6 isn’t quite the powerful, cinematic experience that Ubisoft promised, but this flawed adventure is still great fun for open-world shooter fans.

Alan Wake Remastered doesn’t overhaul the original foundations, but it does add welcome improvements to a game that has mostly stood the test of time.

The Razer Huntsman V2 combines innovative optical switches with quieter keycaps and gorgeous RGB lighting for a mild upgrade over its predecessor.

Diablo II: Resurrected recreates the best parts of the original game with a fresh coat of paint. However, the core gameplay design feels a bit dated.

The Corsair Sabre RGB Pro Wireless features a lightweight chassis, two kinds of wireless connectivity, long battery life and excellent in-game performance.

If you're looking to escape reality, WarioWare: Get It Together is wacky, frenetic fun. But the novelty may wear off after several hours.

On the pitch, FIFA 22 is the best the series has ever been, but offline modes have again been neglected in favor of FIFA Ultimate Team.

What Kena: Bridge of Spirits lacks in new ideas, it makes up for with an abundance of charm and gorgeous visuals.

NBA 2K22 provides something for everybody, from intense local matches with friends, to an immersive franchise mode, to an integrated online community.

Tails of Iron is a beautiful and charming side-scroller with brutal combat and a grim story. Fight as the rat king Redgi and reclaim your kingdom.

Gamedec is a cyberpunk RPG driven by its story and decisions. There’s no combat, just you using your crime-solving skills to progress.

Deathloop makes the most of its creative time loop mechanics and tight gameplay, but the repetition can wear thin after a while.

Wrath of the Righteous is a beautiful love letter to tabletop RPGs that faithfully evokes the thrill of sitting down to play through an epic adventure.

The Razer Basilisk V3 has just one big difference from its predecessors: an automatically adjusting scroll wheel. As it turns out, that’s a pretty major advantage.

The Origin PC Millennium is a beautiful system with excellent hardware and solid build quality. It’s pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Life Is Strange: True Colors represents the best the franchise has ever been, and provides a perfect jumping-on point for newcomers.

Tales of Arise doesn’t exactly forge new ground in the JRPG genre, but a fast-paced battle system and a well-told story make it easy to pick up, and hard to put down.