As a horror fan, I am perfectly fine with the number of horror titles we’ve seen this generation. That being said, many of them tend to lean into a stealth version of the genre where you’re defenseless and must sneak your way through untold numbers of enemies and monsters. It’s scary, sure, but it can get exhausting and repetitive very quick.

Thomas Brush and his studio, Atmos Games, grabbed my attention when I played and reviewed Pinstripe for the PS4. The combination of Tim Burton-esque art and a deep, meaningful story really brought the experience to life for me.

While not quite as prevalent as the first-person shooter, the first-person puzzler has seen plenty of variations in the last decade. From the standout success of the Portal series, to the hilarious meta-narrative of The Stanley Parable, I always have a soft-spot for a game that makes you think about things in a different way, or in this case, a different perspective.

When it comes to side-scrolling action shooters, most people will probably think of Contra, but me? I have the fondest memories of sinking quarters into a Metal Slug arcade machine, or playing through the anthology on my PS2.