The retro vibe and attempt at nostalgia can’t save The Rumble Fish 2 from itself. Poor design, hit boxes, input delay and lack of direction see it suffer a K.O. by its own hand.

While the dialogue, of which there is a lot, can sometimes revel in its corniness, there is a lot to love in this strangely multifaceted game. Much lighter than the dark and brooding trailers suggested, Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a game that somehow mixed XCOM’s military strategy style combat with a social sim in which your character helps friends with their personal problems and forges bonds. Small strange slice-of-life options, like having the ability to have characters change clothes every day or customizing various room,s turns this into a game that you almost feel like you can live in. Which is a good thing because I did not want to leave it.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet needed to be playtested a lot more before release. There are some genuinely jarring issues, but they don’t take away from the fact that there’s a really fun game here at its core. The storyline is better and more real than almost any Pokemon storyline I’ve seen in years. It’s hard to miss the flaws in this game, but if you’re a fan of the series, it’s far more interesting than it is disappointing and I’m glad I spent my time playing the game.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet needed to be playtested a lot more before release. There are some genuinely jarring issues, but they don’t take away from the fact that there’s a really fun game here at its core. The storyline is better and more real than almost any Pokemon storyline I’ve seen in years. It’s hard to miss the flaws in this game, but if you’re a fan of the series, it’s far more interesting than it is disappointing and I’m glad I spent my time playing the game.

Saturnalia is a game on the shorter side (well, if you are as bad as I was at it, it may go longer) but in terms of indie horror, it lands on the successful side of the fence. The kaleidoscope-esque quality of walking through the darkened streets with nothing but a match to guide your way will leave you with an anxious knot in your stomach. Saturnalia won’t be for everyone but if you love how artistic that indie horror can be, you will definitely enjoy yourself.

I’m not really sure what my favorite part of Heidelberg 1693 was, really. I love the aristocratic time period, the colors and varying environments. The ending is a hell of a lot of fun as well but I won’t spoil that for you. If you are a fan of platformers or even on the fence about them, this is one of the good ones that will win you over with its looks alone.

With so much potential under their belt after their last successful release, Supermassive dropped the ball with The Devil in Me, leaving players with crappy graphics, crappier mechanics and the crappiest of characters.

If you haven’t played God of War Ragnarok, what are you even doing with your life? Playing Gotham Knights? Get the hell outta here. Buy the game before it gets Game of the Year…AGAIN.

One of the best fighting titles in years is now on the Nintendo Switch, and it’s one that if willing to take a beating, you should pick it up. Just be sure to use that Pro Controller, or you’re in for a world of hurt that even Slocap didn’t wish upon you.

Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration isn’t just a treasure trove of hard-to-find titles, it’s a love letter to gaming’s history. Besides simply playing these classics — some of which have been updated with improved graphics — you get a rich history lesson about the company. Candid interviews provide a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at what it was like working at the company and give you insight into the development of these older games. This context allows you to view these classics in an entirely new light.

For a game made by the same studio responsible for the previous two Bayonetta games, it’s strange how often Bayonetta 3 feels like a poorly made fan project. The story that has been built up has been thrown to the wayside to introduce a tired “multiverse” concept. All the confidence and character development has been completely scraped in favor of turning her into a loving motherly type character in constant need of saving. Wonky camera angles and visuals make it look like this game should have gone back into the over for another year. It’s playable and, at times, fun, but as part of a series, it’s quite possibly the weakest chapter.

PGA TOUR 2K23 doesn’t hit you with a shipload of content, but with some of the best gameplay ever in a golf game along with returning features like MyCAREER, Societies, Quick Match, and the course designer as well as the addition of Topgolf and the new MyPLAYER Archetype/Skill system, there’s plenty of replay value at the virtual links.

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed had the potential to be a rockin’ asymmetrical game with references to the movies we love. However, redundancy, cross-play issues and lack of content make it a mediocre installment.

The Wardrobe – Even Better Edition is a colorful and fun old-school puzzle game with colorful animations and silly pop culture references.

S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored had so much potential to be one of the creepier games to play this spooky season, but it just bites off more than it can chew and takes the player out of the environment too much, ruining the effect.

Serial Cleaners is an interesting puzzle game covered in blood and grunge with a fun ’90s spin. Pop on your yellow rubber gloves and get to cleanin’.

Beacon Pines is a well-thought-out and adorable little mystery narrative game that is a perfect way to relax and unravel an ever-changing story that you control.

With lots of things to see and do and unlock, Splatoon 3 delivers exactly what people want from the franchise and so much more. Despite a few disappointing decisions, like the removal of the rhythm game, a near-perfect Splatoon experience.

Wayward Strand is a game that celebrates the fact that everyone has a story. Beyond some minor annoyances, it’s an absolute gem in the world of storytelling and fans of the medium should not miss out on this.

Bugs, lackluster graphics and questionable design choices prevent Temtem from becoming the Pokemon alternative many had hoped it would be.

Destroy All Humans 2: Reprobed is even more fun than the first remake with improved and colorful visuals, smooth gameplay and the same amazing sounds that we know and love. Some games don’t need to be improved but we sure are glad this one was.

Cursed to Golf really takes golfing to the next level. The wide variety of holes, traps, and Ace Cards really makes you want to play this game over and over again. With a golf game taking a risk to join the Roguelike genre, it swung and definitely did not miss. You will find yourself playing Cursed to Golf many times over just so you can finally see if you can conquer Golf Purgatory and ascend back to the real world.

Ooblets has the potential to be a fantastic and calming game to fill the void lack of Animal Crossing updates. But long load times and numerous bugs turn what should be an adorable and relaxing game into a frustrating experience.

Kirby’s Dream Buffet is cute and is undeniably Kirby, but so is a still picture of Kirby. A stunning lack of variety mixed with surprising lag issues for a game with so few players equates to a massive swing-and-a-miss that is likely to kill people’s interest long before Nintendo ever gets around to fixing its network issues.

Shin-chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation -The Endless Seven-Day Journey- is exactly what the trailer promised. It’s a heartfelt summer vacation sim mixed with Stardew Valley-style side quests mixed in with a sprinkle of time travel and dinosaurs, because why not?

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has taken the best of JRPGs and Western RPGs and has created a title worth any gamer’s attention. Monolith Soft continues to innovate with gameplay while retaining the heart and soul of one of Nintendo’s flagship franchises. With a crazy world, and an even crazier story to boot, if you have a Switch and aren’t playing this, you’re missing out on one of the most polished RPGs of this generation.

Live a Live is a rare and unique title that was already terrific but made even better with an extreme amount of love and hard work put in to drastically improve the experience. To live a life in which you haven’t played Live a Live is a life less lived.

If 3D platforming, action-adventure, and puzzle games are your thing, XEL is going to fulfill your needs and then some. It comes with a compelling story, solid gameplay mechanics, and a beautiful world that is yours to explore freely. But until the bugs are solved, this incredible title is going to continue to be held back not by its design flaws, but by its mechanical ones.