Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a competent new JRPG with which genre fans will likely be pleased. However, it does very little to iterate on the foundation laid by those that came before it. Instead, it’s content to offer its flavor of what has worked before.

Slay the Princess is a straightforward choice-driven visual novel that slowly breaks at the seams revealing a rabbit hole of possibilities that prey on player anxieties and paranoia.

Kunitsu-Gami Path of the Goddess is an incredibly mixed bag that, while including several great elements, is held back by overly simplistic, floaty combat mechanics and a lackluster narrative.

When Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is strong, it's strong. But without the Tape 2 Rage, I'm unfortunately left with too much gap to close, not enough life lived, and not enough of a tactile interactive experience to immerse me in Swann's life and Velvet Cove.

While some of its changes are more impactful than others, most of what is on offer in the Dynasties update for Total War: Pharaoh are net positives. The additions and tweaks bring some much needed depth to the game’s campaigns and help keep things fresh on subsequent playthroughs. However, it does not address some of the core issues that longtime fans have voiced and will likely not be enough to bring them back to the Bronze Age despite it being free.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World is just more Kirby. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is up to you and how much you liked the base game.

WWE 2k24‘s attempt to appeal to all of its possible audiences is an admirable goal. It is disappointing though how that effort leaves its various elements feeling either disconnected from one another or generally under-baked.

The technical issues do detract from the experience somewhat, especially when considering that many of the bugs are more than a decade old at this point, but they are not enough to keep Skyrim: Anniversary Edition from being the definitive way to experience the classic title.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink offers a captivating albeit simple narrative, mesmerizing visuals, and a fun gameplay experience. If you’re a JRPG fan looking for a great new experience, then you’ll do no wrong with the game, but don’t expect anything out of the ordinary.

Overall, WWE 2K23 serves its purpose. Anybody looking to play a fighting game with characters they recognize from WWE’s brand will get precisely what they want. Unfortunately, people looking for a unique fighting game and anyone feeling nostalgic for the great pro wrestling games of the past will be disappointed.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Flynn: Son of Crimson. It feels just different enough from its genre brethren with cool unlockable weapons and upgrades and a whole heckin’ dog to fight by your side. It’s nothing special, though, and despite a constant feeling of progression, the game’s basicness eventually wore on me. For fans of action platformers, though, it will be an enjoyable new addition.

Players familiar with fast-paced combat and dark depictions of fairy tales will find that Blacktail has a lot to offer. Unfortunately, however, Blacktail often trips over its own feet by trying too hard to create a large variety of gameplay mechanics and easily losing track of the goals of its narrative.

MLB The Show 22 is a finely-tuned baseball simulator that offers a nice range of options depending on your patience but is possessed of a nearly insurmountable difficulty curve for beginning players, especially those who are either uninvested in the sport, more accustomed to simpler arcade-style baseball games, or even fans of other popular sports simulators that require less pinpoint accuracy to succeed in. Fortunately, if you’re determined enough to learn to play the game, there are endless pitches to swing at and new games to start over as you fine-tune your button-pressing timing.

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon brings with it a mixed bag of elements. While I enjoyed my time with the game overall, it does have some sizable shortcomings. Any player more interested in gameplay than the story should probably think twice about picking it up. At the same time, those who wish to experience a well-executed tale about friendship and overcoming one’s fear set in a unique, dark fairytale world may want to pick it up, as long as they can accept a few bumps in the road.

PGA Tour 2K25 is not a perfect game, but it does a solid job of bringing golf to life for new and experienced fans. Some new game modes and more improved visuals and performance would make the next installment a true classic, but PGA Tour 2K25 is a good step forward.

FATAL FRAME II: REMAKE has the potential to be something great. The most important elements of a great horror story are there, but they get lost far too quickly.

Koira lacks in-game substance as it offers little encouraged progression like collectibles or various ways to experience the journey more than once, which could otherwise make it one to remember… Still, the way the game embraces music as the language evokes emotion that players can build upon is introspective. This is where Koira succeeds.

There is plenty to enjoy about The First Berserker: Khazan, but it requires you to commit to overcoming its challenges in a way most other games do not.

So, while I enjoyed my experience playing Just Dance 2023 its value feels like it will vary greatly from person to person. While it has a sizable track list from a solid variety of artists, how much play you can get out of this game will depend greatly on your desire to chase high scores and unlock simple cosmetics, how many friends you have to clown around with, or if you are want to work it into your routine as a way to get some exercise in that provides a bit more fun than a morning jog.

If it weren’t for the prevalence of strange control issues, Monster Hunter Stories on PC would be an easy recommendation for fans of Pokémon or other creature-based RPGs. Without those issues, it is a charming and smart RPG with some fun, unique ideas and smart design.

Even with its weak level variety, you’ll still have fun exploring new areas of SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide, each well-detailed and full of secrets to find.

It's a well-crafted game within its own scale with a great story and emotionally resonant characters, but in the grand scheme of what a big open-world RPG could provide, Assassin's Creed Shadows doesn't maximize its potential.

Justice Sucks has some very minor faults. But, overall, it provides a lot of quirky fun and 90s humor with a unique twist. I just wish it was a longer game so I could have more time with its chaotic action.

Besides the abysmal UI, Civilization 7‘s simplifying changes come down to personal taste. For newcomers or fans hungry for a more pared-back or guided experience, there is a lot to love in them. More experienced players or those who value self-driven strategy will find more friction despite some changes being more universally beneficial.

Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis – The Answer serves as a challenging, combat-heavy epilogue to Persona 3, that can be a divisive experience. While it, at the very least, provides closure for the characters and story and includes some new and fun elements, its focus on grinding and dungeon crawling at the expense of the series’ beloved social elements leaves it feeling incomplete.

A great game for a weekend or even just an afternoon, DARQ: Complete Edition packs in about 4-6 hours of spooky puzzles. Best enjoyed with headphones, its strengths are its immersive and chilling sound design provided by Cyberpunk 2077 and Hitman’s Bjørn Jacobsen, and its creative, perspective-shifting platforming within a vividly realized world. While it leans more unsettling than scary and at times relies too heavily on cheap scares, it’s a satisfying, imaginative game that is well-deserving of an afternoon. I wouldn’t recommend it to cure any sleep issues, though.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is just fine—a whiplash of an experience that has some really memorable moments and others that are just grating.

If you are a fan of 2K’s work and the NBA 2K series, there are plenty of reasons to pick up NBA 2K23. The soundtrack, “Jordan Challenge” mode and new storyline all help offer a generally playable experience. However, anyone that thinks that 2K23 will offer a new or highly improved experience may need to reexamine their expectations. The bottom line is that NBA 2K23 is aimed at fans of the franchise and basketball fans alike, delivering the exact experience that most people would expect.

Outriders Worldslayer, while introducing some fun new additions, just ended up being more Outriders for better or worse…There is no revolutionary overhaul of systems. They built on what was already there or just retooled to fit in theming-wise (looking at you, Apocalypse levels). One thing is for sure—People Can Fly can make a fun game even more fun, regardless of whether it ends up being good.

While Anno 1800 Console Edition struggles to shine under its clunky controls and poor optimization, it manages to preserve the deep and addictive systems that define its identity. Serious Anno fans are better off sticking to the PC version of the game, especially since it won’t be receiving any of its post-launch content. However, strategy fans that don’t have that option should be more than satisfied with the new console port.

Bahnsen Knights is a short ride with fun highs brought on by its timely features and mini-games that move the story along and keep players in the driver’s seat.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden continues Don’t Nod’s recent success with a gripping new experience. While its combat isn’t anything groundbreaking, the world that it transports players to and the story that it tells within it are well worth checking out.

Eastward is a great game. It’s beautiful, it’s a story well-told, and it’s very fun to play. But for me, the entire experience was tainted by what I quickly and inescapably perceived as racist and sexually exploitative depictions, which is just such a monumental shame of a thing to tarnish an otherwise incredible experience. I mean, this game has an entire virtual RPG video game built into it that you can play. But I simply can’t rate this experience highly with how tarnished my view of it all is. I love playing it, I recommend playing it, but I also insist you judge for yourself these character depictions and whether they meet the standards we should expect from games.

Compared to its predecessor, with a well-defined motif, Everhood 2 will give you whiplash from how often the story changes directions. That indecisiveness is ultimately its downfall, leaving you scratching your head and wondering, “Is that really how it ends?”

Not everything is ideal when it comes to presentation, but on the whole, Moving Out 2 is a fun game to play alone or with friends.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership is an exciting, albeit imperfect adventure that brings the Mario Bros. to a whole new world. There is plenty to see and do and it is well worth taking the time to slow down and immerse yourself in this brand new adventure.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is a bit of a hard sell at full price, especially if you still have a Wii with a copy of the original lying around. Its visual improvements are welcome but are marred by enough inconsistencies and technical setbacks that fans may find themselves dreaming of what could have been.

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is a decent upgrade that needs some tweaking.

New World Aeternum struggles to be worthwhile for many players. The MMO genre is stuffed with excellent dug-in titles that are difficult to pull players away from for long, just as the original release of New World saw. With its unimpactful combat, lackluster story, and its most interesting content only being accessible to the most dedicated of players, this spiritual successor just doesn’t mix it up enough.

As a purely single-player experience, it feels like a solid introduction to the extraction shooter genre, but even the cute ducks can’t save Escape from Duckov from feeling like a chore.

When it’s at its best, Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes – Definitive Edition delivers an enjoyable fantasy tale that is accompanied by a unique gameplay system. However, overly random elements mar the player’s sense of agency within these battles, greatly diminishing the thrill of victory and leaving them wondering if each defeat was truly deserved.

Nostalgia might have some fans of Super Monkey Ball trapped in the little ball with them, running their little feet, futile against the inevitability of gravity. But for those not already on the inside, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is skippable.

SaGa Frontier Remastered is a must-play for die-hard fans of the original. Though I found myself having some fun with the characters and gameplay, the game’s lack of explanation it gives to players about literally everything makes it hard to recommend to new players.

It is fortunate for Bravely Default II, that the strength of its combat and world designs outweigh its odd design choices and uninspired writing, if only barely. It is enough to keep the experience enjoyable, but it is unlikely that it is one that will stick with you for very long.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake resurrects an old fan favorite title from the early 2000s. While it has a shiny new coat of paint and an engaging gameplay loop that’s sure to make long-time fans marvel, it’s nonetheless bogged down by incompetent AI-controlled allies, curious design decisions, and oversights when it comes to core mechanics.

This leaves Assassin’s Creed Discovery Tour: Viking Age as a pretty solid update that players who enjoyed the setting of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla should definitely check out. However, it doesn’t quite justify its asking price as a standalone title, except maybe for history buffs who want to see a faithful recreation of the period that isn’t bogged down by RPG systems or combat mechanics.

For some, Mario vs. Donkey Kong is exactly what those who love the GBA release are looking for. For everyone else, this puzzle platformer is full of rough edges that are a deterrent.

Ultimately, Rise of the Ronin will be a mixed bag for people. The combat will carry it for many, but the lack of variety in the open world, messy story, and performance issues will take away from others.

Final Fantasy XVI: Echoes of the Fallen delivers beautiful scenes and incredible action but falters a bit with an anticlimactic ending. There is plenty to enjoy for fans of the main game, but the lack of a great ending means it fails to live up to the lofty expectations set by the main game.

Despite some of my frustrations with how boring PGA Tour 2K23 can feel, that also just feels like golf in a nutshell. Golf is an old game with very little innovation, so watching the most popular golf game franchise follow that same path makes sense. As a golf simulator, PGA Tour 2K23 is as good as it gets, but for players who aren’t into the extremely accurate golf representation it’s going to always feel a bit boring.

Rune Factory 3 Special is a well-done remaster that gives new life to an older game. While nothing sticks out as entirely revolutionary, that doesn’t stop the experience from being an enjoyable one.

While Sonic Origins does little to innovate or make this set of ports stand out besides some forgettable Museum unlockables and some nice new artwork, it remains a perfectly fine addition to the accessibility of classic Sonic games on modern consoles. I wish it were not at the expense of the ability to purchase them individually from older ports; however, even with its flaws, it’s as fun as these games have ever been.

Visions of Mana simplifies modern action RPGs to fit the classic brand for better or worse. On the one hand, combat can be exhilarating as you get in the groove and make every character work in the best way for you. On the other hand, the story, while beautiful, is too paper-thin for its own good. But this culminates in a game that feels like any player of any age can enjoy it.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 doesn’t do much different than its predecessor, for better and worse. If you liked the original, this sequel offers basically more of the same with some new cars and environments. Regardless, it’s a well-made arcade racer with endless combinations of tracks to master and excel at.

High on Life 2 is an improvement on the first and one hell of a time. The humor shows just how much in-tune the writers at Squanch game are with their players and that speaks volumes… making it a good time even through its complications.

I think there is a certain rhythm game fan that can have a lot of fun challenging this game for high scores. However, for anyone more casual, the way Rhythm Sproat presents its challenges will never feel quite right, either out of your reach or doing far too much to hold your hand.

Eternights ultimately get more things wrong than right. It lacks a general sense of polish, and the writing is legitimately baffling at times. The combat feels great more often than not, but it’s hard to justify spending too much time on this title.

Everything is Crab delivers a lot of fun, with just the right amount of challenge. Allowing players to pursue survival however they wish adds some overarching variety to the game, despite its fairly shallow moment-to-moment gameplay.

The Crew Motorfest definitely brings the heat, but in the end, it’s sitting at a distant second until it learns what exactly it wants out of itself.

Ghostwire: Tokyo offers a lot of good but it’s hidden behind even more tedium. I'm left wishing that the team had more time to polish their ideas, so it's hard for me to recommend Ghostwire: Tokyo. That isn’t to say I didn’t have fun with what's well made. What doesn’t, though, feels like a patch was thrown on instead of fixing the larger issues, which ultimately bogged down my experience.

Moonscars is a deep, dark tale about what makes us human in our darkest times and how we persevere. When it works, it really works and was some of the most fun I had playing 2-D souls-like in recent memory. But it is riddled with balancing issues and loses touch on what makes Souls-likes fun in the name of difficulty.

Ultimately, Epic Mickey Rebrushed is a warm welcome, even if several aspects leave you wanting more improvements. This game deserves to be played by more people and beyond the confines of a multi-generation-old game system with an awful control scheme. Particularly with this game’s historical significance to a massive company like Disney, Epic Mickey Rebrushed does Mickey Mouse justice in a light that we rarely see the famous mouse. But, instead of being a modern classic, it just feels like a fun piece of Disney history.

Chernobylite is a solid package for any player looking for an original survival FPS with a lot of heart in it. The story is sufficient, but the game will really satisfy players who are looking for a difficult experience without holding their hand too much. For players looking for much more than just the gameplay, however, they may be left wanting.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 + Dark Ties makes plenty of necessary improvements, but some of the changes make it hard to recommend over the original.

There’s so much to dig into for Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator; I’m only scratching the surface of it. While players won’t get to experience calls like “Yes, Chef!,” “Behind!,” or the hauntingly distinct ticket machine crunching out order after order…the underlying stressors and demands of working in a restaurant are still there.

Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest DLC is tense yet unsatisfying in its encore.

Overall, while Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & the White Guardian doesn’t provide a shockingly different or awe-inspiring experience, it is still a respectable and enjoyable entry in the Atelier series.

Despite these issues, the power of Afterlove EP‘s story manages to shine through. It is an incredibly touching slice-of-life story that explores the forms and layers of grief with the variety and depth perfect for a video game.

With a focus on style over substance and a lack of any real friction in gameplay, Princess Peach: Showtime! is not going to provide a deeply engrossing experience. However, fans of the character and people looking for a relaxing jaunt into the dramatic arts will find plenty to enjoy.

For a collection, Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection is one heck of a deal. Ten games, each being 10+ hours long, in one package?! That can’t be beaten. Plus, from a preservation perspective, this collection is great at making old GBA classics and one of my favorite series from Capcom, playable on modern consoles.

Potion Permit is a hard game to pin down. It manages to give a refreshing take on the genre, but some of the mundane tasks often felt like bashing my head into a wall over and over again. Potion Permit feels like a nice cup of hot chocolate on an unseasonably warm day. Sure, it tastes good and the thought of it is great, but in practice maybe some things need improvement for it to truly be great.

The Stone of Madness delivers a puzzling experience that forces players to be creative and quick. Its gameplay elements largely succeed at providing a unique challenge, while its world and characters are easily forgotten.

Much of what is present in Changing Tides is plainly fantastic, but it is a shame that the game goes on for too long until it itself runs out of fuel and sputters across the finish line.

Stalker 2‘s bugs and issues are numerous and severe, but it stands as a testament to how great the game buried underneath them is that it still manages to shine.

Despot’s Game: Dystopian Army Builder is a very interesting blending of genres that helps bring something new to auto battler games. However, its mixing brings far less to the rogue-lite genre, so fans of titles like Hades or Cult of the Lamb will only want to pick it up if they are big fans of auto battlers.

To a T tries hard to be like a Saturday morning cartoon. Yet just like trying to recapture that same experience nowadays, it overall feels like it's missing something. Granted, this issue may mostly apply to older players. Maybe, the ones who will find the most fun are those who play this with young kids.

With the environmental glitches, an odd narrative, and too much imitation of two iconic games, Atomic Heart lands in the middle for me. Not bad, not great, just fine.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 isn’t shabby, but it isn’t shining either.

Zapling Bygone is not a memorable experience compared to some of the more well-known Metroidvania titles…However, even if it is somewhat derivative and unpolished, the story has enough charm and 16-bit art to make it a worthwhile experience.

Evil West has a lot of things going for it—the designs are fascinating, the lore excellent, and the gameplay can be massively fun on hard. But it also has some downfalls—the levels feel just a bit too linear, and the main narrative takes a while to really jump into, and even then, it struggles with fluid cut scenes and complexity. While other games have been able to get away with a basic narrative because of their fantastic action, Evil West isn’t quite there.

The roguelike genre feels saturated with games that provide endless variety but with very little substance, and DIG – Deep in Galaxies feels like another unfortunate addition to the list. It gives a few highs, but they get lost somewhere after the fifth repetitive objective on the fifth identical-looking planet.

For better or for worse, Square Enix wanted to make sure the Legend of Mana HD remaster was as close to the original as possible. Thankfully a beautiful world and good story help make up for the lack of guidance or varied combat. It may not be the most welcoming to newcomers, but fans of the original are in for a wonderful trip down nostalgia lane.

The Order of Giants had a chance to do something fun with one of the most interesting aspects of The Great Circle‘s story, but it missed the mark. The DLC was fun as an excuse to play more of MachineGames’s excellent game. But it quickly began to feel like a mish-mash of ideas that were left on the cutting room floor.

The Invincible is ultimately a sub-par experience. While it delivers flashes of quality in its cast and its attention to some details, the narrative is ultimately weighed down too much.

Salt and Sacrifice is still a very worthwhile sequel to the original. While some of the elements don’t work as well as others, the game’s combat and build variety offer players a great sandbox to play around in.

While Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince offers a serviceable and sometimes fun narrative and gameplay, the overall experience is unfortunately bogged down by its performance issues and the lack of simple yet essential features.

Hot Wheels Unleashed is a good addition to the world of racing games, with enough to make it totally unique but not too much to overcomplicate it. There are a few things I wish would make it feel more full, but for what it does deliver, it delivers it well.

If you can take the time to pace yourself and slowly enjoy everything the game has to offer from charming neighbors to home-cooked meals, then there is a whole lot to enjoy about Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life.

Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed shows this cult classic did not age well. Beyond dialogue, updates to gameplay and graphics feel hollow when game-breaking bugs are still prevalent…That isn’t to say you won’t find fun here. But that fun may just be restricted to a 10-12 hour jaunt through memory lane.

Layers of Fear (2023) has new gameplay elements that breathe life into the older games, but the new story additions just feel tacked on.

As a whole, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is the most fun I’ve had on a Pokemon adventure in a long, long time. But this is completely in spite of itself. There are unforgivable graphical issues, and despite endless charming creatures and characters, the open world itself lacks nearly completely in personality or a sense of progression. Nonetheless, it has never felt better being a Pokemon trainer than it does in Gen IX, thanks to the smoothest mechanics yet and quality-of-life improvements.

Star Trek: Resurgence has an enjoyable story in a beloved universe but is bogged down by outdated mechanics and visuals in a genre that others have shown can be vastly improved.

At a price point of $40, Rainbow Six Extraction is definitely a game I'll be playing with my friends.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered is a mixed bag of a remastered bundle. While it offers players new quality-of-life updates and great new features, the experience is marred by frustrating movement and an unreliable camera.

Possessor(s) is like any solid pact with a demon—a good time, but with its own drawbacks.

Samba de Amigo: Party Central is more of a small get-together than a full-on party.

Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town is a promising start of a new chapter in the long-running farm/life simulator’s history. All the pieces are in place for an unforgettable experience, with its peaceful and serene location, endlessly customizable landscape, and an unprecedented abundance of crafts and projects to pursue. While at times unwieldy, there’s something for everyone here, especially those who are interested in the organization and production management aspect of running a farm.

Shadow Warrior 3 feels like a teenager that still has a bit of maturing to do. Humor that tries to be edgy overshadows the fun gameplay, and the lack of an intriguing story does not help either. I would not necessarily say Shadow Warrior 3 is a bad game, but it was disappointing that I often felt like I was playing through a 15-year-old’s video game fantasy. Still, there are moments of fun to be had, and I hope Shadow Warriors 4, if it happens, can fix some of the writing mistakes to make the enjoyable experience of actually playing the game worth the time.