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.