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

While the exposition was forgettable, and the combat wasn’t nearly as tight as it needed to be, the art and traversal of Itorah make up for it.

Romancelvania is a sharp combination of two disparate genres, but it falls short in some of its execution. Worthwhile for folks who enjoy a witty story-driven romance, especially where sexy monsters are involved, but not necessarily worth it for the average Metroidvania-goer.

As a whole, Skull and Bones is a very fun game, one that I genuinely couldn’t put down once the battles began. But that fun is uneven at best. Despite its long development cycle, the live-service element that is felt deeply throughout the game isn’t microtransactions. It’s emptiness.

Recompile is not a bad game by any means, I just would not say it is a great one. I enjoyed myself at times, but ultimately feel like it did not do remotely enough to stand apart from the rest of the genre. Recompile is an interesting concept, but one that feels more like an incomplete idea. I loved the concepts, but there are some core gameplay things that would need to be fixed in order for me to truly feel like the idea made it’s way onto my computer the way the developers intended.

There is a solid idea and foundation here that needs to be massaged more in future attempts. DAMON and BABY has some cool ideas, but ultimately, is not a fun trip to heaven.

There is something magical in Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings Game, but it’s sometimes hard to find it… Still, I keep thinking that while a Hobbit hole means comfort, Tolkien’s favorite characters also deserve a bit more depth than just resting on genre fundamentals.

It’s tough being a kart racer in a world where you will always be compared to the genre’s standard-bearer, but DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing is perfectly serviceable.

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.

While Dolmen offers fun, challenging, and rewarding gameplay and a rich crafting system, its other features are a bit of a hit-and-miss.

Tiny Troopers: Global Ops is a classic twin-stick third-person shooter that, while not offering anything unique, does offer plenty of entertainment for executing its genre completely spot on.

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.

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.

Not perfect by any means, but PandaBall is a pretty solid arcade-style soccer game. It’s missing a few things I wish it had, and some things like the text size are less than ideal, but overall, it’s an enjoyable take on quick and simple soccer matches.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A Mega Dimension is a solid add-on, albeit costly, for fans of the core game looking for more, but it isn’t a must-play due to the repetition, grind, and price.

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.

I really enjoyed my time with Frozenheim and will certainly be playing more, especially multiplayer, but it could use a bit more of a facelift to help improve the core appeal. The negatives wouldn’t be as distracting if the game hadn’t just come out of early access, but taking that step to leave early access makes it imperative that the game feels fleshed out and not missing anything or needing major improvements. Still, it is an enjoyable game and players are sure to find hours of enjoyment in it. Just maybe wait until they’ve had a chance to upgrade the existing systems.

Paleo Pines is a slow burn, and the game holds itself slightly back with characters that don’t have to keep you engaged…Still, players who enjoy relaxed farming sims and dinosaurs will gradually want to discover and create a harmonious environment alongside these beings.

Immortals of Aveum at its core is a fun take on the shooter genre. Yet it quickly bogs itself down with an over-complicated story and an unnecessary gearing system. Set in a new world that’s fun to explore, Aveum has the potential to be a great universe to revisit in the future.

If you had to pay for Roller Champions, I wouldn’t say “grab two friends and start a match” but it is free and man that makes the difference. While this one is going to rely on patches to fix stability post-launch, there is something there to love.

Dustborn’s narrative beats are also the most enjoyable part of the game, but there’s too much stopping it from reaching its full potential.

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.

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.

TMNT Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants has its moments of fun but needs to have more variety to be truly great. It is worth the price of entry if you just want to mindlessly kill some TMNT-themed enemies, but don't expect anything revolutionary.

As an anime fan who hasn’t watched Naruto in almost a decade and has never seen beyond one arc of Boruto, this game made me excited for the franchise in a way I honestly hadn’t felt in a long time. But my view of Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections as my own reentry is a subjective point that the game’s mechanics don’t necessarily do enough to overtake the nostalgia and stand on its own.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn tries to chart its own path down the ever-growing souls-lite genre. In some ways, like exploration and its reputation system, it succeeds. In others, especially with its late-game combat, Flintlock shows more rust than polish. More balance felt needed in the grand scheme of things. Simple amounts of grinding or just getting into the groove of things trivialize most challenges that previously made you sweat. Everything together creates a package that at first feels hopeful and intriguing but ends in a chamber full of wet gunpowder.

Spongebob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake does a lot of things really right and well to make this feel like a Spongebob game for the current generation. But its lackluster objectives and its sometimes repetitive platforming and combat hold it back from being great. Instead, we’re left with a decent game that’s well worthwhile for a casual Spongebob or action-platforming fan, but a bit short of expectations for anybody who hoped this would take over as their new favorite Spongebob game.

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.