If you can adapt to its ruthless approach, Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster is a retro JRPG that’s worth revisiting. However, the remastering doesn’t go far enough, leaving PS2 quirks intact.

Wild Hearts expands on a tried and true formula with its own blend of mechanics that make it a must for fans of big game hunting and gamers who like co-op.

Despite its obvious presentation issues, Victor Vran: Overkill Edition is good fun.

Amid a few new additions and changes, The Flame in the Flood is still very much the same flawed but absorbing survival game that you might remember from last year.

Penny’s Big Breakaway may not work all the time, but when it does, it's an incredibly fun and incredibly charming game that is almost impossible to stop playing.

Ultimately, Jamboree TV is where the real party is in Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV when it comes to new features tailor-made for the Switch 2.

En Garde! has plenty of style and looks and controls well enough, but the extremely tedious gameplay focusing more on tricks than swordplay quickly starts to wear thin.

New gameplay additions and intuitive controls make PGA TOUR 2K23 an easy to pick up and fun to play addition to the series.

Evolve isn’t a bad game, per se, but the rage-inducing technical issues and design oversights, paired with a complete lack of heart-pumping “fight or flight” gameplay that the hype train and the Left 4 Dead series led me to expect have left me feeling unimaginably disappointed, cheated even, and I’m not even one of the countless people who had to pay more than $70 to find this out the hard way.

A reductionist shooter that maintains the over-the-top spirit of Serious Sam, for the most part.

Mortal Shell is a small-scope Soulslike that serves as a tight, lean, but short experience.

At times, Mass Effect: Andromeda can feel like an expansion and not a true follow-up. A lot of strides have been made to improve the already dazzling combat system (which is leaps and bounds more exciting than your average cover shooter), but so much of it feels like a regression. That slip still puts it a cut above a lot of others in the same space, but the failure to iterate after the divisive conclusion of the original trilogy isn't going to do BioWare any favours.

The Magic Circle is a delightful puzzler brimming with creativity.

Although seemingly marketed towards the casual gamer, behind the cozy pixel art style and soothing soundtrack of Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story lies a complicated and grindy crafting RPG best enjoyed only by the most devout fans of the genre and/or the parent title.

Dead Take has got some great atmosphere, wonderful voice acting, and a real creepy story, slightly hampered by simple puzzles and an over-use of jumpscares.

Paper Mario: Color Splash is an absolute delight.

RIPOUT offers a solid FPS experience with a unique setting and interesting mechanics. Some rough edges hold it back from being excellent by with time and polish RIPOUT could be an excellent title.

Immortals of Aveum is a must-play title for all fans of FPS and story-driven content but may isolate those unfamiliar with the genre.

Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer boils down to a pack that is tailored for people who love the series already. The character feels well thought out, visually striking, as well as being fun.

Beyond Light feels like a sequel reset without all the baggage of starting from scratch. New powers and a shakeup in playable areas revitalize the formula for returning players, but detractors still won’t be won over.

Tin Hearts successfully gives players a 3D Lemmings experience they can enjoy, while the story and art style take things a step further. The controls and movement need some work, however.

Voidwrought is fast, fun, and fluid. Despite some late-game balancing issues, it still makes for an entertaining Metroidvania experience. The soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission.

If you haven’t enjoyed previous Jackbox volumes, this one might win you back. It leaves most of the humour up to you and presents a well-rounded sampling of tasks. Just be sure you can enjoy the party safely.

Lego Marvel Superheroes 2 takes all of the best and most annoying aspects of Lego games and the Marvel Universe and shoves them in a blender to deliver something bother glorious and frustrating.

After The Fall stays alive with top-notch VR zombie shooting, but gameplay isn't enough to make up for a lack of variety and shockingly light content at launch. [OQ2]

Ritual of Raven combines the fundamentals of farming with the language of coding for an incredibly wholesome and engaging experience.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered feels like it wants to be a loving tribute to the franchise's origins, but comes across like a half-effort instead.

At its heart, Scott Pilgrim is a simple beat ‘em up that struggles with pacing. But once it gets going, it reveals itself to be a colourful and engaging throwback to an era of video games long gone. And while it is better played alongside some friends, Scott Pilgrim’s got enough personality to make it worth experiencing retro Toronto even by yourself.

There’s a lot of potential in this to sit around with three other random people, even though the emote system is a bit limited (no way to directly congratulate players, for example). Still, it’s a quite fun online board game.

Fae Farm is by far my favourite all-around simulator to date. With its cute style, creative creatures and special attention to what players want from their sim games, Phoenix Labs has delivered an outstanding title.

Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia experiments with the series’ formula to great effect, creating a compelling, epic setting that is refreshing to play for series’ newcomers and veterans alike.

A yearly sports title is hardly one to looks to when one thinks of gameplay updates and changes, but EA Sports FC 24 is proving to be the exception to the rule.

The Escapists 2 is a perfect sequel for fans of the first game but may overwhelm those new to the series.

Farming Simulator 25 offers an immersive farming experience with a vast array of machinery to operate and numerous tasks to complete, providing something for everyone at a whole new level of gameplay.

Culturally tone-deaf themes and few innovations hamper a genuinely fun experience.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 for the Switch offers its own set of unique features, only available for the Nintendo Switch in order to make up for its lacking power.

Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story fails to be an engaging puzzle-platformer and fails to deliver an emotional, heartfelt story about a child and his Yeti best friend. Considering the performance woes when playing the Switch version, too, this is a song best left unheard.

Arcade Paradise VR lets you run your own business while enjoying classic games of the yesteryears, complete with comfort options to alleviate most hassles when playing VR titles for prolonged periods.

Captain Spirit’s use of a child’s imagination to contextualize a dark, poignant story sets up a strong foundation to build Life is Strange 2 upon.

If you’re in the niche group that is both a fan of Rick and Morty and owns an expensive VR headset, then you’ve got to pick up this game as it features of the best fanservice out there. That said, at $30 the price tag is a bit steep for a game that can be completed in a couple hours—but by this point, you’re probably used to the ‘VR tax’. Completionists will probably get a lot more time out of the game finding all the secret Easter eggs and references to the show that are available, as you can continue playing after finishing the story.

Strange Brigade has a nice mix of third-person shooting, puzzles, and humor that ends too soon and costs too much.

Deck13’s futuristic limb removal simulator is a solid but generic entry into the Soulslike genre.

Killing Floor 2 has a lot of potential, and what it has is often pretty fun, but not enough to keep players attention for long.

MainFrames is a solid little platformer that takes players inside the world of a computer that just so happens to be a paradise for platformer fanatics.

It’s a simple premise that’s executed perfectly.

Mario Tennis Aces just feels lacking in ever sense of the world. Lacking real tennis rules, basic quality of life options, series staple characters, and really any personality at all.

Light on content but heavy on freedom, Rebel Galaxy is a charming romp through a frontier brimming with choices to make.

The visuals, music and game mechanics for Endless Dungeon were magnificent achievements, but the technical aspects should be prioritized before the official release.

New World: Aeternum is the MMO that New World should have been in 2021. A few small niggles are keeping it from truly elite status.

Visions of Mana marks a solid return to the series, featuring an emotionally engaging storyline and striking visuals. However, the side quests and voice acting may turn some players off.

Last Day of June wants you to feel a certain way, but the way it goes about it is clumsy and haphazard, and the visuals are unsettling.

With stunning hand-painted graphics and simple platforming and puzzles Seasons after Fall is sure to be adored by many.

King of Meat thankfully doesn’t take itself seriously and provides good fun for friends that want to cooperate (or compete) in stages together. An easy recommend for a casual gamer.

Not at all afraid to reveal its sense of humor, Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny is a solid remaster of its original, camp-filled 2002 incarnation that both franchise fans and newcomers are bound to enjoy.

Homeworld 3 balances incredibly technical gameplay with streamlined mechanics that is easy to get into, but difficult to master.

Absolver is a game that rewards players with a unique Kung-Fu fighter to master.

Sherlock Holmes The Awakened is a solid entry to the franchise by Ukrainian developer Frogwares, and I hope to see some DLC in the future to keep the adventure going.

Even though The Expanse: A Telltale Series has some of the issues with diversity in gameplay and monotony when outside of dialogue, it's clear Telltale Games is back in action.

Coromon is a must play for Pokémon fans, and although it has flaws, fans who normally steer clear of like minded games might find reprieve here, especially for its good price and portability due to the Switch port.

“Wastelands” has a better understanding of what makes Life is Strange 2’s story work, and is more enticing for it.

Ys: Memories of Celceta doesn’t shine quite as brightly as it did when it was a handheld exclusive, but it’s perfect for fans of the Ys series and anyone looking to speed through a shorter JRPG.

Doraemon Story of Seasons: Friends of the Great Kingdom is a great game and an even greater collaboration between iconic franchises.

People will call Donut County an indie darling, and those people will be right.

It’s still a halfway entertaining game and one of the better uses of the license.

Despite technical issues, Star Wars Outlaws was an incredibly engrossing adventure from its unique story perspective and engaging gameplay. It is the scoundrel story fans have always wanted.

Tempest 4000 is a love letter to fans of the original and Tempest 2000 on the Atari Jaguar, for everyone else, the game is a fun but hard to master, arcade-style, synth-heavy romp.

The Long Dark is the perfect survival game for Canadian kids who grew up with frozen toes and winter camping.

Gran Turismo Sport returns the Gran Turismo series to the Playstation 4, with fantastic graphics that push the boundaries for realistic driving simulation. However, this game feels thinner than its predecessors, with less of a focus on solo driving and campaign simulation. The gameplay is crisp and smooth, the menus are well built for the most part, but the lack of a polished campaign mode like what was found in prior releases reduces overall enjoyment for the player who isn’t intent on playing online in the official races each day.

Far Harbor bears so many of the same problems of Fallout 4 base game that more often than not, I was having a bad time.

Duke Nukem is a surprisingly snug fit in a game he wasn’t intended for.

Life Is Strange’s first episode is a compelling, but awkwardly written introduction to a promising story.

Blade Strangers is accessible to players of any skill thanks to simplified combat, but still leaves room for the more competitive players to shine.

Thanks to great art direction and tone, Evil Genius 2 is a base builder that is captivating to play, even if it gets tiresome at times.

If you can look past a plethora of bugs, backtracking and glitches, there’s an interesting game hidden here.

Aliens: Dark Descent is a great strategy game with a lot of replayability and is set in the perfect horror franchise, even if long-time fans of the genre may have some minor complaints.

Despite a lack of scares, Static Dread: The Lighthouse combines an engaging gameplay hook with a compelling narrative to keep players invested right up to the end.

Marvel MAXimum Collection is a retro-videogame compilation of arcade and home classics that can live on the quality of its included X-Men, Avengers and Spider-Man beat-‘em-up titles alone, offering stellar value to both gamers and collectors looking to pick up a digital or physical copy for their game library.

Its structured nature and digestible missions make it perfect for playing for short periods on the go, but its deep alchemy mechanics will keep players engrossed for hours when playing at home.

Fate/Extella Link improves upon Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star in nearly every way, even if it still struggles in many areas.

ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove just feels like more of the original game sprinkled with some modern-day trimmings (rogue-lite progression, for example) that feel like an afterthought.

WarioWare: Move it! feels like a return to form for the series, giving fans plenty to chew on as they make their way through over 200 microgames in a new island setting.

The Medium is a poor game that is rife with bugs, bad ideas, and some nice things to look at.

Though Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood piqued my interest because of its familiar characters and areas, and though they were exciting for a short time, I never found myself excited to push on in this chapter.

A Little to the Left is another great indie game from Day of the Devs. With addictive puzzles and cozy charm, I really look forward to the Nintendo Switch release to play snuggled up in bed.

Ghostwire: Tokyo envisions a world that is wonderful and interesting to explore at first glance, but soon reveals itself to be shallow and lacking in its writing and combat.

Pillars of the Earth is a great game for anyone who likes the slow process of constructing a cathedral—for anyone else, you might get bored.

Islanders: Console Edition, while not a game for everyone, is exactly the game for people looking for what Grizzly Games (and most actual islands) can offer you; an escape from the everyday.

For the first time on PlayStation 4, the celebrated member of the Patapon franchise, Patapon 2 Remastered is available to introduce a new generation of players to the earworm of a game that plagued PSP owners.

Total War: Rome Remastered is a top quality remaster of what remains an engaging strategy game. While I can’t directly compare from experience, the modernization of many of its gameplay aspects, the introduction of a host of new playable factions, and the strength of the existing systems allow it to stand alongside more recent editions of the franchise without any trouble. If you haven’t experienced Rome: Total War before, I recommend playing this remaster.

Each of the weapons are satisfying to learn and use, so even if you’re killing spiders and skeletons over and over again, there’s novelty built on top of the immediacy of each button press/click. It’s an enjoyable romp, even if the Gothic trappings never amount to much (it’s not even pulp horror quality, and it’s completely spoiled by spots of dreadful Stanley Parable style meta-textual commentary).

Ruiner is a dizzying affair in combat, offering tons of things for players to consider as music pounds their senses. However, a lack of weapon impact, fights that often feel too similar, and a lifeless world takes away from its appeal.

I am Setsuna lends itself perfectly to on the go gaming, making the Switch the ideal console to experience this unique RPG.

Concrete Genie is best summed up as one of those short and sweet types of deals and is best reserved for those who may have young people in their lives.

Not a Hero does a lot right - the cover-based shooting in 2D environment works incredibly well and the comical setting and writing do a lot to set the mood. However, it’s more in what it doesn’t do that holds it back from being as memorable as some of its contemporaries.

Star Trek: Bridge Crew is a fantasy come to life for Star Trek fans.

Shin-chan: Shiro and the Coal Town doesn't reinvent the wheel but instead takes you on a cozy stroll through the idyllic countryside through the lens of a child.

A fine remaster of one of the best Need For Speed games ever made.

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O does its job at introducing new fans to the franchise. It’s a fun refresh of an older game, but you won’t be missing out if you don’t pick up this title.