Everything from the concept to the way The Magic Circle tackles puzzle solving is unique. Question has pulled off quite the feat in making a game that is inspirational on several levels, one that rewards, and fosters, creativity. This is an adventure that needs to be played.

This collection of games has a very niche audience. To that end, you already know whether Gradius Origins is for you or not. If you’re looking for a deeper dive into the early history of the Gradius games, than this is exactly what you’re looking for. It’s got tons of alternate versions, an extensive gallery to peruse, and the emulation is laser precise. But there aren’t any weird offshoots or later titles. Plus, these games are a specific brand of difficult that can be immediately offputting. If you don’t have the patience to persist, you simply won’t enjoy yourself. But for those of you in this title’s crosshairs, Gradius Origins will be an excellent time.

If you’re looking for a game with some clever puzzles, an engaging story, beautiful visuals, and a touching soundtrack – you can’t go wrong with My Brother Rabbit. It’s the perfect type of game to waste away an afternoon. It’s also the type of game that I imagine you’ll probably be compelled to replay again sometime down the road. Even now, a few days after completing it, I think back on my time with it and consider giving it another playthrough. Well done, Artifex Mundi.

This one is definitely for the heavy hitters.

While not perfect by any means, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is the Marvel game fans have been waiting years to play. Was it worth the wait? I’d say so. But the feeling I’m left with is that I want another. And another. We get two or three good Marvel movies a year; it’s made me greedy. This game will make you long to play a dozen more.

Being an ARPG on the shorter side, the different perspectives in Ys Origin offer excellent replayability and gives players a pleasant, rounded experience without bogging them down with too many details. Even though the repetitive grinding can be a mind-numbing task to gain experience points, at least the controls are fluid, making this an easy game to enjoy. As the prequel to an already successful franchise, Ys Origin is a highly recommended addition to the series that gamers new and old to the story should not ignore.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores is a great addition to the franchise. Its personal story develops Aloy’s character and gives a glimpse into a different side of her. The new characters drive the narrative further to deliver a memorable tale. It’s easy to comment on the similarities with previous releases, however, the DLC offers more than this. While there are some uneven boss encounters, the jaw-dropping final segment and beautiful setting make this an unforgettable trip to LA.

If more hard-hitting story is what you’re after, then surprisingly 3C3C1D119440927 might just be for you. It will come across as just another arena mode for many, but there are enough little details layered in to make this combat-centric content worthy of any fan’s time. It’s a little pricey being over ten dollars, but I assure you that this one is definitely worth it.

A few drawbacks in the game won’t stop you from enjoying this in-depth strategy game and pouring an exorbitant amount of time into propelling your Lord to the top of the Feudal food chain.

I had a great time allowing Diablo III to steal my life. With its action packed dungeon diving, very engaging loot system and allowing you the ability to sit down and play with friends on your couch as well as playing online, this game chewed up entire days of my life before I realized I hadn’t eaten in 27 hours (sadly, true story).

Sometimes a remaster feels insufficient because the original release is still so polished. The Mario Galaxy games are over a decade old, but they don’t feel like it by any means. The mechanics, the level design, and the crisp visuals all feel brand new. Even the controls are nearly (but not quite) perfect, a real testament to Mario’s persistent technical staying power. I’d love a little more from a collection like this, but what’s being presented is still quality stuff. If you’ve never played Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2, this is a pretty good time to start.

While Dynasty Warrior: Gundam Reborn is somewhat fun, the combat is a little lackluster with extremely basic and repetitive moves and constant hovering from one side of the map to the other to complete objectives and missions.

Overall, Last Train Home is a difficult, stressful, and wonderful experience. It is beautiful and brutal tale of perseverance and war that doubles as a strategy game. Aside from a few clunky feeling commands on the battlefield and the, easily circumvented, wait-time mechanic on the top-down map, there is really no issues with this gem. Despite the difficulty of the normal game mode, it would be a mistake to miss this train.

Outlaws is an excellent Star Wars game. It's also aggressively not for me. I felt tangible disappointment whenever a new mission required quietly infiltrating an enemy base. But I also recognize that the systems at work here are well-crafted ones. The enemy AI is fun to learn the limits of. You have multiple ways of quietly taking out guards. Most bases have alternate routes for infiltration. The grenade system is awful, but combat is otherwise tense and engaging. There's all sorts of little activities like speeder racing and gambling. If you're looking to live that scoundrel lifestyle in a galaxy far, far away then this game is made for you.

Surprisingly deep gameplay, plenty of game modes and unlockables to keep you coming back earn Pool Nation high marks.

The amazing foundation that Second Son laid down is still strong here and makes for an amazing piece of DLC.

It’s a beautiful, well-crafted, and addicting 2D shooter that offers so many possible ship, weapon and upgrade combinations that you could have hours of fun just endeavoring to discover them all.

Its presentation is the icing on an already rich cake. If you’re a series veteran, you’ll find much to appreciate in this new setting, and if you’ve never tried a Total War game, but always been curious, you’d be hard pressed to find a better starting point than Three Kingdoms. Just remember, take it slow and always backstab.

This seems like the perfect gateway expansion to snag those players who might be on the border about buying WoW.

As a reboot to the series’ story, Soulcalibur VI is interesting and accessible to all players. As a fighting game, the title is just as accessible and is a quality addition to the genre as well. Though the game could use some more characters, Soulcalibur VI brings the series to contemporary gamers with its classic roster of characters, fun game modes, and robust gameplay under a fresh coat of paint and improvements. If you enjoy fast-paced, exciting combat that is easy to pick-up (and hard to master, as per usual), give Soulcalibur VI a look.

This is a worthy successor to Valve’s Portal games. It doesn’t have the polish and production values of those games but makes up for those shortcomings with it’s gameplay. If you love Portal, you, at the very least, really like The Entropy Centre. The Entropy Centre aims to bring a new meaning to the slogan: Build a Better Tomorrow. The release date is November 3, 2022 and the game will be available on most gaming platforms: Steam, Playstation, and XBox.

Like the best genre fiction, Nobody Wants to Die uses its narrative, character, and world to express some deeper concerns. In this case, the allegory is about the downside of immortality and the specters of power and wealth. Some of the game parts don’t work as effectively as the writing and acting, but Nobody Wants to Die leaves a strong, lasting impression. It’s one of the most original and striking games I’ve played this year.

If you have yet to pick Assassin's Creed and you recently picked up Nintendo's newest home console it is definitely worth looking at. The perk of playing on your GamePad is a plus and apart from the lack of achievement/trophy hunting (if you're into that sort of thing) I found it to be a solid experience that matches up well with its counterparts.

Modern Warfare 2 is easily in my top five COD campaigns, and I was stoked about its surprise release. The month-long PS4 exclusivity is a bummer, but whether you’re a fan of the original or interested in jumping in for the first time, I strongly recommend picking it up on your respective platform when its available. Beenox continues to contribute tremendously to Call of Duty, and Modern Warfare 2 Remastered is unequivocally their best work yet.

For all my little grievances, this game is still incredibly fun to play.

When all is said and done, this is an awesome collection and one that any gamer should check out. After playing through both of these all week long, it makes the wait for another installment just that little bit harder.

Is it far from a perfect experience but it is great fun for anyone who enjoys shooters or merely slashing away with a katana sword. Fans of 80’s action movies will unquestionably appreciate what Shadow Warrior has to offer.

For anyone who missed Metro: Exodus in its original release and can scale the graphics card barrier to entry, the Enhanced Edition is definitely a must-buy. Thankfully players without the requisite gear can still enjoy the game’s other, less major, improvements and fixes too.