UnMetal is an incredible tribute to one of the greatest franchises in the medium. While the game pokes fun at the title and highlights flaws and silly elements, it’s clear that it is done with love and admiration for the series. Similar to how Mel Brooks lovingly rips Hitchcock apart in High Anxiety, UnEpic Fran does the same with Kojima. The varied gameplay and creative storytelling will keep you in hysterics throughout. Although some may find the retro gameplay a little grating, fans of Metal Gear and the stealth genre need to experience this side-splitting tactical espionage adventure.

All in all, this is a much more relaxed experience than the PC version, for better or worse. It’s still incredibly satisfying to one-shot an enemy as the rogue, tank as the warrior, and unleash armies of the dead as the necromancer. If you didn’t get the opportunity to play Loop Hero the first time around, I heartily recommend checking it out on Switch. But if you can play this game on PC, you probably should. There’s nothing overtly wrong with the Loop Hero Switch port, especially given the game’s control scheme. It’s just hard to beat the original.

Wolfstride might have gotten off to a rough start, but I think if you go into it knowing that it’s a story-forward game, you’ll enjoy it quite a bit. I ended up liking the game way more than I thought possible. It kept surprising me. It hooked me with its style, then its humor, and when I thought I knew everything, it showed me its heart. For only $18 CAD, Wolfstride has my strongest recommendation.

White Shadows is a unique title that is a strong argument for the notion of games being art. Not only does it find its individuality with its creative design, but it also has a clear message about societal issues. While some may find sections quite distressing, Monokel’s commitment to tackling sensitive topics is commendable. With this daring release being their debut title, I’m excited to see what the future holds for this talented team. Despite its short runtime, fans of narrative-focused puzzle platformers will adore this insatiable title.

Both new and returning players will be challenged by Aiko’s Choice, but the rewards are worth the effort. Effectively completing the game’s missions is satisfying in the same way as solving a tough puzzle. Added to that are the game’s lovely art and music, a cast of engaging characters, and an interesting story. I suggest playing the base game first, though, if for no other reason than to get up to speed on the mechanics. It’s a shame that Aiko’s Choice doesn’t welcome new players a little more, but those who persevere will be rewarded. For fans of the original, the expansion has been worth the wait.

Solar Ash is a spectacular achievement and a worthy successor to Heart Machine’s previous release. The fast and fluid movement makes exploration a delightful dance through the absurd. Although the structure is a little repetitive, the moment-to-moment gameplay is thrilling. Large and intense boss battles are the highlight of the game, creating jaw-dropping sequences that will leave you yearning for more.

I've shared many gripes I have with Halo Infinite. I've shared them meticulously because I love this franchise and want it to continue succeeding. Beyond them all, I absolutely love playing it. The campaign's open-world gameplay is phenomenal, and I can't wait to play through it again on legendary, especially with a friend in the future. Despite my disappointment in the narrative, the lead performances are strong, and the presentation is cinematic. I've been playing Halo multiplayer with my friends for nearly twenty years. We've kept up with the Master Chief Collection over the years, but Infinite is the most addicted we've been in a long time. It's far from perfect, but I can't wait to see how Halo Infinite evolves over the coming months and years.

More arcade shooter than sim, Chorus fits into the long tradition of space dogfight games. Its combat can be furious and fun, but some missions suffer from repetition, some mechanical weirdness and poor pacing. Chorus takes itself and its story too seriously for its own good. In place of plain, old fashioned joy at blowing up stuff in space, we get angsty, mystical mumbo jumbo and a spacecraft with a guilt complex.

If you crave more after Arcane you’d do right by Airship Syndicate’s latest RPG outing. Even if you aren’t a League aficionado, you’ll feel right at home here it’s friendly to new players. You’ll just notice a bit more fan service here and there if you’re familiar with the universe.

If you’re a 30 year fan of Super Robot Wars, the latest entry into the saga is something pretty special. No expense was spared bringing crunchy strategy rules and every mecha IP under the sun into one full throttle extravaganza. And even if you are a complete noob like me, this feels like a great entry to the wider world of giant robot anime. I suppose if you are only looking for the most finely honed strategy game and style is meaningless to you, you’re not going to find what you are looking for in Super Robot Wars 30. But give it a chance, it might grab you with a 10 foot long mechanized fist and not let go.

Clockwork Aquario is a product of its time. The short game length and high difficulty are similar to its 90s counterparts. Unfortunately, due to this, there aren’t many reasons to revisit the game after playing through the meager number of stages. The score-based gameplay is a fresh twist and makes for an addictive platforming experience. Gaining multipliers and working out routes is fun whether playing on your own or with a partner. Even with its beautiful, chunky pixel art and vivid backgrounds, the game’s shortage of content and high price, make this a forgettable re-emergence rather than a celebrated return.

Big Brain Academy games ride the line between entertainment and training. You’ll churn through the content being offered in an hour, but that’s by design. A proper playthrough of this game is stretched over several months, with you improving slightly every day. Although I can’t imagine extensive research would teach you anything really new. Even a couple hours with these challenges would be enough to illuminate your weak points. Such is the central tenet here. If you’re looking for a gaming experience, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want to train that brain of yours, that’s a different story. These tools and tasks take on a whole new purpose then, one with practical ends. I’m not sure you’ll enjoy your time with Big Brain Academy: Brain vs Brain. But I’m certain your time playing the game will be well spent.

Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, if nothing else, represents a symbolic step forward for VR game platforms like the Oculus Quest 2. It’s the closest thing to a AAA title I’ve played on my headset yet. I don’t know if its nearly-50GB file size is warranted given the so-so visuals, but I did have a lot of fun with the Campaign missions. I’ll still wait a while for the multiplayer to work out its kinks, but I can see myself enjoying that eventually, too. All in all, I’m not sure if Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond would do Grandpa proud, but if you own an Oculus Quest 2, it’s a fun experience and worthy of your time.

While not everything could be easily used for some builds, the Blooming Rooms kit is a wonderful addition. The items are well thought out, and we can’t forget just how many fabulous swatches we got with each item. You can’t go wrong with livening up your spaces with some plants, and at $4.99, you may as well take the plunge.

I was so engaged when playing through Danganronpa Decadence. My predictions were wrong, and I was very impressed with the outcome. If you’re at all a fan of visual novels, mysteries, or anime aesthetics, then Danganronpa Decadence is a must play. It’s four games for the price of one, and I loved all of them.

Evil Genius 2’s strengths are its presentation and its base building mechanics. Building the ultimate Inner Sanctum, complete with devious traps and scurrying minions is a lot of fun. But the news isn’t all good. Less enjoyable are some of the game’s busywork missions, lack of clarity around goals, and overall feeling of outstaying its welcome. Playing in the sandbox mode helps with the tedium, but overall Evil Genius 2 would be a better game if lost some complexity and padding, and focused on what it does best.

Though much of the gameplay of Norse Lands was similar to the base game, the challenges and strategies felt more balanced and less unforgiving. You do not have to be an experienced gamer to know what to do, and chances are fans of the Kingdom games are probably figuring it out too. Needless to say, if you think you may enjoy a strategy game with minimalistic visuals and a phenomenal soundtrack, give Kingdom Two Crowns a try, and for an enhanced experience, Norse Lands is a no-brainer DLC to add to your collection.

Drill Land’s few but varied problems, most of them, stem from the fact that it’s a 2002 game in 2021. It gets repetitive and dull within an hour of playtime, which is a caveat to its design and age. Pick it up, play, set it down and wait for the itch to come back. In the long term, one may call it a game that has outlived interest… or not. Being nearly two decades old, it has survived the attention span of one generation, but it may be ready for the next. The endless dig suffices for short bursts of fun, but it’s also more compelling when played competitively. Unfortunately, at the time of this review, online matchmaking is rather desolate. Because it’s so different from today’s console titles and part of a retro genre that’s more akin to modern mobile games, the time might be ripe for re-release.

Game developer, Prideful Sloth, places a premium on marrying narrative storytelling with detailed world building. This is a great game for players who just want to unwind or for parents looking for a safe game for their children to play.

Players of earlier Farming Simulator games will notice and appreciate a lot changes and improvements in the new release. Everything looks a lot better, there are new crops, and the new production chain mechanic and changing seasons really mix things up. New players may be flummoxed by the tutorial, as well as the deep, open-ended gameplay. Farming Simulator 22 has some rough patches, but there’s a lot of fun to harvest as well.

For any console player who already owns the Special Edition, some of the improvements of the Anniversary Edition are already available as free patches. Those folks will find the Anniversary Edition a reasonably priced add-on. It provides a significant new quest, some new mechanics, a new mode, and lots of cosmetic additions, plus access to the Creation Club and mods. Just don’t expect a graphical facelift. For console gamers without any experience of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim at all, the Anniversary Edition is definitely the version to pick up. With the Elder Scrolls VI in production, the Anniversary Edition is most likely (and hopefully) the final version of a seriously aging but still viable classic RPG.

While Next Space Rebels’ story tends to run a bit long and the middle part feels like a grind, it’s still a great loop with FMV actors playing out the weird times we find ourselves in. It made me consider just what it was actually like to grind out an existence as an influencer at the mercy of a platform’s whims when you start with a small idea of building a soda bottle rocket in a field. Hopefully, people do stand up against the predictable dystopia we find ourselves hurtling towards. And if they do it with rockets, maybe we’re all the better for it.

For fans of the point-and-click genre or a good cyberpunk-themed story, you should definitely check this one out as it’s certainly worth a try. I’m hoping the frame rate issue is because of the age of my machine and not because of possible poor optimization for the previous generations of consoles, or that a patch is forthcoming to address the problem.

Here’s the thing, though; despite every issue that the GTA: DE suffers from, I’ve still been having a good time with it. Which is simply a testament to how well-written the Grand Theft Auto series is. The GTA: DE needs a patch. Or, maybe, it needs a boatload of patches. Though, I still find myself enjoying the over-the-top storylines, ridiculous dialogue, and outrageous mission structure. It’s hard to call these definitive, but still easy to call them classics.

Aside from the in-your-face self-promotion, lack of evolution, and sketchy phone control, Just Dance 2022 retains the positive elements that have kept both would-be and accomplished dancers coming back for each new version. The starting setlist is relatively strong, and there are lots of options to craft the experience. How long the good times last probably depends on whether you’re willing to finally cave and buy into the Unlimited option to get your sweaty hands on those 700 other songs. There’s a way in which Just Dance 2022 feels more like a starter pack than a full game, but it’s still a great excuse for us sedentary endomorphs with multiple left feet to move and have fun.

As much as I loved playing through the Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster, I can’t call it the definitive version. A definitive version would have the GBA bonus content, the PS1 cutscenes, the option to switch graphics and music, and multiple difficulties. But what we have is a beautiful version of a JRPG classic that has not been widely distributed outside of Japan. It’s an amazing game that holds up really well today. So, if anyone from Square-Enix is reading this review, please release the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters on console, with physical editions. I would buy the heck outta that.

The Last Stand: Aftermath is supposed to be challenging, though, so some of the quality of life mechanics I want to see are probably absent by design. As it is, The Last Stand: Aftermath distinguishes itself from other zombie survival/roguelite games by virtue of its unique new character respawn idea and the incredibly detailed and believable post-zombie apocalypse world it imagines. The ability to retain gear and perks between deaths leavens the difficulty enough to let the addictive, just-one-more-try elements shine through. I’ve yet to reach the final stage, but I’ll keep trying.

On the flip side, I'm not sure who this release is for. If you've never played Diamond and Pearl, you'll probably love these games. Assuming you don't mind a couple of tiny steps backwards in terms of mechanics. If you're familiar with the old games, this will be a mostly pleasant nostalgia trip. Especially if you've forgotten everything that happens, like me. The only hitch is the baffling visual and audio design. More than anything, these choices suggest that the Pokemon Company isn't exactly sure what fans want out of these games. Brilliant Pearl feels well-crafted yet confused, like they pursued several disparate visions at once. If you can see past these strange decisions, you'll find a set of pretty respectable Pokemon games.