Another Sight accomplishes that elusive feat of art — making the player care about the characters through their journey and interactions with one another throughout the story.

All in all, BlazBlue Entropy Effect is a fun experience with slick combat. I just wish it felt like the BlazBlue title meant something. Right now, it seems like an unrelated game got put under the BlazBlue umbrella for marketing purposes. Oh well, at least Taokaka is still fun to play.

Overall, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is an enjoyable experience that’s jammed-packed with Olympic-sized fun. With so many events and modes to choose from, all presented in Nintendo’s signature welcoming style, there’s something for everyone here. Just don’t expect a deep and engrossing experience; while there are nice extra touches like Story Mode and an added retro element, this is mostly a game meant for casual, bite-sized fun on the go.

Road 96 is a brave step forward in the world of narrative-driven video games. The snippet style structure superbly interweaves the diverse cast of characters creating an incredible journey through an authoritarian world. Although there are performance issues, this is an experience like no other and a must for fans of story-based games.

1999’s Amerzone was technically a product of its times, but it told a still-interesting and layered story, set in a fantastical world. Amerzone – The Explorer’s Legacy is a true remake, keeping the skeleton intact while bringing the graphics, sound, puzzle mechanics, and exploration up to contemporary standards. Players of the original will find Amerzone – The Explorer’s Legacy both a respectful and exciting new experience. Adventure puzzle game fans who missed it the first time are in for a treat.

This is a solid platformer that highlights a new chapter in the Assassin’s Creed universe, taking us to a unique setting and providing a well needed challenge that will test the very limits of our patience.

Overall this game proves that playing detective is bound to involve hours of fun.

Disney Dreamlight Valley is a great choice for a Switch 2 port. It runs smooth, looks dang decent, and boots up clean. Whether it’s your first time in the valley or not, you’re sure to enjoy your time here.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is an RPG that demands mastery of every element contained within. You need to focus in order to absorb the dense story, the escalating combat systems and the endless sea of upgrade menus. Like an advanced math class, there are dire consequences to skipping even a single lesson. However, buried under this formidable outer shell is a heartfelt story that hooks you early and doesn’t let go.

Indie games of this kind, rise or fall on the creator’s ability to weave a narrative that engages the player on not just a gaming experience but also on that all important emotional one. The cost of this game is a worthy one to experience Price’s journey.

Choices matter, both in life and in The Forgotten City, which uses ancient Roman beliefs about morality, ethics, and law to subtly comment on our present-day conflicts. But it’s never heavy-handed and what you’ll mostly pay attention to are the characters and their needs, your own objectives, the mysterious city, and the clever way time loops and puzzle-solving work together. Whether you play it once or try for the multiple alternative endings, The Forgotten City is a unique adventure.

Conga Master Party! is a blast to play. It’s simple but challenging in such an addicting way.

The sights and sounds displayed throughout The Crew Motorfest aren’t its only selling point. Motorfest is fun. Period. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel and certainly won’t scratch the sim-racing itch you may find yourself with. But, for what it’s trying to achieve, Motorfest mostly nails it. I desperately miss the ability to race across the entirety of the United States. And with a more focused setting, I hoped the narrative might receive more attention than it did. That said, Motorfest may be what you’re looking for if Forza Horizon 5 has overstayed its welcome.

This is a great game for single player and multiplayer with tons of content and replayability.

Overall, this game is hilariously entertaining. Friends who joined me could not stop raving about how much they loved its cuteness and appeal, and this game had us in absolute hysterics. One moment we were shouting at the person who timed their switch to the front poorly and left the rest of us for dead, and the next we were cracking up and apologizing for making that same mistake. The fact that the game required extreme amounts of concentration and coordination left us all in agreement about this: you simply cannot play this game while drinking.

While Earth Defense Force: World Brothers innovates nothing, it is incredibly fun. It more than makes up for its lack of originality with a clever, family-friendly graphical style, and boatloads of content. Anyone looking for some mindless shooter action can’t go wrong with World Brothers. I highly recommend it over other games mainly because of the size of its enemy swarms, the scope of its destructible buildings, and its endless amount of content.

Mighty Goose is an absolute blast. The solid mechanics, stunning art direction, and underlying humor make for a truly thrilling experience. Although the runtime is short, you’ll enjoy every minute of it.

Treyarch has once again given fans what they have come for and that is some meticulously detailed maps that give Black Ops 3 some legs until the next installment in the franchise arrives.

Unbound: Worlds Apart is an excellent Metroidvania that is a must for fans of the genre. The imaginative use of the ever-evolving portals ensures that each area feels unique, helping to create a great sense of pace. Although there are some performance issues, they don’t spoil the beautiful adventure through this grand, fantasy world.

Controls and obnoxious voice acting aside, Pathfinder delivers exactly what it promises and does so very well. I can’t knock a game for not being something I usually play when it does what it sets out to do it so effectively. From the character creation, to the battle system, to the governing system, Pathfinder is incredibly in-depth. It’s very effectively realized and will steal whole hours of your day before you know it. If you miss the height of tabletops and CRPG’s and you love to fiddle with every nuance and detail in your gameplay, then Pathfinder: Kingmaker is definitely the game for you.

Clocking in at such a short length, FORM feels more like a great tech demo than a full title. It’s a shame the story left me with so many questions because there is definitely far more here worth exploring. Nonetheless, FORM’s strong atmosphere and expert combination of gameplay and sound simply demand to be experienced by anyone with a VR headset. Besides, as the old saying goes, it’s better to leave your audience wanting more. With a powerful debut, I look forward to whatever Charm Games comes up with next.

This game is a perfect fusion of the Zelda games and the Musou genre that I can’t put down. But I also recognize that this is a one-trick pony. You’ve got excellent combat and no second thing. Maybe you want more out of a Zelda game than fighting with a light layer of story on top. That’s totally fine! But the vibes are immaculate and the gameplay is terribly compelling. If you want an intense action game that really highlights the Zelda of it all, then Age of Imprisonment is exactly what you’re looking for.

It’s hard to believe this game was released originally five years ago. However, the sentiments about loneliness, love, and what it means to be alive and human are still incredibly prevalent today. For those who want a more narrative-focused experience with a bit of gameplay set amongst a romantic Sci-fi theme, I would certainly recommend this game to you. It’s an incredibly endearing adventure, and with two different endings and multiple love interests, I would say doing more than one play-through is absolutely worth it.

The Nintendo Switch 2 isn’t the most powerful system on the market. But it is a combination of portable and powerful that’s hard to find anywhere else. It’s got enough juice that even a behemoth like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth can find a home on the console. I loved this game an unhealthy amount when it first came out two years ago. And although this is not the best way to play, the Switch 2 port is still remarkably stable. Rather than obsessing over what’s running at what framerate, I found myself instantly sucked into the game once more. It takes no time at all to forget that I’m playing a port. Which is high praise, especially for a Nintendo console. If you’re looking to play Rebirth, either again or for the first time, the Switch 2 version is a rock solid option.

Virginia is a quality game that isn’t afraid to be itself. While its basic mechanics and emphasis on story over gameplay won’t be for everyone, it’s a unique ride that mature and intelligent gamers should take, especially if they happen to be a fan of The X-Files or Twin Peaks. This is something different, and it deserves to be applauded for that.

To say that Okhlos is repetitive is largely true, but it’s that repetitiveness that ultimately makes the game addictive. The narrative, gameplay, visuals, and even the music all combine to make a game that screams “angry Greek mob”. Okhlos is quirky, fun, and unique all under a simplistic and straightforward structure that makes it accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

So my advice would be if you own NCAA 12, there is a good chance you may just want to skip this year, but if you don't own last years game then feel free to purchase NCAA Football 13 with confidence as it is a rock solid gridiron game.

Rise of the Third Power is a 40 hour long, Super Nintendo throwback that shouldn’t be missed by genre fans. The only criticism I can really throw at the game is it lacks that special edge Squaresoft SNES RPGs had. Everything in Rise of the Third Power is well-done, it just doesn’t innovate. This keeps Rise of the Third Power from being an immediate classic. I loved my time with it. I actually loved it so much that I bought Stegosoft’s other JRPG, Ara Fell. While Rise of the Third Power won’t convert any non-JRPG fans, it will provide a wonderful journey to those of us already drinking that sweet JRPG Kool-Aid.