Anyone hip to the source material is sure to find a lot to love about Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions. And if you’re tired of the same old song and dance that is Fifa and Pro Evo, RoNC might just be exactly what the doctor ordered. But I’d also love to see Tamsoft and Bandai Namco take another crack at this universe because most of what’s here could be made exceedingly better with a solid polishing. Until then, I’ll keep shoulder-checking and falcon-kicking my way to the championship.

It’s clear that Crusader Kings is not a game for everyone. It’s dense, complex, at times slow, at other times overwhelming. But there’s a magic here, a storytelling generator that you won’t find anywhere else. It’s a series that already has a lot of fans, and I think those fans are going to agree with me when I declare Crusader Kings 3 the best Crusader Kings yet. There are also a lot of people who may become fans, and to them, I declare this game as easily the most accessible Crusader Kings. Not only is it a strange and wonderful experience, but it also promises to grow more exciting with future updates. You can’t get your Crusader Kings fix anywhere else, and Crusader Kings 3 takes the series to new heights.

Darkestville Castle is a nostalgic game for sure. But play at your own risk as rose-colored glasses are not included.

Although the game has taken inspiration from titles such as Portal and The Witness, the ingenuity of design sets it apart from its predecessors. The combination of exploration and puzzles in the vast interconnected world is a joy to experience. Despite the relatively short playtime and little replay value, Manifold Garden is worth exploring. Just be prepared for an existential trip into the world of William Chyr.

Windbound is a beautiful, relaxing experience that uses its survival mechanics not to force tension, but encourage you to keep moving forward. Its art style is absolutely stunning and the soundtrack – while occasionally sparse with periods of silence – is moving and invigorating. Despite its minor bugs, Windbound is like a great, narrative-driven introduction to the world of survival mechanics and something that is infinitely replayable.

While it seems like the Madden franchise is trending in the wrong direction, the future remains bright for EA Sports virtual gridiron game. A new generation of consoles is right around the corner and the timing couldn’t be better. I have to give EA some credit here as folks who purchase Madden NFL 21 for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, are able to upgrade their copy to PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X at no extra cost. That said, it feels as though EA Sports has done everything they can with this generation of consoles and is merely on cruise control until they have the technical capacity to do so much more. Madden NFL 21 isn’t necessarily a bad game; it will improve over time with updates. Yet the product at launch is riddled with deficiencies and the incremental additions aren’t significant enough to warrant a purchase recommendation from me.

The improved graphics take an already beautiful game and smooths out all of the aging issues that became noticeable since its original release seventeen years ago. The various family trades and tribes in Crystal Chronicles Remastered brings an element of replayability to this Final Fantasy title for new and old fans. The epic Caravan campaign is more enjoyable than ever on current-gen consoles, and fans of the original Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles should definitely check out the freshly remastered version.

Project CARS 3 suffers from a bit of an identity crisis in what it brings to the player, blending racing sim gameplay and arcade racer mechanics. Its message isn’t entirely clear without some trial and error, and while the narrator, drive-assist, and AI modifiers help ease into gameplay, there isn’t quite enough to know what everything means for the un-initiated. Driving feels wonderful and I expected nothing less given the history of Slightly Mad Studios and Codemasters, but this feels more like a racing sim for casual play over an engrossing and addictive time behind the wheel. It has a lot going for it, but its identity seems lost and with it, my drive to sink time into it.

Willy Morgan and The Curse of Bone Town is a simple title with a well-intentioned premise. Despite its cast of colorful characters and relatively interesting narrative, it really struggles to find its stride and unfortunately feels like its potential is squandered by both the undercooked game and sound design.

All in all, these are minor problems on an otherwise fantastic CRPG. Watch out though, Wasteland 3 doesn’t pull any punches with its subject matter in sexuality, violence, and language. But if you are fine with that, I would highly recommend you give Wasteland 3 a shot, especially if you were (or still are) a Fallout fan.

No Straight Roads is a wacky adventure with loveable characters. Mayday and Zuke just want to show the world that EDM isn’t the only kind of music out there – that rock is most certainly not dead. From the bright visuals to the hilarious dialogue and fun gameplay, as well as the option for couch co-op mode, it’s an easy pickup. While I, of course, had a few issues with the game, it’s all mostly forgiven with every quick and heavy whack of Mayday’s guitar.

Whether you enjoy KJG depends on what kind of fun you’re looking for. If you want a racing game, this might not be for you. If you want to ogle and/or glam up a squad of anime girls, then you’re in for a good time. This is one of the central tenets of XSEED and Honey Parade’s line of games. Whatever main activity is being advertised is likely not what got you to buy the game. And honestly, the extra content is usually more fun anyway. Mini-games, customization, item collection, and light fan service are the areas where games like Kandagawa Jet Girls shine brightest. So long as you understand this caveat, you’ll have a ton of goofy, slightly pervy fun.

In between some of the most frustrating moments I’ve had with any sort of game in quite some time, PGA Tour 2K21 flashed with hopeful, brilliant optimism. As long as it worked, hitting the links and knocking down a few holes felt as good as it ever has. And the course creator is one of the best things I’ve seen come to a sports game in a long time. But it’s hard to recommend something that chewed up and spit out nearly a day of my life, leaving me with nothing to show for it. Either way, it’s without question that the newly invigorated, and now former, Golf Club series is sitting at the base of a mountain made from potential. Though, it may be a hell of a climb getting to the peak.

So is Company of Crime worth playing? I’d say definitely. The worst of it is pretty uninspired, but inoffensive. But the best of it is superlatively good. I hope this game gets a lot of circulation just so developers can learn from its greatest strengths. But that’s about design, and not about players. If this were just one part great game and one part mediocre game, I’d say that averages to good. But what nudges it a little farther towards greatness is the presentation. The music, the clothes, the art style all create a sense of atmosphere. There are more polished games out there, but few do as good a job at transporting you to their setting. There’s a universe out there where Company of Crime totally changed the genre forever. We live in the universe where it’s just a really cool game that fans of the genre shouldn’t miss!

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is a mediocre trip down memory lane. Although interacting with beloved characters is amusing, its core gameplay is dull and repetitive. Fans may enjoy the new narrative that extends the epic conclusion of season 5 but be prepared to endure some blunt, boring combat.

Without any concrete information as to when we can expect the next season of Peaky Blinders, Peaky Blinders: Mastermind might end up being a nice distraction from the limbo we’ve all been left in. Fans of the show may find this experience to be somewhat satisfying, if not an excessively simple take on an intricate, expertly crafted world. But there isn’t much here if you aren’t hip to the source material. You’ll be lost entirely as far as the motivations of these characters, and missing out on virtually every bit of (brilliant) history doesn’t exactly make for compelling storytelling. Approach this one with caution, and that’s by order of the Peaky Blinders.

Battletoads has a fun story, great soundtrack, disgusting sound effects, beautiful visuals, and radical characters, but the gameplay does suffer mostly from questionable button mapping. Despite some of these concerns, Rare Studios has finally released a competent successor for fans to enjoy after nineteen years of waiting.

It’s more than a game. Sure there are planes you can buy, events you can take part in, or modules to complete to learn more about flying, but for me what shines above all else is Microsoft’s commitment to rendering our world at a level we haven’t seen yet.

Pulling off your head and lobbing it deep into a dark and dingy crevasse has never been so much fun. With over 90 puzzles, an array of crazy characters, witty dialogue and unique mechanics, a trip to Helheim is definitely worth the trek. Its quirky and intriguing spin on the Norse world is fascinating and due to this, it can proudly raise its glass of grog up high and bellow “Skol” at the top of its lungs.

Although the narrative was lacking and required some knowledge of the French Revolution in order for players to be fully immersed in the game, Banner of the Maid presented such a thoughtful strategy RPG that I looked forward to every single battle. The characters and visuals were excellent, the girls were cute, the guys were handsome, and being able to play as a powerful female lead was a great experience. Despite the weak storytelling and lengthy drawn-out battles, Banner of the Maid proved to be an excellent challenge and remains a game I struggle to put down at night.

My grievances with Mortal Shell aren't tied to the game's difficulty. That's a feature, not a bug. We're meant to gnash our teeth, to wail in misery at the washed out skies. I'm not even bothered by the massive From Software logo that's mostly been filed off. I just wish the tether wasn't stretched all the way back to 2011. We've made such strides in our Soulsborne suffering since then! It's more nuanced, more exquisite than ever before! If your goal is to pummel your players into a state of Sisyphean ecstasy, you have a multitude of tools at your disposal. For the hardcore crowd that's made it this far, congratulations! You will love this game, no two ways about it. For everyone else, heed my warning: Mortal Shell is just as brutal and beautiful as you're imagining.

EA Sports UFC 4 is the best MMA game to date. With an improved career mode, robust online options and significant updates to the core combat, fans of the franchise will be in awe at what steps into the octagon.

Overall, this is not a game where you will be spending a lot of time with. Complete rounds take about 10-15 minutes and are high-paced chaotic action. This is the type of experience you bust out with some friends or play by yourself when you want something quick and simple. As the rounds are short and sweet, this leads to it being both addictive and refreshing. That said, it lacks depth and the overall experience is shallow. Despite the lack of replayability, Gerrrms is a good-looking, and fun experience. Don’t let the germs keep you away!

I feel like if this game had one more overall draft to marry the story, script, puzzles, voice acting, and environments, it could have easily gotten a high 80 or more from me. As it currently stands, I can only recommend Relicta to the hardcore lovers of physics-based puzzles.

This is a game where the ending sequence saved it. As a platformer it barely stacks up to a lot of the competition; some portions of the art aren't that good; the combat is very wonky, with a "bouncy" feel; and, finally, the story doesn't deliver until the end. Adding some badly designed puzzle sections all pull Neversong down. The ending and the idea the title puts forth is powerful enough - even with some plot holes in retrospection - that is worth checking out if someone is into platformers, and has a few hours to try out something different.

All in all, did I like Maid of Sker? That depends. I’ve certainly played worse games, and I’ve heard worse ghost stories. It didn’t scare me as much as I would hope, but there was some chilling imagery and a couple of moments that made me jump. On a narrative level, I can see the developer’s trying to make a point about colonialism or slavery, or even the history of English rulers trying to stamp out the Welsh language much like The Quiet Ones try to stamp out any noise. There’s a genuinely good- even great- idea here but the gameplay and execution let it down, and the marketing cared more about selling something unique than selling something accurate. I got something close to what I ordered, but not quite close enough for me to want a second helping.

Multiplayer is the same battles, only with ranks to contend with. There’s an arcade mode that you can finish in less than an hour, and the Maxiboost missions that will keep you busy for ages. When you’re not engaged in furious combat with a host of other Gundams, you can mess with the Gallery and just look at them. There’s even a list of short animations associated with some of the arcs! Overall it’s truly just battling. If this is something you’ve always wanted out of a Gundam game, you’re in for a treat. But I can’t emphasize enough how pared down this experience is. But if fighting is what you want, then Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS Maxiboost ON is exactly what you need.

For series veterans, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a great time but it doesn’t give us anything we haven’t seen many times before, with the usual environments, side-activities, and cutscene-heavy narrative exposition. If we are being honest it’s a series that is due for a reset, and it looks like the upcoming Yakuza: Like a Dragon will be just that. But if you have not yet experienced the series, Yakuza Kiwami 2 needs to be high on your must-play list. So much to do, so much to explore, so many faces to roundhouse kick – living the Yakuza life sure is a hell of a lot of fun.