If you’ve never played a musou game before, then One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 is a fantastic one to start with. If you’re not a One Piece fan, however, your enjoyment of the game’s story may be limited. But if you like One Piece, and/ or like Dynasty Warriors, then you need this game in your life.

It’s not a new game, far from it, but it’s a rollicking continuation and one that leaves you wanting the next chapter. The improvements are incremental, but if Remedy can keep this momentum going, the next installment should be the true masterpiece. There aren’t enough psychic power action titles, and right now, Control is the best game in town.

There really isn’t a lot to like about Bleeding Edge. I found it uninspired and boring with only a couple redeeming qualities such as some neat character designs and a robust tutorial. I honestly don’t understand why Bleeding Edge was developed. Maybe Xbox Game Studios requested their newly acquired Ninja Theory to throw together a quick team-based online game to fill a void until the Xbox Series X launches. Who knows. I imagine we won’t see much post-launch support with Bleeding Edge, as the team at Ninja Theory is probably fully focused on making Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. At least Bleeding Edge is free with Xbox Game Pass, so if you subscribe, you can give it a go and see for yourself.

There’s not much to dislike about Dandara. It certainly could be more accessible for newbies but any gamer that’s played a Metroidvania before should have an idea of what to expect. What’s unexpected is the totally cool and trippy traversal system. It might take some time to get used to, but it’s very intuitive. Dandara’s sharp level design and enemy encounters are memorable in a genre that is starting to get overcrowded. The story isn’t anything to write home about, but Dandara makes up for it with fun and challenging gameplay. Regardless of your platform of choice, Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition needs to be your next game.

Good Goliath is a fun game that’s great for families and parties.

If Capcom continues to push these remakes out with the care and quality of Resident Evil 2 and 3, then I can’t wait to see what we get in the future. While the game still stubbornly hangs on to a few of the original’s mechanical shortcomings, the vast majority of the package is a breathtaking recreation of material we fell in love with two decades ago.

I admittedly didn’t exit the Gungeon but I had a lot of fun between the Breach and my constant deaths trying to escape the time paradox created with Enter The Gungeon. Although this process often feels like beating my head against a wall with other titles, the charm and chaos of Exit The Gungeon keeps me captivated while my stubbornness forces me to keep picking it up and trying to climb my way out of the Gungeon.

It’s just too bad that, for what Moons promises, it so rarely delivers. I wanted to be swept up in the Lovecraftian madness, but too often I found myself frustrated from lack of direction or rote fetch quests. Some of the creatures you meet promise intrigue and terror, but some of them too are oddly conceived. And while you can’t fight the monsters here, you can run like SOMA, but where SOMA was thoughtful and left an impression on me to this day, Moons of Madness gets in its own way, hoping visuals can carry it through. It doesn’t quite hit the mark.

Bubble Bobble 4 Friends is the type of game the Nintendo Switch was made for. It is a title that anyone can pick up and play and it gets progressively more challenging the deeper you get. It is fast, fun, and simple. While not exactly a long game you will enjoy every second of this charming game. Add in the ability to play with up to 4 friends locally and it makes for a great party game.

If you’re a fan of My Hero Academia, you’ll enjoy My Hero One’s Justice 2. It brings your favorite characters to life and gives you the opportunity to pit them against each other in a solid fighting arena experience. But for the rest of us, this is a pretty lackluster brawler that looks and plays a lot like other games we’ve seen. What it does, it does competently, but My Hero One’s Justice 2 has a long way to go before it can claim the King of Fighters title.

Saints Row IV: Re-Elected comes with all of that fantastic, over the top DLC with insane weapons, new story missions, and tons of cosmetic options. As a story, this wild experience is still refreshing and incredibly charming while keeping true to its raunchy, adult themes. The pop culture references on display are shameless and simply add to the charm of the series. While it does control well once you get used to it, the fine aiming leaves something to be desired, so if you prefer to spend a game looking down scopes this might not be for you. If you love horrible jokes, fire, death, explosions, superpowers, murder, and mayhem, this is the game for you.

The gameplay pacing is a brutal slog at times, the narrative making a full meal out of every conflict and emotional development. Yet the execution is still masterful, still compelling. If you’ve played the original Persona 5, I can’t commit to the green light. I know there’s so much more to see on this second lap, but the first one was more or less a full marathon. If you’ve never played before however, that’s a different story. For first-timers, don’t hesitate for a moment. Persona 5 Royal is a fabulous RPG, one deserving the monarch’s spot atop the Atlus mountain of games.

It’s hard to find the words to give justice to the radness that is Freedom Finger. In order to understand it you really need to crank it up to full volume and just go bananas on your own.

Overall, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a decent foray back into the Pokemon universe for those waiting for Sword and Shield DLC. However, without the Pokemon license, I’m not so sure that this game would be as well regarded as it is. Despite that, it takes what it has, and makes it a fun experience in its own right. Die-hard Pokemon fans won’t have too hard of a time deciding whether to purchase this game, but for everyone else, there is currently a demo on the eShop in which progress carries over.

After many hours, I felt like I had seen what there was to see. The story remains compelling, but the gameplay loop starts to grow predictable. There are only so many mission types, and another kind of lumbering beast doesn’t drastically change what you are doing. But Alder’s Blood stuck with me in a strange way that few games do — I credit that to the imaginative story and the eerie tone. God has been murdered in this world, and I still feel compelled to understand just what that means. I’ll probably return to this world when the leaves are changing and I’m in the mood for an ethereal scare. I just hope I can remember to tread lightly and not have to reload so much.

MLB The Show 20 is less like that random pitcher who threw a perfect game, and more like your perennial Cy Young candidate. You can count on the franchise to come out year after year with quality content and gameplay. While the actual season may not be happening soon, MLB The Show 20 is sure to keep baseball fans glued to their screens.

Today, three years after Western release on Xbox One, Yakuza 0 still translates well as an engaging and fun experience, particularly for those who love a good story. The graphics are slightly dated but nothing to be upset about, and only the somewhat foreign notion of the invisible wall cutting off stairways and paths is the only thing to be a bother. This mechanic has been changed over the years so to see it still thriving here immediately dates the game, but none of this is enough to make for a bad experience. If you enjoy the Yakuza franchise or need a jumping off point to get into the franchise, Yakuza 0 is a fantastic place to start.

More so than any other game I’ve reviewed, House Flipper is going to be what you make of it. In a lot of ways, it’s rough. The graphics are subpar, the sound is about as basic as it gets, and the performance issues at times get so bad you’ll wonder how this ever made it through quality assurance. But there’s an undeniable charm to the game. Flipping a house for profit after working your way through the entire space ended up being as satisfying as I hoped it would be. The fact that the game doesn’t ask for you to have any prior knowledge of anything is a big bonus in my book, too. If you want to turn your brain off, and flip houses, I think you’ll like this. If you want something exciting in any way, shape, or form, move along.

Doom Eternal cranks the dial to 11, throws gas on the fire, puts the pedal to the metal. Pick any cliche metaphor you want: Doom Eternal holds its slayer horns high and proud, refining just about everything Doom 2016 did well. It’s tense, frantic, and absolutely transcendent. Doom Eternal is metal as f***.

I dislike giving such a harsh review to an indie because I know how important reviews are. I know people worked hard with little money on this game, and I respect their labor and efforts. However, I can’t in good conscience recommend this game to anyone I know, and I think it needed, not only more time in translation but considerably more time in development to flesh out nearly the entire game. The only reason I finished this game is that I’m writing this review, and it’s not a long or hard game to finish. Femida tackles a few interesting subjects, but fails on its execution in nearly all regards. The Revolution couldn’t fix everything.

I always knew Animal Crossing games as something you played for like, 30 minutes a day at most. Grab some fruit, chat to your neighbors, call it a day. This game will take over your whole dang life, but in a really fun way. If you’ve ever had even a whiff of interest in this franchise, Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be an absolute slam dunk. Don’t sleep on this one for a second.

There’s a lot to like here if you’re the right kind of person. The combat is tight and precise, there’s a ton of variety, and the challenge is mighty stiff. At the same time, Nioh 2 is mechanical on a level that’s a few layers too deep. I see what the goal was – differentiation – but it overcomplicates things where it doesn’t need to. Souls die hards: buckle up and get in there. Souls haters: you’ll hate this too. If you’re somewhere in the middle, give it a go, but beware you might end up like me: appreciating Nioh 2’s craft, but not actually enjoying it.

I have raced many a game but Overpass brings something new and unique to the racing genre. If you have a FFB wheel give this game a try. If not, only off-road racing fanatics will find something here to keep them coming back.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is indeed a challenging game, but one not so hard as to be rage-inducing. It is beautiful in its aesthetic, gameplay, and narrative. Whether you are coming to this as a seasoned gamer who wants a challenge or someone who just loves the game's beauty, it is simply a joy to play and will captivate you for hours.

The fact is, the gameplay in Corruption is fun, and I enjoyed playing it. There aren’t enough challenging tactical games like this (as my thousands of hours in XCOM 2 can stand as evidence of). I commend The Bearded Ladies for knowing they had a cool idea when they saw it, and for focusing on polishing a single aspect of it- in this case the gameplay. And these are games, isn’t gameplay extremely important? Ultimately, Corruption is a tight, extremely playable tactical experience.

All in all, my time with Rune Factory 4 Special has been great. For a 3DS port, the upscaling of the graphics is well done and looks beautiful in handheld mode. Even docked, the game looks pretty slick. The art style is bright and vivid. The writing makes every character stand out in their own way. Players who are new to this series should definitely check out this title before the 5th game in the franchise drops.