Kathy Rain: DIrector’s Cut is definitely the edition of the game anyone new to the title should play. It polishes up the original, keeps the original characterization, expands some of the plot, and adds some quality of life improvements that go a long way for this short adventure. If you’ve been craving an adventure game that stokes some old nostalgia of the 90’s and VHS tapes, then look no further.

You won’t mistake Deliver Us The Moon for a bleeding edge graphical powerhouse, but it looks very good. At least as good as other hit games in the genre. It’s amazing how good a relatively small dev team can get a 3D exploration game looking. It’s comparable with games on a similar scale, like Subnautica. But I appreciate when a game knows to show restraint in pushing my graphics card to the max, and instead it uses its resources to create a coherent and immersive experience. This is that.

Song of Nunu: A League of Legends Story is a wonderful, whimsical adventure that manages to tell a touching story about friendship. While clearly part of the League of Legends franchise with its inclusion of key characters, you do not need any knowledge of the series to fall in love with this game. The well-designed puzzles and platforming segments are a joy and more than compensate for the lackluster combat. Even with performance issues on the Switch, Song of Nunu is a memorable tale that will leave a lasting impression.

What is great about Warlords is that you can invest as deeply or casually as you like.

I am glad to see that Mable & the Wood was able to maintain the level of quality that I saw in my earlier preview. The platforming has a nice flow to it with a good balance of enemy hazard and platforming challenge. If you are a fan of metroidvania and or retro styled platformers I recommend you give Mable a chance.

If you have been searching for a retro-inspired tactical RPG that actually delivers the goods, then look no further. Rainbow Moon will push all of the right nostalgic game-play buttons. Just be prepared for a pretty thin story, and a lot of old-school grinding as your time investment – and the game’s difficulty level – increases.

In a market swamped in MOBAs, Motiga has made a game that might just be unique enough to stand out on its own. Collecting energy to preserve your lead in the race to charge up your guardian first creates very tense, and exhilarating gameplay. Though the finicky UI isn’t a deal breaker, it may confuse some newcomers and I wouldn’t want anyone to miss out on such a fun game because of a small inconvenience.

Ken Follet’s The Pillars of the Earth is an excellent novel packed into a stunning point-and-click adventure. While it may be on the slower side for some, it’s certainly a story that I would recommend to others. With heavy subject matter set in the 12th-century of England, it can come across as dark and almost somber. But the moments of humor and triumph are well worth the play through.

Like the rest of the series, Disgaea 7 is a massive game. The combat and progression systems boast near-infinite depth. The writing is snappy and fun, the music is catchy, and the art style is extremely anime. On the other hand, those infinite systems are downright impenetrable. You need a very particular focus to wade through so many menus. And the grind is still monumental, no matter what sneaky tricks you employ. For fans of the series, Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless is a series highlight. To all the new players, I say: Welcome! This will either be a joyless slog or the start of a brand new addiction.

Here is where I’ll show my VR snobbery and say that while the graphical fidelity of this version of the game is superior to the PSVR version, the 2D version of the game cannot capture the sense of dread and isolation that the PSVR version has. Still, this version of the game does have enough depth, strategy, and replayability to make it a solid, worthwhile addition to your game library. The characters are engaging and The Persistence provides the proper mood and incentives that make you want to succeed.

For all my minor grievances, I’m enamored with this little bar. The larger narrative is pieced together by countless conversations with just as many people. None of them are alike, and all of them add something new to the mosaic. Even the apocryphal bits end up worth it in the end. Chat logs, history lessons, job descriptions, alibis, and cryptic orders all build what feels like a real place. More than ray tracing or 4K textures ever could, these collected story bits have swept up into a smoky dive that I’ll continually revisit, long after the tale is told. For a glimpse into something genuine, fascinating, and truly memorable, absolutely check out VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action.

In the end, Convergence: A League of Legends Story is a game about choosing who you want to be and forging bonds with others. No one can save the world alone. Isolation will only make you lose sight of what you were trying to save. It’s also a game about how awesome time-bending parkour is, and I respect that.

Just Dance 2014 is about the about as good as it gets when it comes to a virtual dancing simulation game for your Wii U. With over 48 tracks available at launch and the possibility of more DLC to come, it is perfect for those tweens, teens and adults looking for a fun social game to play.

It may not have the flashiest or most exhilarating gameplay, but A Fold Apart achieves almost everything it sets out to do, which is to truly put you in the shoes of someone in love — and someone in pain. Undeniably, it will make you sad, but this is a testament to how well the game’s creators executed the delivery of the story. I didn’t feel as though I was actively playing a puzzle game or reading a work of fiction. I sincerely felt like I was glimpsing into the lives and minds of a real couple right in front of me, and for that, I think this game is worthy of your time.

Despite the aged feel, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered offers cross-platform asynchronous multiplayer powered by Autolog. While this may be hit or miss for new fans, it’s admirable that Criterion Games and EA wanted to maintain the original gameplay experience that created the cult following within the Need for Speed community. This is now the best way to play Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit as it’s updated for the PS4 and Xbox One without losing anything that made the original game great.

Mordheim manages to create a turn-based experience that is not quite like the now seemingly industry-standard XCOM but which finds its own way to tweak the genre.

Hyperdrive Massacre understands what it is, and plays to its strength of frenetic multiplayer action to perfection.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a fantastic value. It contains two Ace Attorney games, each with five stories. Considering the most recent great visual novel compilation, Famicom Detective Club, was a full-priced collection, containing two games less than half the length of the two found in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, this collection at 2/3 the cost is a steal for visual novel fans. If you’re a fan of the original Ace Attorney games, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is an excellent return to form.

For fans of futuristic survival games, Stranded: Alien Dawn is just as fun on consoles as on PC. It’s deep, engrossing, and customizable. Although controller implementation is a mixed bag, overall the experience remains engaging and addictive.

Ultimately, Lucky Tower Ultimate is a great example of focused game design. The developers at Studio Seufz clearly knew exactly what they wanted to achieve, and they hit their mark with surgical precision. It is a solid, well-crafted experience that celebrates the chaos of the roguelite genre without succumbing to its gloomiest tropes. While the finicky controls and steep difficulty may alienate those seeking a more streamlined experience, I found a treasure of wit, challenge, and a bit of slapstick brutality. It might not be for everyone, but if the premise of a “tough-as-nails comedy” appeals to you, you will likely find Lucky Tower Ultimate to be exactly what you’re looking for.

Real-world trombone playing entails years or decades of study, intense practice, sacrifice, blood, perspiration and tears. With Trombone Champ you can bypass all that sweat equity and just ascend to the trombone throne. Trombone Champ is a humble game made by folks with a genuine love of music, hot dogs, baboons and, even more remarkably, the trombone. It’s fun, funny, a little weird and an actual, genuine game despite what sounds like a silly premise. It’s no surprise that everyone secretly wants to be a trombone player, and now anyone can rise to that only dreamed-of level of coolness. Grab yourself some hot dogs, hug a baboon and go play Trombone Champ.

Jackbox Party Pack 5 can be seen as a bit of a course correction after its disappointing predecessor. Though I doubt anything will ever outdo Quiplash in terms of pure fun and replayability, most of the games here are quality Jackbox creations. Some of them could use refining, and I can only see Zeeple Dome appealing to kids, but as a whole, this is a solid addition to the Jackbox repertoire and is sure to elicit plenty of laughs each time you boot it up.

In “What Ails You,” there are enough other positives to make this a strong installment. An epic brawl sequence, major plot reveals, and a promise of a satisfying series conclusion make Episode 4 an enjoyable experience, and the climactic Episode 5 looks like it will end things on a high note. Let’s hope so.

Its characters don’t have the consistency of their predecessors, nor the emotional impact of its storytelling. But its low-points aren’t unforgivable, and after all of this, I still want to see what happens next. While the ending had me smiling just from the emotion it brought, it may have also had to do with its final words…“Clementine’s Story Will Return.”

It seems like every major franchise is getting the open-world treatment. At first, you’d assume that Sonic is a terrible fit for this system. But it works surprisingly well. Every island is broken down into a nested series of combat and platforming challenges. No matter the scale, you’re still getting that essential Sonic the Hedgehog experience. Unfortunately, this also means you’re getting deeply frustrated at times. Exhausting story missions, impossible puzzles, and brutal acrobatics await. But most of the game is incredibly fun. This is what Sonic games are all about. A rollercoaster ride full of dizzying highs and crushing lows. As a game, Sonic Frontiers has some definite flaws to be wary of. But as a Sonic game, this is some truly top-shelf stuff.

Even with its mediocre plot and heavily emphasized fan service aspects, I really enjoyed Lightning Returns. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve followed the series since the beginning, or because I’m a sucker for the characters and their relationships between one another, but this game made me experience a range of emotions that I haven’t experienced from a game in a long time.

Downwell personifies the ‘gameplay is king’ mantra and it backs up its approach with a perfect suite of controls that are predictable and consistent.

A delightfully charming game with some irritating design flaws that prevent it from achieving excellence. While the characters are fun and their abilities are creative, the puzzles they’re used for lack the level of challenge that’s become expected from modern indie games, and the fast-travel system often forces you to spend lots of time backtracking. That said, there’s still a lot of fun to be had in this world, and the beautiful aesthetic and fantastic musical accompaniment will keep you entertained at even the most tedious moments.