If you must prepare for this game, then prepare to be exhausted, elated, and energized. I found the Persona/Fire Emblem mix to be a bit unbalanced for my tastes, with too much tough and not quite enough touching. Still, under the layers of glitter, music, and misery, there’s a rock-solid JRPG to be found. If any of these disparate ingredients caught your eye, then Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore will almost certainly keep you hooked.

It’s an extremely polished and tight shooter that offers an unparalleled experience in the Star Wars universe. For 10 hours, you’ll be thrilled. Beyond that, you’re going to run out of things to do. But those 10 hours are a blast.

Overall Boyfriend Dungeon gets a big thumbs up from an entertainment standpoint, but the romance and relationships could be stronger. There were a lot of weapons (er, people) to choose from but not all the side stories were interesting. It was nice that every player’s romantic preference was included though. I came into this fully prepared to date one hot guy, and I ended up with several including a girl! It’s unfortunate the triggering content was unavoidable but as long as you’re comfortable with going through this experience, the story is well-written for such a short game. At the end of the day, Boyfriend Dungeon is a dating sim targeted towards the open-minded and adventurous spirit, and I felt it was executed well in that regard. Now I can add dating blades to my repertoire.

If the only console you own is a Switch, then Aeterna Noctis is a very good Metroidvania. I’d put it a tier lower than the best of the best in the genre, but still better than most, because of its excellent gameplay. If you own a PS5, Xbox, or PC, then the Switch should be the last version you play. The camera is too zoomed-out for handheld mode, and the framerate is very choppy compared to the other smooth versions. I wish I could also report on how the PS4 and Xbox One versions compared to the next gen versions. They were all planned for the same release day, and ended up taking another year to become available, so I would assume they are all downgrades that had to be quality compromised.

When you boil it down, Unavowed takes the tried and true formula of the Point-and-Click game and uses it as a stage to talk about humanity. Technical problems and gripes do not sully what was a great experience.

Five Nights at Freddy’s: Into the Pit is a solid entry in the FNAF franchise. The story is a bit lame, especially the time-travel bit – but it does make for some interesting gameplay. There are plenty of FNAF inspired minigames and lore to be found throughout, which is a nice bonus. The game isn’t overly scary or frustrating, but I did find early on that I needed to turn on the audio/visual assist since I don’t have a surround sound stereo set-up. FNAF diehard fans will enjoy this, as will those who like games with a creepy atmosphere. It definitely needs a patch or two to iron out some issues, but overall it’s a solid game.

The game wasn’t very long, yet I imagine there will be times I’ll come back to it, just to buzz around Honey Park. There’s a sort of calmness to it all. In some ways, it reminds me of the old PlayStation 3 game, Flower. Bee Simulator is by no means perfect, but I’d still recommend it if you’re looking for a simple yet unique, family-friendly distraction.

While it won’t change anyone’s thoughts about the base game, Road to Boruto is exactly what an expansion pack should be. It features a meaningful new campaign, which is fun whether or not you’ve seen the movie, several new characters, and does a good job of scratching the gaming itch for Naruto fans as otherwise there wouldn’t be a new game this year. It’s definitely worth picking up for those that enjoyed Ultimate Ninja Storm 4.

tERRORbane is goofy and great. Throughout, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the swerve balls in gameplay and plot. It’s genuinely funny with a bunch of laugh-out-loud memorable moments. Unfortunately, this enthralling adventure is over a little soon but you can revisit areas to discover all the secrets. Packed with ingenuity, BitNine Studios have really put itself on the map with this gem.

Diluvion is something I really sunk my teeth into, and though there were some snags, I thoroughly enjoyed my time. The excitement of exploring the deepest nooks and crannies of a fictional ocean is something I kept with me throughout my play through, wondering what mysterious creatures lurked beneath me. With a little bit more polish I can see Diluvion sitting in the top seller chart for a while.

If you’re a fan of Persona 5 with a dash of Yakuza, I can certainly recommend Dusk Diver 2. The characters are incredibly likeable, the environment is bright and vivid. Despite not knowing the full context of the story from the original game, the story in this title was still intriguing. JRPG fans and fans of the hack-n-slash genre should definitely add this one to their playlist.

Overall, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is both a solid addition to the Ys franchise, as well as a good starting point for newcomers. While the combat can get a little repetitive, the overall gameplay loop does enough to keep players coming back for more. Monstrum Nox can feel a bit generic in various aspects at times, but beneath the surface is a deeper RPG than expected. The overall narrative combined with interesting characters, solid gameplay, and strong side content make Ys IX: Monstrum Nox a fun experience.

The combination of characters, backstory, and gameplay all play its part in making God Eater 2: Rage Burst an enjoyable action RPG. Visuals and audio are both solid and do its job of presenting the game with fluidity and fast-paced action. While gameplay doesn’t necessarily deviate from that of God Eater: Resurrection, you should be playing because you enjoy the gameplay style, but want a new story and more content to delve into.

My time with Remnant was a total roller-coaster. There were moments of pure, unfiltered rage, peaks of elation, ah-ha moments, and quiet zen grinds. For the most part though, it's just a steady climb. The developers are not shy about how hard this game is. If that's your cup of tea, perfect! Every victory will be hard-fought, bloody, and beautiful once behind you. I just couldn't shake the small, nagging sense that my few successes weren't earned. I just got lucky, squeaking through the cracks. More than this minor unease, my playtime was marked by anger, by exasperated breaths and whitened knuckles. I ended up having more fun than I expected to, but that shiny nugget of suffering remains. Heed my wary words and proceed at your peril. If a tough time is your aim, then Remnant: From the Ashes is absolutely your game.

While lacking an open world environment and a leveling system to go beyond the limits, Toukiden still proves to be a great game to keep players busy and entertained.

Godseekers is an enjoyable break from the classic Dynasty Warriors series, evolving into a well managed tactics games with familiar faces and continues to instill that sense of power as your hero mows down hordes of enemies with a few strikes. While the gameplay is a fresh departure, it does little to add anything to the series as a whole.

Despite later LEGO games being more polished and streamlined, LEGO Harry Potter holds up surprisingly well. Even though it’s starting to show some cracks in a few areas, this remastered collection cleans things up quite nicely. In fact, they’re some of my favorite LEGO games Traveler’s Tales have ever released thanks to its excellent use of the license and some truly solid level design. It’s still a ton of fun playing through Harry’s seven years at Hogwarts, and until Warner Bros puts out a truly original Potter game, The LEGO Harry Potter Collection is the best Potter game fans can buy.

Is Tales of Berseria Remastered worth a double dip? Absolutely not. There’s no reason to get it if you already own the regular game (unless you have completionist OCD). Bandai Namco needs to be careful they don’t lose any good will with their fans, when so many other companies are offering free PS5 upgrades to PS4 games. But Remastered is now the best version of Berseria because of its few changes. It’s an excellent action JRPG. If you don’t already own it, Tales of Berseria Remastered has a phenomenal story, and fun combat. So get it if you haven’t already.

MX vs ATV All Out is a technically sound, fun little racing game that does its name’s legacy proud. I understand if some feel the game’s a little too rooted in the past, as the bulk of the game does not innovate. Still, jetting around the open farmland is great, catching big air and doing a sick trick is fun, and crashing is hysterical even if it’s not supposed to be. I enjoyed revving the engine of MX vs ATV All Out, I just wish it performed like a new 2018 model instead of an older model with a new coat of paint.

In terms of basic gameplay, this War of Mine is actually quite a bit like The Sims.

Monster Hunter Wilds builds on Worlds' combat, crafting, and upgrade systems. The new open zones and more complex monster behaviors are impressive and interesting to explore, and as always, hunts can be challenging, rewarding, exhausting, and fun. The lack of new weapons is disappointing, as are the many technical issues and the game's often unpolished feel. The bigger environments and more open-ended gameplay could have been the foundation for something really new and special. Monster Hunter Wilds feels like a lateral move rather than a significant advance.

CastleStorm does a good job of combining polished mechanics from other games with a decent script to form an entertaining game. It’s nothing spectacular, but it’s certainly fun. I sat down with it for about five hours the first day I played it and found myself eager to continue playing it the following day. That’s enough for me to give it a recommendation.

At the end of the day New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a good game, plain and simple. With solid visuals, familiar but tight gameplay, and that famed "Mario-esque" sound, you really can't go wrong.

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.

It’s still a good story, though, with an arc and characters that impressed 2003 Star Wars fans and RPG players hungry for more of what they loved best. Mechanically, the moment-to-moment gameplay definitely shows its age and the writing isn’t as strong or nuanced as we might remember it being. There’s a bit of consolation prize sadness around this unadorned, unimproved semi-museum piece coming to Switch, which won’t be seeing Aspyr’s remake when it’s released. Knights of the Old Republic looks and plays like the exceptionally good game it most certainly was in 2003, but it’s hard not to see, hear and feel all the ways in which games have moved on since.

Super Meat Boy Forever may be a little bit of a controversial sequel to some Super Meat Boy fans. Even if you are disappointed or turned off by the addition of the auto-running mechanic, I encourage you to give the game a try–especially if you are a fan of the original. The game has a massive amount of variety and replayability, a charming and fun storyline to follow, and some incredibly difficult boss fights to take on. While a game like The End is Nigh might be more similar to Super Meat Boy, Super Meat Boy Forever is one of the best indie games to release this year and shouldn’t be overlooked or looked down on for taking a different direction than previous titles in the series.

A Shady Part of Me is short and could be completed in an evening or two, so it’s much easier to digest what’s on offer before the simplicity of it wears you out. Overall, I would love to have seen more complexity in my time with it, or simply deeper twists on an already crowded genre. If not mechanically then emotionally. LIMBO and INSIDE were standouts not only because of the mechanics but the world-building and tension as well. Likewise, Braid was an homage that never squandered on difficulty. I hope that what comes next from this studio is a bit more daring than what came before it, as A Shady Part of Me inspires confidence.

Lumo is a game with something for everyone. It’s nostalgic in its inspiration from classic dungeon crawling and puzzlers; it’s fresh for its minimalist style and calming yet challenging experience.