Another Code: Recollection is a welcome addition to the Nintendo Switch library. The puzzles can get frustrating at times, and the gameplay won't be for everyone; I highly recommend those on the fence check out the game's free demo. Despite these flaws, the story and characters make it a worthwhile purchase for fans of the genre. It's great to see Nintendo giving such an unusual pair of games this type of treatment, rather than leaving them abandoned on their original hardware.

If you still don't have your fill of The Last of Us Part II nearly four years after its arrival, this PS5 remaster is a pretty easy recommendation. No Return, in particular, gives Part II some post-game content of sorts that should keep it feeling fresh for the foreseeable future. This combined with the fact that The Last of Us Part II now looks better than ever before makes this the "definitive" version of the game and should help bridge the gap to a potential The Last of Us Part III.

The game has the potential to become even better once it's in players' hands because of the new Sandbox Mode. In pre-release form, it's a bit bare, but when players jump in and start creating their own houses, there will be all kinds of new places to fix up. The original House Flipper received a ton of DLC content over the years, but this Sandbox Mode could give players nearly limitless options of new houses to flip. That's an exciting, yet terrifying prospect, as I worry that all of my free time is about to be taken over by yet another great simulation house-flipping game from Frozen District.

Frontiers of Pandora may not blow you away with its story, but it will immerse you in its world and give you a rush of adrenaline. For those just wanting to take a trip to Pandora, this should satisfy you until Cameron releases Avatar 3 in 2025.

Super Mario RPG has aged fantastically well, with great gameplay, a terrific story, and some excellent characterization. Developer ArtePiazza has added just enough quality of life improvements to refine the experience, while still maintaining the elements that made it a classic in the first place. For those that have never played it before, Super Mario RPG is a very easy recommendation, but those that have played through it a number of times over the last 27 years might find that there isn't enough new content to rationalize the $60.

Persona 5 Tactica doesn't capture the magic of Persona 5 or even Persona 5 Strikers. It may remind fans instead of the Persona Q games, dungeon-crawler spinoffs designed for the Nintendo 3DS. Those game have their fans, as Persona 5 Tactica surely will as well. Yet, while the game has its moments, there are too many flaws to earn a full-throated recommendation. Those who live at the intersection of "Persona fan" and "tactical RPG fan" will likely find it worth at least a look and die-hard Persona 5 fans probably won't want to miss another Phantom Thieves adventure. More casual Persona enjoyers will be fine passing on this outing.

The story attempts to hit a lot of familiar beats, but instead ends up feeling like someone copied the homework of the original trilogy without showing their work. Modern Warfare 3 seems to think nostalgia will carry the load of this story and that players may project their love for the original onto this one without it doing anything to earn that. On one hand, I commend Call of Duty for taking 20 years to deliver a campaign this messy. On the other hand, I hate that it happened to a story that revolves around characters and storylines that fans like myself have so much affinity for. The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 campaign is not a celebration of 20 years of Call of Duty – it's a cry for help. [Campaign Review Score = 40]

There's just so much more attention, care, and time that seeps through the pores of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2's entire package. It's just a stark difference from where the first game began, and a tease of the kind of bright future this series is heading in. It's just a lot more fun to play than the first title, and it's only going to get better as the weeks roll on. It already feels like a complete package, and while there is still some stiffness is how it plays moment to moment, Nickelodeon fans will definitely want to seek this out for some party fun.

By all accounts, Alan Wake 2 is simply a masterpiece. This is far and away the best game that Remedy has made so far and only continues to assert that the studio is one of the top AAA developers in the world. On all fronts, Alan Wake 2 is rife with inventiveness and wit that was only matched by its ability to scare me and make me laugh in the same short span of time. Not only does this serve as a new benchmark for what Remedy is capable of in the future, but it should be a shining example to other studios around the world of what story-driven third-person games can achieve. Whether you're new to the series or have been waiting 13 years like I have, Alan Wake 2 should absolutely not be missed.

Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 isn't necessarily an atrocious bundle of Metal Gear ports. The games that have been included here generally still hold up well in 2023 and have been fun to revisit. Still, it's disappointing to see that Konami has done virtually nothing to touch up these titles in the slightest of ways. As such, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 feels like something Konami is simply releasing to make a quick buck. Rather than improving these games to ensure that the the legacy of Metal Gear is something that remains intact for newer generations of fans, this Master Collection fails to put its best foot forward given what modern hardware is now capable of. And for longtime fans like myself, there's very little reason to buy this bundle outside of the convenience of having the series on current platforms.

I'm sure some fans will enjoy moving their fleets around on the galactic map, expanding their territory, and completing the long list of tasks the game offers. For me, it feels too much like meaningless busywork without a performance to anchor it all, which explains why games like Star Trek Online and Star Trek: Resurgence -- which both put so much effort into honoring the experience of watching a Star Trek episode over recreating the political reality of the universe that those episodes transpire in -- resonate with me more strongly.

Hellboy: Web of Wyrd has spurts of fun to be found in its gameplay, which is held up by the grand visual aesthetics at the heart of it all. If the game didn't look like a living Hellboy comic it wouldn't be engaging, but that alone cannot save it from the repetitive and slow gameplay that sits at the heart of the entire thing. Luckily Hellboy: Web of Wyrd looks good and it has a story that feels authentic to its character. In the end though, it's also a very short game, and by the time you complete it all and are then allowed to do long runs with more customization options…you may have had your fill.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is about as close to perfection as it gets for a 2D Mario game. While the New Super Mario Bros. games were fun, they never felt like they had their own distinct identity, the way we saw with classic Mario games like Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is dripping with creativity and personality in every facet.

Ultimately, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 captures the essence of the character on a micro and macro level. We get big, epic set pieces infused with personal stakes, spectacular combat, the amazing web-swinging that every kid dreams of, and a story that tests Miles Morales and Peter Parker on both physical and mental levels. While it isn't without its flaws, Spider-Man 2 is a sensational follow-up to the previous games and yet another winner for PlayStation players.

Ultimately, Lords of the Fallen is a good enough "Soulsborne" entry, but a number of its technical issues and gameplay foibles stop it from being truly great.

Unless you're a Poke-Fanatic or a young child, Detective Pikachu Returns probably won't hold very much for you. Detective Pikachu is still a joy to watch, but his shenanigans are hardly worth the $50 price tag. However, I think that this game would be a great fit for younger Pokemon fans who aren't looking for deep multi-layered mysteries. As much as I wished that Detective Pikachu Returns had a stronger storyline, Detective Pikachu still has plenty of charm and the kids seem to enjoy his shenanigans as much as they did during his movie.

Perhaps it comes from being tainted by the RPG-style Assassin's Creed games, but even when tallying Mirage's successes, the thought creeps in that the game doesn't always have quite enough to keep players engaged in a fulfilling way. Because of that, Mirage may not be the course correction that many were hoping for – it certainly doesn't feel like the solution to Assassin's Creed's identity crisis, but it could be a start or at least an indication that both styles of the series can coexist with one another instead of only getting one or the other.

EA FC 24 is great in spurts, but everything feels so by the numbers that it's impossible to recommend if you've been sticking with the series through the FIFA years. Like most sports games these days, I'd recommend buying every three or four entries and maybe putting on some parental locks in Ultimate Team so you don't waste your money. Trust me, you can compete with the rest of us weekend warriors without dropping hundreds of dollars. And who knows, maybe next year EAFC will finally go from okay to great again.

While some of Cyberpunk 2077's issues still linger, and the new content isn't without its own flaws, CD Projekt Red has done a commendable job at making me like a game I previously had disdain for. Phantom Liberty continues to prove CD Projekt Red has a deft hand for high-quality storytelling and has now shown it can provide strong RPG gameplay to match.

Though unambitious, Fae Farm is still a very enjoyable farming sim. It does miss the mark with its fantasy elements, but the game nails its core mission. Players are invited to revive a downtrodden world just like we've seen in previous sim legends. With a distinct art style in town, Fae Farm has a robust system in place for farming, gathering, and decorating. What its NPCs lack in variety is made up for in crop types. It is a solid investment for cozy sim fiends in need of a new time sink. But if you're looking for novel farming sim for your collection, Fae Farm is not the title you're looking for.

I really like the on-court action and think most of the modes have cool ideas, but everything is being brought down by an abundance of microtransactions. Sure, they've been there for years, but this year something feels different. I'm not saying you should skip NBA 2K24, just go in with your eyes fully open. If you're someone who can't control their purchasing decisions, 2K will use every trick in the book to tempt you. For me, that's not really an issue, and I'm a fan of 2K24 because of it, but it's absolutely something everyone needs to ask themselves before diving in.

Mortal Kombat 1 is still very much a bloody and brutal good time with tons of rewards for digging deep into it.

This feels like the spiritual successor to Bloodborne, and if you had sold this as a sequel to the FromSoftware story, you could get away with it. If you're a fan of Soulsborne and want to add a spice of rewarding difficulty to your gaming career, you must check out Lies of P.

As someone who had no prior exposure to Armored Core ahead of Fires of Rubicon, I am both surprised and delighted by how much I have enjoyed this game. Even when shifting to a slightly different genre, FromSoftware has once again asserted that it has a firm grasp on what it takes to make a thrilling and mechanically engaging action experience through and through. This might not be my own favorite FromSoftware game to date, but it's without a doubt worth checking out, regardless of how familiar you might be with Armored Core.

My opinion of Starfield is overall high despite what my many criticisms might suggest. It's a Bethesda RPG, and even Bethesda's middling options blow competitors out of the water when it comes to choice and freedom, so Starfield was always going to be a success. Whether it's enough of a success to uplift Xbox and make someone buy a new console is another discussion, but Starfield itself is perfectly competent and – dare I say it – fun, and even the most frustrating moments were unable to deter me from wanting more.

Madden NFL 24 is an improved on-field product, but everything else leaves a lot to be desired.

As it stands now, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a good game with the potential to be great. The multiplayer is fun and exciting, but the game sometimes feels as bare as the bone chimes hanging in the Sawyer family house. Sumo Nottingham and Gun Media clearly have a lot of reverence for the source material, and the two companies have given fans a game that feels true to the license. Hopefully The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will continue to grow and expand in a way that keeps players coming back.

Baldur's Gate 3 is a beacon of all the untapped potential in the CRPG genre. While it may be a bit much for newcomers, it's a gripping experience that no one with even an inkling of interest in the genre should miss.