One Piece Odyssey does have its flaws in how its role-playing experience eventually works out over the course of its many hours, but when stacked against everything that's come before, it really is the best One Piece game yet. It's got a lot of fun things for fans of the series to dig into, and there is a lot of care and attention to detail paid in bringing the Straw Hat crew's various personalities and attacks to life. It might not be the best experience for the more dedicated, but it's definitely a perfect fit for current fans.

As a fan of the Fire Emblem series, I enjoyed the new game for what it was. The story isn't exactly original, the gameplay isn't exactly innovative, and there's perhaps a bit too much emphasis on nostalgia (nostalgia that English language fans can't even truly appreciate, given how many Fire Emblem games didn't get released outside of Japan). However, the game is a treat to view and the combat is just challenging enough to keep you on the edge of your seat even if the same handful of tactics seem to work on every map. Fire Emblem Engage neither stands above the other Fire Emblem games nor does it fall below them. It firmly sits in the middle of the pack, which should be good enough for most fans of the franchise but might not appeal to those who haven't really experienced the franchise before. 

Somerville feels like a game that is going through growing pains. As the first title to come from Jumpship, there's a fair amount to like here and quite a bit that can be built off of moving forward. Still, Somerville isn't also without its problems, especially when it comes to creating an enjoyable gameplay experience. As a result, Somerville itself isn't something that I would deem a must-play, but Jumpship as a whole is a studio that I'll continue to keep an eye on as time goes on. 

Those who were less impressed with the original game are unlikely to have their minds changed by the update, especially as the console experience makes the awkward pacing even more of a problem. But for its intended obvious, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is the perfect game to tide them over until Final Fantasy VII Rebirth next year.

The Callisto Protocol isn't necessarily bad, but it doesn't do much to verify why survival-horror fans wanted these types of games back in the first place. With a bit more depth to its various systems and mechanics, The Callisto Protocol could have been far more enjoyable from start to finish. Instead, my main takeaway from Callisto has simply been that I'm now that much more excited to play a number of other survival-horror games that are set to release in 2023.

The Devil in Me served as a pretty poor ending for the first "season" of The Dark Pictures Anthology. Mobility mechanics and inventory management were fine additions, but they did little to elevate the game and mostly made it apparent that somewhat basic things like that were absent from previous installments. The next Dark Pictures game awaits regardless of the pitfalls of this one, however, so hopefully, Season 2 will be off to a better start than the end of Season 1.

Marvel's Midnight Suns may not have the most exciting story, but it makes up for it pretty much every[where] else. The characters are charismatic and charming, the gameplay is meaty and layered, and the player is empowered with freedom and choice in and out of combat. It's a rich RPG that superhero lovers will get a kick out of, turn-based fans will feel is remarkably satisfying, and genre naysayers may even become fond of it. It's a marvelous achievement worthy of the iconic comic publisher's branding.

It's not a deep or wide as some might want, as some of the missions (and gags) do wear thin, but it's still fun queuing up and just messing around in it. There's a sense that there are even more wild combinations to assert your power (or jump around as a shark on a skateboard), and the ability to even do that and scratch that itch in such a way is definitely worth checking out. 

While I missed it back then, Tactics Ogre was, by all accounts, a pinnacle of its genre when it first debuted. The game has aged well, especially with Tactics Ogre: Reborn's enhancements, and remains an incredibly engrossing, absorbing game with nearly unmatched storytelling and gameplay. Tactics Ogre: Reborn is a masterful remaster of a game that was already a masterpiece. It shouldn't be missed.

Sonic Frontiers has a lot of little flaws, but its strengths are great enough that it's hard to harp on them too much. The game's Open Zones are fun to explore, the Cyber Space levels are well-crafted, and the audio is excellent. Sonic Team has clearly put a lot of thought and care into crafting this new direction for the series, and the results are impressive. I truly hope Sega takes the elements that work in Sonic Frontiers and fine-tunes them for the next entry in the series. The somewhat repetitive gameplay loop is Frontiers' biggest issue, but most Sonic fans will probably be able to overlook it thanks to everything the game does right. Sonic the Hedgehog was in desperate need of a game like this, and it feels great to say that Sonic Team (mostly) pulled it off. The franchise's future is looking brighter than it has in a long time.

Call of Duty: Warzone 2 doesn't succeed at every single big idea it wants to take on, but it certainly justifies its existence as a sequel to a beloved free-to-play shooter. It's one of the most refined, satisfying, and premium battle royale games out there, making it best in class. In many ways, it's a better game than its predecessor thanks to its desire to keep every game fresh and varied with much needed quality of life changes. Whether it can sustain this with years of updates and changes remains to be seen, but if it can, it has serious long term potential.

There's fun to be had in Evil West but there are far too many chinks in this armor to make it worthy of wearing into the field. 

At its core, Harvestella is an exciting promise of things to come for RPG lovers as Square Enix is ready to bring its own farming sim to life. From its gorgeous visuals to its side quests, there is plenty to do and look at while playing. However, players should temper their expectations should they believe Harvestella to be a straightforward sim. This ambitious project is more JRPG than a simulator, and its pacing proves as much. If you are only looking to farm and woo locals, Harvestella will prove more than you can handle. But if a JRPG with simulation traits sounds appealing to you, Harvestella is just what you've been waiting for.

Compared to other recent open world games, even those released on the Nintendo Switch years ago, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is something of a disappointment especially in the graphics department. But for better or worse, Pokemon games are rarely judged by their immense fanbase against anything that's not a Pokemon game. And as a Pokemon game, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is an absolute joy with a deeper storyline than usual, a ton of fantastically designed Pokemon, and continued quality-of-life improvements that makes for a less tedious Pokemon experience without sacrificing any essential bits. Pokemon fans will love Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and even casual players or lapsed Pokemon fans will enjoy the allure of "catching 'em all" provided they don't place a premium on graphics.

Compared to other recent open world games, even those released on the Nintendo Switch years ago, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is something of a disappointment especially in the graphics department. But for better or worse, Pokemon games are rarely judged by their immense fanbase against anything that's not a Pokemon game. And as a Pokemon game, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is an absolute joy with a deeper storyline than usual, a ton of fantastically designed Pokemon, and continued quality-of-life improvements that makes for a less tedious Pokemon experience without sacrificing any essential bits. Pokemon fans will love Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and even casual players or lapsed Pokemon fans will enjoy the allure of "catching 'em all" provided they don't place a premium on graphics.

Star Ocean: The Divine Force isn't a bad game. However, it is a game that feels stuck in the past, out of step with the current JRPG renaissance. It fails to adopt the quality of life improvements pioneered in the past generation games, relying too heavily on past precedents, whether or not those precedents ever worked well. Those looking for classic JRPG comfort food will appreciate what The Divine Force has to offer: fast combat, a familiar story, and characters they'll want to get to know. That'll go doubly for those who cut their teeth on PlayStation 2-era JRPG titles, for whom the tedium baked into the game might seem less glaring. Star Ocean: The Divine Force isn't the fully-realized rebirth of the series that it perhaps could have been, but it is at least proof that there is something here worth saving and that tri-Ace deserves to be around long enough for another shot at it.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer is filled with mindless fun and lots of ways to grind, and it serves as a solid evolution and refinement of its predecessor. Although it's fun, the tried and true PvP is bogged down by some confounding design choices, lackluster maps with zero staying power, and missing features. It's a fine game. I've enjoyed my time with it, and it's a game I will continue to play which is something that couldn't be said about last year's game. However, just fine probably isn't what you want when invoking the name of one of the most iconic and defining modern military shooters of all time. [Multiplayer Review score = 70; Campaign score = 60]

Despite having a couple of problems with God of War Ragnarok, it's hard for me to say that the game is anything less than excellent. Even with high expectations, Ragnarok ended up being a game that I thoroughly enjoyed from its bombastic opening to its character-driven conclusion. Some issues that the previous God of War entry had became more apparent to me with Ragnarok, but otherwise, this is a game that I believe fans are without a doubt going to be happy with.

After playing Bayonetta 3, I found myself wanting to spend a lot more time getting acquainted with the first two games in the series, and I think that says a lot about the world PlatinumGames has created. Bayonetta's unique sense of style and humor really sets the series apart from other action games on the market, and it's easy to see why the character has proven so endearing. The game's over-the-top humor and sexuality probably won't win over anyone that didn't care for the first two games, and not all of the Demon Slaves are enjoyable to use. Despite these minor flaws, Bayonetta 3 delivers an experience that shouldn't be missed by series fanatics, and is well worth trying for those new to the series.

At about 10 hours, New Tales from the Borderlands is a solid successor to the first title under Telltale, and its story has all the right emotional beats. I cannot count the number of laughs the episodes drew from me, but towards the end, the game's uneven pacing was hard to ignore. Paired with its stale quick-time events, there is more New Tales from the Borderlands to improve on, but this sequel is a step in the right direction.

Even though it's not without some faults, A Plague Tale: Requiem is likely one of the better games I have played this year. In a time where story-driven action games are starting to become more sparse, Asobo continues to prove with Requiem that it's very much capable of assisting with carrying the torch within this genre. I'm not sure if we'll see future Plague Tale titles come about in the future, but given the leap that has been seen with Requiem, I'm definitely hoping that this isn't Asobo's final outing in this space.

Ultimately, I enjoyed Gotham Knights for what it was – a basic superhero game that provides players with plenty to do. It will not live up to the standard of the height of the Batman: Arkham series, but it's still a fun game, especially if you want to just tune out and beat up some nameless thugs. There is plenty of room for improvement in Gotham Knights, but this game provides a solid enough foundation for future installments, and I enjoyed a game that looked at the wider Batman family rather than focusing on just one character.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is kind of the ideal video game sequel. Ubisoft has refined all of the best elements of the first game in ways that feel fun and satisfying while delivering new elements that make it stand on its own. The story is better, the graphics are smoother, and there are way more elements of the Mario franchise present this time. Most importantly, the combat is engaging and actually made me want to keep picking battles with opponents on the map. It's hard to believe that Ubisoft has managed to create such an endearing spin-off series, but I truly hope that there are plans beyond this game and its forthcoming DLC. If the developer can maintain this level of quality, I'd love to see what it can do with the series next.

I hope the allure of what makes Overwatch as a game and a unique world can be seen to newcomers despite the negative cloud that is surrounding much of it. In terms of play, Overwatch 2 is more fun to play than it has ever been. We are in luck, however, as Blizzard has clearly been keenly listening to the community since the launch of the game didn't go very smoothly, and the potential for more fixes and fine-tuning seem like it's their biggest priority. It will be interesting to see where things are after a year, that's the blessing and the curse of a live-service game. But for now…

At no point during my playthrough of Scorn did I ever consider it a "fun" game, and to its credit, developer Ebb Software has made no effort to disguise the game as such. Through all its grit and grime, Scorn's more of an experience than anything else. Completing only one playthrough may mean leaving some secrets and story threads likely left uncovered, but one playthrough is more than enough for the grotesqueness of Scorn to leave a lasting impression.

Some scattered FPS drops and behind-the-veil repetitiveness may hamper Metal: Hellsinger at times, but those infrequent hang-ups do little to detract from the overall experience The Outsiders have created. It's easy to say this game should inspire others to pursue this genre mashup, too, to create similar experiences, but The Outsiders got it so very right with Metal: Hellsinger that perhaps it's better to let this one marinate for a while before a truly creative iteration of this comes along.

NBA 2K23 is bogged down in a lot of problems courtesy of predatory monetization and an overzealous RPG game taking priority over the actual basketball-ing, but it does have great qualities as well. There is plenty of content ensuring there's something for everyone to play and the game leans into its simulation aspects in a risky, but effective way. If the series can hone these good qualities and leave behind its outdated monetization schemes, 2K could garner another level of respect and become something that rises above the other sports games.

While the home base aspect of the game is underdeveloped, the combat at the core of The DioField Chronicle is a breath of fresh air. Paired with a story steeped in intrigue and drama, The DioField Chronicle will likely satisfy fans of the genre while possibly charting a new path for it in the future.