Street Fighter 6 in it's simplest form remains a fantastic, fun experience, retaining the same gameplay that has been tweaked and improved throughout the years to ensure it remains top of the pile. Jarring attempts to meet the needs of young players alongside a World Tour mode that fails to meet the hype placed upon it however, stop this from being an essential purchase. Stick to Arcade Mode and enjoy what made this franchise so great in the first place. A fantastic fighter is there, just buried under the fluff.

The Switch port of INSIDE is very solid and runs excellently, looking comparable to all existing versions. This is one of the better adventure style platformers that emphasises the visuals to get its point across. It always feels like Playdead could have done a bit more with the gameplay by making it longer and having more complexity to some of the puzzles. Most people will feel completely bewildered when it is all over.

It is difficult to not be blinded by nostalgia, especially when a game has been part of the ongoing zeitgeist of the franchise for nearly 20 years. Resident Evil 4 Remake is, by intention, an unfaithful love letter. The remake has changed certain story beats, altered movement, overhauled combat and revised the visuals. Those jumping in for the first time in 2023 may not understand the hype surrounding this particular entry in the series, but, remember that a lot of modern games owe their DNA to Resident Evil 4, even if they have perfected it since.

The active story events of ShadowBringers are good fun, but due to the grinding nature of the genre, it suffers from some terrible pacing issues. If you are invested in FFXIV, this DLC will probably excite and please you. It's a fun but forgettable romp that runs just the wrong side of boring during its hours-long retelling and bland A-B mission style. If this tickles your fancy, be sure to start and play with a team of friends - it will easily be 10 times more enjoyable, if infinitely longer.

That said, this latest classic revamp on the 3DS eShop is certainly a enjoyable and it's tremendously rewarding to finally overcome its challenges.

Persona 3 Reload does much to bring it up to modern sensibilities with a well optimized PC port in most cases, but more could have be done to shake off more of the baggage from the original release. The new menu systems and battle features carried over from more recent titles elevates the game the most and the new voice cast does an admirable job with largely the same script. The pacing still feels held back by the original story design and the main concept of Tartarus, but as a remake of what many consider a PlayStation 2 classic, it is a recommendation for JRPG fans.

For all its drawbacks in terms of relying on the gamer to actually put in the effort to enjoy the experience, Super Mario Maker is a fresh approach to the old 'RPG Maker' mould, taking the key elements that any 'build-a-game' title requires and then making sure that there are sufficient in-built goodies to give those less inclined to while away the hours making new content a sense of value for money.

Final Fantasy XVI represents another step toward the event horizon of the branding's identity utterly collapsing. It isn't a bad game, but it fails to connect on a deeper and emotional level than what its past successes achieved. This is largely due to a weak supporting cast that lacks presence and a melodramatic lead who rarely gets chances to have any fun. For all of its faults, Final Fantasy XV attempted to throw whatever it could at players to create a varied experience. Final Fantasy XVI has a few tricks, and they're action and cinematic set-pieces. After about 20 hours, it becomes tiring, and after that the next 20 hours become utterly mind-numbing. It wouldn't be so bad if the fighting were deeper and the level design more fun.

Despite its subpar Destruction mode, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is a delight. The story will captivate the minds of those interested in pulpy sci-fi adventures, and the gorgeous art style and compelling script are enough to warrant putting up with some tedious RTS battle sequences. On the whole, this is a title easy to recommend for those who enjoy sci-fi and visual novels, as the strengths of 13 Sentinels more than makeup for its weaknesses.

Despite its flaws in narrative presentation, Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation is far and away the definitive experience for people who have fallen in love with the characters of the trilogy.

Mediocre world design, poor pacing, and plotting that fails to fully capture what made the original so special, it's hard not to walk away feeling like this isn't a disappointment across the board. At the same time, the franchise's combat has never been better, and Materia offers an incredibly rewarding amount of party customisation alongside weapon levelling. While the story on a whole might not hit all the right notes, the script is extremely well written and the dialogue has never been better. More importantly, the depth present within the battle system pairs wonderfully with a challenging, but very fair difficulty curve, making for some truly spectacular boss fights. Final Fantasy VII Remake will never be held in the same esteem as Final Fantasy VII - and for good reason - but damn good combat will keep action fans coming back to this RPG for years to come.

Judging purely on the current state of Street Fighter V, with the new additions and inclusion of the season 1 and 2 characters in the Arcade Edition, it is most certainly one of the must-own fighting games on the market right now. The arcade mode is enough to warrant anyone picking up this game, even if it has arrived far too late. The FM changes are unfortunate, but the biggest peeve is that Arcade Edition itself is an extremely limited package, since everything here, barring the previous DLC characters, are free updates for owners of the original. The least Capcom could have done is put a few extra costumes and stages in there, because otherwise, the only reason to pick this up is if you don’t already have SFV and want a cheap way of buying the game and its first two character packs. SFV will have plenty more years in it, but being so tight and not turning this release into a current ultimate edition is disappointing, even if it’s not surprising.

SteamWorld Heist is a decent length when factoring in the wide range of difficulty settings, and the fact you will be playing some missions a few times. Essentially, this is a well-made squad-based strategy that gives a choice: go in guns blazing…. or go in gun blazing. While the game is heavy on the tactics, it's never heavy on subtlety. It's nice it wastes little time, but it also suffers from a lack of diversity because of it. It's thus probably better for those looking for a game to play on/off rather than binge over.

The Mass Effect trilogy is a personal all-time favourite of this here reviewer, and Legendary Edition comes highly recommended to anyone that enjoys sci-fi narratives, regardless of preferred genres or experience. As games, each has its faults and glitches that can't be glossed over today, but this package as a whole is a gripping adventure that takes players all over the Milky Way galaxy, meeting fascinating characters and alien races, of whom many will stick long in the memory. The lore will always be the absolute reason for anyone to give this a try, and it's highly likely that no matter the issues, the story and crew will be more than enough to keep you going to see this grand adventure right to the end. Unfortunately, one too many complaints are difficult to ignore and hold it back from being the remaster this deserved to be.

It is fun for the first few minutes, but having to always drive through the same courses in order to reach the different courses can be very tiring.

Owlboy is impressive if anything for its amazing visuals and animation. The gameplay gets by thanks to it being competent enough, but won't really inspire anyone. This is a pretty straightforward 2D action-adventure game that does a bit more heart than the average. Do not expect much replay value since it seems the developers poured their heart and soul into the main story and could not spare much more to have side content or any diversions to mix up the action. Also, do not go in expecting a metroidvania, because it is not.

It feels really, really good playing Velocity 2X, whether you fly the teleporting spaceship, or run with the teleporting heroine - and all the while a pretty catchy set of tunes bop along. On the… not so bright side, though, the action can get a tad repetitive, and, somehow, this heavy focus on speed-running sort of damages what seems like the groundwork for a much more meatier experience.

Titles like this are very rare, and are becoming less and less likely to be made with every passing year, as publishers are opting for more homogeneously designed releases. When Clover was around, it strove for interesting and eclectic action games, like God Hand and Viewtiful Joe. The team lives on in the form of Platinum Games, but even now it is a developer that plays it much safer than it used to. As far as conversions go, Okami HD is solid. Some aspects should be better when considering today's standards for remasters, but when the core experience is still able to hold up for over 10 years, it's hard to complain.

There's a fair bit to like about Diablo IV — best-in-class sound design, intriguing character classes, fantastic graphics and occasionally addictive gameplay all feel like the series in its prime. However, even the best parts are let down by an undercurrent of frustrating design choices: the cynical inclusion of a Battle Pass, a bloated open world, repetitive mission structure and progression that too often feels meaningless cast a long shadow that let the latest Diablo title down. Future Seasons may refine what's here, but many of its issues sadly feel baked into the core experience. All but the most die-hard fans may wish to wait for a substantial sale on this one.

A few niggling control issues and glitches aside, it is highly recommended to check out Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty before Soulstorm arrives this year. There is a lot to love about Abe's tough adventure, with stealth, puzzles, and plenty of other mechanics all at play in determining whether he saves his 299 Mudokon buddies or not. A one-of-a-kind side-scroller that still stands the test of time.

Sabotage Studio proves its worth by delivering an title that pays homage to Ninja Gaiden but is actually better than its source material; one that nails both the 8-bit, and 16-bit aesthetic. The problem is that, although definitely a fun title, the way it is torn between being a pure action-platformer and a metroidvania really hurts what could otherwise be one of the year's best indies.

Bash Party may become repetitive for some over time, but it does prove to be a far better package overall, offering a wealth of gameplay for those that get hooked by the formula.

With Picross 3D: Round 2, there's nothing here to set the world on fire, but it's still an extremely solid, addictive, and enjoyable puzzle title that will keep players engaged for plenty of time and they will have lots of fun while doing so.

Nioh 3 modifies the series formula, producing mixed results. The game features a more varied action combat system for fights and challenges. As far as action goes, it still features some of the best mechanics in the genre, even if it's on the easier side, and regular enemies are exploitable. Storytelling and worldbuilding lack depth, but the headliner has always been getting lost and fighting for survival in these types of games. At worst, this is just another decent soulslike action RPG that doesn't break the mould. The big open world is welcome, but it does not deliver on its full potential due to uninspired level design.

Despite featuring what's arguably the best combat system in the series, Bayonetta 3 is nothing short of disappointing. Bayonetta's core gameplay is outstanding, weaving fluid controls together with incredible weapon variety and tons of fun mechanics to play around with. The combo potential is high and battles just feel great to play… as Bayonetta. An unforgiveable amount of playtime is dedicated to newcomer Viola, stealth segments that make poor use of Jeanne, and relentless gimmick stages that wear out their welcome immediately. Tossing in mediocre level design, lacklustre performance, and a flavourless story that panders towards the current multiverse craze, it's clear PlatinumGames has lost its magic touch when it comes to the Umbran Witch. Bayonetta 3 is simply mediocre, at best.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus takes The New Order and multiplies everything tenfold (especially the silliness and the amount of cut-scenes) when it should just take the original and carefully build upon its foundation, smoothing its rough edges and offering the very best Wolfenstein game ever. The result is a FPS that's fun, but also one that doesn't really know what it wants to be.

Some of the art, like the background scenery and the character portraits, is a sight to behold in Astral Ascent. Unfortunately, this is in stark contrast to how the actual characters look, which is distractingly bad. Anyone wanting a Hades-like experience will be happy. With the typical dopamine hits of new moves and upgrades, the complexities of the spell system distracts from some of the simple fun of its progenitor, so if you are looking for an anime-like platformer, this will fit the bill. Astral Ascent is worth checking out, but is not going to blow anyone away.

Other than porting BlazBlue: Central Fiction to Nintendo's platform, this seems to be minimum effort on Arc System Works' part. There isn't really anything special about this Special Edition, aside from including all past DLC in one package. Online lobbies have been removed, yet player-created rooms ensure this isn't too great of a problem. Despite this, it is still the same action-packed game that released two years ago, with a massive (if sometimes over the top and perplexing) anime story mode that befits the Switch's portable nature perfectly, with both dialogue scenes and battles looking just as gorgeous on the small screen as they do on the big one.