The time spent in Hyperion alone makes this entry worth playing. The characters are better (depending on your dialog choices, of course), the jokes are funny, and it features the longest and most epic fake gunfight in the history of video games.

There’s nothing inherently wrong but Madden NFL 20 was really missing the “X-Factor” that it needs to really breath some fresh life into the long, historic franchise. I’m sure I will still be playing Madden NFL 20 by the time I sit down to review Madden NFL 21, but in the back of my mind, all I’ll be hoping is that next year is the year they really revamp Franchise mode and take some bigger risks on the field. Until then, I’ll be taking my QB1 to his third straight Super Bowl.

The campaign has a few bothersome technical missteps but playing the game with friends online, watching them engage targets in the middle of an assault on a Star Destroyer has brought life to my inner child.

Once you get the unlocks, the game is pretty fun for a few hours a day, at most, but doesn’t really hold up to longer sessions. The leaderboards could use some work, and I hope that they continue to peck away at them, but Race the Sun is a fine runner with some decent hooks and unique modes that can give you some good fun if you stick with it.

While it would be nice if I Am Dead's characters were as layered as the town of Shelmertston, the game still mostly succeeds as a unique puzzle experience with some excellent environmental storytelling. It is rewarding to explore this space while magnifying and cross-cutting its details, a constant stream of small discoveries coming into view as you deduce the location of the next hidden memento. Every corner of this seaside village brims with picturesque detail, creating a small town that feels genuinely interconnected. And while the game's pleasant tone keeps things from ever getting truly heavy, it undeniably makes for a thoroughly charming time.

Sandwiched between the big-sellers of the season, Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection might just be the game you have been looking for - without even knowing it. There are so much going for it. The hero and the heroine are simply adorable, the world around them enchanting and the revised screenplay carefully crafted. Not to mention the accessible gameplay which doesn’t harass the players with incomprehensible rules or snobby attitude. You don’t even need to devote your whole life to the game. It takes about 30 hours to complete the adventure, give or take a few hours depending on your willingness to do the optional content (like treasure hunting and battling in G-Coliseum). As it stands, it would require quite a cold heart for not to fall in love with Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection.

Despite the general low budget feel and repetitive gameplay, I enjoyed my time with Fate/Extella Link. The game provides a solid, streamlined experience worth playing for fans of the series, but beyond that, it’s hard to recommend. Though the game provides a slew of playable characters, there was little substantial variation between them. The shallow gameplay and subpar story leave much to be desired, but in the end, the game is still an enjoyable and satisfying hack and slash experience.

On the execution side, Pool Nation is all hit. I absolutely feel that there is no more accurate representation of the game of pool, and was really impressed with all the extra features Cherry Pop Games added to the overall product.

Halo Wars 2 is not without its flaws. It doesn't have the depth of other RTS's, but it does control surprisingly well and multiplayer options are abundant. There may not be much lasting appeal for hardcore players, but it is certainly fun in the moment, especially for console players that aren't too familiar with the genre.

This L.A. Noire remaster is more than worth revisiting, even if it is lousy with issues that just start to seem more apparent with time. It's the definition of flawed ambition, shooting for the stars and never quite reaching it. It's rare to find a game like this that is willing to be so simple and down-to-earth, about a cop with a wife (who's never even threatened or fridged!) just doing the work. Hopefully Rockstar's remastering of it is a suggestion that they're on their way to starting the franchise back up – it may still be enjoyable, but there's a lot that could be improved.

Bleed 2 is like its heroine. Short, sweet and mad. The game can be an unadulterated bliss when you manage to get in the groove; glide across several smooth-scrolling screens, taking no hits as you go, dodging and blasting your way forward. I advise to play the game in a lit room with well-rested eyes. Otherwise its action can get dizzying, as I firsthand experienced after the first session with the game (a late evening after watching a movie). Bleed 2 achieves just that what it sets out do. It’s a short-lived but tight package of intense arcade action with no extra frills or cheap padding. Simply put, it’s fun as hell!

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 is yet another solid outing for the franchise.

One of the more downsides to the gameplay is the noticeably long load times. But this does not frustrate players much, as the levels do lasts for quite a while and they offer instant restarts.

There’s an expectation for next-gen remasters to be cash-grabs, but Bloober Team went beyond resolution upgrades. Observer: System Redux shares a similar release history with Blade Runner: a newer version releasing with extra content and impressive visual polishes. It doesn’t avoid all the pitfalls endemic of walking sims nor of this studio, but it deserves augmented respect like its closest inspiration eventually earned.

To be frank, there isn’t a whole lot more that can be said about Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus that hasn’t already been mentioned here or the dozens of reviews written when it first came out last year. As far as the Switch port is concerned, the game has been downgraded to make it run but not once did I ever feel I was missing out on anything or compelled to stop playing it on Switch and move to the PlayStation 4 or PC. The truth is, you’re going to have far too much fun slaughtering Nazi scum to even care about some fuzzy textures and the occasional broken particle effect.

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is an excellent remaster of an underrated game. Though the playtime is short, it’s a worthy experience for anyone who enjoys nonlinear “Metroidvania” styled platformers. It’s great to see such a faithful adaptation, but it would have been nice to see new content other than the gender option. Either way, it’s clear that a lot of passion went into making the game look and sound as great as it does. Lizardcube has set a new standard for remaking an old game, and I’d look forward to seeing what’s next on their table. Perhaps we’re due for a proper new entry in the Wonder Boy series.

EA's string of great sports releases is broken this time as the 2006 edition just goes through the motions and doesn't bring anything new for gamers.

It’s smartly designed, and while I wish there were more modes, what’s there is definitely worth experiencing.

2K Sports improves upon last season's mediocre next-gen release, with enhanced gameplay mechanics and spruced up visuals.

Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland is light-hearted, enjoyable, and one of the better role-playing games on the PlayStation Vita.

At its core, Redie is an entrancing menagerie of grief and triumph. There are things it could have done better, especially when it comes to new players, but it succeeds where it needs to. More than that, it boasts an astounding ability to embrace tedium and turn it into something fun. Redie will test how much you can tolerate a difficult game, but you'll walk away satisfied. And again, play it while you're young and snappy.

World to the West is presented in stylized and clearly-defined visuals which goes a long way in perceiving the environmental puzzles. The same simple approach extends to the gameplay. Everything is straightforward and easy to grasp. I liked the old-school vibes of World to the West, harking back all the way to the 80's. When I played these kind of games as a kid with home computers, they were called arcade adventures and presented usually in an isometric view. At the same time, elsewhere in the world kids had their Nintendo Entertainment Systems and were immersed with the likes of The Legend of the Zelda. In my eyes World to the West manages to blend the best of both the western and eastern schools of action-adventuring. The result is fun, challenging and rewarding experience which is easy to play but hard to put down.

Puyo Puyo 2 was a big deal for fans of the puzzler when it first launched. The rules added to the base game offer more incentive to play fast and aggressively. The Sega Ages edition for the Nintendo Switch introduces some helpful features, like save states and an undo button. It’s a solid, upgraded port and would be a good purchase for fans, if the market weren’t already saturated with Puyo Puyo games.

The content addition felt solid, although I would have appreciated either of the two challenge paths to have been made a bit longer, since they are basically two rooms full of enemies leading into a boss, unless you decide to explore to pick up a few non-essential items; they didn’t feel as rewarding as the main path in my opinion.

The gameplay loop is kind of awful but piloting an airplane and shooting others out of the sky is really satisfying, especially as they fall to the earth trailing black smoke before they explode into dozen pieces. What Skies of Fury DX lacks in stuff to do, it almost makes up for it in playability.

At the end of the day, EA Sports UFC 2 does an admirable job of trying to create the complex world of UFC in a video game while still making it fun for the player. It’s not a perfect game by any means but a good game all the same.

This is a fast paced, high adrenaline experience that manages to really impress.

If you are a fan of Nintendo Sports titles of past years, then get to the present time and pick up a copy of this game, it's worth it.