Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is not for every Pokéfan. Younger children who want to experience an easier more forgiving roguelike dungeon crawler with their favorite characters will get the most out of this charming title. Catching ‘em all and training teams of rescue parties are entertaining, even though this game includes just the first half of the National Pokedex. Older gamers and those who played the original may not be as impressed by the monotonous dungeon crawling and simple difficulty. Although the Switch game looks and sounds great, it does not update the original games enough. I would sooner recommend one of the more recent offerings in the series or hold out hope that we get a brand new title featuring the Galar Pokémon one day.

Sometimes, playing a video game really is the best distraction from the real world. If you’re looking for an escape to an idyllic place of relaxation and quirky animals, where you can be creative, productive, or just chill in a virtual environment, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the right game at the right time.

Although its multiplayer is a little underpowered, Doom Eternal’s challenging campaign is a reminder — as was its 2016 sibling — that old school mayhem fueled by adrenaline and alien guts still packs a wallop of fun. The game’s story is a bit too convoluted and portentous and its platforming is over-exacting sometimes to the point of momentum-halting frustration, but it’s hard not to recommend Doom Eternal to fans of shooters from any era.

In the end, Persona 5 Royal is basically a remixed ultimate version of Persona 5, following in the footsteps of Persona 4 Golden and Persona 3 FES. Fans of the series should rest assured that it’s a worthy addition to the series and is, without a doubt, the way to play Persona 5 from here on out. Virtually everything you loved about the original game is not only in-place here, but improved upon. If you haven’t given Persona 5 a chance yet, but enjoy JRPGs… boy, do I have a game for you!

Because the romantic destinies of Half Past Fate’s characters are preordained, and the game is essentially an exercise in making them happen, there is little motivation to experience the story again, other than perhaps chasing the game’s achievements. Half Past Fate has a lot of style, interesting characters and a gentle tone that stands out from other retro-style RPGs. Romantic comedy is an underrepresented genre in games and Half Past Fate reminds us that it’s a niche worth exploring.

Not only is the Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection a great bundle for fans of the series, but it also makes some important small tweaks to help broaden these games' appeal. The new checkpoint system helps address the overbearing difficulty of the original releases, a very welcome change that will undoubtedly alleviate many headaches. The core gameplay remains as strong as ever, defined by responsive movement and white-knuckled boss encounters. While each entry's unique systems may not always succeed, the underlying gameplay is so strong that even the weakest outings are engaging challenges. And when everything works in concert, like in Mega Man Zero 3 and 4, the combination of slick movement, great boss fights, and rewarding unlock systems make for some of the most compelling 2D platformers in recent memory.

With Nioh 2, Team Ninja has deepened an already engaging experience, porting the excellent systems and gameplay from the first game and introducing even more toys, stats, moves and systems to master. Incredibly difficult but equally rewarding, Nioh 2 has brought Souls-like combat to new levels of complexity and nuance and while the influence of FromSoftware’s genre-defining games is still apparent, Nioh 2 has an identity all its own.

From its inception to the execution, Iron Danger showcases a rare, coherent vision where everything comes together to form a unified experience, not least because of truly novel gameplay that holds it all together. I’m afraid that Iron Danger has spoiled other games in its genre for me. I can no longer imagine playing formulaic fantasy tropes with rigid combat and eternally repeated, tired systems.

Mechanically, Warlords is a great addition to The Division 2. Conceptually, many of the issues that have plagued the game are still present and sometimes worse. But there’s no denying that The Division 2 is an incredibly competent shooter, and it feels even better to play with the changes made to the loot/gear system. On top of that, the loose story threads used to create the new endgame makes me actually want to participate in it. Warlords of New York provides the best entry point to date for new and returning players. I really enjoyed my time with it but make no mistake, if you didn’t like the core game, this is still The Division 2. But it is easily the best version of itself.

From a stylistic point of view, the game got its hooks deep in me because I felt it drew visual and aural inspiration from the likes of 1980s sci-fi film legends Douglas Trumbull, John Carpenter, and Ridley Scott. Genesis: Alpha One offers a tense and methodical approach to roguelike survival through base building and resource gathering in one of the most harshest environments imaginable.

If you feel the need for something casual but that's puzzling enough to keep your brain active, Box Kid Adventures is definitely a game you should consider. With a low price tag and Steam Workshop support, there aren't many other games that compete with this level of simplistic fun.

Despite a learning curve that could use some work, there’s a lot to like in Two Point Hospital. It continues to find ways to make you laugh deep into the game without ever drawing too much attention to that aspect of itself. The controls are so intuitive that for the first time I don’t see any real downside to playing a simulation game on a console over a PC if that’s what you prefer. There’s plenty of content to keep you occupied for a long time as well. If you’re a fan of simulation games, Two Point Hospital is a must play. For those this is a new genre, though, I definitely think you should give the game a chance. It isn’t perfect but it’s a good time if you’re able to really learn its systems and understand everything a great hospital needs.

In the end, The Suicide of Rachel Foster feels like the quintessential first draft of a horror/drama flick latched to a graceless gameplay template. The excitement and deliberate pacing early on suggest learning from the industry’s best exemplars. Ominous warnings suggest ghosts are roaming The Timberline’s halls. As it progresses, however, uncoordinated game design and tonally-tangled storytelling turns that engagement frozen stiff. Like walking through a grand hotel with years of decay, you can’t help but wonder how it could fare under new management.

Porting a game made for PC to consoles can be an iffy situation. It’s absolutely something that should happen when possible, as I am all for everyone being to play everything if they are able, but some just flat out work better then others. It’s a shame that the largest and unavoidable knock against Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire is something as silly as load times, but it is what it is. If you have a chance to play this game on PC, you should without question. If this is your only way to play this, just make sure you have something to do while you’re waiting.

If you love picross and are looking for a slightly different experience, Depixtion is a game you should consider. The twist on the picross formula gives avid players a new challenge, while being easy for newcomers to pick up. The amount of content and ability to play in handheld or docked mode make this game a no-brainer for picross fans.

Every genre has a mechanic that a game has to nail. For a roguelike, it’s that tantalizing feeling of almost getting to the end and being just short of the power or skill to do so that makes it so fun to try again. While Warlander has a decent core combat system, it’s surrounded by frustrating mechanics, dull writing and a story that goes nowhere. Like its empty environments, Warlander above all feels like missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential.

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.

While it now feels like VR fitness and music games have been around forever, in fact they are really only in their infancy. Each new title that approaches the fusion of movement and music in a new way helps define what works and what doesn’t. OhShape brings novel, physically engaging and demanding movements to a genre dominated by shooting and punching. It can be a little frustrating, unintuitive and not always seamless but OhShape definitely expands the boundaries of the genre and has lots of potential.

Grounded in its own reality, The Yakuza Remastered Collection is a reminder of how competent and reliable this franchise has grown to be.

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 continues to be pure magic and no matter how many times it gets ported onto the hottest new thing, the experience will never be diluted.

With little more than a bare-bones premise, no engaging characters and stripped-down, stylized environments, Taur feels a little bloodless and abstract and the central gameplay loop can grow repetitive. In the short term — that is, some of the more manageable, bite-size battles — Taur is fun and full of the familiar, addictive elements that define the genre. Taur is also beset by some balance and pacing issues that suck the momentum out of the campaign. The game’s visual design and implementation of the player-controlled Prime Cannon add enough novelty to the tower defense formula to make Taur worth checking out for fans of the genre.

Snack World is a game with a lot of potential. It could use a little more polish and a more engaging setting, but the elements are all there for a good dungeon crawler. Despite my issues with the game, I've enjoyed my time searching for treasure, and recommend that you check it out if you love a good grind.

In the world obsessed with Souls-likes, Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate is a great reminder that action games can be fast, frantic and fun, too. Hyperactive J-rock paces the heated action that is presented in a steady frame-rate throughout despite all things happening on screen. Responsive and effortless controls keep up the flow beautifully and I, for one, didn’t get tired of the featured gameplay that is a whole lot more forthcoming and easier to grasp than in individual titles in Samurai and Dynasty Warriors series. As a separate and quite pricey upgrade, the Ultimate edition doesn’t feel all that essential if you own Warriors Orochi 4 already. However, as a bundle to the newcomers, it’s a great entry point to the extravagant and action-packed franchise.

Lackluster RPG mode aside, Granblue Fantasy Versus has the looks and the gameplay mechanics to be a worthy contender in the fighting game ring. However, the lack of content and thin character roster work against it. The game has simply too little to offer at the moment to seriously challenge its more established fighting game rivals. More characters are promised to come but, of course, they will be paid DLC, that unfortunate bane of modern gaming. Only time will tell if Granblue Fantasy Versus has any staying power but I’m afraid it might be a bit too impersonal to appeal to bigger crowds.

This is a wonderful port that has a lot going for it, but it’s still probably the worst version of the game unless you're determined to play in Handheld Mode despite the lighting issues that come with doing so, or you really love gyro controls. You'll still have a great time with the conversion, and I commend 4A games for translating these games so well, but you will be making a trade-off. If the Switch is your only option to play Metro Redux, though, I can recommend conversion without hesitation. There's nothing else quite like it on the system.

Kentucky Route Zero is a rare video game that is able to find magic in the mundane, transforming a seemingly routine truck delivery into a fantastical odyssey through the heartland of Americana. There really isn't anything else quite like it.

Despite its many minor flaws and even significant issues, Wolcen nails that action-combat-loot dopamine drip that fuels the longest-lived games in the genre. Even after four years of pre-release tinkering, Wolcen is pretty messy, but enough fun at the core that the problems are worth dealing with, at least in the short term.

Despite the nigh-unmatched degree of complexity the tools in Dreams provides, it can be difficult to discuss and break down its value. At the end of the day, the experience it offers is relative to the patience and determination of whomever plays it. Thankfully, the appeal of Dreams isn’t limited to those willing to quit their job and meticulously craft the perfect road, tree, or building by hand. I’m never going to create a level worthy of top billing among countless masterpieces online. Yet I’m able to enjoy the game for what it offers, thanks to a variety of pre-built and simpler options.