The Wonderful 101 is one of those rare games that keeps getting more and more fun the more that you play it. If you have the dexterity to handle the controls and the patience to deal with a few momentum-killing platforming/puzzle bits, you're in for a heck of a time.

Overall, Who's That Flying?! is a charming, fun and cheap 2D shoot 'em up with a lot of personality and plenty of bang for your buck.

While challenging and strategy intensive, Yggdra Union is polished and easy to like. The combination of an involved strategy game play design and steadily increasing difficulty keeps you hooked, and the thrill of winning against massive armies keeps you coming back.

I don't think Resident Evil Village is going to be very divisive per se: I suspect the reaction will be generally positive. But it's going to definitely spark some conversations as to how it stacks up against the current darling of RE7, and it has a long hill to climb to match its success financially.

This game is a classic in every sense of the word, and I'm overjoyed that it's available for a new generation to get their hands on.

Heart of the Swarm is a fantastic addition to the StarCraft series, and quite frankly feels on par with a $60 game. It brings almost nothing new to the table, but there's nothing wrong with sticking to a formula you know works well.

While the game is playable on both desktops and the Oculus Rift, the difference is minimal. Playing on the Rift makes it easier for those with the manual to keep from sneaking peeks at the screen, while also using your main computer screen as a location to pull up a copy of the manual, but it is just as easily played on any PC. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

For everyone else, especially avid followers of character-driven art forms, these are performances you can really sink your teeth into.

Say what you will about some of these ancillary modes not being included in Nioh as a baseline, but I've gotten more out of the game than almost anything released this year.

Nightdive has proven once again that they fully understand what made the classics so indispensable.

It’s a special thing when a game gifts you a superior experience without traditional or prescribed story mechanics, and from that perspective Obduction prevails completely.

Fat Princess' charm and sense of humor prevails throughout, and it's backed up by a completely honest, simple, and thoroughly fun war game that contains not one pretentious bone in its body.

Inside Story is also incredibly beautiful, possibly among the best looking DS games ever made.

This game feels like a home run after almost two decades. The look may be a bit dated, but the gameplay still holds up, and the story still resonates.

While it might seem easy to write Super Rude Bear Resurrection off as a 2D platformer that solely wants to make players die a shitload of time, that's hardly fair. Instead, it's much better to look at it as a game that encourages creativity and persistence. There's always a way forward or a secret exit down a hidden path. All you have to do is take a deep breath, keep trying, and maybe die more times than you care to admit.

I had no idea what to expect jumping into Until You Fall, but I ended up getting a nice series of workouts on top of a pretty thrilling VR combat simulator.

It's a game with bite-sized levels and sensible controls yet all the action of its console brethren. This is what companion software ought to be.

Director's Cut gives you a ton of extra bang for your buck on top of an already stellar game, and if you haven't experienced it yet, this is the perfect opportunity to do so. If you have played it, I'm not sure the $20 Wii U premium is worth it, especially if you don't plan on using the Remote Play option.

It's my favorite Resident Evil in years, and with a pricetag that's $20 cheaper than most retail releases, it offers up hundreds of hours of entertainment for those who are willing to dig into Raid Mode.

God of War Ragnarok is a fantastic showcase of what this series has to offer, and a sterling example of how it still has life left in it.

A beautiful, bold, and supremely enjoyable videogame in its own right. It deserves to be praised...Action games may come deeper and harder than this, but few are as pleasurable.

The non-horde levels are all well-crafted. To exceed, you're going to need to have a solid grasp on strategically throwing food, flipping switches to rearrange the kitchen layout during key moments, and being efficient with when and where you move your pots, pans, and bowls. Both in scope and challenge, Night of the Hangry Horde is exactly where I want Overcooked 2 DLC to land. I wasn't keeping precise track of time, but it took us three decently lengthy sessions to finish all 20 levels.

I adore how none of it feels contrived, forced, or packed-in for the sake of nostalgia. It all flows well, including the natural progression to new tools that mirror the discovery of new villages and vendors in a classic JRPG romp. There's a small sense of rote iteration, especially if you power through the questline with little exploration, but any of those feelings are quickly washed away.

But for those gamers who love the idea of a rigorous workout of the ol' noggin, Layton delivers an exemplary experience wrapped in one of the most stunning aesthetics yet seen on the DS, or any system.

Brass tacks, the Jackbox Party Pack 2 made me and my friends laugh our asses off, and that's what it's all about. I can't think of an easier or quicker way to reduce a room to a giggling mass of hysteria, just toss it at a group of people and go.

While MLB 10 The Show remains the best baseball videogame money can buy, it’s no longer light-years ahead of 2K Sports’ effort. Is it better than MLB 09? Definitely, but not by a wide margin.

It's one of the best games ever made, in 3D or otherwise.

For now, we're left with our first glimpse at Arcadia Bay, our initial look into the life of Max. It was a slow, yet well-paced initial chapter that set the table more than anything else.

I would have to nitpick to come up with anything else. I suppose The Lion’s Song isn’t what you’d traditionally call a “game,” but it works as an engrossing experience that you’re bound to relate to in one way or another.

If The Ringed City really is the end of Souls, it manages to hang its head high with the rest of the series. From Demon's to Dark III we have more than enough macabre settings to pore over in the years to come. They aren't all created equal, and some of them aren't even created by Hidetaka Miyazaki, but I'll remember each and every one of them for as long as I live. It's been a wild ride.

The melancholy tale is matched with some wonderful visions to make a game that really sticks in the mind.

It’s not a great representation of in-depth gameplay, but it’s just a well-told story, plain and simple. I’ve heard some people say that the series looks like nothing more than an ad for OFK’s EP, and if that’s the case, it’s the best ad I’ve ever seen in my life. Even if it feels out of your comfort zone, it can say with absolute certainty that We Are OFK is a fun time… if you lean into everything that it is.

While anyone can play and enjoy The Show, particularly because of the fine level of control afforded by custom difficulty settings, those who appreciate the acute intricacies of baseball are bound to be left giddy by the attention to detail and level of depth provided. I just love playing it, whether I'm relaxing at home or riding on BART. It has an inherent addictive quality separate from, or perhaps parallel to, my love for baseball, while capturing the sport beautifully.

I think my biggest complaint is that there isn't enough of the game, which is often my complaint with short good games. You just want more!

Mike Monroe and Belief Engine really know how to get a lot of mileage out of a simple idea. It would, perhaps, be accurate to say that Dead Letter Dept is better than the sum of its parts, but, truly, I think that fails to illustrate just how great its parts are. The simple joy of data entry is wrapped in a soft tortilla of a well-communicated atmosphere and a well-executed aesthetic. Through its medium, it finds the horror in mundanity and uncertainty. It’s a message worth receiving.

It's so well done in fact, that I could easily see a full game starring Okoi one day.

Elden Ring: Nightreign offers FromSoftware's trademark challenging combat, all in seamless co-op, combined with the roguelike elements of games like Hades, with some of the urgency of battle royale games sprinkled in.

There isn't much replayability outside of playing with new friends or going for a new high score, but just getting through all of the stages the first time will not be quick. For players who fancy a challenge, either solo or with a friend, Curses 'N Chaos is not one to miss.

As both a strategy RPG player and a Shin Megami Tensei series fan, the original Devil Survivor sent me to spin-off heaven. I'm pleased to report that Devil Survivor 2 is more of the same, this time bringing an even better story, better characters, more demons to collect and a bunch of gameplay improvements.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a testament to the power of a soundtrack, and it’s well worth the attention of any fan of Final Fantasy, music, or Final Fantasy music.

The puzzles and photography definitely overshadow the platforming, but generally they are so well integrated that the whole package is very solid. Unlike my wall. Which still has a hole in it.

Rock of Ages is good for a few deep laughs, has tremendous art design, and is worth experiencing by most everyone given the price and ridiculous premise.

Hyrule Warriors can fall into the same trappings as any hack and slash, but the amount of effort that went into making it enjoyable for Zelda fans is staggering. This is one of the best couch co-op games I've ever played, warts and all.

It's an emotional roller coaster that will likely leave you more defeated after "winning" than when you first started, and that is incredible.

Eugen Systems' serious, well-researched approach to real-time strategy makes Wargame: AirLand Battle a rewarding, refreshing title. Not since European Escalation have I had to work so hard for my victories, and with the addition of aircraft and the absurdly huge 20 player matches, a whole new layer of strategy and tactics has been added to an already exceedingly deep series.

It doesn't quite reach the highs of its predecessor, but Arkham City rarely sinks low. When it's all said and done, you'll be begging for more, but not because there wasn't enough. It is just too damn fun to be The Bat.

River City: Rival Showdown ushers in some big changes while still does a good job bringing the original River City Ransom into modern times while still honoring its Kunio-kun roots pretty well.

Black is a little different from the Killer Queen I was used to. But it's still Killer Queen, and that makes it one of the best multiplayer games around.

Overall, Mega Man 10 doesn't have as many high-water moments as Mega Man 9, but it is still consistently fun, while providing more overall content than the Mega Man games that preceded it.

It's still huge and uncompromising, but there's no better way to experience Victoria II. The improved combat and naval mechanics were oft-requested, and Paradox followed through, while the new features make the studio's vision of Victorian war, politics, and economics all the more believable and grand.

There's so much there that I didn't expect in terms of little mechanical tweaks, and it reminded me of when Nintendo would occasionally give other designers (sometimes up-and-coming talent) a go just to see what they could do.

Triangle Strategy stumbles just enough in those areas to note it, but excels when it comes to tactical combat. It feels right at home on the Switch, as a perfect blend of strategy and RPG to keep coming back to, with just enough reasons to keep exploring post-credits and alternate routes. It may not be a deft landing, but Triangle Strategy is ultimately the tactical RPG I was hoping it would be, holding its own in an increasingly competitive field.

It’s very convenient and nice. It’s convenient and nice to not have to install a handful of mods on the original version in order to get it to look not terrible. It’s convenient and nice to have small quality-of-life things added that new players won’t even notice while Baldur's Gate veterans will likely welcome them with open arms.

Spark the Electric Jester takes mechanics from two of my favorite series growing up and combines them into one fantastic project that deserves the recognition I'm giving it. It might be uglier than Freedom Planet, but otherwise, it is an all around better game.

Don't get me wrong, Arrival sits comfortably between Overlord and Lair of the Shadow Broker in terms of quality and I still want to play Mass Effect 3 badly, but I don't want play it that much more badly after having played Arrival.

It's quite long, too, easily taking you six hours or more to complete nearly everything there is to do on the new island. Moreover, it offers an excellent opportunity to try out a new build if you've been stocking up powerful equipment in your stash, but never bothered to commit to a full respec of your abilities before.

Jurassic World Evolution 2 is a much better game than its predecessor was at launch. That said, I can’t shake the feeling that much like the original, it’s only going to get better and more content-rich in the next coming year or so. It’s a beautiful trend from Frontier Developments that I think will make an already great game all the more excellent.

Don't get me wrong, Arrival sits comfortably between Overlord and Lair of the Shadow Broker in terms of quality and I still want to play Mass Effect 3 badly, but I don't want play it that much more badly after having played Arrival.

Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a large, ambitious strategy game that succeeds in many ways but falters ever so slightly in its grand scale. If you can grapple with the scope it's well worth the purchase and time, offering a great sandbox that could be played for hours on end. Newcomers to the genre might want to try one of the earlier Age of Wonders games before seeing if they should truly take the dive into this massive commitment. Those who do won't be disappointed.

Paper Mario: Color Splash is a charming journey that will delight your senses, your funny bone, and the part of your brain that houses your nostalgic feelings towards Nintendo.

Metroid Dread doesn't take a lot of big swings, but it rarely bats a foul ball.

Overwatch as a franchise has always felt like a child taking toys out of a box to hurriedly show you what’s next, breathless through excitement before switching to another. In that sense, Overwatch 2 is a bigger toy box, with a few more action figures and incredible new dioramas to pose them in. It’s definitely a variation on a theme rather than something wholly new, at least until the PvE component arrives in 2023, but what’s here has reignited my love for a world, its characters, and their stories in a way I didn’t know I’d missed. Whether it’ll be enough for the competitive crowd, though, remains to be seen.

As a single-player game, though, DeathSpank really shines. The addictive nature of leveling up and looting treasure chests and fallen enemies is here in spades, not to be missed by fans of the genre. It's also one of the better-looking and most polished titles in the digital space.

Gods and Kings is a strong expansion overall, but it fails to live up to the series' own pedigree. Religion adds so much subtlety to advanced strategies that, by comparison, espionage comes off as a half-assed attempt to add back an old mechanic.

With the market now full of unbelievably fantastic fighting games, and it being a revision of a five-year-old title, Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown still manages to stand head and shoulders above most of its competition. It may not have the install base of other fighters, but it's still one of the deepest fighting game experiences to date.

One cannot play through the game without noticing its various flaws, but by the time you’ve simultaneously decapitated four bad guys in one glorious, motion-controlled sword slash, those flaws will be all but forgotten in the flood of gruesome, wacky fun which No More Heroes has to offer.

It succeeds in pulling off the gargantuan task of getting people to care about Mega Man again.

The controls may irritate you and the game's attempt at a Zen aesthetic may come off as a little dull, but it nonetheless remains a constantly surprising, wonderfully unclassifiable, and, ultimately, damned satisfying piece of gaming.

Like the entries that preceded it, there’s an indelible charm to Momodora: Moonlit Farewell. It’s been a real treat to see the series grow over the years, and tracing the path from beginning to end is an experience I’d recommend to almost anyone. Starting from the rough but interesting early days and witnessing the transformation that’s taken place from there to Momodora: Moonlit Farewell makes what is purportedly the “final game” come off like a true swan song.

Shatter is a great game, and well worth a play.

The game feels remarkably similar to previous Ratchet titles, but that's not a problem...for now. Insomniac has perfected this style of game, with a slick and addictive balance between platformer and shooter. But because it's so easy to fall in love with the characters and the universe, it's painful to think that unless Insomniac can revamp the series in a way to make it feel fresh, it might be time to retire the duo.

Paradise Killer is a strange experience. Even having completed it, I have difficulty putting into words what it was like to play it. It's sometimes boring, often intriguing, frequently funny, and startlingly deep. I didn’t go into this expecting such an amazing detective experience, but that’s exactly what I got. It’s rare to see a game so adeptly balance style and substance, and even though it’s not a flawless experience, it has it where it counts. We may have just fallen short of Paradise this time around, but the next cycle could be perfect.

I was a bit skeptical about Nobody Saves the World pulling off everything it tried to do, but it won me over very quickly.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger is probably one of the best Digimon games around. And while it might put off some casual players, hardcore JRPG fans and Digimon fans are in for the best Digimon game of the decade.

We travel back to the continent of Orsterra in Octopath Traveler 0, but the franchise doesn’t just return to its old ways and slap a new number on it. 0 is full of new features, companions, and collectibles to find, making for a gameplay experience that truly pushes the series in a new and exciting direction—and it's all done against a gorgeous backdrop that will have you hooked for hours to come.

What it lacks in frills, it makes up for in staggering volume, enough to satisfy anyone that's accepted Miku into their heart (that isn't already sick of playing older songs), or serve as a playable canon of popular Vocaloid compositions to pique the curiosity of the yet-to-be-converted.

Despite some sticking points in the mini-game department, its quirky personality and replay value make Guilty Party one of the best multiplayer party games to hit the Wii.

It’s hard to remember the last time an RTS game gave me both the challenge of careful planning and the thrill of execution at the same time. Those only interested in a single-player affair might come away a little disappointed, but the package itself is very well-rounded and breathes some much-needed life into the genre.

It lacks the scale and scope of Nintendo's other big N64 remake, but it's arguably a more compelling experience for shmup junkies like myself. The game is constant action with no filler; just constant dog fighting and high-flying arial maneuvers, with a bit of jaw-flapping, Muppet-y fun layered on top.

What it lacks in frills, it makes up for in staggering volume, enough to satisfy anyone that's accepted Miku into their heart (that isn't already sick of playing older songs), or serve as a playable canon of popular Vocaloid compositions to pique the curiosity of the yet-to-be-converted.

Not everyone will feel the same way, but at least Loot Rascals is a rougelike built for the less masochistic folks out there.

Spirit of Sanada brings plenty of welcome elements to the formula and makes me excited for what Omega Force holds for us in the future once it fine tunes everything introduced in this game. While it brings plenty of shiny new features, it feels smaller in scale compared to the last mainline entry. But those new little things do add up to a lot. Spirit of Sanada offers a fresh take on the Warriors experience that can be very welcoming to newcomers and veterans alike.

Hey, guess what you all? I did it! I made a definitive ruling on Mario Sunshine. I'm sure this won't be debated for another 18 years.

Killing Floor 3 is a fantastic new entry into a classic series, bringing novel ideas, refinements, and technologies to the table. Technical and gameplay caveats keep it from perfection, but it nevertheless remains a good game with a great price.

Undead Knights is not going to appeal to everyone. Its combat is unrefined and the hack n' slash mentality will get old for those who demand a bit more depth and strategy to their games. However, those just looking for a replayable and ridiculous portable action game won't go far wrong with Tecmo's latest offering. It's got buckets of blood, armies of loyal zombies and characters that feel like complete and utter badasses.

American Truck Simulator caters to a wide array of people. There's something to be said for the serenity of cruising down a highway at night and obeying all the traffic laws. It's also a great opportunity to enjoy some audiobooks or podcasts while somewhat-mindlessly growing a trucking enterprise.

It's ridiculous, it's fun, and it's packed with enough content to last you a long while, so long as you don't get tired of beating dudes up over and over. The budget pricing of $29.99 makes this decision even easier.

Little Nightmares could use better pacing, perhaps more build-up in the first chapter, but even in its calmer moments it retains your interest with its macabre world and simple yet goosebumps-inducing gameplay. You constantly feel like a crippled gazelle limping around a lion's den. I'm excited to watch others play and panic the way I did.

Based on what I have been able to experience, it's what I've wanted Animal Crossing to be for many years.

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is a funny game and a satisfying romp, with clearly influenced ideas that all have their own unique little spins. I'll fully admit that I went into it expecting another damp squib, but came away thoroughly impressed.

Indeed, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker suffers from some archaic mechanics, its fundamentals not having aged quite so gracefully as its aesthetics. Its unwieldiness and occasional sluggish pace can, in fact, grow temporarily infuriating. However, the streamlined menu system and map access go some way toward making up for any setbacks, while the unmistakable Wind Waker charisma ensures you won't ever stay mad at it for long.

If you were thinking that this was going to be an Activision cash grab, think again. So much heart and soul is consistently poured into the Skylanders franchise time and time again, and Swap Force is no exception. In fact, it's the best one yet.

It’s not going to revolutionize videogames and is definitely not a huge step forward in the series, but it contains some of the coolest set pieces and most incredible boss fights I have ever seen in my entire life. And that makes me very happy.

I have played a lot of challenging games in my time, but Dustforce is one that has asked more of me as a gamer than any other in recent memory. It asked me to refine my skills like no other, to sharpen my reflexes and timing until they were absolutely perfect.

This spin on Tokyo is breathtaking to view and full of memorable moments, all of which are worth dying over and over for.

It doesn't do a whole lot more than what was done in the original, but what has always been there has withstood the test of time so well, and most of the new content is just as fun as the old.

SteamWorld Dig 2 is a worthy addition to any library, but stands out on the Switch because it works great as a portable game and also looks amazing on a big TV.

Arise: A Simple Story is true to its name and offers both function and form, which is why I'm so anxious to see what Piccolo Studio has next in the pipeline.