Despite having a virtual d-pad and buttons, Mikey Hooks is a great addition to any platformer fan's portable library. Although I don't think it surpasses Hook Champ as an absolute must-buy, it's a really fun game in its own right, and a perfect example of a serviceable platform game on iOS.

What makes Return to Castlevania better is that it essentially allows you to turn Dead Cells into a Castlevania roguelike, and a damned good one. The DLC serves as a fantastic love letter to one of the series that helped inspire Dead Cells, and that love absolutely comes across. I honestly wish that more games would let me just turn them into a Castlevania spin-off. What’s the matter, Mario? Think you’re better than Castlevania? Well, you’re not, so put on this leather cuirass and carry this whip. Wait, that sounded weird.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart isn't afraid to revel in its mascot-platformer roots, but it manages to knock so many of its competitors completely out of the water.

It's impossible not to have fun with these tables, unless you just don't like Star Wars at all, or pinball. For those who do, these tables are the cream of the crop, offering everything you want not only in a Star Wars pinball game, but in a pinball game more generally.

I knew from my limited time with the Early Access version that Rogue Legacy 2 would be great, but I didn’t necessarily think it would go on to become one of the best games of 2022 and one of my favorite roguelite games. The competition is fierce, but it’s ready.

Memories of Secret of Money Island are cemented in my brain, and my original experience with the title is intertwined with my gamer soul. This is an incredibly special game already -- a benchmark for future adventure titles -- made even more special for the current-generation player with new art, UI, sound, and voice acting. Don’t miss this.

Shovel Knight is one of the best platformers I've ever played, period.

It's a shame about the lack of multiplayer, but Rayman Origins is still 2D platforming at this console generation's finest. This is a huge, deep, challenging, artfully crafted masterpiece that is now portable, which opens the door for even more gamers to get lost in its goofy and delightful world.

A huge story full of political intrigue and emotional depth, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles lives up to its legacy, and presents a profound experience told with beautiful voice acting and fantastic tactical gameplay. I just wish I could play the vastly superior new mode with the original pixel style.

As hyperbolic as this may sound, Bad Company 2 provides some of the best team-based multiplayer around. It's an utter shame that the single-player is only decent at best (even that is being generous) -- otherwise, we'd have a real winner on our hands.

If you're a fan of hack 'n slashes, loot fests, or dungeon crawlers, definitely pick up Torchlight II. It's absolutely worth your time and money, and should hold your attention for quite a while. There are portions of the game that could certainly use a little bit of polish, but it's unlikely these problems will turn you off from the game entirely.

If you don't intend on playing on Ironman mode, and have enough patience to deal with (not so) occasional glitches, it's excellent. If you were looking forward to a hardcore playthrough, or can't stand it when technical issues get in the way of a good time, you'll definitely want to wait for a patch or two before deploying.

Cuphead's incredible style belies its magical complexity. It's so much more than a hard-as-hell shoot-'em-up with artistic flair. It's cerebral in a way that these kind of games rarely are. Cuphead's commitment to forcing the player to understand is commendable. Those who don't have the patience to learn won't get far. That's the kind of stand-your-ground moxie that makes this a hallmark of game design. My praise runneth over.

An essential gaming experience. Everything this team set out to do they accomplished. If you have any love for indie games, you’re about to fall head over heels. These people have created something very close to perfection.

Guerilla Games has a great handle on the open world genre at this point, and knows how to cater to people who do like certain broader comfort food elements without going overboard.

The smoothness of the 13 Sentinels Switch port extends to the handheld mode as well, which is how I spent most of my time with the game. That’s something of a rarity for me, but in this case, I wanted to spend every waking minute I could with the game, so that meant trucking it around with me wherever I went. While handheld mode does appear to run at a lower resolution than when playing with your Switch docked, it’s not really that much of a downgrade (if it even is one). I’m about 55% of the way through the game on Switch, and it’s truly impressive to see how well Vanillaware and Atlus optimized this game for the hardware.

Megabonk is a charming, wild, and exceptionally fun title, combining various roguelikes into a fresh experience packed with pop culture references and memes.

With its platform-like nature and the ability to demo tables before you buy, Pinball FX 2 is new the videogame destination for pinball fans.

Yet again, the peerless NHL team has produced a modern classic that will surely sit at the pinnacle of the year's sports releases. This is probably the best hockey game ever -- until NHL 12 comes out, that is.

Some of us love the "stale" old Pokemon foundation, and we're happy to get it looking as good as it's ever looked. I want to walk around in grass and toss my balls in a magic dog's face, and that's exactly what I get from X and Y. That I get it with beautifully animated combat and gorgeous, vivid colors just totally seals the deal.

Deathloop combines a classic Arkane stealthy-shooty foundation with a genuinely interesting and fun premise.

From a mechanical standpoint, Ori and the Blind Forest isn't an evolution of the genre, and you've seen most of what's on offer here before. But aesthetically it's in a league of its own, and everything it does, it does well. If you're looking for a metroidvania, I'd consider this a new classic.

Even with those quibbles, I adore this game. Grindstone's tactical color-matching conceit is one of the most satisfying puzzle game mechanics in recent memory. I'm hopelessly hooked, and I regret nothing.

Sayonara Wild Hearts is what you'd get if Robyn ran the Grid from Tron. A stunning collection of music, action, heart, and radiant setpieces, it's easily one of the most inventive and unpredictable games of 2019. And it could have been one of the best too if only the developers had made the decision to present this album as a whole upfront rather than take players through it track by track.

It is so meticulously and lovingly crafted that it makes the traditional linear storytelling method seem drab and extraneous. This is storytelling distilled to its finest form; it is a game that does not waste your time. Moving forward, I will not look at storytelling the same way again.

It’s quite amazing what Gone Home was able to accomplish through minimal action and a highly believable, immersive setting. It still resonates even after all these years — and not many games have accomplished what it has in terms of a slice-of-life, heartfelt story that comes together in a realistic environment.

While it may not be as complicated as an actual collectible card game, or have the appeal of showing off your collection to your friends, it is a great videogame that has minimal issues and is in a neat package, so it would be foolish to try to compare it to something it’s not trying to be.

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