There's so much about Mafia II that feels like a relic of a bygone era. Video game design has long surpassed and evolved beyond this approach to storytelling. Still, I find myself oddly charmed by it. I've played Mafia II twice now, once in 2010 and once in 2020. Its foibles that irritated me a decade ago seem more forgivable now. Maybe it's because I knew to expect a flawed experience, maybe it's because I'm getting more lenient in my old age. Whatever it is, I relished blowing through a thrilling mobster drama over the course of a weekend, knowing I wouldn't have to dedicated the better part of the next month to finish it. In a lot of respects, Mafia II hasn't aged all that well; strangely, that's why I think it's a better game than it was 10 years ago.

If you walked away from Avatar wishing a world like Pandora actually existed out there, here you go. This is that world. Seeing Pandora is one thing, but being able to scale its massive treetops, soar high above its floating mountains on an Ikran, and traverse its wide open plains on the back of a Direhorse is really something special. This is the best version of Avatar yet.

I really like Pid, despite its faults. It routinely makes me feel smart and suave, and it manages its tone pitch-perfectly: sad without being maudlin, effectively capturing childhood without being mawkish or explicit. It's plagued somewhat by a misunderstanding of its strengths, but when the design -- of its levels, its characters, its aesthetics -- comes together, it's a beautiful little gem.

It was so hard to acclimate to the changes and suffocating AAA mentality after the original was near perfect, but I think once people get over that initial shock, they'll come to adore it in spite of that.

I think less time in the clubhouse and more time on the course would do HB Studios some good.

I can really get lost in the world of Let it Die, and I think I'll be playing it off and on for the next several weeks at the very least. It begs you to come back, and given the platform in which it's been distributed, it's something that can easily evolve into a better game in the future.

If Beyond Blue didn't try its best to tell a personal narrative with a cast of characters, I still would've enjoyed it despite its simplicity as a game. Even though the aquatic simulation feels too surface-level at times, I can't deny the game's beautiful imagery, education-minded ambition, or tranquil appeal.

One of my favorite RPGs in recent memory just got easier to replay. That's a win.

About the only desire it does not quite satisfy is the one for a heavy, involved plot.

It's an okay-at-best tower defense title that treads familiar ground. Coming off the original, that's a huge downgrade.

Rain is not quite the model of refinement that some of its PlayStation Network peers have been, but it's an overwhelmingly amiable, effectively cultivated little adventure. Calming and scary, amusing and sorrowful, Rain is a game that jogs calmly through a gamut of emotions, rather than sprints headlong into mood whiplash, and it's incredibly difficult to ever dislike it, even during its twitchier moments. Rain is, above all, a most balmy experience.

I actually found myself enjoying it slightly. Granted, not enough to play it for a very long stretch, but it's certainly eye-opening when compared to everything else available, and a title worth playing at least once just to see what everyone was going on about when the game debuted in 1996.

I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised with Max: The Curse of Brotherhood. It’s a game full of wonder and magical moments, that while light on actual narrative, still delivers a world that is hard to forget.

While the bland nature of the dungeon designs and ease of the adventure make it difficult to recommend to hardened DRPG players, those looking to get into dungeon crawlers may find the simplicity of the title a poor representation of what it usually found in the genre.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, despite its issues, is still an improvement over the original Xenoverse, although minimally.

A forgetful story, performance issues, and an unexplained tower defense element hold Van Helsing back from living up to its true potential, and what's left meanders the line between standard and boring.

I really wanted to love this game and there are elements about Directive 8020 that I thoroughly adored. It could have been up there with the greats, sitting alongside House of Ashes for best Dark Picture. Sadly, Directive 8020 fails from a narrative and gameplay standpoint, and while it does redeem itself from an overbearing saggy middle, it doesn't do enough for me to ignore its glaring flaws. If you don't mind the repetitive gameplay that flatlines any built momentum and tension, then Directive 8020 may hit like Until Dawn did back in 2015. It had huge potential, but may have needed more time in cryosleep.

Alone With You truly is special. The unassuming nature of its visuals didn’t prepare me for how impactful the narrative was going to be. It may not be the most involved of games, but it latches onto your heart and doesn’t let go. The game sticks with you well after the credits.

If you go into Gato Roboto with the only expectation being “Metroid but with a cat protagonist,” you won’t likely be disappointed. But if you hope for anything beyond that, you’ll likely wind up entertained but unsatisfied.

In terms of balance, it’s brilliant.

Once you get past the slightly budget look of the UI and occasional control jank, there is a solid core of a pretty damn good stealth game here. Give him a chance, and Styx might just steal your heart (only to pawn it at a fraction of its value, the little bastard).

It's a Team Ninja action game first, and an oddball isekai story second. It's also one of the weirdest games I've reviewed in a while because it speaks to me in a lot of ways, but it wears its flaws on its sleeve.

The actual gameplay feels quite disparate from the story and Quico's journey, unfortunately. The jumping, climbing and head-scratching never seem tied to the greater challenge of dealing with the addiction of a loved one. Though they are disconnected, the actual puzzles are still inventive and add to the experience, but the platforming elements can be weak.

Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds is a simple game that anyone can pick up and play, but belies a deeper feel for combos like a traditional fighting game would, while adding a minimal skill tree for damage and speed boosts like an RPG. It's deep without being too deep, which makes it just the right amount of fun.

Dreadnought is off to a good start. Whether Yager's pretty, engaging space battler has long-term legs will depend on how it grows the ship roster, and on how many people, overall, are willing to commit.

It’s a really f.cking stupid game, and that’s what I loved about it. It seems like it’s almost doomed to be overlooked, but this is a classic case of the pros outweighing the cons. Super Daryl Deluxe has cult classic written all over it.

A quaint game and a splendid diversion from the rest of the Apple Arcade lineup. It's not the type of game people are going to subscribe to the service just to play, but it is a wonderful supplement to the more time-consuming titles available.

It has a few games I’m already well acquainted with, alongside a few other obscure titles that I might not have tried on their own. It gives me the comfort of familiarity and the thrill of exploration. Sure, some of the games aren’t very good, but they’re at least bad in an almost impressive way. It’s a lot like Taito and Hamster put together a mix tape specifically for me and left it in my locker.