Even though it’s not a painful experience, it comes up short on almost every facet by which I would rate a game’s success. Its gameplay is shallow, the narrative is simple to a fault, and the aesthetics don’t nearly impress. I’d suggest maybe giving the afterlife a pass, because Restless Soul is a mere ghost of a game.

Deadly Night is not the best example of what the genre is capable of while at the same time being a demonstration of what it is: short experiences that take you to a simpler time in horror. It’s a worn rental store VHS encapsulated in an interactive experience. It’s lo-fi brain candy for the horror enthusiast. It knows exactly what it is, which allows it to get away with murder.

I kind of feel like, with the popularity of the skater genre and the endless appeal of competitive shooters, a game like this was an inevitability. It’s too perfect a combination to not work, and I’m just glad Roll7 got to it first with Rollerdrome. This is an exceptional and welcoming game, one that takes the best elements from both genres and combines them into a sophisticated and unabashedly cool experience.

While Last of Us still has some of the same issues the original debuted with in 2013, the PS5 version (and likely the upcoming PC port, based on Sony's past efforts) is the best way to play it to date. [Review in Progress]

Immortality is another great entry to the collection of FMV puzzle-boxes that Barlow and co. have been producing for years now. I don’t quite know that I’ve played anything like it. From big revelations to little moments that just build on the life and times of Marissa Marcel, these scenes are going to stick with me for a while, living on. Immortalized.

With the amount of care put in by Digital Eclipse, this is one of the best ways these games have been presented since they were released.

The next time you’re in the mood for a no-nonsense 3D platformer, give Tinykin a look.

I came into The Endless Seven-Day Journey expected to revel in its recreation of the leisurely days of summer. I didn’t expect I’d leave it with a whole town full of characters I’m genuinely delighted by. And that’s why I enjoyed being in this world as much as I did. It’s an altruistic bit of nicecore gaming that plays like a warm memory of youth. Even if I don’t care for Crayon Shin-chan, this is a game I’m going to return to when I need a break from adulting all day.

I'm not sure Pac-Man World Re-Pac is going to lure in many more fans, but the ones it already had should be happy with this new packaging.

If you’re looking for something new to scratch the anime RPG-brawler itch, Dusk Diver 2 most certainly is not something new. If you give me a year, I’ll probably have even forgotten the name. It’s a reasonably polished experience, but it takes no risks. It set its goals low and met all of them. That’s maybe the best-case scenario for this sort of game. Personally, I’d prefer an ambitious game with lots of jank than a solid game with little imagination, and Dusk Diver 2 sits firmly in the latter category.

I didn't really know how I felt about Saints Row until I hit the open world segment, and this current team showed me what it is capable of.

I have mixed feelings about Midnight Fight Express. There are times when it clicked with me, and I tore through the levels, and others when I found myself sighing and hitting the retry button. There was no real middle ground. I was either entertained or completely annoyed.

Kirby's Dream Buffet isn't quite what I expected, mostly for the better.

I wandered into Soul Hackers 2 expecting a general sense of quality from Atlus, and ended up getting sucked into its world. While dungeon design can feel samey at times, it’s not enough to distract from the flashiness of the game as a whole. As usual, Atlus really nails the details; it was fun to hang out with this crew and see where things went.

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.

Despite the restrained application of its central narrative concept, Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince is one of the better indie Zelda clones I’ve played. Even if it hews a bit too close to its predecessor and lacks an identity to call its own, this is a solid action-adventure game, one that makes great use of those Legend of Zelda building blocks in crafting a satisfying journey.

Thymesia isn't shy about its influences, an admittance that helps and harms the title when inevitably compared to its legendary brethren.

If you want to find true enjoyment in Super Bullet Break, don’t go into it thinking it’s going to be anything substantial. Like the free-to-play gacha games that inspired it, it’s a very casual experience with a win-some/lose-some philosophy that I found to be refreshing. This won’t be a game I have deep memories of in a year’s time, but for now, it’s a pleasant palate cleanser to the heftier games that demand a lot more of my time, energy, and concentration.

I feel like the managerial side of Arcade Paradise needs to better inform the part where you just play games endlessly and vice versa. In the beginning, having to pull yourself away from your high score to move someone’s laundry into the dryer is a fun twist, but there’s nothing similar to that in the end game. You’re just playing games, waiting for the quarters to pile up so you can buy the next upgrade. Even if Arcade Paradise instead tried to present an authentic representation of the arcade experience, I feel that would have added more value. Instead, it sits in an uncomfortable middle ground like a directionless teenager.

I'm a big fan of roguelite action games and city builders, but even if you're on the mild side, Cult of the Lamb is a winning combo.

A lot of us have been recommending this game for almost four years now, and with the slick visual upgrade, it's even easier to vouch for.

All-in-all, I think this is a stronger selection of tracks for the Booster Course Pass than we saw in Wave 1. There isn’t a single dud here and no track has seen changes that take alter how they play in a negative way. As good as these courses are, it’s not an exciting grouping as the Turnip Cup or Propeller Cup lack that one knockout course that is the clear standout of the bunch. But considering some of the best Mario Kart tracks are already in MK8 Deluxe, I think I’ll be satisfied if all future waves of the Booster Course Pass are able to meet the standard set here.

It’s a stunning lack of imagination that hobbles Recipe for Disaster. It offers absolutely nothing that I haven’t seen before in a management game. It doesn’t really succeed at reaching its own vision, and doesn’t offer anything unique in exchange for that. It’s a functional restaurant management game, and that’s it. Did it give me a reason why I shouldn’t just reinstall Pizza Connection 2? No. So I guess I’m doing that now.

There is a lot about GigaBash that speaks to me as a lifelong kaiju fan. The visuals, the Titan designs, the pick-up-and-play ease of the controls, the level variety, the lore, it’s all top-notch and easy to gush about. If you can consistently get three other people to join you locally in the action, you’re going to get a lot out of this game. If that’s not realistic for you, know that it can still be a pretty fun time even if you’re not getting the optimal experience.

For me, I couldn’t be happier. Well, I could. A university may be a different ballgame than a hospital, but it’s not a very shocking twist. I’d love to see Two Point County zoomed into something small like a restaurant or sports team, or zoomed out to a city or, well, county. But Two Point Campus is a wonderful return to the universe, and I’ll happily — perhaps impatiently — be waiting for the next chance to visit.

In order to make a game with this subject matter really stand out, you have to put a new spin on it like we’ve never seen before. Unfortunately, Hindsight didn’t really manage to do that, either in its gameplay or its story. At the end of the day, story is what’s supposed to matter the most here, and if the writing were stronger, I’d be able to forgive Hindsight many more of its transgressions.

Frogun isn’t poorly designed. While I ran into some unfortunate bugs, the actual level design is reasonable, even if you can’t easily tell them apart. There’s a lot to be said about its success in delivering on its thesis. It maybe is exactly what it wants to be. I can certainly see it clicking with some people, and those people will find a lot of enjoyment here. On the other hand, outside its well-executed aesthetics, I found Frogun to be quite mundane.

Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 is very reminiscent of past games, but I'm more than okay with that because it does deviate where it counts.