Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is obviously in no position to take the platform fighter throne right now, but I think the teams at Ludosity and Fair Play Labs have created a very good blueprint for what could be a very great franchise. If Super Smash Bros. is a celebration of all things Nintendo, I don’t see why an All-Star Brawl 2 couldn’t be a celebration of all things Nickelodeon. I think it’s possible with the right amount of time and money, and I hope this game is successful enough to convince GameMill to invest in a sequel that could be truly spectacular.

If you’re a long-time fan of the series, I say it’s totally worth it to try something new, but if Jackbox Party Pack 8 is your first time trying Jackbox out, I recommend taking a look at some of the older packs first.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles is another decent brawler adaptation that sort of asks you to already have a bit of background on the source material to truly enjoy it. In that sense, it joins a very crowded space of many other anime games before it, and many of you out there know where you stand on these.

For as gorgeous as Eastward‘s graphics are, and as endearing as some of its characters become, and as much as I need its soundtrack on vinyl as soon as possible, it also falls short in some ways that leave its conclusion feeling a bit off. It’s one of the more promising debuts I’ve seen, and Pixpil has ensured I’ll be incredibly interested in whatever they do next. Eastward is something a fan of pixel art and good music, with a weakness for video game nostalgia, deserves to check out. It’s just also a journey that left me wanting a little more.

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

If Far Cry 3 was the last game you really got into, or the modern Far Cry formula is your meaty open-world experience of choice that somehow never loses its potency, you’ll find a lot of comfort in Far Cry 6. Otherwise, get to it when you get to it, and try not to burn out.

I waited more than 10 years to finally play Alan Wake, and now that I’ve seen the credits roll, I can’t get it out of my mind. It’s firmly sunk its teeth into me, and like with many of the other greats, I’ll be returning to this world again and again for years to come.

The Eternal Cylinder clocked in at around ten hours, and I was so absorbed in it — I was so curious about how my funky bunch of critters was going to get out of this seemingly insurmountable jam — that I finished the game in two sittings. It truly clicked with me. I’m equally excited to see how much it resonates with everyone else. Maybe it won’t! But I thoroughly enjoyed it, and this experience will stick with me for a long time.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania was a pleasant surprise, in that it doesn’t mess too much with a formula that works and it makes strides to welcome newcomers into the fold. Not all of its stages are created equal, but this is a great entry point into a series that’s been lacking one on modern platforms for a long while.

Not everyone is going to think that way, clearly. Each individual has their own expectations for a remake, and Actraiser Renaissance may have put hands on facets that were once sacred. Some will find the changes intrusive. It would have been nice if there was a classic mode included that strips out the tower defense to make everyone happy, but that’s not in the cards. In my eyes, however, Acraiser Renaissance was one of the biggest surprises and the most enjoyable gaming experiences I’ve had this year.

Ultimately, the only thing that really matters here is determining whether or not Knockout Home Fitness is effective. As is the case with almost every other exercise game, it is. If you stick with it and get those daily stamps, you should be able to notice it making a difference whether you’re working out for 15 minutes a day or an hour. It’s certainly made a difference in my life, but I want to stress this game is not here to hold your hand. It sets a quick pace and expects you to keep up. If you need an exercise game that is a bit more amicable to the beginnings of a fitness journey, you may want to look elsewhere.

Castlevania Advance Collection really showcases a side of Konami we don't see very often anymore.

Hot Wheels Unleashed impressed me on basically every marker. It looks terrific, it feels great, and the track design is extremely well done. I kind of hate the blind box approach of unlocking cars, but that’s a small complaint when getting my wheels on the track is always a delight.

Despite some disappointing and frustrating moments, there’s enough compelling stuff that I can still recommend In Sound Mind to fans of adventure-leaning indie horror games. Overall, I dug this team’s ambition, and I was excited to see where it was headed. I just wish the game ran better and streamlined some of its level and puzzle design.

Diablo II: Resurrected did what it was supposed to as a re-release, and it managed to simultaneously preserve the original game.

My advice? If you’ve got a partial PS4 save file ready to go, or even an endgame file that’s not at 100 percent completion, Death Stranding Director’s Cut is a wonderful way to tie up loose ends. Some of the additions are interesting distractions at best, while others are genuinely helpful tools that provide alternate plans of attack as a futuristic delivery man. The short but memorable line of new side-quests is essentially icing on top. Brand-new players, by all means. Tear into this poignant, artisanal, off-the-rails hiking video game, even if it’s slow at first. And don’t forget to smash that “like” button.

I wouldn’t call Kena: Bridge of Spirits overly ambitious. More like “strategically ambitious.” Ember Lab avoided biting off more than it could chew with its first game, and I dug it. I hope there’s a sequel! After a much-deserved break, of course.

If you’re wondering why it took so long for this review to show up on Destructoid, I’ll tell you: I dreaded playing Baldo. Every night over the past three weeks, I looked down at my Xbox controller with unease, worried the next two to three hours of my life would be agonizing. And every night, that intuition turned out to be correct.

Bloodwash is a horror snack, just like the low-budget VHS’s you found in the back of the video store. It’s a tight little package that thrills in small measures. The perfect way to spend an evening. Nothing that will tax you too much, but won’t leave you feeling empty, either.

With its tough-but-fair combat, timeless storybook visuals, and unique furry fantasy, Tails of Iron is one of the year’s most distinctive RPG experiences. The intentionally subdued pace and challenging nature will definitely test the impatient, but anyone looking for a knuckle-cracking slugger, powered by a tale of valor and vengeance, will find Odd Bug Studio’s sophomore effort washes down like a fine flask of Bug Juice. Rest well, Redgi, your friends have done your memory proud.

Judgment may have been an acquired taste in many ways, but the sequel makes some of the bitterness go down easier.

Overall, it hits its niche. It lands on the edges of the sweet spot for modern simulators. It manages to be fun and atmospheric. It’s a hard day’s work, but someone has to do it.

It’s just overall not that well executed. The physics and gameplay are not where they should be. The levels are just okay. The goals are rarely entertaining. But you’re here for the birds, right? There are definitely skateboarding birds, I can guarantee they are in SkateBIRD. I’m not even being sarcastic, the birds are absolutely great. Just try to focus on that and nothing else.

Even if I have complaints here and there, all told, KeyWe is a delightfully panic-inducing co-op puzzle game. The level objectives are fun, the hazards are varied, the scattered story scenes are super cute, the cosmetic unlocks are worthy rewards, and the mini-games are meaningful enough to keep coming back to. If you’re feeling lucky, make it a date.

I absolutely do miss those days. I can’t get on with realistic racing games, so I crave a steady diet of the stuff that Cruis’n Blast gives. At the same time, I normally rented racing games on the N64 and rarely bought them. The same would have held true for Cruis’n Blast. It’s too fleeting to really grab hold of my grey matter and make a home there. I had a lot of fun while it lasted, but now it’s time to return to the beige, carefully curated modernity.

What sets TOEM apart from the many other wholesome games that plateau at mediocrity is its excellent execution of the concepts it puts forth. There is no design here that is questionable, no idea that feels unfinished. This is simply a well-crafted jaunt through a charming world. And it’s one that beckons me to return long after I’ve done everything I can possibly do in the game just to see what other amusing pictures I can take.

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

Aside from a couple of noticeable dips with less fleshed-out areas in the final act, Zoink held my attention for my entire 11-hour playthrough. That counts for a lot. If given the chance, I’d love to return to the world of Random in a possible sequel to Lost in Random that smooths over some of these first-game-in-a-new-series pitfalls.