When it comes to gameplay and longevity, Death Come True suffers from the exact same issues as many titles in the FMV genre without breaking new ground. But Izanagi's engrossing tale of love, regret, and murder redresses the balance with superb performances, dramatic twists, and a genuinely impassioned climax. It's a short, somewhat expensive trip, but one worth taking when it hits your personal price-point.

Other than a few finicky control issues with grabbing the wrong object in a cluttered room or getting momentarily caught up in tight passages when playing as the beast's largest form, I had a breezy time. If you're looking for a cathartic pick-up-and-play game with little to no fat that you can slip in between this summer's massive story-driven titles, that's Carrion all the way. It's a devilish snack.

For anyone interesting in a wholly unique story that is almost guaranteed to sink its hooks into you, look no further than Necrobarista.

Rainswept is a heavy game. Its sad piano music and endless poetic rainfall underscoring the human tragedy depicted. If you're capable of shouldering the game's baggage, Rainswept provides an "entertaining" tale. I certainly "enjoyed" it. However, if what you're looking for is a fun murder mystery to sink your teeth into, you might be better off seeking clues elsewhere.

It's a power fantasy that makes you work for the right to feel like a god and when your plans come together it's a joyous romp to play.

Tribute Games tapped into a treasure trove of classic games, and that adoration shines bright in Panzer Paladin. In a year already full of great action-platformers, this one shouldn't be skipped.

This is a great example of how stories about LGBTQ characters don't have to be aimed exclusively at LGBTQ audiences, and even without my personal connection to the story, it's the most brilliant game I've played this year.

I think what it comes down to is how much you need a strong narrative framework to guide you through a game. CrossCode asks for a rather large time commitment -- over 40 hours in my case -- and if you’re expecting a compelling plot to keep you glued to it, you may never find it. On the other hand, if you can push all that story into the background and focus on the sheer thrill of the game’s combat and the challenge of its puzzles, it has a lot more going for it. CrossCode puts its mechanics to good use in inventive ways, and at times, I found it to be legitimately impressive. However, without the beating heart of a convincing narrative, you may find yourself logging out too soon.

There's room in my heart for both styles of Paper Mario. The old games still exist and this newer, sometimes thinner formula is fine too.

Stadia is going to be a dealbreaker for a lot of people though, so that timed exclusivity can't end soon enough.

With Ghost of Tsushima under its belt, Sucker Punch deserves to be in the same conversation as Insomniac, Naughty Dog, and Sony Santa Monica.

Ninjala definitely has the look of something I should be in love with. It's bright and colorful, and the world-building happening here is genuinely fun. What's not fun are the poorly implemented mechanics that can ruin the fast and fluid combat. There is a solid template for something great here, and if GungHo can iron out all its wrinkles, it might have a genuine blockbuster on its hands.

Inti Creates could've done "more of the same" and called it a day, but the new characters lend Curse of the Moon 2 a ton of flexibility, the co-op support is commendable, and the subtle refinements can be found far and wide if you go back to play the original game after spending a weekend with the sequel. Curse of the Moon isn't just some quaint offshoot of Bloodstained. It's leading the charge.

Despite its age, simplicity, and lack of embellishments, Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town proves the Bokujō Monogatari franchise has been on the money since the very beginning. Its content may feel a little sparse compared to its successors and competitors, but I can see myself returning to these lands long after the next harvest moon.

How many times can you say that you hexed an old widow so that you could go bowling in the past...oh say decade or so?" Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise is another trip. You've been warned.

It was a joy to revisit the world of Mr. Driller again, and the Switch is one of the best places to do it given the pint-sized level-by-level format.

Hardcore VR players have already likely flocked to Covert Ops: it's the next big thing from Oculus Studios, of course they're looking for an excuse to get some use out of their headset. But for everyone else, it's definitely one to keep on a list somewhere for when you eventually pick up a Rift or a Quest.

Right now, however, it has not reached that point of player exploitation where I'd recommend deleting it off your phone entirely. Pokémon Café Mix is currently in that sweet spot where it's mostly harmless with only a few bits of frustration. The puzzle formula is entertaining enough to bring me back two or three times a day to try and get past those roadblocks, but really, I'm firing the app up far more often than that just to get a look at those delectable Pokémon dishes.

I hope that Camouflaj gets their hands on Iron Man again: if only to see how they can top themselves and mend their mistakes.

Like many recent indie games, The Almost Gone isn't afraid to tackle difficult subject matter. And like a lot of its fellow developers, Happy Volcano opts not to get too far into the weeds of the topics it covers. Certainly, there will be players who take the narrative to heart more passionately than I did, but I do find it a curious enough of an experience to recommend to mobile gamers looking for something more melancholy than the newest match-3 puzzler.

Bounty of Blood just tries to do so many things that it ends up becoming a cacophony of concepts.

If you're thinking of playing Among Trees and you know you need extrinsic motivators to hold your interest, you'll want to wait until the Early Access schedule is further along. If you're down for a laid-back forest hiking game and you enjoy charting your own course just for the heck of it, give it a chance. [Early Access review]

Persona 4 Golden was arguably the game to get on the Vita, among a library that's very unsung after Sony put that little portable out to pasture. Now that it's on one of the most accessible platforms in the world, there's little to no excuse for avoiding it. $20 is a steal for something that's going to last you a full month and keep you thinking about it for months to come.

I can just imagine some kid saving up their allowance to buy this pricey meatball and crying afterward.

With a remake, all of this, along with the often questionable level design, could have been corrected. But with SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom Rehydrated aiming to be as faithful to the original as possible, these issues only serve as a reminder of how much better the industry has become at making 3D platformers.

Through it all though, I'm still going back and playing it. The live, die, repeat roguelite mechanic has its hooks in me and although it's frustrating at times, I'm working through gritted teeth to unlock more items to help me in future runs. The aesthetic beauty of the game helps keep me going as well as the music but I only wish some more tweaking had been done to some of the shootout mechanics. If you pumped hours upon hours into Enter the Gungeon then chances are you'll find a similar grab in West of Dead, but be fair warned that there isn't as much polish here.

You're getting a very small narrative and another big interconnected Wild Area: that's pretty much of the gist of it.

As a farming simulation, Summer in Mara falls short, but dang if its sunny world and characters aren't pleasant to be around.