I was pleasantly surprised with the shooter chimera that is Rage 2.

A Hat in Time: Nyakuza Metro is an instant recommendation.

It so effortlessly executes its central premise that thinking up any negatives would mostly be nitpicking.

Shakedown: Hawaii might play similarly to Retro City Rampage, but it takes place in a markedly different world.

My complaints with Mechstermination Force are straightforward because that's really what the game is, a boss rush shoot-fest. If the stars align and you can find someone who really enjoys 2D shooters, give the game a go: even its fleeting joy is worth the entry ticket. Hell, it's worth it if you go alone, so long as your expectations are in check.

Zanki Zero: Last Beginning is a credible and entertaining adventure, but its potential to stand alongside its developers' best works is hampered by its systems and story's inability to come together and elevate the experience beyond the sum of its parts.

It made me want to break my Switch in half. But even in its most aggressively exasperating moments, Katana Zero remains bleak, beautiful, bloody, and brilliant.

Imperator: Rome feels like it's yet another step in Paradox's attempts to make the perfect grand strategy game. It pulls bits from Paradox's storied past in the genre and adopts it for the ancient era. Because of this, it doesn't feel like past releases where the game does one thing fantastically and falters in the rest of the mechanics but instead refines past mechanics into a marble bust of megalomaniacal fun. Ave Imperator: Rome!

With some tweaks to the pacing, it could have reconciled its warm, frank look at humanity and been something special.

With improved visuals, overhauled mechanics and exciting strategic potential, MK 11 offers a brilliant fighting experience. Unfortunately, the overall fun is bogged down with miserable modern-day business practices that frequently pump the brakes on your enjoyment. The Fight is the thing, however, and as long as the fists are flying, then Mortal Kombat 11 packs a helluva punch.

Fate of Atlantis by comparison actually feels like a premium creation while forging its own identity.

I would have played SteamWorld Quest for 40 hours, flaws and all.

Hardcore roguelike fans may find it too forgiving, but for anyone unfamiliar with the genre, you won't find a better jumping off point than this.

Is World War Z as good as Left 4 Dead? No. Is it fun despite that? Yes. There's few pleasures in gaming that can compare to swinging a thrumming chainsaw blade through a horde of ravenous undead, and World War Z delivers. And really, it's not like Valve makes games anymore.

If you had to pick out a single Overcooked 2 DLC, Campfire Cook Off would be my recommendation without hesitation. It adds depth to the usual proceedings without going overboard on complexity, and the clever new backpack mechanic encourages even deeper teamwork. You can't go wrong.

If you're the type of old school rhythm player that's willing to look past those blemishes and just focus on the music, you'll be fine.

As a full package, Vaporum is pretty great. A well polished and challenging dungeon crawler set within an exciting world. Although the controls can sometimes be a bit of a pain for the console editions, we see so few games in this genre today that the minor headaches are worth struggling through.

One of the things I like most so far is that almost nothing is simply a straight "upgrade" of another thing. Even the lowliest farmer finds use supplying the growing complexity and demands of an advancing society. [Review in progress]

Despite being in development for eight or more years, Dragon Marked for Death could have actually used more time in the oven. I'm sure there is a great game buried somewhere in there but between its lack of balance, less-than-ideal controls, boring levels, and unfortunate co-op requirements, the end product isn't nearly up to the level of the rest of Inti Creates's catalog.

Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid suffers from dated visuals, poor presentation, and a serious lack of content, unable to hide its low-budget shortcomings. At its core is something of a slick and wholly-accessible fighting game. Yet without the visual pizazz of the brand, a full, varied roster of characters, or a glut of exciting content to dive into, Battle for the Grid ultimately feels like the unfinished prototype of what could have been a very special release.

Ghost Giant isn't revolutionary. It feels like a VR advancement of a classic PC point-and-click adventure game, albeit one with a great look, phenomenal sound design, and a story I'm not ashamed to admit had me choking up a bit toward the end. You won't be blown away by the immersion here, but it's fun to interact with the dollhouse-like sets and just sort of goof around. Like a lot of VR titles, Ghost Giant is a shorter experience, but it's a solid one that tells a charming story in a vibrant and colorful world.

If you enjoyed previous Labo kits with your family you'll probably like spending a weekend with this one, even if it won't be making the rounds and wowing Late Night audiences.

Despite the marketing of a more 'serious' tone this is still very much EDF.

I could watch Phoenix coyly and confidentially slap documents while presenting them in court all day.

Dangerous Driving is a marked improvement in basically every facet over Danger Zone 1 and 2. This is Three Fields firing on all cylinders and giving Burnout fans the experience they've been craving. While a few technical hiccups stop this from achieving greatness, you really shouldn't sleep on this if you're a fan of arcade racers. Dangerous Driving is the real deal and any Burnout fan would be crazy to skip it.

Blaster Master Zero 2 is a clear improvement on its predecessor. The graphics are slightly better, the story is better written, and the soundtrack is more diverse; I could go on and on. Maybe Zero 2 won't make a convert out of you if you didn’t enjoy the first, but it is well worth exploring for fans of Inti Creates and Blaster Master.

We. The Revolution is clearly not for everyone. It's undoubtedly slow with the most thrilling aspect being the persuasion speeches, and even then that's just dialogue. But if you're in the mood for something that really transports you to the tumultuous time of the French Revolution then I don't think you will find a better way there.

Most of my journey through the wonderful cardboard universe of Yoshi's Crafted World, littered with myriad ridiculous noises from Yoshi, was spent with a smile on my face.