Somerville is a noble attempt at matching the style and eerie substance of games that came before it. As a first-time effort, Jumpship stuck the landing on creating engaging moments in time for an intimate narrative. But a lack of memorable connective tissue means that players have little reason to dwell in this world and ask bigger questions. With perhaps a bit more time and polish, the studio’s second attempt can be truly remarkable.

If you like the genre, it's easy to recommend Microbot despite some of its flaws. I found it more enjoyable with the offline co-op mode, too.

Yes, The Last of Us Part I for the PC has somewhat improved a little under two months in. Graphical stutters, framedrops, and other visual artifacts currently exist. If you’re able to look past those graphical shortcomings, The Last of Us Part I is a truly exceptional game. Consider waiting just a bit more before jumping into one of the best series from Sony and Naughty Dog to date.

Last Stop is endearing with its story and characters with a Hollywood caliber narrative design. It just wants to be a movie more than it wants to be a game, but it is entertaining, nonetheless.

As a successor to an admired name from a bygone era, Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess falls short of accrued expectations. As a means of introducing a different style of game to a different time and place, Deception IV is an exemplar of viable defiance against rote standards. Your position determines Deception IV's place—a setting made homelier through The Nightmare Princess' abundance of extra content—but it doesn't impede its lack of conformity.

An overall very well developed puzzle-platformer that can entertain -- or frustrate depending on your skills and patience -- for hours.

Borderlands 2 might have its issues on the PlayStation Vita, but underneath those issues lies the same game you know and love. If you can get used to the controls and visual dip, then you might just find a solid title waiting for you.

Distorted textures and hulking polygons may not feel as chic or romantic as pixel art, but Back in 1995's paean to the 32-bit era extends beyond aesthetic cognizance. It's a vehicle for the sentiment and devotion of its author, and approach may be limited to a shared fondness of that time and place.

It's certainly more than a tech demo, but at the price of a full course, it's merely an appetizer.

An intriguing release for genre fans who have yet to play this iteration of Guilty Gear.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince from developer Armor Project brings an enjoyable monster collecting and fighting gameplay blueprint to the Dragon Quest world, but falls short in its shallow narrative and humdrum visuals.

It certainly isn't perfect, but younger gamers don't need perfection to be entertained.

Super Mario All-Stars is precisely the same game you played on your SNES seventeen years ago-graphics, soundtrack, copyright and all. While these classic games haven't lost any of their appeal, this still feels an awful lot like an overpriced Virtual Console title.

For a video game based on a film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon does well. It's a good action title that can be enjoyed by adults and kids. It's simple, easy to use and fun, though it doesn't stand out in any areas when compared to great action titles. It is worth at least a look.

Cattle Country is all around a functional, enjoyable game. However, it does little to innovate on an already established farming sim formula. If you like games like Stardew Valley, then I would recommend at least trying Cattle Country to see if it scratches that same itch. You won’t find a particularly exciting experience, but you might enjoy a calm, wholesome game.

On the PlayStation 5, Tales of Berseria feels less like a traditional remaster and more like a simple port. While it remains an excellent game in its own right (and perhaps one of the best in the Tales series), the struggle is real in recommending it to those who can simply play the PS4 version and not feel like they’re missing out on anything novel.

There's a pretty good game to be found here underneath a considerable pile of design and execution flaws. It's worth a look right now for the more patient, curious, and tolerant player, but if you're on the fence, you might wait until the summer gaming drought.

While its position as a sandbox game for all ages should certainly benefit it as much as the LEGO brand, The Chase Begins is comparatively limited when viewed alongside its Wii U counterpart. Having said that, it holds the scope, the humor, and the basic premise well intact, so if you can look past its technical inadequacies, it’s at least a worthwhile romp through LEGO City that can be enjoyed on the go.

Dragon Age II felt unfinished. Bioware gave too many restrictions with the adventure in terms of where you can go and where the story might take you. They also unnecessarily changed things up in the inventory system which didn't help the overall experience at all. The game still feels fun, but it's a lot more tedious/frustrating than the original.

Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter is a successful sequel to the original game.

Overall, I enjoyed the game quite a bit. I think that there was a great amount of effort put into creating this jRPG and I really appreciated the intricate artwork throughout.

Assets that were highly valued in 2001—visuals, voice acting, narrative/gameplay balance—now feel tired, awkward, and expectedly dated in 2015. With that in mind, a novel battle system serves as a decent shield for Grandia II's shortcomings. Combat drives the entire experience. Everything else is just along for the ride.

For all of the faults in Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, the game lives up to many of its ambitions. It is a grand challenge to not only follow but to also bring something new and exciting to the successor of the popular Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series, and the game does just that. The online multiplayer format works surpassingly well for Naruto and moving through the game’s stages beautifully conveys the feeling of exploring the anime in a way that is sure to thrill any fan of the series. If the series keeps building on the successes of this game, then there’s great hope for the future games in the Naruto/ Boruto franchise, even if Shinobi Striker is a hit-and-miss.

Overall, the multiplayer takes center stage here and what's left is a mediocre campaign at best. My recommendation is a weekend rental -- get through the campaign in a sitting or two and then spend several hours with multiplayer to see if this one is worth your gaming dollar.

Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure Pack is an awesome rhythm game with a very amazing list of songs straight from Japan! Playing as Don and Katsu in story modes adds a creative twist to the Taiko no Tatsujin series and is a great way to introduce the series to a western audience. However, without the drum, the price of the drum, and a lack of multiplayer, it may turn some new people interested in playing the series away. If you’re a long time fan of the series and want to invest in a drum or already have a drum, then you will surely love it! But, if you want to have a real Taiko no Tatsujin experience I would recommend testing out the arcade version if you get the rare chance to experience it in the west.

All in all, NBA Live 19 is a solid tip-toe towards what I think could be a great competitor in the basketball video game world. Even though The One is excellent and should be played, everything else is lacking and feels phoned-in. If EA were to put as much effort and innovation into their other modes as they did with The One, they’d have a real contender for best basketball sim out there. But please (please) change the shot meter.

Spirittea is the farming sim with Miyazaki vibes I’ve wanted for a hot minute. It doesn’t onboard the player in the most intuitive fashion, so it’s a smidge hard to pick up to get into the groove. But, once you’ve managed to parse through the disparate tea leaves that make up its multiple activities and mechanics, it’s worth a try. I’m looking forward to seeing how Spirittea evolves in the future while I enjoy its coziness this holiday season.

Overall, Chimparty is a fun PlayLink title from NapNok that gives off a nice Mario Party vibe, while not quite reaching the level design that usually comes with a Mario Party. Chimparty is a good family game, though, and a good addition to the PlayLink family.

All things considered, if you’re looking for a challenge that will keep you occupied for an evening, Shio is worth a shot.

There's a lot to like with Alice: Madness Returns, but regretfully there is more that needs work to make it even more likable. Had this had a few more months to stew in beta and the release date pushed back into the holiday season then maybe these little things (camera, AI and repetitive enemies) could have been worked out. As it is, the game is a little broken, but certainly not as severely as the main character.

It’s clear that it’s not a new game, but that it’s a remaster of a ten year old title, but nevertheless, it looks, sounds, and plays well. The more important question, as always, remains if the the story and gameplay are to your liking or not. To that end, I’m more on the reserved side of the equation, finding some value in both elements, but not enough to give this remaster a strong recommendation.

La Grange and Fireshine Games have created a unique deckbuilder featuring a fresh froggy thematic in the form of Toads of the Bayou. It might need some additional deckbuilding design depth, but it has enough to hold players over for several roguelike runs.

Final Fantasy XV's decade-long maelstrom of doubt, chaos, and suspense has somehow wrought an effective tale from the bonds of brotherhood and an engaging game from coordinated monster obliteration. The embroiled project is not sacrosanct; an incongruous plot, mechanical quest lines, and a haphazard world constitute a jet impacting the ground at dangerous speed. Pieces are everywhere, but Final Fantasy XV ultimately survives its crash landing through an impressive force of will.

Nintendogs + Cats: Golden Retriever & New Friends is a solid launch title for the 3DS, just as Nintendogs was for the DS. If you haven't yet experienced the series (which was the case for me), the game is quite enjoyable and is a great way to get some hours on your 3DS in the currently average line-up of games available. However, if you've played the original game and are expecting a new experience, you won't find it here. Just adorable puppies and cats and practically the same gameplay as the original in every way.

If Zindagi makes another quest for Edmund, I hope it's not on rails. That loss of freedom really hurt the experience, and lent significantly to the monotony. Still, I can appreciate the effort and a lot of what is offered here, and ultimately this is one of the better Move games I have played.

Spongebob Squarepants: Krusty Cook-Off – Extra Krusty Edition is a fun game that is built on a casual gaming backbone and runs well on the Nintendo Switch. While it will never reach the impressive gameplay heights of the Overcooked series, Spongebob Squarepants: Krusty Cook-Off – Extra Krusty Edition delivers fun levels, good controls, and enough reason to return to it over and over again.

NHL 25 is a good game. Don’t get me wrong. The work and progress that the team has put into this year’s release shows itself. There have been a lot of quality-of-life improvements to the in-game product that make me feel good. To me, this feels like the first time this has been as close to real as possible. There are a few things that feel out of place, but overall the improvements are there. However, I just don’t know if this is enough of a step or leap forward to justify it for the average NHL fan or game player.

Traverser is keen to demonstrate that a submission to genre norms isn't an admission of exhausted objectives. Physics puzzles, light stealth, passable platforming, and a decent run of boss fights—it's all well covered ground, but Traverser's endearing characters and engaging fiction make it easy to pass through.

It's everything you loved about Trials, just with some roughed up baggage that should have been better.

Leo's Fortune assumes an identity behind the blasé eyes of its protagonist. Leo's the kind of dude who's seen it all before, a sentiment sure to be shared by any seasoned platformer enthusiast. Still, it's an inoffensive way to kill a couple hours on a Saturday, assuming ambition doesn't get the better of you first.

A welcomed release, although it comes in with a stout price tag and is not as robust as fans would hope. Still, fighter-fans should keep an eye on it as it is a nice addition to any collection.

NBA 2K21’s current-gen version isn’t necessarily the biggest step forward the series has taken, nor should it be expected to be. The next-gen version of the game is just around the corner, where we should all expect to see the biggest changes and additions. But what’s there is still fun, even if it is more of the same. 2K’s reliance on microtransactions still feels incredibly out of place, and the game still doesn’t necessarily respect the player’s time. If you’re a fan of the series, chances are you’re already playing the game. If you’re on the fence, it may be worth waiting to see what the next-gen version offers.

The Baconing exposes DeathSpank's diminishing returns. It remains a solid, well built game, but Hothead Games doesn't seem to notice (or care) that they've essentially made the same game three times.

Patapon 3's whimsical surface seems inviting and opportunistic, but its heart remains confidently wrapped in its own minutia. With its charm spent on the previous two entries, the third is like the pizza with too many weird toppings. Patapon 3 is not quite a success, but in an age when difficulty and intricacy are often exchanged for accessibility I can certainly appreciate its mission (from afar, anyway).

Naruto fans should take notice, but others can safely pass this one up.

The majority of games featured in the NEOGEO Pocket Color Selection Vol. 2 are fun, while some fall flat. Overall, I think SNK released a solid selection of titles for volume 2 of this series with some added extra to boot, but they really do need to rethink that price point.

Super Motherload communicates a desire for players to learn its regimen while simultaneously uncovering its content. It's a neat balance, one that rewards acquired skill with valuable efficiency, at least until its disparate final act trades musing discovery for twitch reaction. "What's at the bottom" was a force that drove me to Super Motherload's completion. Learning the answer diminished a desire to return.

Devil May Cry’s appearance on Switch should be regarded as an essential installment of modern gaming history. Its genesis in Resident Evil, unconscious evolution of the beat ’em up genre, and conception of stylish-action showcase the fierce innovation demonstrated by the PlayStation 2 in 2001. In 2019, the primordial Devil May Cry may be more frustrating than fun, but what it lacks in comfort it corrects with prestige.

Scouring Abzu's marine paradise opens an argument for emotive communication and softened storytelling. Too often, however, Abzu is less a defense of its beliefs and more a negotiation out of a cornered medium.

Dreamcore is a game about dread, obfuscation, and disorienting players. It sends them to familiar spaces that have been purposefully altered to maximize discomfort. Though woefully brief and presenting only two levels at launch, if each new entry in Dreamcore continues to be unique, it will become a truly standout entry in the catalog of Backrooms-inspired works.

For players who love cozy games and don’t mind a slightly more structured approach to exploration, Collector’s Cove offers a calm, colorful adventure on the open sea. It may not be the most groundbreaking entry in the genre, but it’s a relaxing voyage that’s easy to enjoy, especially for those of us who want nothing more than to pet all of the animal companions in the gaming world.

If Saviorless is Cuba’s first independent video game, then players are in for an aesthetically pleasing yet moody future of game design that touches on emotional elements that leave a mark on the psyche. Saviorless isn’t the best example of a platformer, but it’s a great start to something truly novel in the platforming space.

Knights Contract should have been a better game, but several poor design choices really hurt the experience. Still, I found it rewarding enough to continue on and discovered that underneath some of the glaring issues, there is a solid game to be found.

In its third mainline iteration, LittleBigPlanet's momentum shifts from a bastion of adaptive entertainment to a lightning rod of tailored inspiration. It's a logical progression, one that sacrifices personal moments of professionally crafted clarity, but in their place is a tidy collection of tools and concepts masquerading as purpose-driven levels – and the hope that talented players will embrace enough of them to fill in LittleBigPlanet 3's considerable gaps in content.

Among the Sleep puts the player behind the eyes of a two-year old and tasks them with surviving a series of wildly traumatizing scenarios. Careful hands and compassionate minds push Among the Sleep's delicate subject matter away from abject immorality, however, not with enough guidance to pivot an honest story into a capable game.

This kind of game is a welcome change to the farming/life RPG genre. If you are a player that enjoys fishing in games, then this is the game for you because it’s all fishing, all the time. Moonglow Bay is overall a fun, relaxing game, but it struggles with controls, game-breaking bugs, and glitches that can ruin the game.

Once Upon a Puppet excels in its ability to build a fantastical world cobbled together from the dilapidated remains of opulence. As a 2.5D platformer, the game’s attempts to use the genre’s foundations are often mixed. Clever puzzles and bursts of action go hand-in-hand with movement that can often not feel fluid and satisfying enough. But players open to the game’s charm should be able to ignore the blemishes and enjoy the moments that truly shine.

Dark Souls is one of the most important and powerful games ever made. Switch is the least pleasant place to play it. It works—this is still Dark Souls and Dark Souls is still very good—but sacrifices in presentation and control scream inferiority next to original and Remastered editions of the same game.

Banned Footage Vol. 1 is a test to grade how well Resident Evil 7's innate talents extend past survival horror. As a wave based survival game, it is eager but routine. As a grueling roguelike, it is chaotic and formally aggravating. As an escape room, however, its fiendish motif fits neatly inside of a clever and contained challenge. All three accumulate to a zealous B-, which is a clean score for Resident Evil 7's first post-graduate exam.

Mind Control Delete reforms Superhot’s signature slow motion power fantasy into the shape of a procedurally generated roguelike. It retains the shiny spartan aesthetic, the bellicose narrative, and the most satisfying first-person shooter gimmick of the last decade, but the twists and tweaks behind its operation don’t alter its basic complexion. Superhot felt euphoric when it was new. Mind Control Delete can only reheat that sensation of extravagance.

The story is unique but a little slow for a major portion of the game. And, though the game does last for around 20 hours, there is nothing more than the main game to keep you playing.

Sublevel Zero's novelty is how faithfully it resurrects concepts of a fallen genre. It's cool that Sigtrap Games made a game like Descent, but pressing those ideas inside the mold of a roguelike leaves a significant amount of empty space.

Indifferent to the temptations of aberration and bombast, Element4l's Spartan aesthetic plays nicely with its devotion to pure platforming. It also buries Element4l's identity beneath waves of difficulty and a few inventive tricks. Still, seeing Element4l to its conclusion is enjoyable enough, and worth it for moments of earned validation.

Ori and the Blind Forest imparts a beautiful and intricate framework of the platforming and progression that came to define latter day Castlevania and Metroid titles, but it can't muster the same technical and design prowess to fuel its own ideas. This leaves Ori as an adequate model of its revered genre, just short of the execution and innovation that could have made it exemplary.

This is a twin-stick shooter that would feel at home as a Konami title during the mid 90s. With an engaging enough gameplay core, it’s certainly a good ride, especially if you have any desire to climb the leaderboards once your weekend with it is over.

An almost equal number of significant pros and cons make Mad Max an interesting and polarizing title. Ultimately, it's a game I would recommend, but with some due caution as described in the article.

A heart of gold surrounded by endless color makes it all easier to swallow, but you're left wondering what could have been had The Last Tinker's gameplay come on as strong as its presentation.

In 2020, Saints Row IV: Re-Elected’s combat feels prosaic, its glut of content perfunctory, and its humor antiquated. It’s great on Switch but actually playing it feels like looking through a weird interactive museum.

Portraying the casual indifference from nature to it residents is a neat idea, but Shelter can't come up with enough ways to cleverly explore that relationship. The message is clear pretty early on and a change in scenery and context isn't enough to make it any more interesting. It sure is beautiful, though, and as the final scene fades away you can't help but smile.

On the basis of the shifted gameplay loop involving racing against the clock, Fate of the Phoenix presents a more hectic, difficult, yet rewarding way to play Europa Universalis V.

AO Tennis 2 is this generation's Top Spin 4. It takes over a baton that has been carried through mis-steps and let-downs as tennis fans young and old finally have a game worth their time and effort. It's not perfect by any stretch but up against the competition and its predecessor it stands head-and-shoulders above them.

Windbound is a fun experience that breaks the survival game mold. The boat crafting and sailing are innovative features that were exciting to explore. Although the positives were very strong, the quality of life issues made the experience tedious. Windbound excels in standing alone in a saturated genre, but doesn't shine through enough.

F1 Race Stars isn't a disaster by any means, but it certainly needs improvement. More importantly, it needs to take itself less seriously in some areas. There's still some fun to be had here, though.

Guayota contains a great deal of difficulty and tested my patience quite well. I loved how it implemented puzzles in a way that isolated puzzles on a per-dungeon basis. However, I wanted a bigger payoff from completing its more difficult-levels, and I wanted the light version of the levels to have something to ease the difficulty. That said, Guayota was a great test of my logic and reasoning skills in the few hours I spent in-game. I loved the aesthetic, design, and general level construction, so it’s worth playing if you’re interested in an indie gem with unique puzzles for an afternoon playthrough.

Dolmen has wonderful visuals, interesting concepts, and a soundtrack that goes great with the feeling of the story. A sticking point could be the difficulty of the enemies and the issues with struggling to progress, which might make it hard for the players to stay engaged at times. That said, if you are looking forward to a challenge with tougher enemies than usual, alongside futuristic yet apocalyptic graphics, this is the game for you!

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers is really a Final Fantasy game in name and setting only. It features almost no role-playing elements and focuses much more heavily instead on exploration and adventure.

Stasis has its quirks and shortcomings, but its atmosphere and compelling descent into deeper and deeper levels of a proverbial Hell make it worth sticking through.

NBA 2K25 from developer Visual Concepts and publisher 2K has a lot of intriguing and fun modes it offers from MyCareer to MyTeam, and MyGM, if you love that sort of control. It seems to have a nice spread of goods that caters to almost every basketball interest out there. Sadly, its need to stay online for single-player experiences and its need for smoother less animation-locked gameplay mechanics hurts the experience considerably.

I am not enthralled with "The Crow's Eye" but the work put into the game is obvious. Overall the characters are the strongest, the platforming is solid, and the puzzles are... puzzling. Have fun losing your mind!

It is not a sin to put storytelling and intrigue above interaction and engagement. Abzu is successful in telling a sophisticated story inside of a game, I just wish its power had been used for surprise instead of satisfaction.

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes – Definitive Edition from DotEmu is a decent game thanks to a clever mixture of RPG, puzzle, and strategy structure. It has a compelling storyline that reminds you of an 80s/90s RPG gaming world, and it has plenty of characters to play around with on the battlefield. It falls short with unbalanced gameplay that always leans towards enemy advantage and the control mechanics that can be incredibly finicky at times.

Cyberpunk 2077 is broken on last-generation consoles. That doesn’t mean you can’t see the finer details of the game, but you simply cannot enjoy them because of that brokenness. Where the game succeeds is in story, beautiful RPG elements, and a strong amount of customization that makes it feel like ‘your’ game and story. At the same time, Cyberpunk isn’t unique as the game feels like an amalgamation of Fallout and Bladerunner. Ultimately, aside from the game-breaking bugs, the game has good aspects that could have been great with a little more time in development.

I do appreciate the Sega Ages titles right now, and look forward to more in the future. I also think that if they start creating more additional modes to these older titles, then the series will be an easy sell. Right now, the modes are decent, especially for younger gamers out there, so they add some value to the titles, but they need a bit more to them, though, to really sell everyone on them.

While I don’t believe that this game is groundbreaking for the genre, I think that it brought unique additions to it. The level design and art style work well with the subject matter of the game. The weapon component system and environmental hazards are a great feature that I have not seen implemented like this in the past.

I do appreciate the Sega Ages titles right now, and look forward to more in the future. I also think that if they start creating more additional modes to these older titles, then the series will be an easy sell. Right now, the modes are decent, especially for younger gamers out there, so they add some value to the titles, but they need a bit more to them, though, to really sell everyone on them.

Valfaris is a collection of conventional run ‘n gun elements amplified by one of the gnarliest and most committed heavy metal aesthetics ever pledged to pixels. Ideas that belong to Valfaris may not be as well tuned as the Greatest Hits it so liberally samples, but it’s easy to overlook in light of the vibrant carnage. Valfaris, in the parlance of its god, shreds.

The Spell Brigade separates itself from the pack of Vampire Survivors-adjacent games by letting up to four players engage in unruly, wave-based chaos. However, the power climb is locked behind a steep grind that takes too long to feel rewarding and players may yearn for more varied content to keep them truly invested.

Kunai is a wonderful game that I am sure rewards a high level of mastery over its mechanics. It looks great, sounds amazing, and plays quite well for the most part. However, the bugs I encountered and some of the lackluster designs throughout the game often made me either sleepy-bored or frustrated at being killed by events largely out of my control. It feels clunky at some points and I believe needs just a bit more refining but it is a great game underneath it all.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 does its best to continue the pattern of marginal advancement in Activision’s line of superhero brawler/RPG titles, but as much as it improves in the process, it fails elsewhere.

Battlefield 2042 is a good game at its core. It’s fun, frantic, and as engrossing as Battlefield has ever been. While the launch has been filled with a myriad of technical issues that I failed to mention in this review, those are sure to be ironed out over the next few months. The main issues I have with 2042 are some of its inherent design decisions. The majority of maps are too large to be impactful, the Specialist system has taken away a core aspect of what makes Battlefield work as a franchise, and the tone of the game is often at odds with itself. But through it all, I’m still enjoying my time blowing sh*t up, screaming and laughing with friends, and making more of those Battlefield memories.

Praey for the Gods from No Matter Studios is a game with potential. It has some good survival gameplay design and is an interesting open-world adventure that encourages exploration of its desolate landscape. There’s a lot to like here, though not completely perfect in some gameplay aspects.

The adventure to take down the gang showed off how the game itself worked. It actually provided room for mistakes and was easily forgiving at the start. Players new to this genre, and this game, will certainly appreciate it. As the game progressed, though, it became steadily more demanding. That’s not a bad thing, in fact it’s an impressive way to do things, as you always want to challenge players. A steady arc of difficulty is how you want an RPG to be built and Empyre: Lords of the Sea didn’t disappoint in that aspect.

Overall, The Suicide of Rachel Foster does its best to get you in that uncomfortable gameplay horror structure it aspires to achieve, and it succeeds in engaging and pulling you into the experience. The game just falls short in the story and never really brings the actual horror you would expect to the table, which hurts the gameplay. The long journey to start the horror and the payoff by the end doesn’t match up. That’s not to say you won’t get something out of the game, at least some mystery and suspense, but your expectations of what you should get and what you want to get will never quite come to fruition.

As it stands Battle Princess of Arcadias is a neat endeavor across divergent styles – and not much else.

‘NHL 26’ is a revamp and refresh. However, to me, it’s an incredibly hard game to justify buying from last year’s installment. In the game’s defense, I will argue this against those online who say ‘this is just a glorified roster update’ because I can tell there have been several little improvements to make things a better playing experience. ‘NHL 26’ is still a good game for me. Plus, I can see possible ways that modes like ‘Be A Pro’ can go in the future, especially with the updates to ‘Franchise Mode’ in ‘NHL 25’. I do feel like we are a goalie that’s been left out to dry in the third period late.

Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus from developer Squid Shock Studios is a beautiful game that features all the right magical moves to make this a challenging precision platformer but stumbles badly with imprecise controls that make what would be a good experience frustrating.

Catherine remains a skilled caricature of a hysterical, impossible man’s moral frailty and romantic insecurity. Characters and complications introduced by Full Body, however, lack the connective tissue and social maturity to support its expanded ambition. A tower-climbing puzzle game fused with a supernatural infidelity meditation, even in its spiraling convolution, still survives as a provocative oddity.

I've had more fun with Strikeforce on the PS3 than I've ever had with the Dynasty Warriors franchise. To me, the series was stale until now, and while not without its problems, Strikeforce moves Dynasty Warriors back into the realm of relevance.