If I could go back, even for a moment, to the mid-90s era of coin-operated arcades, I would seek the closest facsimile to Nosebleed Interactive’s arcade that is so perfectly constructed within Arcade Paradise VR. Until a time machine becomes available, I’ll settle for putting on my PSVR2 and playing some familiar arcade titles that translate pretty darn well in the VR space, Sense controllers and all.

The Crew Motorfest‘s beating heart is its diverse playlists, exemplifying the vast beauty of Hawaii and its many racing opportunities. Extolling the virtues of car culture and history, players will interact with unique scenarios meant to hone their skills and extract blistering speed out of a massive roster of vehicles. With one of Ubisoft’s best worlds to date and a constant stream of rewards, The Crew is in top gear.

The simplification of the GUI, the easier, faster and better career mode and the inclusion of a bigger deeper online component make GT6 one of the best in the series.

Although the game can feel a little underwhelming when it comes to rewarding you for collecting all of the Grenkins and got a bit glitchy towards the end, the real reward from playing I Am Dead rewards you with good storytelling and a life lesson about life, death, and knowing where you come from.

Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection from developer and publisher Digital Eclipse exceeds expectations. While the collection doesn’t bring all gaming gems to the surface, it brings enough good arcade and console translations with new features and improved controls that make it an easy sell. To boot, the documentary about the series’ history is well done and also worth the price of admission.

Shadows of the Damned has a lot going for it, and a few drawbacks as well, but the point to take away is that it's just a really fun game to play through.

In realm of creative game design, Stacking is a champion and the star of the show, Charlie Blackmore, is a video game folk hero. In the way that it fuses its charming atmosphere with its witty mechanics, Stacking is endlessly delightful.

Ultimately, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny is a superb adaptation on an established and great franchise.

NHL 18 continues to build on the success of last year’s title by making subtle but impactful refinements throughout the game. The new skill stick options give you a wealth of ways to slice through defenders, fake out goalies and light the lamp. And the improved AI make pretty much every on-ice engagement a smoother, more enjoyable ride. The real surprise of this release, though, is the NHL Threes mode. Far from the cheap schtick it appeared to be, Threes actually offers roster management, unlockables and a lengthy tour of opponents spanning multiple regions and leagues requiring a significant investment of time.

F1 2011 may not be a huge leap from 2010, but it's an improved leap. It brings better car physics, improved graphics, smarter AI and just an overall tighter feel to every facet of the title.

Treyarch puts together a solid care package for Nintendo gamers with a very competent, competitive, and nigh complete version of Black Ops 2.

Often in spite of itself, SEV2 is a really fun and captivating experience whether played solo or with a friend.

NHL 13 has definitely improved in all important areas from last year. You get better presentation, better AI and a better overall experience. NHL fans will love this game.

Crackdown 2 is as fun and addictive as the original. It may not be the sequel everyone was hoping for, but if you enjoyed the original you will find plenty to like here. Easily one of the best games of the summer, and one I will be playing for a long time to come.

Madden NFL 13 is strong in certain elements of gameplay, such as the addition of Connected Careers and its improved presentation. With that said, it still has room to grow, but it certainly is more focused and enjoyable, as a whole, than any other Madden titles prior.

An old classic revitalized and modernized in the right ways, preserving its core and best features while streamlining other elements to make it not only more enjoyable, but also more penetrable for the average player. Highly recommended.

Knights in Tight Spaces from developer Ground Shatter and Raw Fury is an exceptional game that shows how well a turn-based card game can be when given a thick amount of strategy from good gameplay design and a branching story to help push it all along. While it isn’t perfect, it’s still a bar set for future games in this genre.

Persona 3 Portable remains the definitive version of Persona 3, albeit a relic of Persona‘s past. Compared to the star quality of the entire Persona 5 series, I can see a world where a newer Persona player may be confused about the lack of animated cutscenes, a battle system that is focused around solely controlling the main character by default, a point-and-click-esque navigation system outside of dungeon-crawling, and a forgiving-but-still-simple Social Link system. I can also see a world where veterans may be expecting a remaster that incorporates the media from Persona 3 into the skeleton of Persona 3 Portable, breathing new life and character into a classic RPG. Looking past these quibbles, Persona 3 Portable remains a stellar JRPG, and it looks, sounds, and plays better than I remembered.

It's always encouraging when a classic series gets revisited and the result is this good. Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time is an excellent game for the whole family, and it's being offered at a stunning value.

A true classic revitalized that's easy to recommend to anyone who enjoys a great story, with bonus content to boot for those interested in videogame development or history.

Beautiful, fluid, and tactfully modernized, The Wind Waker HD heavily preserves its base while adjusting the ingredients when absolutely necessary to correct the original’s most glaring imperfections.

At $20, this is honestly a bargain, especially considering the appeal of the first three titles in particular. In terms of quality, I’d rank them (perhaps unsurprisingly) as such: X, X2, X3, and X4. But they’re all worth experiencing if you’ve never done so before, and with the terrific presentation, true-to-form gameplay, and extensive bonus content, Legacy Collection is certainly the best way to go about it.

A successful reboot of a classic that manages to meld game design from the old school FPS days with modern elements, giving players the best of both.

Zet Zillions from developer OTA IMON Studios is an addictive roguelike deckbuilder that doesn’t quite reach the likes of Balatro but certainly proves its worth in replayability and thick strategy. While it isn’t completely perfect in some elements of its design, it’s still one of the better games of this genre that I’ve played in 2024.

Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines is no exception to Medallion Games’ track record of fun retro platforming but with a modern engine and clear design. Swinging and gaining momentum takes a smidge to get used to (just like the previous title, for what it’s worth), but Grapple Dogs is forgiving enough to let the player fail gracefully and improve their platforming mastery bit by bit.

SteamWorld Heist II from developer Thunderful Development is one of the deeper gaming experiences I have run across in 2024. It contains a hefty amount of strategy in its gameplay while offering up a bigger and richer variety in its exploration and gameplay options. It can be restrictive at times with its gameplay progression but not enough to run the experience.

As far as presentation, Unavowed has twice the resolution of a typical Wadjet Eye title (640×360), but more importantly the art work looks great. Voice-acting and dialog is nicely done, and you can also enable a commentary track as you play to learn more about the development. In sum, if you enjoy the genre, you’re sure to enjoy Unavowed.

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is something that is worthy of your gaming shelf. It certainly has some growing pains it's going through, but for the most part it's a very competent and fun MMORPG.