Andro Dunos II is a fun reminder of an early 90s time period that featured some amazing arcade shooters that didn’t ask anything from its gamers other than to have fun. It’s a worthy sequel to its NEO GEO brethren.

At its core, Death Stranding: Director’s Cut is an inventory management game. The more you play, the more freedom you have to do things with that inventory. You can help others. You can hurt others. You can save citizens. You can kill them. You can grow your world. You can destroy it. Regardless of your decision, DSDC is a game unlike others in that your assumptions about core gameplay loops and storytelling are pushed aside in favor of exploring a disconnected future. For those who have yet to play DS, DSDC is clearly the iteration of DS that is worthy of your time given its iterations that are increasingly respectful of your time and patience while also giving you additional creative outlets to muck about. For those of you who were unable to get hooked into this game, then DSDC may not be the answer you seek in a cinematic experience. Give it a shot, though; I’d love to be proven wrong.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga isn’t a game made for me. I’m a 28-year-old who grew up watching and loving the prequels and was obsessed with the original Lego games. I came into this review thinking it was something that was going to blow my mind and change Lego games forever; when it’s a game that’s sole intent is to give the younger generation something to love. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a great game in the right circumstances, and I still loved my time reliving some of my favorite Star Wars moments through a Lego lens. It also gave me an appreciation for the past that I wasn’t expecting.

Weird West excels at presenting players with an engaging, interconnected world experienced by five vastly different characters. It’s a game where multiple decisions ripple through the narrative, resulting in outcomes both unexpected and practical. While its attention to detail may not result in varied gameplay, its portrayal of a deeply weird yet familiar version of the Wild West elevates this CRPG in interesting ways, making WolfEye Studios’ debut a noteworthy homage to its roots.

Chinatown Detective Agency is a very good adventure game that mixes old-school concepts across several genres into a set of mysteries that are replayable. While it isn’t perfect due to its saving system and some minor mechanic issues, it offers up a fun experience in the long run.

Sifu gets a lot more right than not, and though I typically can’t stand to play games that force heavy-handed repetitive loops, I found myself enjoying Sifu too much to put it away for long. Playing Sifu is a cycle of emotions; it’s tough, fun, frustrating, and rewarding, not always in that order. I think Sloclap did a solid job overall and I would also point out that the game is priced very reasonably at about $50, too. If you enjoy detailed, authentic martial arts action, Sifu is not only one of the only choices out there, but it’s a great one.

The next-gen upgrades alone have added depth to much of the gigantic world of Los Santos, and it's...beautiful. Just beautiful. I can't figure out if it's because I'm a nostalgic ex-Los Angelino or because of Rockstar's success in continuously refining and polishing the environments. Either way, there are multiple reasons to praise the next-gen version of GTA V and GTA Online, but be warned that the new player experience is still much to be desired compared to other MMOs. If you own a PS5, you should definitely take advantage of trying out GTA Online before it becomes a premium game in a few months.

Harlow is a spectacular experience that brings everything you would want and maybe didn’t expect in a puzzle-driven game. It has great gameplay design, clever levels, and a presentation that will keep a smile on your face.

Ghostwire: Tokyo is a brilliant experiment in the clash of style and substance. Tokyo exists as an open world reminiscent of older games whose design may now feel ancient. Yet Tango Gameworks infuses nearly every aspect of the journey with a new, weird twist that no developer has thought to do before. Combat is striking and frenzied, even if it never reaches true complexity. And while the side content and the story may falter in their variety, enough praise cannot be heaped on the handling of Japanese folklore and the devotion towards cultural expression. Ghostwire: Tokyo may not be for everyone but I guarantee there is something in it for every single player to love.

Six new tracks by Daniel Deluxe, new Trophies and collectibles, and a refreshed progression system round out the major differences between Hel and its base game. For the most part then, Project_Hel is quite a lot like Ghostrunner, which makes sense. Ghostrunner is pretty unique though, so if you didn’t like it, you probably won’t like Project_Hel, either. However, those who did enjoy it should find enough differences, and similarities, with Project_Hel to make the most of it, and enjoy the additional context to the base story along the way. In conclusion, Project_Hel is a must have for fans of the base game, but safe to skip if you aren’t already a fan.

Pinball FX3 has scored another pinball hit with Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure. While it isn’t perfect, it still brings a good pinball experience to the Pinball FX3 family.

Ambling around a cursed utopia and interrogating its eccentric characters while listening to jazzy, saxophone-obsessed electronica remains a fitting masquerade for a mercurial murder mystery. Almost two years after its first release, Paradise Killer’s commitment to its vaporwave aesthetic remains a model for creative fiction and an amusement park for industrious detectives.

Off the top of my head I can’t think of another game with a backstory like Cyberpunk 2077. It’s fortunate that CDPR were able to spend the last year-plus continuing development of the game, listening to feedback, adding content, and fixing tons and tons of issues. Many games would simply not have gotten the extra time and money spent that Cyberpunk got, but this time CDPR got it right. Now is the right time to play this game; I’m not saying it’s flawless and perfect, but it’s nearly so, for such an elaborate, massive game. This is the game we were hoping for back in December 2020, but I’m reminded of the adage ‘better late than never.’ And that certainly applies here.

Overall, Shadow Warrior 3 was fun to play through, but I’m glad it ended relatively quickly because the gameplay loop is very repetitive. Flying Wild Hog has some great ideas here, but the lazy arena battle design and some (not all) lackluster level design needed to be more robust and creative. As it plays now, the gameplay is just paper thin like an arcade game — and I love arcades games, but those are short by design because they don’t have enough substance and breadth to hold the player’s interest for very long. All that said, I still enjoyed playing through Shadow Warrior 3 mostly, though I won’t be coming back for seconds. With due caution, I recommend it to anyone that enjoys the franchise or likes a raw run and gun FPS experience, and especially if you can play it on PSNow or GamePass.

Gran Turismo 7 is a game made for car enthusiasts. It wants to ignite a passion in players for the expansive, rich world of vehicle customization and racing simulation. Polyphony Digital’s dedication to creating one of the most realistic simulations on the market shows in every drop of rain and every reflective sheet of metal. While Gran Turismo 7 may not be for everyone, it provides curious players with an engaging system of progression that will slowly reveal the depth the game has to offer. From breakneck speeds at the Daytona 500 to moonlit races at the Tokyo Expressway, Gran Turismo 7 is a technical marvel and a PlayStation 5 spectacle.

‘GRID Legends’ is a damn fun simcade racing game. While it’s not the most riveting story, ‘Driven to Glory’ is honestly a fun and intriguing story to make you want to keep going for hours and hours. The gameplay and overall game quality are solid, but not perfect, and visually it’s worth the time and energy ripping up the street or the track. EA and Codemasters are working to make this game evergreen with upcoming content and what they describe to be a cool online mode (didn’t report on that due it error issues on my end). This is definitely worth your time and money for sure.

Elden Ring is a masterpiece. From its expertly crafted open-world design that rewards the player for taking the chance to explore to its riveting lore, FromSoftware has delivered what can only be described as a deliberate and thoughtful experience. While some of its visual stylings are starting to show its age already, Elden Ring’s gameplay is the result of years of fine-tuning to be as rewarding as it is challenging. Many wondered if FromSoftware could put the level of detail into an open world that they have with their previous games. They’ve achieved that, and so much more.

KOF XV is a heck of a fighting game that spans a massive, rich history. Personally, I would have loved a bigger focus on local play, and less-to-no focus on online multiplayer, but I get that it’s 2022 and fighting games can’t survive that way. As is, the local, offline offerings are pretty slim; fun, and serviceable, but pretty slim. Netcode and presentation are solid. I thought the graphical choices SNK went with for KOF XV were great. All-in-all, there’s a lot to like about this release. I’m not sure what SNK plans for paid DLC, but suspect there will be more than thirty-nine fighters in the roster when it’s all said and done. At release, KOF XV is technically sound on all fronts and fun to play. It’s great to see this series still getting serious attention from SNK, and hopefully the fighting community will be moved to support this classic franchise.

CrossFireX gets little to nothing right, and I don’t take pleasure in saying that. On a technical level, yeah the graphics and framerate and such aren’t bad, but you won’t get to enjoy them because I think you’ll be too distracted with all of the other problems in the game. Voice-acting, the script, the AI, controls, story-telling, the intensely lazy and generic feel of it all, the push for microtransactions — the game is asking players to overlook or otherwise deal with too much. Now, I am an optimistic and forgiving person by nature, but what SmileGate, Remedy, and Microsoft have done here is absolutely regrettable. This game has issues that even patching cannot fix, and I’m typically the first one to point out that games can often be much improved by patching. CrossFireX, though, has problems that run too deep and too broad — and I can’t recommend this game to anyone.

In sum, it’s clear to see that Nightdive Studios poured their hearts into this effort and the result is another outstanding product. The original game by Lobotomy and Playmates was a real gem that deserved a lot more recognition than it ever got. Thankfully, with the power of the KEX engine and the passionate crew at Nightdive, PowerSlave gets its time in the spotlight that it well deserves, and priced at just $20, too. PowerSlave Exhumed is well worth adding to your library.

To say that Warp Frontier is a letdown would be mostly glossing over how it succeeds as a point-and-click, but saying that it’s an indie gem would be overlook some of the more critical issues that exist in-game. The world and story of Warp Frontier are well developed, yes. The voice acting and soundtrack are icing on the imaginary cake. But, this sci-fi cop drama of a point-and-click is best saved for a PC-playthrough, as the Switch’s hardware and controller limitations make some of the game’s annoying puzzles into frustrations. I would highly recommend you play this on PC, as your experience will be marred by the Switch.

Infernax truly doesn’t feel catered to anyone that hasn’t, at some point in their life, been broken by the unruly math of NES programming, quality control, and a sadistic developer. I can understand that frustrations will stem from an easy-to-spot point of inspiration but I can also understand that there will be players who have no tolerance for it. Thankfully, Infernax‘s wonderful mood and aesthetic are coupled with modern design choices. Upgrade paths, multiple spells, a brisk length, and tons of odes to the past push Infernax into a title worth remembering.

Horizon: Forbidden West is a must-play game, no question about it. But for those looking for the same awe Zero Dawn instilled, expectations may need to be tempered. Conversations will almost assuredly be had over the next few months in regards to where the franchise is headed, and I’m excited to be having those conversations. But for now, we can all sit back and enjoy the Forbidden West.

Lost Ark is a wonderfully fun MMOARPG with a compelling story and unique gameplay. If you can wrap your head around it all, that is. The game itself is a breath of fresh air with its 2.5D style and fast-paced combat. However, for an "open-world" RPG, Lost Ark takes its time opening the world to you. A barrage of info-dumps for lore and tutorials make Lost Ark overwhelming at first. With some time, exploring, and no shortage of patience, you can see what Lost Ark really has to offer.

Grapple Dog is an excellent proof of concept for a 2D action platformer that requires you to swing through levels and traverse through the air as an adorable pup. While I did enjoy the gameplay despite the quirky movement, I couldn’t help but wish there was more, as Medallion Games are onto something fun, charming, groovy, and unique with Pablo. I hope to see this game optimized and updated for the Switch, as the gameplay issues I encountered slightly detracted from this short but sweet indie platforming gem. Need I remind you to pet Pablo every time you complete a level? Please give him all the pets; he deserves it.

Akabaka made a fun dating simulator based on a crazy narrative with Sucker for Love: First Date. Much like in real life, as each date occurs the game gets better and better, but also like in real life, it is still flawed in some areas.

Digital Eclipse and publisher Nighthawk Interactive did a fantastic job with bringing three Disney 16-bit classics back to the current generation of gaming and offered up additional content to justify the reasonable price tag. One can only hope that they can get ahold of more Disney-owned gaming content *cough cough* LUCASARTS *ahem* and bring it back to life. Until such a time, they did a heckuva job with the Disney Classic Games Collection. While not perfect, it’s still a worthwhile trip down memory lane.

OlliOlli World is an absurdly intricate game. Yet it is lovingly approachable. Roll7 has been working with this series for almost a decade and their efforts have bore exceptional fruit. In the path to achieve Gnarvana, players will encounter an exuberant world populated with a wild cast of characters. The series’ move to 3D has paid off. But more importantly, the complex mechanics of its tricks and combos have been polished to a luxurious sheen, rewarding players of all skill levels and degrees of dedication. I can think of few things I would change about OlliOlli World aside from more and more levels and hundreds more cosmetic options. As it stands, though, the game is bursting at the seams with finesse, eclipsing what was already a near-perfect harmony.