Kirby and the Rainbow Curse is a weird and beautiful game, but it's an odd fit for the Wii U.

A challenging game with a colossal chip on its shoulder.

While it has its quirks, Weird West is a bit of storytelling spectacle that seems to have been hand-crafted for diehard RPG fans.

It’s all a little Sesame Street in its approach, boiling everything down to a thin “we’re all just a little different” conclusion that feels insufficient. As clumsy as it may be, though, I can’t fault To a T for trying to craft an inclusive story that’s delivered with sincerity. It's heartening to see a video game story that centers disability and encourages players to connect with one another’s experiences through play. It’s not perfect, but nothing is. To a T challenges us to reject the status quo, both in the way it experiments with a well-trodden genre and in its story about embracing our differences. The view out your window is bound to get boring when you see the same thing every day.

Disney Illusion Island is a charming all-ages platformer that acts as a breezy introduction to the Metroidvania genre.

Every puzzle, every platforming sequence, and every boss fight is an absolute cakewalk — even by Kirby standards. Kirby looks good on the Switch, but this latest visit to Dream Land is too brief, too familiar, and too safe to provide more than forgettable fun.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown makes turn-based tactics feel as fast-paced as a John Wick brawl.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl play it safe, faithfully remaking two classic DS games -- at times to a fault.

While I’ll surely continue to chip away at my best times, Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition feels more like practice than the big game itself. It’s a great way to learn the basics of speedrunning, but the outlet for those acquired skills is in another castle. Maybe it’s all building toward the return of the real Nintendo World Championships. If that’s the case, cue the ’80s training montage music. I’m going big time.

Shadowkeep is an expansion that’s brimming with potential that it’s actually poised to capitalize on. Its campaign may be a lukewarm retread through the franchise’s history, but the endgame loop is feeling more robust than ever. If the game’s first post-launch update is any indication, Shadowkeep promises a compelling reason to return to Destiny 2, putting more emphasis on world discovery than an endless loot grind.

This is a series that refuses to grow, even as it chases an older audience.

I had as much fun here as I would have had watching a schlocky B-movie, but Dead Island 2 doesn’t do much to push the crowded (and dated) zombie genre forward. An underwhelming narrative and a general lack of creativity in mission design left me hungry for a more substantial meal. There’s a sharp-witted takedown of American privilege somewhere in Dead Island’s arsenal, an edge that was perhaps dulled down with age. For the series to survive another decade, it might need to hit the grindstone and craft a point that can actually pierce skin.

Beyond Light's weak story leaves a lot to be desired, but new stasis abilities help make the game feel fresh again.

Far Cry 6 is an outstanding game because it has a great design of mechanics and missions, its setting is authentic even with localization flaws, and the game does not drag on too long or become repetitive; on the contrary, just walking around the island and exploring the public and hidden routes is a satisfying activity.

Rusty Rabbit needed a tune-up, but there's still some treasure to find in its scraps.

The Crush House turns reality TV into the funniest puzzle game you'll ever play.

Another Code: Recollection left me with a lasting impression that's sure to keep my memory of the lost series alive.

Iron Man VR is an enjoyable superhero adventure that doesn't quite reach summer blockbuster heights.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl play it safe, faithfully remaking two classic DS games -- at times to a fault.

Thankfully, these issues don’t overshadow the impressive feat that Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 achieves. The sequel takes so many steps beyond its predecessor that it nearly feels like a different beast entirely. And the actual fighting at its heart? That’s what makes it an all-star.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is the latest in a long line of potentially great Switch games let down by sparse launch content. Strikers Club makes for a compelling competitive hook, but there’s very little to do in its off-seasons right now. That’s a shame, because the core soccer experience here is terrific. Matches are tense, team play is incredibly nuanced, and its Mushroom Kingdom cast shows more character than ever. Hopefully, a steady DLC rollout can liven the experience up over time, but Nintendo has yet to prove that it knows how to score with long-term support.

Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain is a shockingly addictive collection of brain teasers, but a slim package makes it a hard sell.

It’s the right level of strategy and team synergy for a micro-scale game like this.

Though its core treasure-hunting loop is tedious, there's a lot of charm worth digging up in Dragon Quest Treasures.

Though enjoyable, Assassin’s Creed Rogue plays like a greatest hits version of previous games in the series.

Nintendo Switch Sports is exactly what it needs to be. It’s an intuitive package of Wii-era sports minigames with more precise motion controls and full online integration. Addictive activities like bowling and badminton make it one of the Switch’s best multiplayer party games, though overly complicated minigames like soccer miss the simple appeal of the series. With long-term support planned, I’m hopeful that Nintendo can build up the currently thin offering and turn it into the kind of console staple that any Switch owner needs to have installed.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora tries to have its cake and eat it too. It wants to respect James Cameron’s cinematic vision by adapting Na’vi culture to an interactive medium while still packing in every open-world action trope possible. For a story about a race that only takes what it needs from nature, Frontiers of Pandora sure seems obsessed with excess.

Final Fantasy Origin will enthrall players with its dumb, but awesome story and approachable Soulslike gameplay.

Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is a valiant effort to merge together two niche genres but it feels a bit underwhelming. The premise of the titular Yurukill Games is interesting and the characters have compelling backstories but there needs to be more meat and narrative justifications for the shoot-em-up gameplay sections. Without spoiling anything, the game’s ending is indeed sequel bait. If this game’s shortcomings can be addressed in a follow-up, there’s definitely potential here.

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is fun enough to give frustrated Pokémon fans a solid alternative.

If you steer clear of the shop and online modes, there’s so much to enjoy in Lego 2K Drive. The colorful story mode alone is worth the price of admission, creating a version of Forza Horizon that’s much more welcoming to younger audiences and casual racing fans. It makes me feel like a kid again, playing with Legos in my bedroom. But every time I exit back to the main menu and see the shop, I snap back to being a world-weary adult who can’t help but be critical of unsettling business practices.

If you've played a game bySpiders, Steelrising is the same story. It's a game with lofty ambitions, aiming to compete with the best in the genre, but ultimately lacking the resources and polish to pull it off. I admire a studio stretching to push beyond its perceived ability, but working within limitations is crucial. If this is a path Spiders is truly committed to taking, I hope it can find its footing in its next project. The studio has loads of promise with its RPG experience and its ability to lay solid groundwork for action combat. But Steelrising feels more like a prototype than what the studio is truly capable of.

Gundam Evolution is a hero shooter that gives Gundam fans and new players a full product despite being free-to-play, though it's not without high item prices and tech quirks.

Is Outriders a sophisticated action game with a compelling sci-fi story? No. Does it feel fun to freeze a spider with an ice turret and shatter it with a well-placed sniper shot? You bet. Sometimes, that’s all one really wants from a shooter like this. It could use an offline mode for single-player sessions and a fair bit of maintenance, but it’s a solid foundation for an action game that respects its players’ time.

Watch Dogs: Legion is Ubisoft’s most ambitious entry in the series yet, and while it doesn’t disappoint like the first Watch Dogs, it feels aimless. Exploring London is a good time, but the game is never challenging, and the story makes very little sense.

Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite is already one of the most compelling fighters in quite some time, because it addresses the genre’s biggest problems in so many creative ways, while keeping play interesting for returning fans. The gulf between the skilled and the green, has been large enough that the fighting game community has become infamously insular. Infinite proves that basic accessibility need not come at the sacrifice of depth.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a real step forward for a series that’s been locked in a holding pattern for well over a decade. The open-world pivot successfully reinvigorates a stale premise by giving trainers more control over the pace and difficulty of their journey. Like every recent Pokémon game, however, deteriorating tech and half-hearted experimentation still makes it feel like we’re five years away from the franchise’s true return to glory.

Battlefield Hardline is a two-pronged success, with a killer cops-and-robbers story backed by a speedy take on competitive play.

Soul Hackers 2 innovates when it comes to RPG gameplay, but its story is a step down compared to Atlus' recent hits.

Minecraft Legends does a great job at making the real-time strategy genre more approachable, even if its campaign gets repetitive.

While Rainbow Six Extraction stands out within its genre and the Tom Clancy lineup of games as a whole, it rarely does so to its advantage. This extremely tough experience becomes more frustrating if you play it alone or with random players. If someone is looking for a very involved cooperative game to play with their best friends, Rainbow Six Extraction may grab their attention, but its repetitiveness and terrible grind may get to players after a while.

Samba de Amigo: Party Central is a charming hit of motion-controlled nostalgia, though inconsistent controller detection can be a buzzkill.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a real step forward for a series that’s been locked in a holding pattern for well over a decade. The open-world pivot successfully reinvigorates a stale premise by giving trainers more control over the pace and difficulty of their journey. Like every recent Pokémon game, however, deteriorating tech and half-hearted experimentation still makes it feel like we’re five years away from the franchise’s true return to glory.

Far Cry New Dawn doesn’t feel like a true sequel to Far Cry 5. Instead, it repurposes the map as a post-apocalyptic wasteland and cleverly places the focus on scavenging for resources to make Hope County new again. The overarching emphasis on crafting compels you to explore the map far and wide, completing objectives both big and small. The result is a more rewarding Far Cry with a wider variety of missions and a deeper challenge. The story is bad, but it doesn’t get in the way. Overall, it’s the best Far Cry game available on PS4 and Xbox One.

Days Gone may have excellent dialogue and enjoyable cutscenes but it’s obvious that its gameplay didn’t receive that same level of refinement. It fashions itself as a stealth game, but the stealth mechanics are sometimes unpredictable and the melee combat grows stale quickly. Its pivotal moments turn its hero into an action star, but gunplay is underwhelming and lacks any real thrill. Though it places you in a post-apocalyptic setting, the survival mechanics do nothing more than add monotony without ever raising the stakes...Sadly, Days Gone is the first real clunker of a PS4 exclusive.

Sand Land is a definitive adaption of a great Akira Toriyama manga, but just fine as a game.

Lords of the Fallen is a very good game, but its struggle to escape the shadow of the better games that preceded it colors every minute of the experience.

Hiroki's journey and his own always-spoken-aloud thoughts are what really hooked me into Trek to Yomi. The more choices I made for the samurai, the more I wanted to see how he would turn out by the game's end. It's not something I expected from the game, and it certainly doesn't redeem all of its negative traits, but Trek to Yomi's story is good enough to be more than something pushing players along.

The Medium is a chilling tone piece that's bogged down by retro influence and a protagonist that can't stop oversharing.

While not outright broken like Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) or Sonic Boom, Sonic Frontiers is a heavily misguided game that muffles good ideas with questionable narrative, technical, and gameplay design decisions. Sonic Team continues to demonstrate that it's not quite sure what to do with the blue blur, taking a wild swing with a game that tries to rival open-world games rather than double down on the strengths of newer titles like Sonic Generations and Sonic Mania, or older successes like the Sonic Adventure series.

Lego Horizon Adventures isn't a perfect fit, but Sony's charmer snaps together where it counts.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn doesn't quite do enough to make it stand out in a crowded genre.

Scorn is in conversation with H. R. Giger’s art, but it’s playing a game of telephone. Despite nailing the aesthetic it's going for with excellent sound design and striking visuals, it struggles to deliver the same intimacy that makes Giger’s work so unsettling. Even when it does, Scorn’s artistic ambitions and its video game obligations are often at odds with one another. Ebb Software makes bold design decisions here to achieve the perfect atmosphere, but those decisions make for a frustrating shooter and first-person puzzle game that never quite feels fully formed.

Pokémon Unite can be a lot of fun, but it’s not a must-play multiplayer experience. Pokémon and MOBA fans alike are likely to miss some of the depth of their respective titles, while the game’s supremely confusing menu system, pay-to-win microtransactions, and strange design omissions make it more difficult to recommend. There’s a good game deep in there, but it’s covered in layers of unnecessary material and bloat.

Digimon Survive is a game that isn’t just for Digimon fans. It has a great story and hints of brilliance in the gameplay, but each person’s mileage may vary with this one. It may be best to wait for a price drop before picking up Digimon Survive if you’re on the fence.

On paper, Mario Golf: Super Rush should be a hole-in-one. The core golf experience has never been better and multiplayer modes like Speed Golf offer a clever twist on the formula for casual players. There’s just not much to do outside of its short, disappointing adventure mode. Free DLC should help pad it out in the long run, but an overall lack of content leaves the package in the semi-rough for now.

Despite some cumbersome combat systems and performance issues, The Callisto Protocol successfully builds on Dead Space's legacy.

Players who aren’t willing to relax a bit and let Fe take some control of their experience might have trouble, but most everyone else will find an affecting, unique romp through the woods backed by touching moments and some of the most inventive design to come from a major publisher in ages.

Assassin’s Creed Unity may be an incredible piece of architecture, but that’s sadly all it is.

Madden NFL 23 is an improved game when compared to Madden NFL 22, but that isn't enough to make it good.

Immortals of Aveum is a colorful magic FPS that's sometimes too snarky for its own good.

When all is said and done, and Nazi Germany’s ego has been bruised by a couple of rad teenage girls, one fact remains — Wolfenstein: Youngblood is fun as hell. The goofy Blazkowicz sisters make it compelling enough to endure its sometimes annoying quirks. Bring a partner for best results. The game shines when you’re playing co-op alongside a friend.

The Isle of Armor improves on Pokémon Sword and Shield's open world experiments with a light expansion.

Doom VFR has some of the most satisfying and gratuitous action you can get in VR.

Harold Halibut makes some key compromises to make its eye-popping claymation art style work.

Knack 2 silences naysayers with innovative puzzle-platforming, even if its combat can’t keep up.

High on Life takes the right design cues from Metroid Prime, though uneven comedy makes for a hit-and-miss adventure.

It’s particularly frustrating to see Last Round struggle in terms of raw performance when it has no problem marketing its DLC.

I’ve played a decent number of RPG expansions in my time, and a majority of them have built on what makes the base game good. Whether it was The Witcher 3‘s Blood and Wine or New Vegas‘ Old World Blues, a good DLC takes the best aspects of the base game and raises them up while including a unique, new spin. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla‘s Siege of Paris is antithetical to that. The game’s best parts — its world and characters — are left in the muck, while a boring gameplay loop and heavy-handed story take center stage. Of course, some players will enjoy having more of the same to explore, but considering how long it takes to even finish Valhalla, I couldn’t imagine coming back for seconds. When I first arrived in the game’s version of Paris, I saw an exhausted, burnt-out land. When I left it, I could certainly sympathize.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a monotonous chore that spoils its charming premise with weak roguelike design and repetitive combat. The colorful, new visuals and endearing story give the remake a welcome dose of character, but the added features overly simplify the adventure. It might be enough to keep the franchise’s youngest fans occupied for a few hours, but there are plenty of other Pokémon games on Switch that deliver a more satisfying experience for all ages.

New Tales from the Borderlands risked ruining this series by focusing on a completely different set of characters and not really following up its predecessor at all. Thankfully, Gearbox Montreal proved that the Borderlands universe is still full of unique and interesting stories to tell, whether it does so in a first-person shooter or narrative adventure game format.

Kao the Kangaroo might not be the most innovative, difficult, or narratively satisfying platformer out there, but this game still nails the basics. As such, any fan of modern 3D platformers will find a lot to enjoy with this reboot of Kao the Kangaroo and maybe even be inspired to check out the forgotten classics Kao starred in.

Rune Factory 5 should satisfy fans and cozy game enthusiasts, but its not quite as friendly for newcomers.

There’s something special about the Battlefront games, and how they capture the excitement of the beloved films. Star Wars: Battlefront II excels on that front, like its predecessor did, and does it in a smarter, more interesting way. It also offers much more of that experience, with a single-player campaign and plenty of multiplayer modes rounding what feels like a fairly complete package...Still, Battlefront II is much less of a sequel than the Battlefront done correctly. It feels the same, and carries all the same problems, as its predecessor. With a fun but ultimately unremarkable single-player story, returning to Battlefront probably won’t blow many fans’ minds.

Brothership’s problems will look familiar to anyone who found themselves disappointed by games like Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam or Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Nintendo has seemingly convinced itself that every Mario RPG needs to have bespoke gimmicks. It’s not enough to give players a well-written story and iterate on a solid combat foundation; there always has to be a twist, or two, or three. Those layers drag Brothership down the longer the adventure goes on, making even its intriguing climax feel exhausting by the end.

Pixel Ripped 1978 brings Atari nostalgia to VR in a charming adventure that feels a little too removed from reality at times.

Costume Quest 2 is a classic JRPG, stripped of all the tedious baggage and wrapped in Double Fine’s impeccable writing and sense of whimsy.

The Casting of Frank Stone is more invested in Dead by Daylight than itself at times.

Atlas Fallen has some ambitious ideas for a game of its scale, but its poor presentation holds back a promising combat system.

While it stands on the shoulders of giants, World War Z does so proudly and with plenty of its own merits.

Soulstice's terrible camera holds back an otherwise ambitious and inspired action game.

Being online-only, Battlefield 2042 had to make up for its lack of any single-player content whatsoever with a variety of worthwhile online content. The game’s developers have not only succeeded in that regard, but they have gone above and beyond. All-Out Warfare is a fantastic evolution on the classic Battlefield experience, modernizing the franchise with more scale, spectacle, and ways to play than ever before. Battlefield Portal and Hazard Zone likewise shine in their own regards, with the former proving that it can serve as the base for players to create their own unique experiences within 2042. If any future Battlefield title omits these two modes, I might consider them incomplete.

Biomutant is a clear labor of love that’s loaded with imaginative world building. The in-depth character customization options create a more personalized kind of action RPG. It’s eyes are often bigger than its stomach, which can often result in a repetitive, at times unstable experience. Even with those flaws, it’s hard not to be charmed by a kind-hearted project with some environmentally conscious storytelling.

Warriors: Abyss is a shallow Hades riff that doesn't put its creative squad building hook to good use.

Whether you're a SpongeBob fan or just looking to get a new game for your kid, The Cosmic Shake is a solid choice.

Exoprimal demands a lot of patience, but those who stick with it will uncover a shockingly innovative multiplayer shooter.

Sea of Thieves feels a little thin, but its unique foundation has captured our imagination.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a must-play for the hardcore, but doesn't look after casual audiences.

The up-close-and-personal style of combat that id Software games are known for was the first milestone in Rage 2 and that’s reflected in the overall package. When you’re fighting, the game is at its absolute best. The elements around it don’t feel as if they received the same amount of love and drag the experience down a few notches. Fans of id Software games or anyone looking for a good old fashion Doom shooter will find it in Rage 2. Fans of Avalanche Studios’ sandbox games will want to stick with Just Cause 3 or 4.

Payday 3 doesn't shake up its predecessor's formula much, but a strong batch of initial heists sets the live service shooter up for success.

Alone in the Dark’s clumsy action and boilerplate occult story may be off-putting to new players hoping for a Resident Evil-like glow-up. Meet the remake on its own terms, though, and you’ll find a charming '90s horror homage that doesn’t turn its nose up at gaming’s roots. It revels in its old-school design like a dedicated cultist, even inviting Hollywood actors to dance around the fire with it.

Despite its inventive take on the zombie survival genre, State of Decay 2 struggles with technical issues. Cooperative multiplayer and flexible play may appeal to some, but its pacing issues and a barrage of bugs make it a hard sell.

Like recent mainline Pokémon games, Detective Pikachu Returns struggles to find a way for the franchise's wide-ranging fanbase to coexist. Childproofed investigation systems don’t leave much room for surprise in a string of heavily telegraphed cases. Thankfully, both kids and adults will find some common ground in a playful adventure that has a lot of fun bringing personality to the series’ various critters.

Vampire: The Masquerade -- Swansong is an intricate narrative adventure game that can be too dense for its own good at times.

The Outer Worlds is a fun game. It's just a shame the Switch port doesn't run better.

The Teal Mask contains your average monste- catching fun, but it doesn't do enough to address Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's biggest problems.

Valkyrie Elysium delivers an average action experience that fails to revive a classic RPG series.

There’s explosive fun to be had in Just Cause 4, but it’s mostly a rehash of old ideas.