Minecraft Legends is an action-strategy game that doesn't take itself too seriously, making it an easy game to hop into, while simultaneously lacking the depth to keep hardcore fans of the strategy genre coming back. The extra Monthly Challenge and PvP modes add some much-needed variety that helps compensate for the main campaign's shortcomings. Ultimately, Legends has a great foundation for future updates and is a good game to play over a long weekend.

Fan service it may be, but RoboCop: Rogue City does just enough to stand up on its own merits. There's not a lot of depth to it, and it retreads a lot of old ground, but the charm just about shines through.

It’s hard not to feel like Star Wars Battlefront II should’ve been better than what it is. While some like to think that the implementation of loot crates is a worse crime than that of killing younglings, in reality it just proves to be uninteresting and makes it more likely for me to bounce off of the multiplayer sooner rather than later. The real disappointment falls upon that of the campaign which I clearly had too much hope for. It’s not a story that I would say I hate more than sand, but it also isn’t memorable at all.

My favorite artistic element of The World Ends With You has always been the soundtrack, which is carried over successfully in Final Remix.

Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope is a decent RPG that has many ambitious mechanics and puts a lot of focus on story development.

Last Day of June doesn’t feel like it takes place in a virtual reality, it feels like it takes place within a beautiful, breathing summer painting.

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk's gameplay would definitely stand toe-to-toe with other licensed musou games like One Piece: Pirate Warriors and Dynasty Warriors: Gundam, but maybe this game could have strayed further away from the typical musou formula like what fans saw with Attack on Titan. Instead, it seems Omega Force played it a little too safe.

Given that we’re now officially halfway through the season, Episode 3 of A New Frontier feels more like it is just getting started rather than reaching a big revelation or story point that feels like it will guide the remainder of the season.

Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission does an admirable job at replicating the original Japanese arcade game on the Nintendo Switch.

Ruffy And The Riverside has a lot of cool and new ideas, but doesn't always execute on the necessary basics. The hand-drawn levels and characters are awesome, the semi-open world is fun to traverse and works well as a collect-a-thon, and several gameplay switch-ups and surprises along the way feel refreshing. Unfortunately, the few bosses and enemies present here are quite bland, and though the environmental puzzle-solving is initially unique and rewarding, it eventually stalls out in creativity and challenge. Overall, Ruffy ends up feeling a bit inconsistent, but it's still a cute, enjoyable indie that has me looking forward to future efforts from Zockrates Laboratories.

Overall, the result is quite charming. I'd not call Quartet's visuals "innovative," but they're executed well, with clear thought and care put into those nostalgic sprites.

Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception is definitely a game that’ll appeal more to fans of visual novels as opposed to SRPGs. The strategy sections are a nice break from the game’s mountains of dialog but they’re not too memorable outside of being a short break from the bulk of what you’ll be doing early on. The game is pretty long and does drag at the beginning, but fans of the visual novel genre should find a lot of what they’re looking for.

My favorite mode in Mirage: Arcane Warfare is the 3v3 Arena. In this mode, players are pitted against each other on a small map, keeping the action fast-paced and entertaining.

I enjoyed my time with Black the Fall because I am a fan of these kinds of atmospheric 2D puzzle platformers that tackle heavy themes.

Something I would recommend to those who either grew up with these games or just enjoys them in general. Since they are straight ports, if you didn’t like them before, nothing in this collection is going to change your mind. I wish I could give it a higher score because of my love for Disney, and I probably would have if these games were fully remastered, but the fact of the matter is you are more than likely only going to be playing DuckTales and DuckTales 2.

While some parts of Luigi’s Mansion may be beginning to show their wear, by and large the game is still just as much of a quirky, experimental romp as it was 17 years ago.

There is a good game buried underneath all the usual tiny developer fodder: unfunny in-jokes, unneeded cameos, the ultra-hard mode(s), the obsession with 80s and 90s gaming and pop culture, the detailed sprites. More energy should’ve been put into making more memorable environments and bosses, a more well thought-out leveling system, and a stronger story that used NPCs more than once, and fleshing out the already engaging ‘gunseed’ mechanic.

Police Stories is a solid tactical shooter that is great to play together with a friend. It is a short experience with a story that doesn’t really matter but is competent enough to fulfill its role. I’m hoping that more levels are added in the future because the entire game can be completed in six to eight hours. Even with the small tweaks that need to be fixed, Police Stories offers fun gameplay and the need for extensive communication in co-op, which is exactly what I wanted and expected.

The game acts like a quick Super Mario campaign with an accompanying endless collection of levels — and endless Super Mario levels is never a bad thing. Despite a fantastic new delivery system found in Super Mario Challenge, too may of the downgrades strip the components of Super Mario Maker that made it a breakaway success on Wii U.

Fitting between an arcade racer and a sim, Project CARS 3 tries something new with the series, but doesn't feel like a huge step forward.

While Aeternum doesn't do anything to avoid the pitfalls inherent to the MMORPG genre, it lessens their impact with flexibility and smart multiplayer mechanics. The Grind falls to the wayside while dynamic, fast-paced gameplay takes center stage. Married with a setting that diverges from MMO predecessors, New World: Aeternum offers an experience that will keep players invested, and enjoying the whole ride.

Of Mice and Sand -Revised- is a positively charming title. It’s a cute and entertaining world that I would love to come back to if Arc System Works could find a way to make a second trip more compelling with additional gameplay options.

The Red Strings Club isn’t afraid to stop you in your tracks with its dialogue — to challenge your ideas and principles — but in the pursuit of this it too often fumbles.

8-Bit Hordes doesn't do anything special but will provide a fun and comfortable experience to new players of the real-time strategy genre.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated is a nostalgia-filled time machine that brings back the golden age of the license while adding a fresh coat of paint.

As it stands now, STALKER 2 is fun and has a lot of potential, but it would be unfair to call it good. You can easily sink 100 hours into it without noticing, especially if you have a deep love for previous iterations. However, the performance issues, overall inconsistency in many areas, and clumsy presentation will hold this game back until a major overhaul comes.

Elden Ring Nightreign is a game that's likely going to split FromSoftware players in a way we haven't seen before. In addition to being a clear departure from what fans expect from the studio, it's also a title that 100% hinges on the team you experience it with. Play with Elden Ring pros, and it can be a blast. Play with average Nightfarers or casual matchmakers, and it can turn into a slog. This leaves the game in a little bit of a No Man's Land, too punishing and brutally tuned for the mass audience the new genre format wants to attract, and perhaps too much of a departure for some of the longtime fanbase. Nightreign can be really fun once you adjust to it, when everything clicks, when you have the perfect team of three, when the RNG is friendly, and when you have a lot of time on your hands to chip away at final bosses with ridiculous amounts of HP. Sadly, the repetitive nature and balancing issues also can make it feel like a series of the world's longest Soulslike runbacks ever—over, and over, and over.

Borderlands has always been known for its likable characters, and the protagonists introduce in New Tales From The Borderlands continue this grand tradition alongside a well written story. The characters play very well off of one another and grow before our eyes as they each dive deeper into their own psyches. But the lack of innovation in the gameplay is disappointing after this many years, which makes New Tales From The Borderlands mainly worth checking out for fans of the series.