Borderlands 3 comes with great growth in gameplay, but a safe story that had the opportunity for so much more.

Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection might satisfy some of the hardcore Ys loving fans of Falcom, but I feel like this game will do more for any gamer who is intimidated by the developer’s other series and bigger titles. It’s a shame that I waited so long to get into the Zwei series, but I’m grateful for a chance to play such a fun and amusing action RPG in a time where serious story premises seem to be all we get.

“Dense and tense” is how I would characterize this game. Not dense because of the amount of content in the game (there really isn’t too much), but by how much is happening on screen for the player to keep track of. It is tense not in story stakes or in-game punishment, but because of that internal desire to plan around these chaotic situations to avoid getting hit even just once. It is a smooth experience overall, with some nuanced gameplay wrinkles that resulted in some exasperation.

In Paranormasight: The Mermaid’s Curse, everything feels familiar if you played The Seven Mysteries of Honjo. It cultivates the same structure, tone, and even soundtrack, but with some fine-tuning to the gameplay and a narrative that doubles down on psychological suspense. It has no direct ties to the first game, so you can jump right into the sequel and enjoy it to the fullest without the previous experience. Square Enix continues this visual novel series with immense personality. It delivers a complex, layered story filled with twists, supported by a simple yet efficient game design. The meta-narrative touches remain the star of the show, binding story and gameplay into a creative and immersive package that is simply hard to put down.

Erica stands as the best FMV game available on consoles.

To see a small studio like Easy Day Studios create something that is not only reminiscent of the games that clearly influenced them, but overall improves on what its predecessors did, is heartening. Sure, it has its fair share of flaws, but none of them take away from how much fun I’ve had. Skater XL has successfully brought back the skateboarding genre, and I am eager to see how Easy Day Studios supports the game moving forward.

Outside of those small technical issues, the third episode of The Walking Dead: The Final Season still manages to reaches many of the highpoints of the series’ earlier seasons with a great blend of tense action and poignant character moments. While some might have expected a bit of a snag with the behind-the-scenes troubles that occurred midway through its season, The Walking Dead hasn’t lost a beat in the second half of its final season, and in just a few months from now we’ll finally get to see the conclusion of Clementine’s story. Based on how “Broken Toys” plays out, I’m looking forward to the end of Clem’s tale as much as I am anticipating it to be a heartbreaking finale.

The art and character design is some of the best I’ve seen from a lighthearted visual novel.

Far Cry 6 successfully manages to reinvent the formula into the best version of the series. If you have never touched a Far Cry game, or have been irked by some of the changes since Far Cry 3, this is your entry point. Even better, it is one of the few games that have come out since the launch of PS5 and Xbox Series X to deliver a full AAA experience that doesn’t feel rushed or unfinished. Along with the buttery smooth framerate from the Xbox Series X, this feels like one of the first games made with next-gen as a priority. Far Cry 6 is an amazing journey in one of the most expansive iterations of the series to date. With explosive performances from the whole cast, it’s a game that old fans and intrigued wannabe guerrillas shouldn’t sleep on.

Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada… shouldn’t be seen as anything less than the best companion to Samurai Warriors 4.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is an excellent Metroidvania game that encourages exploration and experimentation. It’s incredibly fun to solve its many puzzles and finding that perfect shard combination feels fantastic. Fans of the genre will be very happy with this release. That said, I also think it’s a solid entry point if you’re wanting to see what all the hubbub is about. Igavania is back, and the video game world is better for it.

Redfall is an open-world shooter where you can creep through a spooky mansion alone at night, then link up with some friends to take on a giga-vampire in another dimension. It's weird, and it's the right kind of weird.

Splatoon 3 builds upon the excellent foundation that was previously laid out by the prior two games, now offering the most balanced experience between its multiplayer and single-player content. Even though it may not be groundbreaking, the numerous improvements and extra content in the game make Splatoon 3 the best entry in the series to date.

WarioWare Gold manages to be one of the most consistently enjoyable and funny 3DS games in recent memory.

Aside from those few stumbles, City of Light overall succeeds as an action-packed finale to Batman: The Telltale Series and Telltale’s vision of the Batman universe.

Hell Is Us is a rare gem that we don’t normally see in the gaming industry. It’s more than a game that simply “doesn’t have waypoints or quest markers.” Instead, it’s an engaging experience that truly trusts the player’s intelligence, curiosity, and active listening skills. Figuring out how to progress the main story or its side quests through pure investigative work is immensely satisfying and constantly rewarding, to the point that I couldn’t put the controller down. It feels as if Rogue Factor has created its own genre in a way, similar to how FromSoftware spawned Soulslikes. The game’s only true disappointment is the lack of enemy variety and minimal bosses, which can result in the combat growing stale pretty quickly.

Where else can you play a video game over days if not weeks with email notifications letting you know when your opponent has moved?

VA-11 HALL-A should be a must-buy for indie lovers and VN junkies alike.

Disc Room provides a difficult experience for those looking for a brutal challenge that you’d be happy to brag to your friends that you’ve accomplished. Even though there aren’t many accessibility features available, as a title that was created by a four-person team, it is still surprising to see the number of options that are there for players who need it. Alongside having dedicated challenges, there is also a speed run timer and more options to make your time with Disc Room even more unforgiving. The demanding level of challenge in Disc Room makes Devolver Digital’s latest title a game that I think most people can and will enjoy, even if there might be some rage-induced screams at the same time.

From its quirkiness in its aesthetic to its unique level design and progression, Reroll kept me entertained from start to finish while holding a polish that you should expect from a remaster.

Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is the best entry in the series. It’s also just a ton of fun, in case you were worried at all that killing endless waves of giant bugs and aliens could be boring. I hope future entries will adopt and adapt everything Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain has added to the series. It’s certainly a better game for it and retains so many of the things longtime fans have come to love about the series. I’m happy to report that the EDF is back in business.

Grind and jank aside, there is nothing else like a Mount and Blade game, and Bannerlord is undisputably the best one yet. Its uniqueness alone makes it worth playing. To talk about it that way is to do it a disservice though; the true marvel of Bannerlord is that it actually delivers on what is an astonishingly ambitious concept. The two halves of the game complement each other perfectly. It may be on a slow boil, but once it gets up a head of steam, you won't be able to put it down.

Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers is a great attempt by developer Omega Force at merging classic Warriors style gameplay with SRPG mechanics. However, the game might be a bit too easy when compared to more hardcore tactics games like those found in the Fire Emblem series or Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together. Even so, Godseekers provides a great entry point for fans to be introduced to a new genre while keeping that over the top action gameplay.

If you are a regular Fire Emblem fan and have previously experienced the other Nitnendo 3DS adventures, you are going to have an absolute blast with Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. However, without the high bar of quality we’ve seen in the previous two games, Echoes may not hook newcomers the same way.

Screamer ends up being exactly the kind of surprise that reminds you why you fell in love with racing games in the first place as a kid. It’s bold, a little chaotic, and completely committed to putting gameplay front and center, even when a few rough edges manage to show through. Between the unique twin-stick handling, the risk-reward chaos of the Echo System, and a story that leans hard into its over-the-top anime inspirations, it manages to carve out an identity that feels both fresh and nostalgic. It’s not perfect, but it doesn’t need to be because when everything clicks during racing, Screamer is an absolute thrill to play. For anyone craving an arcade racer with personality and depth with a riveting storyline, this is one worth taking for a spin at full throttle.

Antonblast is not only a love letter to the neglected Wario Land series, but it's also a great game in its own right, standing tall with incredible animation, a super distinct visual style, and an overwhelmingly awesome soundtrack. Everything in this game comes together seamlessly, and even if the visuals can be a bit too overstimulating and the bosses aren't much to write home about, the game underneath it all is extremely solid, fun, and frantic. Everything together makes for one of the most fun games I've played this year and an easy recommendation to any platforming fanatic.

With the addition of the Champions League and improved gameplay mechanics, it provides enough realism to its presentation while still being fun to play.

While its transition to a semi-open-world structure may make for a radical change from what fans may expect from the series’ third installment, Metro Exodus expands on what has made the series so unique from anything else with a compelling mix of action, stealth, survival, and horror. Much like how the Aurora has brought Artyom and his companions to new, uncharted territories, Metro Exodus is bringing the series into a new direction that seems to have so many possibilities.