The PlayStation 5 release of Starfield was the game's second chance, one where it could have been shaped by player feedback, kept out of Baldur's Gate 3's shadow, and shown to a whole new audience in a fresh light. That chance has been wasted, as what's here isn't that much different from the 2023 release. Starfield is somehow bloated and yet empty, overly complex and yet lacking. It's a universe of wasted potential, one that struggles to get the player invested in its reams of content. It's not a bad game by any means, but it's definitely lacking in substance, and anyone seeking an experience with the same level of depth and engagement as Bethesda's previous outings will want to look elsewhere.

KuloNiku: Bowl Up! is a short but solid entry in the world of cozy games. If you like games like Cooking Mama or Tavern Talk, then you'll probably enjoy this. It has a warmth that's perfect for running a restaurant that serves soups. I know I'll keep revisiting this game just for the joy of its cooking system and for the delightful nonsense that is the existence of cooking competitions called Meatbrawls. I sincerely hope that Gambir Studio either expands on KuloNiku: Bowl Up! in the future or that the developers simply continue creating cozy games, because their style is perfect for me.

People of Note is a game that’s positively bursting with love for classic RPGs, music theory and culture, and the people who like both. It’s got an earnest, interesting story with diverse, likable characters, and smartly-designed, cleverly-implemented combat and stat-building systems. Compared to some similar RPGs, it’s a little on the leaner side, and the relatively minor presence of rhythm mechanics is disappointing. Still, overall, it’s a rock-solid, highly-enjoyable experience, and I’d wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who likes good, ol’ fashioned turn-based combat and musical references. Also, if and when they release an official soundtrack, I will play it on loop until my speakers wear out. Especially the Irish battle music, that track is straight fire.

It's honestly tough scoring Super Mario Bros. Wonder + Meetup in Bellabel Park. The base game, Mario Wonder, is still excellent, but it's a three-year-old title at this point. You can also pick up the Nintendo Switch version for cheaper and not feel like you're missing out on any content. Despite my issues with Bellabel Park, it doesn't make Mario Wonder a bad game. If anything, it just makes the newest version one worth picking up only if you're looking to play with your kids or younger siblings. They'll undoubtedly love what's in store for them. If you're like me, though, and were hoping for something along the lines of Donkey Kong Bananza, Odyssey, and the original Wonder content, you'll be disappointed.

MARVEL MaXimum Collection brings together some heavy hitters from the 1990s in terms of comic book video games. Featuring six titles across thirteen total versions, this superheroic collection is a wave of nostalgia that is well worth the price of admission if you've ever been a fan of Marvel Comics. The games are a blast, and it also features some excellent bonus content. Online appears to be rather dead, unfortunately, so keep that in mind before you jump in.

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance is the first new game in the franchise since 2003's Defiance. It really misses the mark on quite a few things, not the least of which is its story, which tries valiantly but just doesn't succeed in a meaningful way. In many ways, it's a step backwards and makes the franchise's most defining feature feel like a throwaway. It also just feels so bad to play, and if you were even a casual fan of Legacy of Kain back in the day, there's not much here I can really recommend outside of hearing Michael Bell and Simon Templeman again.

Super Meat Boy 3D isn't exactly a massive leap for the franchise when compared to other side-scrollers that have made the jump to a new dimension, but that's okay. What's here is the high-level, fluid, and precise platforming you'd expect, and that fans of the series have come to adore. Yes, you will die thousands of times by the end, but that's also the point. There are small design hiccups here and there in terms of a few levels that don't feel fair, a couple less memorable bosses, and the added depth sometimes playing tricks on your brain. At the end of the day, however, Super Meat Boy 3D is a blast, and I'm looking forward to shaving off tenths of seconds from my record times on each and every level.

Darwin's Paradox! is a special little mascot platformer that feels like a throwback to the PS1-era, but with all the sheen and quality of life improvements of the modern day. It's overflowing with charm, smart ideas, and fun gameplay that's all paced perfectly from chapter to chapter. As adorable as the game is, the narrative doesn't hit the highs of the Pixar films it seems to be inspired by, and it ends pretty abruptly on a cliffhanger. That, combined with some occasional checkpointing headaches are really the only blemishes on an otherwise completely lovely experience. Play this game. We don't get ones like this often.

Life is Strange: Reunion feels like something I wasn’t sure we’d ever actually get—a sincere, tender, and heartfelt goodbye to Max and Chloe that understands why people fell in love with them in the first place. It’s far from perfect, with its technical hiccups, underdeveloped side cast, and that lingering illusion of choice holding it back from true greatness. But where it truly matters, it delivers. The mystery narrative holds its ground with a slew of twists and red herrings thrown at you. Most importantly, the emotional depth (finally) lands with a kind of honesty the series has been chasing for a few years. This isn’t about surpassing the original; it’s about making peace with its past. And somehow, against all the stacked odds, Deck Nine manages to pull that off in a redeeming fashion. If you’ve been on this journey since the beginning, it feels like closure, the kind that quietly sticks with you long after the credits roll as you're waving goodbye.

For all the good World of Warcraft: Midnight does, there are decisions being made that hold it back from being an all-time great expansion. I've said it before, but I'll keep saying it: the add-on changes feel like they were done with no real plan in place. Preys are a great feature, but I want to see a long-term vision here, especially because Delves are now delivering that vision. I'm excited to play through Midnight's seasons and experience everything the game offers heading into The Last Titan, but I also hope that Blizzard lets the dev team fully cook. It feels like they didn't with Midnight, and it's a shame.

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection brings three of the iconic Capcom mascot's most niche titles. Star Force continues the tradition that started with 2001's Battle Network, combining card-based combat with light RPG elements and exploration. The games themselves have aged rather poorly, with somewhat basic combat and a game world that is determined to tell you what to do at every turn. So long as you don't mind dealing with some oddball design choices and long-winded stories, you could get a lot of enjoyment out of this unique, albeit flawed, Mega Man card game.

Marathon is hands down the best extraction shooter on the market. From the gunplay to the way the game handles the distribution of story, there's a lot to love in Marathon. While the quality of life could be improved in some respects and some of the UI elements could be adjusted, the overall game stands as a testament that Bungie knows how to make a good game. The biggest issue the game will face is appealing to the less hardcore players and getting them to stick around, but with Bungie continuing to iterate on the game, things will likely work out just fine for this unbelievably fun extraction shooter.

MLB The Show 26 is still one of the best sports games in town, but it's starting to show its flaws. Despite all the advancements and positive additions, it's getting harder to ignore some of its issues. For the first time in recent years, I'm not sure if MLB The Show is worth the money. For all the good the game does, I can't keep ignoring all of the mounting issues.

Ariana and the Elder Codex is a game that gives you exactly what you see on the tin. It's a straightforward 2D action RPG platformer that won't take up much of your time, but it won't break the mold either. If you are an enthusiast of this style, it is worth giving it a go for the gameplay, since the narrative is unremarkable. However, if you don't care much for action platformers or still have others in the genre to cross off your backlog, then Ariana and the Elder Codex might stay on the sidelines for a while.

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.

Crimson Desert combines all the phenomenal aspects of some of the most notable titles of the past decades. It has the sense of discovery like Elden Ring, a deeply engaging and dense world like Skyrim, unpredictable moment-to-moment gameplay like Red Dead Redemption 2, and the exciting exploration and overall feel of the latest Zelda games.

Like most of the Sherman tanks exposed to the elements in underfunded museums, Sherman Commander is a work of art that could really use another finishing pass. The game accurately captures the role of a tank commander in World War 2, and the individual units are exciting to lead, but the amount of micromanagement required means you spend more time staring at the map than inside your tank. Still, there are moments where it all comes together, and you get to see why this is a game like no other.

There are good ideas in 1348 Ex Voto, but they're undercut by the shoddy implementation of its systems. The voice cast carries the game, with several amazing performances woven throughout. Unfortunately, the whole experience is letdown by a variety of glitches, fundamental design flaws with the combat, confusing levels, and several jarring story transitions that make it seem as if 1348 Ex Voto was shoved out the door before it was ready.

Pokémon Pokopia is a truly special, once-in-a-lifetime game that changes the entire landscape of the genre. There may be nothing new or revolutionary here, but that's not the point. We were sold a cute, fun, and charming Pokémon spin-off that could hold our cozy gaming hearts over until something like Tomodachi Life or the next Animal Crossing releases. What we got was a game that questions whether or not we'd be willing to put Pokémon Pokopia down when those games come out.

In its best moments, John Carpenter's Toxic Commando is an unbelievably good time. Even in its worst moments, it's still a pretty solid zombie shooter with some great set pieces. That being said, any problems with the game can and probably will be fixed in time. The janky bots and frustrating solo player experience definitely make things a little rough around the edges, but underneath that is a fantastic game that will absolutely exceed your expectations if you give it a chance.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake. While it may not necessarily be as scary as the original released in 2003, it does have its moments of greatness when it comes to scares, and there will be times that even the biggest survival horror fans have to take a breather. The stars of the show here are the atmosphere and story, both of which are so incredibly well-made, do the original justice, and validate the need for this remake to see the light of day. However, the combat is a major let down and definitely won't be for everyone. The controls feel outdated, the movement speed is excruciatingly slow, and those two mixed together can make for a rather frustrating experience at times. Still, if you were a die-hard fan of the original Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly, you'll enjoy what Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo have created here.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is a huge step in the right direction for the franchise. The story is easily the best in the franchise, and while the gameplay still has problems (like the insistence on using AI-controlled party members), it's much better than its predecessor, and made me far more engaged with the combat and Monstie growth mechanics. ​​​​​​​Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is way better than Monster Hunter Wilds, and hopefully reflects a brighter future for the series.​​​

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition may be irresponsibly contributing to poor naming conventions in video games, but it's still an absolutely wonderful experience. Unfortunately, it's difficult to recommend it to series veterans, as there's nothing here beyond the performance upgrades as far as new content goes. The performance upgrades are pretty good, and come in at a fair price of five bucks, but unless you've got another 50 hours to kill, you'll be doing just as well replaying it on the original Switch.

WWE 2K26 isn't a perfect game. It suffers from too many technical issues, and I'm not sold on the tweaks to its core gameplay being a net positive, even though they make sense. That said, WWE 2K26 does so many good things that it's still worth it. This year's version of The Island is a massive improvement, and I cannot stop playing it, especially progressing through Tower runs. CM Punk's Showcase is an excellent presentation, and MyRISE is another successful story. Overall, WWE 2K26 is still another solid entry in the WWE 2K franchise, but I can't help but wonder where it could have landed. It reminds me of the recent LA Knight spot from this year's Men's Elimination Chamber match. He's got the crowd in the palm of his hand, he's ready for a big move off the rope...and he slips. He's still over with the crowd, and I think that's how things will ultimately land with WWE 2K26, but I have more reservations this year than I did last year.

I expected a little more from iRacing Arcade. What's here is a very simple and easy to understand racer with a very approachable learning curve, which makes it a decent entry point for genre newcomers. It is pretty consistently fun, but it also makes some confusing decisions between available game modes, totally omits some base level racing game features you'd expect, and has a lack of gameplay depth even compared to other arcade-style titles. It's still a good time and worth checking out (especially at the price point), but I don't think it'll become a staple of my racing game lineup.

Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen have their fair share of annoyances, especially for people who have only played the modern games, but once you get adjusted to them, there's a solid and fun Pokémon experience to be had. Anyone with a nostalgia for Kanto will be right at home here, but the slower pace might make it trickier for newbies to get on board. Just be ready to take off the rose-tinted glasses.

Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is the latest in Crystal Dynamics' efforts to bring the franchise back from the dead. It is packed to the brim with content, including deleted levels and a playable demo of one of the franchise's most compelling canceled entries. If you've been exploring the series for the first time thanks to the remasters, you're getting one of the most outstanding mainline titles in the franchise, and a deep dive into what made this game so special to begin with.

In Scott Pilgrim EX, you can truly feel the care that the developers at Tribute Games poured into every character, scenario, enemy, and boss. It is a sequel that respects its roots while remaining unafraid to evolve, representing a massive leap forward compared to the first title. It perfectly blends everything a high-quality beat ‘em up needs with the franchise’s signature nerdy humor. It is an unexpected and extremely fun way to expand Bryan Lee O’Malley’s universe, being literally impossible not to laugh throughout the journey or to have a blast with its nonsensical plots and over-the-top bosses. Ultimately, it is the perfect kind of beat ‘em up for a pizza night with friends – and this one even comes with a bit of extra spice to make things even more interesting. The only major downside is that its main story is too short, and I finished it wanting even more.