There were moments where I had an absolute blast, but the entire package is a bit lacking.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is a surprisingly deep pseudo-prequel to one of this generation's greatest games. A compelling story, fluid combat, and an interesting world will do more than enough to tide fans over until Breath of the Wild 2.

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is a wonderful catalog of some of gaming's best music, but it fails to inform new players about what makes the franchise special.

The next-generation version of NBA 2K21 slightly improves from its predecessors in some areas but is not the leap we were hoping to see the series make.

Altogether, this year’s entry in the Call of Duty franchise is as solid it gets.

Microids' remake of XIII is the equivalent of injecting a deadly virus into the structure of the original game that results in nothing more than corruption.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a great platformer filled with charming levels, fun combat, and a lot of challenges to complete.

As a showcase for the PS5 and DualSense, Astro's Playroom is more than just a tech demo; it's also a playful and remarkably fun platformer.

The Falconeer is an ambitious title developed by one person. It aims to be an open world air combat title but doesn't completely stick the landing.

With all these new additions and improvements, I guess the answer some of you are looking for is whether Observer: System Redux is worth checking out if you’ve already played through the original. Well, there are several answers to that question. If you haven’t played it already, and you really dig horror and sci-fi stories, then you should absolutely play this game. If you played it and enjoyed it the first time, like myself, then yes, you should totally play Observer again. If you are looking for a game to show off your new toy to your friends or specifically want to see what cool new things Bloober Team added to Observer: System Redux, then you can definitely skip this one.

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a worthy follow-up to the previous installment, even if a lot of the core DNA has remained the same. Despite some rough edges, the experience as a whole is one that’s hard to put down once you get entrenched. This proves to be doubly true if you’re playing on PS5 and are really looking for a game that’s going to show you what this next-gen leap is all about. Even though the first game in this new franchise from Insomniac might still be the one that I prefer overall, Miles Morales gives us more than an ample taste of where we could see this series going in the future, which makes me quite excited, to say the least.

Tetris Effect Connected innovates further on 2018's mesmerizing, beautiful and addictive iteration of the Tetris formula, introducing a stable of tried and true multiplayer offerings, as well as a delightful new mode.

Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition is the definitive next-gen Devil May Cry experience. This iteration took what was already one of the best action games of the last console generation and refined everything from the performance to the visuals. Even if you’ve experienced this game before, it’s worth a second look for all of the added enhancements. And if you missed it the first time around, this is the version to play. Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition really is the whole package and a must-play for action fans.

Bright Memory is a profoundly bland experience riddled with hints that the game was never meant to be played anywhere but PC.

While the full MSRP for Pikmin 3 Deluxe might be hard to justify, the port is the definitive way to experience the best entry in the series.

Cloudpunk is miles away from being an enjoyable ride in a pixelated cyberpunk world.

At the end of the day, the traversal alone is enough for me to recommend The Pathless. It’s just fun to get from place to place using your bow; everything else is just a bonus. The overall story is good with performances from Laura Bailey and Troy Baker, the different environments are vast and beautiful, and while the puzzles have a wide range of difficulty, they’re still fun to figure out. It’s just a shame that there’s no synergy between each individual gameplay loop. The Pathless is absolutely worth your time if you’re looking for a game with a sense of adventure and a rich atmosphere.

Ghostrunner will challenge you, but before long you'll be a bonafide cyborg ninja and feel cool as hell in the process.

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin delivers a remarkably in-depth set of mechanical systems. The interplay is impressive, even if the execution is somewhat flawed.

Perhaps the biggest hindrance to writing this review was simply that I wanted to keep on playing. At its best, Yakuza: Like a Dragon has had as much heart and character as any of the strongest games in the franchise. At its worst, it’s still been a game that I can’t get enough of. The team’s writing has continued to improve with each installment since Yakuza 0. Yakuza 7 is well on its way to letting Kasuga rub shoulders with Kiryu’s greatest adventures. Sadly, I still haven’t seen how it ends up, but nearly everything I have seen has been wonderful thus far. It’d take a Final Fantasy 7 Remake level of poorly executed endings to really sour the experience, yet even then, I can say that Yakuza: Like a Dragon would’ve been worth it.

With its fun story and entertaining characters, Young Horses' Bugsnax is a charming game that shouldn't be missed -- whether you play on PS4 or PS5.

With a near-perfect blend of old and new, Valhalla is the best Assassin's Creed title in the past decade.

While Descenders offers a fun downhill mountain-biking romp, it's constantly held back by the Switch's lackluster hardware.

While there’s definitely fun to be had with Fuser, the not-particularly-musically-gifted people (like myself) may struggle. The budding Calvin Harris and Tiesto’s of the world, on the other hand, will surely find enjoyment in the game.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered isn’t going to set the world on fire. However, it’s important to remember the dumpster fire that this franchise has been languishing in for the last decade. If a boringly good remaster is what it takes to get us back to the series I grew up with, I’ll more than take it. Hopefully, Criterion uses this momentum to deliver something that finally puts Need for Speed back on the map.

Dirt 5 is a content-rich, diverse arcade racing game that is unlike anything else among racing titles of this year. Codemasters’ new direction in the Dirt franchise might not be what veteran off-road enthusiasts would’ve expected. Still, Dirt 5 accomplishes its mission of expanding to a broader audience with engaging arcade-y gameplay, and sets the series off on an exciting new path.

There are certain things that don’t quite connect and a handful of plot holes that stick out, but Dark Pictures: Little Hope is definitely worth your time if you’re a fan of the genre or liked Until Dawn and were disappointed with Man of Medan. It’s a game that’s best enjoyed when being played with a group of people to shout out which decisions to make and pass the controller around. At its best, Little Hope is chilling and gripping and creates an internal conflict in the player between wanting to press on and being too scared to see what lies behind the next door.

Watch Dogs: Legion offers an incredibly vast recruitment system that wonderfully complements its hacking mechanics while boasting the darkest story in the series.