The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a truly generational game. It improves on all aspects of its predecessor, Breath of the Wild. The narrative balances various tones and progresses the character arcs of its major protagonists, while introducing new and compelling NPCs. Further, the gameplay only enhances one of gaming's greatest sandboxes with a new fantastic line of abilities, activities, dungeons, and boss fights. Everything about Tears of the Kingdom is perfect, and as far as I'm concerned, it's one of the best games I've ever played in my entire life.

Despelote is a great autobiographical narrative that will likely strike a chord with you if you grew up watching events such as the World Cup. While the repetitive gameplay and strange controls are frustrating, the presentation, story premise, and charming moments are more than enough to immerse you in a specific and unique era in history. Plus, with the short runtime and small price, if you like short and sweet games and have a passion for football/soccer, then this is a must-buy.

At this very moment in time, I am actively thinking about replaying the game once again. I wanted to re-explore Hyrule, meet the new champions again, and go back and do some of the side quests I missed. If you have never even played the game before, I invite you to give it a shot. While the price may be a bit much, I promise you that you will come away with an unforgettable experience that you will remember for the rest of your life. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild may not be the best game ever made, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a contender.

NeverAwake FLASHBACK expands on the original game with an arcade-style roguelike structure and route-based difficulty system, but struggles to build on its foundation in a meaningful way. Heavy repetition, reused encounters, and unclear progression undermine its attempt to stand as a full sequel rather than a DLC expansion. While it introduces interesting ideas, the lack of substantial innovation and payoff makes FLASHBACK a confusing and ultimately underwhelming experience.

Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons carries the tried-and-true Bubble Bobble gameplay that fans are familiar with, but the lackluster dungeons and repetitive nature of the game will certainly turn players off. The game lacks a compelling hook with its progression system, and by the time you get to the post-game, you'll likely be exhausted. At the very least, the pack-in Bubble Symphony game is nostalgic and offers a fun arcade experience that lessens the blow of the brutally repetitive main game.

By the time I wrapped up my time with The Good Old Days, I found myself appreciating the story the game wanted to tell more than the game I actually played. There is something very meaningful buried here, but it is weighed down by repetition, awkward mechanics, and a lack of refinement that is difficult to overlook.

UNBEATABLE is a frustrating mess. While there's a great gameplay and narrative premise, it's often undermined by frequent glitches, strange writing, and a focus on random minigames, exploration, and platforming instead of the core rhythm sections. Even if all the bugs are fixed, I struggle to recommend this game for other players.

While I never had that phase where I was obsessed with skateboarding and Tony Hawk as a kid, Skate Story managed to trigger an element of nostalgia with its carefully crafted use of both style and substance. I can only hope that Sam Eng has more content to add to the experience at a later time, but for now, I’ll just settle for listening to the Blood Cultures soundtrack on loop.

At its best, Tokyo Xtreme Racer delivers racing thrills like no other game will. Battling at high speeds while weaving through traffic gets the heart pounding. This new entry doesn't bring too much new to the table, but it never had to anyway. It's a solid modern conversion of old gameplay ideas.

If you’ve never had a chance to check out the Yakuza series, the Nintendo Switch 2 has opened the door to one of the best ways to experience it. The first three entries are all excellent on the console, and you can immediately be prepared for Kiwami 3. Playing handheld is a blast, and the ability to quickly throw the Kamurocho brawls on the big screen is hard to beat. Even as a longtime fan, I’ve found a reason to go back and replay these fantastic games thanks to these rereleases. Keep them coming, SEGA.

Considering how long ROUTINE took to make and how this is Lunar Software’s first game, the overall game is an absolute marvel. It isn’t perfect, but I was enamored from beginning to end with its beautiful aesthetic, terrifying setpieces, and unnerving narrative. I can’t wait to see how Lunar Software progresses its craft with its next game.

When the credits finally rolled, I found myself wanting not just to play the game again, but with the desire to play through more entries in the franchise. I’ve officially fallen in love with the Metroid franchise, and regardless of what the future brings, whether it’s a new 2D game or a new entry in the Prime series, I will be there no matter what. Regardless of whether you’re a fan or on the fence about the new additions to the Prime formula, or if you’ve never played a Metroid game before, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is an absolute must-play.

If you are looking for your next survivors-like addiction that will eat up all your free time, it will unlikely be Reverie in the Moonlight, because there is not enough variety in the gameplay or level designs to draw you in the long term. It’s really fun to play in short sessions, and I could imagine booting this up occasionally for a 30-minute or so run, but that would be it. Because of this, I would only recommend this one to hardcore fans of the genre who like its distinctively cute aesthetics.

The Fable: Manga Build Roguelike is an interesting game. Its core gameplay is a fun mix of strategy, deckbuilding, puzzle, and roguelike game elements. Battle mode could be fleshed out more, but it’s still a good time even if it is short. The core fights are fun, but they get paired with uninteresting minigames and subpar rewards. As an adaptation, established fans will probably be happy, but I don’t see it making new ones. While I have some problems after all that, this is still a fun time that feels very satisfying at times. I would recommend giving The Fable: Manga Build Roguelike a shot, just for how it nails the feeling of reading a manga you like. You might not play it much longer after that, however.

Pirate Warriors 4 is a great One Piece game and an excellent Musou game. The PS5 version, albeit lacking new content, introduces new visual enhancements that make for the best way to play this adventure. Returning players may find less incentive to set sail on this journey again, but new One Piece fans beginning the voyage should be delighted with the extensive content available in the Legendary Edition.

Old School Rally is a great arcade-style racing game that has a pleasing PlayStation 1-era aesthetic and fun, addicting gameplay that's easy to pick up and play. The game pays homage to the sport of rally with several unlicensed cars that strongly resemble their real-life counterparts, so players aren't missing out on car variety. Although it's not innovative, Old School Rally is a joy to play for racing game fans.

Octopath Traveler 0 delivers the series’ most cohesive story yet, backed by its sharpest combat system and a surprisingly addictive town-building feature. By blending a focused narrative with a large, memorable cast and wrapping it all in gorgeous HD-2D visuals, it stands as both the strongest entry in the franchise and one of the best JRPGs in years.

If Activision and the numerous studios working on Call of Duty wish to make a game worth buying each year, the answer is innovation. It’s time to be bold and try something new. You have a problem as an annual franchise when players are constantly asking what’s new in this year’s entry. The market is not going anywhere—that much is clear with EA propelling its Battlefield franchise to bigger heights than ever. However, if Call of Duty cannot find a pathway to be creative, I fear the franchise will only continue to stagnate, becoming only a memory of what once was.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is not perfect, but as a huge fan of the Marvel universe, I was certainly not disappointed by the finished product. The use of fan-service and both obscure and iconic characters in the narrative is so well done, the gameplay mechanics are extremely fun to play around with, and the art style is a treat to look at. While there are problems with the game's difficulty spikes, limited replayability, short runtime, and lacking soundtrack, the strengths of the overall experience far outweigh its weaknesses.

In creating a game that won’t appeal to everyone, Sakurai has created an experience that never fails to be entertaining if you choose to challenge yourself with something beyond your comfort zone. Personally, I loved Kirby Air Riders and immensely respect the courage it took to make a game like this. While I’ll always wish that there was more content, as a completed game, Air Riders stands as a contender for my favorite Nintendo game released this year and my favorite of the major racing games that have launched recently.

Whether it’s beating up yakuza on the streets, managing a cabaret club, or helping Kamurocho and Sotenbori’s citizens out of a bind, Yakuza Kiwami 2 offers so much content that will keep you engaged. On Switch 2, the portability factor simply cannot be understated, now that we’ve gotten to a point where the limitations players faced with the original Switch aren’t as prevalent. If you’re a Nintendo fan wanting to get into the Yakuza series, there’s no better time to do it than now.

Retailing at just $14.99, there is more than enough here to make it worthwhile. Device 6 and Year Walk are easily worth the price of admission alone. Additionally, Simogo has included prototypes of earlier versions of its games, an audio drama, a short story collection, and a ton of concept art to peruse at your leisure. There is more than enough here for those interested in the history of Simogo.

Goodnight Universe is a fantastic take on the "interactive story" genre. It features a beautiful story, a great cast of characters, and a beautiful art style. Even if the gameplay is limited, the few segments that are present only add to the strength of the narrative, as you get to step into the world of a psychically-powered baby and all that entails. At such a small price and with a short runtime, Goodnight Universe is great if you're looking to immerse yourself in a science-fiction look at the wonder of childhood.

I encourage Bandai Namco and the development team to make even more optimizations over time. The Switch 2 version can be even better, even if that 60 FPS target doesn’t get hit in the future. The rollout of Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO DLC is also vital, and I hope Switch and Switch 2 users won’t be far behind the other consoles in terms of content. Everyone benefits from the hype of new DLC releasing at the same time on all platforms, after all.

Kingdoms of the Dump is a wonderful RPG held back by some glaring technical issues. Despite this, it still stands tall among other indie RPG throwbacks over the last decade, deserving the attention of anyone looking for a cozy game to envelop themselves in this Winter.

MotionRec is a game that lives and dies on its gameplay mechanics. The concept of being able to record and replay your movements never gets old, partly thanks to the introduction of new gimmicks you encounter throughout your journey. While the game lacks a recognizable soundtrack, memorable levels, and an intriguing narrative, the charming visual style and exciting gameplay more than make up for it. If you're looking for a charming and short puzzle platformer, then MotionRec is definitely worth your time.

The problem is that Titans of the Tide is pretty good if you’re only looking at it from a family-friendly perspective. If you’re looking at it compared to other 3D platformers on the market, though, it comes up lacking. As such, I would recommend this game to younger audiences and people who are diehard fans of the SpongeBob series, or if you’re someone looking for simple, mindless fun. If you’re looking for something more elaborate as a fan of The Cosmic Shake or other 3D platformers, though, you may be better off looking elsewhere for your Spongebob fix.

After I beat Dispatch, I felt a new void in my chest; I wanted to see more of these characters interact. There were countless moments where I felt invested in the story to such an extent that I was almost emotional. There are very few games I’ve played in my life that have pulled that off, and I am thrilled to say that Dispatch joins that list. The game doesn’t just revitalize the genre that Telltale innovated: it is easily one of my new favorite games released this year. In fact, when all is said and done, it may end up as one of my favorite games, period. I cannot wait to see what AdHoc does next, but I will be counting the days until we can see more of Z-Team.