The amount of quality content in multiplayer, and the ability to change Horde difficulty levels and play casual or competitive in Versus, makes Gears of War 4 a terrific deal, especially given the quality of the product.

Halo 5: Guardians is a smashing success. The campaign isn’t the strongest of the series, but it’s still a fun space opera romp, and it’s ending transforms the Halo universe completely...The phenomenal multiplayer makes this a must-have game, and probably the most compelling Xbox One exclusive to date.

This is an old game on a new system; I can't recommend it at full price even with the DLC. Besides, the best way to play is still on PC with mods. Even with the bonus of on-the-go, I can't go back to a modless version now. Oh, and the combat is still incredibly cumbersome, even more dated than the graphics...I give the game a Hold.

It has nearly all of the strengths of Human Revolution, but in a smaller, shorter package. The relative length, and the overall lack of evolution from a game made five years ago is striking. There are minor improvements, sure, but given how long it’s been, frankly I expected a lot more. I don’t regret my time with the game as I love this world, and gameplay is still a lot of fun, but what was revolutionary five years ago seems rather ordinary now, given that so little has changed.

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is arguably as good as the remake of the third Dragon Quest game, if not better. The stories of both games have also been fleshed out and tied together more coherently than ever before. While the third game in the Erdrick Trilogy defined modern role-playing games, it’s wonderful that the other two parts to this story have finally been given such genuinely excellent remakes.

Clocking in at around 7 hours and costing a slightly-discounted $40 at launch makes this the perfect extension of the Uncharted series.

Ninja Gaiden is back in a big way in 2025 with the prior release of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black earlier this year and soon, Ninja Gaiden 4 in just a few short months. But much to my surprise and delight, Ryu Hayabusa’s continuation into the realm of AAA 3D action elites once again does not mean the abandonment of where the series started this time around.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is probably one of the best remakes I’ve ever played. Doubly so, as it nails what made the original game so special. While some have had issues with how Japanese role-playing games work, the Wizardry lineage is also hard to ignore, so those criticisms are clearly moot and quite ignorant by this point. In any case, if you’ve never played a Dragon Quest game, then this is the one to start with.

This a long-term process as we figure out how all this comes together in the larger context of the game, and I will keep my coverage going accordingly. But reviewing what’s in front of me during this period, here we are.

Overall, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is still a solid game in terms of how it plays, but it needed more time and money to really make this a proper HD remaster. As such, this feels like a lost opportunity and something that should have been treated with more care.

Overall, it comes down to this; should you buy Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon if you already bought and played through Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon. The answer is an emphatic yes. There is a lot of new content in these Ultra versions to warrant an all-new playthrough, not to mention the swathes of improvements and other changes to the games. Considering how good Sun and Moon were, these new Ultra versions improve upon those games noticeably.

Those who will patiently (and happily) put in the time to building their ferries and cooking for their spirit friends will be rewarded with snippets of story that might stay with them longer than they expect.

Aspects of WWE 2K25, like The Island, won’t be for everyone, but with professional wrestling going through something of a renaissance spearheaded by WWE’s jump to Netflix, this game at least has something for every type of wrestling fan.

In today’s game industry, the argument can be made that playing old games lacks appeal. I’d never make that argument, but plenty of people do. However, releases like the Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection prove that maybe the missing ingredient for a lot of folks is just context. If you didn’t live this era of the game industry, then you don’t have personal nostalgia for these games. But a package like this, which treats the material with reverence and respect, can make a new fan out of anyone.

Gris is a wonderful, gorgeous puzzle-platformer with a unique art-style, a phenomenal score and a powerful yet subtle message. I was engaged from start to finish, unable to set it down (though I hadn't planned to play through an entire game in one sitting.) The ending is surprisingly poignant for a game with no dialogue and no text. The journey to that ending is endlessly creative and fun.

By accentuating its prior positives and offering real and tangible improvements to gameplay, FIFA 18 excels and is slightly better than last year's solid entry.

After spending more time with the game, I’m willing to declare that on the whole, Genshin Impact boasts an entirely better combat system than Breath of the Wild. Simply put, it’s more action-oriented, more diverse, more strategic, and more fun. [Impressions]

For the past three years, Konami has placed almost all of its focus on gameplay. That's a smart strategy, but the time has come for the developer/publisher to fatten up the other areas of their game. Were this review based purely on gameplay, the score would be much higher. As a complete package, PES 2018 is good, but still incomplete.

If you're only here for the campaign, there's no reason for you to buy Black Ops 4. But if you're a multiplayer gamer and enjoy battle royale games, there's plenty of great, addictive content to keep you playing for months on end.

From the trailers, we always knew Ghost of Tsushima would be pretty. But I was not expecting a combat system this engaging and fun, or a story this gripping and emotional. It is easily one of the best games of the entire PS4 generation, and given its competition, that’s saying something.

When I heard EA was bringing college football back, I was fully prepared to play a game of Madden with college uniforms. In all honesty, I would have played it and been mildly satisfied. EA delivered a much deeper experience that easily carves its own identity in every way possible. Once EA learns its way around the restrictions of the NIL situation, the series will go to an even higher level.

a very involved game, both functionally and narratively, but on each count, these aspects of the game can be awkward and difficult to fully understand, especially for newcomers. If you are one of the many people that have waited patiently for this installment and the chance to stick it to Xehanort, then you will definitely enjoy yourself a great deal.

Overall, Operation Night Strikers is an excellent collection of shmups from Taito’s glory days in the arcades. It’s a shame that the console ports are an additional DLC pack, but the core collection of games is still handled excellently by the retro game masters at M2.

With many of the smaller gaps filled from last year’s game, this is yet another championship-caliber season for Sony San Diego Studios. MLB The Show 20 does so much right that it’s foolish to spend too much time lamenting it’s flaws. Gameplay, visuals, improved customization and depth; it’s hard to ask for much more.

Madden 17 scores in many ways, and there’s more to like than there is to hate, but we can’t ignore the flags on the field. Gameplay, presentation and customization have taken strides, but there’s still work to do.

A very solid and engaging game. While the narrative is not all that involved, the combat and world exploration are a great deal of fun. My only hope is that more developers are allowed to explore similarly different approaches to gameplay, as this game only goes to show how much more gaming has to offer and that the Switch’s real strength is in encouraging functional rather than technological innovation.

Paranormasight: The Mermaid’s Curse has some small hiccups here and there. But much like its predecessor, it’s a gripping visual novel with waves of reveals that come crashing down. It’s not as frightening, but you’ll still be swept away by the currents of its raw and moving story.

MLB The Show 25 is REALLY good. It is stacked with options and well-fleshed-out game modes that will keep users’ attention for months individually and all year as a total package. While there are still a few elements that I’d like to see added, I feel comfortable saying this isn’t just the best version in the series—MLB The Show 25 is the best baseball video game ever made.