It does something different from other RPGs currently on the device through its action-styled gameplay and town-growing focus, and the end result is a unique and enjoyable romp.

The word that immediately came to mind when first jumping into Return of the Savage Planet is ‘joyful.’ It's an out-of-pocket word to pick for a goofy indie space exploration title, but immediately after booting it up, everything from the voice acting and setting to gameplay and humor made me smile. There’s an undercurrent of love found on every screen, with the small team behind the game weaving their passion and playfulness into each pixel. A bigger team doesn’t necessarily mean a better product, and sometimes, all players need is a little chaos, an electric whip, a few fart jokes, and the promise of (hopefully) more adventures on the horizon.

A fun experience with tons of content to grind through but Battle for Neighborville never gives players meaningful incentives to stick around long enough to see most of it.

Need for Speed Unbound feels like it comes to a stop before it ever gets going. The polish in the moment-to-moment gameplay cannot be ignored, but as a whole, Need for Speed Unbound is just another forgettable entry in the long-running franchise.

The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is undoubtedly the new standard for Demon Slayer games, and it does the material justice. CyberConnect2’s prestige animation is the star and its decades of designing interactive narrative experiences and action combat also show through, even if the studio is playing things safe. Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is a smooth ride through familiar territory, and it doesn't need to be anything else.

As expected, Wildlands is at its best when players are on voice chat with a group of friends and the team is coming up with creative ways to take down cartel bosses by crashing planes into their mansions or picking off their guards with the help of drone intel. Although the game does stand-up in solo mode with fairly reliable AI partners, the massive world to explore becomes a little lonely and boring without some actual friends along for the ride.

It’s a refreshing take on a tried and true layout that manages to set up a solid structure within its sandbox environment. This is one of the good ones.

The Evil Within 2‘s goofy characters and cheesiness won’t be for everyone, but longtime fans of the genre will likely appreciate it. They will also appreciate its classic survival-horror gameplay that’s blended expertly with more modern features like open world settings, its improved graphics, and tighter narrative. By succeeding in all these areas, The Evil Within 2 is easily one of the best survival-horror games in recent memory, and is a significant step forward from its predecessor.

Despite some rough patches, it's easy to forgive Rise of the Ronin after how far it's come from its predecessors. It retains many loot-heavy Soulslike traits, but redefines itself as an action-RPG that cares for its world, characters, and player-driven narrative. Whether a Ronin finds themselves perfecting an overpowered build straight out of Nioh 2, giving gifts to raise NPCs’ affections, sniping at an enemy base from their glider, or catching cheaters in a betting game, there's rarely a dull moment. Team Ninja has proven that it can do more than just iterate on Nioh, and fans who get invested in Rise of the Ronin should find plenty to enjoy.

Tackling tragedy in games is important, but doing it well requires empathy, awareness, and a deft hand. Hindsight takes an important story and makes it relevant and relatable by scaling down its narrative to a quiet, personal level. Hampered only slightly by a few design choices, its masterful blending of art, music, interactivity, and writing make it a subtle triumph and a story well worth being told.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is an easy recommendation for Borderlands and D&D fans, but those who have had their fill of the franchise may get tired of the repetitive combat and constantly looting useless items. The technical problems are the biggest issue, so hopefully, Gearbox Software releases new Tiny Tina's Wonderlands updates to address them soon.

The game’s narrative is suspenseful and the puzzles are fantastic brainteasers.

The dastardly Mr Moon and his troublemakers have stolen Mr Sun’s hatbox delivery from a humble courier company. With the fate of an aspiring apparel business at stake, it’s up to you to build a team, stage a series of heists, and get it back.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is far from a perfect game, but it is an absolute must-play for fans of science-fiction or BioWare RPGs. The storytelling is at an all-time high once things get underway and players who make it through the adventure will be unlikely to regret their time spent in this new corner of the Mass Effect universe.

Watch Dogs Legion is an easy game to recommend for fans of the franchise, as it continues to utilize the solid gameplay foundation established by its predecessor. While the lack of a main character may not be a hit with everyone, it works surprisingly well. Over the last three iterations, Watch Dogs has introduced more and more player freedom, but with Legion, Ubisoft takes things to an insane new level.

Cyber Sleuth is worth giving a try for die-hard JRPG fans or those that have wanted to give the genre a shot but found early game tutorials too overbearing. It's a little bit of Persona mixed with a whole lot of Pokemon, and it offers something for fans of both of those franchises. It may have a story that's a little difficult to follow at times, but it more than makes up for it with quite a bit of charm. Players will have to get passed the oddities of Digimon's world, but doing so should prove to be a pretty rewarding experience.

Dead Take clearly wants players to focus on uncovering its story, and the mansion is built in a way that makes exploration feel rewarding even without much resistance. The atmosphere does a lot of heavy lifting, with sound and lighting creating an ever-present sense of tension that kept me leaning forward the whole time. Dead Take might not break the escape room genre wide open, but it finds a creative way to pull players into its world, and it's worth seeing through to the end.

Paper Mario: Color Splash is the best looking installment in the series, offering the most immersive world to-date. Still, its battle system suffers in a misguided bid to innovate.

Gamers looking for a challenge, a beautiful world and musical score, and some truly memorable bosses will still be pleased at what Furi has to offer, however, and even though it’s not the absolute best of its kind, it’s worth a look from anyone willing to suffer through some frustration for what amounts to a hell of a five hour ride.

Overall, The Sims 4: Paranormal stuff pack accomplishes what it sets out to do. It provides players with a new, spooky experience that hasn’t been in the game previously. There were a few bugs, like the apartment mishap and an instance where a bed had to be removed in order to get rid of a creepy doll, but these things can be fixed easily with patches. It would be a stretch to say every Sims 4 player needs this pack, but for those who enjoy occult gameplay and artsy/boho CAS and Build/Buy items, this will definitely soothe that itch—just make sure it’s not a ghost hand doing the scratching.

This release really needs two separate review scores: one for people who’ve never played the originals and one for players who will frolic through the levels with experience and rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia. Fans of the original Tomb Raider games will probably be thrilled with these remasters. For non-veterans, though, it will be an arduous journey, and the new textures, lighting, and “modern” controls won’t make much difference. It will be hard to judge these titles through the lens of ’90s tech and game design rather than 2024’s, and new players might have a tougher time overlooking issues that veteran players embrace as quirks or don’t see at all. However, it seems safe to assume that most people picking up Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered already appreciate the originals, and so this score is aimed more at them. Newcomers, approach with caution.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game is just as fans will remember it and that alone will be worth the price of admission for a lot of people. Experiencing the levels and hearing the music again is a nostalgic experience, in a variety of ways. That being said, the game’s clunky combat has been virtually untouched, which will be a turn-off to gamers looking for a refined beat ‘em up experience. And the crashes were not something one would expect from a port. Still, getting together with friends and bashing baddies on the way to winning Ramona’s heart is a fun distraction for a few hours.

Darksiders 2: Deathinitve Edition may not offer much for those that have already had their fill of Death’s adventure on last-generation consoles, but newcomers will find a quality game that offers plenty of entertainment and playtime – frame rate issues, glitches, and the weak story notwithstanding.

At launch, MultiVersus is a little more bare bones than some might have hoped, but the game has an incredibly bright future. Season 1 alone is set to add at least four new characters to the roster, and leaks have revealed more new MultiVersus characters that are likely on the way. Fans finally have a viable alternative to Super Smash Bros., and it will be exciting to see how it evolves from here.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a decent spin-off from The New Order, but is not an essential standalone experience.

The gameplay feels familiar, yet revamped to address some of the issues fans have with previous iterations.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind is a small, but well-rounded package that Power Rangers fans should adore, and unfamiliar friends can enjoy alongside them. Rita’s Rewind would have been a hit in late 90s arcades, and its competence and love for the source material means it should find an audience today alongside the Once & Always special it sprang from. Even if its competitors do what it does better, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind is still a rollicking good time that no one will regret experiencing.

Mario Tennis Aces may not be quite as engaging as the Nintendo 64 game, but it’s a significant improvement over the poorly-received Ultra Smash on the Wii U.