Visions of Mana isn't perfect, nor will it revolutionize the JRPG genre with its approach to combat or storytelling. But for the right player, these issues won't matter, because Visions of Mana has an undeniable charm and allure to it. Its breathtaking visuals, satisfying combat, and likable characters combine for a comforting, stock-standard JRPG, and if you're in the market for that, then Visions of Mana is an easy buy.

Blair Witch is a consistently interesting horror story with outstanding audio and graphics throughout. It may not be quite as groundbreaking as the film it's based on, but Blair Witch is the next best thing to the original movie, and it's definitely worth checking out for fans of the franchise, despite its shortcomings.

Along with the pleasant narration of voice actor Kirsten Mize, the Beacon Pines development team consisted of only three other people — Matt Meyer, Ilse Harting, and Brent Calhoun — who all wore multiple hats including creative director, writer, artist, audio editor, music, and sound effects. It’s an impressive feat that makes the game that much more worthy of appreciation. Unfortunately, despite its positives, Beacon Pines simply won’t be a hit for everyone. And while its story and gameplay mechanics are interesting and fun, they aren’t necessarily memorable. This is a game that will certainly draw in a select few, but that an even smaller group will add to their list of favorites.

The more focus a player can give to Metal: Hellsinger, the more it shines. When it all clicks, a flow builds that can only be achieved by this style of rhythmic combat. It takes some powerful music and grafts it onto the iconic Doom formula. The result is that the player feels like they are in the middle of a perfectly choreographed movie or trailer. It's certainly challenging, especially on higher difficulties, but if players can think of it as less a shooter and more a rhythm game, it really opens up. Lack of enemy variety and short gameplay aside, what's on offer here is a hugely fun rip through Hell that feels great to play and sounds like something torn straight out of a nightmare - in a good way.

Pepper Grinder does a good job of making players feel like their skills are progressing as they play through the game. It does sometimes feel like a grind, but there are enjoyable aspects to Pepper's adventure that should be tried. The drilling as a travel tool is neat, and the boss monster's designs and fights are entertaining, but the fun seems to fizzle out a little too quickly. Still, despite this and the game's sometimes frustrating controls, Ahr Ech set out to create something a bit different. And while some aspects come up short, some players will find things worth drilling through to discover.

Despite issues with the narrative and the mountain of bugs and technical issues, Borderlands 3's fun factor is still undeniable.

Those after a light bite of RTS/RPG gameplay with a positive attitude will find a lot of fun with Champions of Anteria. It is unlikely to blow any players away, and fans of The Settlers will find little to keep them occupied, but there’s a nice little game here. Without expecting too much, Champions of Anteria delivers a decent injection of fantasy humor into the market.

Dragon Quest Heroes demonstrates that the Dynasty Warriors combat system can work in other universes and even manages to make some exciting improvements to the usual formula. The game’s story is likely to leave new players a little bored, but longtime fans of the franchise will have plenty of run-ins with old characters to trigger those nostalgic feels. Either way, there is a lot of fun to be had with this one.

Earth Defense Force 6 is more Earth Defense Force. It delivers everything longtime Earth Defense Force fans could want, though people that haven't been impressed by the series so far are not going to care for this entry either. Anyone hoping for Earth Defense Force 6 to take the EDF franchise in bold new directions may be disappointed, but it's sure to please longtime fans, and it's a great option for those needing a new co-op game to play with friends.

If Mask of the Lunar Eclipse has the same success found with Maiden of Black Water's port to modern platforms, then remasters of other Fatal Frame games or even a new game would have a better chance of being released. There is a lot of potential for renewed interest in the franchise, and despite gripes to be had with Mask of the Lunar Eclipse's remaster, the game itself still holds up as a solid horror game.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin seems to prove that the Final Fantasy franchise can thrive in the action game scene with this first franchise venture from Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo. The title isn't a true home run, but it is an exciting adventure that expands the franchise lore in a unique direction. The Final Fantasy Job system is as interesting and exciting as ever and adds a unique twist on the action game format as players grind through each challenging dungeon and fill in all the Job talent trees one by one.

Even with an extra-hard difficulty mode and time-based leaderboards, it’s not a long game, and players will probably finish The Weaponographist before they get sick of it.

Underground succeeds in providing players with an interesting challenge, and the unusual control scheme makes users immediately sit up and pay attention.

Trover Saves the Universe is worth playing regardless of the uninspired combat. Players won’t be compelled to stick with it for the barebones gameplay, but rather, to see where the story goes and what crazy character they will encounter next. It’s certainly not the most engaging game from a gameplay standpoint, but its story and humor will make it difficult for anyone to quit before they reach its unexpected conclusion.

Those who were looking forward to a current-gen port will find that the game is well represented on the new platforms, and has no major flaws to speak of.

The experience will only last for a few hours, but with beautiful pixel art, a sweet protagonist, top-notch music, well-designed levels, and some neat heart-pounding surprises, it will be worth your time.

The Elder Scrolls: Legends Heroes of Skyrim is an enjoyable expansion that will sate fans of the game until the next set releases and provide some memorable, lore-infused moments along the way, but it does little to attract a new player who wasn’t already interested to check the game out.

Overall, Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a stellar homage to 16-bit action platformers of the 1990s. Every detail in the game successfully recreates the feeling of playing an SNES side-scroller that demands high levels of concentration and technical skill. Aside from a few boss fights, the gameplay feels quick, fast, and exciting, despite being intentionally dated mechanically. The fact that this game intentionally limits itself to an imitation of older games might bother some players, and while more effort could have gone into expanding certain areas of the game, Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider stands on its pitch-perfect aesthetic and gameplay design and will most certainly appeal to die-hard fans of old school action games.

West of Dead elevates its experience thanks to to the storytelling and art design. Some aspects of the game can be frustrating, but the total package is generally rewarding in its gameplay and beautiful in its design. And as William Mason himself says, "they say a hero dies only once, but I say a hero keeps coming back," and coming back for each playthrough in hopes to finally pull off that perfect run is a mighty fine time in West of Dead.

Metal Eden is worth recommending to those who love challenging, fast-paced, sci-fi action similar to games like Doom — that is, if the price tag matches its length. Otherwise, this might be one of those "wait-for-sale" games, but it's nonetheless one that is worth a play once it becomes worth the money.

People who enjoy Gang Beasts and other physics-based multiplayer games will have a blast with Party Animals as it's easily the most polished and fully-featured game of its kind. However, it's unlikely to convert any newcomers, and it remains to be seen how its monetization will play out. The game's budget price and its availability on Xbox Game Pass make it an easy recommendation for those needing a new mindless multiplayer game for their rotation, but don't go in expecting anything groundbreaking.

Although the story doesn't deliver anything fresh, it serves the game well and provides a platform for the game's excellent design and well-crafted horror. Go into MADiSON without any pretense of a groundbreaking story to find a terrifying journey through the minds of pained and neglected killers. Overall, MADiSON is a great first game by a new developer and is sure to provide plenty of scares.

At launch, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is one of the better-looking, more-polished asymmetrical multiplayer games on the market. It does a fantastic job of capturing the grotesque vibes of the 1974 horror film and translates its themes brilliantly into a gaming experience. Playing as the victims with a group of friends is a great deal of fun, though playing as the killers is not nearly as exciting. Only having three maps at launch is also not ideal and the game's lack of offline options is disappointing, but hopefully future updates will make The Texas Chain Saw Massacre an even better horror game than it is now.

Playing on real-life courses in PGA TOUR 2K21, scoring a perfect hole in one, and hearing the crowd erupt is special. Career mode is a blast, and beating Justin Thomas (cover athlete and number one player in the world) to the FedEx Cup is great. The difficulty level of the game can be brutal, with the timing of the swing being a legitimate pain. But the options that are available allow players to progress at their own speed, which is nice. Thanks to this, a deep multiplayer experience, and endless course options from the Course Designer, PGA TOUR 2K21 is about as replayable as a golf game can get. PGA TOUR 2K21 is a very fun game, and with it, the golfing simulator is officially back.

Back 4 Blood still comes out as the best Left 4 Dead-inspired game in recent memory, taking the core design and innovating on it just enough to keep everything fresh and fun. Where Back 4 Blood gets things right, it does them really well, but where it doesn’t is often quite obvious.

Layers of Fear delivers on its promise of a unique vision of gothic horror, but the game leans heavily on creepy dolls and other cliche genre gimmicks to jump scare players as they explore its shifting corridors.

Endless Dungeon is a tough one to critique, though it fully deserves it in some areas. The team at Amplitude succeeded in creating a fun roguelite, tower defense, twin-stick dungeon crawler that will entertain for hours. At the same time, it doesn’t excel in anything it brings to the table, fails to innovate, and even falls inexplicably short in some obvious places. This is one to buy on sale.

Hero Generations is a challenge to say the least. It is difficult and addicting, which makes it perfect for strategy lovers.