Putting aside slight gripes with performance, Shin Megami Tensei 5 is still largely excellent on Nintendo Switch. Returning fans, especially those with a love for SMT 3: Nocturne, will absolutely enjoy the fifth entry. New players and fans of JRPGs will equally find a lot to love with this entry as well. SMT 5 plays out like a true modernization for the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, overhauling and revamping the visual and gameplay design in a way that remains both traditional and progressive. Atlus is taking a big step forward with Shin Megami Tensei 5, and for the most part, nails all of the aspects that make it a stellar entry in the long-running JRPG franchise.

Forza Horizon 5 is flashy and vibrant. It packs in pretty much everything one could want out of a racing game, with a broad selection of cars, tracks, and challenges to complete. Its addition to Xbox Game Pass alone should be reason enough to try it, but it stands as one of the best Xbox exclusives out right now regardless. It might not do much to separate itself from the other entries mechanically, but Forza Horizon 5 is the best the series has felt yet.

The lack of worthwhile unlockable content is one of the biggest downsides in Mario Party Superstars, but those who are only interested in using it as a party game likely won't be all that disappointed. Mario Party Superstars has fun online multiplayer functionality and makes a number of important quality of life improvements when compared to its predecessor, and so it's still a big step in the right direction for the franchise, despite some of its shortcomings.

Overall, Age of Empires definitely brings enough to the table and captures enough nostalgia to make it an easy recommendation for any fans of the franchise or the genre. For gamers new to RTS, the Story Mode and campaigns actually make it a very strong choice for diving in as well, as long as they aren’t expecting cutting-edge graphics. The fact that the game is going to be available on Game Pass Day One could potentially help expose a large new audience to the franchise and build up some new fans. It will be very interesting to see what kind of reception it receives and, if its successful, what sort of post-launch content could arrive in the coming year to keep the community hooked and engaged.

And that can be said of Guardians of the Galaxy in a multitude of ways. As chaotic as it gets and despite any faults players may have with it, it’s hard not to feel like Star-Lord himself at the end of the game. For a game with such a heavy focus on narrative and choices, player investment is crucial, and Guardians of the Galaxy delivers tenfold.

Extra bugginess aside, The Jackbox Party Pack 8 is otherwise another solid addition to the franchise and is well worth the investment for anyone looking for a new party game to play. Poll Mine, Job Job, and Wheel of Enormous Proportions are the standout games, though Drawful Animate and Weapons Drawn will likely have their fans as well.

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.

Those that have been waiting to try Disco Elysium have no reason to hold out any longer. The game is available on pretty much every platform out there now, and it’s well worth playing. It’s unlike just about anything else, and it begs the question of what developer ZA/UM will manage to craft next.

In the end, players will leave with two things: some great music recommendations and the craving to play Life is Strange: True Colors once again, especially if they wooed Steph while in the shoes of Alex Chen, if nothing else but to see her finally get the wholesome romance she deserves. Overall, it's only a short piece of Steph's life, to connect the dots between Before the Storm and Alex's story in True Colors, but it adds some context to her grounded attitude towards trauma and the decision she eventually makes to leave Haven Springs. Steph feels a bit out of place as a lesbian in a rural town, and she still desires the thrilling life of an indie band. Wavelengths provides the middle to Before the Storm's beginning and True Colors' end of the Steph Gingrich saga.

Lemnis Gate players will find that the hours disappear when they're playing it. It's addictive, impossible to put down, and could be the sleeper hit of the year if it finds its audience. And with Lemnis Gate available on Xbox Game Pass, it should have no problem doing just that.

At the end of the day, Diablo 2: Resurrected certainly feels like a game that is designed with veteran and nostalgic players in mind and it truly nails the experience in that sense. Whether it’s going to be able to build a new audience with first-time players is a much tougher question, but the old school experience may have more to offer modern gamers than it appears at first glance. Diablo 2: Resurrected fills a very unique spot in the franchise’s offerings by allowing players to continue returning to D3 (and someday Diablo 4 for a modern experience), but also now having a visually modern option when they want a bit more baseline difficulty and a classic experience.

Despite the negatives, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is overall an exceptional and colossal CRPG, a true spiritual successor to the original Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale titles. For those who love this type of game — the challenges, micromanagement, deep lore, and stat tracking in a fantasy RPG setting — Owlcat Games’ latest offering will more than satisfy. Gamers hoping for a less intense, less mentally demanding, more polished RPG experience would be better off looking elsewhere.

The problems, although minor for the most part, were encountered with such regularity that they can’t be overlooked. Hopefully, Raw Fury will fix these hiccups quickly because, without those flaws, Sable truly is a beautiful and minimalist journey through an open world that is a joy to explore.

Despite a few shortcomings, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is a solid action-adventure game and an impressive debut effort by Ember Lab. It will scratch the itch for anyone looking for a Zelda-like adventure on PlayStation, but while it's been compared to games like Zelda and Pikmin, Kena: Bridge of Spirits still stands on its own. Hopefully, this isn't the end of Kena's story, as it would be great to see the ideas here expanded on in future games.

Its detective elements may be lacking and its third act is slow, but it more than makes up for it, offering spectacle-heavy set pieces, an engrossing mystery, and a bounty of fantastic side missions. Whether a diehard fan of the Yakuza franchise or a newcomer looking to see what all the fuss is about, Lost Judgment is a thrilling adventure that shouldn't be missed.

Deathloop is one of the best games of 2021 and one of the best PS5 console exclusives so far. Arkane has hit it out of the park yet again, with the PS5 getting yet another must-have title for its growing library of exclusive games. Deathloop may be too easy and there's definitely some tedium tied to the time loop, but most of the time players will be having so much fun that they'll easily be able to overlook its few shortcomings.

The writers from Deck Nine and DONTNOD have demonstrated that their gift is not unlike Alex's. They have an empathy and understanding of the struggles that humans face. Life is Strange: True Colors builds on what the first installment did well, and does it even better. No game in the series so far has reached this height of catharsis, and by the end of it, players will be heartbroken to leave the imperfectly perfect town of Haven Springs.

Indeed, Tales of Arise is a game designed for long-term Tales franchise fans and those who have never picked up a franchise entry before, where story, combat, and various features come together to deliver a high-quality, highly-detailed JRPG. All of that makes it not just one of the best JRPGs on the market today, but one of the best games hands-down.

No More Heroes 3 may be repetitive at times and doesn't have quite the best bosses in the series history, but players new and old will have an enjoyable time with the game. It's a wonderfully vivid and colorful game that only shows how wild Suda51 really is.

As it stands, Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut is the comprehensive, definitive Ghost of Tsushima experience. Its new multiplayer mode isn't in the game yet but will be coming soon, and in the meantime, fans still have the current Ghost of Tsushima: Legends experience to check out, the base game's story mode with PS5 features, and the substantial Iki Island expansion. Newcomers and returning fans alike have reason to check out Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut, with it hopefully keeping fans satisfied until they can get their hands on Sucker Punch's first game built exclusively with the PlayStation 5 in mind.

12 Minutes is a special game. The time loop game design is put together very eloquently, even if there are slight hiccups that can get frustrating. The voice actors do an excellent job of pulling together the tense narrative, and there is always the feeling that the next clue will be what unearths this unimaginable mystery. While the game's visuals leave some room to be desired, the art style and vibe make up for it. There is always an underlying eerie tone in 12 Minutes that goes even beyond the horrors within the apartment walls and those 720 seconds. And that rings forever true in the chilling ending to 12 Minutes.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite has an interesting premise: co-op shooter set in the Alien universe where players must push their abilities, refine their build, and face a continuous onslaught of enemies. In reality, though, it’s a bug-filled slog that proves to be a one-trick pony.

Anyone that was a fan of the original game will likely love Psychonauts 2, as it improves on everything that made the first game great. But newcomers should also make it a point to check the game out, as it's a phenomenal 3D platformer and a Game of the Year contender. And while it's worth every penny, Psychonauts 2 is also on Xbox Game Pass thanks to Microsoft's acquisition of Double Fine, so anyone interested can try it out without making a big financial commitment.

It’s a puzzle game for people who don’t have the time or energy to challenge themselves with a puzzle game. It’s an enjoyable experience, just not a memorable one.

Tribes of Midgard's quality is largely dependant on what the player enjoys but not in the traditional sense. It's a sort of all-or-nothing enjoyment where those that like making a task list and scratching off objectives will find something worth spending hundreds of hours in, but those that are on the other end of the spectrum will find it dull. If the player is that specific type of person, Tribes of Midgard will be well worth the investment, but if not, things may start to feel stretched a bit thin.

Though Ender Lilies doesn’t necessarily surpass the icons of the genre that came before it, the game’s developers took a tried and true formula and replicated it well.

For fans of the classic series, or newcomers looking for a quality introduction into the older games, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster is a great way to experience the series. Then, of course, there are the hours and hours of content across all games in the collection to consider. It isn't perfect, but players can easily get lost in the same stories and endless combat that Square Enix first introduced with the original launch on NES.

All in all, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a wonderful entry point for players fresh to the franchise. The main cast of characters is charming and bursting with personality, even without voice acting; there are so many entertaining cases to go through, and the courtroom dramatics will keep players mostly intrigued and on their toes. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles isn't the best pair of Ace Attorney games out there, but they will still provide players with an enjoyable experience that will last for many, many hours.