For its flaws, Rune Factory 4 Special brings an incredible life-sim/Action-RPG to the Switch. There are few games in the Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons series that match the complexity and fun of Rune Factory 4, and this port has me excited to see Rune Factory 5.

The duo of Platinum-developed titles in the Bayonetta and Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle are at the zenith of their respective genres because of their undying commitment to responsive controls and deep, rewarding gameplay mechanics.

The Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection perfectly encapsulates an exciting period in the history of Mega Man games.

The Switch port is the best version of this all-time classic.

If you love mecha and miss Armored Core as I do, Daemon x Machina is the game for you. It has some narrative issues, but the tight gameplay will keep you wanting more. This is one of the big sleepers of 2019, and you shouldn’t let it pass you by now that its on PC.

A release like Patapon 2 Remastered wouldn’t make sense anymore, and Sony would have to examine its legacy if it wanted to dive into the past. Just like the Patapon, time is always marching onward, and it’s up to you to stop and smell the flowers.

Killing zombie Hitler should be a highlight of any experience as any chance to squash Nazi scum should be. But in Zombie Army 4’s campaign, it was more of a relief as it signaled the end of a tedious, monotonous experience that was only bolstered by the ability to get through it with other people.

Speaking Simulator is a fun idea that remained best on paper. It’s another “simulation” game that takes a joke and wears it thin, leaving not much room for enjoyment past the initial chuckle.

Kentucky Route Zero is a coffee table book of a game. I don’t feel like you’re really supposed to try and take it all in as a whole. Instead, KRZ, with it’s myriad of references and views, seems like it’s supposed to be taken a piece at a time. Some players are sure to absolutely love that, while others, like me, would prefer something more grounded...I don’t like Kentucky Route Zero, but I’m glad it exists.

The exploration serves as the centerpiece of Journey to the Savage Planet and almost all of its other parts enhance or are enhanced by it. It is usually some symbiotic fusion of the two as exploring opens the doors for more upgrades which unlocks more places to explore. And it does this all within a modest runtime that doesn’t beg for your every hour for months on end in order to yield a satisfying amount of adventuring. Such an outlook is refreshing that we should see more often from this style of game. It makes it clear that for every No Man’s Sky, there should also be a Journey to the Savage Planet.

This game is aimed at a particular audience, and those who get a rush of nostalgia from seeing Goku and his friends duke it out with the universe’s biggest baddies will love it. Others may need a proper introduction with the series before they soak up everything DBZ: Kakarot has to offer.

Some parts of Stranger’s Wrath could use an upgrade. Its actual upgrade system never requires you to pinch your pennies and bring in targets alive, a few of the ammo types don’t work as well as they should, the stealth never seems to work, its ending goes on for too long, and the world could use a bit more life. Yet, true to its name, Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath is a strange game that still sticks out because of its unusual but fantastic tone. It’s strong enough to deserve a sequel or actual remaster from the ground up but, given the unlikelihood of that, a strong port will have to do.

Darwin Project isn’t an also-ran, it’s a trendsetter, and anyone still interesting in dropping in hot should take notice.

A game with noble intent without the skills to fulfill its potential, showing that sometimes life isn’t strange, but disappointing.

Dragon Quest has usually been strictly associated with RPGs and Builders 2 proves that the series can work outside of those confines. And, if anything, the PC version makes that even more clear.

Detroit: Become Human is inarguably Quantic Dream’s finest release yet, but it’s not really fair to say that it’s any better on PC. It still looks great, and players with powerful computers will appreciate the extra bump to resolution and overall framerate. But the heart of the experience—the story with such obvious overtones that it borders on satire—remains unchanged, for better or for worse.

In the end, The Rebel Collection a perfect stopgap while fans wait for news on whatever happened to Skull and Bones.

My biggest warning to anyone considering purchasing RDR2 on PC is that you need to have patience when you set it up. Take the time to go through each graphics option, compare your performance on Vulkan vs. DirectX 12, and tailor the game to your specs. Once you have the game tuned, there’s no better way to experience it than on PC.

Wattam’s fascination with connection could have been better served if had a stronger story to back it up. Perhaps it could have been a kid-friendly, significantly less convoluted version of Death Stranding if it fleshed out its narrative just a bit more in the right ways.

Needing other people is what downgrades Shovel Knight Showdown below its legendary kin. Despite good intentions, this smattering of modes and options never quite come together as something worth seeking out on its own.

If you are a MechWarrior fanatic, MechWarrior 5 will probably give you hours of enjoyment. If not, I’d wait until some of the problems above are addressed before making a purchase.

Like each campaign before it, King Knight’s quest is a uniquely thrilling 2D experience that needs no asterisk assigned to any praise. This isn’t a retro throwback or an NES hanger-on, but a masterful platforming action that stands up to any and all contemporaries.

Minor faults aside, Darksiders Genesis masterfully shrinks down the long-running franchise into a top-down action game that’s just plain fun to play.

It does an excellent job of bridging the worlds of literature and gaming, and offers a unique blend on the venerable CRPG formula. However, its design does limit its appeal somewhat. It’s not a game that seeks to universally please, but that’s okay. Those who dig CRPGs and don’t mind some heavy reading with fall in love with Disco Elysium. I know I did.

This particular revisit gave me a newfound respect for Yu Suzuki and his singular vision for what Shenmue is.

If you’re not sick of the formula, or if you’re new to the franchise, then it’s easy to forgive the meh story, subpar visual presentation, unchanged battle system, and messy multiplayer. It’s a solid Pokemon game that anyone can enjoy. Nothing more, nothing less.

If you’re not sick of the formula, or if you’re new to the franchise, then it’s easy to forgive the meh story, subpar visual presentation, unchanged battle system, and messy multiplayer. It’s a solid Pokemon game that anyone can enjoy. Nothing more, nothing less.

If you’re not sick of the formula, or if you’re new to the franchise, then it’s easy to forgive the meh story, subpar visual presentation, unchanged battle system, and messy multiplayer. It’s a solid Pokemon game that anyone can enjoy. Nothing more, nothing less.

Above all, Heat feels like subscription filler, another driving game to add value to EA’s Access bundles.

I was astonished at how much I enjoyed Jedi Fallen Order. Not because it’s a great game, it inhabits a niche that we haven’t seen much of this generation. It’s merely a good game. I ran into a ton of glitches and collision issues. Still, the overall package was entertaining enough to ignore them for the most part.

Linear takes on roguelikes often feature lots of variety and plenty of unique hooks. The world of Sparklite feels drab in comparison. It feels like you’ve been here a hundred times before in a hundred other games.

It’s more immersive, experimental, and enjoyable thanks to its suite of big and small changes. Sure, there are areas that Sports Interactive needs to improve upon. Those will come with time and future updates. But as it is, Football Manager 2020 is a solid entry in the series. It isn’t visionary, but its fresh approach and tweaks are enough to make it worth your time.

A blast whether you play it by yourself or with a friend, The Stretchers is bound to put a smile on the face of anyone that plays it and showcases how talented a developer Tarsier Studios is.

Rather than repetition, Superliminal wants to keep you guessing until the very end. It might not be for someone who is brand new to the genre, but veterans will spend a memorable afternoon trying to wake up from this hard day’s night.

It’s one of the more memorable titles in the past few years not only for its dark, hilarious lines that hit far too close to home, but because of how it adeptly skewers the very time period it was released in.

It’s far from the must-own that it could have been with some further refinement. The middling story mode wastes a really solid concept, and the best events lack the structure that could make them appealing to play for hours rather than just a few minutes. It’s a fun party game to whip out at social gatherings, which is what it was designed to be after all, but it could have been so much more.

While its immediate sequel, Yakuza 5, did many of these things in a more impressive fashion, Yakuza 4 laid the important groundwork to make it all possible.

Hellish bugs might significantly diminish the experience but Afterparty still gives players a convincing enough argument to take an express elevator down to the fiery pits of torment.

If there’s one game you should play this year, it’s Death Stranding. It’s a system seller, and I love it.

I feel like this Call of Duty could evolve to become one of the best ever, as there is certainly a solid foundation to build upon. With a number of balancing patches, some new (or classic!) maps, and constant communication with the community, I think Modern Warfare will get better. For now, though, you can find me in Gunfight, which separates the brilliant from the BS.

While neither game has stood the test of time without any blemishes, Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King is a solid collection full of behind-the-scenes tales from development as well as nearly every edition of both games available.

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Complete Edition isn’t going to wow you unless you already have a built-in appreciation for the franchise.

Ultimately, the Complete Edition is the best way to experience this spin-off, as it is a solid game in its own right and serves as an excellent, if different, primer for No More Heroes 3.

Like a hero with an arm tied behind their back, Overwatch on the Switch still puts up a good fight. But this scaled-down port makes it a little easier to question whether or not the world needs more hamstrung heroes like this or not.

For over 40 hours, The Outer Worlds allowed me to be a space cowboy with all the adventure, intrigue, and danger that came along with it. Planet-hopping throughout Halcyon is one of the best experiences I’ve had in a game in years, introducing me to a cast of sympathetic and interesting characters, throwing me into exciting gunfights, and inundating me with tough decisions to make. This is a must-play for RPG fans, and an absolutely vital game for Fallout fans.

Unfortunately, aside from its more robust PvE offering and unique new characters, most of the other changes that have been made in Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville haven’t been for the better.

It can’t rival the best in the genre, but players can make a pretty awesome aquarium within its constraints, so it ultimately delivers what was promised even if it doesn’t exceed those promises.

Stela is similarly brief but also a fleeting experience that doesn’t make much of an impact while you’re playing or linger once you complete it mostly due to its hollow world. Even its strongest parts — like its deliberate platforming and dazzling visual flair — are diluted elements from Limbo and Inside, two games that it pulls from in nearly every aspect that make the parallels unavoidable.

With only a scant amount of truly unique experiences coming to the few reaming arcades in America, it is great that Killer Queen Black exists. This is an experience that you won’t get anywhere else, and it deserves to go beyond its current cult status.

Corpse Party: Blood Drive still has almost all of the same issues with its core gameplay, but the PC version is the definitive way to play the final chapter of the horror series.

Sure, I may have criticized the visuals for being too blurry at times, as well as minor frame-rate hiccups, but those are just niggles when considering the massive open world that is now available to Nintendo Switch owners. This might not be the “definitive edition” of the game, but its existence makes The Witcher 3 accessible to more players, and that is certainly a good thing.

Unless you find this one on sale, do yourself a favor and grab Link’s Awakening DX instead. You’ll have the same game, minus the Chamber Dungeon, and updated graphics and still have plenty left over to get some other excellent titles.

It’s difficult to fault a game for dreaming big as it still enjoyable to hunt for secrets under Stonehenge. However, that might be because these types of forward-thinking gameplay ideas are almost always alluring. We need to see games with a sense of humanity in its characters and games that can teach the socially awkward in the same way that action games teach reflexes. Perhaps that’s too much to put on a small scale first-person experience. And perhaps it is not, but given how The Bradwell Conspiracy executed its ideas, it might actually be too much to ask for in this case.

Like attendants at a holy temple, developers like this keep the torches lit for any wandering players looking for a gateway into a bygone era. And those willing to track down this temple will likely feel right at home.

Grid is an enjoyable racing game that fails to do anything great. There’s a decent amount of content, but nothing to truly ride write home about. The career mode is relatively phoned in without any unique elements and can become a grind due to the game’s progression system. Returning fans will remember why they enjoyed the series, but they will also realize why it hasn’t been missed all that much in the past five years without an entry.

The lore of the series is confused at best, but Shadowkeep does an excellent job at presenting a simple problem, the Darkness is coming, and getting you interested in seeing what the outcome will be.

It’s a chill experience where players can freely paint the town, create some pleasant beasts, and engage in a predictable but welcome story that’s about using art to cleanse demons. Nothing is particularly extraordinary nor is any one aspect less than solid but there’s a commitment to the vision here that had modest and realistic goals. Concrete Genie paints within its humble parameters and still makes a lovely piece of art even if it isn’t The Starry Night.

Apart from its nuanced storytelling, Indivisible is a brilliant vertical slice of a more fully featured game that doesn’t exist.

After Trine 3‘s failed experiment, Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is a glorious return to form.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair ends on a puzzlingly frustrating note that heightens its most egregious errors that consist of its imperfect controls and stymied progression system. The botched finale doesn’t make those stumbles any more forgivable and mainly just points them out, but that doesn’t undo its positive qualities.

It’s an excellent entry point into the long-standing card game and a more complex alternative to titles like Hearthstone. Wizards has put its full support behind the product, matching release dates with paper sets and planning for the future. It seems like the perfect way to get back into Magic after a long time away, and it’s way cheaper than buying real boosters. Other TCGs have had their day, but it’s hard to see any of them surviving in this Arena going forward.

This is some of the most fast-paced, frenetic Mario Kart action ever, but only to those who subscribe to its gold pass. For everyone else, this is still a surprisingly inventive spin-off, but one that also feels undermined by greed.

The inventory system is atrocious, but man, I just loved getting more and better guns, so it was worth suffering through.

Cat Quest 2 is top of the line when it comes to offering classic mechanics to those newer to gaming.

I had very few issues with this game, and it was a great experience playing through it. There’s some hype behind it, but I think it’ll end up being one of the sleeper hits of 2019. It blends the right amounts of Souls-like gameplay, anime cheesiness, and excellent design to result in a satisfying package that should please just about anyone.

While Untitled Goose Game is a short experience, this also means that it doesn’t outstay its welcome. Additional objectives after you’ve completed the main game increase replayability, even if these objectives could stand to be more challenging. And while its stealth is basic, if you’re content with running around as an arrogant goose and scaring people with your loud honks, then it delivers that in spades.

An unfortunately hollow universe is troublesome but ultimately a low-priority concern in the grand scheme of The Surge 2’s more pressing matters. Its multiple failings are almost bewildering because of how closely it copies much of its identity from its spiritual predecessors. But those similarities to much better games just point out how little imagination The Surge 2 has and how inadequately it has attempted to implement those popular mechanics.

Lame story aside, The Sojourn is a satisfying puzzle game. This debut effort from Shifting Tides isn’t going to reinvent the genre, but it certainly has a place for fans of puzzle games and The Talos Principle.

While the gameplay in FIFA 20 isn’t a massive upgrade over FIFA 19, it is a superior title and one of the best football games you’ll play. The fresh lick of paint to Career Mode and Ultimate Team have made already excellent modes even better and the sheer volume of licensed teams, stadiums, and more makes for an impressively authentic experience, too. Volta is also a fantastic addition and the jewel in FIFA 20’s crown because of its an exciting, bold approach that elevates the experience wonderfully.

PES 2020 doesn’t feel like an evolution over 2019. It offers little in terms of new content and gameplay tweaks. Fans of the series will appreciate the Finesse Dribbling, manager interactions, and increased number of licenses, but you’ll find little to excite over what was already available in PES 2019. Despite it all, however, PES 2020 plays a glorious game of football that you won’t want to put down.

Sayonara Wild Hearts is like Pop Rocks: The Game. It’s a delicious and surprising visual and audio journey that constantly changes rhythms and mechanics before disappearing rather quickly in a glamorous, flavor-filled explosion.

Kind Words is a unique and, more importantly, kind idea that deserves an audience. It encourages empathy between strangers online, and this shouldn’t be overlooked, especially in 2019 when it often feels like everyone wants to cause as much harm to one another as possible. Your appreciation of it will vary depending on how much you need it, but even its existence should be commended. Read more at https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/596163-kind-words-review-a-game-for-anyone-who-needs-a-helping-hand#lhlWBkocre7puSHK.99

Astral Chain is a unique and beautiful game that excels at what it’s trying to do. It’s one of the best games of the year so far, and it makes me excited to see what the studio will come up with next.

Thanks to one of Bandai Namco’s best localization efforts and the fantastic work of both Level-5 and Studio Ghibli, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is still a joy to experience almost a decade after it was originally released. Both the story and the world it takes place in is full of heart, and the new Switch port is a great way to take it all in. While this adds nothing new besides the ability to play the game portably, the core product is good enough to earn its spot on your Switch.

NHL 20 is an enjoyable hockey game with great core fundamentals and new player movement to fall back on, but it’s definitely not a must-buy entry if you are currently happy with the version you own.

Thankfully for fans, the up-and-down series has largely been a slam dunk this year as its consistently great gameplay is aided by a fantastic story mode and less invasive microtransactions.

Despite some of its flaws, the few hours you’ll spend with Creature of the Well will be some of the most satisfying you’ll spend in all of gaming in 2019.

The only “sin” Monster Hunter World: Iceborne commits is lack of accessibility since you have to complete the story of the base game to get to the new material. However, that’s just the way expansions work, and in exchange for that mild inconvenience, you get another 20-30 hours of new content with the same high quality that generated critical acclaim for the game when it first released.

With Gears 5, there’s a lot to love. The campaign is solid, making bold pushes in brave directions, and continues to be a hoot with friends. The story ultimately failed to fulfil its potential, but compelling gameplay keeps things moving. Horde continues to be a brilliant binge of violent goodness, with new mechanics and rewards that help boost longevity. Escape is a worthy addition to the roster of modes, oozing potential for more creative players to realize. Versus is back in a big way, helping newcomers find their feet, while keeping loyal fans of the franchise happy with classic game types and the thank-god-it’s-not-terrible shotgun. If you’re any kind of shooter fan, this game has earned your attention.

WRC 8 is the best game yet in the series and has a major edge on its chief competitor due to its far more accessible racing.

In emulating the past so closely, the developers have inherently come out with a product that seems clunky at first glance. It’s only on further inspection that you see all the systems and interactions hidden behind old-minded UI. Add-ons like Close Encounters don’t fundamentally shift that balance, but they do provide a lot of value in their expansions. For a game competing with The Sims and their overpriced Stuff Packs, it’s a welcome trend that’s well worth supporting.

Final Fantasy 8 Remastered is the definitive way to play the RPG classic. There are no inherent flaws of this port beyond the portions of the original game that have aged poorly. For the most part, the story and gameplay has held up over time and Squall’s adventure is better than most give it credit for being.

It’s a shame the pacing does such a number on Blair Witch. It deals with some heady topics like PTSD, mental illness, and police shootings.

Full Body’s occasional well-intentioned but problematic narrative additions don’t suffocate its core, choice-laden plot as it is still strong enough to persist despite how outdated the new branches can be. Aside from being open to more people, its block puzzles didn’t see as much of an upgrade but they remain as tense, thrilling, and sometimes frustrating as they were in 2011.

For every spark of a neuron, there’s a cluster of dead cells threatening to snuff it out. The entire enterprise feels like a bundle of great ideas that mix together into something that’s less than the sum of its parts.

The deluge of branching paths and chilling atmosphere combine well enough with its brief yet keen story that invites players to repeatedly run through it. But an abundance of cheap jump scares, semi-frequent slowdown, and initially goofy cast members mean that it pales in comparison to Until Dawn; the studio’s magnum opus that all of its titles will forever be compared to.

Despite some minor issues that hold it back from being the ultimate Yu-Gi-Oh! game, this is a fantastic reminder of how enjoyable the card game is and why players fell in love with it in the first place.

The charm that covers nearly every inch of this game is also infectious, especially as this medium can better actualize its main characters’ imagination into something playable. Sometimes those playable aspects can get in the way but it’s still easy to saddle up on this bike even if that bike sometimes slams on the brakes.

From its narrative to its world to its puzzles and combat, Control intrigues its players and invites them to think and rewards them handily for doing so; a true remedy for overly linear and coddling game design.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is like no survival game I’ve played before. Charting human evolution is an extraordinarily complex concept for a video game, yet Panache Digital Games has pulled it off by way of carving its own route through a crowded genre. There’s nothing flashy about the brutal landscape in which you attempt to evolve your lineage, and I assume some won’t be interested in a game with unlockable abilities that include being able to sniff a bit farther or hear a little clearer. But this is a wonderfully unique experience that will be deeply appealing to those interested in a hardcore challenge, that just so happens to be rooted in a time period that is completely unexplored territory.

This is a remastered title done the right way, as it performs perfectly and the revamped localization gives even veteran players a great reason to play it again.

Telling Lies is like the best parts of an adventure game, a mystery novel, and an art nouveau movie all rolled up into one. It tells an exciting story uniquely and shows that Sam Barlow’s success with Her Story wasn’t just a fluke. Besides a few frustrating moments, Telling Lies was one of the most compelling gaming experience I’ve had yet in 2019.

Oninaki tackles the theme of death brilliantly thanks to some poignant scenes and a willingness to go where most games won’t. That thorough exploration of death ties into every aspect of the game from its hack and slash gameplay to the ending choice that will leave players reflecting upon the journey they just went on. It isn’t often that a game truly succeeds as art, but every part of Oninaki goes back into its core motif and that’s why it is an essential action RPG.

In Dicey Dungeons, everything is already on the table. It’s a highly replayable game that you can pick up for short sessions whenever the moment strikes.

Age of Wonders: Planetfall is one of the most unique 4X games released in recent memory, and that is great news for a genre that can be a bit stale at times. Its blend of XCOM-like combat with the traditional strategy elements isn’t perfect, and there are some rough spots that Triumph Studios will need to work on in the future, but it provides an enjoyable and fresh challenge. While the generic sci-fi world isn’t as rich or organic as the previous high fantasy settings, its amount of depth and ways to play carry it up and beyond many of its genre rivals.

Rad does more right than it does wrong. Because it has some money behind it, it probably spends a bit too much time on worldbuilding and presentation. It’s all truly great stuff, but it ultimately gets in the way of the gameplay, making what should be a satisfying loop feel bloated.

Even among its retro FPS peers, 3D Realms has put out a best-in-class experience that rivals anything released this year. The fact that such a game can come after the character’s inauspicious debut in Bombshell makes it all the more miraculous.

This is one gigantic miss and perhaps one of the worst games of the year.