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.

It’s silly to think that a team like USC, with so many returning stars, would have the same number of impact players as Cal. Instead of picking a lucky number and binding every team to it, the designers should have bound the number of impact players to some transitional stat, like returning upper-classmen.

Dirt 3 is the reliable weekday car that you aren't afraid to take into the mud every once in a while. While it doesn't have the precision or style of some of its high-end peers, Dirt 3 has more than enough personality and moments of exhilaration to make up the difference.

Although the content feels curt and the difficulty is somewhat dependent on the luck of the draw, the game's high replayability and bit-tastic presentation will scratch that itch to play just another round. So be careful... you might just dance the night away.

Its incredibly accurate physics system doesn’t just set a new bar for boxing games, but for all games across all genres. Newton’s laws of motion haven’t mattered this much in a game since Pong, and bare-chested men haven’t looked this good in a game since Cho Aniki.

Truly an excellent game. Minor flaws and caveats aside, it has been a long time since I’ve played any game so addicting and moment-to-moment enjoyable that it’s actually made me worry about starting it up.

Heavy Rain is an inspiration board of editorials waiting to be written. It is entertaining without being “fun” and explores the assumptions players make as a spectator and a participant, the extent at which literary drama can interconnect with games, and the uncharted space far beyond mainstream gaming...Even if you come to oppose everything it stands for – and understandably so – Heavy Rain needs to be played.

Older graphics aside, Thief 2 is a great game. Though I'm sure some sociology professor might decry the glorification of breaking into people's houses and stealing their stuff, there's no denying that it's a lot of fun.

The single-player game is still merely a fair distraction, but the dozen mini-games will keep you and your friends glued to the couch for hours.

If you're into Tactics, this game is definitely one of the best. It takes more than a fair amount of commitment on the player's part to get absorbed into the intricate, many-layered story and environment, but if you do, you won't be disappointed.

Sadly, the PS2 version of Chaos Theory is very dark and not handsome at all. The animations are a little choppy, the framerate isn't completely solid, and since things are so dim, you'll probably spend most of your time looking at the environments through night-vision, which is kind of murky and green.

The sense of immersion is greatly increased. It is a nice feeling, for example, to come across a Barbarian warrior, fighting to save his city, protect him from harm and use him like a football blocker to carve a path.

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.

It's just as funny and entertaining as its older self, if not more, with new music, awesome voice-acting, and great bonus features.

While Final Fantasy 16 may not appeal to all long-time fans due to its significant departure from typical franchise elements, there is still much to like in this title. It offers a fresh perspective, a richly drawn setting, and a captivating story that stands on its own. Its action-oriented fighting and darker themes are a departure but also highlight the series’ willingness to branch out. Even if it seems different and isn’t quite the Final Fantasy many of us grew up with, FF16 is still an exciting and enjoyable adventure. It serves as a reminder that the series isn’t hesitant to grow and defy expectations, even if the outcome isn’t unanimously praised.

Though short (with total gameplay running around 4-8 hours), the story is really told well and should adequately entertain fans. But the meat of any expansion - new environments, new weapons, and new enemies – is painfully thin.

While I’m disappointed by the relatively simple execution of this remaster, the content offered here is still outstanding. From overall presentation to the polished gameplay, this is still single-player gaming at its finest, now made shinier. It’s an easy flex for PS5, but that doesn’t make it any less of a must-play for those who missed out on the last-gen launch or hardcore fans who want to scrutinize every pore on Nate and friends’ higher-resolution faces.

The set pieces are gorgeously done and the pacing is perfect, even if it breezes by rather quickly.

Despite these throwaway modes and some repetitive grinding, Gran Turismo 7 does so much right that it’s still a true comeback for the series following Gran Turismo Sport’s disappointing reception. There’s plenty to do here both for car enthusiasts and GT newcomers alike, so much so that I’d wager this will pave the way for a whole new generation of petrolheads. From its photo-realism to its pinpoint handling and extensive amount of additional features, Gran Turismo 7 is another first-party PS5 success and a new benchmark for performance and visuals on the console.

Dirt 3 is the reliable weekday car that you aren't afraid to take into the mud every once in a while. While it doesn't have the precision or style of some of its high-end peers, Dirt 3 has more than enough personality and moments of exhilaration to make up the difference.

It combines engrossing and detailed online play with a smart and difficult single player campaign, and wraps both packages up in style, with solid graphics and great audio. So make like Narcissus, and get lost in this reflection.

But it's not just big, folks - it's really, really, REALLY big. Like an estimated 600 hours of gameplay big. Like so big, you could play the game for solid weeks and barely see half of the world. And thankfully, it's also darn good.

It just goes to show that games with bold design and content-rich features can find a home on any platform.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is an accomplished fighting game with a clear appreciation for its source material, providing frenetic action between larger-than-life characters ripped straight from the anime/manga series. Though its combo system may be simple on the surface, with many of its moves being universal across its characters, there's a great deal of complexity when it comes to successfully breaking out of a combo string, with timing being the key to victory.

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 a shame the game focuses so much on the Batmobile, because even that provides a welcome change of pace in small doses. Unfortunately, Arkham Knight doesn't deliver the Batmobile in small doses, and it turns out to be the most intrusive part of the experience.

The whole game makes as much sense as watching an episode of "Twin Peaks" backwards. But it looks a helluva lot better.

A great storyline, excellent delivery, top-notch voice acting and fun, varied gameplay help Jak II continue Naughty Dog’s tradition of high quality games. It’s simply not to be missed.