It’s unique art and gameplay make it an unexpected treat, and it’s got the makings of an instant cult classic.

Here’s hoping the game gets enough attention from players and receives the support to make it truly shine.

If you’re a Nintendo fan, you’re going to want to get Super Mario 3D All-Stars. However, just because the games are good doesn’t mean that these ports are great. They’re adequate, which has to be enough, I guess.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 is a triumphant return for the series and makes a strong claim for the best skateboarding game ever. It’s a must-play for fans of the series and newcomers alike, and I hope this isn’t the last Pro Skater game we see from Vicarious Visions.

Even though it’s disappointing that there are no new companions, noteworthy enemies, or gameplay systems, Peril on Gorgon is excellent for many of the same reasons that the main game was excellent. Its well-paced and immaculately written story, rock-solid comedic foundation, and open-ended RPG gameplay have carried over without losing their luster and are, in some ways, at their best here. Gorgon might be a dangerous rock that has been overrun by hostile Marauders, but it’s one heck of a spot for a hilarious and engaging multi-hour tale of intrigue.

In another timeline, this would have been a wholly linear experience, tightly paced with a fun narrative that focused entirely on Ms. Marvel’s growth as she sought out the different Avengers in exciting locations, both on Earth and off-world. This could have been complemented with an entirely separate co-op experience.

This review only skims a bit of what the game offers, as it’s incredibly complex. However, I feel like CK3 introduces its various systems in a much easier-to-grasp way than CK2 did. So, if you’ve been intimidated about Paradox’s grand strategy games, CK3 makes a new beginning that continues to provide all the fun of medieval intrigue, drama, and history, while making it a lot easier to pick up and play.

Tell Me Why and Dontnod deserve praise for the game’s carefully considered representation of trans protagonist Tyler, but unfortunately, the game struggles on all other fronts. It tries to make you care about its characters by way of explaining everything about them, leading to jarring interactions and tons of useless exposition. While its strong performances and central mystery ensured I still wanted to see how it all played out, I was also left disappointed by its underwhelming conclusion. Ultimately, it’s a small-town mystery that’s best unsolved, and it’s more interesting before all of its loose threads are haphazardly tied together.

AWE is an awesome, wondrous expansion with an Alan Wake experience that appropriately weds earlier Remedy titles with Control. Reuniting with the tortured author after nearly a decade in the Dark Place isn’t just fan service as Control works Wake’s universe in there naturally while fusing it with its own style that stretches from its mysterious narrative to its fast-paced combat mechanics. The result is an piece of DLC that intelligently borrows from Remedy’s two best franchises, provoking awe at every turn while laying the groundwork for a bright, exciting future for the studio’s next suite of games.

In a year where some excellent RPGs have debuted, Wasteland 3 goes toe-to-toe with the best. The 80-100 hours of content are full of surprises, and you won’t want for things to do in the game. This title is what Fallout should have become, if not in gameplay, then in narrative content.

Mortal Shell’s scope ends up being a more significant net gain as it offers a brisk Soulslike experience without trying to overwhelm players with content for content’s sake. Satisfying, versatile melee combat doesn’t hide behind a tedious grind yet it still has a fulfilling progression system. Areas aren’t gigantic, but have a distinct look and meaningfully change around after you kill the boss. All of its inventive ideas may not be immediately apparent and mean it could easily be mistaken for yet another hackneyed Dark Souls clone destined to die in the digital bargain bin. But Mortal Shell‘s innovation is there once you dig just beneath its hardened exterior.

Asobo’s work with Azure feels like something we’ve never seen before — a true next-gen step forward that realizes the potential of cloud-based gaming more than any other game before it.

As far as I’m concerned, Risk of Rain 2 is as good as gaming gets. Unlocking items, discovering new synergies, planning out builds — it’s all immensely satisfying. Make no mistake: This is a tough game, and the randomized nature inherent to roguelikes just won’t click with some people. But, for players with a taste for escalating action and challenge, this game stands as one of the very best in the genre.

Horizon Zero Dawn for PC earns a great score as it still does so much right, easily deserving the attention of any curious PC gamers who feel as though they missed out, and for anyone who’s happy to jump in at that $50 launch price.

Fall Guys is a fun party game that wonderfully replicates TV’s silliest game shows, but replaces the boring humans with lovely bumbling egg monsters. The speed with which it catapults you through rounds means that you’ll see much of what it has to offer early on, but I always felt compelled to keep playing regardless. Hopefully, Mediatonic is able to regularly update it and keep the party going long after its launch.

The new main and side missions matter as they take the same fast Soulslike and twist it in just the right ways, adding in more variety to a game with already such a great amount of it. The Tengu’s Disciple’s few missions benefit from the core game’s strengths, but also augmenting that core game in return by having abilities, gear, and a new extra hard difficulty that fold back into and improve that base experience. It’s not a revolutionary piece of DLC, but, much like the armor and weapons it adds to the game, it enhances an already-strong and relentless warrior.

If you’re a big fan of Souls-likes and want to play a game that follows that formula fairly closely while introducing a few unique gameplay elements, Hellpoint isn’t a bad choice. However, the game lacks direction and polish, and it makes for a poor introduction to the genre.

The Cuphead PS4 port may not bring anything new to the table, but it’s still the prettiest chalice on it.

The Destroy All Humans remake’s skeleton is geriatric in some respects. Repetitive audio, antiquated objective types, strict fail states, and repetitive audio are dead giveaways that this game is firmly planted in 2005 in detrimental ways that this remake did not address. But the overhauled control scheme and thoughtful new mechanics add a layer of muscle on top of that skeleton and keeps old age from breaking those bones down into dust.

Carrion is a great concept that becomes repetitive in practice. Taking control of a terrifying monster and mowing down a bunch of humans is fun at first, but it shows its hand far too quickly and gets stuck in a rut of giving the player the same tasks to perform over and over again. With simplistic movement and easy combat, Carrion is a straightforward Metroidvania game with few frills aside from its unique protagonist. With that being said, its climax does set it up for a sequel that could elaborate on what Phobia Game Studio has set up in its debut, so I’m still interested to see where this awful blob will go next.

Shifting the focus to ancient history was always going to be a challenge, especially with competition from the likes of Assassin’s Creed with its epic scale, but I think Sucker Punch has delivered a more refined, focused experience that offers enough content without the risk of overwhelming its audience. And as there are no microtransactions infesting its mechanics and influencing its balance, Ghost of Tsushima is honorable in its approach and deserves to be played.

Death Stranding doesn’t try to imitate other games, and it’s not for everyone. However, it’s one of my favorite journeys in video gaming history. I feel I’ll return to again and again as the years pass.

Superhot: Mind Control Delete’s obsession with MORE makes for an inventive narrative hook and leads to some meaningful gameplay additions, but that central theme also ends up dampening its best features. Mixing branching upgrade paths with the sublime impromptu core Superhot gameplay makes this standalone expansion a blast for more than a few hours as it continually supplies new ways to experience the same game. But the newfound sense of replayability begins to dissipate as those same tricks are repeatedly pulled over the course of the overly long campaign and all but guarantee some fatigue despite the constantly changing variables. Superhot left players wanting MORE and Mind Control Delete demonstrates that that might have been a good idea.

While some more important platform-specific content would have been ideal, the Catherine: Full Body Switch version is one of the few ports that can stand right with its peers on other systems. The modesty of the original benefits this rendition in a handful of ways since the anime-inspired art style looks fantastic on the smaller console and its humble systems don’t push the Switch past its technical breaking point. Imperfect controls don’t hamper the rewarding puzzles and the story, while still engrossing, is only inhibited by its sometimes dubious and dated depictions of certain groups of people. And because of those reasons, Catherine: Full Body is one of those rare full-bodied ports that’s just as enjoyable when poured into a to-go cup.

While this version of the game isn’t as remastered as others, and though the launch price of $50 will rightfully make some gamers balk, Burnout Paradise Remastered on Switch takes a great formula and makes it pleasantly portable.

A gorgeous remake of a cherished game adaptation. With tons of unlockables spread across levels with tons of variety, it doesn’t rely on its namesake alone to carry it. While SpongeBob fans will undoubtedly be happy to play through a game that retains the show’s sense of humor and colorful animation, its solid platforming and the freedom it provides players with to explore its diverse levels make it one of the better remakes we’ve seen.

This excessive padding and theoretically noble attempt to dive into deeper subjects also negatively impacts the gameplay, too, as even its ace combat mechanics can’t quite stay fresh and exciting when repeated that often over the span of 30 hours. What’s left is a Bloater that’s forsaken enough of its soul to only just barely still be recognizable in its current form, shuffling around and proving that, unlike Ellie, it is not immune to devolving into a lesser form of itself.

The original Command & Conquer might be almost 25 years old by now, but its signature fast-paced strategic gameplay hasn’t aged a day. Remastered does exactly what modern-era collections should, offering old-school action with modern-day fidelity and loads of extras. This is a perfect example of remasters done right: The original gameplay remains intact, the upgraded presentation is flawless, and the added bonuses are tremendous. Put simply, your favorite Command & Conquer games are back and better than ever.