Uprising is a total war conquest between all enemy factions established in the game. While it provides a welcoming level of freedom when it comes to choosing missions, it can’t maintain the same quality when it comes to mission objectives and design. It’ll be an enjoyable product for those who already love the base game, and maybe that’s enough.

So yeah, Bubsy 4D is a good game – of course it is, Fabraz made it! The bobcat couldn’t have gotten luckier with these developers. And if they make another one, or add on to this one, I’ll happily check it out. With that said, people should play Demon Tides first, and then Demon Turf, and then, even then, wait for a steep sale — there’s just not enough content here.

It’s obvious that In Their Shoes was made to test and improve a player’s empathy. Although some of us have probably gone through some of the situations we encounter here, many will be outside the average person’s experience. Further, it’s mechanically not a game for everyone — it’s targeting the niche of people who love reading in games, and I suspect it will be repetitive and monotonous for most. However, pedagogically speaking, it’s worth playing as a way of training one’s ability to feel for others, and to be in the shoes of people who are different than us.

When Defiance was originally made, developers had largely figured out how 3D platforming should feel, and the only real hurdle that remained was being willing to trust the player with the camera. Combat still had a long way to go at that time, though, and it’s in the stumbling, awkward fights that Defiance shows its age. It’s an interesting curiosity, but anyone considering loading it up should be ready to slog through some truly annoying fights.

For those looking for way to play The Disney Afternoon Collection on the Switch family of consoles, this version is a solid choice, despite being a bit lacking. The emulation is good and the new additions are welcome, but there are still a few titles missing and the new additions don’t feel like they got the same level of attention the others did. The presentation also leaves a lot to be desired, with hard-to-read instructions and poor implementation of game screen borders. It’s worth looking into for players who don’t own any version yet, but as such a a minor upgrade compared to the original release, it’ll be a hard sell for all but the most ardent Disney fans.

In the end, Neon Inferno is a largely decent action romp that never comes close to the classics of the genre it clearly has deep respect for. It certainly looks the part, and that may be enough for some nostalgia driven gamers to give it a whirl, but it’s hard not to feel like it’s outclassed by its inspirations.

I spent a lot of time complaining in this review because it chafed against my particular tastes for these kinds of experiences, but there’s little here that’s bad on an objective level. As such, Kotama and Academy Citadel wouldn’t be at the top of my metroidvania recommendation list, but that’s due more to the amount of stellar competition in the genre than any particular flaw of its own.

I really wanted to love Big Hops, since it’s clearly made by folks who share my fondness for the 3D platformer genre. But while that passion has birthed a terrific moveset, Big Hops is ultimately a selection of great mechanics in search of a tighter, more focused game.

Big fans of professional soccer or management sims may find more to like in Nutmeg! than I did, but as for me, I’m putting in my resignation from the team.

Those looking for a simple-yet-effective grind and not bothered by bad voice acting will enjoy Dragonkin: The Banished. It doesn’t attempt to rewrite the ARPG, but it provides a solid loop with a novel approach to skill-building that serves as an antidote to the terminally-online titans of the genre.

Anthem#9 looks fantastic in trailers and the gem matching mechanics are satisfying — piecing together a giant combination of attacks feels great. On the other hand, the UI needs work, the difficulty spike going from the basic (AKA tutorial) missions to the extra missions is supremely out of whack, and all the white flashes made me sick and will likely trigger seizures in photosensitive people. I want to like Anthem#9 more than I do, but it really doesn’t like me back.

At the end of the day, Unbeatable is a solid rhythm title with great audio-visual presentation and and a heartwarming narrative, though some lackluster pacing and inconsistent voice application make it a trickier recommendation than I would have expected.

There’s nothing meaningful to recommend this title, and it’s easy to call it the weakest entry in the entire Kain series—an outcome that falls far short of the modern revival I had hoped for.

Love Eternal is very demanding game — it demands perfection for its platforming, focus for the narrative beats, and patience for both. I can say that it’s one of the most unique games I’ve played in a very long while, and maybe with time I’ll come to enjoy it more than I did. I never stopped being intrigued enough to keep pressing on, but the frustration it put me through only took away from the experience overall.

While Painkiller’s attempt to reboot is a worthy goal, but the reality is that it just doesn’t get the franchise where it needs to go, as it’s not something easily recommended to a friend thanks to its mediocre nature, nor is it a a true single-player experience for those old-school Painkiller fans out there. Just like its protagonists, the game is caught in a purgatory between the modern online gaming landscape and its classic arena shooter legacy, fighting for a redemption that isn’t looking likely to come.

Overall, JDM: Japanese Drift Master is a stylish racer with a lot of anime charm. I am in love with the anime aesthetic and as a huge fan of classic Japanese street cars, I was happy to see my non-Toyota favorites here. Unfortunately, its handling model makes the entire package turn out to be an inconsistent ride.

The excellent color palette, cute yak animations, witty writing, and excellent soundtrack were simply not enough to encourage me to play further. All of the novel concepts and innovations presented to me were swiftly undone by the insufficient interface controls near the halfway point of the campaign. Fighting with this interface felt like I was a monk trying to coax my yak up a ramp, and that yak was unwilling to take another step.

Speeding through the world while listening to the perfectly-tuned soundtrack, I did find myself getting lost in the experience, exactly as the developers hoped I would. More than once I knew the exact route to the next objective, yet decided to do a few more dry runs, just because I was enjoying the driving too much. I’m not saying that there aren’t frustrations to be found in Adrift, but I still found this one of the most relaxing things I’ve played in ages. Just being in this world is a delight, and when I’d finally finished exploring it, I was a little sad that there wasn’t more to see. It won’t be for everyone, but for those who click with it, it’ll be just what they were looking for.

Without the insane sense of humor and quality retro styling, I probably wouldn’t give it a moment’s thought. But, it does have those qualities, and uses them to excellent effect, even while the gameplay is disappointingly pedestrian. It has some neat quirks, amusing throwbacks and charm aplenty, but overall it’s nothing to brainwash a princess over.

As it stands, the framework of a promising tycoon game flickers beneath the strobe lights, but it struggles to justify the cover charge. Moments of satisfaction are undercut by clumsy onboarding and a lack of personality, leaving the whole experience feeling flatter than it should. Unfortunately, Disco Simulator hints at a better party than the one it ultimately throws.

While its mechanics never quite cohere into a truly transcendent experience, the developers’ understanding of their protagonist helps to bolster Styx: Blades of Greed against becoming just another anonymous sneak-‘em-up. They’ve provided a play space that’s free of judgment and agnostic to the moralistic implications of player behavior, and I felt no pangs of guilt as I went about systematically murdering a fortress full of guards and staff, stealing all I could in the process – after all, it’s what Styx would do, and they probably deserved it anyway.

I am Future targets the fans of slower crafty games. Gathering resources, dismantling objects, farming, fishing… it all comes together to make a non-rushed title, and while I wanted to like it, it just didn’t click. Quests ended up feeling like chores, and the story wasn’t exciting enough to make up for the lackluster gameplay. Overall, I am Future offers a pleasant starting loop, but it never evolves into anything bigger.

This all adds up to a competently-made title that won’t leave anyone completely disappointed, but the prevalence of technical issues leads me to knock the final score down. Metroidvania fans might find some enjoyment with Adventure of Samsara, but I’d bet it will disappear from their memories as soon as credits roll.

EA markets NHL 26 as “the most authentic hockey experience yet,” and that’s not entirely wrong. The physics refinements, data integration, and visual polish make this the best version for anyone who skipped last year. But the improvements are incremental, not transformative. If you already own NHL 25, you’ve seen nearly everything this has to offer… it’s just a little smoother, a little prettier, and a little harder to justify at full price.

Full Metal Schoolgirl is a title that clearly knows its niche and embraces it fully. It never takes itself too seriously, and cute girls shooting cyborgs with massive guns is a winning concept. Unfortunately, a couple confusing design choices hold it back from being something I can sink countless hours into, but those who don’t mind repetition and love the aesthetic will find a worthwhile tower climb.

I had a lovely time with Constance. It’s not a lore-intensive metroidvania, it’s not particularly difficult unless the player wishes to test themselves, and it never outstayed its welcome. Among the titanic release of Silksong and other metroidvanias, Constance still managed to make an impression on me. Don’t let this one pass you by.

Maybe after the devs squash the bugs and make a few other changes I’ll want to come back and dig some more, but in its current state, Mole Maiden doesn’t feel like it’s quite ready to surface.

It’s great to finally have Everybody’s Golf on PC, and even though this entry fails to meet the series’ usual high standards, it still offers a fine walk out on the links. That said, it’s impossible to shake the feeling that it’s only achieved the absolute minimum here. Until the various bugs and other issues are patched out, I simply can’t recommend Everybody’s Golf in its current state. No matter how good the general golfing experience is, it’s impossible to ignore the wonky physics and overall lack of ambition. What should have been a near-effortless hole in one is perilously close to becoming a triple bogey instead.