STATIONflow is great management content, not just because it makes the player feel like they’re learning something fascinating, but because it’s generally so easy to get into. The virtual ant farm that pours out from each arriving train is a pleasure to simply observe, and being able to optimize their journeys and make their virtual lives a little simpler feels like a bonus.

Steins;Gate Elite is as good as Steins;Gate ever was, and its aesthetic retooling may give it just the pizzaz it needs to reach to a new generation of visual novel nerds.

As the difficulty escalates through the area, culminating in a unique left-running boss battle, Runner 2 realizes the full potential of its synaesthetic design, and playing the game becomes an experience of joy.

Overall, Five Dates was a joy to experience. It’s a solid rom-com with strong writing and characters that accurately captures the trials and tribulations of living and dating during the COVID-19 era.

Overall, I was hooked by the atmosphere and easy-to-learn management of this summer road trip. In a time where games can be a wonderful escape from current world events, Keep Driving brought me back to a younger time when a car meant freedom and opportunity, and a reminder of those good times was more than welcome. As such, Keep Driving is an easy recommendation for sure!

While there's no question that The Division has plenty of room to grow, it also gets a surprising amount right. It's a great fit for consoles, solo players are welcome, and it delivers a fantastic multiplayer experience that's easily accessible in co-op and PVP.

Dead Rising 4 is a blissfully stupid good time, and as Dan stated in his review, it’s an incredibly focused experience with clear ideas about what it wants to accomplish. While this iteration removes one of the big things that made Dead Rising what it was (to me, anyway) the team at Capcom Vancouver make up for it by delivering satisfying zombie slaughter couched in a dopey, humorous world that fits the series’ core ideals. For newcomers or those who waited for it to hit PS4, Frank’s Big Package represents a fantastic opportunity to jump in and experience everything Dead Rising 4 has to offer, making the extra year of waiting well worthwhile.

A Link Between Worlds is a Zelda for people who have become disillusioned with Zelda over the years. It recalls the series' roots while also taking unique advantage of the 3DS hardware to create something that feels new. They may not make them exactly like they used to anymore, but Link Between Worlds shows that they still recognize what made them great in the first place.

Ultimately, while Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel is a solid JRPG sure to be enjoyed by fans of the genre, it must be said that it doesn't break any new ground.

The Crew Motorfest is exceptional. To simply say that it improves upon its predecessor is a gross understatement, as it took a flawed foundation and turned it into the smoothest of rides. The presentation, the improved handling and the excellent playlist feature all come together to make it a top-tier racer. With this new entry, Ubisoft not only sets a new standard for their own open-worlders, but they’ve crafted an experience that can stand toe-to-toe with the finest racers on the market. Like a souped up 2021 Toyota GR Supra blasting through the finish line on a crowded street, this is truly a sight to behold.

Going Under is one of the most important games I’ve played in 2020 and one I’ll keep playing for months on end, thanks to the meaningful writing and enjoyable dungeon crawling. For those looking for an accessible starting point in roguelikes, or those who just need some delightful takedowns of late-stage capitalism, this is it.

Knee Deep is clearly an ambitious title working against the constraints that come with being a small studio, yet it manages to deliver a darkly humorous southern crime noir that kept me glued to my seat. Sure, it has a few problems, but my journey through the troubled swamp town of Cyprus Hills was a memorable one.

Though Bang On Balls: Chronicles doesn’t reinvent the platforming or collect-a-thon genres, it vibrantly fills its world to brim with personality, secrets, and silliness, and the pure joy of discovery and chaos in Bang on Balls had me grinning ear-to-ear throughout its brief runtime. This is a must-play for fans missing the collect-a-thons of the ’90s, platforming enthusiasts, or anyone who wants to break stuff and have a great time doing it.

With its fast pace and emphasis on explosive action, Jupiter Hell is a more-than-welcome addition to the ranks of the roguelike genre. Even without the nods to its better-known brethren, it still packs quite a wallop. It isn’t perfect, but I loved blasting demons and zombified minions too much to care. Now, where is that chainsaw?

Each Tengo Project release is a handcrafted monument to a type of experience and particular strain of gaming culture that is mostly forgotten by the mainstream. This is not “Retro Gaming” as marketed to us for the last 20 years, but a type of design that fully embodies the specific, timeless, vibrant virtues of the ’80s and ’90s in new and exciting forms. Reborn is for sickos, by sickos. For those that have love in their heart for arcade culture, and for muscular, uncompromising, full-blooded action built on a system of beautifully-tuned mechanics, Shadow of the Ninja: Reborn will be one of the best things they can buy this year.

Bursting with energy, enthusiasm, freshness, inexplicably bizarre random elements, and a clear love of the genre it builds upon, it's impossible not to crack a smile and just revel in the sheer amount of rightness Weapon of Choice can claim as its own.

Even if the narrative comes off like an awful TV show, Riders Republic remains a phenomenal, open-world extreme sports title that sets itself apart thanks to accessible controls and a large number of sports to choose from. It’s done serious damage to my productivity over the last few weeks, and for the first time in a long time, I’ve found a massive triple-A game that genuinely prioritizes player enjoyment over anything else.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a brilliantly odd release. Newcomers to Kingdom Hearts may be put off by the complexity of the stories they’re thrown into, but Dream Drop Distance and A Fragmentary Passage are accessible enough via sheer gameplay alone. Really, it’s just puzzling why this title gets released first when Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 Remix (a much more substantial and sensible package) is only a couple months away. In the meantime, this package makes for a promising start before Kingdom Hearts III.

It's aesthetically fresh, filled with original creations, and presents a wholly unique mix of gameplay styles.

While the idea of starting a whole new sport may seem a little ambitious, Sparc‘s developers have pulled it off effectively. I don’t know if it will catch on, or how widely it will spread, but it establishes everything that it needs to. It’s easy to start, it tests reflexes aggressively, and at the end of a few matches, everyone will feel like they had a good workout. Really, what more does a sport need?

Even as I was enjoying the game's top-notch action, I couldn't help but be disappointed that the developers weren't doing more with the franchise's dramatic possibilities.

It's different, it's solidly built on a smaller scale, and it delivers an easy-to-grasp, focused concept. It also earns praise for being a streamlined and problem-free RTS without falling into the pitfalls that have doomed so many others before it. That in itself is no mean feat, and Targem Games makes it look easy.

One of the most refined and most unique racers of the last few years. It's getting harder and harder for racing games to stand out, but Bizarre Creations succeeded in making Project Gotham Racing 2 a racing game unlike any other.

My very minor disappointment with the story aside, Sine Mora is an outstanding shooter that excels in every other area-the design, aesthetics and mechanics are all top-notch, and couldn't be a better fit for the Vita. For players who own Sony's machine and have an appreciation for games of this sort, they honestly don't come better than this.

Every one of the four levels is delightful and inventive, offering multiple ways to solve each problem and reacting logically to out-of-the-box ideas. It may be on the short side, but Expect‘s wit and ability to engage players more than earns it a place on the must-play PSVR list.

This self-referential back-and-forth sets this game apart from the crowded market of platformers that it mocks and imitates with equal finesse.

Technical foibles aside, Turbo Overkill more than earns its place in the pantheon, and frankly, the gimmick of a chainsaw leg alone was probably enough to win me over. That said, the thoughtfully crafted encounters coupled with the creative level layouts buoy Turbo Overkill beyond its simple appearance. Ultimately, the peculiar grace of navigating the violent streets of Paradise City just feels good, and every element of its design reinforces that rock solid core.

Axis Football 2023‘s improvements far outweigh its shortcomings, though. It plays much more true-to-life, and the new visuals increase the immersion like never before. With the lower price point this year, it’s really a no-brainer. Football fans would do well to give Axis the shot it deserves with this year’s version.

Lil Gator Game is a short but sweet experience about the importance of holding on to childlike wonder, in addition to being a solid open-world adventure and having one of the funniest scripts around. For players looking for something that harkens back to a simpler time and delivers delight in spades, they can’t go wrong with this one.

Overall, Necrobouncer is a solid roguelike to start the year off. The soundtrack is a groovy synth and dance mix, the pixel art is beautiful, and I appreciated the script’s humor. It’s also a good starting point for newcomers to the genre, as the mechanics are easy to understand and the tutorials are solid. Each run unlocks new things, so the game constantly feels fresh and inviting. There may not be much to the overall plot besides eventually finding out what happened to our bouncer the night before, but the mechanics are so smooth that I didn’t need a story to keep me coming back.

While Warhamer 40,000: Battlesector may not bring radical innovation to the turn-based tactics genre, it’s a treat to spend time with a game that has a mastery of the fundamentals and executes on them while also correctly applying an IP which has historically struggled to deliver positive experiences. Battlesector is definitely one of the good ones, and I absolutely enjoyed my time with it — considering that the 40K license has tons and tons and tons of content left to tap, if the developers add new campaigns as DLC, I’ll be more than happy to keep playing this all year long.

As weird as some the diplomacy and other mechanics can be, it’s an impressive title with a ton of depth to get stuck into. Now, I’d better get back to my current mission in progress — those enemy armies won’t eat themselves, after all.

Aside from that disappointment and a bit too much late-game grinding in order to unlock the final string of bosses, World simplifies the series without watering it down and expands its scope without spreading itself too thin. If early sales are any indication, this is the entry that will finally make Monster Hunter a serious presence amongst Western audiences, and that’s a long-overdue victory.

I greatly enjoyed my time with Heavenly Bodies and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys these types of physics-oriented titles – It’s a wisely-tuned spaceborne experience that does exactly what it wants to do and does it well. Mission accomplished.

After completing the campaign and getting in what multiplayer I could, I walked away from CastleStorm feeling satisfied and impressed in nearly every respect.

There’s more of what worked, almost everything that didn’t is actually improved, and it feels as though the developers really put out forth honest effort rather than churning out a low-cost, low-imagination sequel.

Backbone’s narrative and character work are thrilling, complex, and thought-provoking, and the writing deserves all the praise it can get. That said, there is some feeling of the pacing being slightly off, since the final acts feel like they follow too quickly after the introductory ones. Whether it’s due to a lack of time or inspiration, the story could’ve done with at least two more chapters of narrative substance during the middle stretch. Any other issues I might raise with Backbone are mostly trivial. With its inspired script that accentuates themes of dystopia and desperation, this detective story delivers one of the most inspiring narrative-driven titles I’ve played in some time.

What The Saboteur lacks in innovation it makes up for with solid design and implementation.

Those small bumps aside, Mechstermination Force is absolutely wonderful. It presents a top-notch boss rush experience with fights that are exciting and memorable, the difficulty feels perfect, it doesn’t punish the player or feel mean-spirited, and it wraps up before it runs out of juice. Well done, Horberg Productions – this is absolutely superb stuff.

Viewed as a single-player experience, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a sizable addition that does relatively little to advance the Assassin's Creed story or gameplay. The multiplayer, however, is a unique and fascinating offering, a truly refreshing alternative to the plodding iterations of the market-leading shooters. F

While it can be completed in less than six hours, it perfectly explores themes and concepts that triple-A titles still have difficulty grasping: gray morality, a poignant, thought-provoking storyline, and appealing gameplay that isn't based on killing everything in sight.

Ellipsis is an immensely high-quality puzzler that’s recommended to absolutely anyone… so long as they have a steady hand.

Mage’s Initiation: Reign of the Elements is a well put-together adventure title. The game (like its hero) has issues, but its charms more often than not make up for them.

Its vividly depressing, yet wondrous world proves that Playdead is still the master of atmospheric side-scrolling platformers, and it quickly became one of the best games I’ve played this year.

It’s more than enough that Spider-Man’s mechanics are so smooth and exhilarating that I was actively seeking out new excuses to partake in them, even when there was repetition in the actual tasks. In so thoroughly capturing what it’s like to be this character, Insomniac hasn’t simply made a great Spider-Man game, but the great Spider-Man game. I’m glad that Activision lost the license.

Wander Stars is one of — if not the best — games I’ve played this year. It is equal parts hilarious, touching, exciting, and clever. The interactions between characters and even the enemies is consistently moving or delightful, the combat is sharp and challenging, and the art style is top-notch. It’s a must-play, but just be prepared for a bit of a grind and know that it might be tough to find exactly the right words to do the job.

These are great games now available for players who might have missed them and they’re both worth the time, but for those who’ve already been through them, they’re just re-releases without any new modes or extra content to lure in old fans. That said, this pair still comes highly recommended!

From start to finish, The Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is intertwined with memorable characters and thrilling courtroom scenes depicting both the best and worst of humanity, presented triumphantly in a manner I won’t forget anytime soon. Even if the core of the gameplay loop is showing its age a bit, it won’t hinder anyone’s enjoyment by much — a good story is a good story, full stop.

Here is a PC game that not only doesn’t hide its console roots, but rather unabashedly embraces it and, in my opinion, succeeds because of it.

Much like the previous episode, Tomorrow feels like a mashup of everything that made older Hitman games great.

Like the first Coffee Talk, Hibiscus & Buterfly delivers a delicious cup in the form of new stories, characters, and a lil’ shot of revised gameplay mechanics, and these elements all blend into a delicious mix that I love to cuddle up on the couch with.

While it may feel painful, grueling, and even outright sadistic at times, there's no denying the skill and craftsmanship that went into Super Meat Boy.

While I’d say that the Aliens vs. Pinball pack delivers great value for money overall, the Aliens table all by itself is an absolute knockout. For fans of Aliens or of Zen Pinball 2, picking this one is the definition of a no-brainer.

For anyone even remotely interested in what might be like to survive the zombie apocalypse, State of Decay is an absolute must-play.

The story kept me interested to the end of the game, and the battles were fast and furious for the sixty-five hours I happily put into it.

As a fan of the series and also as a father who's always looking for quality games for his kids to get into, Skylanders: Swap Force is easy to recommend. It looks great, it plays great, it's appropriate for all ages, and it's a genuine improvement on what the series has delivered in the past.

Works because of the little things-a fact that makes it a refreshing gaming experience in this day and age where everyone seems bent on completely overhauling the basic tenets of what makes a good game.

If I were to sum up 1000xRESIST in one word, it would be brave. I walked away extremely impressed with how its core subject matter, and I’ve been constantly thinking about the story since I rolled credits. It won’t change the mind of anyone who doesn’t care for narrative-focused gaming experiences, but I really do think this is going to be a special game for a lot of people. It speaks in a mature way that is extremely rare in a medium not known for its tact, and the team at Sunset Visitor should be proud of their work.

To be clear, Conarium isn’t quite a walking simulator, but it does put the player into a strange location and let them fully experience it. While it’s only about three hours, it succeeds so thoroughly at what it sets out to do that I don’t want to fault the developers for pricing it a little high for the amount of content it offers. This is one of the most faithful expressions of the Lovecraft aesthetic and worldview offered in a game, and anyone who values that should make it their business to track it down.

I have no hesitation in stating that this is without a doubt the best control system of its kind ever created. With impossible grace pulling off complex and fantastic maneuvers and never sacrificing the precision so crucial for true ease of play, this is how it should be done.

Tactical movement as conversation and combat is intriguing, and inkle has masterfully incorporated this innovation into a truly wonderful blend of narrative and tactics.

The underwhelming mouse-based elements are frustrating because they’re so unnecessary when compared to the interesting stuff going on with the characters and concepts. When it acts more like a visual novel, The Red Strings Club work crackles with lively ideas and compelling characters. Had it focused on that and pared away the irrelevancies, The Red Strings Club would be the amazing experience that it almost was.

Despite the lack of prizes for going above and beyond, I found Bzzzt to be a delight. This is a platforming masterpiece crafted by people who know the genre inside and out. Anyone who loves super-intense platforming is all but guaranteed to adore it, as it’s a truly exceptional game that’s as rewarding to play as any of the top titles in the genre.

Capcom has taken their one of their greatest triumphs and successfully modernized it for today’s audiences — it’s quite an accomplishment, and even if it can’t deliver the kind of grueling visceral horror that Resident Evil 7 did on PSVR, it’s still a hell of a ride.

Without quiet moments of reflection, down-time to relax, or any meaningful relationships that go beyond the passive cut-scenes within the actual game, it all starts to feel as unrelenting as the final quarter of a bone-crunching Steven Segal movie.

Even with that ridiculous level of challenge aside, every chunk of Assault Android Cactus feels like it's almost more than I can do, and it feels great to overcome the challenges Witch Beam threw my way. For those who think they're up for the task, this one comes highly recommended.

Obviously an effort that the developers poured their heart and soul into, and it shows. Everything about it is high quality and imbued with skill and care.

GGX2 is probably the most vibrantly animated two-dimensional videogame ever made, with each attack and movement drawn to exceptional detail.

While the Rainbow Six series has disappointly compromised the realistic approach that was once its calling card, the Ghost Recon series remains planted firmly in its one-hit-kill, tactical-action roots and, with Summit Strike, reaffirms its place at the top of the tactical shooter hill.

While there's no doubt that Senran Kagura: Estival Versus won't be a good fit for a fair amount of people based solely on the amount of jiggle, there's no denying the quality that went into its design and production.

Just small flaws in an otherwise sublime shooter. Brigador might not necessarily satisfy players looking for a new sim or a successor to a beloved series like MechCommander, but it scratches the itch for a challenging rampage game steeped in top-notch cyberpunk atmosphere.

Kojima is both retro and eccentric, and unless you're willing to accept that, his work won't fly for you. But if you are, if you are on his wave-length and able to appreciate all the witty touches that make his games sing, his work becomes rewarding in ways almost no other games are.

The ability to freeze time while scanning the level layout is an excellent feature, allowing the player to plan ahead and appreciate the strategic side of these spatial conundrums. However, the correct path through each level is a little more obvious and straightforward than in the GameBoy original, so planning your progress now takes more of a back seat to time-pressed platform expertise.

Despite these minor blemishes, Rogue Legacy is an engaging game that holds up over numerous trips through its diabolical castle.

While it might not be better than some of the classics of its genre, Gaucamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition still offers a plump pinata that delivers plenty of candy for players willing to break it open.

Loading with surmountable challenges, cute characters, and fantastic level design, Grapple Dog is the rare all-ages platformer that really could appeal to anyone interested in the genre. It’s simple enough for a child to use it as an entry point for platformers, yet offers challenges daunting enough to frustrate the most jaded Super Meat Boy player. Grapple Dog is a absolute treasure.

Elex is the best game Piranha Bytes has ever made. They’ve taken all the lessons learned on plotting, worldbuilding and character development from their work on Risen and Gothic and applied it something far more ambitious. The result is a truly great action-RPG, full of interesting characters, memorable quests, and amazing environments. While Elex‘s story comes to a satisfying conclusion and all the questions Jax starts with are definitively answered, it ends with the suggestion that there’s a much bigger story on the way, and I can’t wait for it to arrive.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows feels like the culmination of years of reworking the series into a full-fledged RPG. With smart changes to the overall flow of combat and a narrative that rivals some of the best triple-AAA experiences available today, Shadows is not only the best AC in well over a decade, but arguably one of the finest action-RPGs of the decade so far.

Take away some of its flaws, and the bar would've been raised higher than most games could ever hope to surpass. In lieu of that, we have Kamiya's latest, a breakneck, top-tier example of the 3-D action brawler.

There isn't a plot to speak of, nor any gameplay elements beyond the fighting. But the fighting really is exceptionally fun for novices and experts, which makes this game extremely successful on its own terms.

Even at its most frustrating, the brilliance on display here is addictive. It would be goofy to say TimeMelters is the best action/strategy/time clone hybrid involving witches I’ve played all year, so let me broaden it a bit and say that it’s one of the best games I’ve played this year, bar none.

Starting this review by comparing Layers of Fear to P.T. is unfair, because even if P.T. had never existed, Bloober Team's work would still be stellar. However, those intrigued by that now-deceased project's approach would do well to step into the shoes of this miserable artist for a few hours... They should empty their bladders before turning their consoles on, though.

For those satisfied with their Talos adventure, I'd say that there's nothing essential in this expansion, and it might be hard for forgetful players to get back up to speed. On the other hand, players who enjoyed the base game and want more will find Road To Gehenna to be beautiful, brilliant, brain-breaking, and heartily recommended as something that recaptures (and builds upon) much of what made The Talos Principle great.

Blood West won’t be for everyone, but those willing to go along with its demanding play and deliberate pacing will find an engaging experience that celebrates the player’s wits as much as reflexes. I won’t soon forget the feeling of being low on ammo, even lower on health and deep behind enemy lines, knowing I should turn back, but forging ahead anyway, intoxicated by what treasure could be around the next corner – because more than likely, it’s worth it.

Metaphor feels like an evolution of both the Persona and SMT series in the best ways. It builds on what’s come before in both, and synergizes everything together in a cohesive package. It also boasts some of the best gameplay found in any turn-based JRPG, with style to spare. While its world is beautiful and the cast lovable, it sadly never feels like it gets past the surface of anything, and pulls its punches in the final act. Despite this it remains a fantastic experience, and offers a worthy new frontier for Atlus to explore.

While my memories of playing it in the past weren’t great, the masterful music and visual presence combined in Lumines: Arise really turned me around on the series. It’s not one to miss!

It may not offer all of the answers I crave, but it manages to improve on the main game’s already well-crafted mechanics, and also builds an intriguing story that ties in beautifully with the existing plot.

MyDearest has made the best case yet for proving that visual novels can work in VR, and it’s strong enough to compete with more traditional non-VR entries in the genre as well. This is one giant robot you’ll want to get into.

From its simple premise Crash! delivers plenty of fun to reproduce a simple childhood joy.

NitW could also do more with its platforming. Five minutes in, the game tutorializes its jumping, and that tutorial is more challenging than any section that follows throughout the rest of its ten hour runtime. Ultimately, though, those issues do little to detract from the excellent characters and story at the heart of Infinite Fall’s debut. Night in the Woods’ story is the main attraction, and its superb execution was enough to keep me hooked.

Sure, it might be getting up there in years, but while the younger generation feels like it has to show off how ‘scary' it is with cheaper, higher-octane thrills, Resident Evil takes the time to really get under my skin, and considering how many times I leapt out of it, I'd say a bit of maturity isn't a bad thing.

Scope is a critical part of any project, and Chop Goblins understands this perfectly. By setting their sights modestly and emphasizing speed and tone, the developer manages an almost perfect execution of their vision – there is no waste, and every element keeps me engaged in its mad rush.

Tacoma is a great experience that’s not only wonderfully designed and produced, it’s one that that richly illustrates a side of videogames that’s worthy of further exploration. I would happily recommend it to nearly anyone – the themes and emotions here will resonate.

Not since the Yakuza developers decided to make a Fist of the North Star game have I seen a better melding of developer and subject matter. Runner Duck’s penchant for making hectic management sims about intense action-adventure settings have reached a new high with Badlands Crew. This is the best Mad Max game we’ve had in ages, and given the increasing quality of their work, I can’t wait to see what the developers have in store for us next.

Ni No Kuni II is absolutely delightful. While the original was bogged down by some cumbersome mechanics, Level 5 has done an outstanding job of cutting the fat while adding new elements and keeping things fresh — It has almost none of the filler that plagues the JRPG genre. I can’t stress how happy it makes me to see a game as good as this appeal to both someone like me, and to children as well. But most importantly, it’s not a kids’ game — it’s just a fantastic JRPG.

Weird West is a truly special experience. While each one of its stories is compelling in its own right, when put together they transform into something fantastic. This is a game that shows its monsters and asks the player to be disgusted, and then turns them into a monster and asks if they feel the same way. As such, every one of the journeys contained within is worth taking, but it’s only once players have trod all of those roads that they’ll appreciate just how amazing Weird West‘s accomplishments are. It’s deep, it’s fascinating, and it’s full of the kind of storytelling that resonates for a long time after credits roll — truly an incredible experience from beginning to end.

Deadlink doesn’t reinvent the wheel. Despite its shortcomings, it presents a well-tuned, fast-paced experience that remains engaging from start to finish, and on more than one occasion I found myself so locked in that my knuckles were hurting from gripping my controller. Deadlink asks its players to walk a thin line between success and failure, and in so doing captures a sense of intensity that vastly overshadows its lack of variety and disappointing story. Anytime I find myself in need of a quick shot of adrenaline, I have a feeling that Deadlink will be my fix for a good while now.

By the time the credits rolled, my hand was aching at the base of the pinky finger that operates the Shift key, but I was still sad that there were no more obstacles to overcome. I was in physical pain and still itching to keep going. If that’s not the sign of a damn good action romp, I don’t know what is.