Tomb Raider is a fine game, but something essential feels like it has been left out. Lara seems to have found the map, but missed the treasure.

Asgard’s Wrath 2 would be an enjoyable thrill-ride if it could only get out of its own way, yet every highlight was drowned out by missteps. Players new to VR gaming are likely to be quite impressed, but as someone who’s been into VR for a while, it’s tough to see past the problems and enjoy the parts that pop.

The online is worthy of special mention, as it’s arguably the most important factor when it comes to a fighting game’s longevity. Fortunately, Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator nails this aspect admirably. The netcode is solid, with even games held between Japan and the UK offering decent matches.

I can’t stress how much I adored the entirety of Valfaris, and finding a title so brimming with such confidence in itself is rare. This game knows it’s awesome, and as the bosses got harder and harder, I was never once frustrated because I knew I had the tools I needed to conquer its mountain, leading to one of the most satisfying gameplay experiences I’ve had in years. Valfaris is a supremely designed action-platformer made by incredibly talented people, and it headbanged straight into my heart. Play it immediately.

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.

With a notable level of craftsmanship and clear focus on its subject material, Trials HD is going to be endlessly addictive to the right kind of player. I wouldn't have guessed that player was me, but no matter how many times my bike crashed, I kept thinking I could do it if I tried just one more time, and I was constantly hungry to get it right.

I'm always eager to see developers carve new territory in interactive narrative, but I'm not convinced that Her Story's format of chopping up bits of exposition and hiding them behind a nonsensical search engine mechanic is a major step forward for the medium. There's enough solid standalone writing to prevent it from being a waste of time, but I ultimately value Her Story more for its audacity than its success.

Very rarely have I done as complete a turnaround with something the way that I did with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. I went in concerned about playing another metroidvania and the bumpy start had me questioning the wisdom of requesting this assignment. However, I am happy to report that those feelings dissipated quickly — The Lost Crown is a fantastic project that both honors the lineage of the franchise while also taking it in a bold new direction. One could easily make the argument that this is the best game Ubisoft has produced in around a decade, and it’s an easy call to say that this is 2024’s first must-play title. Don’t miss it.

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.

Ultimately, my advice to anyone interested would be to try Riven ’24, but to give it only quiet evenings, with nothing on in the background and a notepad at hand. Savor the world, take in all of its wind-kissed, sea-girt coasts, jewel-like lagoons, and its bright stone facades cut with geometric planes of sun and shade. Prepare to go slowly, prepare to think, and prepare to synthesize. Also, prepare to get stuck. Even with its modernizations, Riven ’24 is an uncompromising experience, though it has incredible things to show those willing to make the journey.

Carrying on the same kind of rough, unpolished quality into a sequel without any innovation is completely unacceptable to me, Star Wars or otherwise.

My complaints about the storytelling and button-pressing aside, it's impossible to deny that Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time is engaging from a tactile perspective—taking out evil toadstools by kicking a red shell back and forth between the mustache brothers just never gets old.

Developers as brave as these should be recognized and celebrated for their efforts, and players who crave something deeper and more meaningful than another shooter with talky cut-scenes would do well to take this journey.

I can accept but no longer appreciate the conventions of the past that Soul Calibur III upholds and I look forward to a game that embodies the newer and more reality-based ideals of competitive fighting.

Homeworld Remastered Collection is a huge proposition, an indelible package, and it deserves to remain a towering monolith in the RTS game canon as long as possible... And now, I think that maybe it's not so bad feeling tiny.

The slightly disappointing storyline aside, it's impressive just how well the whole thing gels together, and DmC: Devil May Cry succeeds on pretty much every level imaginable.

We Love Katamari is a loving, faithful rendition of Katamari Damacy—right down to its camera, which still wedges itself in places and sputters like an old lawnmower.

Looking solely at the gameplay, Great Big War Game delivers. On the other hand, there is more to a game than just the gameplay itself-appearances do matter. From that perspective, it's in need of a little help.

Even with a somewhat steep learning curve and a frustrating final sequence, I enjoyed Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark. Solid design and wonderful storytelling more than made up for the annoyance and grind.

The way that Amplitude is structured lends itself more to good reflexes, the memorization of patterns, and concentration rather than simply a good ear for music.

After I'd seen the plot play out and was able to mentally put it aside, it became clear that the lion's share of the pleasure I derived from Bastion was of the technical, hack-'em-up kind. In that regard, I salute it. On the other hand, while my hands enjoyed the time I spent with Bastion, my brain and my heart were left untouched.

I can’t begin to describe how happy it makes me to report that not only is Sonic Mania the triumphant return-to-form that fans have been waiting for over the past twenty years, but Christian Whitehead and his team have made the definitive Sonic game. Of course, this may be a tad hyperbolic coming from a longtime Sonic fan like me, but when I have children, this is the Sonic game i’m going to give them. This is a required purchase for anyone who loves this series, and that dope from the playground, wherever he is, can go launch himself into the sun.

When all’s said and done, Dragon’s Dogma 2 is an outstanding refinement and expansion of every good thing the original — now an undisputed cult classic — brought us, and this sequel is more than welcome, especially since its formula still manages to stand alone when it comes to RPGs.

The devil is really in the details. I was obsessed with collecting recipes all over the world, by seeking out the elusive Wonder Chef, whose dishes provide various healing effects after fights.

This is simply a faster, tenser, more action-oriented Rainbow Six. In other words, it's better. It has none of the tedium of the PC games and more suspense and drama to keep players on the edge of their seats.

I'm far more excited by the ridiculousness of watching a lop-sided ball of junk made of houses, cars, welcome mats, sushi pieces and little girls, with a totem pole jutting out of one side and a herd of cows stuck to the other, rise up into outer space to transform into a star.

Ultimately, it feels as though Indy is having something of an identity crisis. On the one hand, the freedom and agency offered in the latter two-thirds of the world design and free-flowing combat embraces the character in a way that previous digital incarnations haven’t. On the other, stilted puzzle design and a stubborn resistance to its own structure, particularly in the early stages, holds Indiana Jones and the Great Circle back from true greatness.

Everything that Dawn of War does it does exceptionally well. The only real problem is that everything it does has already been done a hundred times before.