Silicon Dreams asks important questions that address our nature as human beings and the rights of minorities, while also providing its own interesting brand of sci-fi narrative while avoiding shallow slogans and easy resolutions, and it definitely comes recommended for those wanting something more engrossing and relevant than the average visual novel.

Dodgeball Academia hits the mark in almost every way. It’s a great combination of classic and new game ideas coming together in a charming adventure. Fans of JRPGs looking for something a little different should get on this court and play some ball.

OTXO kept me roped in for nearly 25 hours- so on the whole? I’d say I had a good time.

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.

The standard of quality for the modern era of stealth strategy games is very, very high. Sumerian Six is not at the front of the class, but it’s still a great entry, and a highlight of 2024. I spent more than 30 hours dispatching fascists with the Enigma Squad, still have two levels to go, will absolutely finish them and someday return for another run. Stealth strategy, when done right, is just that good, and Sumerian Six is absolutely done right. Bravo, Artificer. Sequel please.

American Arcadia manages to tell an incredibly compelling story that makes its world feel a bit too close to our own, accompanied by smart gameplay and an incredibly well-written story, along with a stellar cast of characters. Trevor’s wild and suspenseful escape from Arcadia is guaranteed to give him (and the show) a much-needed ratings boost.

Commanding soldiers works exceptionally well, the environments look fabulous, and the entire project is built on a concept I can appreciate, but because the game runs out of ways to use your squad so early in the adventure, it feels all dressed up with no place to go.

Spirit of Justice is a must-play for fans of Phoenix Wright’s continuing adventures. Though some minor mechanical quibbles remain, this is, by far, the most intuitive and visually engaging entry in the series. The amount of innovation and genuine humor found throughout paint a rosy picture for the future of the franchise and make Spirit of Justice the freshest courtroom since the first.

Fans of hand cramp-inducing button mashing or extensive weapon combos might find a lot to like here, but for everyone else there's just a pretty face and some scattered body parts.

Catherine: Full Body does an excellent job of updating and refining a surprisingly good puzzler that oozes style, yet still has too many issues in the narrative to overlook. It’s a shame — there’s some great dialogue on topics rarely discussed in big-budget games hidden under piles of nonsense and occasional insensitivity. Still, Catherine does have its fans, and they’ll be thrilled with the gameplay enhancements, new content, and the graphical bump.

Online, WWE 2K23 performs well, with a few exceptions. Playing simple head-to-head is fairly seamless and responsive, but multiple team matches presented a handful of collision glitches and targeting problems. I found myself kicking the air on more than one occasion, while my opponents sat untouched nearby. It wasn’t a dealbreaker by any means, but in a title so focused on recreating WWE action, this repeatedly took me out of the moment. Fortunately, I didn’t experience any issues finding matches or opponents, thanks to snappy loading times and an easy-to-navigate lobby.

CrossCode is an ambitious title, has a strong style that fans of this type of RPG will appreciate, and the combat is great. Unfortunately, the lack of a compelling narrative and loads of filler made it an experience that didn’t convince me to play to the end.

Considering the great number of things Metal Arms: Glitch in the System gets right, it's a shame that the game is ultimately sullied by its gassy length (it doesn't seem to know when to end) and often sadistic difficulty (did anyone play-test it?).

A laughably awkward ten-year jump forward and a climactic showdown against a foe whose motives utterly escape me. The project’s original director was Kingdom Hearts creator Tetsuya Nomura, and it seems some of his influence remains embedded in the final product — FFXV’s latter half feels like a different game entirely, and it’s a mess. FFXV’s inability to live up to its early promise might rank as 2016’s biggest gaming disappointment.

If Half-Life: Alyx sold as many VR headsets as it should have, every new adopter needs to make Saints & Sinners a priority. Although it obviously lacks the polish that Valve was able to bring to their juggernaut, it’s another hearty single-player offering that was not only built from the ground up for VR, but showcases the exciting advancements unique to the platform. It’s an easy recommendation, even to people like me who thought they were sick of zombies.

So Dragon's Dogma has worthwhile elements even if it feels dated, and even if I very nearly quit just before hitting the all-important twist that actually made the story worthwhile.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns has many of the elements that would make it a great special event story – it carries off its pulpy narrative pretty well despite the bland protagonist, and the combat is a competent adaptation of superhero action into a strategy format. However, the slow pacing of the narrative and battles, not to mention the wrong-headed approach to the home base and team building make Midnight Suns feel disjointed and torpid. This is one special event that won’t become a collectible.

Like some of these mercs, Jagged Alliance 3 can be a bit rough around the edges, but when the chips are down there’s no question it delivers. This is an easy recommendation for players who enjoy the genre, especially since it’s been 24 years since the last mainline entry in the series. With addictive gameplay, a great cast of characters, and tongue-in-cheek dialogue, liberating this island is a mission worth accepting.

There’s more to praise in Dungeons of Hinterberg, like the clarity of the UI, the ease of using supporting systems, and the numerous quality-of-life measures that the team has obviously, intentionally deployed. Everything about the entire experience feels thoughtful and considered, and the devs were smart not to overreach. They’ve managed to successfully deliver on the promise of Hinterberg, capturing a holistic, singular experience that resonated with me in a way that few do. For the first title out of a brand new studio, this is incredible stuff and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Madden NFL 26 is a shining example of why it’s important to read full reviews, not just scores. Why? Even when discussing two games in a series made one year apart, there’s a world of difference between last year’s 8 and this year’s 9.5. Those waiting for Madden to finally make true forward progress can exhale, because the moment has come.

Assassin’s Creed: Origins breathes new life into this ten-year old series, culling the parts which didn’t work while branching out and growing beyond what it once was. It successfully maintains the heart of the franchise and smartly dumps unnecessary baggage while opening it up to more kinds of players. Technical issues keep it from being a masterpiece at the moment, but there’s no doubt that patches are incoming. Overall, if this is the future of Assassin’s Creed, it’s a bright one.

Flynn: Son of Crimson isn’t a game that is going to revolutionize action platformers, but it’s a very solid entry into the genre that offers great combat mechanics, solid platforming, and beautiful pixel art to go along with it. This game is absolutely worth a look for fans of this style.

Svoboda 1945: Liberation is a truly incredible educational videogame that I, as a history teacher, can recommend for use in the classroom. In addition to its experiential and play value, it proves that educational titles can be captivating without losing their pedagogical mission, and I’m glad that this genre continues to deliver high quality projects and evolves consistently with the efforts of talented teams like this one. Plus, the serious way in which Svoboda 1945: Liberation treats the historical facts and the compassionate way in which it presents the people are a beautiful tribute to the memory of those who survived World War II. This is an especially important gesture, as the last survivors are now nearing their final days, and with them, the knowledge of what really happened. Let’s not lose this and be doomed to repeat it.

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.

LostWinds isn't something that will impress friends or provide hours of replay, but it's an enjoyable and enjoyably discrete experience that made me glad I downloaded it.

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.

In every way save the graphics, I found Muramasa: The Demon Blade to be a failure.

One of 2018’s more notable indie releases, worthwhile as a charming homage to retro action/adventure titles and as an ambitious exercise in restrained game design – it’s the world’s most agreeable game, chopped up into a hundred bite-sized pieces. I want to complain that it’s over too quickly, but then Minit makes a constant case for brevity being the soul of wit, so I guess I should shut up.