It appears that NBA 2K has finally started to take the “next step” into greater gaming possibilities. Though MyPlayer needs a good amount of tuning and streamlining before reaching the heights of past story modes, it hints at bigger things down the line. But, based solely on the thrilling, beautiful, on-court presentation and gameplay, 2K22 is still a tremendous achievement.

The Club's greatest flaw is that it thinks it's a whole lot more revolutionary than it actually is. Despite the game's claims to the contrary, there's nothing new about any of this.

I'm very sad to see that the developers have lost the magic that the first Shadow Hearts had. It's clear that they've nailed the technical half of the formula (and have had it down for a while now), but half a game is still half a game— I would have preferred that they spend less time tweaking something that wasn't broken and instead focus on the intellectual side.

Flinthook is right on the cusp of being an absolute superstar. The art is top-notch, the music rocks, and in a general sense, it squarely nails the energy and vibe needed to rise above the chaff. On the other hand, the controls need some modifications and I can’t help but feel like it might have been better off as a traditional action game instead of a roguelite. While this interstellar adventure lost me before we reached the destination, I hope to see this cute space pirate again, and I’ll always cherish the time I spent whipping that grappling hook around.

Overall, Fantasy Strike takes a leap and tries to create a deep fighter that’s also accessible. It’s successful, but I don’t see it dethroning any of the heavyweight fighters anytime soon.

Despite the issues I’ve highlighted, Dying Light 2: Stay Human is an improvement over the original in nearly every way. While there’s plenty to complain about, the world is more interesting, the parkour is fantastic, and the story has more weight — of the two, it’s absolutely the superior game, and the thrill of rocketing through a crumbling city with monsters in hot pursuit is unparalleled in the genre. It’s not perfect, but it’s as good as parkour action gets.

I hope that future Phoenix Wright titles are able to keep the character and plot development at the same level achieved in Phoenix Wright: Justice For All.

Greater diversity is always a good thing, and if there are more quality gems like this on the way, then I'll be quite happy holding a Controller S for some time to come.

Momodora provides fast platforming and combat, a beautifully realized and interconnected world, and plenty of challenge, although often this challenge becomes frustration. However, it doesn’t do anything that hasn’t been done before by better games, and ultimately, it leaves no lasting impression.

Wild Bastards sounds like it shouldn’t work. Its foundation is a patchwork of different genres frankensteined into a single title and the frenetic FPS portions are broken up by long stretches of slow-paced tactical movement and galactic navigation. Despite all this (and the damned RNG) I can’t deny that it all works. The story is filled with fascinating and funny (if not likable) characters I wanted to see succeed. The tactical portions present interesting choices, and the FPS sections are fast and furious. if there was ever a game where the whole was more than the sum of its parts, it’s this one — and it comes highly recommended!

The Phantasy Star games are classic RPGs (yes, even the third one…which everyone seems to hate), and they deserved at least a little updating.

It’s a dark experience from beginning to end, but one that’s absolutely worth playing, especially when it offers some insight into what makes people compelled to fight for the future, no matter how futile the battle may be.

It may sound strange, but the developers of Brave Story: New Traveler have created an above-average experience by taking a perfectly average formula and making absolutely no errors in its execution.

The Pitt doesn't offer a lot of impressive loot to score, collecting items for that last achievement is more trouble than it's worth, and the struggle-with-a-twist to free Pittsburgh's slaves (or not) is over before you know it.

With a fascinating story and great gameplay, Broken Lines makes a strong case that turn-based combat can be used for projects more modest than the grand strategy and expansive RPGs that generally feature it.

At the end of the game something is revealed about Aliya, and she must make a choice. Unfortunately, neither option held any impact for me. The core mystery of Heaven’s Vault and the puzzles that must be solved to illuminate it are compelling. Yet, like its world and its core character, Heaven’s Vault gets caught up in physical things and forgets the human, rendering its final revelations as cold as the dead moons where Aliya digs up her artifacts. Then again, perhaps it’s fitting for an archaeologist that the story she uncovers is more compelling than her own.

It’s clear The Gentlebros studio has intentionally iterated on their approachable ARPG, and they’ve accomplished that goal with polished gameplay elements that hang together tightly. It might not be a satisfying experience for seasoned vets, but Cat Quest II is recommended for anyone seeking a bite-sized, straight shooting, heartwarming adventure.

And as a videogame, there's not much in Chain of Memories that I haven't seen before…except card breaks and room synthesis.

Arguably, the racing genre doesn't create classics anymore. Publishers merely try to make the least offensive version of their franchise for that year. Owing to this truth, NFSR succeeds at not being offensive. Sure, it's just bumper cars at its core. Just cats chasing mice. But sometimes that's enough.

Fury Unleashed can be tough as nails for many reasons, but thanks to developers that embrace the idea that someone should be able to adjust difficulty to their own abilities and tastes, players of all skill levels will find something to enjoy about this roguelite shooter.

Being a bit soft on the narrative is a sin that many games commit, and while I’m generally a big story guy, 7th Dragon III: Code VFD performs so fantastically in all other aspects that I can’t scold it for not making me examine the human condition. For players who want an excellent RPG-lite or a nonstandard dungeon crawler, this game is the total package—it’s got some of the most entertaining mechanics I’ve seen in years, it’s as smooth as butter to play, and everything about it oozes polish. It’s not only going to be one of the best 3DS games released this year, but one of the best 3DS titles overall.

Pumpkin Jack packs a lot of charm in this breezy adventure. It has flaws for sure, but players who have nostalgia for the specific kind of platformer that it’s paying homage to might find it to be worth their time.

Bonkies is cute and I found its ’90s cartoon aesthetic appealing, but the unbalanced difficulty swings make it hard to enjoy alone or in co-op. It’s possible that the optimal experience is with four players and the game does support remote play as well as couch co-op, so the best idea might be to find three friends before jumping into this monkey business.

Overall, Scene Investigators is a perfect game for CSI and The Mentalist fans. It offers lovers of the genre the challenge of analyzing crime scenes with a realistic approach in a way that remains loyal to its concept while also being fairly educational. A rare trick!

I looked hard for something wrong with this re-release of RE4, but I found… nothing. I suppose some could fault the developers for not adding a quick weapon switch to the D-pad (going into a briefcase to switch weapons has never been ideal) and it’s disappointing to see that the FMV sequences weren’t given the same visual overhaul as the rest of the title. Beyond those small quibbles, however, the game remains as good as it’s ever been. The campaign is the best in the series, the bonus chapter offers a huge amount of new content, and the costumes change the way the game is played. This really is one of the best games ever made, and over a decade later, it hasn’t lost any of its cachet.

I hope that Nintendo sees the error of its ways soon and pulls Fox & Co. out of this interminable nosedive.

The Evil Within 2 offers a few solid scares, some glimpses into a more promising game, and a lot of unexciting bloat. In such a crowded release season, it’s gonna take more than that to earn a recommendation from me. But hey, at least they got rid of the letterboxing. That’s a step in the right direction.

While it doesn't achieve much with the plot or its core concept, Alan Wake's American Nightmare offers an interesting-enough time-loop scenario with satisfying combat, and it knows when to end before it wears out its welcome. I definitely enjoyed my time with the game in a tactile sense, but I could never get over the nagging feeling that the series still has quite a way to go before reaching its full potential.