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.

In case it hasn’t been made abundantly clear by now, Tekken 8 is a must-play for fans of the series, fans of the genre, or even for new players wondering what all the hype is about. It’s a standout entry in a phenomenal series, it respects the player’s time, and gives them a ton to do, and it’s a joy to play. Go get it.

Loddlenaut is cute, and sweet, and extremely playable, and a very appropriate game for children. The only thing I suggest is that those kids are guided to the proper understanding that while the game accurately demonstrates just how important ocean rescue is, that it badly misrepresents the ease with which such a thing can be accomplished — and how it’s allowed to happen in the first place.

Tales of Mathasia should prove a good teaching aid for beginning mathWhile the player is free to replay levels, there’s no dedicated endless mode that might allow players to simply drill themselves with math problems without the extra context. It seems like an egregious oversight, especially since the main story only takes about an hour to complete. Hopefully if they make a sequel, the developers will better understand the importance of repetition and memorization in early childhood education. Until then, Tales of Mathasia remains a solid, if unimpressive educational game.

Ultimately, Pinball M is another solid outing from Zen Studios. Their typically-excellent pinball physics complement well-designed, original tables based on icons of film and videogames. For those who aren’t fans of the source material, the excellent new modes alone make it a worthy addition for any pinball fan.

All in all, I loved my time with Born of Bread. It’s cute and has a heart, and that kept me playing despite combat that didn’t hit the mark and party members that were a bit hollow. However, it’s a shorter RPG with speedy progression, and the main quest was one I enjoyed seeing through to the end. Sometimes a cozy fairy tale with simple mechanics and good humor is enough to satisfy, and that’s certainly what was delivered here.

For anybody looking to scratch an old-school side-scrolling itch, Astlibra: Revision might be the perfect thing. Otherwise, it’s a tough one to recommend to those who may be in the market for something a bit more modern in its sensibilities.

Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy is a welcome addition to the series. While it doesn’t add or change much when it comes to gameplay mechanics, it’s still enjoyable and challenging enough to be worth a look from anyone who likes an old-fashioned fairytale adventure with a twist.

Laika is not an easy game to enjoy. It’s a story, at its core, about how dehumanization of an enemy is a necessary step preceding genocide — about how people will become monsters if left with no other options. Most importantly, though, it’s about how cycles of violence can only end if people make the decision to not pull a trigger, no matter how difficult that might be. It’s a brutal, uncompromising journey, and it should have been one of the best titles of 2023, even if reality hadn’t decided to make it painfully relevant.

There’s definitely something to be said for performing fitness routines to visuals of rambunctious post-apocalyptic punks being smacked in their stupid faces to keep players engaged. And hell, if Kenshiro himself can’t get players to burn off some excess calories, who can?

Thankfully, Forgive Me Father shines mechanically, and that counts for a lot — the quick movement, automatically reloading guns, hectic shooting and pulsing soundtrack had me hooked from level one. It can be a bit punishing and the save points are a bit too far apart, but I think fans of ’90s-style shooters will find a lot to like here — just don’t expect anything more than solid shooting and bloody bits.

Overall, Frontiers of Pandora might be the greatest virtual tour I’ve ever been on. A large-scale, densely populated world offered wonder with every step and I loved being immersed in a fictional I’ve been in love with for almost 15 years. While the gameplay is only fair and the story leaves much be desired, I can’t deny that this cured the “Pandora withdrawals” I’ve had since seeing The Way of Water in theaters.

The Last Faith is an experience big enough to keep fans of the material occupied for 15 hours or so — the story is straightforward and the combat is… fine? Unfortunately for it, 2023 has been one of the busiest, richest years for quality game releases, and in light of such competition, The Last Faith doesn’t have much to offer.

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.

I was excited to dive back into Remnant II and wanted to see what new wonders Gunfire Games could cook up. There might be something juicier in the next expansion, but this one more feels like a few odds and ends than anything substantial. The One True King may be awakened, but players should feel free to sleep on this DLC.

Ultimately, UFC 5 is in an interesting space – it’s a sports sim that also holds appeal for casual fighting fans. While not perfect, this is the best rendition of the sport to date, and a great launching point to take the series in exciting, new, more narrative-driven directions.

And so, the Switch adds yet another solid rhythm game title to its growing library and reinforces the idea that the console is becoming the go-to destination for both handheld and couch-centric rhythm gaming shenanigans. It certainly helps that Spin Rhythm is so welcoming to players of all skill levels – seasoned rhythm gods, beginners, and even perpetual mediocrities like myself. Spin Rhythm does its best to keep the groove going for everyone.

Excessive Trim has great concepts, but falls short in execution. Solid graphics and a buzzsaw spacecraft can’t save it from feeling more like an extended tech demo than a fully-realized experience.

With this return to the world of rally racing, Codemasters has delivered something special with EA Sports WRC. It’s rock-solid and jam-packed, and I’d expect any gearhead to get lost in it for hours. Rally fans rejoice!

All in all, Borderlands 3 still delivers a looter-shooter from the studio that invented looting-shooting in the first place, and anyone hungry for frenetic combat and tons of guns will find plenty to love here. It may not have the same pull as Borderlands 2, but coming in second to one of the best that’s ever been is still a great place to be.

Hellboy: Web of Wyrd feels very safe as roguelikes go — The controls are uncomplicated, the equipment is serviceable equipment, the enemies are straightforward, and it doesn’t go out of it’s way to do anything too strange or off the beaten path other than showcasing Mike Mignola’s iconic art style. Since that art was enough to get me in the door, it did what it needed to do, I suppose. Hellboy comic fans may enjoy this experience more than others as it was created with help from the writer of the comics, but I’m hoping that there are some updates down the road that will give the game a little more bite.

It may sound like I’m focusing on the negatives too much here, but much of what I enjoyed about Trepang2‘s premise was ultimately undercut by its various weaknesses. What initially seems like a promising concoction of bloody firefights, psychic superpowers and absolute bedlam suffers from poor pacing, muddled direction, odd enemy AI and controls that are more suited to a mouse and keyboard than a controller. When it works as intended brief flashes of brilliance are tucked away in the combat, when taken as a whole it winds up being a fairly middling experience.

In what has become a regular mantra for my closing sections, NHL 24 is a tale of highs and lows. On one hand, the title features the most engaging, authentic hockey sim gameplay yet, and those who choose to stick with the basic modes will likely be enthralled by the slick graphics, realistic player fatigue, and top-tier presentation. On the flipside, the in-game advertising and omnipresent cash grabs — in a title that seems a little too familiar to prior editions — may leave longtime fans wondering if they should ever expect more, no matter how much they’ve already invested in the series.

An undercooked ending doesn’t capsize the rest of the experience, though, which is ultimately a perfectly calibrated sci-fi adventure with an inimitable aesthetic sense. As a game, The Invincible may not be entirely unassailable, but its credentials are as solid as one could ask for.

Robocop: Rogue City exceeded my wildest expectations when it comes to what a Robocop game could be, and the team at Teyon should be immensely proud of delivering a true love letter to one of the defining films of the 1980s. Anyone who’s even a casual fan of Robocop should buy this game without hesitation as soon as feasibly possible — no Robocop fan will walk away disappointed, and this experience is worth way more than a dollar.

Despite those rough edges, My Time At Sandrock is ultimately a wonderful and heartfelt game. There is an incredible story here about human nature, the environment, and the desire to right the wrongs of the past. Sandrock’s residents were charming, and I cared deeply about their lives, joys, and struggles. In that sense, I think my time in the desert was time well spent. With just a little polish, I think this one could become a masterpiece.

The London Case occupies a strange sort of middle ground — it wants to facilitate player freedom, while at the same time telling a focused point-and-click story with little room for deviation. Perhaps it would have functioned better as a more pure narrative experience – a visual novel, for instance. It certainly would have been easier to avoid the technical hiccups in that case!

Space Wreck feels like a good first step into the bigger world of PC RPGs for a newcomer like me. It certainly has the same level of brutality that I’ve often heard of, but it remains manageable and easy to come to grips with. Even better, a run can be completed in under 10 hours, so it’s not a huge commitment and can be readily replayed. I wasn’t sure if Space Wreck would be one I would enjoy, but I’m already starting a second playthrough to see what other secrets it has to offer.