Hardspace: Shipbreaker is a masterpiece. It offers perfectly-tuned gameplay that dovetails flawlessly with the story that it’s telling, and it’s the rare example that manages to make its points entirely through mechanics — even if someone stripped out all of the dialogue, players would still understand what the game has to say about the crushing cycle of worker exploitation under capitalism. The fact that the developers went out of their way to build a believable world and great characters to help players empathize with the people trapped in this corrupt system shows how much they cared about making the best possible version of their work.

In the end, NBA 2K23 isn’t a perfect game. But it is the strongest, deepest, smoothest, and most enjoyable showing for the series in some time. With a little less focus on microtransactions, and a little more focus on ramping up other modes, perfection is definitely within reach in the coming years.

There are a ton of great ideas in Dream Cycle. Dreamlike, ever-shifting worlds, the Lovecraft influence, and exploring it all as a sorceress is a solid foundation to build an adventure on — it simply needs more time in the oven to improve the inconsistent mechanics, streamline the experience, and fix the bugs. It’s a great start, but it’s just not there yet.

This is a studio that has created characters with moving arcs and developed stories that grapple with revenge, forgiveness, and even the nature of being. Here, it feels like all that ambition has died and been replaced with Gundam for Complete Illiterates. It’s a tragic regression, all the more so because here and there compelling stories and characters poke through. Alas, they end up buried beneath a mountain of anime tropes and JRPG platitudes. Monolith is better than Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and so are we.

This title certainly takes things slow, but it runs so deep and expands in so many directions at once that it’s hard to label it anything other than a true achievement. I whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone who might consider themselves an RPG fan.

While it might be listed as a cute and creepy summer adventure in a PR blast, that doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of what it truly offers. Rather, it’s wonderful coming-of-age story about a young boy still grieving, creating powerful friendships, and finding his “true” happy ending.

Pac-Man World: Re-Pac might be a bit basic at times, but it nails the mechanics and delivers on the production. It feels like exactly the kind of thing I would have enjoyed as a kid — which basically means I also enjoy it now as a platforming-crazed adult. I’m glad Namco is looking to its classic catalog in this way, and I’m hoping it means we get more from them in this style. Pac-Man fever? I have it.

While it lasted, Cult of the Lamb was a darkly enlightening experience that wholly delivers on the premise of its cutesy horror genre-mash-up. For the many who have been eagerly anticipating its release, that faith has been rewarded.

The fundamentals of Touken Ranbu Warriors are fine. Great controls, a good variety of playable characters, and the bite-sized missions are a nice change of pace. Also, after Samurai Warrriors 5 it’s refreshing to see a game that doesn’t treat Nobunaga Oda like a misunderstood saint. The story doesn’t impress, though, and despite how intriguingly bonkers the premise is, the experience never manages to rise above being a perfectly serviceable musou.

Unfortunately, there’s a void where the story and character should go, and this absence is a significant mark against the work overall. However, everything else is so strong that I can’t be too mad. If the developers were to create a sequel following in these same footsteps but with more story and character, it would be an absolute knockout. Let’s hope they get there.

Despite the lackluster mechanics and dull dungeon design, Soul Hackers 2 still has plenty of sheen in its presentation and characters. Ringo is an intriguing protagonist surrounded by a roster of dynamic characters who will keep the player invested as they struggle to save this colorful, neon world. If nothing else, it will serve as a welcome primer to Atlus newcomers, or a welcome draught for those looking to slake their thirst after going through more accomplished ATLUS titles.

Apart from the suboptimal multiplayer matching, Sunbreak is damn good Monster Hunter and I hope they keep some of the features introduced here as the series moves forward, especially the human NPC companions. For anyone who owns and enjoyed Rise, picking up Sunbreak should be a no-brainer. It’s an intelligent expansion that retains the best of Monster Hunter Rise and adds more than enough to warrant its existence atop an already-meaty title.

Madden NFL 23 certainly isn’t lacking content and is arguably more realistic than ever. Yet, after nearly a decade of treading the same still waters, it’s never been more evident that a new approach is needed. As much as I appreciate the gameplay improvements and still enjoy the annual Madden experience, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to recommend investing money into it year after year.

Xel tries to tell a compelling story about time travel, loss, anger, and consequences, but the game just isn’t in great shape. I want to see what Tiny Roar can achieve after they patch the daylights out of Xel, or perhaps what they do in their next project. As it stands, though, Xel needs to think about what it’s done and learn from tis mistakes before it’s not grounded anymore.

Having not played wither Klonoa before this review, I was expecting a bubbly platformer that was a product of its time, but instead, I was floored by how beautiful Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series was, and by how strongly it connected with me on an emotional level. I hope see more of this in the genre.

Despite 18 years passing between the original and this port, it feels like not much has changed at all — it remains a heavily flawed but interesting work. Unfortunately, I was hoping that it would right the wrongs of the original version, especially in terms of the additional content, but fails to do so. That’s a bit disappointing, but even with the game being re-released in the state it is, it remains more enjoyable and refreshing than most of Star Wars‘ more recent offerings.

Thymesia is a short adventure – Soulsborne pros might complete it in under eight hours, but with its deep combat and constant sense of progression, it never outstays its welcome and remains consistently engaging. It’s a bite-sized entry into the genre that doesn’t try to redefine its parameters, but instead hones in on a few core aspects and maximizes their potential.

I love Rollerdrome. That “hell yeah” factor hit me early, especially once I saw how it utilized the foundation built by one of my favorite franchises, yet still managed to create its own experience. Its satisfying gunplay and sense of momentum make it one of the finest sports games available, while its art style makes it stand out from the crowd. Roll7’s winning streak of incredible skating games continues.

My main complaint with Stray is its length, it felt like the game could have done with an extra four or six hours if it were in the shape of more challenging chase sequences or harder puzzles. The lack of customization for the cat is another issue that has to be addressed. Early on, the cat acquires a jacket and it came as a surprise when credits rolled and there was never any opportunity to customize it, nor even the ability to add one (or more) of the badges that can be earned. There’s not even allowance for a change in the base color. Those issues aside, Stray is ultimately a double-A game that can be confused for triple-A if one takes into consideration the amount of polish, precision and quality crammed into it. Fur-midable indeed.

The art and music are dripping with style, the mechanics are easy to learn and offer enough wiggle room to be challenging without demanding perfection, and the story is full of heart — if a bit corny at times. If this game looks even remotely interesting, don’t sleep on it.

In summation, nirvanA Initiative‘s a good time. It does get a little long in the tooth during certain sequences and the pacing’s not as tight as it should be, but it’s a well-written and amusing murder mystery that should scratch the itch of any Visual Novel fan in the market for solving some of the craziest homicides in videogames.

Mothmen 1966 gets in, tells the story it wants to tell, offers a few surprises, and then gets out long before it wears out its welcome. I had a great time with it, and I would hold it up as an example of a well-done Visual Novel that understands its content and the electronic medium, and leverages both to wonderful effect.

Overall, I like OlliOlli World. When the player learns its techniques and finds a groove, it’s a great flow-state play whose vibrant presentation elevates the experience.

While I found Salt and Sacrifice worth breaking at least one controller over, it’s not for every Souls fan as it commits bizarre mistakes in design and comes with a few baffling omissions — in some ways, the experience is the total opposite of Hidetaka Miyazaki’s teachings. I’m glad I finished it, but it’s not an easy one to recommend.

Unfortunately, despite the ranged combat perking the experience up, Dolmen‘s general design feels like it is too indebted to soulslikes and ultimately suffers for it. The melee is not consistent, enemy AI is weak, the exploration is not deep, and the level design is just passable. What Dolmen does well is sci-fi flavored third-person shooting with a good level of challenge that isn’t a cakewalk. I hope the developers get the chance to take a look at what worked in Dolmen and try again… as it stands, it’s too tempting to make comparisons to games like Dark Souls, and those comparisons aren’t favorable.

I love when a game comes out of absolutely nowhere to knock my socks off, and that’s exactly what Dungeons of Dreadrock did. Every aspect of the experience shows a notable degree of thought and care — everything’s here that needs to be, it’s all been tuned, and the entire package ticks like a Swiss watch. Without a doubt, this hundred-floor descent into the depths of the earth has been one of the most enjoyable and pleasant adventures I’ve taken all year.

The Quarry sits comfortably near the top of the interactive movie genre. Equal parts clever and terrifying, it earns its ten-hour runtime with a series of twists and turns that are sure to delight. There’s action, romance, comedy, and unbelievably disgusting violence. Supermassive Games have delivered a rollercoaster that serves as a fabulous follow-up to Until Dawn, so anyone who enjoys the genre will be in for one hell of a ride.

While I have my qualms with the way the graphical presentation is handled during gameplay, I have to commend Sonic Origins for delivering on its promise. It’s a great collection, and one that got me passionate about the series again — immediately after playing, I downloaded Sonic Mania, Sonic Colors, and Sonic Forces to keep riding this high. With any luck, Sega continues the trend with other classics.