A remarkable, vital piece of art that both transcends and is blemished by shortcomings specific to the medium of video games.

Taxi Chaos is a fun reminder why Crazy Taxi is so great, but also why we probably haven’t seen the series return. Had the game been more expansive, with greater variety and other modern amenities, this homage could have surpassed the original. As it is, it’s worth playing, but it definitely doesn’t shine as brightly as Sega’s original.

Far from revolutionary, Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a tight and varied old school action platformer that doesn't overstay its welcome. What it lacks in length and post-game unlockables, it makes up for with sick pixel art and a roaring chip-tune soundtrack.

Port Royale 4 is an economy management game set during the Caribbean age of piracy. It nails its trade but walks the plank in a few other areas.

Headland is a functional experience, but it lacks enough clever ideas or impact to make a lasting impression.

Atelier Sophie DX plays it safe and might seem too familiar, but its charm and superb crafting system make it worth the while. It might not excel in a given area like Escha & Logy, and it doesn't push the series forward like Ryza. However, aside from the bugs and framerate issues, Atelier Sophie is fun, comfortable, and cozy, and at the end of the day, that’s enough for me.

Kunio takes on ancient China in this mash-up of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and River City Ransom. Are these two great tastes that work together in any way at all?

The '90s are back, sort of, in a comic book/urban fantasy mash-up that provides some co-op fun but can't quite live up to the rest of its genre.

Eville is nearly a stand-out social deduction game that puts a TTRPG twist on the familiar genre but would benefit from a few design tweaks.

The Mafia franchise again presents one of the medium's best-written stories, though the series still stumbles on building something special around that story.

Trek to Yomi is a gorgeous samurai adventure with satisfying 2D action and some unfortunately frustrating quirks.

On the pitch, FIFA 21 remains the best it's ever been, but it's arguably not changed enough for longtime fans in almost any other way.

Broken Lines, a squad-based tactical strategy game has some interesting elements but lacks the polish to stand out.

The games in the Ninja Gaiden Master Collection still hold up, but the remaster falters on bringing new quality of life features and fixing some of the trilogy's more glaring issues.

Meet Your Maker is a highly addictive first-person shooter/base-building hybrid. Its satisfying gameplay loop is cemented by various progression systems, filling that itch of watching bars and numbers go up at a consistent rate. The tools and systems are in place to allow for creative death traps filled with tons of hair-raising moments and satisfying encounters, further enhanced when playing with a friend. In fact, the community has already made expert use of existing content. Unfortunately, creativity can only take that content so far. Before long, deja vu will become this game’s crutch. Meet Your Maker needs significantly more content across the board to become a sustainable community experience.

I had so much fun with Exoprimal, and I’m looking forward to playing more. That being said, it feels a lot like recommending a show to someone where it doesn’t pick up until around 10 episodes in. I believe it’s worth pushing onward until the game opens up more, especially if you’re playing with friends, but I also wouldn’t blame anyone for not wanting to deal with it. There’s a lot of content planned for Exoprimal, including a new mode and new exosuits for the first season. That should make the full price a lot easier to swallow if you’re interested in buying it, although my recommendation is to play it through Xbox Game Pass if you can. It might stumble a bit and naturally carry the uncertainty of a live-service title, but I wouldn’t count this as a mark against Capcom’s recent record. If they manage to support it right with quality content, life will find a way.

All things considered, developer Creatures has done a bang-up job at solidifying Detective Pikachu‘s niche in just two entries. What’s more, the new installment optimizes the signature real-world atmosphere with a clean image on Switch systems. Those looking to explore the world of Pokemon through a new set of eyes will surely appreciate the clever twists and turns of Detective Pikachu Returns, now available to play.

Nexomon: Extinction adds a healthy, welcome dose of RPG style to its story, but can't, or won't, step out from the shadows of its inspirations.

Overall, I can’t fault EA Sports for its efforts with EA FC 24. The developer has taken the bull by the horns and given longtime players of the franchise hope for the first time in a very long time. However, it’s only a slight improvement.

Even though DBZ: Kakarot retells the same story the franchise has been telling for decades, it manages to do so in creative new ways for hardcore anime fans.

Kingdom Hearts 3: Re:Mind rewards its most loyal players with an unrelenting new endgame, new modes, and a more filled-in story.

Watch Dogs: Legion Bloodlines brings familiar faces to new places, and if you can stand the tonal in-fighting, it's a worthwhile, occasionally daring story-driven adventure.

With extremely well-written characters, great quests that keep you busy for 40+ hours, and some smart adjustments for this platform specifically, The Outer Worlds remains a can't-miss experience. If you can play it elsewhere, you should, but if Switch is all you have or all you want, the pictures aren't as pretty, but everything else still shines.

It’s not the best title in the series, and it could have definitely benefited from less padding, but it is a good one, and it’s nice to finally see it in the West.

Lost Judgment is a good follow-up to 2019's excellent Judgment. It's more of the same, but that doesn't matter too much when the core is already great.

Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia offers deep tactics gameplay but the overall execution falls short of greatness.

Atomic Heart does many things well. It capably takes what games like Bioshock did before and puts a unique spin on it. The guns and powers are fun to use, fighting rampaging robots is a blast, and the setting of an alternate-history 1950’s Russia is fresh and interesting. The protagonist, unfortunately, is a deluge of awful dialogue, and the attitudes for female-presenting characters are concerning. Mix in slogging through open-world segments of infinitely respawning enemies, and you have a good game that is a few better choices away from being great.

A short burst of nostalgic cartoon violence, Final Vendetta is uneven but mostly entertaining.