Mortal Shell succeeds more often than not at capturing the specific feelings intrinsic to Souls-like games. The twists it adds to From-inspired mechanics do well to help this sort of game become more approachable than most, while maintaining the same air of mystery and foreboding that makes the genre itself so intriguing. Mortal Shell makes for a strong introduction to Souls-likes, a demonstration for new players of what so many have found so interesting about From Software's games and those like them. But Mortal Shell is also a lovingly crafted, weird, and deceptively deep game in its own right that rewards you for wandering its twisted paths and challenging its deadliest foes.

This fantasy massively multiplayer online game makes a great first impression, but almost every aspect of it devolves into a grind before you're even halfway to the level cap.

MLB 2K10 marks the 10th anniversary of the baseball franchise with a greatly improved game that's the best in the history of the series.

If you can overlook Pirates of the Burning Sea's steep learning curve, you'll be rewarded with some of the most unforgettable moments in any online RPG.

Tales of Phantasia still distinguishes itself with its action-oriented, side-scrolling battle sequences. Other than that, it's a pretty standard RPG filled with random encounters that drag down the pacing and pad out the playing time.

The excitement of arcade-style supermoves, combined with the deep mechanics of the real sport, makes The Bigs 2 a thrilling baseball game.

Heroes of the Pacific isn't going to win over simulation fans, but if you're looking for an easy-to-play World War II flight combat game, and you've got a decent gamepad, give it a shot.

The older console versions of Madden 08 offer a few control upgrades and a couple of bizarre new modes, but otherwise, this might as well be last year's game.

More than a decade's worth of games from Konami's classic space shoot-'em-up series is contained in this great collection, which offers plenty of intense action, not just nostalgia.

The beautiful landscapes complement the gritty combat, and thoughtful cinematic techniques breathe life into the engaging characters. Despite the somewhat spotty story and sundry oddities, Hell's Highway is a game you should consider playing twice.

There's so much stupid satisfaction to be had from Gunslinger's bloody headshots and from nailing sweet combos that its flaws quickly disappear in a flurry of gunpowder and shotgun shells. It doesn't look half-bad either, with a semi-cel-shaded design and some nicely detailed environments that drive the Wild West theme home.

Although you may feel at odds with Obduction's late-game complexity, it still feeds into an incredibly alluring world that earns intimate engagement. Its puzzles require keen observation and perseverance, and while player-made missteps can lead to mental fatigue, Obduction's commitment to keeping the onus of discovery on you means that deciphering the game’s intricate puzzles is often gratifying despite occasional frustrations along the way. Just make sure to take breaks and clear your head once in a while.

Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus doesn't entirely break from the series' classic roots, but its focus on action over platforming makes it a fast-paced thrill ride, and the short length makes running through it again with Omega weapons in Challenge Mode irresistible.

Even if you really liked Infection, you probably won't like this second installment as much, since it's just like the first, minus the originality.

It's got some flaws and it's not very long or replayable--you'll probably finish it in 12 to 15 hours, without much incentive to go back to the beginning--but it's fun while it lasts.

In its highest moments, For Honor is difficult to put down. Its slow combat pace and narrative shortcomings might turn off those unwilling to take the time to dive deep into what it has to offer. However, make no mistake--those who do will be rewarded with some of the most satisfying multiplayer melee fighting conceived in recent years.

For a game in development for more than a decade, it's a minor miracle for Dead Island 2 to come out at all. The fact that it's arrived in such a state that players can have fun with it for the duration of its story and beyond--even as that story itself is an afterthought--is a testament to the team that got it to a once-unlikely finish line. Along with the lackluster story, poor gunplay and some balancing issues hurt Dead Island 2, but its deep melee combat systems and rich setting make it a better game than the original, which is maybe the most important thing I can say about it after everything it's been through.

Metal Slug Tactics does an excellent job of capturing the look and feel of Metal Slug and reimagining it as a turn-based strategy roguelite. The way its strategic elements combine adrenaline-fueled abilities and sync attacks makes for exciting combat that feels smart. It's too bad that a successful run is so reliant on luck, whether it's a favorable mix of missions or the right rewards and upgrades dropping. That, and the uncomfortably outdated enemy designs, are unforced errors that limit the advance of this otherwise capable army.

Isn't a very long game, yet the combat can be enjoyable enough to make it worth playing through more than once -- but that's only if you can ever get used to the awkward shifts in the perspective, which can make the game very frustrating to play.

Some aspects of the game will really impress you; others will make you want to throw your monitor out the window.

Multiplatform gamers should be playing it on the Xbox.

The game's shallow goal design keeps it from achieving the same level of addictiveness as games like "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3" and "Aggressive Inline."

While it's a diamond in the rough in its initial release form, there's enough depth and breadth here that there's no doubt at all that Lock On is destined for greatness.

With its cheerful style and accessible gameplay, MySims Kingdom steps out of The Sims' shadow to stand on its own as a fun adventure.

One of those rare games that really draws you into the experience with fantastic gameplay and quality graphics and sound.

A thoroughly addicting experience unique to the Game Boy Advance that can be enjoyed by die-hard fans of the series and newcomers alike.

The controls and overall presentation, while lifted from the Madden games of the past, are up to the current GBA standards and do a nice job of delivering NFL fun on the go.

Obtuse puzzles may hinder your enjoyment, but Lego Batman is still fun with a friend.

Essentially, Trover Saves The Universe is a really messed up alien buddy comedy. The work involved in spending time in this universe with these creatures is easy to a fault, but it's work being done with a hilarious partner who's often just as bored, annoyed, angry, or grossed out as you are. It's not the smoothest ride, but you've got the right company.

This is probably one of the better kids' games to hit the market in a while, and that it's clever and charming enough to appeal to adults is a testament to that fact.

Namco's incredibly accurate GunCon is optional in Elemental Gearbolt, but it's not necessarily needed, as the enemies are quite large, and shooting in their general direction seems to cap them fairly easily.

The game ultimately exceeds expectations thanks to its engrossing story and superslick production values.

It feels great to play, the aerial trickery is gratifying, and it's got a lot of goofy charm, but all of this is unfortunately buried under an inexplicable need to test players beyond what should be necessary in a galaxy where you tool around as a T-rex wearing sunglasses.

2006 FIFA World Cup does a good job of re-creating the carnival atmosphere that surrounds the competition, and it plays a good, fast-paced game of football to boot.

Quest for Booty ratchets up the fun, but its strict adherence to the series' formula won't bring in new fans.

Once you get over the whole rewriting-the-end-of-the-movie thing, Scarface: The World Is Yours is a competent but usually uninteresting action game.

The expertly scripted and intensely exciting campaign is just as entertaining as it was two years ago on other systems, and even the occasional lapses in visual fidelity and control precision can't keep it from being a must-play for Wii shooter fans.

FIFA 23 is a fitting end to an era, successfully capturing the essence of the beautiful game alongside the disheartening practices of the profit-hungry vultures circling overhead. It's as much about greed as it is about scoring a screamer. A game where the on-pitch action has been refined with slicker passing, more effective defending, and myriad animations that bring it all to life, yet the shadow of gambling looms over it all. This has been the case since Ultimate Team was introduced 14 years ago, so none of this comes as a surprise. And with the next World Cup taking place in Qatar--a country known for sports washing its human rights record--it's all par for the course when it comes to football. The age of FIFA might be coming to an end, but EA Sports FC is likely to kick off in much the same way: offering a fantastic game of football that's otherwise consumed by an exploitative cash grab.

RKGK / Rakugaki is a fun debut for Wabisabi Games, incorporating an incredible anime-inspired art style into an approachable 3D platformer. Same-y looking environments, disappointing boss battles, and a bland story all make it hard to connect to the narrative elements of the game, but the gameplay is sound and the level design is rewardingly challenging. Even though the story is forgettable, my desire to further master my timing and precision in my quest to get better and better completion times is, for now, continuing to bring me back.

Simple combat, forgettable boss fights, and a reticent narrative--not to mention an overly vague map--are the only dampeners on what is an impressive sequel, despite never quite feeling like one. The unsuspected changes and additions are bold and mostly pay off, with consistently engaging and rewarding exploration that's propelled forward by an ambitious central mechanic. Axiom Verge 2 is a game that constantly evolves and delights, but just lacks the same bite as some of its contemporaries.

Survival in the woods is a creepy, fun challenge full of botanical terror in Miasmata.

Continuing the Madden franchise's recent tradition of story modes, Madden NFL 20 introduces a new narrative campaign. This new mode generally falls flat, but the pro football sim stands out on the field, with new additions that faithfully capture the essence of the NFL experience while making it fun to play again and again.

It may not have all the newfangled bells and whistles that you'd want from a sequel, but if you're a fan of the series who absolutely must have new tracks as soon as possible, Dominator should satisfy you nicely.

The experience just doesn't last long enough to be savored. Gun's main story missions are exciting, but the main plot is over so quickly that the whole thing just ends up feeling rushed, and the various side missions aren't compelling enough to hold your interest after the end credits roll.

Multiwinia adds a multiplayer mode and even easier controls to the addictive gameplay and visually striking world of Darwinia.

The Beginner’s Guide is an absorbing journey into the thoughts and processes involved during the creation of a video game. It succeeds in helping you understand and sympathize with game developers as artists and people. It equips you with important tools to perceive and think about both video games and other mediums in intelligent ways. It’s a game that lives up to its namesake--it’s the beginner’s guide to the meaning of video games.

Frequently magnificent to look at, delicately designed, and rewarding for players across all skill levels, it’s the Pokemon fighting game deserving of a 20-year wait.

Offers plenty of single-player campaigns, plus skirmish and multiplayer maps and a good history lesson to boot.

Of all the Harvest Moon games, Save the Homeland easily has the most solid storyline.

A game that offers tremendous depth but also has an unwieldy user interface and a prodigious amount of micromanagement.

UEFA Euro 2004 might have only a fraction of the teams and features found in this year's FIFA offering, but the gameplay and options it offers are actually sufficiently different from those found in FIFA 2004 to make it a worthwhile purchase.

The beautiful landscapes complement the gritty combat, and thoughtful cinematic techniques breathe life into the engaging characters. Despite the somewhat spotty story and sundry oddities, Hell's Highway is a game you should consider playing twice.

The new pitching mechanic breathes some new life into the aging but still very good MVP Baseball franchise.

It's got a lot of star power, but this collection of sports-themed minigames isn't Mario and Sonic's finest hour.

The bullets are plentiful in this crazy, colorful shoot-'em-up.

Despite the game's fluid control system and innovative lock-on features, its pacing and repetition simply mar the gameplay experience.

Provides plenty of challenge for young and old alike.

It may not have the depth of a "Mike Tyson's Punch-Out," but it's definitely worth taking a look at, if only to see the sharp graphical presentation.

It looks better, it sounds better, it plays better, and it's ultimately more enjoyable than the original.

Questionable physics and a sloppy trick system still hinder the game from reaching its true potential.

Those looking for more complexity in their action games, though, will definitely want to look elsewhere.

A model example of what sequels should be. By taking an already great game mechanic and changing it ever so slightly, this sequel truly adds to the fishing experience--instead of just treading water.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution - The Missing Link is a disjointed but ultimately enjoyable return to Adam Jensen's adventure.

The perpetual influx of slaves is a blunt allegory about how freeing such captives isn't a task for one man, let alone one assassin.

For racers who live for direct competition, the time trial focus of TM might be too off-putting. Otherwise, this is simply one of the most entertaining arcade racers on the market for both experienced and more casual gamers.

It's easy to imagine how a dyed-in-the-wool Crash fan will fall in love all over again via the N. Sane Trilogy, but if you're experiencing Crash for the first time--or the first time in a while--it might pain you to realize that Crash's original adventures aren't as inventive or surprising as they were 20 years ago.

Story and sidequests aside, however, The Surge 2 is absolutely worth the effort when the combat is taken in isolation. Not only does it pack a punch, but it also channels plenty of depth in its limb targeting and deflection systems, and is ably supported by a genuinely varied collection of weapons and potential character builds.

Creatively manipulating Noita's reactive world with an inventive spellcasting system acts as the game's initial appeal, but it's also the game's biggest stumbling block early on. Trying to gain footing in Noita's dangerous, unstable world is an abrasive task that distracts from its wonderful secrets and challenging puzzles, but its main hook of experimentation with spells and their effects on the world around you is strong enough to pull you through its uneven start. Noita is tough and unforgiving of even the smallest mistakes, but it's also just a gleeful sandbox of destruction that brings as much joy as it does death.

Scott Pilgrim EX is Millennial comfort food. It's reminiscent of both actual classic games from the 1980s and the 2010 homage, it's bursting with small nods to our favorite games and movies and shows, and it just feels great to play. It's not especially daring, but it goes down smooth, and sometimes that's enough.

Had the feel of the weapons been a little better, and had the campaign been more consistently intense, Finest Hour could have been a much better game.

A triumphant return to form for a franchise, and presents a beautifully structured tale with heart and soul to spare.

Twisted Metal's lightning-fast vehicular combat and large-scale destruction are gleeful, pulse-pounding fun.

It's a neat twist on the creature-collecting game with a lot of heart.

Most of Super Mario Party's varied assortment of 80 minigames are fun, especially if you've got a full group of four players, as the NPCs aren't smart or skilled enough to pose much of a challenge until you unlock Master difficulty. The new Partner Party, River Survival, and Sound Stage modes add enjoyable alternatives to Mario Party mode--which at least returns to its competitive roots.

As Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and Paper Mario: Sticker Star proved, Nintendo has a knack for showcasing new and inventive ideas in both series. Paper Jam effectively relies (and often coasts) on its novel crossover appeal.

If PAA had been able to construct a great adventure game around the fantastic humor, this would be a must-buy for everyone. But in its current form, it will satisfy only the specific niche of people who find PA funny and no one else.

A gem. The flaws are overshadowed by the role playing, the politics, the humor, and of course, the dragon in a jetpack.

Sonic Generations proves that two Sonics are way better than one.

Ties That Bind makes few changes to the formula, stretches a thin story to somewhere near the breaking point, and delivers a bloody, curse-filled action game that might still please fans of the first game, though it's more likely that you'll feel like you played the same game last year.

Despite its imperfect transition to Switch, Sushi Striker is one of the more enjoyable puzzle games in the console's library. With a substantial campaign that's propped up by clever mechanics and a charmingly ludicrous story, the game offers a wealth of single- and multiplayer content to dive into. The controls suffer a bit in the move to Switch, and the campaign is stretched out for too long, but the fast-paced puzzle-matching gameplay offers a surprising amount of depth and is a real treat.

The DK Bongos are nice and responsive, the action can be genuinely fun, and though some of the music choices are extremely weird, there is, in fact, a little something here for everyone.

Issues aside, MLB 12: The Show demonstrates a bright future for portable baseball games.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the versions of NHL 07 not made for the next generation of consoles offer little in the way of new content.

A wide variety of characters to recruit and hidden treasure abound keeps Denpa Men 2: Beyond the Waves fresh from start to finish.

Singularity isn't a groundbreaking shooter, but it's an incredibly fun one. This is an example of how fluid pacing and a tongue-in-cheek attitude can make old conventions exciting again.

A very good representation of the WWII RTS formula by pros who really know their way around the Battle of the Bulge. If any game is capable of convincing genre veterans of shivering their way through the Battle of the Bulge one more time, it's this one.

The Old Blood certainly displays intelligent action FPS design that's fun and effortless to play. Just don't expect the deep examination the game hints at to go anywhere. Here, the gloriously dumb (yet smartly designed) reigns. Progress can wait. Long live The Old Blood.

Though it offers few thrills, About a Blob serves up plenty of palatable platforming action.

The Club provides some old-school single-player thrills, but it fails to live up to its initial promise.

From the New World keeps the series' bizarre flavor alive and well, matching it with a great battle system and a myriad of side quests to explore.

A neon retro sheen doesn't mask the flaws in this short and basic shooter.

While an uninspired story and intrusive dialogue displays hold the game back from reaching its potential, what's here remains incredibly satisfying and worthwhile.

Dying Light 2 is a perplexing game. Its story and characters are headache-inducing, and it appears to lack polish in many areas. But even a dozen hours after I rolled credits, I've found myself going back to the game to do another parkour challenge, rummage through another abandoned science lab, or just see if I can get from Point A to Point B without ever hitting the ground. It's rough around the edges and it asks players to invest a lot in its weakest element, but once you realize the story, like gravity, is only going to pull you down, you can begin to defy it and enjoy the things Dying Light 2 actually does well.

Justice for All is a good, lengthy adventure with great character-driven storylines, but it fails to build upon the promising groundwork laid by the first game.

MAG's big battlefields are a great place to wage war, as long as you can handle some of the rigors of combat.

When taking it out of its native arcade environment and bringing it to a home console, SNK has made some specific choices that make this already challenging game difficult to a fault.

For most of its tenure, Reverie Under the Moonlight is a satisfying game. It sounds unlikely, but the inviting presentation melds wonderfully with its uninviting atmosphere. The initial search and discovery process recalls the familiar comfort of games like Super Metroid or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, with fun and challenging combat sprinkled throughout. But short of not finishing the game, there's no way to avoid the less-impressive closing hours when it runs out of new ideas, and at worse, halts your progress with increasing instant deaths and obtuse progress requirements.

The disconnect between the gameplay and the narrative elements of Spec Ops: The Line is numbing, which makes it more difficult to contemplate the murky morality of war in the way the game wants you to.