Delivering precisely what is advertised, Super Mario Bros. 35 delivers on familiar 2D platforming with an all-new competitive twist. Playing against 34 other Marios at once is a wonderful type of mayhem, as is facing off against hordes of enemies. However, early course repetition and late-game lulls slightly temper this Mushroom Kingdom celebration of Mario's 35 years.

Loadout on PlayStation 4 is not without its issues, but overall it remains an energetic, madcap shooter with a violent sense of humor that delights as often as it disgusts.

This somewhat scary sequel is a solid shooter, but it can't keep pace with its lauded predecessor.

Just playing one or two missions feels like you’re playing the equivalent of one episode. This emphasis on emulating its established story is its main strength and is also a bold move when compared to most other anime game adaptations. If Omega Force experimented with more noncanonical scenarios in its Free Mode, this could have ranked among the best Warriors spin-offs.

The Disney Afternoon Collection is a refined time capsule that covers a very specific chapter in gaming history. While these games might not be anything to get overly excited about individually, in a package that includes plenty of history and extras, this collection is a nostalgic curiosity with heart.

City of Brass is a good dungeon crawler, with some of its best moments and mechanics derived from its rendition of an Arabian Nights theme. While its repetitive scenery and uneven presentation are noticeable tarnishes on its sheen, the satisfying combat and well-balanced difficulty curve will keep you going back for more.

Fans of four-player cooperative gaming, in the style of Gauntlet, will have fun with Redeemer, but it's still a pretty short game and is quite easy to blast through.

Thankfully, most of the joy you're likely to squeeze out of this return to Hot Wheels is in the high-octane racing taking place in the skies, and it's during these moments where it's a bit easier to forget about its unfortunate shortcomings. The expanded map and diverse geographic makeup is a joy to explore, as is coming to grips with all the new pieces of plastic track surfaces that keep otherwise routine races from turning stale. It's disappointing that this energy couldn't be entirely converted over to the expansion's love letter to the Hot Wheels franchise, and it's annoying to be routinely reminded of all the other types of events you need to complete in order to unlock some of the best new vehicles, but it's still a detour worth taking if you've been itching for another fix of Forza Horizon fun.

Like the other kits, the Labo VR Kit does so many great things outside of its more standard game experiences, and it's really about what you do with the technology.

While not as exciting or enduring as Nintendo's last puzzle game, "The New Tetris," Dr. Mario is a legitimate and satisfying puzzle game that is executed rather nicely in this four-player-focused package.

City of Brass' enemy difficulty and character upgrade system is tuned well enough that you will never be too over- or underpowered at any stage of the game.

There's a lot to love in Requiem, even if frustration is an all-too-common bedfellow when it comes to gameplay. There are better stealth games out there, but its unique setting, poignant storytelling, and rat-infested dread make 14th-century France worth returning to.

It has little in common with previous Budokai games, but there's still enough here to keep DBZ fans entertained.

It's cute, colorful, and the perfect puzzle game to keep on your 3DS for dull commutes.

Overall, the multiplayer package is really strong in Black Ops 7. The movement is fun and fluid, the gunplay is as satisfying as ever, and the map designs greatly improve the experience from last year. Combined with the smaller quality-of-life change and the futuristic themes, and Black Ops 7 feels like a fresh experience that avoids any dreaded fatigue...Ashes of the Damned implements some ambitious ideas for Zombies that largely succeed. The map is massive and refreshingly atmospheric, there are thrilling new enemy encounters, and the traversal elements with Ol' Tessie separate the experience from more traditional maps. Ashes of the Damned excels as a cooperative experience, while Vandorn Farm's survival map offers a fun way to have a solo or more condensed experience. Either way, Black Ops 7 provides enjoyable ways to slay the undead.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron offers some entertaining action, lots of explosions, and few surprises.

By shifting the tone from serious to crazy and making the combat system rewarding for the most dedicated players, this is a beat-'em-up that fits alongside modern games.

Really just a slight refinement of the well-established DDR formula.

As a horror-tinged slaughterfest that vomits blood and bile on the face of modern first-person shooter convention, Hell & Damnation distills the essence of the Painkiller series into a tight, finely honed package.

Exceptionally easy and surprisingly brief, but while it lasts, it's a fun romp for its target audience through Prisoner of Azkaban's twisty storyline.

I know a lot of my problems with Sonic Origins sound like nitpicks, but I adore these games and I want to see them restored and presented with joy and reverence as the masterpieces they are--not tainted with frivolous DLC that should be unlockables and lackluster presentation. Sonic Origins comes close to being the definitive classic Sonic experience, but stumbles just before the finish line.

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

It retains some of its predecessor's faults, but Marble Saga is still a leap forward for the Kororinpa series.

They Bleed Pixels is a problematic but highly replayable platformer/beat-'em-up combo enhanced by a Lovecraftian vibe.

Double Dragon Neon revitalizes the classic franchise, but a few missteps derail the silly fun.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster is a better version of a classic, flawed game. Those blemishes are sometimes more glaring today, but some great fixes to the overall package also erase some other issues entirely. Its timeless qualities, like an absurd story and a fun setting, keep it from feeling like an unwelcome retread. Still, I'd hope the next Dead Rising fixes a lot of what this one does poorly--and even some of its sequels did that, so it seems likely. In 2024, Dead Rising is no longer the sort of game that would make me run out and buy a new console, but it is a game that I'm happy to revisit in this improved form.

City of Brass is a good dungeon crawler, with some of its best moments and mechanics derived from its rendition of an Arabian Nights theme.

Though I wish that Jaws of Hakkon was less bloated, and though I miss the cinematic flair of the rest of Dragon Age: Inquisition, I know that in a month I'll have forgotten these quibbles. Instead, I'll remember my time spent in Frostback Basin fondly. I'll remember the sharp wit of Svarah Sun-Hair, the leader of the local Avvar clan.

A number of small improvements make Baseball Mogul 2009 only a minor evolution over its predecessor.

Hot Wheels Unleashed captures the magic of plastic cars with fast and smooth racing, but the toy box is a little shallow. There are numerous maps and cars, but the limited amount of environments, music, and set-pieces make for an experience that starts to get old quickly. As a result, Hot Wheels Unleashed rides the high of its racing, which feels like butter when drifting around corners and speeding through loop-the-loops, using whichever food truck or licensed car you pull out of the blind box, but doesn't bring enough of the license's personality over.

This third-person action game lacks the compelling storyline that it alludes to early on, but offers plenty of enjoyable combat nonetheless.

Hollowbody is scary, dreary, and sad; it's all the things I love about horror games. Sometimes, it embodies these feelings because it nearly repurposes the same monsters, places, and predicaments from the games that inspired it. But it's not all familiar, and the things it does differently are its best attributes, like telling a story conscious of and concerned about sociopolitics and offering a minimalistic but unsettling soundtrack of its own. Maybe the last great Silent Hill game is behind us. I don't know. But I do know its memory remains alive in successes like Hollowbody.

It isn't often that you play something that is so pure and unapologetically itself, but that's Wattam. I don't know if I'll ever play another game that makes me turn all of my friends into fruit so I can progress. It oozes passion, and it has an infectious enthusiasm that's present in each and every aspect of it. Wattam never takes itself too seriously, and that makes it easy to buy into its world and suspend your disbelief. While the gameplay is all over the place, Wattam is held together by themes of friendship and a cohesive soundtrack that actually leave you grinning long after you're done.

Defenders is a worthy addition to an already great game that will no doubt please anyone with a fondness for fighting within an inch of their life while also blowing up everything in sight into tiny, beautiful pieces.

A delicious mix of arena fighting and bullet-hell chaos wins out over weak presentation in this action battler.

Arcen's latest delivers an undeniable rush of triumph once you manage to overcome the final confrontation. Most times you'll fail, however, but if you're not put off by the limitations of the presentation and the sheer brutality of Bionic Dues' challenges, you'll find an enjoyable roguelike that rewards your persistence and determination.

As much as I've gotten used to modern, hold-your-hand RPGs like Mass Effect 3, there is something to be said for this take-no-prisoners blast from the past, especially if you love old-timey D&D as much as I do.

Assessed solely as a Zelda game, Hyrule Warriors probably isn’t good enough to lure in non-Dynasty Warriors fans, but it is passable enough to offer Musou lovers something different to play between their usual battles for dynastic superiority.

The most realistic football game for the Wii is let down by poor graphics and limited improvements to last year's version.

Dawnguard is an atmospheric and enjoyable return to the frigid lands of Skyrim. Just beware the bugs.

Grapple Dog isn't doing anything new or revolutionary, but it is nicely delivering on a simple premise. It felt like uncovering a forgotten gem in a Game Boy Advance bargain bin, then taking it home and discovering some parts that are a little uneven or awkward. It's the kind of game that's just imminently likable and endearing, even if I don't expect it to hook me long-term.

In its undead modes, and the first 10 hours of multiplayer, it excels. But in its campaign, it merely crawls forward. Black Ops III doesn't offer anything remarkable to the series, but does just enough to maintain the Call of Duty status quo. The franchise, however slowly, continues its inexorable march.

RiffTrax: The Game fits well into the party game genre and is a nice follow up to What the Dub, but ultimately, half of the game (Pick A Riff) isn't worth your time. The inclusion of the RiffTrax team is exciting to those who are a fan of RiffTrax and its lineage, but if you're not familiar with them, then it's not really going to be a huge selling point. RiffTrax: The Game works very well if you completely avoid Pick A Riff and have a group of friends over--or online--and spend your evenings in the Write A Riff game. There's an endless amount of fun within group play that's simple enough to pick up and play.

Though the brutal rise in difficulty near the end mars the adventure, it doesn't ruin the overall mood, and the cover charge is more than reasonable for this particular night at the club. Grab a colorful cocktail and head to the dance floor!

Integrates a fair amount of footage, music, and dialogue from the movie it's based on, but the pleasant surprise here is the sheer variety of different levels the game includes.

Older audiences probably won't be engaged by it, but Ty 2 should be easily appreciated by juvenile platformer fans.

On the surface, this is a simplistic horror game with a claustrophobic atmosphere and plenty of creepy moments. The straightforward puzzles and unusual visuals give it wide appeal. Beneath that there are secrets to uncover and the subliminal pleasure of playing as the monster. For those that want to probe deeper there are angles of art and psychology to ponder. Stacked up like the rickety tiers of a gothic building, Layers of Fear proves aptly named.

BandFuse's biggest strength is the way it balances its gameplay elements with more serious guitar practice.

The PlayStation 3 version of Lost Planet is good, but it's inferior to the Xbox 360 and PC versions that came before it.

Thanks to a new game engine coupled with improvements to atmosphere and online play, NCAA Basketball 09 is a good game.

Like the mindless Hollywood blockbusters that it emulates, Turok features plenty of dinosaur-hunting action and not too much else.

What's really impressive in Battlefield 2042 is the variety that's on offer. It lets you play a bunch of different kinds of FPS experiences--in different game modes, in different Portal rule sets, and even in the same match as you switch between characters. Portal lets you relive the Battlefield games of the past, but on the 2042 side, DICE has cherry-picked from popular trends like hero shooters and battle royales. The best part is that, mostly, it has done a really effective job of curating those additions so that they bring more to what players already like about Battlefield, rather than change what already works.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a fun, overly familiar adventure that lacks imagination in its level design.

Book Two succeeds in reminding us that our destination may be predetermined, but our path is not. It's how we choose to travel, and who we keep by our side, that makes the journey worthwhile.

Need for Speed returns to its roots with hokey cutscenes, wild cop chases, and solid racing action.

Big, complex, and definitely not for a casual player seeking a little light entertainment.

While the nod to multiplayer is welcome, it also highlights NBA Baller Beats' biggest shortcoming: its lack of content.

This downloadable content provides plenty of reasons to return to Albion--just don't expect it to veer far from what Fable III offered.

Its story reshapes an adult plot for a younger audience seamlessly, with a strong sense of humor that kids will adore. Like a lot of content aimed at families, my strongest sense of joy is found not in how I experience Lego Horizon but in watching my kids become immersed in it. Levels often feel repetitive, but combat is exciting and tactical enough to teach depth and ask players to consider their approach, even as Aloy may be dressed up like a corn cob, a firefighter, or a pug. It's that blend of child-like style and mechanical substance that makes Lego Horizon Adventures a lovely game to play for parent and child pairings, though it's also just neat to see these usually self-serious characters put through a washing machine loaded with crayons.

Even if the new bells and whistles aren't enough to bring back established fans, this is still Lego Star Wars at its finest.

As it stands, it's a game that's better suited for those with intimate knowledge of the subject matter who are willing to forgive several flaws to fulfill their "what-if" strike commander fantasies.

The new levels are fun and addictive, and the gameplay is as hypnotic as ever. Just be ready to be challenged, because while it looks innocuous enough, Encore puts up a good fight.

There's no denying that Rakuen has some incredibly strong components. At the same time, it's hard to shake its more basic shortcomings, be it the technical limits of its engine or the plodding exploration. Its most brilliant and glowing scenes stand out and stick with you, but Rakuen remains just a dose or two short of healthy.

Fuse is calibrated for people to play together, designed in such a way as to be merely serviceable for solo players, but solid fun for groups of gung-ho mercs.

It's certainly not as deep or as beautiful as the recent PlayStation 2 and Xbox releases, but it's still pretty fun.

More of the same, though with marginally better packaging and the addition of online play.

Blazing Angels 2 is a clear improvement over the previous game, though history buffs will probably hate the game's fictional missions.

The first episode's flat narrative structure may not be entirely satisfying, but Dreamfall Chapters' diverse and endearing cast, nuggets of political and personal tensions, and glimmers of the poignancy that made the previous Longest Journey games so memorable make me hopeful for the futures of Stark, Arcadia, and the Dreamtime, wherever those places might take me.

Despite some shortcomings, Siren: Blood Curse is an enjoyably creepy adventure with some interesting gameplay mechanics.

Dyed-in-the-wool simmers will appreciate the game's stats-focused gameplay, as well as its comprehensive online mode, but anyone who's accustomed to the wealth of play animations and broadcast-style nuances found in other games will find this one a snoozer by comparison.

Regardless of what mode you play, "with friends" is definitely how this slick near-future shooter thrives, delivering a solid team-based experience with just enough style and substance to keep you entertained.

A few issues hold it back, but Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment marks a high point for the spin-off series, iterating on its riotous hack-and-slash combat with depth and variety.

It tells a good story, and there's a lot to do within the confines of the Harry Potter universe. If you don't really care for the characters, you'll probably find the gameplay repetitive and dull, but then you'd have no reason to play the game anyway.

Supernatural is filled with charm and ambition, but issues with zombies and lunar cycles cast a shadow over its best parts.

A fun change of pace from other multiplayer-only games. It comes with a decent tutorial and bot match options as well, but the fast and fun 10-on-10 matches are the obvious draw. The Escape Run mode is an intense and creative twist that keeps things lively. For fans of old school shooters, this is especially worth checking out.

There's a lot to love about Wizard of Legend. While it does have some issues, the cycle of exploration, discovery, failing, learning, and exploring again will keep your determination to conquer the Chaos Trials high. Wizard of Legend might not look like much on the surface, but there's some good magic underneath.

This hidden-object game introduces a number of features that work well on the DS and has a good amount of replay value.

While the second installment in this relatively new franchise does slightly improve upon its predecessor, it's still noticeably rough around the edges.

It's a testament to how strong the other elements of Dragon Quest Treasures are that, in spite of combat frequently being unfulfilling, the game still manages to keep you eagerly coming back for more exploration and treasure-scouting. Its bright-eyed, adventurous atmosphere and rewarding core gameplay loop go a long way in carrying the game to its conclusion. It might not be the richest game out there, but for the length of its runtime, Dragon Quest Treasures does a fine job of making you feel like a bandit king.

It looks ancient and controls poorly, but this entertaining and unpredictable horror adventure delivers more shocks than schlock.

James Noir's Hollywood Crimes is a bit rough around the edges, but it offers some fun, quirky puzzling.

NASCAR 09 isn't a tremendous step forward for the series, but it's a solid effort.

Serious webheads will get something positive out of Ultimate Spider-Man, but they should do so with one of the console versions, as the PC version of the game isn't the ideal one.

It's highly dubious as a measurable test of your logical mind, but PQ can still be a fun, challenging puzzle game.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins is an ambitious game that forcefully pushes the reset button after the failings of Dynasty Warriors 9. It's a marked improvement on that game in almost every area, utilizing modern technology to expand upon its hack-and-slash core while implementing a more considered and action-oriented approach that enhances its exorbitant combat. Longtime fans are likely downtrodden by its minuscule roster and lack of co-op, and the story has a habit of clogging the game's pacing with too many redundant conversations, but these shortcomings mostly fade into the background once you're entrenched in the heat of battle. At that moment, there are few sights better than a dozen peons hurtling helplessly through the air.

Both action hounds and graphic-adventure fans will find plenty of satisfying challenges here, and the music and audio effects will help all but the most hardened gamers suspend their sense of disbelief and become wrapped up in the mysteries and dangers that await.

Because the focus is on such small groups, distinctive visual design helps reinforce the idea that each piece of your army is special. Ships, lords, and even foot soldiers are remarkably well designed.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon on 3DS was a surprising revival for an unconventional game. Now that we've had Luigi's Mansion 3, the series has come more into its own, and the second game is neither the trailblazer nor the refined third entry. That makes Luigi's Mansion 2 HD an oddball--less essential than some other Switch remakes, but an interesting middle step in the development of Luigi's puzzle series, with its own charms and place in the series history.

MotoGP is a good technical racing game, but the small selection of tracks and rigid artificial intelligence take some of the variety and excitement out of it.

Jack Keane is a colorful and cartoonish adventure through the 19th century British Empire.

NFL Blitz contains the same shallow fun and aggravating flaws that have existed in the franchise for more than 14 years.

Hitman's a veritable playground that will delight you with its open-ended design, comical NPCs, and contract creation tools. These qualities, and the flexibility to be as hardcore or laid back as you want, are much appreciated, even if they don't disguise Hitman's lesser qualities.

KickBeat is a plucky new contender in the rhythm gaming arena, with punishing difficulty and pumping industrial beats.

D4 is insanity distilled into adventure-game form, more self-consciously wacky than another Swery game, Deadly Premonition, but more human, too.

Mercury Hg is cheaper, safer and more fun than playing with real volatile chemicals, though the experience is short lived and simple.

Though the additions and adjustments to the standard Worms experience aren't game changing, the playful violence and light strategy still hold up.

The character models are excellent while the animation is fluid and lively, but the physics of fighting definitely lack polish and can create some frustrating situations. Yet despite these technical shortcomings, it's still great fun to clothesline, drop kick, and power bomb your friends in and out of the ring.

If there's one word that could easily describe Jurassic World Evolution, it's "faithful." Taking control of a ranger behind the wheel of a Jeep in the rain and sidling up to a pack of socializing Stegosaurus is as epic as it sounds and is a definite highlight, as is releasing a newly recovered species into your park. Despite the campaign stumbling over itself and losing focus towards the end, Evolution captures the essence of Jurassic Park while being a good park management sim in its own right.