While it doesn't possess the sheer addictiveness of, say, "NFL Blitz," it's simultaneously a breath of fresh air and a nostalgic look at the baseball game genre.

A Hat in Time is slow to start, but it's brimming with the charm and collectible-finding joy of classic 3D platformers.

Issues aside, this inventive, supernatural mash-up is absolutely worth possessing--demonically or otherwise.

Ace Combat 7 is a fantastic return for a series that is at its best when it wears its heart on its wings.

The newest Def Jam fighter may be an update of a nearly two-year-old game, but this PSP brawler still packs a punch.

Reminiscent of the influential puzzle gaming sensation Bejeweled, Hexic HD is a solid, attractive puzzle game that comes freely preloaded onto the Xbox 360's hard drive.

Featuring great graphics, a more-than-solid gameplay engine, and finally a story mode worth playing through, Day of Reckoning is truly the first great WWE game on the GameCube.

So much of Shadows' issues come from Yasuke's inclusion. Not because he's a badly written character or because he doesn't feel like he belongs, but because much of what makes an Assassin's Creed game an Assassin's Creed is stripped away to make his samurai fantasy work. Naoe's shinobi fantasy works far better, effortlessly sliding into the gameplay loop of hunting down mysterious targets, puzzling through the best way to reach them, cutting them down, and disappearing without a trace. Naoe and Yasuke's story could have used more unity, especially in giving the duo a shared purpose to drive the plotline and their character development forward. But at the very least, Naoe's gameplay is the best that the series has felt since the transition to a more action-RPG format--Assassin's Creed Shadows is an absolute blast to play.

Rochard's gravity-defying antics make for an enjoyable adventure, albeit one that rarely reaches for the stars.

This is four hours' worth of a great idea stretched into 14-plus hours of messy stealth gameplay, creaky video game cliches, and limp exploration.

What is here is big, it's often silly, and it's sometimes unwieldy, but it's rarely anything less than engaging thanks to some great execution on tried-and-tested ideas. It's Phoenix, however, in his element in this magical world, that well and truly steals the show.

Grid offers a great balance of arcade and simulation racing with enough extras to keep you entertained for hours.

The occasional control issues are regrettable but hardly insurmountable, and the blend of offensive and defensive objectives and the competitive play are sufficient reasons to overlook that minor flaw as you happily commit yourself to the task of ruining the marauding Vikings' day.

Knights & Bikes was created by a small team featuring several people who worked on LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway, and you can feel that all these games share a similar creative vision. There's a kind of wide-eyed, rough and tumble spirit of adventure running through all three games that is hard to resist. Knights & Bikes is a wonderfully warm, effortlessly inviting experience that'll make you feel young again.

Most King of Fighters veterans and newbies looking for a new title to dive into probably won't care that KoF XV isn't shaking up the fighting game paradigm. It delivers fisticuffs that overflow with a unique style and personality unlike that of other fighting game series, and that's more than enough to satisfy a lot of players. The King is back, and personally, I'm glad to see SNK swinging strong yet again.

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 introduces a host of unique characters and gameplay tweaks that change the game's formula for the better.

Fun combat and an intriguing story make up for the dull detective drudgery in this atmospheric period adventure.

Catherine is involving, intense, and unlike anything you've ever played.

Alexander brings a lot to the table for its $14.95 price tag. Although the battlefield focus makes it a little too fast and furious for methodical conquerors who want their virtual empires to stand the test of time, this isn't what Alexander the Great was all about. So the expansion based on his exploits isn't about building something that lasts, either. Still, this is a must-play addition to the Rome: Total War family, especially if you're looking for a challenge.

The good news is that these fighting games--true to their classic roots--have aged gracefully. And, finally, you can play them online.

It makes sense that, in a year where Formula 1 has changed so much, most of the focus for F1 22 has gone into replicating the slew of regulation changes in order to provide the expected authentic racing experience the series has come to be known for. In that regard, F1 22 delivers, offering up a satisfyingly challenging way to wrestle these extreme racing machines around every track on the Formula 1 calendar. It's in the omissions and lackluster additions where F1 22 falters somewhat, with less content than last year's entry and a paid battle pass-like system that locks away many cosmetic items behind a paywall.. It's a few rare missteps for a series that has been consistently great for so long, but thankfully it delivers in the high-octane action on track, where it matters most.

Dying Light has always been a series that does a few things very well, but would get distracted trying to be a lot more at the same time. Finally, The Beast leans into Dying Light's best parts, giving you a scarier, tougher, more immersive world to explore than anything in the series before.

Driver: San Francisco's inspired shift mechanic and wealth of action-packed content make it an absolute blast that revives the franchise.

You know that rare moment in video games where your actions unintentionally line up with the music you're listening to, whether it's the game's soundtrack or your own? Metal: Hellsinger bottles up that magic feeling and repeats it over and over again without the satisfaction ever fading. The interplay between its chuggy metal soundtrack and high-octane gameplay is phenomenal and quite unlike anything else I've ever played. It stumbles at times, and these issues hold it back from reaching Rob Halford-esque highs, but its execution of an idea, and the way this transforms the moment-to-moment action of a shooter into a rhythmic slaughter, props up any of its faults. If Metal: Hellsinger is a metal album come to life, then I can't wait for this band's sophomore effort.

Sackboy is a solid platformer and, despite its rote art style, makes great use of the PS5's enhanced visual and technical performance. It's a fun little romp of a platformer, with lots of interesting moments. At times, the visual design can look a bit flat. Even in those moments, though, the tight controls and interesting level layouts create gameplay challenges that make those flaws easy to overlook.

Trials Fusion is a great game that not only tests your skill and patience, but keeps you laughing at the ridiculous scenarios.

This silly twist on capture-the-flag is as funny as it is strategic, but balance issues keep it from greatness.

Situation: Comedy is a good adventure that complements the original episode nicely, but it also feels much shorter than the first episode. Also, though this installment has a terrific premise, you don't get to do enough during the cooler parts of the game.