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.

Didn’t EKO Software learn anything from the record industry--that the trick to luring fans with greatest hits collections is to add at least one new song, even if it’s terrible? This is not a director’s cut, but rather EKO Software’s aspirational idea of a Game of the Year Edition.

Shift is neither an arcade racer nor a simulation; it's stuck somewhere between the two, and while there's plenty of good racing to be had here, it's unlikely to completely satisfy fans of either.

An enjoyable experience, with attractive graphics, strategic gameplay, and unique features that provide up-close looks at the dinosaurs in action.

Dandara’s unique movement abilities ensure it’s at least significantly different from its peers. But the same reason that Dandara is so unique is also its biggest setback. The sense of mastery never quite comes, resulting in a game that flashes its potential in one scene only to undermine that thrill soon afterward. Even with its occasional stumbles, though, Dandara offers enough excitement and beauty to push you onward.

College Hoops 2K7 is a good college basketball game, but it's nearly identical to "College Hoops 2K6."

High Stakes is a competent, no-frills poker game that won't dazzle you with its presentation, but does offer up solid gameplay.

Disgaea 3 does a lousy job of familiarizing you with its complex mechanics, but rewarding tactical depth and goofy humor make the learning curve worth climbing.

Atelier Iris 2 carries the same great style and humor of its predecessor, but the tedious quest design spoils some of the fun.

It's a rigorous, realistic simulation of what it's like to command a brigade of combined-arms troops in modern warfare.

Don't let the candy colors fool you; Mamorukun Curse is an intense and enjoyable shooter experience.

The pitfalls of Spec Ops don't detract from what Modern Warfare does well, though. Realism mode is an excellent addition to the slate, and although not all the new multiplayer modes are great, Gunfight and the Night Vision playlist are refreshing standouts. And while the campaign ends up playing it safe in the end, it's still a memorable one, and it lays a strong foundation for where the Modern Warfare series could go from here.

Sure, there's not much variety, the music leaves something to be desired and the graphics can get a bit rough, but the gameplay itself offers a good sense of speed, plenty of character, and, more importantly, it's fun.

A remade classic and a passable sequel meet in this fun but inconsistent package.

This sexed-up strategy role-playing game boasts some interesting ideas, but falls short of realizing its full potential.

Dandara’s unique movement abilities ensure it’s at least significantly different from its peers. But the same reason that Dandara is so unique is also its biggest setback. The sense of mastery never quite comes, resulting in a game that flashes its potential in one scene only to undermine that thrill soon afterward. Even with its occasional stumbles, though, Dandara offers enough excitement and beauty to push you onward.

This is a JRPG layered atop a tactical strategy game layered atop a murder mystery, and somehow, the resulting structure holds up reasonably well.

Valley feels like a good first act. Despite obstacles that tend to abruptly kill your momentum, running and bounding through wilderness remained exciting. The world's history is so intriguing that I left wanting to know more. I didn't want the adventure to end, and like a jogger who's forced to slow down in the middle of a run, I was frustrated that Valley had to end so soon after it began.

Despite that gripe, Zenless Zone Zero is yet another solid entry in the HoYoverse portfolio as of Version 1.0, and it's easy to see the potential as new Agents get added alongside Story commissions. It's a shame that the bright spots are dimmed by a complete lack of meaningful challenges when it comes to nearly all commissions--for both puzzles and combat--in the early chapters of the game. But the current experience still shines thanks to how fun and vibrant the direction is in all facets of the game.

It's reasonable to expect updates to Cold War at a steady clip. Weapons will be tweaked, issues will be patched, and gameplay will be balanced. Zombies has a strong foundation and may very well be improved further by potential updates, but the gap between multiplayer and the Warzone ecosystem is too wide to be bridged by small tweaks. Zombies is a good co-op time overall, but multiplayer falls flat, leaving the strong campaign to do most of the heavy lifting.

Assassin's Creed has undergone many changes in its long and storied history, and Origins feels like the first step in the start of a new journey. It has its fair share of problems, but the vision for its future is one worth pursuing.

Change is not always for the better, but Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One provides enough delightful moments to offset its shortcomings.

Part solid execution and part missed opportunity, Tetris Ultimate is hard to judge. If all you want is a good version of classic Tetris for your new console, this one will suit your needs well. The low price is nice and the gameplay options provided are a nice touch, but it doesn't do enough to earn the "ultimate" moniker.

It is, however, still Outriders. Worldslayer improves a strong shooter that already had some cool and weird ideas, enhancing its challenge and bringing a lot of small improvements that make it more enjoyable to play overall. But the expansion doesn't add any especially new ideas, it just cleans up and adds to what's already there. These are a series of incremental improvements and additions that make a weird, chaotic shooter worth revisiting a year after its release--just don't expect anything world-shaking.

Valley feels like a good first act. Despite obstacles that tend to abruptly kill your momentum, running and bounding through wilderness remained exciting.

What this fast-paced basketball game lacks in depth, it makes up for in fun.

It's not as shocking as you'd expect, but Manhunt 2 still satisfies your primal instincts.

Altogether, Super Mario Bros. Wonder + Meetup at Bellabel Park gets my qualified recommendation. If you're primarily interested in single-player Mario platforming, and especially if you've already played through the Mario Wonder campaign, this upgrade gets you a fun but short series of creative Koopaling boss fight stages, a bunch of challenge stages, an additional power-up, and new build options thanks to the Dual Badges. Those are all nice to have, but they don't offer a lot of playtime in isolation. For those of us who have a household full of Mario fans to play with, or if you want to go online, it's a rollicking good time full of chaotic multiplayer action. This isn't quite what I expected out of a Switch 2 upgrade for Mario Wonder, but like the core game's Wonder effects, it kept finding ways to surprise me.