There's nothing quite like Pikmin out there, and its delightful combination of survival strategy and unflinching cuteness should entertain you throughout this lengthy adventure.

At its best, Sunless Skies is a triumph. Its writers have crafted a world of endless wonder where seemingly anything is possible. At heart, it's a text adventure that conjures the imagination to send you on a journey as spectacular and memorable as any big-budget graphical blockbuster.

With Warhammer II, Total War doesn't reinvent anything so much as it iterates on the ideas that made the first so special. At its heart there's still the marriage of Total War's big-scale strategy and Warhammer's precise tactical play. But, through a thousand tiny tweaks, they've refined the experience into one of the most intriguing and exciting strategy games ever.

Zeus plays like a best-of-all-worlds combination of some of the greatest strategy games ever.

Despite a few glitches--some which are quite glaring--the latest NHL is the finest, and certainly the most challenging, NHL to date, and it's a real step forward from last year's rather complacent "NHL 2003."

A game that might be mediocre in its presentation but more than makes up for it in its gameplay and concept.

The gameplay is hectic, the new trick system adds substantial depth, and the overall production is top-notch...But if you have a choice, the PS2 version is recommended.

Taken as a whole, Tales of Arise is a very good RPG, boasting beautiful visuals, a wonderful cast of characters, and engaging combat mechanics--but its flaws (and that odious DLC) are also difficult to ignore. If you're looking for a lengthy, charming, and engaging JRPG to play on your shiny new console or PC gaming rig, Tales of Arise is certainly a fine choice. Just don't go into it expecting an all-time classic.

Spelunky 2 is a successful evolution of what made the original Spelunky work; the tight controls, impressive use of procedural generation, expressive art style, and interesting stage themes are better than ever here. But the more notable changes in how we play and talk about this game will likely happen in the coming months as players discover the heart of the game in the deep, dark depths we aren't yet even aware exist.

Despite these missteps, Hi-Fi Rush is a tremendous game that's equal parts explosive, joyous, and dripping with style. It feeds on the power of nostalgia by evoking games like Jet Set Radio and Viewtiful Joe with its old-school vibes and contagious energy, but it's also completely fresh and exciting in its own right. For as much as I adore horror games and have enjoyed Tango's previous output with The Evil Within series and Ghostwire: Tokyo, it's refreshing that the studio hasn't been pigeonholed into creating games within a singular genre, and can suddenly emerge one day with an infectious rhythm-action game that is sure to live long in the memory.

It's nice to see an effective clinch control enter the mix, and it's even better that clinches can be shrugged off or avoided altogether, preventing the move from being an automatic fail-safe.

By conforming to the mold of most Dark Souls II bosses, Crown of the Ivory King offer comfort in providing much of what you expect.

Big, crisp graphics and online multiplayer markedly improve Puzzle Quest's oddly hypnotic blend of RPG and puzzle-game conventions.

Spider-Man Remastered is playable with a keyboard and mouse, too, now, but it's still best enjoyed with a controller. Full support is offered for all controllers that make use of Steam's API, with the correct button-mapping showing up in-game for Xbox and Sony DualSense controllers alike. The DualSense benefits from the work done on the PS5 version to include more accurate haptic and adaptive trigger support, but like all other games that utilize these features, you'll have to use the DualSense wired directly to your PC for them to work. Still, it's nice to feel the gentle pressure of the trigger that is applied at the apex of a swing, or the satisfying pitter-patter of rain on a gloomy day, so it's worth the hassle if you have a DualSense available.

Warlords of Draenor has revitalized World of Warcraft with a huge amount of new content and refinement of the basic gameplay.

Little Big Planet PSP successfully captures the essence of the original, and boasts its own excellent level design and gameplay refinements to boot.

Halo Infinite strives to transform what it means to be a Halo game, making Chief into a reluctant father figure for a young and naive AI and putting him into an open-world setting. It turns out that was a risk worth taking for the franchise, as Infinite is an incredible game. Certain story elements are on the weaker side and the amazing Grappleshot makes the rest of Chief's equipment feel a bit lacking in comparison, but these are small shortcomings in what otherwise feels like the best Halo campaign in years and an excellent evolution of what Halo can be.

Cheery aesthetics and unique puzzle elements make this a wild underground adventure.

It's a joy every time. I didn't want to put Absolum down, and I slightly resented when life would make me. By tapping into a primordial part of gaming history, Absolum has created something that feels revelatory. The beat-'em-up genre feels changed, now, and I don't know if there's any going back.

This terrific update to one of the best sci-fi real-time strategy games in years packs in a great strategic campaign and a grand total of seven different interesting, powerful armies.

Regardless of the context in which I experience each stage in Lumines Arise--whether that is competing against another player on a stage they selected, or curating a playlist and taking my time with it at my own pace--revisiting them is never arduous. Sure, it's a testament to the conceit of the series and how well-designed Lumines is. But it also speaks to the main attraction, which is simply to experience--and then re-experience--each setpiece, with its visual gimmicks and stimulating sounds coming together to create a singular ambiance. It doesn't matter that the apples will always turn into peppers, or that the dancers will always be caught in the rain--Arise puts on a show with each stage, revitalizing the series by grabbing a familiar foundation and playing a dozen different concerts with it.

Every element of the game, from the georama system to the weapon upgrading to the interaction with a large cast of characters, displays a polish and attention to quality that you find only in real classics... DC2 could very well be the PlayStation 2's Zelda.

Grid is a classy arcade racing game, providing enough depth and variety to satisfy any fan of the genre.

West of Loathing's visuals are monochromatic, but there's enjoyable comedy painted between every line, a pitch-perfect Spaghetti Western soundtrack, and a full spectrum of role-playing possibilities to choose from that make it a consistently enjoyable madcap cowboy jaunt.

If you have the means to play the Xbox or PC version of Pandora Tomorrow instead, then you should. But this is a respectable port overall, and if you consider it only in the context of the PlayStation 2's library, it's still a great game.

Kingdom Hearts II is a long, cameo-infused joyride that improves upon the original and manages to be quite entertaining despite some minor problems with the gameplay mechanics.

A gripping combination of superb story design, sly artificial intelligence, taut combat sequences, and logical puzzles.

One of the most highly evolved 2D fighting games yet, and it's another clear sign that fighting games definitely have some life left in them.