The fact that it's so tempting to spend time creating these paper models is a testament to how appealing and attractive Tearaway is. It's just a shame that one of the Vita's best experiences feels as long as a piece of paper is thick.

The Sexy Brutale's puzzles are fun enough, though they’re never precisely challenging. Instead, the game is likely best understood as an interactive art piece. Seen as such, it succeeds on almost all fronts. There's dramatic tension as you discover each of the gruesome ways your fellow guests meet their end in ever more fascinating wings of the mansion, and there's a dark commentary on the banality of death as you grow accustomed to using the sounds associated with specific murders in distant rooms as a form of a timer. Over and over again, The Sexy Brutale hammers home the brutal truth that you just can't save everyone.

With a multitude of elements that let it transcend that narrow and often underrated genre, racing fans and those simply seeking a wild, entertaining experience would do well to check it out.

Revisiting Octopath Traveler on PC has been a treat, not the least of all because of the available graphics settings that let you tweak the game's iconic hybrid visuals. This is an obvious feature in most PC games, but Octopath's mix of retro pixel art and modern post-processing effects are unlike most games. With one foot in the past and another in the present, adjusting resolution, textures, and lighting effects lets you dictate, to a point, which half of its aesthetic identity is most prominent. It's not a game changer, but it is an appreciated option that gives the PC version a slight edge over the Switch original.

Zeit Squared's clever mechanics combine to create a unique and satisfying shoot-'em-up.

It should satisfy players who don't care about all the miscellaneous nuances of the sport, or who aren't looking to immerse themselves in a complicated franchise mode.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD is a loving restoration of a bold and beautiful adventure, with Nintendo shifting some elements of the original game's aesthetic, and streamlining the pace where it had occasionally sagged.

Learning the skills and vocabulary of the game gives you the confidence to risk chaining large combos, and it’s at this level where you can experience Downwell's most exhilarating moments again and again.

The DS version of this great tower defense game can be a little confusing but is a lot of fun to play both solo and competitively.

Planet Robobot's meager difficulty may feel like a turn off at times, but it's not a reason to write it off. Once you spend time sampling the large selection of powers in each stage, taking in the detailed visuals, the catchy soundtrack, and exploring the wealth of extra modes on hand, you are so focused on the game's pervasive charm that you're looking forward to the next delightful surprise, rather than praying for a grueling test of skill. Planet Robobot is another great feather in Kirby's cap that shouldn't be overlooked.

It's a shame that these intricacies were tempered by unnecessary simplification and unfocused storytelling. Nevertheless, Dragon Age II makes a strong impression, pulling you through with the promise of another fun quest, another character to meet, and another beast to slay.

The fast and flashy dual-stick shooting of Galaga Legions DX makes it fun to blast space bugs all over again.

The important thing is that Untitled Goose Game is a hoot. It's a comedy game that focuses on making the act of playing it funny, rather than simply being a game that features jokes. Wishing that it was longer speaks to how much fun I had with it. There's nothing else quite like Untitled Goose Game; it's charming and cute despite being mean, and both very silly and very clever. It's also probably the best non-racing game ever to feature a dedicated "honk" button.

This slow-starting strategy game is deliciously destructible once you learn the ropes.

It's a shame that these intricacies were tempered by unnecessary simplification and unfocused storytelling. Nevertheless, Dragon Age II makes a strong impression, pulling you through with the promise of another fun quest, another character to meet, and another beast to slay.

Career mode is still a mixed bag, then, but it's reassuring that EA has made some additional moves to try and freshen it up. If you do grow tired of simming through training sessions and managing sharpness, FIFA 21 is still chock full of other stuff to do, whether you want to head to the streets of Paris to show off your skills, hop into Ultimate Team with a friend, or play through a season on Pro Clubs. This is a substantial package that's propped up by exciting gameplay that puts the onus squarely on attacking football. There are moments of frustration on defense when the balance doesn't feel quite right, but then you'll go down the other end and score a Puskás Award contender that makes you forget why you were mad in the first place.

The Adventures of Shuggy is a cute platform puzzler that pushes the envelope with a deluge of gameplay ideas.

The important thing is that Untitled Goose Game is a hoot. It's a comedy game that focuses on making the act of playing it funny, rather than simply being a game that features jokes. Wishing that it was longer speaks to how much fun I had with it. There's nothing else quite like Untitled Goose Game; it's charming and cute despite being mean, and both very silly and very clever. It's also probably the best non-racing game ever to feature a dedicated "honk" button.

Namco may have had to cut a few corners to fit the 3D fighter onto Nintendo's handheld, but the end product looks and feels enough like the original game to succeed.

Overall, though, Horizon Forbidden West does a lot more right than it does wrong. It might be jam-packed with stuff to see, do, know, and remember, but when its many systems come together, it can be a beautiful, exciting, and delightful open-world experience. The story that drives you through the frontier is often well-told and does well to center actual characters rather than audio logs, and while the map is littered with icons, it's much more often that they're fun, skillfully crafted diversions than random busywork to fill a checklist. There's a huge amount to do and see in Horizon Forbidden West, and the great majority of it is worth doing and seeing thanks to strong writing, great visuals, and some marked improvements to the series' underlying ideas.

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.

Mario Kart 7 features the best racing yet in the franchise, though it takes a step back in other areas.

It's a wonderful arcade experience that not only demands both precision and speed, but has the tight controls necessary to make both possible.

High Treason ratchets up the cool gameplay and techno-thriller storytelling that was introduced in Act of War.

It's a shame that these intricacies were tempered by unnecessary simplification and unfocused storytelling. Nevertheless, Dragon Age II makes a strong impression, pulling you through with the promise of another fun quest, another character to meet, and another beast to slay.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond sometimes feels like a product of its notoriously long and troubled development. At moments it serves as a time capsule for gaming trends that have come and gone over the last decade, like a sparse open world and a squad shooter with AI teammates. Those elements are decently made, but not as expertly crafted as the more traditional Metroid Prime exploration and storytelling. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is uneven and messy in some respects, but at its best it meets or exceeds the best moments the series has to offer.

Black Myth: Wukong is an uneven game where the highlights often outnumber the lowlights. Its triumphant boss battles and fast-paced combat make up for the stale moments in between, where bland level design and a scarcity of enemies will have you clamoring for the next face-off with a deadly Yaoguai. I appreciate that it's not just another souls-like in what is now a crowded genre, and the choice to go for a boss gauntlet is unexpected and, honestly, quite refreshing. It's disappointing that it falters outside of its cinematic clashes against mighty beasts, but designing this many rousing boss battles while avoiding a sense of fatigue is no mean feat and deserves praise.

With just a bit more variety to its tracks and a slightly better career mode, it definitely could have been better, but it has great graphics, solid sound, and the sort of easy learning curve that makes it a driving game that anyone can excel at.