Digimon Survive is a misshapen DNA digivolution. Most of the game is this great visual novel, which starts slow but eventually tackles some intriguing themes that are interwoven into one of the most mature Digimon stories ever told. Sometimes the characters can be a little one-note, but each manages to carry aspects of the story in compelling ways, and I wanted to keep pushing through Digimon Survive to unravel each person's history and ultimately learn why and how they had been transported to another world. But, at the same time, Digimon Survive is regularly dragged down by tedious tactical combat, and it negatively affects other sections of the game too, like exploration and Digimon evolutions. It's not enough to ruin an otherwise great visual novel, but it does put quite a damper on the whole experience.

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.

All of these elements come together to solidify Cult of the Lamb as a standout title in both the rogue-like and simulation genres, as well as a one-of-a-kind entry that exists in the middle of them. Whether you are exploring the dungeons or expanding your cult, the experience is enjoyable, challenging, and more than a bit demented. With how surprisingly dense each of these parts are, the fact that all the pieces come together as smoothly as they do is a triumph.

Much like that final mission enemy, Hard West 2 gets it right where it counts. Despite some thin RPG trappings, it's ultimately a highly-accomplished game of tactical combat with two or three genuinely terrific ideas executed exceptionally well. While it does suffer from a lack of imagination in some of its map design, that doesn't detract too much from how enjoyable it is to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your posse and find creative ways to put down hordes of Wild West demons.

"Surreal" is actually a perfect word to describe MultiVersus, a game that brings together iconic characters and makes them fight. These characters are as authentic as they come, feeling as if they've been ripped straight from their source material thanks to excellent voice work. The team-based mechanics are truly beyond anything else offered in a platform fighter, while the classic 1v1 format also impresses. The roster offers plenty of variety, though unlocking all of the characters without having to dip into the real-world wallet will definitely be a chore. We don't know how much of its power MultiVersus has tapped into yet--the open beta will soon give way to Season 1--but as it stands now the game has smashed any and all expectations. Even if MultiVersus doesn't unseat the king, it is more than ready to rule its own little corner of the kingdom.

These issues aside, Two Point Campus is a marked improvement on Two Point Hospital. The college setting makes for a more personable and heartfelt game, where partying, romance, and forming friendships is just as important as attending classes and studying. A plethora of interlocking systems brings it all together and digs deep into the management side of the equation without ever feeling overwhelming. The gradual stream of new concepts makes starting up at a new school exciting, and additional building tools mean there's more customization at your fingertips than ever before. It maintains the series' charm and wit, too, with some biting satire to boot, and ensures that Two Point Campus graduates with flying colors.

River City Saga: Three Kingdoms isn't as revolutionary as River City Ransom or as subversive and modernized as River City Girls. It exists in a middle ground, with loads of combat options and modern quality-of-life conveniences presented in a gameplay style reminiscent of the original NES game. The Three Kingdoms setting is a cute and clever way to contextualize the concept, making for a breezy little homage adventure.

This is a game all about making your business pop off and maybe befriending a colorful critter or two along the way. I would have liked to discover that the spookier narrative elements amount to something more, but the enjoyable management sim that I found instead kept me pleasantly entertained for hours, offering plenty of creative challenges for me to puzzle my way through, all in the name of making the cutest set of bed and breakfasts there's ever been.

When PowerWash Simulator leans into its best qualities, as a soothing and low-impact way to pass some time, it shines like the chrome on a recently power-washed classic car. On the rare occasions when it breaks up its own flow with granular fussiness or interrupts your plans for the in-game economy, it detracts from the experience. At its best, PowerWash Simulator is a quiet, relaxing experience that's best enjoyed in small doses. It's time-consuming, yes, but once in a while, we all need something to consume our time.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 feels like the game Monolith Soft has been trying to craft for years. While its dialogue could have used an extra pass, it more than makes up for it with its wonderful story and superb combat. It's rare for a JRPG to hold my attention for a 100-hour runtime, but Xenoblade Chronicles 3 did it with confidence.

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.

I truly loved my experience playing Live A Live. The gameplay and narrative variety, incredible visuals, and superb soundtrack kept me enthralled throughout my 30-hour journey. I still feel like the game has a few secrets and little story bits I may have overlooked. It's quite the accomplishment that, almost 30 years later, Live A Live still manages to surprise, subvert, and enthrall. Those timeless qualities make it well worth your attention, now and likely for years to come.

Stray's ultimate strength is how well its overall design embodies the unique perspective and capabilities of its protagonist, but it also doesn't rely on this to be the only distinguishing feature of the entire adventure. A lot of the enjoyment throughout Stray's runtime comes from how well each scenario is designed for the abilities of its feline hero, and how empowering it is to be able to navigate its gorgeous hubs and derelict cities with the additional agility on offer. Its puzzles are routinely satisfying to solve and all work in service of a charming story with a satisfying conclusion, with the pacing only knocked slightly off by some slightly less than stellar combat scenarios in the first half. Thankfully, they're not prevalent enough to detract from the otherwise captivating adventure that Stray is, and that it tells a tale that will likely linger with you after the game's credits have rolled.

It ends up telling a story that brilliantly grapples with a lot of under-explored, or even unexplored, themes in video games. Like a lot of my favorite games, it left me with a lot to think about, such as the roles we choose or reject, the hardships we inescapably inherit from family, and how trauma casts a dauntingly long shadow, but how forgiveness, should we choose to show it, may just let the light in.

There's a lot of fun to be had in Escape Academy, especially if you have a friend willing to tackle its challenges with you. Much like real-world escape rooms, the levels of Escape Academy don't lend themselves very well to solo play or replayability, but, in the same vein, those inspirations have created a challenging puzzle game that's fulfilling to complete. The narrative isn't much to write home about, but the virtual escape rooms more than makeup for that, delivering a game that encapsulates why escape rooms are some of the most fun you can have with friends.

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.

For a few in-game hours, Arcadegeddon may seem like a loud and gaudy co-op shooter worth a slot in your weekend rotation, but the combination of been-there-done-that objectives, a shallow loot pool, and a grating cast of characters soon unravels what could've been the next standout co-op game from a team otherwise doing well in that space. But this end result merely looks like better games in certain lights. It has aspirations to be many things at once, but Arcadegeddon struggles to formulate its own identity and suffers death by a thousand market research data points.

OlliOlli World is the kind of game that gets into your head and causes you to push yourself for just one more run or to seek a slightly higher score, and Void Riders continue to scratch that same undeniable itch. Roll7's skating game is full of clever, expertly constructed courses and fun, goofy characters, and Void Riders doesn't skimp on either. It might not bring a huge amount of new things to the game, but just having more great tracks to skate and explore is a worthy addition in its own right.

Playing by myself for an extended period of time was boring and monotonous, and the absence of certain single-player modes is a major oversight. But Nintendo Switch Sports is a fantastic multiplayer game that, for the most part, invites anyone and everyone to pick up a controller and flail their limbs about. It has its issues, but they fall away when you have other people to play with and are joyously going toe-to-toe in virtual sports. As with the original Wii Sports, Nintendo Switch Sports finds beauty and fun in simplicity. And bowling is great. Better than real-life bowling.

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.

Arc System Works continues to set a high standard for fighting games with DNF Duel, creating an experience that's both simple enough for new players and robust enough for fighting veterans. 16 unique characters offer plenty of variety, the core fighting system rewards players who dig into it, and the online offerings feel like the arcade scenes of old. I would have preferred a more in-depth story mode, but the rest of what the game brings more than makes up for the misstep. DNF Duel not only excels as a fighting game, but it also reinforces the versatility of the entire genre through its adaptation of an established IP into a whole new experience.

Neon White is flawless from a gameplay perspective and is not only stylish and incredibly satisfying, but a magnetic execution of a fascinating idea. There's nothing else quite like it, and you'd be doing yourself a massive disservice if you don't at least give it a try.

Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course is worth the long wait. Ms. Chalice gives players a brand-new way to approach each boss, and each of the new boss fights is an imaginative triumph, from both a visual and gameplay perspective. The new parry-focused fights add a twist to the Cuphead platforming formula that feels right at home while offering something new to the experience. Even the already-great main campaign is improved thanks to Ms. Chalice and a trio of new weapons that shake things up for Cuphead and Mugman. Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course adds more than a cherry on top; it changes the recipe to create a game that's more scrumptious than before.

Poinpy represents my favorite kind of mobile game. Bouncing Poinpy around is a simple, repeatable, and fun mechanic, and I never once had to think about currency of any kind. It can be played with one hand and is both rewarding and challenging without demanding too much input from the player. With its soft ending, it is clear this is not a game you are expected to play forever. A conclusion exists and feels great to reach, but if you want to bounce your way up the well again while listening to a podcast in the future, you can always revisit that simple, joyful experience.

I could go on and on, but Mirrorverse is stuffed with predatory tactics like this. They shred any remaining desire to further explore what is truly a bold and unique take on the Disney universe, which is a real shame. I'd hoped these Guardian versions of the Disney characters I'd grown up with would get more time to shine and show off their new abilities. Instead, I got buried in resources and currencies, which relegated these amazing heroes to posing on the menu screens, and the result is a big disappointment. I'm looking into the Mirrorverse, but I don't like the reflection.

Capcom Fighting Collection does a good job of revisiting the past, but it doesn't quite go far enough. Hyper Street Fighter II is a stalwart, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo and Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix are goofy and fun, and Cyberbots and Red Earth are unique and good examples of what a collection should include. The overabundance of Darkstalkers games--as good as they are--does not help the overall package, as there are still some forgotten Capcom fighting games that could have used the exposure instead. Reliving these games is a lot of fun but, like most reunions, there's that one member of the family that's demanding a bit too much attention.

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 Musou games have been on an upward trajectory ever since Omega Force stepped outside of its Dynasty comfort zone. This, along with the recent releases, has shown a stronger willingness to embrace the unique mechanics of the franchises it is borrowing from and Three Hopes is one of the strongest examples yet. The repetitive and sometimes frustrating combat, however, is what makes up the majority of the experience. Even with improvements, the base idea behind the combat still loses its luster quickly. If you squint, though, you arrive at something closer to a Fire Emblem: Three Houses extension as opposed to a licensed spin-off hoping to cash in on recognizable characters and locations, which is a good place to be.