At its core, Okamiden is a successful, shrunken-down Okami, but it's trapped on a system that can't entirely pull it off. The art style, music and mechanics, while lifted from the earlier game, are still captivating and worthy of exploration, though we couldn't shake the feeling this story would have soared higher on another platform.

It manages to provide an incredibly compelling experience by consistently setting an intense mood, forgiving player errors and providing numerous options for accomplishing your fiendish goals.

Brutal Legend won us over with its complete package: the aspects that are decidedly outside “gaminess” are its strongest and most lovable. The dialogue made us laugh, and not just a little. We cared about the characters enough to feel sad to say goodbye to them. We never got bored of exploring its world and continued to do so after completing the main story.

Even when we lost matches or got crappy kill/death ratios, we were still having fun, which can't be said for a lot of shooters out there. And for PC players, you may just have the best version of the game. If you're curious at all, don't pass it up.

Mortal Kombat 11's story mode, along with its gameplay, is the most intense and gripping narrative in a fighter that I've played in years.

Every second of this game screams skillful design and the result is a liberating game world that feels open and responsive. Nearly every object in the game reacts to Lara's influence, and this applies to the gamer holding the control pad as well - it's impossible to play this game and not fall under its tempting spell.

It's a tougher recommendation if you're not into online play, since the other elements of the game are in sore need of a refresher. That aside, it's undoubtedly the most fun PES to play against friends in some time, and that's the reason you'll want to play it.

Mostly cool looks and hard work make for an eco-friendly expansion that inspires.

Even if linking up with friends is a toss, hitting the single-player with Sonic or Blaze is more than enough pandemonium for one person.

But let everyone, regardless of skill level, have the tables you’ve written on the back of the box with no strings attached. They paid for them.

A jam-packed episode that touches on difficult subjects but still has a lot of heart.

A few outdated features aside, eFootball PES 2020 marks an exciting new era for the long-running series.

Death of the Outsider uses a smaller scale to create a game that offers up its rewards quicker but without diminishing their payoff.

Prince of Persia has always been about getting through each challenge as quickly as possible, thanks to the one-hour time-limit on the game. Thus, it makes for a perfect Live Arcade action game, as it basically comes with built-in leaderboard support.

Building on the already solid (if a little claustrophobic) linear design of "Call of Duty 2," Call of Duty 3 introduces just enough new tidbits to keep even the most weary veterans in the fight.

Tekken 6 isn’t an open invitation to join the country club. The requirements for admittance are the same as ever; practice, practice and practice. Tekken hasn’t changed much here, but it keeps building upon a strong, rewarding foundation.

With more modes than you can shake a stick at and a rock-solid core basketball engine, it's a superb experience that collegiate hoopsters won't be able to tear themselves away from - even as they shake their fists in rage.

Dragon's Crown may start slow, but opens into a truly rewarding experience with each additional hour you put in. Despite some initial barriers to entry, it's still one of Vanillaware's most accessible games, catering to the hardcore while inviting in newcomers with its familiar gameplay and beautiful art.

Despite the lack of polish in the outer shell, the meat of the Sega Genesis Collection is mighty tasty and in the end that's all that matters.

For us it was a slow burn; the more we understood, the more fun we had. Once you start getting past the learning curve you'll find yourself more and more absorbed by all the complex little dramas that swirl around your nobles; you'll know you're getting there once you start feeling the urge to fill in other people on your crazy, possibly immoral medieval exploits.

A little longer, a lot tougher and a lot more elaborate than any of the previous episodes (except for maybe the awesome Reality 2.0), Ice Station Santa is a lot of fun while it lasts, and totally worth the nine bucks it costs to play.

Between its unique weapons, out-there world, and shocking late-game plot twist, there's a lot to really like even as it occasionally reminds you it's a 7-year-old game. They don't make 'em like this much anymore.

Regardless of any complaints or criticisms above, we'd still wholeheartedly recommend Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary to any diehard fan of the franchise, and with just minor reservations to everyone else.

Multiplayer co-op and competitive matches are just as much fun as they were on XBLA with modes such as racing and tag to take part in. Still, the bread and butter of n+ is the single-player ninja action and while the game can be quite a frustrating slog, it never truly feels crushing.

Revengeance is unapologetic in the way it indulges your greatest power fantasies, often doing so with such a grandiose display of style that you'll be unable to wipe that ever-present smile from your face. It's fast, flashy, and fun--and it's easy to excuse Revengeance's hiccups when even the simplest battles rival the best cutscenes in any previous Metal Gear.

Thankfully, these soldiers move with much of the fluidity of their PS2 counterparts.

Cataclismo needs a little more time in the oven to really polish up its systems, but it has great bones and Early Access will probably do it a ton of favors. [Early Access Review]

So while series fans who've been waiting to play the first full-featured Kingdom Hearts in almost five years may find their loved returned tenfold, PSP owners who simply desire to play an A+ exclusive might not get what all the fuss is about.

A moving adventure starring an extraordinary companion. Framerate issues intrude, but don't let them stop you from finishing this wonderful game.

Sumo Digital has done a superb job creating a kart game that works. It may suffer from a lack of originality, but the game is definitely worth your attention. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed could have been another mediocre attempt at a kart racer, but its solid controls, plethora of modes and unlockables, and iconic characters allow it to shine on its own podium.

It’s an undeniably fun experience that will please many in its target audience, and even includes roster updates and online play. Not to mention we’re really starting to like a little waggle with our football.

Solo play is also the best it's ever been, with more boss-like encounters, dramatic in-engine cutscenes, and quests rewards tailored specifically to your class.

For anyone who purchased the game last generation, the hi-def version is definitely worth the worth the price of admission for Medieval Madness alone.

Our best sports game of last year remains the one to beat in 2025, too. College Football 26 is the most detailed, authentic, and fun sim on consoles right now, and will keep you playing – and recruiting! – right through to next summer.

It's a port of a damn fine game - losing very little in translation and lending itself perfectly to a handheld frame of mind. Additionally, it retails for quite a bit less than your typical PSP release.

Once you get into the rhythm of the game, though, you remember why this series is so popular. It's not the mythology or the unit design or the videos as much as it is the kill-or-be-killed simplicity of it all.

Deceptively simple. Don't be fooled by its cute-sy look and playful trappings. This RPG is hard as hell and incredibly addictive. Plus, with the extra post-game modes, it manages to deliver an excellent amount of value for your gaming buck.

The streamlined, focused structure eliminates potential tedium without dumbing anything down, and the battle system strikes an elegant balance between strategy and fast-paced action. Stunningly beautiful graphics and a pervasively meticulous level of polish throughout only add to the experience.

By sticking to its roots, Midnight Club Los Angeles may not be a master of innovation, but as one of the most polished, finely honed and adrenaline-filled racing games, you won’t find any that do it better.

This is a specific kind of game for a specific type of gamer - the RPG masochist. But those people are going to love this thing.

Another must-buy game for your virtual library.

Sonic Racing CrossWorlds is a slick, ambitious racer with loads of tracks, primed and ready for future, licensed crossovers. At first too slow and then suddenly extremely fast, the racing lacks finesse, but it gets better as you play. A strong offering that's compulsively playable, but a bit grindy in single-player and not quite S-tier on the track.

Goodbye Volcano High is a heartfelt coming-of-age drama about a group of teen dinosaurs confronted with an uncertain future. Dreamy pop ballads and an absorbing dialogue system offer a gateway into an introspective story about being young, queer, and chasing your dreams in the face of impending disaster.

Not just great for a free-to-play game, Honkai: Star Rail is a genuinely fantastic RPG with slick combat and an engaging story loaded with content. The biggest caveat is, while generous, its gacha system may tempt some players into unwise purchases.

Many Nights a Whisper is a narrative-focused experience where great writing is just the launching pad for you to bring the rest of the story – reflecting on how you feel about the upcoming ritual as you balance granting wishes and archery training. With one chance to land a single, perfect shot – few games have this tension and impact, really making me sit with how I felt about everything.

Enslaved is a bit scrappy in its presentation and would have benefitted from more polishing time, but its heart is in a place few games even try for. Its world is original, fascinating, beautiful, and daunting. Its characters are alive and full of real emotion and they're truly loveable. Its simple combat is spare but elegant, and its climbing sequences get the blood pumping.

Although retreading a familiar nostalgic path, Octopath Traveler 0 improves its JRPG formula, while also being an enhanced and unabridged adaptation of the series' mobile spin-off without the grubby monetization. The cast may not have the same limelight as the original (flawed) premise intended but they still shine in turn-based battles that are among the genre's finest.

There are a few bumps along the road, but overall, Sword of the Sea is an effortless ride. The majesty of Journey, the action of The Pathless, and the tranquillity of Abzu are all present here. Sword of the Sea’s release marks the end of a four-game odyssey that started in 2012 and has reached a simultaneously exhilarating and meditative crescendo.

With a setting that tells a story better than any human voice, Prey’s combat and quests will suck you even deeper into its world.

The wait was worth it. Full stop. While it doesn't top SSX 3 in terms of that game's vibrant sense of place, and is occasionally hampered by being hard for the wrong reasons, SSX is a vast, deep, beautiful and nuanced blend of showboating adrenalin and sharpened intelligent play. It's a demanding game, but its rewards are immense, providing a feeling you won't get anywhere else in gaming.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is an approachable, expansive action-oriented RPG and feels like a true end to whatever the franchise was before. The book's not finished, but a significant chapter has closed. While Dragon Age: The Veilguard is undoubtedly different in many ways from its predecessors and takes lessons learned from Mass Effect to heart, there's a lot to love – mechanically and narratively – about the new normal and what is hopefully a foundation for what's to come.

Blacklist is a well-designed game from top to bottom, one that is both accessible and flexible. It doesn't force you into playing a specific way, and it provides all the tools necessary to accommodate your playstyle, retaining the agility of its predecessor without its restrictions.

Despite some narrative missteps, Tekken 7 is still a compelling, exhilarating experience. Find the right sparring partner and it will entertain you indefinitely.

Subtlety is what makes Last Light such an exceptionally immersive game. It nails the core tenets of a shooter, then forces you to react to enemies in ways outside of simply taking cover. It plops you in a post-apocalyptic world, then fills it with tons of minor but substantial details, like the shadows of once-living people now permanently nuked into stone walls. It strips you of hope, only to dangle a tiny sliver of it ahead of you like a carrot on a stick.

It ain't perfect – and we're more convinced than ever that perfection in an HD sports game is an impossibility – but it is another soaring triumph that has something for just about everyone.

The PSP version loads a bit more slowly but looks better, and the DS version features lightning-fast loads but tosses in slightly sluggish, clunky touch-controls.

Online play only sweetens the deal, making this one of the best, easily-accessible racers on any system.

Despite its repetitive replay structure, 999 is a thrilling, thoughtful, and fascinating visual novel that represents some of the best the genre has to offer.

There's something ludicrously fun about having your home crowd scream "Brown buckets catch stink!" after you nail a three-pointer. We don't know what that really means, and it's probably in very poor taste, but it's funny as hell.

Succeeds in retaining the raw fun that made the original game great while amping up the excitement and variety. Casual players will enjoy the action-packed scenes while the hardcore crowd will relish the challenge of gathering all 30 pro-medals and sharing their custom level creations online.

Catherine is a breath of fresh air, an experience that is silly, fun, and serious all at once. Whether you're looking for a one-night stand or a long-term commitment, we highly recommend giving it a shot.

Improvements largely concern presentation over play, but they're crucial in making you feel closer to the game than ever.

Enjoyable in almost every department, WWE 2K23 serves up joy for wrestling fans young and old, dedicated or casual. There really is so much to love here.

It manages to provide an incredibly compelling experience by consistently setting an intense mood, forgiving player errors and providing numerous options for accomplishing your fiendish goals.

There’s not much of a single-player mode beyond the typical arcade, survival, and a weird story mode that doesn’t follow any Bleach plotline we’ve ever read. But the online multiplayer performs remarkably well, and makes up for it beautifully.

A breathtakingly expansive and authentic recreation of the core Star Wars universe in LEGO. Its gameplay is predictably simplistic at times, but literally everything else is stellar. At last, THIS is the droid you are looking for.

Dark Resurrection doesn't have all of the extra features you might expect from a console release of a Tekken game, but this is offset by the pretty fair price and the fact that you can finally play the game on any size TV screen you have and with an arcade stick (like, say, the Hori Fighting Stick 3), to boot.

Act One of Broken Age starts off strong, with an incredibly well-written storyline that props up some occasionally weak puzzle work. Let's hope Double Fine can follow through with Act Two when it arrives later this year.

If you’re in the mood for a perfectly respectable, undemanding weekend game, A Plague Tale: Innocence is for you, though fair warning: The sight of so many dead bodies might shock anyone watching over your shoulder.

The PS3 game is a neatly-constructed package that wonderfully showcases a smart and challenging puzzle game. It's a great way to dive in and invest your time in a unique and soundly designed experience.

Combat could be better, but Dragon Quest Builders combines RPG structure and freeform creativity to great effect. It's Minecraft for people who hate Minecraft.

If you like getting frightened, you need Condemned -- it's the scariest game of the year.

And while you may ponder why the developers built a new engine and then mostly squandered the potential for originality, their staggering devotion to a piece of wood with four wheels will still daze you.

A licensed fighting game done right, sure to please fans of the brand and the genre. Its accessibility lets casual gamers or avid comic readers enjoy themselves, while retaining all the depth that fighter enthusiasts crave. If you've ever wanted to witness Batman and Superman duke it out in a brutal showdown, there's no better time than now.

No matter what - and as shocking as it is to say this - 2K8 is not a slam-dunk, no-brainer-this-is-your-next-gen-basketball-title this season. It's merely second best.

A wonderful recreation of Skyrim, which remains - despite rough edges and badly-aged elements - one of the greatest RPGs ever made.

It's a confident entry in the series that makes tweaks in all the right places, but you feel that they're holding back--that they're saving their 1st rounders for a next-gen debut.

Another superbly entertaining basketball sim with some of the sickest visuals you've ever seen.

To the Moon's excellent storytelling never veers off course and is one of the best we've experienced this year.

A new coat of paint, a ton of actionable analytic data, solid improvement in the trenches, and the extension of two popular modes makes Madden NFL 15 a winner.

Minor graphical issues and clunky inventory management aside, Torchlight for XBLA does a spectacular job of translating a PC dungeon hack-and-slasher to two analogue sticks and face buttons.

A strong park builder whose charm is generally enough to make you see past its issues. Jurassic World Evolution 3 could have been even better without the busywork and bugs, which hold it back just enough to stop it from being an instant classic.

Sure, there's room for improvement in the next edition, especially where some of the ground weather effects are concerned, and it'll have to go up against Gran Turismo in 2007, but Race Driver 2006 is simply the best racing sim you can get on the PSP today.

It looks good, plays great, offers plenty to do and it's even funny at times - though in a much cruder way than GTA's more sly, subversively socially relevant sense of humor.

Assassin's Creed Shadows thrives on boldness. Its dual protagonists improve on the series' stealth-driven roots and modern RPG leanings, though they're let down by a vague story that fails to make full use of either character.

On the road, or at home in bed, Lumines II is the top of the PSP's puzzler pops. If you're looking for a game to keep you busy on a long plane ride, this is it.

Splatoon is a brilliant and unique shooter sorely lacking in maps and modes, and it desperately needs a refill.

If you were a fan of Supreme Commander, you've probably already purchased this expansion and will surely be pleased with it. For everyone else, check out the original first or nothing at all; this is not the beginner's RTS game you're looking for.

Though Tearaway Unfolded does wonders with paper, it sometimes leaves you feeling flat.

With solidly rebuilt controls only a little marred by a still-fussy camera, LEGO Star Wars II is even better than last years prequel trilogy-based offering. And, as the first LEGO Star Wars was an amazingly entertaining homage to Lucas's genius, this sequel stands atop the original's shoulders as the pinnacle of LEGO Star Wars fun.

It may be true that those of you who already own last year's version may feel like you're not getting much more than a roster update and the ability to keep kicking it in the sublime 2K online world, but there's no doubt that the proof is in the pudding, and NBA 2K7 delivers a darn good time.

One of the best Sims 4 expansions packs so far, Seasons changes everything for your sim families with friendly bees, sinister gnomes and a chance to chat up Father Winter.

If you’re not already a fan, though, you have nothing to worry about. Dual Destinies is the series’ most user-friendly entry yet, offering conveniences such as a conversation log (so you can look for dialogue details you may have missed), a consultation feature (which offers optional hints if you make too many mistakes during trials), and a chapter select that allows you to easily replay completed scenes.

Easily the best football game yet for the Xbox 360. Sporting a beautiful look and feel and more modes than you can shake a stick at, it’ll cure your football fever all season long.

The most accomplished wrestling game of the last decade – only held back by gnawing MyFaction concerns. A shame.

Multiplayer feels wonderfully fresh, thanks to the added agility of Exo Suit boosting. Sadly, though, co-op is unimaginative, and the story fails to satisfy when compared to previous installments.

Overcooked 2 is everything you loved from the original but with the heat turned up a centigrade or 100. Mad, manic and utterly hilarious, this is one co-op game to beat.

As a full package, Call of Duty: Black Ops II's superb offering of a balanced multiplayer, challenging Zombies modes, and entertaining single player campaign make it an excellent title to pick up on the Wii U.