In other words, if you’re just looking for a Zelda-like, you may find yourself a little disappointed by Weko The Mask Gatherer: it’s that, but it’s a lot more than that. It’ll challenge you far more than you might expect at first glance, but the end result is definitely worth it.

Much like Dragon Quest Treasures last year, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is a fun entry point into a long-running series that doesn’t ask too much of players in terms of prior knowledge (though that surely helps). If you’re after a solid monster-training game with colourful cast of characters, it delivers solidly on that front.

It brings its own style and its own unique demands to table, which means that if you’re a fan of the genre, you should probably check it out.

Overall the title is a pretty solid entry, it’s a shame that the studio’s actions and in some cases inaction will probably leave a black mark on this title. I’m not going to pad out this review by rehashing it, so rather I’m going to leave a link to this Kotaku article which summarizes why this title will probably be polarizing to come. For those who haven’t been with the franchise for long, this will likely be a streamlined retelling of the 3rd entry, for long time fans this game will likely mark a horrible divergence from the sacred timeline (You didn’t think I’d forget about that MCU reference I made in the first paragraph, did ya?). As for me, I’m somewhere in the middle, I’m curious as to what the team will be doing moving forward, but a tad weary at the approach. Like a Dragon as a franchise will likely continue indefinitely, but Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties will probably be remembered as an inflection point amongst the fanbase.

Once again, ININ have released another great collection of classic IREM games at a decent price. I do like how these collections are keeping with a theme of what type of games they include for each volume. I am, however, a little skeptical that future volumes can feature the same presentation moving forward if they are to release future volumes, and I would like to see more massive collections of games similar to the Taito Milestones with future volumes if possible. Overall, I am happy that these classic games can reach a new generation of gamers no matter how they are delivered.

Overall, I think there’s a lot of good here. While the gacha system itself could use some work, the bones of the game are excellent. Strong combat, an open world, and complex factory systems offer a lot to spend your time on, and very little of it felt like filler. I hope to see Arknights: Endfield take off and expand in the future, and hopefully they take some community feedback on the few systems that need work. I’ve already seen a lot of commentary on this and the game isn’t even out yet. Otherwise, if you are interested in a high-quality gacha game with space-age anime girls with a pinch of Factorio, this might be the only game in that niche you’ll find. Give it a shot, it’s a lot of fun.

It makes for a fine time if you want to take down some monsters, either solo or with up to three Switch 2-owning friends, and all things considered, that’s a perfectly fine thing for a game to be.

Like any good puzzler, Train Traffic Manager is easily approachable, and it knows how to sink its hooks into you quickly.

It’s a solid RPG and a great remake that I think a lot of people should check out. I’m glad to see Square Enix try to diversify their RPG catalogue a little more beyond Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, and if you’ve been curious about the SaGa series, this entry would be a great one to jump into.

Creatures of Ava is one of the rare wholesome games that adds enjoyable gameplay to its cozy atmosphere. It brings together ideas you’ve seen elsewhere, but does so in a way that makes them more or less its own.

All-in-all, Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble is a great time, albeit held back by the same lackluster camera the series has always had and the framerate causing some issues, but otherwise it’s a very solid title.

It’s still a great game – probably the best Mario Party game ever – and you’ll have a blast with the core game whether you’re playing it on Switch 1 or Switch 2, but the $20 upgrade pack that is Jamboree TV is nowhere near as essential.

Does it ever come close to matching Portal? Obviously not. But it doesn’t need to, either. Chromagun 2 may not do a whole lot new, but the fact that so many other games are out there now that are also copying Portal makes that easier to forgive.

Overall I think Persona 3 Reload: Expansion Pass – Episode Aigis is a great follow up to Persona 3’s story, albeit with some minor caveats that will affect each player differently. The new music is great, the new “dungeon” backgrounds are just as fantastic as the remade Tartarus in Persona 3 Reload, and as expected the voice cast is just as excellent. Metis is a great addition to the party, even if she’s effectively the gap closer between your lower-tier abilities against enemies that are scaled a bit above you. I think my main gripes are just quality of life things not found out of Steam as a PC player for this review, and that the mall significantly hits my framerate (EXCLUSIVELY in the DLC I might add). The expansion pass costs $35, which is a big turn off for some people I’ve noticed, but Episode Aigis is very much a standalone experience worth the money. It offers another multiple dozen hours of gameplay and story with all the core draws of Persona 3 Reload, so if you’re a fan of the base game I highly recommend it.

At the end of the day is College Football 26 a bad release? Absolutely not; it’s a great football game and it is better than the previous release. But for all the fans that jumped in last year for the return of the college football franchise, it’s a tough sell to say here’s a new game for $70 and it’s worth your money. For fans that didn’t jump in last year, I can’t recommend College Football 26 enough, but for all the gamers who picked up CF 25 I just can’t bring myself to give this my stamp of approval as the resident football reviewer for Gaming Age.

Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots is a great return to the series. The vibrant courses, relaxing music, and massive amounts of unlockables should bring you endless hours of replayability. Hyde, Inc. has delivered a hole-in-one arcade golf classic.

It’s such a great time to be a horror game fan and I feel going into Alone in the Dark with an open mind will help for a much more enjoyable experience. I think Jodie Comer and David Harbour did a great job in their respective roles and would love to see more content in the future. We have an IP that inspired so many games into a genre all its own and now it’s time for the master to become the student as it’s learned so much from other staples in horror like Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and The Suffering for some examples. Alone in the Dark doesn’t try to mimic any of these games by inspiring them to pay respect to what fans love.

All in all, UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes is a fantastic game. It plays well, it looks great, and it sounds fantastic. I would advise being careful with buying it on PC for now, but console experiences have all sounded smooth. If you’re a fan of 2D anime fighters, I cannot recommend this one enough. I’ve no doubts you will have a blast listening to killer music while watching your character do stylish moves on whoever you’re up against.

Taken altogether, it adds up to a Mario game that doesn’t really feel like a Mario game. It’s an interesting look at a neat experiment, and it’s fun to get a chance to discover – or rediscover – a game that finds Nintendo breaking out of their comfort zone. It may not be a perfect game, but it’s an interesting one, and that’s enough to make it worth checking out.

If this is the first beat’em up you’ve picked up in a while, I’m sure you’ll have a great time. Although I have to admit for me, having played other beat’em ups prior to Scott Pilgrim EX, it feels like it leans on its IP a little too much and doesn’t really do anything that innovative. That said, if a buddy called me up to help them in their run, I will have no qualms with showing up with my fully powered crew to flex on the robots, vegans and demons that are besieging my friends. To tie back to my opening statement, perhaps it’s time for me to take a breather from beat’em ups, however I will be the first in line if there is a second chance to pick up the premium editions of this title…simply because I need to put it next to the premium editions of the first game.

Overall I do really enjoy Dune: Awakening, and while I still think the fact that it’s always online takes away from what it could be a bit, it doesn’t bring it down so far as to being unenjoyable. The framework is very positive and I had fun with my time in the game. I am intending to continue playing after writing this review, so I know it’s definitely good. I would recommend it to anyone who already knows and enjoys the world of Dune, but am not so sure people who aren’t otherwise would have the same ease of drop-in enjoyment I’ve gotten. It is one of the few games on the recent pattern of releasing at a lower price than average, so you can pick it up for only $50 if you’re wanting to try it! Dune fans, get in on it: you will enjoy it.

It may not feel original, but The Precinct knows how to take that familiar beats and give you room to uphold law and order/cause chaos to your heart’s content.

I wouldn’t call MLB The Show 24 a disappointment overall, though. However, I also wouldn’t call it an unqualified success. It’s certainly better this year than it has been the past few years thanks to a few fun tweaks, but the bottom line is more or less the same as it is every year: if you skipped a year or two it’s a good place to jump back in; if you played last year’s edition your mileage will vary depending on how important it is to you that you get a new season of storylines, plus the ability to create a female player. Nothing in MLB The Show 24 achieves the same comparative highs of the franchise during its glory years from a decade ago, but it’s undeniably a very outing.

Overall, I wouldn’t say Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a challenging game. It’s a nice puzzle and platformer that urges you to want to collect all the collectables in each stage for that gold star marking your completion. I would say it’s a good introduction to some puzzle games for younger audiences, or if you just want something to relax with and play, Nintendo has you covered with this release. It’s not the deepest game you’ll play, and it’s not super complex, but I find that it is a very nice game to sit down and just bang out a few levels. If you’re looking for something nice and simple, but yet something you can still have an enjoyable time with, definitely look in the direction of this new Mario vs. Donkey Kong game.

Overall, I believe that South Park: Snow Day is quite a great time. It offers good replay value with changes to the game once you complete the main campaign, encounters seem to change when you replay levels, and it just offers a lot of that fun roguelike/roguelite feel we’ve come to enjoy from other titles. I genuinely believe that for the price point, get your friends together and I think you’ll enjoy yourselves a ton. It’s a very well put together game, and I don’t believe we encountered any bugs in our playthrough other than maybe some collision issues in terrain. It’s just a very solid title, I don’t really have anything negative to say other than perhaps its length. Tyler and I managed to finish our first playthrough in roughly 4 to 5 hours, but again, it offers reasons to replay it, so I don’t particularly see that as an issue. Absolutely great release from the team at Question and from publisher THQ Nordic.

Super Battle Golf is an excellent, fun game, and there’s so much good to be found here, so much fun to be had, and so many friends to be lost. I can’t help but love Super Battle Golf. I’m hoping it continues a series of content drops in the near future that keeps it alive and continues catching people’s attention. It’s the kind of party game fun you don’t often see on games outside of the Nintendo garden. Give it a play, don’t miss out. It’s cheap and a ton of fun. Just make sure you bring at least 2-3 friends to get the best experience.

As a whole package, it’s still early on in its life, so while it may be currently barebones, I do think that Pokémon Champions has an excellent blueprint laid out for future updates. Looking at it for what it is, a way to get new players into the competitive scene and to practice for official events, Pokémon Champions nails exactly that. It needs some work to be where it probably should be, but even as it is now it’s a respectable official battle simulator.

All in all, I think Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined is a great representation of the game, but I still think the 3DS version feels like the more complete package. The cut content is disappointing, even though some of the early streamlining and quality of life changes are nice to see. It’s still a really fun adventure with a charming story and beautiful visuals, but maybe not the version of Dragon Quest VII that hardcore fans were hoping for. Everyone else new to the game will likely not notice the changes though, and considering the secondary market price point on the prior releases of Dragon Quest VII, this Reimagined version is the way to go if you’re wanting to jump in for the first time.