It also marks a great jumping on point for newcomers with a more balanced difficulty level and a decent checkpoint/continue system, but offers plenty of harder modes for the die-hard fans. Easily one of the best action games in recent years.

All in all Need for Speed: Most Wanted is the Need for Speed game that fans of the series have been clamoring for, for quite some time. It mixes a formula of both old school ideas and new ones, creating an experience that mixes well and will certainly appeal to a wide audience and gear heads. The game is fast, huge, and most importantly…fun, and part of its charm is not taking itself too seriously. Need for Speed is back, and we welcome you with open arms.

Overall, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is a fun romp through a little more of the Uncharted universe and I can't imagine that players invested in the franchise will disagree. Naughty Dog did a really nice job fleshing out a pair of once-supporting characters and made us care about who they are and where they came from, and not just because they are women and/or persons of color. Check it out.

Expectations for how much can be done to a franchise between seasons just went up.

Skate 2 is a must buy for fans of the first, and a give it a try for fans of Tony Hawk. Love it or hate it, it's the only game in town.

If you're a fan of the Alien franchise and pinball, this is a must buy.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D walks a tightrope of appealing to a brand new audience while also remaining true to the original that helped shape gaming as we know it today. This endeavor could have ended up a disaster in so many ways, but it ended up being nearly perfect. I fell in love with this series all over again and find myself more appreciative of the time-saving mechanics than ever. This is the best way to play one of the best games of all time, and it has catapulted my excitement for the upcoming HD-2D remake of Dragon Quest I & II into the stratosphere.

Technical sim junkies will have a lot to build, destroy, and monitor, but newbies might want to run for shelter.

An accurate, immersive, and extensible simulation of conducting a train that train fans and general sim fans will find simply irresistible-although it might not do much for the gamers not enthused about trains.

This is a better game than "Wave Race: Blue Storm." It may not have the wave physics that Nintendo's racer has (or many waves at all for that matter), but it runs away with the look of the water, control, and playability.

Slick looking, smooth playing masterpiece... The undisputed king of 3D Playstation fighters on the market today. [Gaming Age Score = 96]

It’s unfortunate that Nintendo didn’t release an all-new side scrolling Mario game.

It would make a great gift idea for anyone who has yet to experience this venerable classic.

Now where NBA Live 2004 excels is in the gameplay department. NBA Live successfully gives you almost total control of the game of basketball, crossovers, pivot moves, shot adjustments, and fade-aways, are all aspects of the game that EA has given you control of.

Wipeout 64 isn't a bad game by any means. It just doesn't have the same level of adrenaline pumping action and playability that Miyamoto's racer has.

Easily the best installment yet with slick and fast visuals, an awsome multiplayer mode and an enormous amount of modes, tracks and secrets to explore.

Bit.Trip Complete feels pretty much spot on to the WiiWare releases, but with bonus content to give previous players some incentive to buy it. Is it enough of an incentive to re-buy if you already own all six games? I don't think so. But it's certainly the best option out there for people that are new to the series.

Overall I’d reckon that Final Fantasy XVI’s PC port IS a good one, albeit with the caveats that it has some beefy requirements to run at higher frame rates and resolutions. It’s a phenomenal game that is now available to a wider audience, so I’d highly recommend checking it out if you’ve got the hardware. Otherwise, if you’re on a bit older hardware (such as myself) from early 2020 or before, I’d definitely recommend holding off and getting upgrades first, or deal with reduced visual quality, resolution, and framerates. I for one wouldn’t want to buy the game to have to play at 720p for 30fps in 2024. Final Fantasy XVI is definitely a great game and a great port if you’ve got the hardware to run it, though I do wish it ran better on slightly older hardware.

The essence of the Hulk – his chaotic power and affect on normal civilization – is captured perfectly.

If you have a PS5 or Xbox Series X, those versions are the best way to experience the game visually. But if portability matters—or if Switch 2 is your preferred option—this is still an adventure well worth taking. After all, great treasure hunts aren’t about perfect conditions—they’re about the journey.

After playing it for an extended period of time, I think it is a great game and would recommend it to anyone who is on the fence and loves racing games. Unfortunately, the candle on this game burns out a little too quickly, with only a few modes supported for online play.

If you’ve ever wished you could get that acceptance letter to Hogwarts – or even if you want a fun fantasy game you can sink yourself into for hours and hours and hours – this is what you’ve always dreamed of. It’s hard to imagine another game topping this one in 2023.

But for everyone else, Etrian Odyssey IV offers more of what you already love about the series, just this time it’s a little prettier in action.

Resident Evil Village is not a game for everyone, and I feel Resident Evil 7 fans will enjoy it much more than the average player — but having fan favorite Chris Redfield back into the story was a welcome addition (including the retcon of his appearance in RE7).

A pretty fantastic first entry into the series, and turned out better than I had thought. The controller itself feels well built, and I don't get the sense that it'll breakdown from any extended plays.

It's obvious a lot of thought went into every aspect of the game, from the unique look and functionality of each race to the incredible balancing that ensures each of them are on equal footing.

Bulletstorm, in short, looks good, plays great, and is fun as f**k to play. So put that in your pipe and smoke it Call of Duty fans...I come from the old school, and my friends of frag fest...this game is old school with a new coat of paint.

Whether you’ve never played a game in the Gradius timeline, or if you’re a shoot ‘em up diehard, I can’t see a reason not to pick this collection up. It’s a great introduction to the genre as a whole, and the emulation work put into this release by developer M2 is as amazing a job as anything they’ve produced previously. It’s an absolute must buy in my opinion, so definitely check it out.