The demo won me over, but the final release helped solidify my feelings. The fact there is a comic book prequel and it has a kick ass score, makes Hell is Us one of my favorite games of 2025 and one of the best of the last 10 years for me in the genre.

It’s rare to see a game in this genre – or any genre, really – that defies easy classification, so in a world where everyone wants to be the next Slay the Spire or Balatro, it’s fun to see something try (and mostly succeed) at doing its own thing.

BBG Entertainment did a marvelous job bringing Boulder Dash to modern consoles. Pick it up if you love puzzle games or just want to experience a true classic that has stood the test of time.

If you’ve played Metal Gear Solid 3 before, then you know what you want. Do you want Metal Gear Solid 3 exactly as you remember it, but looking much better and running much better? If so, then great- you want Metal Gear Solid Δ. That’s that. Have you never played Metal Gear Solid 3, been interested, but deterred by the fact that the game is 20 years old? If so, then great – you want Metal Gear Solid Δ. Just get it, you know you want it. It’s as good as a remake is ever going to be.

We were this close to greatness in Madden this season, in my opinion. If EA would just bite the bullet and get some of those station/network licenses, pair it with these new presentations and the near realistic graphics, we’ll have something special. Lump those all in with some of the best gameplay Madden has had in a long time as well and you would have something that would make the casual fan second guess whether they were watching a video game or a real NFL game. Kudos to EA for a huge step in the right direction and I’m hopeful to see it improved on for next year. Madden NFL 26 is an absolute win/buy for fans, new and old, of the franchise.

It’s one of the most good-natured games I’ve played in recent memory, and even if it was over almost as soon as it started, it’s still an extremely pleasant way to pass half an hour.

Many players seemed skeptical about the direction of the franchise following the end of the light and dark saga, but Bungie has proved that they are still capable of putting together an incredible foundational narrative along with a fun campaign to back it up. If you stepped away from Destiny following The Final Shape, this acts as an excellent point to hop back on. Overall, Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate is both narratively exceptional and mechanically above-average. While the pricing of the expansion may be a bit steep, if you play Destiny for the worldbuilding and narrative you will be amply satisfied by what the latest expansion has to offer.

Combine it all together – the modern gameplay with the lost media aesthetic – and it adds up to make 1000 Deaths one of the most interesting platformers you’re likely to come across. While there’s certainly no shortage of retro-tinged 3D platformers that have very identifiable influences, I don’t think I’ve played one yet that evokes the past without being tied to it the way 1000 Deaths does. For that reason – and also the reason that it’s pretty good – it’s very much worth your time.

It’s just a poorly made imitation of a PS1-era classic, and you’d be better off going back and playing Metal Gear Solid than wasting time with this garbage.

Without a multiplayer mode and so many better versions of the game currently available on the GBA, like "Bomberman Tournament," this game really isn't worth $20.

The key to enjoying Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream is to think of it not as an open-ended sandbox, there for you to discover all kinds of secrets, but as an intricate diorama, just waiting for you to set things into motion. You may not get the same kind of satisfaction of figuring out inventive ways to solve problems, but you will get to look at a game that’s simply beautiful – and all things considered, it’s a fair trade.

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.

Tales of the Shire is nothing if not low stakes and low stress. But it also makes for an extremely dull experience if you want even the slightest bit more than that, which makes it very hard to recommend.

I was hopeful for Shadow Labyrinth when it was announced, but as I played the game a lot of that eroded over the hours and hours I spent with it. It’s not a bad game for sure, I’ve played far worse Metroidvania’s over the years, but it’s also not a great game, held back by some archaic design decisions, a mostly bland art design, and some frustrating control moments. There’s enjoyment to be had here, sure, but you really have to struggle through the low points in order to gleam out just a bit of fun from this one.

Maybe the most impressive thing about Clutchtime, though, is that you don’t need to be a basketball fan to enjoy the game. I’m sure that would help, but really, as long as you like deckbuilders, you should definitely give this one a chance to see how broad and varied the genre can be.

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.

As long as you know how to spell, you can play Birdigo – but if you want to really be challenged in your vocabulary (and in your ability to maximize the power of your deck, à la StS or Balatro), you need to dig deep into your brain and plan things out. Birdigo definitely isn’t going to be for everyone, but it’s unquestionably made for someone like me.

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.

Patapon 1 + 2 Replay may be throwbacks to another time, but their gameplay is pretty timeless, and whether you played them the first time around or not, it’s a good time to go back (or go for the first time) and lose yourself in the rhythm.

None of this is all that new, and I can understand why some people might be tempted to write Eternal Strands off as a collection of influences thrown together. But if you’ll look a little longer, you’ll see that it combines those influences awfully well.

I feel like I should temper my praise of Donkey Kong Bananza, but at the same time, if I did, I’d be lying. This is one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played in a long time. If you’ve been holding out on buying a Switch 2, this is the game that should make you buy one: it really is that phenomenal.

If you want to turn your brain off and shoot some dudes in the junk for justice this absolutely is a title for you and the fact that it is a budget title ($29.99) it will certainly move some units.

Raidou Remasted is a genuine treat and well worth it. Not only is it a great title with a story you can get invested in, but last I checked it’s smoothly playable on Steam Deck and it released for both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, so you can choose your poison for portability to play the game. It really did release on everything, and that’s just to the benefit of the player. ATLUS and SEGA really nailed it with this one, and I’m even more excited for whether they’ll remaster the sequel or not in addition.

I really don’t have complaints about Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut. It’s exactly what it claims to be: a new, recut version of Yakuza 0 on the Nintendo Switch 2 with enhanced visuals and smooth performance. It takes advantage of everything very well, and being able to play it on the go is a massive bonus. For existing fans that picked up a Switch 2, it more than earns itself another playthrough. For those of you that are new to Yakuza and may have just started with Kiwami on the original Switch’s release, this is a prequel you don’t wanna miss out on. It’s the biggest and best version of Yakuza 0, and I’d argue an absolute necessity for Switch 2. You simply won’t find a better experience than the Director’s Cut.

Adding deckbuilding mechanics to a JRPG may not be groundbreaking – or, at least, it’s not the way KEMCO does it – but it’s enough to transform a totally generic game like Novel Rogue into one that does something fun and interesting.

The missions aren’t the same and the soundtrack is vastly different, so I don’t know if I’d call Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 specifically a remake as much as I would a reimagining, but it’s still a great game nonetheless. If you’re expecting a 1:1 remake of both games, you’re effectively there when it comes to levels, but it’s not perfect. If you’re not concerned with the faithfulness to Pro Skater 3 and 4, these games are bigger and better than 1+2 and well worth it.

You might look at Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon and see the top-down view and pixel graphics and think that the franchise has taken a turn for the very retro, looking to the very earliest Zelda games for inspiration. And while that’s sort of correct – it’s definitely got more of a retro flavour than either of the previous Oceanhorn games – at the same time, it’s also totally wrong. Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon looks like any number of dungeon crawlers from decades ago – and that’s its biggest problem.

It’s easy to forgive a little jank, though, when the overall package is this impressive. Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is an epic RPG that aims high and that, much more often than not, succeeds in what it sets out to do. With everything happening with Microsoft and its studios right now, who knows when Elder Scrolls VI will finally come out, so it’s probably worth giving a game like this a chance in the meantime because it’ll surely scratch that itch.