In the case of Monster Tribe, where the gameplay is atrocious and the visuals are equally bad, the idea of having to go back and consistently replay parts you've already paid is torturous. Better to not play it at all, and save yourself the frustration.

SFVI is certainly starting off miles ahead of its last iteration and while you certainly won’t see me in the Top 8 of Capcom Cup I can definitely see myself throwing Drive Impacts wildly online.

It all makes you wish that there was nothing notable about Death or Treat, so that you could just write it off completely. But it's hard not to go back to that intro cutscene and see how much care went into creating it, and then wondering what went wrong. It makes you conclude that these developers might have a great game in them, it's just definitely not this one.

if you're just after a game where the only goal is a high score and unlocking new guns, then Deadlink more than delivers on that. Not only do you have great weapons to start, your character flies with ease all over each room, and for the most part you do that without the game ever stuttering to catch up. Couple that with a pulse-pounding soundtrack, and it's easy to see how someone could get sucked in.

If you just want to be creeped out first and worry about story second, then Remorse: The List might just be worth adding to your “to-play” list.

I don’t want to leave the impression that I dislike Cassette Beasts, though, because I don’t – not in the least. Cassette Beasts may borrow pretty heavily from Pokémon, but there are enough fun twists on the basic ideas that it manages to carve out an identity that’s all its own.

It evokes the Konami classic throughout, while still adopting a style and look that feels unique and stands out from the western aesthetics of the game that inspired it. If you’re able to get 4 players together to run through it, there’s enough mayhem on screen that you’re likely to overlook the somewhat sluggish controls while doing your best to stay alive. As a single-player experience your fun with Deathwish Enforcers might be a bit limited (as is the case for a lot of similar action arcade games), but with co-op it’s worth the asking price for sure.

I can say that looking a little different than your usual Souls-like isn’t enough to make Stray Blade worth checking out. Unless you’ve always been keen to explore the genre but aren’t skilled enough to actually play the games – in which case, I guess, here’s your chance to try one with a much lower difficulty level – it’s hard to see who’d really enjoy it.

With enjoyable and intuitive gameplay, colorful VR visuals, convincing physics and a metric ton of content, Walkabout Mini Golf is the very definition of a must-have game for the PlayStation VR2.

It’s a cozy game that doesn’t assume that being adorable is a substitute for being engaging. Hopefully more games of this ilk can learn from it, because all things considered, it’s nice having games like Mail Time around.

All of this might be worth it if you’re super into Dokapon – but do such people exist? I mean, I’m sure there are some, but if you’re in that very tiny group you probably don’t need to have anyone tell you to pick this game up. And if you’re not? Then you’re definitely going to want to give Dokapon Kingdom: Connect a pass, unless you feel like devoting dozens of hours to a board game that’s not really very interesting.

And that’s really disappointing, since, based on its looks alone, it feels like Itorah should stand out more. Unfortunately, all the effort here went into those visuals, and once you get beyond those, you’re left with a game that’s not very fun to play.

To be fair, if Redfall had come out from a different studio with a lesser track record, I could imagine enjoying it a little more. The town of Redfall is pretty and picturesque, and there’s enough of a story here, about trying to take the town back from the vampires and competing cultists, that you could see how it could be turned into a compelling experience. To get there, though, would’ve required a much different game than we have here. Ironically, that different, imaginary game is one that Arkane would’ve been well-suited to make if they’d just stuck with their strengths. Instead, they opted to make this version of Redfall – the one that doesn’t suit them at all – and we’re all the poorer for it.

If you’ve never played a Final Fantasy title prior to the PS1 era, or if you’re just a massive fan of these games like myself, I can safely say that this Pixel Remaster collection is certainly worth picking up. Whether you want the whole set or just want to revisit the entries that you love, you’re going to get a really great experience regardless of which title you go with. Definitely check this collection out when you get a chance, you won’t be disappointed.

Add those drawn-out, repetitive encounters to a world that’s kind of empty, and you can see why Strayed Lights is a difficult game to love. It looks and sounds nice, and if you’re really into dodging weaving rather than charging into battle I could see how it might be interesting in small doses, but as it stands, it doesn’t feel like there’s enough here to really make for a satisfying game.

In other words, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a game that’s an absolute joy to play. Exploring these worlds, slicing through enemies, customizing how Cal looks, uncovering the game’s lore: it’s all done perfectly here, in a way that should appeal to anyone, regardless of their familiarity with Star Wars itself (though being a fan probably helps). There are minor flaws, to be sure, but they’re so minor, they feel like nitpicking. In a year that’s already featured some outstanding games, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor still manages to stand out.

The fact is that the game is plagued by camera controls so dire, they make it impossible to enjoy anything else. With some major tweaks to those controls, it’d be easy to imagine Molly Medusa becoming an under-the-radar hit, but for now, it’s definitely one to avoid.

After the Fall plays great on the PS5, I have no complaints about the performance or visuals at all. It is thoroughly engaging, addicting, and a blast to play from start to finish. And “finish” isn’t even the right word, as the horde mode and additional difficulties available make this a game you could potentially stick with forever. With an incredibly strong line-up of launch titles on the PS VR2, After the Fall earns itself a spot in your library.

All in all, both Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection volumes are pretty fun representations of GBA era games. If you have any affinity for this series from back in the day, I can’t really see a reason not to check these collections out. If the series skipped you by originally I think these games are still interesting takes on the Mega Man series for newcomers to check out, but I’d also keep in mind that none of the six games are necessarily flawless. Whether it’s the lackluster battles of the first few entries, or some of the frustrating and annoying dungeon designs found throughout, there are definitely some archaic aspects that don’t mesh well with modern RPG expectations. Still, if you’re willing to look over some of the rough patches or have any love for checking out older classics, then you’ll likely find Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection is right up your alley.

While you can’t always judge a game by its screenshots, in this case you can: Panic Porcupine absolutely could’ve been released on the Genesis, and no one would’ve batted an eye.

If you’re a fan of Lemmings – or even just a fan of heartfelt stories with nice visuals – there’s still plenty here you should be able to enjoy. Tin Hearts isn’t going to make you rethink your opinion of the genre, but if you’re already a fan, you’ll have fun with this.

Obviously, “pretty doable” isn’t exactly glowing praise – nor does a game with such a lousy camera deserve glowing praise. But Isle of Jura Fishing Trip is still decent enough if you just feel like fishing, assuming you get it at the right price.

Just about my only complaint about going back to Ghostwire: Tokyo was that the game doesn’t look quite as nice on the Steam Deck as it did when I played it on PS5 last year. When it rained, it made everything look a little more washed out, and it made it tougher to tell when you were entering a foggy area that was off-limits. You realize quickly enough when you’re somewhere you’re not supposed to be, but it was still a little disappointing. Overall, though, I’ll reiterate what I wrote up top: Spider’s Thread makes a great game even better. Ghostwire: Tokyo didn’t get nearly the level of attention it deserved on its initial release last year, and now that the game is free for Game Pass and PS+ subscribers (and generally inexpensive enough to buy on PC), there’s even less reason why it should be slept on. Do yourself a favour and get it now.

If you don’t enjoy RTS games or aren’t a fan of the franchise, then this won’t be the game that will sway you, I can recommend this if you’re curious about how Minecraft and this genre of game can coexist and if you are a Minecraft fan in general. Overall, a great game for fans, but not for everyone.

Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened is one impressive achievement, and probably would be even if it wasn’t developed as bombs were raining down on the developers’ homes.

The good thing about the gameplay loop is that, like Train Station Renovation, Ship Graveyard Simulator makes things simple enough that you can get into a bit of a zen groove doing all these repetitive tasks. They’re not difficult, but they’re also not hindered by terrible controls. You do your work, and the game doesn’t get in your way. By this franchise’s low standards, that constitutes an achievement.

It’s pretty cool to see a port of this relatively obscure action-platformer make its way to consoles nearly 30 years after its original release. My only real complaint is that I wish there was a little more to the overall package in the way of supplemental material, background info, concept or flyer art, cabinet shots, etc. The cheats and enhancements are cool, and borderline necessary considering the overall difficulty of the game, but for the asking price I’d expect just a little more. Depending on how hardcore your love is for 90’s arcade action games you may want to hold off for a sale down the road, but if you have any affection for Strider or games of its ilk, then Cannon Dancer – Osman will likely be right up your alley.

As funny as setting enemies against each other is, however, it doesn’t make Clash: Artifacts of Chaos’ combat any more enjoyable – which makes it pretty similar to the rest of the game. It’s awkward, it’s clunky, it never fully explains itself, and I strongly suspect that that’s the case whether you’ve played older Zeno Clash games or not.