Again, it’s hard to say that The Outer Worlds 2 is a bad game, or one that doesn’t offer players plenty to do. It’s undeniably a well-made game. But that doesn’t make it particularly compelling. It offers players plenty to do, and I fully understand how anyone could sink a couple of dozen hours into it – but the whole time you’re playing it, don’t be surprised if you feel like you’re going through the motions rather than feeling super inspired by any of it.

Even if Saborus had the purest of intentions and I loved everything about its message, that wouldn’t change the fact that it’s still a terrible game. It’s a frustrating mess that doesn’t do much of anything right, so you’re better off just avoiding it.

The competition today is a lot more fierce than it was a decade ago – and yet, even with that tougher playing field, Yooka-Replaylee still manages to stand out as being one of the better 3D platformers you’re likely to come across.

Sometimes, all you want is a game that provides a quick blast of action, and Clawpunk delivers that in spades. If you just want to cause mayhem and blast away enemies for a few hours, there are worse ways to pass the time than with this game.

There’s still decent content within Mega Dimension, despite the continuing to lock Mega Stones behind an online battle system requiring the online subscription being absurdly stupid. The combat’s still solid when you’re in most of the zones, the new Mega Evolutions are fun, and being able to hunt previous mythical Pokémon and some Legendaries is always nice to have back. It’s not fully irredeemable, but for $30 for an expansion for the game in the most profitable franchise on the planet, I don’t think it’s wrong to say it’s severely lacking. If you enjoyed Legends: Z-A and just want more of the same fun you already had, go for it. If you’re on the fence because of the base game, I wouldn’t even glance at it. Pokémon Legends: Z-A Mega Dimension is a hard sell, and it’s a bummer because this is very much something I love and have since I was a kid.

Overall, I think there is fun to be had with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, but the lack of meaningful exploration and the meandering desert stretches from one zone to the next really drag down what should have been an amazing return to form for the series. How much of this came from the prior development issues the game faced I’m not sure, but something about Prime 4 feels really disjointed and not nearly as polished as the original trilogy. I hope Nintendo does give the Prime series another chance, maybe this time without all the starts and stops that Prime 4’s development had, which will ideally give us the next-gen Metroid Prime game I was hoping this one would be.

House That Love Built also features some voice acting and attempts at animation. Both are about as good as you’d expect…which is to say, they’re not great. But that’s kind of the point of these games. They’re comfort food for a specific type of gamer, and they’re basically the same thing over and over again. Mystery Case Files: House That Love Built won’t appeal to anyone outside that niche, but for what it is, it’ll do just fine.

In a year like this, where we can compare and contrast CrossWorlds with Mario Kart World so easily, its faults seem a lot more glaring. As it stands, it’s a very solid kart racer that has the misfortune of being compared to one that’s just more enjoyable.

It’s absurdly easy to pick up, and it only sucks you in more and more as you see your accumulated wealth get bigger and bigger and bigger. It’s not likely to replace Balatro (or whatever your deckbuilder of choice may be), but if you want something that gives you a quick hit of adrenaline without being too demanding, you should probably check it out.

Personally, I can only recommend Montezuma’s Revenge – The 40th Anniversary Edition if you are familiar with the original game and already know what you are getting into or are looking for a challenge that, many people have tried and failed to beat. It’s definitely not for everyone, so if there is interest, proceed with caution.

If you’re a fan of charming RPGs with unique systems, great music, and a fantastic use of pixel art, you really owe it to yourself to pick up Demonschool.

It’s a very good port, is what I’m trying to say – and not only that, it’s a very good port of a very good game. Whatever issues Star Wars Outlaws may have had last year, they’re all fixed now, which means that you get all the positives from the first version (a good protagonist, a fun story, some big open worlds), with all of the negatives pushed off to the side. If you didn’t get a chance to play the game the first time around, now is definitely the time to do so.

Hitman: Absolution represents the series’ awkward, stumbling growth period. Play it you want to see where some of the ideas in the World of Assassination trilogy got their start, but don’t expect the game to reach anywhere near the same heights.

It’s a lot more Smash Bros than Mario Kart. If you plop someone down like me in front of those games, I’ll gravitate to the latter, and feel like the former is just mashing buttons – even if I know there’s depth that I’m just not getting. I feel the same way about Kirby Air Rider: anyone can pick it up and play, but if you really want to get the most out of it, you’ll need to be much more attentive, not to mention willing to play with other people. So if you have a Smash Bros. hole in your life and can’t wait for SSB Ultimate’s official successor, you should definitely give Kirby Air Riders. You may just love what you discover.

Once again Tribute Games does another master course on how beat’em ups should be created. If their work on Shredder’s Revenge is a predictor for the trajectory of Cosmic Invasion, I expect there to be post release modes and characters (If Dev Diary #4’s background comic selection isn’t a teaser then I don’t know what is.) to come for the next year and change. Marvel Cosmic Invasion asks What if beat’em ups were good again and in this story, the answer is yes…yes they are.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Titans of the Tide is kind of like comfort food for 3D platforming fans. Even if you aren’t a fan of the TV series, it still delivers the kind of action you want with a minimum of fuss, and it’s not like you need to know the show very well to keep up with what’s going on. It wraps all that up in a solidly competent package, which means that if you’re a fan of the genre, you could do a lot worse than picking this up.

Age of Imprisonment mostly improves upon its predecessor albeit with some caveats that don’t superbly impact the player experience. The characters are all fun to play as, the music is great, and the mechanics all blend together pretty well in combat, mixing into one enjoyable concoction. With the holidays coming up, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is definitely a contender for your list if you’re looking for a nice Zelda story with some mindless hack-n-slash fun.

I wish I could say that everyone wins in the end when playing Jackbox Party Pack 11…but they really don’t. It’s certainly a step up from last year’s Naughty Pack, but the games on offer here are too inconsistent to be worth your while. As always, a good group of friends can always probably make anything fun, but it’ll take a lot more effort here than you’d like.

Overall, if you have played the Disgaea games before, 7 won’t bring much new to the table. Its zany over-the-top characters are colorful, and fun. Spending hours leveling up characters and items can be a bit of a chore, but it’s also a part of its charm. If you have played Disgaea before, you will find a lot of comfort in this game, and if you have not, this is still a good entry to get started on. If you find you enjoy this one, I suggest picking up Disgaea 1 Complete to see how it all started!

The campaign and endgame content in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is another great addition to the franchise’s lineup, and, while it was slightly lacking in some aspects with the storytelling itself, the set design and experience of the whole campaign more than made up for it. Do yourself a favor and turn off social media for a day while you play, to avoid letting people get in your head about why you shouldn’t like it, and just give it a fair shot. If you like Black Ops, you will like this. [Campaign Review score = 85]

If you were ever on the fence with trying the original Hades, or thought Supergiant Games couldn’t possibly outdo themselves after the first game, then you owe it to yourself to check out Hades II. This year has been stellar when it comes to great games, and Hades II still manages to stand out from the pack for me. It’s an absolutely fantastic follow-up to the original and one that shouldn’t be missed.

Unfortunately for Dog Witch, the gameplay does very little to differentiate itself or to set the game apart. The game claims to have 150+ items that can be mixed and matched in different ways, but all in all, it mostly feels like you’re playing the same actions over and over again. While it certainly takes a little longer to master than your average Slay the Spire clone – in part, I think, because every run feels so short – the gameplay feels a little lacking in the sort of inspiration that will keep you coming back again and again.

Arc Raiders does more than any other game I’ve seen to deliver an experience to the extraction shooter genre that allows everyone to feel good. This is a release that you shouldn’t miss, and even if you’re afraid of extraction shooters, Arc Raiders is worth your eye if you’re even generally interested in shooter games. At a $40 day one price, it’s more than fair for the quality delivered, and Embark has proven with The Finals that they are reliable with keeping fresh updates dropping regularly to keep the experience fun for regular players. The numbers don’t lie; there’s a reason Arc Raiders is sitting in the top 5 games for player count on Steam since launch day.

You’re filling up your board with pretty adorable animals on behalf of an equally adorable robot, and you’d have to be hard-hearted not to get sucked into the game’s brightly coloured world. Unless, of course, you’re just sick of deckbuilding roguelikes – and I fully get it if you are. But if you have room in your heart and your hard drive for just one more, then you may want to give Roulette Hero a shot.

Double Dragon Revive is exactly what the series needed to come back from obscurity. Veterans and new players alike will enjoy what Yuke’s has brought out here. It may not be groundbreaking, or even a AAA title by today’s standards, but it’s a lot of fun and can be picked up and played by almost anyone. I really would like to see this series continue with remakes based on sequels, or even an original story. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

If nothing else, I guess, it’s quite possible that Wreckreation becomes a meme game with random explosions like that. But you’d have hoped that after ten years trying to recapture the brilliance of Burnout, Three Fields Entertainment would be further along than this. Wreckreation is better than anything they’ve done so far, true, but it’s still very far from the kind of racing game that anyone will want to play.

Personally, with PowerWash Simulator 2, I am excited about the future of the PowerWash franchise. If you look at their freshly released 2025/2026 roadmap you can be excited to see 3 paid IP DLC, 3 free Caldera Chronicle Jobs, and what they claim will be a bucket full of other planned additions coming. They are really giving us more of the game we all fell in love with, and I hope they continue to listen to their community. I highly recommend purchasing this installment if you enjoyed the first game, it will be well worth the investment. Go on, let’s go gnome hunting in PowerWash Simulator 2. If you like cozy, comforting games, it’s one of the best.

While I’m definitely looking forward to updates to the Switch 2 port of Reload, but it’s rather rough on the technical side right now. I would summarize it as a great game that looks great, sounds great, and plays great, but is unfortunately a victim of poor performance.