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.

Sure, it might look a little better than it did before, but when we’re talking about a fairly recent game that was already widely praised for how beautiful it looked, unless you’re pushing it to its maximum settings, you probably won’t notice a huge difference. But if this remastered version is what it takes to get more people playing a modern classic, then so be it – Horizon Zero Dawn is a great game, and this remaster just reinforces that every step of the way.

Just Dance 2025 Edition continues to be a franchise built on fun. If you’re a lifelong fan of the series you won’t be getting very much added to your experience other than the new songs. New players will experience the lore (yes, the game’s dancing avatars have lore!) Most importantly Just Dance 2025 Edition will make you move. No matter who you are, this game has something for you, and if you can deal with the price for the full experience (Just Dance 2025 Edition, Just Dance Plus and add-ons) then you’re really in for a non-stop dance party this holiday season.

If you really want to relive the old Choose Your Own Adventure books, you absolutely need to play Choice of Life: Wild Islands. It’s a fun update of that old formula, told in a way that gives you a little more agency over what happens.

Just because you’re not good at the game doesn’t mean the game is bad, in fact I appreciate the work that the developer put in to ensure the spirit of the franchise is present, even if the gameplay is completely different. As for me and my future with the title, I might hang back a little, see what strategies better players come up with, hopefully I’ll be able to complete a run and eventually unlock all the characters and their loadouts. I do hope the game sells well enough to warrant some form of DLC…because where the hell are the martians? It just doesn’t feel like a Metal Slug game without those tentacled extra terrestrials!

Nikoderiko: The Magical World takes a risk that pays off. Playing off the nostalgia of platformers of the past, Nikoderiko is a love letter to the mascot platformer. Clocking in at a little over 8 hours, Nikoderkio is one of the surprise hits of 2024. It is a game that will be loved by players of all ages, and with couch co-op, it should bring fun to friends and family. I hope we get more of Nikoderiko down the road.

An important note, this Puppet House has no combat per se as you are focused on exploration and puzzle solving. There are moments of quick time events sprinkled in which work for the moments they occur. And as you get deeper into the story, the darker the game gets. Overall, Puppet House was one I’m happy I didn’t miss out on, and even though the game is short, it’s worth experiencing with as little knowledge as you can. I would have loved for it to be a little longer but it’s still a satisfying experience.

Given the state that Virballs is in already, it feels reasonable to expect that it’ll continue to evolve into something worthwhile. And if it doesn’t? Then even in its current state, if the price were to come down, it’d offer an hour or two of fun. Here’s hoping, though, that it’s able to deliver on its clear potential. [Early Access Provisional Score = 75]

MechWarrior 5: Clans is a fun new entry in the MechWarrior franchise, even if you don’t know all the intricacies of the world and its history. Players can get lost trying to figure out how to customize everything from their characters, to their mechs, to what things to research — as there is a lot to unpack here. I do recommend the game, it’s one of the better MechWarrior games out there. If you enjoyed MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, don’t pass this one up either.

Depending on expectations, Dragon Age: The Veilguard can provide an enjoyable action RPG experience. If you’re seeking a worthy successor to Dragon Age: Origins or even Inquisition in companions or plot, it doubtless falls short, feeling more comfortably bland than outright terrible. The combat may be worth the price of admission if you’re keen on real-time action without too much thought for your companions beyond choosing which targets to detonate. Similarly, the visuals can be gorgeous, backed by incredible music, even as the facial animations, odd image quality, and voice acting can feel uneven. It’s nowhere near BioWare’s best, especially in the storytelling department, but after all its past failures and uncertainty, there are certainly far worse alternatives than “good enough.”

I would absolutely recommend checking out Voidwrought when you get a chance. It’s a fantastic Metroidvania with some inventive abilities, and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome at a fairly tight 10 hours or so depending on how thorough you are with finding everything. I was really happy with the game overall, and if you have any affinity for these types of games, then I think you will be too.

Everything good about the game is still just as good in 2024 as it was in 2011, which means that, as remasters go, this one has probably achieved exactly what it set out to do.

One thing I will proudly share about my experience is that, although the game heavily relies on licensed IPs, most of which I was already familiar with, it was Umbrella Academy that stood out. It had been on my watchlist for a while, but thanks to playing in the world of Funko Fusion, I was intrigued by the characters and the universe, and I ended up watching the entire series. I’m now a fan so I think the job they set out has been completed. For this reason and the extraordinary work that 10:10 Games has done since launch, my Funko Fusion score is more positive than first expected, and the current state of the game is recommended for sure.

Black Ops 6 is a stellar entry to the Call of Duty franchise, and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s coming in future seasons. I’ve had a ton of fun playing multiplayer and zombies with my friends, as well as running through the campaign. If this is how the expectation of quality is set for how the series should continue, then consider me hopeful for the future.

Vertigo Games has made a fantastic remake here. All of the updates, DLC packs and fixes found in the sequel are all here in one great package, and I wish my original experience was more like this when I played the first release. I was unable to revisit the original due to not having a PSVR system when they finally decided to patch things up. I am so glad I was able to check Arizona Sunshine Remake out as it has completely erased my original experience. This is a great title for the PlayStation VR2 (and other VR platforms) and should more definitely be in your library alongside the fantastic sequel.

Unless you desperately want to be able to draw a few penises and argue about stuff that’s way less sexier than it sounds, you’re better off ignoring The Jackbox Naughty Pack entirely and sticking with any of the previous ten Party Packs.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is genuinely a genre-defining release. Atlus has once again proven that they are kings in the genre (get it?), showcasing decades of effort and development history culminating in what I think is a deserving Game of the Year contender. Between Katsura Hashino’s direction, Shoji Meguro’s compositions, and everyone else that’s part of Studio Zero, Metaphor truly shines even in a year, and arguably decade, full of such excellent JRPGs. As an absolute must play this year, Metaphor: ReFantazio really blows it out of the water as something you should get your hands on if you’re a fan of the genre, and stands out as a premier entry point to the genre if you’re unfamiliar.

It’s not going to be making very many year-end lists in a couple of months. But The Smurfs – Dreams is good enough for what it is – which is to say, a 3D platformer that’s aimed at a younger audience – that if you give it a chance and don’t expect too much, you’ll probably have a good time with it.

As a Switch title, Yakuza Kiwami is perfect and feels right at home on this hardware. It is important to keep in mind, however, that Kiwami is a title from 2016, and is just a direct 1:1 port, so don’t expect any additional quality of life changes from the previous releases. That said, again, it is incredible and highly worth your time, and is an excellent starting point to jump into this zany franchise. If this does well enough, I can totally see RGG Studio (Rya Ga Gotoku Studio) porting the other games to the Nintendo Switch, whether this rendition or the upcoming successor.

Unknown 9: Awakening feels like it wants to be greater than it is, which is a big shame given how much effort was seemingly put into it. Having an extended out-of-game universe is really neat, but I think it unintentionally hurts enjoyment of the game when you go to play it. I specifically wanted to avoid the external media of the game going in to see what it would be like, and it makes the game feel like it’s following up on something we should already have knowledge of as the player. Combined with subpar combat, glitches resulting in cutscenes being wonky, and hit-or-miss performance on PC, it definitely hurts Unknown 9. If Bandai continues to work on this franchise (can you call it that yet?) I think they can really knock it out of the park, but as a first entry it really fails to hit its mark.

Super Mario Party Jamboree is everything that makes the series so loved and so hated. There were times when I wanted to ragequit and throw my Switch at the wall, and there were times when I cheered at unexpected good fortune in minigames and star placements – and those times often came in quick succession. Super Mario Party Jamboree shows that Mario Party is still a blast to play nearly three decades into its lifespan, which is a pretty neat achievement however you want to look at it.

For its price point, Sonic X Shadow Generations is a true value for hardcore Sonic fans and fans of platformers alike. With high replay value, and even with some control hiccups, Sega reminds us of what they can do with their blue hedgehog and his edgy counterpart.

I would certainly recommend checking out Kong: Survivor Instinct when you get a chance. It’s a fun way of making use of the Legendary roster of characters without actually putting you in control of Kong, Godzilla, or the rest. I was far more impressed with it than I expected to be, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by it too.

I was already a Blumhouse fan and now I’m a Blumhouse Games fan. Fear the Spotlight is an easy recommendation for any retro survival horror fan.

Overall, the Until Dawn remake is a stunning game, however it does have its flaws which will hopefully be corrected with future updates. Gamers playing it for the first time will enjoy the storytelling and structure of the game, and those returning will appreciate many of the upgrades and added scenes. I can’t say if it was a necessary remake as the original game is only nine years old and still holds up, and at this point I recommend holding off on purchasing it until the price gets an adjustment and the current glitches are corrected.

The upside of lightUP making essentially the same game over and over again is that they generally know what they’re doing, and their games generally work as they’re supposed to. If you just want another metroidvania, you’ll find that here. But you could also find it in most of their other games, which makes it hard to see why you’d pick this one specifically.

All in all, I’d definitely recommend giving Yars Rising a go, especially if you enjoy Metroidvania style games in general. It won’t be the best one you’ve played in the genre, but it’s a good time throughout despite some annoying sequences that slow down the action. It also has a great soundtrack featuring a number of notable synthwave and game music artists like Megan McDuffee, FLOOR BABA, Chiyoko Yamasato and many more. I definitely enjoyed my time with it, and I think you will too.

I’d say G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra can be fun, provided you can get some friends together on the couch to play through the game with you. If not, as a single-player experience, there’s far better options on the market nowadays. It’s a good looking game, again I really did dig the design of these classic characters, but there’s not a lot else supporting the experience that would keep me coming back again and again.