Arkane Studios' shooter is finally available on Xbox Series consoles with a large new update, but it's still very much the same middling experience.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak extends the monster-hunting adventure while lacking any significant innovation of the base game’s foundation.

Pentiment's unidimensional gameplay might not appeal to everyone.

If your prefer your time-looping adventures to be more stylish and violence-oriented, then Deathloop may be for you. Even with its various issues, there is satisfaction to be had in learning each map and completing the perfect series of assassinations.

Diablo 4 will provide dozens, if not hundreds, of hours of entertainment for those seeking a solid action RPG looter. However, some may be left wanting by the power fantasy and some of the endgame.

While its story and characters aren't the most memorable, this prequel makes up for it with the combat and abject freedom.

As improved as Diablo 4 has become since its launch, Vessel of Hatred feels like the best and worst of it. The new end-game activities may be worthwhile, but story fans might want to think twice before jumping in.

Despite some issues, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection may appeal to longtime fans; for everyone else, there are better options on the market.

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 doesn't reinvent the wheel nor does it rise to the genre's greatest heights.

If you were hoping for a more robust re-release, sadly, this isn’t that. It’s hard to tell if Rockstar will ever put in the time and money needed to do justice to a Red Dead re-release. But even if they don’t, at least we now have the original classic playable on all modern consoles.

The long-awaited return of EA Sports' college football series is finally here, with a fun sporting experience despite some issues.

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk may come across as nostalgia bait and falter with the tagging, combat and difficulty. However, as a homage to Jet Set Radio, it succeeds while offering some neat little twists.

If you've never played it before, then Red Dead Redemption's re-released state is the best on PC. Just make sure you're not paying full price for it.

NieR Replicant’s upgrades put it nearly on par with NieR: Automata, and while it doesn’t live up to the tight package Automata provided, it’s a great addition for anyone who missed it the first time around.

Despite some strong new content, Falcom's enhanced version of the 2024 action RPG still falls short of the series' best.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns, unfortunately, is one of those games that I can only recommend if you’re willing to stick around its noticeable issues. As it currently stands, the game has the foundations for a phenomenal turn-based strategy game, and the gameplay variety offered by the different heroes you can play is a lot of fun. The writing and story, however, are not good reasons to play this game.

A solid Metroidvania in its own right with a uniquely gorgeous aesthetic, MIO: Memories in Orbit is marked by bizarre design choices and a lack of variety to combat.

Ghostwire: Tokyo is an intriguing gameplay experience, one that is marred by simplistic combat and repetitive mechanics.

Colorful and boisterous, Butterscotch Shenanigans' sequel doesn't stray too far from the original, even if it could have offered more.

Sword of the Sea is like a siren - beautiful, inviting and great to listen to. Despite cutting through with an impeccable sense of style, the lack of a cohesive narrative and short runtime feels like you're treading water.

While it never totally fails to be an acceptable action RPG, most of Tails of Iron’s initial appeal doesn’t outlast its humdrum gameplay.

On the whole, Bloodline is worth playing for those who are, for one reason or another, already invested in Watch Dogs- just don't expect anything spectacular.

Skyward Sword's HD remaster helps sand out some of the game's rough edges, but this is still probably the most flawed mainline Zelda game to date.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure, while downright gorgeous and playful, doesn’t really offer anything when it comes to even remotely challenging gameplay.

Avowed isn't trying to be the next big Obsidian title as much as an action RPG set in the Pillars universe - so it was a year ago, and it remains true today. You could do worse, especially on PS5 at this price, but think twice if story-telling and memorable characters are essential to the experience.

Ubisoft's newest open world game makes a decent debut, but not one without stumbles.

Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0’s battle royale is an iterative upgrade.

Aside from rigid combat and some visual hiccups, F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch delivers a unique world with an intriguing narrative and tight traversal.

Teardown has some genuine moments of chaotic fun that are sometimes interrupted by long periods of tedium and some minor performance issues.

Wo Long packs in some novel gameplay mechanics, but it might not be the hardcore experience fans of the genre are seeking.

Atelier Yumia is far from the best entry in the series for newcomers, but it's certainly the largest and most accessible.

F1 Manager 2024 isn't a total overhaul of previous years, but despite some issues, it delivers a compelling management experience for fans.

Some part of me pines for the good ol’ days of the sprite-based visuals and old-school vibe, but as it stands, City of the Wolves is a strong continuation of the franchise that will hopefully grow into its own with more support and polish.

While WWE 2K25 tries to be more than just a yearly roster update thanks to its new features, the game tends to trip over itself with its ambitious new stories, while also hamstringing the PC release with strange decisions like hard-capped frame rates and locking cutscenes to 30 FPS.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink's plot falters in several ways despite some impressive combat, bosses and gorgeous visuals. Nevertheless, it's a solid holdover for action RPG fans who don't mind grinding.

Scarlet Nexus lives and dies by its combat, which is a good thing, because the combat is great. It's fast, frantic, consistently enjoyable, grows progressively more complex, and feels surprisingly strategic on a very fundamental level. But in most other ways, the game fails to live up to its potential, most notably in how it fails to do justice to a good setting and solid world-building with uninteresting characters, a mindless narrative, and deeply flawed storytelling.

Ys 10: Nordics isn't a bad game and offers plenty of action RPG fun for newcomers and veterans. However, some design elements feel off, leveling off what should be the series' next ascent to greatness.

Knockout City brings more to the table than you might expect, but still leaves a couple of much-needed ingredients at home. As a result, its fate as a multiplayer game is unclear.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is very much worth trying, especially for younger or less experienced players, who will find a high quality title with a lot to offer waiting for them.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II suffers from feeling light on content.

As a streamlined city-builder with some conquest and exploration thrown in, Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles is worth a look.

Age of Imprisonment doesn’t do much of note narratively, but as an action game based on Tears of the Kingdom, it’s pretty darn good.

Lego Voyagers is a simple yet charming game built around dedicated co-op play. There’s no dialogue, no quests, and no tutorials. Just you, your partner, and the Lego-built environment. It could certainly have been better, but as it stands, this is a highly accessible experience offered at an attractive price point.

Equal parts first-person shooter and kick-fest, Angry Foot is a adrenaline-filled romp with a few annoyances.

This fighting collection makes some much loved cult classic games broadly accessible on modern platforms, while being filled with goodies and extras for fans. That's good enough.

Observer: System Redux improves on the original’s visual style and wonderfully disturbing nightmare sequences, but it doesn’t fix an uninspired plot or lack of consistent horror elements.

The newest title in the Digimon Story series offers an awkwardly told story with underwhelming characters but solid combat.

A solid campaign and realistic BattleMech combat with heaps of customization elevate Piranha Games' latest MechWarrior title.

The First Berserker: Khazan nails its combat and presentation fundamentals but skimps on the narrative, loot and Khazan himself. Not terrible, but it could have been so much more.

Age of Calamity isn’t the compelling addition to Zelda canon that may have been promised, but it does just enough right that it can muster a recommendation for fans of Breath of the Wild.

Hypergryph's action RPG foray falls short in several places, but the unorthodox systems, exploration and visuals make it worth a try.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, shines in sound, visuals, controls, and performance, but level design is flat and NPC chatter nags.

While not on par with Kiryu or the franchise's finest outings, Like A Dragon Gaiden is still a good enough game that does the job of priming you up for the next big entry in the saga.

NBA 2K23 does a good job with introducing some cool ideas into its stubbornly lackluster larger format.

Flock is a relaxing game about taming creatures in a colorful open environment. With strong colorful aesthetics and excellent sound design, it's easy to see the appeal here. The exploration is superb, though the mechanics involved in charming creatures could've been more engaging.

If you’re keen on a new setting and don’t mind the performance issues that come with it, Wildmender may be worth checking out while taking a break from other titles. Otherwise, it’s a serviceable but ultimately forgettable sandbox experience.

Fans of the sport will enjoy PGA Tour 2K23, even if it's a little rough around the edges.

Rockstar's magnum opus still holds up after all this time, but its re-release leaves much to be desired with its lackluster "improvements."

EA Sports UFC 5 is a solid, if not particularly inventive, follow-up in the series. It can be fun, warts and all, but long-time fans will want for more.

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is a great excuse to experience the simple and bombastic joys of a proper cult classic.

Rogue Factor's action-adventure succeeds in leading players through its brutal world without any guidance, despite some rough edges.

The on-pitch gameplay in FC 24 remains as fun as ever, but its failure to make any real, meaningful changes is a real disappointment, especially because almost none of the few changes it does make come anywhere close to sticking the landing.

Without question, Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection is the definitive way to play these beloved games. However, with that said, the worth of this compilation to you will come down to how much you value these games themselves.

Fans of arcade games, and especially of arcade lineage, will find a lot to find in Arcade 2nd Stadium, which stands as a great testament to just how far video games have come as a medium.

The glory days of Super Monkey Ball may be far behind, but Banana Rumble is a new beginning. Tight stage design, responsive controls and an appealing aesthetic make it one of the series' best in years.

While this remaster doesn’t do justice to this game’s significant legacy, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is still a good way to play a very addictive game.

An incredible aesthetic and solid combat make for a surprisingly solid Souls-like, with room for improvement.

A promising set-up and gorgeous art direction aren't enough to mask the shortcomings of Odd Bug Studio's sequel.

Tales of Berseria Remastered makes this harrowing adventure much easier to experience, but it still doesn’t do enough to fix the issues that plagued the original release.

Playtonic's remaster of its 2017 platformer offers a litany of improvements, but its level design still barely passes muster.

Tchia has some interesting things going for it with its beautiful rendition of New Caledonia and fun traversal mechanics, but poor mission design and cookie-cutter side activities mar down those strengths by a significant margin.

Bramble: The Mountain King is worth a single playthrough, but the lack of any real depth to its gameplay makes it a difficult recommendation to those that might not be drawn in by its gorgeous visuals and atmosphere.

It’s not the worst beat ‘em up game you could spend your time on. But it’s most definitely not the best, either.

Palia is far from a bad life-sim, and the Elderwood expansion adds meaningful content to the experience. That said, it definitely demands a significant time investment.

Even with some rough edges, Heart Machine's latest is an endearing 3D platformer with its own unique hooks, carried by some strong lore, level design and aesthetics.

MotoGP 22 spends more time on subtle tweaks and playing the nostalgia card than meaningful evolution, resulting in not much more than a merely passable iteration.

Enthusiasts of the series will find plenty to like about the Gundam building and mindless combat, but those seeking a more well-rounded title will be disappointed.

Frontier Developments finally follows up on Planet Coaster, but despite the gorgeous visuals, it falters in truly baffling ways.

Project Songbird is a short psychological horror experience that focuses on telling a personal story rather than throwing jumpscares your way.

You'll want to take in Replaced's retrofuturistic version of dystopian USA as much as possible, but the phenomenal visuals can only do so much to make up for the above-average combat and puzzle-platforming.

Motorslice is a classic example of a developer taking influences, wearing them on their sleeve, and building on that foundation with a unique and engaging experience.

Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed successfully improves upon the flawed original in some key ways, thus allowing its strengths to shine much brighter, but significant lingering issues in other areas hold it back from greatness.

Tales of Kenzera: Zau delivers a genuinely touching and heartfelt story in a rich and mystical world, even if it lets itself down with its combat, platforming, and design.

Despite this port missing the mark with optimization, Green Hell still stands tall among its contemporaries as one of the better recent games of its sort while also pulling off a compelling story.

Mario vs Donkey Kong on the Nintendo Switch is a satisfactory update of a great and often overlooked entry on the Game Boy Advance.

Monster Hunter Stories can show its age in how simplistic it often feels, but it's still an enjoyable and charming RPG that genre fans will enjoy.

The last game in the series to bear the FIFA name is a fittingly unambitious entry. It makes minor changes here and there, but there's not an awful lot to differentiate it from last year's offerings. Thankfully, the on-pitch action is still a hell of a lot of fun.

If you’re looking for an engaging multiplayer spy game, Deceive Inc. is hiding in plain sight. It has some issues that mar an otherwise solid experience, but it’s difficult to fault it for those since it will only run you $20.

Sprawl isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel when it comes to retro-inspired shooters, delivering a rather by-the-numbers fast-paced shooter experience.

The latest addition to Falcom's long-running RPG series isn't a complete disaster, but it's far from a triumph, and the new features barely raise it above the underwhelming story.

Looking back once more on Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game, it's still incredible how it managed to deliver a great beat 'em up experience within the confines of its property. Scott Pilgrim EX can be fun, but it lacks that additional level of oomph that could see it stand side by side with the original, and that's without getting into all the ways it simply falls short as a video game.

NBA 2K22 makes some appreciated improvements to on-the-court gameplay and tries some refreshing, if not entirely successful innovations in MyCareer that make this year’s version feel like a bit more than just a roster update.

The MotoGP franchise continues its reign as the tightest, most refined motorcycle racing game on the market, but few standout additions to this year’s game make it simply an incremental update over last year’s entry.

Raccoon Logic knows its target audience and delivers exactly what you would expect with Revenge of the Savage Planet, grating humor and all.

Dying Light 2 Stay Human is often let down by noticeable issues, but remains a consistently enjoyable experience until the end nonetheless.

TopSpin 2K25 is a decent return to form for the franchise, especially when you stick to the more casual side of things.

In spite of solid combat and fun traversal, Rise of the Ronin is, unfortunately, Team Ninja's most underwhelming game in years.

As Dusk Falls is not without merits, but its price is maybe a little too steep for what it is.