Intentional or not, I can't help but read Life is Strange: Reunion as a metaphor for Deck Nine’s tenure with Max’s story. A reactionary and nostalgic finale that delights just as often as it frustrates. When viewing Reunion purely as a side adventure to see cute scenes of a duo we have grown to love, I can’t say this entry didn’t do its job. After all, I was smiling alongside them. But as a finale to a trilogy, it is a smile built upon tearing down any emotional weight that made these characters stick with us in the first place. Max’s quest to stop an arsonist isn't really a story with consistent escalation or character growth. Instead, it is a stream of moving, emotionally cathartic events that burns down the foundations propping up its bittersweet smile.

Every time I make an impactful choice or uncover a new part of the story or tidbit of lore, I'm reminded why I adore GreedFall. That feeling fades, however, whenever The Dying World pushes me into combat or the tedious build menus. GreedFall: The Dying World is an up and down experience; one that you want to love, but one that doesn't love you back.

Toxic Commando is a fun game that offers some meaningful shifts on the four-player zombie-killing genre. While the story is goofy and fun, true to John Carpenter's legacy, the characters can be grating and the missions feel somewhat narratively disconnected. Gunplay and progression are well-honed, though, offering an engaging zombie-killing time any group will have a good time with.

Aces of Thunder won't hold your hand, but will reward your hard work with skill and capable combat prowess. While Gaijiin works to grow the audience and slay the last remaining bugs, what's on offer is already a great deal of semi-simulation fun.

All's Justice delivers on the fundamentals for a great fanservice game. However, in some places it asks a bit too much from fans while failing to deliver what we'd expect by this point in the series.

A fun but flawed sequel that doubles down on the first game's quirky humor and inventive gunplay while adding new movement mechanics and environmental puzzles. However, technical issues and a core conflict between comedy and momentum hold it back from greatness. Best experienced on sale after patches.

Like a recently resurrected corpse, parts to ROMEO IS A DEAD MAN’s gameplay and story are cold to the touch, as it occasionally stumbles trying to grasp all of its ambitions. Yet there are just as many moments of genuine warmth, exuding confidence when expressing its boundless imagination. For my first foray into the unhinged mind of Suda51, the consistently bonkers creativity is the beating heart that gives this title strength. Creativity doesn’t automatically make for the smoothest experience. Nonetheless, this is a DeadMan I’ll look back on with both affectionate fondness, and conflicted frustration.

Relooted makes you feel like you're a mastermind, and escaping is thrilling, but there are just enough problems that drag the experience down to the point you can't ignore them.

Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club may not be as hot a title for adults as it is for kids, but it's a fun nod to the most popular beagle in the world. Snoopy's adventure is tedious, but his learned abilities, a few great mini-games, and a stellar open-world take it from alright to good.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined wants to have its cake and eat it too, but ends up feeling incredibly bland in most aspects. It's still a Dragon Quest game and is fun to a point, but in sanding off the edges of the original game it loses the charm of a time traveling adventure and becomes a rote, forgettable RPG checklist of a game.

For fans of the original, Code Vein II delivers more of what you enjoyed with meaningful expansions to the formula. For newcomers, the partner system creates a low barrier to entry. For those hoping Bandai Namco would finally create their own Elden Ring, temper your expectations.

Destiny 2: Renegades is the definitive Star Wars homage within Destiny. Whether or not you think Destiny needed an homage to Star Wars in the form of an expansion is up to you.

The core exploration and combat mechanics of the Metroid Prime franchise are fun and engaging. Unfortunately, the rest of the experience is marred with bizarre story beats, awkward character moments, and forced interaction with an empty, boring open world. Metroid Prime 4 had all the elements to be a slick, cohesive experience, but the game feels like the dev team maliciously complied with a mandate to make the game open-world. It’s still a Metroid Prime game, and there’s fun to be had, but go into this knowing it won't likely live up to what you were hoping for.

Winter Burrow is a pleasant experience with a sprinkling of challenge to manage, with good elements of survival, resource management, and cozy. The sum of its parts is adequate but I wish there was more for me to chew on with its mechanics, like more decoration options and varied quests.

Dispatch is a very uneven experience. It has polish in some places but severely lacks it in others. It has great characters but you don’t get to spend much time with the good ones. The dispatching segments can be fun but feel somewhat shallow. The game has sparks of absolute brilliance, though can use those sparks to start a dumpster fire. It’s worth playing and enjoyable for any fans of narrative focused games or superheroes, but might be memorable for the wrong reasons.

Forestrike is an action rogue-like where players can practice every battle before it occurs by using the Foresight. This system in and of itself is fun, but the game can’t get out of its own way with unfair balancing that punishes the player regardless of performance. Even so, when the gameplay works, it works wonderfully, with an excellent sense of aesthetics and a strong story and characters to back it up.

Where Winds Meet is a massive, gorgeous wuxia adventure that’s fun whether you want to play solo or engage with the community. Combat is fun, the world is beautifully realized, and the storytelling is engaging. Some of the systems can feel a little clunky, but not in a way that would turn players away. Where Winds Meet tells a huge, sweeping story that’ll keep you busy for 150+ hours or more, and with weapons ranging from swords and rope darts to umbrellas and fans, this has all the trappings to let you live out your fantasy as the hero in your own martial arts epic.

Bounty Star is a title of interesting ideas that never fully realizes any of them. The narrative foundation is strong, the setting is unique, and the ambition to blend mech warfare with homestead management deserves praise. But the execution fumbles with its overly repetitive design and shallow systems.

Easy Delivery Co. doesn’t need to say or do a lot to show you what the game is all about. It’s vibes with sprinklings of mystery, horror, and cozy that you can infer into as much as you want. It’s simplistic in gameplay and pretty much everything else, so manage your expectations. Once I did this, I wholeheartedly enjoyed Easy Delivery Co. in my evenings, where I just wanted to empty my mind and coast through low-poly snowy mountains. I just wish it had a bit more substance to keep me coming back, like optional challenges and maybe some mini questlines for NPCs.

If you and a couple of friends are into a quick hack-and-slash adventure, Godbreakers has a quick fix for you. What it lacks, however, is robust combat systems and replayability. While there is fun to be had as you steal abilities from your foes, the highs wear off fast.

One Military Camp is filled with good ideas that have subpar execution.

Little Nightmares III is a solid yet unspectacular entry that translates the series' core appeal into a cooperative format but fails to fully justify the developer change or the price tag. It’s good, but not great, making it more of a recommendation for spooky season rather than a must-play horror title.

Yooka-Replaylee oozes with charm and color, yet much as its visuals endear, its lack of cohesion still can’t match the heights of its 64-bit ancestors. While filled to the gills with collectibles, those nostalgic for Rare’s golden age may well be better off revisiting their classics via Nintendo Switch Online or digging out their old Banjo cartridges.

No, I’m Not a Human is the kind of game that makes for an excellent demo, but fails to capitalize on what’s established in its opening hour. The crushingly grim mood and uncanny visuals are worth experiencing, but its opaque mechanics are better at creating confusion than intrigue. With a narrower scope and a more specific narrative, No I’m Not a Human could have been a prime candidate for a cult classic.

King of Meat’s intro is a reflection of how the game feels — disjointed, confusing, and self-indulgent — yet it exhibits undeniable fun and high-quality production value. But for every awesome feature King of Meat has, there are just as many design decisions that undermine those features, making it difficult for King of Meat's strengths to shine.

Everybody's Golf: Hot Shots is ultimately worthy of your investment, but this Switch version has to settle for a Double Bogey. While it is competent and enjoyable, it’s also grind-heavy, the Switch’s performance is jittery, and the series could do with a big and exciting evolution because this isn’t it.

Out of Time’s unique take on the rogue-like genre is fun and engaging, but the game suffers from a lack of polish in a few areas. Still, if you love grinding for game-changing gear with friends, then check this game out.

While Titanic Scion’s narrative trods familiar sci-fi anime territory, it’s delivered well enough. Characters are bombastic and overacted, but it creates a fun narrative environment. Outfitting your Arsenal gives you a ton of customization options, and the open world creates plenty of opportunities to explore and spread your wings. Unfortunately, technical issues are problematic across the platforms we played on. That said, anyone jonesin’ for a mech game fix will still find a good time here.

While Drag x Drive breeds little contempt with its inspired concept, it fumbles the ball not merely with its paltry offerings but its demanding, and even frustrating, motion controls. An interesting novelty, but ultimately a clumsy showcase for Switch 2's mouse controls.

Overall, Hirogami is a visually stunning adventure taking place in a beautifully folded world. There’s a lot to get out of each level with many different challenges to sink your teeth into, but unfortunately, it’s all let down by a lack of polish in gameplay. Platforming feels clunky, and gameplay feels undercooked; it made my time with Hirogami a mixture of being in awe of my surroundings and dismay when I launched myself off the map.

Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution is novel in that it’s a lost GBA game finally being finished and released, but that’s about all it has going for it. The adventure itself feels like just another day in the life of the half-genie heroine, with nothing really interesting to see or do. It has some bright spots, like the puzzles and transformations, but is incredibly forgettable, bland, and inconsistent.

Overall, OFF is definitely worth the purchase just for the experience you have whilst playing it. It’s wholly unique and has you contemplating your actions and its world throughout and way after the credits roll. Whilst it may just have a basic battle system and puzzles, OFF is a masterclass in feeling and atmosphere, and this new remaster makes it even more accessible to a modern audience.

Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga is a test of frustration. It’s rarely fun to play and the sagging story never merits giving it a shot. It may look jaw-droppingly stunning but don’t be fooled - there’s not all that much going on beneath the surface. If you’re a PS5 owner who loved the original game and have been waiting forever to get your hands on the sequel, you’d best do yourself a favour and play the first game again instead.

For 15 nights you'll need to hold back the darkness or embrace it as the sole lifeline of those on the sea. Even if the scares aren't that high, Static Dread still manages to tell the eldritch story it wants to in a reasonably fun way.

The Edge of Fate is the most whelming Destiny 2 expansion of all time. There are additions, sure, but there aren’t any real innovations that deepen the D2 experience the way The Final Shape, or even Lightfall, did. Unless you like turning into a little ball and rolling around, of course.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers wears its inspirations a little too proudly on its sleeves, not to the point of the original plagiarism claims, but enough to fail to stand out in an increasingly saturated market. The game’s cultural authenticity is commendable, but it leans too heavily on familiar tropes. The middling technical performance is just the cherry on top.

I have to wonder who this game is for. Other than raw nostalgia for this specific title, I can’t really think of a reason to recommend anyone play this. If you want to be a Space Marine, Space Marine 2 is amazing.

Enchanted by Nature is special in how it finally introduces Fairies to the Sims 4. You easily step into the wondrous world of Innisgreen which is full of things to do, lore to uncover and nature to wander around in. You really feel like you’re a part of a Fairy community, surrounded by mysticism and an outstanding build-mode and Create A Sim. However, this pack falls flat in a lot of other areas too, mainly its gameplay, which feels all too lackluster and may risk becoming really annoying in the long term. I feel like a lot of potential was lost here, but overall, I’m satisfied.

It’s so hard to score Palia when I look at my playtime of 75 hours and think of all the amazing things this game has to offer, from its in-depth characters, activities to indulge in, and endless possibilities in decoration. However, all of this is sprinkled with bugs, a ridiculously broken climbing mechanic and the fact that it seems far from being finished. It’s definitely come a long way since its launch in 2023, but we still seem to be so far away from its full potential.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour has some good minigames and technical demonstrations, but it feels like Nintendo is patting themselves on the back far too much. The technology here is impressive and I loved learning about it, and it could serve to teach people not plugged into gaming or tech what all these things do, but the game runs out of steam too quickly and becomes a paid advertisement.

MindsEye is as beautiful as it is broken, vacillating between promise and problematic. With design choices rooted in the distant past and an infestation of bugs, it’s held back by an unforced error – releasing far too early.

Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is a good, feature-rich Metroidvania ARPG with an entertaining narrative, a big world to explore, and a variety of playable classes to try out. The story is fun, if a bit rote, but beautiful visuals and great voice acting help push it over the line. While the boss encounters can be infuriating at times and the checkpointing feels a bit unrefined, Mandragora remains an entertaining experience from tip to tail.

Labyrinth of the Demon King impresses with its crushing atmosphere and rewarding combat but falls victim to a dearth of novel ideas in its latter half.

As a quirky, slow-paced adventure game, The Great Circle has its charms. As a faithful adaptation of the Indiana Jones franchise, it’s a somewhat misguided project. I enjoyed my time with The Great Circle overall, it’s just not the kind of game I can readily recommend to someone. You have to be chill, not necessarily in search of a thrill.

Even if some of Urban Myth Dissolution Center's mysteries are rather straightforward to solve, the overall experience is still reasonably enjoyable to amble through. If you're looking for a more laid-back occult mystery, it's here, but don't expect the myths to be too legendary.

Rusty Rabbit is an interesting game that uses a fascinating literary twist to establish its lore. The story has some interesting moments but it doesn’t feel like enough to save the game from itself. Unfortunately, the controls aren’t as responsive as a game in this genre should be and the world design feels very paint-by-numbers. With so many other top-tier titles vying for attention in the same space, it’s hard to consider this a frontrunner. You may give it a chance if you want to experience the world or you’re looking for a simpler Metroidvania.

AI Limit represents a commendable effort from a small indie development team tackling an incredibly challenging genre. The game flashes moments of genuine creativity, but it lacks the polish and inspiration needed to stand alongside the pinnacle titles of the genre.

About halfway through my playthrough, one thought permeated my mind through the rest of my time with Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land: Yumia 2 is going to be a banger game. But as for this first entry, it ended up being a game I wanted to love but just ended up liking. Mechanically the game has a wonderfully constructed foundation, excelling at synergizing all the core components in its gameplay loop. But ultimately, the lack of a meaningful open world framework to justify partaking in said loop holds this latest Atelier title back. Hopefully Yumia and her band of friends gets their own trilogy to iron out the rough edges so its strengths shine brighter. But as of now, Atelier Yumia is a good game just shy of greatness.

If you’re a fan of more esoteric storytelling and indie point-and-clicks, I think Centum would be really up your alley. While there are slow points in the narrative and rather simplistic gameplay, the game as a whole is still positive, even if I was left with more questions than I had answers to.

Jedi Power Battles struggles to hit its mark but does enough to be a fun time to play once or twice either alone or with a friend. The addition of new characters is exciting and sometimes ridiculous, but if your goal is to beat the levels, most of the additional characters won’t get it done. If your goal is a trip down memory lane or the chance to show a friend a game that is nostalgic for you, this game is it.

Fitness Boxing 3’s weak voice work and shoddy motion detection somehow do little to keep you coming back for more. By gamifying the exercise, it keeps you engaged and motivated, and you’ll quickly find yourself surprised at how tired you become from these exercises.

The My Sims Cozy Bundle will give you a nice hit of nostalgia and charm, but not much beyond that. MySims and MySims Kingdom are pretty simple and repetitive games, what you see is what you get. While you can make your own fun, it’s only within the limitations of each title.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins represents a commendable yet contradictory effort to rejuvenate the series. In balancing familiar elements with new features to create a refreshing experience, it loses sight of what made the originals fun and fails to improve on what made them monotonous.

Overall, I would say Fantasian is good. But there’s a certain something lacking and while I’m reminded of the nostalgic past, it makes me miss how revolutionary Fantasian’s inspirations were. From the character writing of Final Fantasy VI, the 3D revolution of Final Fantasy VII, one of the first RPGs with near full voice acting in Final Fantasy X, or creating a connected world two years before World of Warcraft with Final Fantasy XI on PlayStation 2. Fantasian isn’t changing anyone’s feelings on RPGs. It’s pretty, silly, and cozy with some genuine heart. But it’s like a beautiful cake. It doesn’t feel like a full meal but it’s tasty and I love looking at it. Fantasian is new-ish, but it’s not Neo.

Antonblast is chaotic to a fault. Its explosive personality makes for an entertaining spectacle, but it left me wanting for a more controlled detonation.

Fairy Tail 2 arrives at the finale of our favorite wizards' adventure with highlights and shortcomings alike. I recommend it to dedicated fans of the manga and anime, but this simply isn’t a welcoming entry for potential new fans.

Caught in a struggle between being a definitive casual game while also being a hardcore competitive experience, Sparking! Zero makes the best of its numerous limitations. The core game is fun enough, it looks great, and it contains an impressive collection of Dragon Ball fan service. Sparking! Zero pushes limits in all of the ways a Dragon Ball game should. Unfortunately, various limitations push back just as much, resulting in a game that still has plenty of training to do in order to reach its full potential.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - Secrets of the Spires plays it very safe. It has some cool moments, missions, and mechanics, but eventually resorts to sneaking around RDA bases again. For better and worse, it’s more of the same.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind is a fun, albeit relatively bare bones, experience which gets by more on its nostalgic charm and great presentation, than it does on being anything more than a competent beat ‘em up. The addition of on-rails levels and first-person fights are welcomed, and the variety of levels and the added time disrupter elements keep the game fresh for its short run time, but lack of combat moves and frustrating Megazord boss fights keep Rita’s Rewind from ever reaching the lofty heights it aims for.

Fighting hordes of monsters, saving allies, and eventually confronting the Demon Queen herself: all of this and more awaits in Spirit Mancer. With a charming art style and cool mechanic of sealing away demons, you would think the game would be a winner. However, its flaws hold the game back from being anything special.

Mario & Luigi Brothership is definitely ambitious, but the structure of the game is not well suited to the sluggish feeling everything has. Despite being about half the length of some other modern RPGs, it doesn’t have the depth to match. A few good gags and some touching character moments doesn’t make the entire experience fulfilling. What’s here is solid enough but it’s death by a thousand cuts. Every cool or fascinating thing has some kind of asterisk to go with it. Battles are fun but they take forever to finish, characters are unique but dialogue is often belabored, Battle Plugs are interesting but take way too long to recharge. There’s a lot to like here, but just as many things if not more to dislike, leaving the game okay but frustrating.

Slitterhead is the perfect definition of a game that doesn’t know what it wants to be. It falters in both the action combat category as well as the horror genre, resulting in a middling experience overall.

When Life Is Strange: Double Exposure focuses on telling a personal story about trauma and regret it soars. When it focuses on being a teaser for future entries with its supernatural spectacle, it unravels. This balancing act unfortunately causes the latter to cannibalize some strengths from the former. Still, Max’s characterization and emotional journey remain the prominent highlight, offering a heartfelt and bittersweet thematic throughline at how the wounds of past guilt and grief scab over time. For the game to win me over despite my initial skepticism, that’s a pretty strong achievement, flaws and all.

Despite the charm that Shin chan and co. bring to this endless summer vacation, with its bizarre story and fun cast, it’s not enough to carry it across its 10+ hour playtime. The gameplay falls flat in its monotony and doesn’t quite capture the charm of embracing everyday life like other games have done before it.

I honestly think Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town greatly benefits from its new location, adding a unique charm that sets it apart from its predecessors with a charming story that’s personal and melancholic. It still has its issues with overly simplistic gameplay, which could use an extra bit of spice to keep it from dragging, but this game is a definitive and polished way of experiencing Shin chan’s adventures in video game format.

TMNT: Mutants Unleashed has the makings of a good game for those able to sift through the grime of the early hours, but ultimately attempts to do too much, while never mastering any of its ideas. It is not the beat ‘em up we’ve come to expect from the turtles, but is a serviceable light RPG with an in-depth, though not complex, story, a robust ability tree to unlock, tons of collectibles, and a unique ally system which rewards players who are willing to invest in helping the Turtles’ friends succeed. Despite my initial hesitation and the abysmal camera, I found myself giving in to the game’s eternally optimistic story and characters, and that was enough to compel me to complete the nearly 15-hour adventure.

Metamorphosis is a visually appealing game set in a Kafkaesque world of surrealism and dreamlike qualities. Unfortunately, there are bugs (not the insects in the game) that break immersion and make gameplay frustrating at times.

Starfield: Shattered Space has some excellent side quests and interesting new places to explore. Unfortunately, it’s all tied together by a largely boring main quest, and leaves what could have been its standout character as completely optional and in the background.

I came away from Undisputed frustrated. In here is an incredible boxing game buried under entirely too many bugs, balance issues, and incomplete features for launch. Maybe round 2?

Khaos Reigns doesn't shake up Mortal Kombat 1 as much as a chaotic regime implies. Instead, it sticks to what works, or at least what it thinks will work. More story mode, more ninjas, and more guest characters. For me, the ninjas steal the show over a weak story and an unexciting (although yet to be released) guest ensemble.

G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra is an energetic, nostalgia-fueled beat-em-up that has some length and technical issues, but not enough to seriously dampen the solid side-scrolling gameplay and excellent retro aesthetic.

Overall, Bloomtown: A Different Story is like a carefree summer vacation. It’s a fun ride with its quirky characters, cozy blended with spooky vibes, and some thoughtful moments that have the foundation for a great game. The gorgeous visuals paint the world beautifully and its demons are original and striking to see in battle. However, this game lacks the depth and voice to stand out in its genre, especially with how closely it uses Persona as an inspiration.

There’s a lot to like in Star Trucker, and it's bursting with potential. It’s also in need of some balance and tweaking. Still, what’s on offer is well worth the asking price, and should keep you trucking for a long while.

I commend Enotria: The Last Song for trying to do something different in an oversaturated gamespace, but it just doesn’t quite hit the mark. This game needed a lot more time in the oven before being released, but nowadays it's the norm to ship out incomplete messes for a full price anyways right, so what’s new?

While I do believe that there is an intriguing plot underneath it all, The Casting Of Frank Stone is in a weird position for me to recommend. Are you a fan of Dead by Daylight? Then I think you're gonna enjoy this Supermassive-flavored spin on the world of DBD. But for those who lean more as fans of narrative-horror experiences, there may be less here luring you beyond the fog.

Reynatis is close to a master at one trade, with its unique and refreshing combat system. But there’s too many other pieces that drag the overall presentation down, especially with its outdated graphics, poor Switch performance, awkward camera angles, and high price tag. However, even through all its minor to glaring flaws, and believe me there are many, it's an adventure I find myself looking fondly back on the things it does well.

Reynatis is close to a master at one trade, with its unique and refreshing combat system. But there’s too many other pieces that drag the overall presentation down, especially with its outdated graphics, poor Switch performance, awkward camera angles, and high price tag. However, even through all its minor to glaring flaws, and believe me there are many, it's an adventure I find myself looking fondly back on the things it does well.

I wasn’t expecting much going into this port, but was pleasantly surprised with it. On PS5 at least, the loading screens aren’t unbearable, it looks and runs great, and while annoying. the compressed audio isn’t the worst thing in the world. If you’re looking to play this on an actual PS4 or PS4 Pro, however, steer clear as it is significantly more compromised with lengthy load times and an inability to reach the 60 fps target.

Funko Fusion feels like it actively goes out of its way to ensure you don’t have fun. Despite Funko choosing a few fun properties and characters to translate to a video game, a plethora of bugs, clunky gameplay, and frustrating moments continuously hamper your ability to ever enjoy the moment. I believe there may be a good game hidden deep within Funko Fusion, but it is buried under so many issues that I doubt many players will have the patience to find it. The lack of co-op upon launch is truly baffling, as that may have been the one thing to save this experience. At minimum, I'd wait until co-op is released and a few updates have been made before checking Funko Fusion out.

When Artificial Intelligence goes rogue, hacking is just what the doctor ordered. Evotinction is a mixed bag of stealth, action, and technology that sometimes struggles to stand on it's own circuit. However, the game is pretty solid with a good story at its foundation.

While trying to pay tribute to classic platformers, Akimbot fell short when it came to making its own identity. The main characters weren’t that interesting and the story was predictable, but it did have a couple of strengths. The look of the world and a great soundtrack makes this game an admirable effort, even if it wasn’t successful.

I Am Your Beast is a silly game and it has some jank. There’s not a lot to play unless you’re the speedrunning type but what’s here is fun. The delay and patch were sorely needed and I’m glad to recommend at the very least wishlisting the game on Steam. There’s some jank, the game isn’t a looker, and it’s not very long on its own, but it’s worth checking out if you want something quick and silly. From the sick kills that start with a headshot, letting you catch a gun midair. Other times hitting a beehive or explosive barrel and taking out multiple dudes is fun too.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown doesn’t break the mold of any other generic racing simulator, which isn’t inherently a bad thing. It definitely scratches the itch of purchasing cool cars, racing them, upgrading them, and customizing them. The backdrop of Hong Kong Island is beautiful, but the overall visual fidelity here is lackluster and disappointing, especially in 2024. The progression wipe and constant server issues along with other technical bugs are unacceptable though, so I suggest waiting for a sale or more patches to polish out the experience.

As it stands, I can’t in good faith recommend Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland. I do believe there is a good game hidden underneath the game’s incredibly rough exterior, but I believe most people are better off waiting until that good game is dug out via patches. The single player experience is admittedly better than co-op, but the plethora of bugs in the co-op mode is still unacceptable. Some people may luck out and make it through the game encountering minimal issues, but if anybody’s experience is similar to mine then they will instantly regret the money they spent purchasing this game.

While the new epilogue is certainly better balanced than the original, it still has a lot of the same pitfalls. The cutbacks break through just enough to bring the DLC experience down. Persona 3 Reload’s Episode Aigis DLC is good but not great. They say “it’s about the journey” and that certainly rings true whether you’re in 2008 or 2024.

Bleak Faith: Forsaken takes place in a beautiful science fantasy world that is begging to be explored. However, the constant bugs and frame rate drops make exploring this beautiful world on the PlayStation 5 a chore. If Bleak Faith: Forsaken receives more polish it could be one hell of a souls-like.

Overall, my time with Spectre Divide was spent either almost having fun or having a lot of fun making 4D chess plays with the unique Duality system, mostly the former. The gunplay feels off, the cel-shaded art style and bombardment of visual effects lead to confusion, and the matches can run as slow as a frozen creek. Despite that, the love the devs put into this game shine through in pieces of the map design and sponsor abilities.

Visions of Mana is a rollercoaster of emotions. The team under Square Enix has made a beautiful game with a solid mechanical foundation. But the balance of the game has been somewhat out of whack. What’s here is not bad, just unpolished and a bit lacking. Visions of Mana is worth your time if the issues mentioned with combat and story won’t be an issue for you. Maybe try it on a harder setting. At the very least, I recommend trying the free demo on every platform as that will give you a feel for how the game controls and feels. Visions of Mana is solid but doesn’t quite reach the heights it aimed for.

Providing some high quality scares and morbidly curious gameplay, The Mortuary Assistant is a good horror game held back by an undercooked port to consoles that can create more frustration than fun.

Dustborn has noble intentions, but intentions don’t matter as much as execution and it executes just about everything poorly. There are too many characters and gameplay styles to make any one of them shine, let alone enjoyable.

Gestalt: Steam & Cinder looks and plays the part of a competent action game. However, its heart lies more in its narrative. While I admire the ambition, Gestalt left me asking, both as a game and as a story, one simple question: “so what?”.

Creatures of Ava is what you get when you simply dump a bunch of ideas into a bucket. The mechanics feel disconnected, the story is rote and uninteresting, and the world, while very pretty, looks generic for sci-fi. It’s all been done before and better elsewhere, and sadly the game doesn’t take the chance to connect anything together or really explore anything in depth.

Taking up the torch of hope against the forces of evil was never going to be an easy task, and Darkest Dungeon II makes sure you feel it. While the roster of heroes creates plenty of opportunities for build crafting, actually interacting with all of the systems in the game can feel like a slog at times. Even so, there’s enjoyment to be found in this roguelite spin on the brutally difficult combat and festering world that Darkest Dungeon is known for.

Earth Defense Force 6 is a pretty basic game, but what it lacks in complexity, it makes up for in silly fun. Blowing up hordes and buildings with your buddy, using these wildly unbalanced weapons, all while losing our minds anytime the game tries to do cool things in the story, it all makes for an excellent experience in co-op. So really we feel we can only recommend this if you have someone to play with. You’re going to be buying a game that is extremely unpolished but will give you literal hours of laughing together with a friend and that’s worth every penny to be honest. Try EDF6 with a friend if you think this would be appealing to you. Just maybe try playing on PlayStation 4 or 5 instead for the smoother experience.

Splintered Fate transparently aims to munch your time. All of its combat and replayability ideas give the appearance of a sturdy shell, yet the cracks in its execution undermine what is otherwise a lovingly crafted representation of the TMNT.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is by no means a bad game, but in a sea of other Souls copycats, this one does very little to stand out. Put into the perspective of its multiple delays and overall unpolish, it’s clear that this is an easy skip to play better options out there. Or at least wait until it's heavily discounted.

I think it's fair to say that Spy X Anya is for a very specific crowd of people. If you like Animal Crossing and you love the Forger household along with some of their compatriots, this is probably the game for you. You might play a pretty decent chunk of it like I did, and get your money's worth. But honestly I can only recommend picking this up on sale. What's here is perfectly functional yet barebones and I don't think that's enough to rate it highly. With over 32-story missions, 49 side missions, and 51 challenge missions, you have a lot of game to enjoy if this sounds appealing to you. Or maybe giving Yor a ponytail for the entire game gives you gender euphoria and that makes Spy X Anya the perfect game.

Broken Roads is a solid effort that falls short of capitalizing on its central mechanics. While it takes some ambitious steps, it doesn’t realize them in execution. Community engagement suggests patches will address the big rocks soon, but know that it’s a moving target thus far.