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.

There’s a lot of content in Okami HD. Unfortunately, interacting with the wealth of characters, locations, and collectibles becomes more of a chore when the story and action is so repetitive. Despite the different coat of paint, each new encounter felt like the last. The colors began to fade around the halfway point, and the game just kept painting without adding anything new to the page.

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.

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

Despite releasing nearly a year after its Switch counterpart, the PC version of Monster Hunter Rise feels like a minimal improvement. Sure, you can get frame rates in the hundreds and high resolutions, but frequent crashes can reset your settings and cutscenes are still locked at 30. The keyboard and mouse control options are a big boon for accessibility, but the visual improvements here feel so minimal I’ll stick to the portable edition.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure has a lot going for it, but even more holding it back. The story and characters are mostly fantastic, but the game does so much to get in the way of enjoying it both through dialogue and gameplay it becomes hard to recommend to those not already invested in the world.

Dragon Quest VIII is a massive world with well over 50 hours of gameplay. It stands out thanks to stellar voice acting and a huge, quirky set of monsters to battle. While there’s plenty to do, both the plot and the majority of the characters are flat and uninteresting. The quicksave feature and the ability to increase battle speed are significant quality of life improvements over the original, making this a solid title sure to entertain JRPG fans, but the dated and grind-heavy mechanics can make it a bit of a slog.

For better or worse, The Outer Worlds is a perfectly middle-of-the-road open-world RPG. It doesn’t take any big risks, but that also keeps it from falling on its face. Despite some great writing, the game doesn’t have much to say about the corporate dystopia it establishes, ultimately playing it too safe to justify the premise. Obsidian’s expertise with the genre makes The Outer Worlds a competent RPG, if not an especially interesting one.

Russian Subway Dogs is an incredibly unique arcade-style title that excels in short bursts. With a wonderfully zany presentation and great mission diversity, there is little else like this game. Its score-chasing, shawarma-munching action is diluted somewhat by its stunted game flow and superfluous unlockables, but neither flaw results in Russian Subway Dogs being anything short of good.

NEO: The World Ends With You lacks everything you would expect from a PC port, such as mouse support or useful graphics options. While the game itself is incredible, unless you desperately need the maximum resolution and framerate you’re better off sticking with the console versions.

Sprint Vector is unlike anything else on the VR market. The Fluid Locomotion System allows for high speed virtual movement without motion sickness for most people, and the game's ubeat, irreverent tone encourages both casual and competitive play. It does seem to be hit or miss, and sadly seems to lack that addictive quality for most people. Meanwhile, my competitive friends and platformer fans can't seem to get enough of it, and it's just physically demanding enough to provide a bit of a workout to boot.

Formula 1 2012 is a great F1 racing simulator, but it's only an okay game. For a title that aims to be approachable to all audiences, it has failed in that regard, but for those who are racing fanatics and crave a realistic immersion into the F1 world, F1 2012 is the game for you.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge feels like it’s designed from an Ninja Turtles arcade beat ‘em up template, which strips it of creativity and originality and makes it feel predictable and familiar. But the fluid combat continually sucks me back in, even though that also suffers from combat designs that should’ve been left in the past.

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.

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.

Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon aren't bad games, but they are victims of their own hype, which they fail to to live up to. While the plot has changed, these alterations are minor, thrown together, and ultimately do harm to the experience. Despite the addition of two new mini games, a few new features, and a different post-game, they are simply not as enjoyable as their Sun and Moon predecessors.

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse is a hell of a mess. At moments, the complex and fun combat and progression systems break through the game’s ick presentation and sexist character designs, but what little fun exists gradually fades before you’re even halfway through the campaign. If you’re a fan of the series, there’s plenty to love here, but Apocalypse is unforgiving for any new players

Kingdom Hearts III is a product of a development hell. It has too many ideas, too many characters, and too many mistakes holding it back. It is a fun experience that I recommend just for how addictive and smooth the combat is. Kingdom Hearts III is a fun game, it just easily could have been a great one.

If you like a little bit of puzzle in your shooter and have a high patience level, then be on the lookout for Bangai-O Spirits.

Here's hoping that Infinity Ward's eventual return to the saga won't leave gamers with such a bland and lifeless taste in their mouths.

Bravely Default II is a very flawed but good RPG that deserved a better PC port. With a lack of options that still somehow result in smeared textures, the console version is still the way to go at this price.

It has an unmistakable charm, and it could have been a great game. As it is, it's hard to recommend to anyone except for hardcore rhythm game fans.

While Little Nightmares might not scare your pants off, it will definitely get your heart racing. The game’s mix of incredible art design and enjoyable gameplay create a memorable game that gets better with each level. While Little Nightmares’ long load times will hopefully get patched out currently, they make exploring a lot less desirable. Puzzles in the game could be better, but its main gameplay elements come off very thrilling and fun.

The bugs in the title really frustrated me (and many others), and while there are workarounds, the players really shouldn't have to work around bugs and lapses in development, especially since some of the bugs were carried over from "MLB 06."

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.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA is a wonderful game, but this PS5 upgrade doesn’t do much to justify its existence. You get the DLC and an obtuse 120 fps mode, sure, but you’re basically still getting the exact same experience as if you played the PS4 version on a PS5 or Pro. The game itself is highly recommended, but console upgrades should have more features and this feels like less than the bare minimum.

Ultimately, Runbow disappoints. Bowhemoth is a fun distraction. Single-player is a pretty traditional and unimaginative series of levels that only major platforming fans will maybe enjoy. And online is a hit or miss (mostly miss) collection of modes that is fun for a little while, but falls under the shadow of the Wii U’s insufficient online multiplayer ecosystem.

Star Ocean The Second Story R is a wildly inconsistent package, with the ending portions falling off greatly in quality, but still a mostly fun game. Battle and its surrounding systems can have a lot of variation depending on your party and how you choose to play. However, it lacks polish in many areas making it very difficult to want to finish.

Overall, Eco Lifestyle has been an average experience, though to be fair I am not overly interested in the concepts presented in the expansion. In general I have a lot more fun in packs with nightlife, celebrity, magic, and supernatural concepts, and it has been that way for me throughout all of The Sims games. It is pretty neat that your actions have an impact on the map and you see changes, be it negative or positive, but I personally didn’t feel the need to do anything else once I had my neighborhood cleaned up. Evergreen Harbor itself isn’t a very interesting map to live on, and I don’t see myself continuing on with the Sim or game I started on it.

The Last Guardian’s story is moving and beautifully told, but the poor execution of its dated mechanics hold it back from the greatness of its predecessors.

Filament offers around 300 puzzles ranging from easy to extremely challenging, with some being mind-boggling. With a variety of puzzle mechanics used, gameplay is kept from getting repetitive. Investigating the happenings of the crew is interesting, although the ending is potentially vague and confusing.

Lethal League Blaze is an excellent game for the competitive crowd, but it’s a bit hard to recommend on the Switch over other versions. The eccentric character designs, great soundtrack, and blazing-fast gameplay are charming, but the performance issues and online gripes means this version falls short from being a masterpiece.

People who enjoy home life and raising babies in The Sims 4 will love the new changes with the baby update and the Growing Together Expansion. There are loads of cute clothes, hairstyles, and interactions that were added for babies, toddlers, and children. The social dynamics tend to get really deep and complicated, and weren’t my cup of tea. I’d like to not have to have constant conflicts and jealousy, especially when my Sims don’t have those traits (for a reason). An option to turn off cheating or jealousy would be great in future patches. The self-discovery traits have potential, but most times weren’t anything I’d have liked to add to my Sims. Overall, Growing Together hasn’t been my favorite, but that is because I tend to have a different playstyle in The Sims 4 than what this is geared towards.

Wargroove has the confidence to stick to simple, familiar gameplay with a few twists, rather than try to wow you with its novelty. While its charming graphics might make it look cute, it offers a vicious challenge that gets a bit uneven at times. If you get into its slower pace and high difficulty, it also offers plenty of alternate game modes and custom campaign creation tools to extend the fun.

Star Wars Pinball VR is a serviceable pinball game that has no business being in VR. The eight tables all feel very similar, the visuals are incredibly low quality, and the Fan Cave is pointless.

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.

I’m going to go have Sara shag a few more sims, then I’m calling it a night.

Unruly Heroes features a mix of platforming and combat with four characters that you can switch between on the fly. With a handful of interesting bosses and plenty of mechanical variation between levels, the game never locks you into one style of play for too long. Ultimately, though, I didn’t find any part of it that much fun to play, which wasn’t helped by its leaden controls and uneven difficulty.

You can still clearly see the 3DS roots in Rune Factory 4 Special’s PC port, but it’s still a fantastic game worth enjoying if you haven’t already played it. It does have some keyboard input issues, particularly with name entry, and some aspects were clearly not intended to be viewed at a high resolution, however it does put forward enough effort to work on PC that makes it a decent platform to play on.

However, standing alone, Telltale Games can and has done much better than Chapter 5.

Clearly, Lord of Shadows wants to feel “cinematic” but it goes too far by sacrificing gameplay on the altar of visual splendor.

I came away from Hunt: Showdown a little let down. The premise is good, the setting is something new, and many of the gameplay loop elements are unique. Better still, the combination of PvPvE sets the stage for something amazing, but that stage is just too damned small. With too deep a grind, and too few maps, Hunt: Showdown has just too little content (currently) to match its ambition. But hey...at least the hunting is cool!

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.

Final Fantasy XV’s seems to be confused as to what it wants to be, and it makes one game feel like several, none of which execute upon their ideas well enough to stand above its modern contemporaries.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure isn’t at its best on PC, with consistent stuttering and not many graphical options, but it’s still a fun experience you can play with just about anyone.

Ultros sows some fascinating seeds into a familiar framework. Although those seeds bloomed into a visually striking game, some poor soil hinders its ability to fully develop.

It may need some more polish in its modes to race with the big leagues, but Fast RMX is a great title with challenging difficulty and beautiful locales that are matched with its nose-bleeding sense of speed and arcade-inspired mechanics.

Were THQ holding a bazooka next to your head demanding that you play Worms: Open Warfare 2 or they just might pull the trigger, then it might be worth turning on.

Delivers exactly what it says: a prettier version of the same game you played five years ago. Those looking for the same experience will find it, and those looking for something new or a fresh take on the series won’t get much out of this remaster.

Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past is a solid JRPG remake with more than enough plot and gameplay to keep RPG fans happy. The turn based battle system is light on grind, filled with Dragon Quest’s trademark cast of colorful monsters, and offers a mostly hands-off feature for fights. With an engaging story, a huge world to explore, and plenty of side quests and additional content, there are many of reasons to get lost in the past.

If you enjoy grinding numbers, goofy anime antics, and over-the-top style, Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance will give you hundreds of hours of replayability. If you don’t like the idea of spending hours and hours replaying levels and building up characters, then you might want to look somewhere else.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux is as long and as the title, and can be challenging to get into, due to dated UI and lots and lots of text to read. The story is interesting, if not slow, offers multiple endings, and more than 300 demons for you to collect, fuse, and fight alongside. A solid, if not slightly clunky title built for the retrogamer crowd.

Teardown tears down the fabric of what a demolition physics game can be, yet replaces that with too many restrictions. All your fun will come from the creativity of your imagination, but that satisfaction falls apart when you’re limited by the tools the game has to offer. It’s such a shame when this game can offer so much more.

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe is a game that would have benefited from being released in a vacuum. As it stands, this package is one that can neither live up to Nintendo’s own suite of contemporary 2D platformers or the Deluxe moniker it is tagged with. Even beyond this point, the game is little more than a window into a bygone era of Nintendo. Offering simple, polished platforming action, this title is suited only for those who have exhausted the genre’s other options on Nintendo’s hybrid system.

An ambitious addition to an already enormous game, but by stripping away many of the features on the sides of the experience, you’re left with a game that never quite finds the highs present in the original game.

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.

Generations is clunkier, slower, and lacks the size and polish of World. If you really want some Monster Hunter action on the Switch, then you can’t go wrong with Generations. New fans coming in hot of the heels of World, be prepared for a drastic quality difference.

But this game is an epic fail start to finish. It's storyline is terrible, the graphics are mediocre at best, the voice acting ranges from bad to worse (with Oldman the lone actor who must have used his imagination while recording his lines), the Wii's native controls aren't exactly cut out for this kind of rapid action, there's little to no reason given as to why to play the game (which isn't very fun), and the in-game cut scenes are terrible.

The Artful Escape perfectly encapsulates the feeling of being transported away by a David Bowie track to a far-out world filled with colorful characters and wildlife and great music, but its gameplay falls flat, offering little depth past its first tutorial. While the game is short enough for its systems to never feel too egregious, it never reaches its full potential through its story or its mechanics. Fans of zen games, nice visuals, and quippy dialogue may want to pick this up, but do not expect a deep experience in playing The Artful Escape.

The problem here is that there really isn't anything to justify spending the money on this game, especially compared to both Tiger Woods 07 and even Tiger Woods 06.

There are no secrets to Luftrasuers; it has no surprises. It comes to you with open hands, unwilling to explain if you’ll enjoy playing it because you’re reminiscing about how this style used to be cutting edge, or if you just need to see if there’s that perfect configuration that will take you all the way. It’s not about being good or bad, it just about being what it is and if that’s something you want.

If it were cheaper, if there were more to it, it would justify its $9.99 asking price. As it stands now, however, most people would probably be better off holding onto their money and looking elsewhere to satisfy their exploration fix.

While Paper Mario: The Origami King makes excellent strides in terms of humor and adventure game design, it’s still sorely lacking aesthetically and features a horrendous battle system that only gets more frustrating as you play. I’ve given up on the series returning to the style of my childhood’s classics, but if the series ditches battles entirely it could make for some extremely fun adventure games.

Mandate of Heaven is an interesting DLC that adds the events leading up to and including the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Incite the rebellion or attempt to crush it, it's your choice. Be prepared for challenging situations that may frustrate you and make you want to stop. Longtime fans of the series and genre may appreciate the challenge more.

Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed is ultimately a decent iOS racing game that serves as a tribute to Sega’s past hits.

Judgment feels too beholden to its Yakuza roots, weighed down by overreliance on combat and half-baked detective mechanics. While its plot is engaging, nearly everything that it adds to the Yakuza framework is for the worse, and it shines most when it puts the spotlight on the people of Kamurocho rather than the game’s protagonist.

Signs of the Sojourner is an intriguing deckbuilder with a great cast of characters and integrated story and gameplay. While there are some glaring flaws with its mechanics, this is a nice relaxing game that teaches the beauty of communication.

Forza Motorsport 5 is a technical triumph, offering up incredible achievement in both precision and realistic graphics good enough to show off your new Xbox One. Unfortunately a few baffling design decisions ultimately hold it back from feeling truly next-gen, making Forza Motorsport 5 a good racer, but certainly not built for everyone.

Pikmin 1 and 2 on Switch are the barest of bare bones ports. The clarity added by HD resolution and 16:9 support simply isn’t worth losing the improved controls of the Wii versions. In addition, these ports lose some of the original’s charm and contain strange glitches. While it’s great to have these games available on modern consoles, the Wii or GameCube releases are still the way to go if you can.

Dungeon of the Endless is a challenging and rewarding game that allows you to learn and grow with it. The more time you put in, the more enjoyment you will find.

This retelling of the 2013 game stays largely faithful to the source material and adds some valuable improvements. If you’ve already experienced the original I think you can sit this one out; but newcomers should experience this remake at least once.

Ultimately, Scribblenauts is a novelty but little more than that.

There are some genuinely terrifying, nightmare-inducing moments in this game. Unfortunately they are few and far between, which is frustrating because the concept here is solid. A little restraint would go a long way here. Stop throwing hordes of enemies at me and just let the game be scary.

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.

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.

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.

Prey’s sound design and soundtrack are some of the best to come from a game this year. Unfortunately, a lot of the aspects surrounding that hamper the potential set up from the game’s impressive opening hour. The combat is a source of frustration, and the load times neuter exploration. But if you’re able to look past that, Prey can provide some thrills.

While the games themselves haven’t aged terribly well and there are too many fighting games here, NeoGeo Pocket Color Selections Vol. 1 demonstrates the best way to preserve old games. On top of simply playing the games themselves, you can take a look at everything that came with the cartridges way back when on top of taking advantage of convenience features like rewind. Unfortunately, this is undermined by the incredibly small screen size which you cannot change. [*See March 31 score update]

While it’s very short on story, Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory is a neat celebration of the Dark Seeker Saga before moving on. With a huge selection of fantastic tunes and a fun yet simplistic control scheme, this game will keep fans busy until Kingdom Hearts IV.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf 07 looks like it will be the swan song for the series on the PS2, and I would say that it’s about time after playing this game. If other versions of the game had the issues I experienced with it, I’m surprised that it lasted this long.

Pacific Drive toes the line between “challenging fun take on the survival-horror genre” and “too complicated for its own good.” The game is full of interesting lore, hardcore crafting mechanics, and a world of driving with plenty to explore. While the driving can feel repetitive at times, if you can get a hold of the system, you’ll have plenty of fun in the Pacific Northwest.

Boasting high production value and the minor intrigue of what a new villain might mean for the greater series, Halo Wars 2 is fantastic for casual RTS gamers, but probably not for anyone else. Its relatively flat story, short campaign, and strategically shallow mechanics hold it back from greatness, instead relegating it to being yet another example of why RTS games don’t mix well with consoles.

From the graphics to the dry commentary to the awkward controls, Chessmaster could have had a lot more going for it. Since older versions for the PC can be found, and the mouse interface is more intuitive, I'd have to recommend one of those versions over the Xbox version.

Though the graphics and soundtrack showcase the superb effort to update the original game for hardcore series fans, frustrating gameplay mechanics and archaic design keep Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap from rising above anything but average.

FEAR2 is a game that is evolutionary and not revolutionary but also seems to take a step back in many departments. The ending leaves the player hanging, Alma doesn't really make as many appearances as in the first game, the dumbed down AI, and the lack of a multiplayer community might spell death for the game before it even starts to take off.

The game is not that difficult, and the only thing you can really unlock is a few extra teams. The game is a little better if you can play it with someone else, but you will become quickly bored with it.

Rainbow Six: Siege is one of the better tactical FPS experiences of the year, even with a smaller content offering than most. Microtransactions and limited custom options can muddy it up, but if you enjoy the core gameplay loop, there’s a lot to enjoy here for the multiplayer-minded player.

Golf Story is held back by a number of mechanics, some of which are not very fleshed out or enjoyable, the occasional glitch, and lots of quests which require skill and control of the game's often shaky mechanics. The story is entertaining enough, but the real charm of this game is the hilarity of its characters characters and dialogue. This really is a must have for any fan of golf games, but as an RPG fan, I thought this indie title only came in at par.

A fun, yet difficult survival game that fans of Don’t Starve, and the like, will most certainly enjoy. It takes a chance in telling the story of war from a rarely seen civilian angle, but ultimately doesn’t deliver an engaging narrative. The addition of children doesn’t add much to the original 2014 release besides a few new items to craft. And the potential for a great and addictive survival experience is hindered by a wonky combat system.

Pinball FX 3 is a decent step forward for Zen Studios’ long appreciated pinball series. There are some fun new single player modes that provide multiple challenges, some competitive modes, and plenty of practice options. The game also provides some direct competition and tournament style online options, though they aren’t much different in practice that the single player games. Overall, this is a nice update for the game and makes it much more diverse and interesting to explore, and the backwards compatibility means you have no real reason not to update and enjoy.

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.

SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium is a decent, casual style fighting game from the previous century. It has tons of characters and modes to keep you interested for a short time, but don’t expect any depth whatsoever here.

At $39.99 any fan of Silent Hill should enjoy Siren: Blood Curse.

Unbound: Worlds Apart is a pretty standard puzzle platformer with its difficulty firmly planted in repeated trial and error. Despite gorgeous visuals, there’s not much interesting to see here.

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.

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.

Burnout Paradise Remastered for the Nintendo Switch comes with its fair share of issues. You’ll experience a lot of blurriness playing it handheld, and might struggle making out what's what at high speeds even when playing it docked. Plus, there’s that big $50 price tag for a 2008 game. Yet, included in the remaster is eight of the nine premium DLC, which comes with nearly all the vehicles unlocked, as well as one of the best racing soundtracks to ever exist.

The game is as linear as a meterstick and the graphics aren't showcase quality, so after finishing the eight levels (not 32 as listed on the back of the box) there's no reason to keep this one in your collection.