Assassin’s Creed Rogue doesn’t do anything particularly innovative or different, but it builds on the fantastic ideas Black Flag brought to the table and adds a bit of its own flair. It’s a shame it’s been relegated to last-gen hardware though–here’s hoping it’ll get a chance to stretch out its legs.

Resident Evil 4 was a monumental achievement upon its release back in January 2005, and it is still one that video game connoisseurs appreciate today.

Fans of the JRPG genre who are looking for a challenge and aren’t bothered by the facepalm-worthy tropes will be delighted with the experience. This game won’t do much to capture anyone who isn’t already interested in the series with its very confusing mechanics and foreign gameplay structure.

Vermintide 2 is a stylish, engrossing avenue into the horror and hilarity of the Warhammer Fantasy universe. Despite some small hiccups which you won’t shake, this game is sure to get you and your friends working as a team to survive the onslaught of the Skaven and Chaos hordes. With a variety of playstyles and in game tactics, this experience proves it is far more than a Left 4 Dead clone, and left me eager to jump back into this game.

The Sims 4 Snowy Escape Expansion pack was quite enjoyable, and I am very excited to dive in with my regular Sim family to check out the Lifestyles and Sentiments between them. There is plenty to do to keep you busy with the new sports that were added, though honestly the rock climbing and hiking could have been more obvious to figure out. I am sure there are still things I have not uncovered yet in the expansion, but I look forward to exploring Mt. Komorebi further. It’s a solid expansion, and I enjoyed it much more than the previous Eco Lifestyle expac.

As it stands now, it feels like a strong foundation coupled with a thin story and some baffling missteps on the MMO aspects of the formula.

Soul Reaver and its sequel are both perfect storms of story, voice work, soundtracks, and now they have the final pieces they needed to become classics for a new generation with revamped controls and now gorgeous graphics. While I’d like to see the execution be a touch cleaner, the sum of its parts is so damned strong that it lets you experience this incredible game all over again. I know you, Raziel. You are worthy.

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is a fantastic starting point for newcomers to the series, as it effortlessly immerses you into the secrets behind the prison city of Balduq. The frantic and fast paced combat combined with slick traversal mechanics allow for a highly addictive gameplay loop. It is, however, a bit questionable the level of effort put into this native PS5 port considering there’s very little improvements made and no upgrade path from PS4. If you haven’t experienced this fantastic JRPG yet, then this is hands down the definitive way to enjoy it, but I can’t recommend another purchase for those who already have.

An average game, with some elements that take it to a higher level. What’s frustrating about it is there aren’t enough of these elements throughout, otherwise it would be a top-notch title.

Screamer started as a frustrating reimagining of an arcade drifting racer, with a downtrodden, slow-moving plot. By the end, I wanted more, and I became a drift racing believer. I’ll never win an online match, but I’ll take losing for another chance to race in this universe.

It’s unfortunate that this sequel has the blender feel to it, as the original game was a blast to play.

As a game, it’s unpolished, but as a rumination on mortality, it’s an interactive poem.

Filled with a relaxing soundtrack and delightful minimalist visuals, Ovivo is a mellow game that has a feeling of whimsy across its world. While the presentation may be a bit lacking, this game is a unique treat in the platformer genre.

Quake is a seminal shooter that helped define the genre, but it’s definitely starting to show its age. It’s well worth experiencing the campaign, but its design and enemy placement can occasionally feel unfair. Just as well, the multiplayer is difficult to get into if you’re not already familiar with it.

CastleStorm combines the joy of Angry Birds and tower defense games, and sprinkles in some fun fighting sections. Balancing offense and defense is satisfying, especially when you successfully complete your missions. The tone of the game is light-hearted, which makes it all the more enjoyable.

Elegance, finesse, style – whatever you want to call it, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has it. It sets the stage with familiar Prince of Persia elements while performing them in new ways. The production comes with a few stumbles, yet The Lost Crown always recovers with style, proving itself as a worthy heir to the elegance that this series represents.

Copycat is only about three hours in length and jumps between set pieces at a good pace, constantly switching up your tasks to prevent the game from becoming stale. You’ll wreak havoc in a house, roam neighborhoods and parks, sneak past guard dogs, hunt for food, fight off alley cats, and even chase animals as a panther in Dawn’s dreams, with no one set piece lingering too long. Despite its story which is purposefully uncomfortable to experience, it is an adventure well worth embarking on and will hopefully force other animal owners to take a long look at their own actions and make adjustments as necessary to ensure we provide our animals with the respect and love they deserve.

Deus Ex: The Fall may not have been the game we were asking for, but it’s definitely a worthy addition to the franchise. Its less-than-stellar controls and a handful of bugs keep The Fall from being truly great, but if you’re looking to hop back into the yellow-tinted world of human augmentation, seven dollars isn’t a bad price to pay for sneaking around and reading everyone’s emails.

Death Stranding: Director's Cut provides the best Strand experience without changing too much. This version offers new content and features making an overall good experience even better.

WWE 2K14 still features some unfortunate issues, but those can be easily ignored as the 30 Years of WrestleMania mode soars past every possible expectation you may have.

Madden NFL 21 is a solid product. It excels in several areas, like the presentation and Ultimate Team. The core gameplay is as fun and smooth as it’s ever been, and I’ve been playing since Madden NFL 2005. But the new jewels in the crown are flawed and need to be polished a bit more. Face Of The Franchise and The Yard both have tons of potential, but they aren’t realized here. Content updates may help with The Yard, but in the end it’s like scoring a touchdown but missing the extra point.

We’ve seen destructible environments before, but never to this degree. Unfortunately, with gameplay this shallow, it doesn’t bring the genre to a new level.

While I can't help like feel like Starbreeze missed the mark in relaunching the single player experience, they have locked onto my neural pathways in a big way in multiplayer.

Doesn't quite reach the level of Left Field's N64 masterpiece "Excitebike 64," but it does bring a good game of dirt racing with smooth graphics to the table. If it had tighter controls, more bike sounds for different bikes and a little more originality in its levels I think this game would be superb.

A fun game, but it just seems too repetitive for me. It is certainly a better volleyball game than "DOA: XVB," but the latter was far better in the aesthetic areas of the game.

It has a well told story and the environments are beautiful to behold.

We should be glad they included both in this release and not separated them as Metal Slug 4 is the far lesser of the games presented here.

If you're an SRPG fan you should not miss Gungnir.