Hitman: World of Assassination brings together most of the trilogy’s content in a convenient package. While what’s excluded and the always online requirements are baffling, the game itself is still a ton of fun with the new Freelancer mode bringing you to locations from all three games. This is a great way to dive in for newcomers, though veterans will be confused as to what’s not included and why.

Hi-Fi Rush presents some of the best action combat out there and combines it with rhythm game mechanics to make something truly special. This is a game that’s firing on all cylinders constantly and bursting with creativity and style.

Deliver Us Mars explores what it means to struggle against extinction, and the hope of fixing a dying planet. It’s a story of fear, and how it manifests into hope within some, and wrath within others. It’s a short but certainly sweet narrative adventure into the stars with some casual yet amusing puzzles to help break up the flow of gameplay.

Breakers may not be the most original fighting game franchise around, but it is an extremely solid one that offers some fun spins on its inspirations. If you’re willing to give it a break, the Breakers Collection is well worth playing.

Fire Emblem: Engage is a return to the more linear Fire Emblem style of storytelling while continuing the path that Fire Emblem: Three Houses began with the graphics and combat upgrades. The game feels fresh and new while also paying homage to Fire Emblem’s storied past with the inclusion of iconic characters in the Emblem Rings such as Marth, Roy, Lyn, and more. With a collection of adorable characters you’re sure to cry when you lose them and a story that has its fair share of twists and turns; new and old Fire Emblem fans can find something to enjoy about this game. It’s a story of friendship, family, and doing whatever you can to save the ones you love; Fire Emblem.

SpongeBob Squarepants: The Cosmic Shake doesn’t live up to its predecessor, but is still an enjoyable enough romp through the sea. There are a ton of delightful callbacks that can spice up the safe level design and it’s fun to see alternate versions of beloved characters. If you’re a fan it’s worth playing through, but if not you may want to skip this one.

The Dead Space remake is exactly what a remake should be. Quality-of-life improvements help the game flow better and meet modern standards, while the updated graphics bring the terror to life in vivid detail, providing a grotesque beauty to the nearly non-stop carnage. Despite the years which have passed since the game’s initial release in 2008, Isaac’s trek through the USG Ishimura remains as enthralling and terrifying as ever.

One Piece Odyssey took on the tough task of being accessible to those who don’t know the source material, while also catering to the fans of the franchise. At its heart, One Piece Odyssey is a love letter to the fans, but that doesn’t stop from being a fantastic gateway into the world.

Despite some odd gameplay choices, Season: A letter to the future provides a unique narrative, highly immersive gameplay experience, and impeccable visuals, making it an easy recommendation for indie game lovers.

Colossal Cave is a fascinating game, and this modern remake brings the wonder of a text adventure to life in full 3D. It’s streamlined with a few updates, while still keeping the spirit of the original. The game has more than a few issues, but is well worth playing for a magical adventure.

Monster Hunter’s return to PlayStation (and Xbox) is a very smooth transition. The game performs perfectly and gives more players the opportunity to head to Kamura Village for another awe inspiring adventure.

Forspoken is an incredible title. Although the story suffers from being a bit too generic, the gameplay is inventive, magical, and an absolute blast. This is a game I’ll come back to again and again just to move around and exist in the fascinating fantasy world. Forspoken is an exciting leap forward for action games, and I can’t get enough of it.

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.

Rather than being a game for people who miss the old school ninja platformers of yesteryear, Moonrider feels more like a game made for the people who miss the idea of them. The game borrows liberally from its inspirations and combines them into a game that looks and plays the part just fine. It just doesn’t push itself or the player on a level that will fully satisfy people who still regularly enjoy the games it takes from.

This remaster may be closer to a simple upscale, but Persona 3 Portable is still an incredible game that set the standard for modern Persona. The game looks and runs great no matter what you play it on, with a few caveats. While this probably won’t settle the debate about P3’s definitive version, it’s great to have it easily available.

Chained Echoes is an incredibly uneven RPG heavily inspired by the likes of Chrono Trigger and Xenogears. With bad writing, poorly thought out mechanics, and an overly complex… everything it can be hard to get through. Even so, there is a little fun to be found here, mostly near the beginning.

Children of Silentown delivers a compelling story told through stunning hand-drawn graphics and spearheaded by a hauntingly beautiful score that perfectly encapsulates the feelings of melancholy and dread that pervade Lucy’s thoughts. Silentown’s unique focus on discovering notes to uncover songs which can then be used to unlock puzzles provides a new dynamic to the point-and-click genre, and despite having gripes with one of the puzzle types, I still enjoyed my time unraveling the mystery of Silentown and the monsters that haunt it.

From a gameplay perspective, Amnesia Memories and Amnesia Later x Crowd have translated well to the new platform, with this being the first time Later x Crowd is available to fans outside Japan. Unfortunately, as a newcomer to the series, an incredible story about a girl’s journey to recovering her memories and discovering the truth is grossly overshadowed by the love interest side of the story where she is often subjected to very poor and sometimes disturbing treatment.

From a gameplay perspective, Amnesia Memories and Amnesia Later x Crowd have translated well to the new platform, with this being the first time Later x Crowd is available to fans outside Japan. Unfortunately, as a newcomer to the series, an incredible story about a girl’s journey to recovering her memories and discovering the truth is grossly overshadowed by the love interest side of the story where she is often subjected to very poor and sometimes disturbing treatment.

Valkyrie Profile uses the conventions of a dungeon crawler to highlight an aspect of games, and really humanity itself, that often goes understated. The path to our true calling is vague, confusing, and full of trial and error. If you’re willing to persevere and think beyond the immediate path before you, however, you reach your full potential. You might like Valkyrie Profile, too!

High on Life is a decent enough game that doesn’t quite live up to its potential. The combat feels unfocused and lacks depth, while the story and humor only hit their stride in the final moments. Still, it’s worth a playthrough if you enjoy the more aggressive side of shooters with some light platforming.

Dragon Quest Treasures is a bland adventure that sucks out everything that makes the franchise charming. There’s quite a lot to do in the game, but none of it is fun or feels good. Playing this game feels more like checking things off your to-do list: the act of crossing things off may offer a hint of satisfaction, but you don’t actually like doing the tasks on it.

Lost Between Worlds feels like a creative misstep for the Far Cry franchise. Though it is refreshing to see the series attempt new things, none of the additions are well-realized enough to justify the existence of this add-on.

Blacktail’s art and captivating storytelling take the narrative genre in a new direction. Backed by a combination of solid gameplay and in-depth moral system, the game excels in almost every aspect.

Unavowed is easily one of the best adventure games ever made. The story and characters are fantastic, the visuals immaculate, and the puzzles unique and inventive. Wadjeteye games are always good, but they’ve set the bar pretty high with this adventure.

Gundam Evolution is a fun and fast-paced hero shooter that, while not wholly unique, accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do: offer an authentic, competitive Gundam experience for fans of modern shooters. Satisfying gunplay and engaging classes make playing this game worthwhile, regardless of the lengthy grind and somewhat lifeless maps.

If you're a fan of beat em up games and the first River City game you'll most likely enjoy River City Girls 2 and all if not, you will still enjoy the game if you can ignore its few annoyances.

The Callisto Protocol is a unique and often good game which is hindered by its own ambition. The fighting system is sure to be hit and miss with audiences, and the difficulty coupled with the slow movement and weapon swapping will surely turn a few people off. Despite this, Protocol builds a unique world that would benefit from further entries diving more into its backstory and is brought to life with incredibly detailed graphics, fantastic sound design, and gorgeous lighting. The Callisto Protocol may not be the survival horror game many had hoped for, but it does successfully carve out its own niche.