LEGO Horizon Adventures offers a playful retelling of Horizon Zero Dawn, blending the iconic story of Aloy with LEGO's signature charm, humor, and style. This isometric action-adventure game simplifies the original's intense narrative, focusing on environmental themes and character relationships, providing a lighthearted, engaging experience for fans of all ages.

Ys X boldly sails into uncharted waters. It’s a sturdy vessel of combat, exploration, and heart, even if some of its individual parts could use further refinement. Ys X may not be my favorite Ys, but it does an excellent job of reminding me why Ys is my favorite.

Even with a handful of last minute bugs to iron out, Planet Coaster 2 lets me build the park of my dreams. More than a water park expansion, it takes everything the first game did well and makes it better. Don’t wait, get your ticket now – heck, this one is even worthy of a fast pass.

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.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 stands tall on its reputation while delivering on expectations. World-class gunplay throughout, the incredible campaign, superb multiplayer, and excellent Zombies mode reach the heights you’ve come to anticipate from the Black Ops series. Treyarch, Raven, and all the studios behind it should be proud; this shot will be heard around the world.

Nixxes and Guerilla Games have made an already beautiful game even better. If you haven’t yet experienced the origin of Aloy’s story, then do yourself a favor and play Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered!

Mario Party Jamboree harkens back to an older time for Mario Party while adding new game modes, courses, mini-games, and characters. With 110 mini-games with different types of motion controls, rhythm games, and more, you and your friends will have a great time learning all the new stuff while enjoying two re-created older courses. If you’ve taken a break from Mario Party for any reason in the past six years, Jamboree is the one to get you back into the party.

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.

The writing can be overwrought, written by committee, and occasionally forced, but it’s also a major step forward for a team that needs the win. Dragon Age: The Veilguard brings us compelling characters, excellent combat, and a world worth saving.

There’s a lot to talk about with Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered. The wild world, the funny writing, the varied and tense gameplay, the rockin’ soundtrack, the silly characters, the serious moments, or the awesome sense of progression, just to name a few enjoyable things. It only took me about 8 hours to finish the game and most of that was in one sitting. I have only played Shadows of the Damned once at PAX East 2024 earlier this year and it was such a great demo, the full game delivered all of that and more. Add in the New Game Plus feature that lets you keep your late game upgrades or the optional gyro aiming, and you have an incredibly arcade-y experience that keeps you laughing and blasting for hours. The game launches on October 31st and I can’t recommend it enough. This is a punk rock gem that everyone can love.

Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut is a fantastic expansion to an already amazing game. The new and altered routes fit perfectly with the rest, fleshing out Princesses that previously had short interactions. The Pristine Cut wasn’t necessary to make this a must play game, but I’m very glad it’s here.

It’s hard to give a definitive rating or opinion on an MMORPG, as the game is always changing and evolving, hopefully for the better. But it is without a doubt that New World: Aeternum is leagues better than what it was 3 years ago, with an enhanced beginner experience, a fleshed out endgame, tons of content, and availability across 3 major platforms. I’m so glad that the team at Amazon Games didn’t give up on this project!

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.

Batman: Arkham Shadow is the latest must-buy VR title, and does its namesake justice. Being Batman is something you dream of, and Camouflaj has done great work in putting you under the cowl. Where some teams would simply offer a short VR experience, the team has crafted a game rich in depth between combat, exploration, and story.

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.

While there’s certainly several coats of polish still to add, the core of MechWarrior 5: Clans gives us an excellent storyline culled straight from the novels, combined with cutting edge graphics and gameplay only Piranha Games could deliver. THIS is the MechWarrior game we’ve all been waiting for, and damn, is it fun. Reactor online, sensors online, weapons online. All systems nominal.

Frostpunk II has lovely and intimate details, but the big picture is chilly and rigid. The promise of pioneering a new culture becomes yet another tale of survival at all costs.

Sonic x Shadow Generations ties past, present, and future together for a comprehensive view of Sonic’s appeal. If Sonic Generations signaled a conservative era for Sonic stuck in the past, Shadow Generation signals an exciting future of new ideas and stories that matter.

It’s hard to decide whether I enjoyed my time with RetroRealms: Halloween or RetroRealms: Ash vs. Evil Dead more, which is a testament to how great both games are. Not only do both titles stand on their own, but they serve as great counterparts to each other with Halloween being slightly slower with more difficult bosses, and Ash vs. Evil Dead being much faster paced but with easier boss battles. Each minute of these games ooze with great level design, fun enemies to defeat, intricate and often hilarious or spooky backgrounds, lots of collectibles and upgrades to unlock, a ton of small details sure to please fans of each series, and blood - lots and lots of blood. As it stands, both Ash vs. Evil Dead and Halloween are great homages to their respective IPS as well as faithful love letters to the 16-bit games of yesteryear and are well worth your hard-earned money.

It’s hard to decide whether I enjoyed my time with RetroRealms: Halloween or RetroRealms: Ash vs. Evil Dead more, which is a testament to how great both games are. Not only do both titles stand on their own, but they serve as great counterparts to each other with Halloween being slightly slower with more difficult bosses, and Ash vs. Evil Dead being much faster paced but with easier boss battles. Each minute of these games ooze with great level design, fun enemies to defeat, intricate and often hilarious or spooky backgrounds, lots of collectibles and upgrades to unlock, a ton of small details sure to please fans of each series, and blood - lots and lots of blood. As it stands, both Ash vs. Evil Dead and Halloween are great homages to their respective IPS as well as faithful love letters to the 16-bit games of yesteryear and are well worth your hard-earned money.

Drova is a fascinating game with compelling themes and worldbuilding, but the overpowered enemies and technical glitches in the game hold it back from being truly spectacular. Despite its flaws, this is a solid game for those who like fantasy and action.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom flips the script, putting the fate of Hyrule on Princess Zelda’s shoulders. While the game offers a vast world to explore with charming visuals and music, it suffers from repetitive gameplay elements, as many challenges can be overcome with the same few Echoes, though it still provides enjoyable moments of creativity and discovery.

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.

Equal parts DLC and fully-integrated expansion, Void Shadows is a fantastic addition to the already-incredible Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader package. A must-have, and all-new content, all rolled into one. Stop reading this and go get it for your next run – the Emperor demands it.

Nomada Studios has truly cemented their place in the indie landscape as a representative of how video games are a strong narrative medium. They do this through beautifully crafted animation, vibrant backgrounds, and a whimsical yet powerful soundtrack. Every element of Neva perfectly encapsulates the immersive experience of the player, from story to gameplay, resulting in Neva standing tall in the face of its predecessor, Gris, as its own masterpiece.

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.

The Until Dawn remake is a bit of a mixed bag overall. While it breathes new life into a beloved horror classic, offering a revamped experience, it also loses sight of some of what made the original so special. It’s a splendid upgrade in some areas and a massive downgrade in others. Find out for yourself if you can stomach the horrific asking price.