Being able to play one of the best games in a generation on any platform is great, but when it’s optimized to perfection it’s even better. Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is one of those, a masterpiece that is a masterclass of a port. PC players rejoice, you’re once again getting PlayStations greatest at their absolute best.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is one of the most emotionally satisfying games I have ever played. I was stunned by the emotionally charged, beautifully presented, and impeccably acted story which is brought to life by incredible technical feats which showcase the power of the PS5. Time and again I was surprised by the sheer bleakness that the story was brave enough to dive into and the thrill of watching hope attempt - and often fail - to overcome those seemingly insurmountable odds. Requiem is a story which both uplifts and decimates your emotions at the same time; a story told by characters that feel real and that you grow to care and root for. By the end you too will be shouting, “I am Amicia de Rune and I kneel to no one.”

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope launches with a spark of life. There are improvements and expansion of the gameplay and performance of the first game. Three new heroes to the game including an original (non-Mushroom Kingdom related) Rabbid character named Edge. There are brand new unique weapons and special abilities for each character. Oh, and Sparks galore. This game is pumped full of “new tactical possibilities” for every kind of gamer.

Persona 5 Royal makes the leap to PC with aplomb. There’s a decent suite of options including rebindable controls and resolution scaling, but it’s not quite perfect. Keyboard and mouse leave a small amount to be desired and the UI looks awful at resolutions below 1080. Still, if you’re looking to play one of the most stylish and fun JRPGs around, PC is the perfect way to experience it.

The DioField Chronicle mixes the complexity of a slow-burn political thriller with a deceptively straightforward strategy game. I was pleasantly surprised with where my investment in the world of DioField led me, but pay-off off the battle mechanics does not match the narrative destination.

The next generation edition of Biomutant may not have been necessary, but it doesn’t hurt anything either. Overall, the game is very smooth, never dropping a frame no matter how crowded it may become, and the world is as beautiful and colorful as ever. My biggest gripe with the game is pretty universally mentioned: there was a lot more going on in the game than could be given proper attention, such as the upgrade and crafting systems, but it makes up for it in my opinion with a story and a world that is fun to explore.

NieR: Automata The End of YoRHa Edition takes one of the best games ever made and turns it into a miraculous, portable experience. While 30 fps may seem like a downgrade, you won’t even feel the difference after a few minutes and the sacrifice is more than worth it. The new costumes are a great way to freshen up the game, but this version does lack some of the older cosmetics still exclusive to other versions.

Cute and fun for a period of time, Lemon Cake is a familiar comfort food. Small slices taste good, but consuming the whole cake in a few bites is just going to give your stomach the rumblies.

While my major issues with the game’s writing, tone, and design remain unchanged, the PC port of No More Heroes 3 shines without the constraints of the Switch. The open world is very unoptimized, but if you have enough hardware to throw at it performance is far more acceptable. The game works great on Steam Deck too, letting you experience the alien murder fest wherever you go in gorgeous quality.

Serial Cleaners is a unique entry into the stealth genre, featuring fun gameplay mechanics, a quirky cast of characters, and increasingly complex missions. Sneaking past guards, disposing of evidence, tackling innocent bystanders, and coming up with increasingly chaotic ways of dealing with tough situations never became dull, rather I was constantly excited for what came next. While there were a few sound issues and the on-screen text can be a bit small, I still found myself greatly enjoying my time as a cleaner for a mob boss.

Overwatch 2 is so damn good. 5v5 has breathed life into the game, Junkerqueen, Sojourn, and Kiriko are a breath of fresh air, and the game’s new high pace suits its competitive nature perfectly. The new maps are insanely fun to play, albeit with some needing tweaking, and the new Push gamemode only enhances Overwatch 2’s core experience. The only downside comes from its cosmetic-locked, 9-week battle pass system, which will be costly to continually purchase.

Valkyrie Elysium has an incredibly fun combat system at its base along with some light platforming and RPG elements, however it doesn’t go too far beyond that. The rote story is held up by good twists and likable characters, but I can’t help but see massive potential just beyond what the game presents. Still, if you’re an action game junkie like me, this is well worth your time and more.

Tunic on PS5 is fantastic. Charming level design, creative puzzles, surprising challenges, along with a lush world to explore and decipher all merge to create one of the best adventure games in recent memory. There’s so much to uncover, including multiple endings, optional side quests, and collectible trophies, along with a New Game + mode that adds further challenges, that most players will find countless hours of entertainment.

The games contained in the Arcadia Bay Collection are still excellent, but the updates made here make these the objectively worse versions. The motion capture updates to Life is Strange look fantastic, but are hard to see through more realistic textures that look out of place compared to the water color style of the original. If you can, stick with the original games on PC, but if you’re a console player this is an acceptable way to experience these incredible stories if you can look past the issues.

Both Sam & Max Save the World and Sam & Max: Beyond Time and Space remain great games after all these years. These remasters honor what made the originals special, while simultaneously modernizing the games. Updated graphics, audio, and accessibility features are just a few of the quality-of-life improvements found in these charmingly bizarre yet well-crafted adventures. New players and old fans alike will find plenty to love.

Video Game Fables is a solid if simple RPG that suffers from the baggage of its meta nature. The lighthearted dialogue will make you smile and there are glimpses of compelling RPG design strewn about the experience. The game just never truly rises above the height of the conventions it seeks to overthrow, which given the subject matter, is a distracting misstep that weakens the overall experience.

Grounded provides a survival experience unlike any other within its genre. Carving out a place to survive within the tiny realm of the backyard is rewarding, and exploring the world from a new perspective is amusing. With the release of the full game, Grounded now feels like a complete experience worthy of its fans’ expectations.

Session: Skate Sim is the most authentic skateboarding experience you can get from a video game. Though you will fall down (a lot) and may get frustrated, you will undoubtedly leave this experience with a greater appreciation for skating and the culture that surrounds it.

Destroy All Humans 2 Reprobed is a beautifully done remake of a cult classic that fans are sure to enjoy. There are some bugs and glitches that still need to be ironed out and the boss battles are more exhausting than truly challenging. But, praise be to Arkvoodle.

The Outbound Ghost looks and sounds wonderful, but that’s about all there is to enjoy here. Exploration and combat are both incredibly tedious, and the story meanders for about six hours until it ends with nothing resolved. I want to like this game, but it feels like it lacks any sort of central vision.

OneShot is an incredibly unique experience, and one of my favorite adventure games. While there is a tiny bit of magic lost in the transition to console, the additions more than make up for it, especially for fans double dipping with the World Machine Edition. Whether it’s your first, second, or third time adventuring with Niko, this is an incredibly memorable journey that you will never forget.

Soulstice does an exceptional job of keeping the player engaged throughout its entirety. The amount of content just within the combat is jaw-dropping, so much so that it feels like Reply Game Studios aren’t saving anything for a sequel. There’s a lot to discover (and a lot to master) as you slowly trek through its massive world and uncover one of the most enjoyable detective-style stories that I’ve come to experience.

While Made in Abyss: Binary Star Falling into Darkness sports an excellent art direction and adapts the early part of the series' story quite well, it unfortunately fails to provide an enjoyable gameplay experience.

All in all, putting the online infrastructure disaster aside, Splatoon 3 is a lot of fun, but I can’t help but feel like it could have been an update to Splatoon 2 rather than a new game. I enjoyed the new story mode, the new weapons are great, and the lobby changes are fantastic, but everything else just feels like too little to warrant $60. I generally don’t like to evaluate games on price point, but it needs to be said this is more like Splatoon 2.25 than a full jump in number or even just half. Once you take into account the awful connection it definitely doesn’t feel worth it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a good game and a great entry for new fans, but I’d get basically the same experience and probably slightly more stable in Splatoon 2 and that’s still right there on my home screen. Nintendo really needs to step their game up in terms of updates, and for God’s sake invest in some servers or better netcode.

Summary: MADiSON is an astounding success in the horror genre, especially for someone who doesn’t play many horror games (me). The game was well put together and delivered on the spooks, however some puzzles are rough to figure out and could have been a little less obscure.

Jack Move is a fantastic and bite-sized RPG with some incredibly interesting character building. The story feels too jam packed and tonally inconsistent, but it and the characters are enjoyable for what they are. While I’m not a fan of the art style, it does what it sets out to do for the most part and is accompanied by some excellent jams.

An amazing Jojo game, but a less than perfect fighting game. The massive roster and upgrades to the combat systems and visuals from the previous edition make this the definitive way to play Jojo’s All Star Battle. However, while enjoyable to fight offline, the poor netcode makes playing online a nightmare at times. The single player and local multiplayer experience somewhat makes up for this, but it’s a hard sell for those who aren’t already fans of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.

Metal: Hellsinger has absolutely kickstarted the boomer-shooter, rhythm FPS genre. Of the handful of issues the game possesses, they're all overshadowed by its insane amount of entertainment value. There's no doubt that The Outsiders have created something extraordinary, something that absolutely needs a sequel. Although very challenging and not without its critiques, its an extremely satisfying experience through and through.