Moomintroll: Winter's Warmth is an interesting way to dive into the world of Moomin, offering a simple but fairly competent adventure that doubles down as something akin to a coming of age story. Unfortunately, what could have been a fantastic adventure is dragged down slightly by the way quests are presented as repetitive chores. Nonetheless, it’s still a curious adventure, especially for fans of the original universe or those curious about its rendition of a world reminiscent of a fairy tail.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is an enjoyable simulator of managing society from the advantage of an overlord who can play with the characters as if they were dolls, but never fully control the unhinged nature of human interaction. The dialogue and events are full of silly whims and this funny mood gives form to its comfortable experience. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that much of what it offers depends on how much the player dedicates to it and the repetition may boggle it down.

Marathon is a shooter that gets better the more you play and the training wheels come off. Near the twenty-hour mark, there's a moment when the game opens up and everything starts clicking. The gunplay feels fantastic, the maps start getting good, your squad knows which Runner Shells to pick, the loot is fantastic and the risk-reward loop gets you. Getting to that feeling not only takes way too long, however, but is also offset by poor starting maps, grindy objectives and no narrative to really push you through those opening hours. Marathon is also held back by confusing decisions made by Bungie. Locking Cryo Archive behind arbitrary walls like making it only available on weekends, having poor options for solos and no permanent options for duos and only being able to play one contract per run are all choices that limit Marathon. It's unfortunate, because Marathon can be quite fun to play when everything eventually clicks. Bungie has built a good foundation with Marathon, but it's not quite the clean start it should have been.

MLB The Show 26 retains the series reputation as a fun game of baseball. If you've never played a baseball game before, you won't be disappointed. If you have, it's hard to ignore the shortcomings. The visuals are dated and need an overhaul, which hopefully will come in the next generation of consoles. The hitting with the Big Zone Hitting and adjustable zone speed is some of the best in the history of the series. The Bare Down Pitches don't really serve a purpose other than implementing the Depth of Field addition to the game. This also looks strange when hitting, but can help identify the ball off of the pitcher's hand. RTTS is a slight improvement thanks to its early game updates, while Franchise gets a slight boost with the new Trade Hub and logic updates to help keep players engaged. No longer is there a March for October mode, and Diamond Dynasty only ends up getting World Baseball Classic players and gear. MLB The Show has transitioned more towards a closed sandbox of a baseball game offering players a few of the same options each year to play, but won't expand beyond this.

Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterly is a horror classic that’s unfortunately weighed down by questionable design changes. While it’s just as tense and atmospheric as ever, very much helped by the terrific audio and visual design, the focus on combat creates an experience less about the horror and more about ghostly engagements. Some of the changes are welcome, such as the quality-of-life improvements when selecting film on the fly and filters for the Camera Obscura, but the aggravated wraith addition causes more of a headache than it does exciting encounters. In the end, Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly Remake makes a lot of improvements to the formula and overall exploration of the world, but focuses too heavily on the combat.

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are major classics in the franchise that still hold up well enough to be worth exploring for fans of RPGs and the series itself. On the other hand, as a new release of an old game, it's one of the most barebones releases possible and there's no good reason for it to not have at least something extra to justify it as a commemorative edition.

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen are major classics in the franchise that still hold up well enough to be worth exploring for fans of RPGs and the series itself. On the other hand, as a new release of an old game, it's one of the most barebones releases possible and there's no good reason for it to not have at least something extra to justify it as a commemorative edition.

Tales of Berseria was the last mainline game before the franchise was reborn anew with Arise, and you can certainly feel its age. It retains a lot of the bad habits from the games of the 2010s, such as inconsistent visual quality and linear dungeon designs. It doesn’t help that while a handful of quality-of-life improvements have been made, they aren’t enough to justify a full repurchase. Thankfully, what carries the JRPG is the rest of the experience. The combat is fast-paced, fluid and highly engaging. The story is darker and more mature with a likable cast of characters. And of course, the soundtrack from famed composer Motoi Sakuraba helps immerse the player into the world. Tales of Berseria is one of the best Tales games out there, so it’s a shame that Bandai Namco has done little in adapting it for the next generation.

If you’re specifically looking for a non-traditional, colorful tennis game to play with your friends, then Mario Tennis Fever will fill the void. Unfortunately, the latest Switch 2 entry into the subseries does little memorable and enticing outside of this. It has solid gameplay mechanics, with a variety of characters and rackets to choose from, but there’s not much of note outside of this. It doesn’t help that the Adventure mode is a glorified tutorial. In the end, all Mario Tennis Fever amounts to is a short distraction with friends with minimal enjoyment outside of that.

It's not too often that a game comes out at a low price that makes you feel willing to pay more if they had just added certain things. This is the case for iRacing Arcade. Was this a game simply because there was extra room in their budget or was iRacing just testing the waters? If there is a sequel, they know what to add after this. The racing, the aesthetic, and the Career Mode are the draw in iRacing Arcade. At just $25, any racing fan needs to pick it up. Players will need a group of friends to lobby up, though, as there isn't matchmaking for online racing and not much else going on outside the Career Mode. This also does get grindy and repetitive. These cars could be made into toys, as the reflections really showcase the detail in these caricatures of automobiles. The racing is fun at the right difficulty level, and is completely worth the price of admission.

God of War Sons of Sparta is a satisfactory, yet not overly triumphant, return to the Greek era. A 2D Metroidvania God of War title sounds great on paper, but Mega Cat Studios never quite manages to capture the feel or pacing of a God of War game. The story is where the game is at its strongest, delivering a look into Kratos' life and personality before tragedy strikes. Though the pacing makes getting into the story difficult and Sons of Sparta never feels necessary to the overarching narrative, the story ends strongly. The Metroidvania piece itself is a stumble thanks to the poor pacing of key abilities. The locales are neat, the corridor design is fine, but getting through the first couple of hours is a real chore. Combat fares better thanks to a smart implementation of Greek and Norse era mechanics, but Mega Cat Studios never manages to capture the God of War feeling. God of War Sons of Sparta is a satisfactory adventure in the God of War universe, but it's far from the triumphant return of the Greek era fans have been waiting for.

High on Life 2 is a sequel that takes meaningful steps forwards with its storytelling and variety, but also many steps back with its gunplay, level design and lack of refinement. It's an ambitious sequel that's fun in doses, but this comedy bit off way more than it could chew.

Super Bomberman Collection is a pack filled with fun games from the Super Nintendo era that are still just as fun today as they were back in the day. Filled with variety, they can be a strong option to recapture the magic once again. The collection itself ends up a little lackluster, though, with online multiplayer not being part of the pack by default and the basic additions that don’t even allow for complete remapping. In the end, it feels like more effort could have been put into celebrating such a classic IP.

Earth Must Die presents an intriguing take on the point-and-click genre following a buffoon leader trying to get things his way. Though the jokes may sometimes be crude or hardly interesting, the wacky world and unique characters are enough to keep it an enjoyable journey. The best part, however, is how much of its personality oozes into the gameplay choices, truly representing how VValak acts, thinks and feels in all of its colorful details.

Temirana: The Lucky Princess and the Tragic Knights is a solid otome game with flaws that keep it from shining as bright as it should. The visual novel features a compelling plot, a curious fantasy setting and solid audiovisual aspects. It may not be among the best Otomate titles, but fans of the genre are likely to enjoy Cecilia’s story.

Tomba! 2: The Evil Swine Return Special Edition is a decent way to experience a unique but flawed platformer from the original PlayStation era. As a simple port with basic features, it doesn’t do much to uplift the experience. Nonetheless, its heart is intact and for anyone curious to play the game, this is a good way to do it.

What hurts Destiny 2: Renegades the most is that it is just an Episode masquerading as an Expansion. There are no new Strikes, Crucible maps, Gambit maps, and for the first time ever in any $40 expansion, no new Patrol Zone and no new Raid. On top of that, some of the most desirable loot, including the White and Purple lightsaber crystals, are held ransom in the Eververse Store. As Kylo Ren once said, "it's time to let old things die," and it's hard not to think that about Destiny 2 after The Edge of Fate and Renegades. After 2025, it's time for Bungie to take a break, regroup and finally release Destiny 3.

Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons tries to update the formula of the series with new ideas that are very popular in the indie sphere. While the concept is interesting, the end result is actually much more frustrating than anything else. Repetitive and artificially padded, the ideas end up not shining as bright as they should, though fun can still be found by understanding its limitations from the start.

Kirby Air Riders is a fast, fun addition to the Nintendo Switch 2's growing library, but, it might have been a better experience had it stuck some more traditional racing mechanics.

There's a lot of good and a lot of bad with Project Motor Racing. The handling is unique and challenging, while the Career Mode and online ranked license system are different and unique. The range of cars is great for fans of racing over the years. More will come with DLC in the future, but the various physics elements for the different cars provide something most console racers haven't experienced. The development team really wants to make this as close to the real experience as possible, but unfortunately, the LMDh class is broken and undriveable. The ultimate immersion breaker is just how frustrating and atrocious the AI is, and they can't even be bumped out of the way, all while pushing players around. The online races are fine before release, and having a custom lobby system will be a plus. It's also cross-platform, so the lobbies and races can have the maximum possible players. Project Motor Racing has big issues that hinder the experience, but the GT Cars are worth experiencing.

Where Winds Meet is a game that has incredible highs and extreme lows. It has wonderful boss fights that make the combat shine, showcasing that with the right mechanical skill, you can make an intense fight an amazing spectacle. The combat and exploration are the highlights as a whole, but when you’re not in a boss fight, you’ll be exploring, doing puzzles and experiencing the main story. All of which are serviceable, especially as a free-to-play game, but they could have most certainly been handled in a way that makes them more enjoyable. The co-op modes are limited, requiring you to get through a decent chunk of the game before they are something that you and friends can play through and enjoy. Even with all the issues, it isn’t a bad game by any means, and it's fun when you get to the in-depth and interesting portions. It does end up being somewhat limited by the format chosen by the developer, making it difficult to enjoy every minute that you do end up playing.

The base-building is nicely flexible, whether you want to make it a bare-bones production facility or something more organized with walls and doorways plus a cozy living area, and while the automation tools are fairly basic, they get the job done with minimal fuss. The platforming tools for world exploration are strong enough that, with a combination of launching from a full-speed hoverboard into a glide combined with air-dashing, Kent can frequently get to areas that should have been out of reach, especially when combined with a low-gravity environmental event. That map itself is nicely designed, albeit maybe a bit generous in advertising where the secrets are, and each biome has its own set of resources to chase after. All those raw materials then get fed back into climbing up the tech tree, which frequently involves expanding the base a bit more to fit in new machinery to process the resources in different ways and then combining it all into food, potions, tools, upgrades, and eventually the restoration of humanity. That last bit is a long way off from Kent's arrival planetside, but he's been napping for ten thousand years, so what's a few more spent in pursuit of not being the last person on Earth?

Overall, Amanda the Adventurer 3 is a thrilling conclusion to this small-scale trilogy and one that's sure to please fans of the first two titles. While the game does have visual flaws, which may make it tempting to ignore for new players, those who are fans of puzzles, horror and the escape room genre should give the Amanda trilogy a chance the next time they’re in the mood for mascot horror frights. It may not be the best horror title of 2025, but it's deserving of gamers' time nonetheless.

Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition is a good racing game at its core hurt by lackluster porting and a lack of content. While Raw Thrills' prior arcade effort, Cruis'n Blast, got a healthy increase in content going over to consoles, this game did not and it hurts the long-term lifespan. As an arcade racing fanatic, it's easy to get a lot of use out of the game for years, but casual racing fans will want to look towards a meatier arcade-style racing game.

While Wreckreation still needs work to get the remaining kinks out, there's still a hugely entertaining racer once you get used to the fact that there's no reasonable way to expect Burnout Paradise-levels of polish. It's the kind of game you can spend half a day listing its flaws and the other half having a great time playing, bashing opponents into scrap metal while seeing what kind of trouble you can find or create. Wreckreation shoots for the stars and doesn't quite make it, but it's hard to complain when drifting a mountain road's switchback at two hundred miles per hour or building a series of ramps up a mountain just because you can. It's a lovely peaceful world in the countryside of Wreckreation, but with a little bit of creative mayhem, that's a problem it won't have for long.

Double Dragon Revive doesn't quite hit the mark, but does do some things right. The combat gives glimpses of greatness, but there's a lot going on with that combat. Limited space and room within levels mixed with random platforming/puzzle sessions is part of the reason the genre moved on to greater things. These elements didn't necessarily need to be revisited especially when other recent Double Dragon titles didn't try to do this. Yuke's seemed to go for a more serious tone with this release, and while Streets of Rage 4 was able to get away with a serious tone, it doesn't completely work here. It may be due to the fact that it feels more like a modern anime rather than a ninja gang story from the late 1980s. Revive may have also stuck out more if there hadn't been so many chances at reviving the series in recent years.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a fun romp through Lumiose City thanks to its fun and engaging gameplay and stable framerate that's ultimately held back by an antiquated approach to world design and presentation.

When Full Metal Schoolgirl is at its best it's easy to see the game it could have been, with a good mix of enemies and behaviors making the rooms feel satisfyingly challenging. This can frequently go on for a couple of rooms at a time, but soon enough the enemy mix will lean towards unmanageable, packed with ground-based cyborgs, flying ones with guns, a turret or two or maybe missile-launching dog-bots and a couple spider-bots for good measure. Sure, the weapons make short work of each individual enemy, and if you could see everything all at once, the tools are there to avoid damage, but that's just not possible. Health goes down, batteries are used to replenish it but there's only so many, and the run is over. Dying isn't a problem, but losing a notable percentage of health from off-camera enemies, when you're at floor nineteen of a twenty-floor run and you used your only key to get there, and on defeat need to re-do the lower floors that were interesting when you were less powerful but now have the health, energy, special moves and experience to blow through just feels like busywork. A good run feels nicely satisfying, the combat can be great fun once you lock into its flow, and the variety of encounters means it's not too bad when there are twenty floors between one checkpoint and the next, but when a run feels bad due to elements you can't react to and the punishment is wasted time in areas you're done with, it becomes easy to find anything else to do.

Ninja Gaiden 4 is a frustratingly good time. On one hand, the combat can be entertaining, with highly engaging move sets and combos. On the other hand, the story, pacing, mission structure and some enemy designs leave a lot to be desired.

NASCAR 25 will curb the appetite of those looking for a console experience. The game does the driving and racing perfectly, albeit with some slips outside of the excellent physics engine. This game needs to be experienced with a force feedback or direct drive wheel to truly appreciate the physics engine. Using a controller works well enough and will suit casual players just fine; it's just hard to come back to it from using a wheel. Outside of the racing, there isn't much going on. The Career Mode has interesting design decisions, but there's no point in racing long races if you have to start over due to the Sponsorship Goal. There are four series' here with a ton of drivers to choose from, but the customization aspect is limited. The game looks and runs well, but the sound experience is lacking. The point is you play racing games to drive the cars, which is where NASCAR 25 shines.

Yooka-Replaylee is a bright and upbeat platformer-adventure starring a pair of fun and likable characters, so it's hard to complain too much about it being overly referential. Each level is a platforming playground with mini-games, a boss encounter, unique challenges to help keep the returning ones fresh and a reasonable play-time to completion. The move-set isn't huge, but they're all effective, making navigating the world feel smooth and responsive. Thematically it's a bit all over the place and skews young for its humor and difficulty, but neither of these take away from the satisfaction of Yooka-Replaylee giving constant rewards for looking in odd places. If there's an interesting spot in the level then there's something there to collect, and more often than not the reward is an item worth the effort of the search. That's exactly how a collectathon platformer is supposed to work, and whether a game is twenty-seven years old or just a couple of days, the formula is timeless.

The tale of Pac-Man World 2: Re-Pac is one where the gameplay sum is greater than its parts. There are a ton of flaws throughout the experience, and yet despite them all, it's still easy to recommend the game because of how fun everything is at its core. The biggest issue plaguing Re-Pac 2 is the lack of quality-of-life improvements being put in place across the board. Having the outline for Pac-Man falling, but not having a similar outline for enemies above the player, is one such example and something that will lead to needless hits and deaths, which can be frustrating during boss battles, especially with their variety of stages before you win. If you enjoyed the first Re-Pac, then getting the sequel is a must because it's more of the same kind of action, just more polished. If you didn't and have a craving for 3D platforming, then it's a slightly tougher recommendation given how janky things can feel compared to other platformers on the market.

King of Meat is a game that fulfills a specific niche genre, aiming to provide a solid and entertaining party game experience for folks looking to play games with their friends. There's matchmaking and the potential to play solo, but the game at its core is much better with 1–3 others to play with. Crossplay helps with this, allowing the entire group to play on the console of their choice. Everything is straightforward and to the point; there isn’t much to do, but when done with a party, it can end up being fun. It isn’t going to be a game of the year contender by any means, but the world surrounding the game is over the top and hilarious. It allows everyone to have fun with simple weapon combos, fun customization options, a dungeon creator and unlocks that keep the core game interesting.

Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile is a good mystery game that expands on a classic narrative with new elements due to the new setting and dual protagonist structure. The expansive areas to explore, however, are a double-edged sword as they offer good-looking visuals and may be compelling to explore for hardcore adventure gamers, but may end up being labyrinthine and hard to enjoy for a more casual playthrough. Fans of the genre are likely to enjoy the experience, whether they know the original Agatha Christie story or not.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger is a fun game with interesting gameplay mechanics that are unfortunately held back by simple enemy encounter design. Thankfully, the fun mechanics and respect for the concept of Digimon will still make this an enjoyable title for fans of the franchise. If you're craving a new story starring these beloved creatures, then you can't go wrong with picking this up.

Nicktoons and the Dice of Destiny may not change the world with its simple gameplay and level design, but being the first proper Nicktoons crossover story in years is bound to let it worm its way into the minds of fans. While factors like a bizarre loot system and graphical issues hold the title back, anybody who is a fan of cartoons is bound to enjoy their time with this title. This may not be a Nicktoons Unite title by name, but it is one in spirit.

Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree is a game with a fantastic concept that's sadly held back by factors like an unsatisfying progression system. Those who are fans of roguelikes and enjoy the character designs will still have plenty to enjoy in this title and its charming atmosphere, though, and seeing a company as large as Bandai Namco still take risks with smaller titles like this is always enjoyable in the current industry.

NHL 26 adds welcome touches to the major overhaul that was NHL 25. A majority of the game does carry over for better or worse, but the updates to ICE-Q 2.0 gameplay do make a difference this year helping separate the best from the mid. The gameplay department receives a solid boost as a whole. Be a Pro is the mode to spend time in as it's the major update the mode has needed. Franchise Mode continues to have all the tools, but feels lackluster in execution. The extremely slow menus do not help the situation. Those looking for major updates to Chel won't find it here, and HUT does have nice additions if this is your mode of choice. Is the game fun? Absolutely. There have been excellent games of hockey played against the AI and great-looking plays executed. Being able to use the face buttons for special moves is also a bonus. There just isn't as much of an overhaul here as there was last year, but rather refinements in certain categories.

Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots is a solid game, launching on most of the main platforms players will be on. It has a well-designed and fun gameplay loop that will reward players seeking a decent challenge while also having plenty of unlockable content. The cast is diverse and fun to play, but their dialogue is repeated so often that it can be grating on the ears. Many of the quirky moments that happen are fun for the first few times, but get old fast. What ends up making these issues somewhat mute is the learning curve the game offers.

When Fresh Tracks isn't getting in its own way and letting you read the course, it can be a good time as you plot the best line through snow and jump, slash, lean and avoid everything it can throw at you. Learning to charge up the magic sword with well-timed slashes and the best way to use its magic, whether that be healing or offensive, adds extra strategy through the journey. Each level is also well-designed, with a variety of challenges that repeat and vary at a good pace before a new set of obstacles show up requiring a different approach. The woods, fields, caves, rivers and castles are beautiful landscapes to travel through, and there's decent mythology revealed through the story-songs and godly info-dumps. It's a pretty but hectic journey through the tunes of a snowy fantasy world, skiing through everything its wilderness can throw at you to defeat the music of the gods.

Much like the hero himself, The Knightling might seem small and unimportant, but it can produce great results when it needs to. Exploring the colorful environments is an enjoyable time. There's a ton to see and do and the game invites players to make the most of everything it has to offer. It can be challenging, but it's never frustrating. The light puzzles break up the combat and exploration, and the combat allows the player to find solutions to encounters that fit their preferred play style. Traversal is the true star of the show, especially after all of the abilities have been unlocked. Putting together strings of moves to zip across a region is extremely satisfying. It all comes together to create an action platformer that isn't flawless, but proudly owns its B-tier status. And it should be proud.

Varlet is filled with love of the genre while simultaneously getting a few notable things wrong. The portions of the game that take place between the main plot points and dungeons are dull, making it hard to want to go through the effort of completing all the side objectives. The combat is where the game shines, however, allowing for interesting combinations of your characters and what you can do with them. The issue is that the combat ends up becoming too easy when taking on the majority of the smaller enemies you end up fighting on the way to the bosses. There are no real threats if you keep on top of your characters' levels and switch them out of your party regularly to make sure each one is ready for encounters. This is a solid JRPG that's still great fun, regardless of the issues with the lack of a threat from enemies; you're still rewarded for being creative in boss fights and exploring all avenues that the game has to offer with the skill tree.

Playing Gears of War: Reloaded is a beautiful reminder of how far the industry has come and what we've lost along the way. Upfront, Reloaded is a remaster of a remaster and does nothing to improve the nearly twenty-year-old game. Various quality-of-life improvements for AI, balancing, mechanics, the UI and more would have been greatly appreciated. Outside of that, however, Gears of War remains as compelling an experience as ever. The story, while lacking character development, remains exciting with stellar worldbuilding, foreshadowing and setpieces. The linear campaign is a true gem and reminder that you don't need a bloated 30-60 hour campaign to tell a compelling story. Gameplay remains basic, yet fun and majorly improved thanks to the enhanced framerate. It also goes without saying how spectacular it is to get the full multiplayer suite included given that most remasters don't even bother. The visual presentation is stellar, bringing what was originally an Xbox 360 game up to modern day standards. Reloaded is a stellar value with its campaign, cross-play co-op and full multiplayer suite, especially on PS5. Would a Gears of War Collection been nice, especially given the fact that neither Gears of War 2 or 3 are available on PC or PS5? Absolutely. What Gears of War: Reloaded does set out to accomplish, though, is successful, especially at giving PlayStation players their first of hopefully many trips to Sera.

When everything runs as it should, Echoes of the End is visually pleasing, but the actual gameplay and animations are lacking. What the game does end up doing well are the variety of ways you can handle the combat as you progress. Many of the issues lie with how the combat itself has been handled, with animations from both your main character and enemies being sluggish and hard to read at times. With proper love and attention to ironing out those edges, Echoes of the End has the potential to transform into an amazing title.

OFF is an interesting RPG that exemplifies the unique, creative side of many experiences conceived over the years on RPG Maker. Its style isn’t something that will please everyone, and it feels like the gameplay is relatively uninspired even with the facelift. Nonetheless, it’s still the kind of experience worth checking out, especially for those looking for a thought-provoking, weird new RPG.

If you're looking for another type of game where you hunt intimidating monsters, tracking them along a map while you master the mechanics, this might be the game for you. Wild Hearts S is exactly what the original release aspired to be. Mixing and matching mechanics that you would never expect to be combined, wonderful landscapes and a fun gameplay loop. You're rewarded for being creative with your contraption placement. The performance is great in both of the Nintendo Switch 2 methods you choose to play, with the game still being beautiful despite the lighting and asset flaws. Wild Hearts S is the definitive version of the game, with consistent performance and the full package of content. It's most certainly worth playing if you're seeking a challenge alone or with friends.

Gradius Origins offers enough fun for players looking for something simple yet challenging, or who are just in it for the sake of nostalgia. If you love the series, can forgive the missing games and need to have Salamander III, Gradius Origins might be worth owning if you’re okay with the price tag. If not, you might want to wait until you find it on sale. As for curious new players, if you don’t mind a little repetitiveness, then Gradius Origins might be worth it. If the idea of doing the same thing again and again sounds like it’ll get dull, then this collection might not be for you.

Probably the most disappointing thing about The Edge of Fate is how skimpy it is on new content. With just a campaign, location and raid, The Edge of Fate is the worst value proposition of any piece of Destiny content since Destiny: The Dark Below. Ushering in a new era, the next Destiny release needed to be bold, hook players and continue to show that Bungie can release quality products each go-around. A Destiny 3 might have been able to do all that. As an expansion, Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate doesn’t accomplish any of that outside of introducing an intriguing concept. This is one fate the Destiny franchise might not be able to escape from.

Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game has the potential to be one of the best cozy games out there with a wonderful art style, engaging characters and an entertaining game loop. It struggles, however, with the lack of a fast travel system and overly repetitive game design. There's only so much running (or skipping) you can do before it gets grating. The mini-games like the cooking and fishing are fun, and collecting ingredients in the beautiful Shire is a great distraction to the stresses of real life. What ultimately kills the game right now, however, are how some bugs kill your progress.

Pokémon Friends offers a fun, cozy puzzle experience overall. Though it’s geared towards children and its challenges can look deceptively simple, the time limit and extra obstacles can make things harder than they may seem at first. What keeps the game from truly standing out are its user experience limitations that, even at its most premium DLC-complete version, don’t let players actually have control over their progress.

Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy is hard to recommend because of its dull gameplay, sloppy combat, repetitive enemies, uninspired dungeons and lacking plotline. It does have a few bright sparks within its three main characters and anime aesthetic, though. For some reason, this game keeps bringing you back, so it must be doing something right, despite all of its downfalls. It's just hard to figure out why. It may be the camaraderie between the characters and wanting to see them succeed in their adorable, magical academic journey.

It’s a welcome addition to the Soulslike genre with intense fights and interesting areas to explore. Some of the design options they took when making the most of the available technology, however, are hard to support.

Edens Zero is an enjoyable action RPG that offers solid variation in combat skills and an interesting look into Hiro Mashima’s work. Despite its worlds feeling oddly devoid of life due to the lack of interactive opportunities beyond battle and looting, it’s still a good journey to depart on.

Siege X is a much-needed update to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, but more could have been put into it. Dual Front is a gameplay overhaul that will keep veterans busy for a long time. The visual upgrades are solid, but aren't mind blowing as this is still an eSports title that requires high refresh rates and low latency. The audio overhaul will help players better identify locations and the experience truly begs to use headphones. This is still Rainbow Six Siege, though, so it's either going to click for players or it won't. There's a steep difficulty curve and it requires time investment. Yes, protecting a room in the final minute while using your tools to take down four people as the only survival is rewarding, but wasting 5-10 minutes trying to plan then getting shot through the floor with one bullet while no one on your team is willing to revive you is frustrating. The update is welcome, but it doesn't revolutionize the game.

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is a solid, albeit flawed RPG. It features a robust skill tree system, an engaging story and half-decent combat. Unfortunately, a lot of the side quests leave much to be desired and certain components, such as stealth and athletics, aren’t as finely tuned as the rest. Having this revolve around King Arthur is an entertaining concept, but you’ll tend to forget he’s part of the plot most times. The world is tuned with a grungy, almost heavy metal aesthetic, but this striking visual art style is marred by most of the open world being on the dull side. Regardless, players who are fans of games such as The Elder Scrolls or Kingdom Come: Deliverance will get a kick out of Tainted Grail.

Those hoping Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma was going to be Devil May Cry meets Animal Crossing will sadly be disappointed. Experienced hack-and-slash and dungeon-crawling players will probably want to play at a higher difficulty, but if you love city management sims, you’ll have an enjoyable time building and decorating your villages. Though there are quite a few mechanics players have to learn, they’re easy to remember once the game fully sets you loose and lets you do your own thing. All in all, Guardians of Azuma falls into the category of a cozy video game. It’s not too hard, so players will be able to sit back and have a stress-free experience.

Almost everything in Captain Blood is a love letter to the genre it shares many titles with. This doesn’t feel like a game made to wow people, but rather provides solid entertainment and fun. The game feels like a callback, and it's almost wrong to say it is. Here we have an opportunity to play a game that has never been released and almost lost to time entirely, and it makes the experience nostalgic and charming. While the story and soundtrack aren’t something many will consider to be amazing, they are still serviceable and can be enjoyable. There's plenty of fun to be had within the game, and if you’re a fan of the genre looking for a new game to play, this could scratch that itch.

Anyone that was a fan of the original Command & Conquer games or similar RTS from the early 2000s can't pass up Tempest Rising. The look, sound and upgrades to a system that changes things up just enough will appease classic fans. Anyone expecting an elaborate amount of depth akin to what some of the recent RTS games have incorporated, however, won't find it here. There's not much to do, just the campaign, skirmish and multiplayer. There's only two factions and not a ton of maps. Once each faction is figured out in a month, the game will turn into a rush game online. This was a complaint of the legacy C&C games and this gets carried over with it. It won't be about strategy, it'll be about what works. There's a lot here that any fan would want in a modern C&C game, but it doesn't check every box on the wishlist.

There's a video gaming trope that some of the most fondly remembered games are 7 out of 10 and Rusty Rabbit could be the poster child for this. From a gameplay perspective it's good, decent, not a bad way to spend a surprisingly large number of hours if you want to unlock everything, even if it can't quite live up to its ambitions. The game isn't just the gameplay, though, and when taken as a whole, Rusty Rabbit is the type that sticks in your brain and will be remembered more fondly than actually playing it might justify. The secrets of the history of the rabbits' frozen world are buried in the caverns of Smokestack Mountain, but Rusty knows they'll take care of themselves while he deals with a base filled with hostile rust beasts, chasing after the far more important goal of reconciling with the only family he's got left.

Taking a year off truly helped the core experience of Monster Energy Supercross 25, but at the sacrifice of cut content. The change to the Unreal Engine 5 provides a different experience than in the past. The updated riding physics makes the game both more accessible and more difficult. Tight cornering and fighting for grip is the biggest hurdle. The Neural AI in the fantastic Career Mode is great, something that other racing series could use. The removal of the Compound hurts, but the Rhythm Section mode helps to make up for that loss. Mainly, fans of the series looking for a current Supercross experience finally get it in 2025, as the game is finally set in the year it releases.

Croc Legend of the Gobbos is a fun little platformer that was great during the PS1 era, but doesn't hold up to platformers to this day like Astro Bot. The levels vary and keep surprising you with their mechanics, but the environments themselves are basic and feel repetitive. There's also a steep difficulty curve in the middle of the game that hits you like a freight train and causes you to retry the levels over and over again. The lack of save states and a rewind feature would have resolved some of the quirks. Argonaut Games has done an admirable job of updating the graphics with remastered models and improved textures (for the most part), and it's a great to have the option to switch to the retro look if so desired. Despite annoying levels here and there, Croc Legend of the Gobbos is a 3D platformer worth revisiting.

While Koira's gameplay loop can be repetitive by the end, it's wonderful at telling a narrative. It's beautiful, stirring and overall a fantastic debut from the 2022-formed Studio Tolima. Hopefully they'll continue to focus on the connection between music and gameplay in their next title because it's a concept that has great potential to be expanded on.

The First Berserker: Khazan is a solid Soulslike that just doesn’t do anything special. Even though the developers do a good job creating skill trees to match each weapon, there’s a serious lack of variety when it comes to the arsenal and attributes. On top of that, while the bosses are a treat to fight, being a significant challenge that evolves with the story, the same can’t be said about the mission structure. These are lacking functionally and artistically in their design, creating less-than-compelling locales to fight through. Despite all of our issues with The First Berserker: Khazan, it still scratched an itch that many Soulslikes haven’t been able to.

The storytelling and level design might keep players interested enough to make it through the main story, but the lack of depth in gameplay and role-playing makes it hard to imagine anyone wanting to spend their time playing Atomfall over any other successful title in the genre.

At its core, the overall gameday feel and experience is largely unchanged. There are enough mild changes here to sway your eyes enough away from that aspect.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a decent game that delivers a good narrative, a set of great protagonists and strong gameplay, but never fully commits to melding the best aspects of both eras into a truly great package.

Split Fiction is shorter, more expensive, and while it may not have the originality or variety of It Takes Two, it still manages to create an entertaining and captivating experience for both players.

Despite my many hangups with this collection, you can still have heaps of fun. The game is compelling as you set traps for your opponents, cast spell cards to improve your monster's ATK and DEF, and tribute your current beasts for stronger cards like the Blue Eyes White Dragon (which is also in Legacy of the Duelist). Playing Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championships 2004 sent a wave of nostalgia towards me, and if I had a Switch copy of this collection, I'd be playing it for hours, lying on my couch, just like my childhood. It's just a shame that this collection failed to modernize the classic games with better UI. The lack of save states is also frustrating, and the selection of games on offer may be a disappointment, especially because the Game Boy games are outdated. Also, I don't know about you, but Dungeon Dice Monsters might be the worst idea for the series, and that's unfortunately part of this collection rather than something like Duelists of the Roses. It's probably best to ignore this collection and check out the more recent Master Duel instead if you're not affected by nostalgia.

While there's a lot not to like about Never 7: The End of Infinity, it’s not a complete waste. Being able to go through an old genre example is nice for a history lesson for those interested in how the style evolved. There are a few story beats that do get the ol’ brain hamster running the wheel, which is also cool. The fact that it takes about half of the game to go anywhere is a problem, as is the fact that it is shorter than most modern visual novel fans have come to expect. As a curiosity, this is worth checking out. For someone who is only checking out the visual novel genre for the first time, there are better options.

While the overall game loop of Two Point Museum is a thrilling experience and will keep you hooked for many hours, the execution falls flat throughout the campaign. The tasks asked of you can be frustrating as they sometimes rely upon luck, and while most of the tutorials are great towards the beginning, the lack of explanation about the financial side of Two Point Museum is disappointing.

Monster Hunter Wilds is a fun experience and has all the staples that make the series so enjoyable. Unfortunately, some choices make it hard to enjoy yourself for a significant amount of time while making your way to the portion of the game that you’re trying to experience.

The lack of single-player options is going to be missed by many while they look to dive back in and feel the nostalgia of the series. The soundtrack, visuals, sound design and actual gameplay are still solid but can seem dated. These aspects are still special in their own way and almost seem to add more charm to this classic fighting game. While the foundation of what makes Virtua Fighter special is still here in Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O., it's still lacking in a lot of aspects. With that said, it's still a cheaper fighting game that's reliably fun and a good game to play while you wait for the newest entry in the series to make its debut. What we have here is a solid PC port of the PS4 remaster and its still a welcome addition to the PC fighting game community. This isn’t an overwhelmingly huge update and new release of the game, but rather a way to give new and old players alike a taste of the classic fighting game.

Phantom Brave is sure to be a fun, but possibly underwhelming, return to the franchise for fans of the original title, as well as of other NIS titles like the Disgaea series. For newcomers, however, the game has failed most of its attempts to make gameplay accessible to even well-versed veterans of the turn-based strategy genre. The end result is a niche-interest title that will likely be hit-or-miss with hardcore fans, due to the rough and messy assembly of its multitude of interesting parts.

On Your Tail can be a bit rocky at times, with the game sometimes struggling to balance both its life sim and detective elements, not helped by some awkward gameplay segments surrounding the core mystery. Still, thanks to a strong and lovable cast of characters and a gorgeous little town filled with a lot of fun stuff to do, there's a ton here to enjoy, especially for those looking for something more cozy to chill out with. Indeed, it's a nice little vacation worth taking.

Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer may not actually train the player to be an effective boxer, but it is a fun way to burn some calories and get the heart rate elevated. The targets seem to accurately track the punching movement when it comes to scoring, and the routines presented in the daily challenges are varied enough that getting in some cardio doesn't feel like a chore. Due to the nature of it being a game, the calorie counter is only an approximation and there's no real feedback on whether the player is using good form in their punches. It isn't going to be as effective as a real trainer, but it's an enjoyable and effective cardio workout that would be a great supplement to an existing exercise program or a good starting point for a gamer that wants to be more active.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered resurrects two of the most-celebrated games from the long-dormant vampire franchise. For immortals and the undead, a quarter-century isn't really that long, so it shouldn't be too surprising both games hold up well and are still enjoyable today, even if they do show their true age even with the upgrades. The improved visuals maintain the signature appearance of the original, but look much better on HD displays. In general, this collection found the correct balance between keeping the classics intact while adding just the right amount of new blood to help these games appeal to a modern audience. Hopefully this can lead to a greater resurrection of the Legacy of Kain franchise.

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind has a great old-school beat-'em-up at its core, but it unfortunately finds itself buried under questionable gameplay additions at times. Still, for those who just want to experience the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers game in a well-done beat-'em-up, this is still easily recommended, as it easily nails down the spirit and fun of both the show and video games from the era. Let's just hope any sequels go all-out with the franchise's history, though...

Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood succeeds at creating a loyal sequel to the previous installments in the franchise, but fails to successfully bring that franchise to the level of quality synonymous with Nintendo's console games. Slow progression, major quality-of-life issues and unbearably-boring lengths of dialogue and gameplay heavily bog down this fun and lighthearted turn-based RPG, with the final product ending up as a 50-50 split of soul-sucking boredom and family-friendly fun.

LEGO Horizon Adventures is a fun, albeit brief, romp through the world of Horizon. Its story, humor, world and gameplay may not fully match up to its source material, or reach the same heights as the best Traveller’s Tales LEGO games, but Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo have built a strong foundation for a new style of LEGO game.

When all is said and done, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a solid experience. It's flashy, pretty and entertaining, standing out through the combat and environments. It no longer feels like this sprawling world that we explore and save from the brink of destruction, but rather a small pocket that needs constant supervision. This is a more on-the-rails experience when compared to any of the past Dragon Age games. Considering the struggles that Bioware has undergone since Dragon Age: Inquisition, however, it's still awesome that we received a game of this quality. It doesn’t share much in terms of style and gameplay, but we do see characters we love again in a beautiful world and fun combat. It isn’t the most mind-blowing entry to the series and does play it safe, but it's still a good game. The combat and soundtrack are solid, the environments are gorgeous and the game is still filled with a ton of world-building.

Despite a disappointing setlist, Just Dance 2025 Edition still delivers on the fun of the pastime. Some of the choreography can be too complicated for its own good, but there are some tracks that stand out with easier to follow moves like "Paint the Town Red" and "Vogue" by Madonna. The visuals are also striking, while the inclusion of multiple difficulties within some songs is a step in the right direction.

Players looking for a sci-fi retro shooter experience with a bit of modernization will no doubt enjoy Rogue Flight out of the box. The replayability comes into question as it comes off more grindy than an arcade shooter or the unlockable roguelike mode should. The visuals and the experience along with the voice acting are superb, while the soundtrack is fantastic and most fans of this genre will enjoy the music alone. The steep PC requirements for an indie title may hurt this in the end, though.

Bokeh Game Studio’s Slitterhead shows a lot of promise in terms of its unique possession action gameplay, direction, music and overall plot. It’s fun, electric and unlike any other game. New IPs are the lifeblood of the industry and the game is a key example of keeping that saying alive.

Whatever promise Life is Strange: Double Exposure has, be it in its beautiful setting, fun and likable characters, or its intriguing setup, ends up being undermined by a scattershot narrative that never comes together. And unfortunately, with a lack of any substantial gameplay or meaningful choices, that leaves this as just a so-so adventure game at best, and what is arguably the lowest-ranking game in the series. Hopefully Life is Strange can rebound back, but for now, it's not a pretty picture.

Amanda the Adventurer 2 is a fun adventure title that delivers solid puzzles, great performances and a nice mixture of dread and humor, but a few sloppy decisions and a lack of anything substantial in either the gameplay or story areas hold it back. Still, if you can get past those issues (and the first puzzle), there's a nice, quick romp through an eerie library here that's worth checking out. If nothing else, at least the true ending will leave fans properly hooked for more games to come...

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is a refined version of the 2011 cult classic. The visuals are smoother, the game mechanics feel more natural, but aside from the minor face lift and some new costumes, this is exactly how we remember it. Outside of New Game+, all the changes and updates to Shadows of the Damned ar minor. This is great news for purists who love the original how it is, but it also makes some mechanics feel dated. For players who are fine with average game mechanics and enjoy juvenile humor, however, Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered remains a good enough time that's worth revisiting. It might not be an incredibly deep game, but there's still something satisfying about decapitating demons with a sentient shotgun.

Super Mario Party Jamboree is something of a mixed experience. Its main mode, while offering a truly solid selection of fun minigames and interesting boards, suffers from a frustratingly slow rate of play. Unless it's addressed in a future update, most players are probably going to eventually get tired of everything taking longer than it should. Most of the side modes are “take it or leave it” affairs as well, but Koopathlon, Toad’s Item Factory and especially Bowser’s Kaboom Squad are together good enough to make up for that. Fans with friends to play it with will feel satisfied with Super Mario Party Jamboree, but those who don’t probably need not rush to pick this one up.

Starship Troopers: Extermination is a frustrating game. Not because of the challenge, but because it’s so close to being good only to crash into the ground in a heap of green blood and mandibles. The technical glitches, poor lighting and unrewarding progression system interfere with the moments that capture the feel of the action from the film. With some patches and expansion, this title could be fantastic. In its current state, players would be better off going back to Earth Defense Force or Helldivers II.

Despite some of the issues with the game, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a solid arena fighting game that has tons of action and content available to players on day one and is worth a shot for fans and newcomers alike.

As far as the game itself is concerned, God of War Ragnarok could best be described as a safe sequel. Ragnarok focuses primarily on storytelling and big cinematic moments while refusing to take any chances when it comes to combat, exploration or other parts of the gameplay. This refusal to innovate sometimes backfires as there are plenty of moments when the narrative isn't strong enough to carry the rest of the game. God of War Ragnarok is mostly an enjoyable experience, especially when you include Valhalla as part of the package, but the sequel ultimately falls short in several key areas and isn’t nearly as memorable as its predecessor.

Enotria: The Last Song is a solid soulslike with a unique, appealing identity, which is plenty to paper over the rough spots on the quest to free the world from a script nobody asked for.

G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra brings one of the most popular cartoons of the '80s to life in a retro-inspired beat 'em up. The limited story development and virtually nonexistent dialogue, however, lead to G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra falling short of its potential. What could have been a nostalgic return to real American heroes thwarting Cobra instead feels like just another brawler wearing G.I. Joe cosplay. It's a decent enough beat 'em up that fans of the genre and franchise could find enjoyable, but die-hard fans will likely be disappointed in how bare bones G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra ended up being.

Bloomtown: A Different Story is a textbook case of a promising start brimming with such wow factor, inevitably undone as soon as you get past the introductory phase. An introductory phase that does a great job at not just setting up the world and its stakes, but making you voluntarily want to remain in said world for more than its obligatory main quest demands. Indeed, the life-sim leanings and simple pleasures of moving out and around the titular setting -- scheduling allotted time to certain activities -- may just be its stand-out element. A fitting accompaniment to the otherwise supernatural, abnormal dungeon vibes, complimented by enemy/sprite work and a soundtrack unashamedly upbeat and confident in its stride. But it's the lackluster, often tedious, execution of combat that lets it down -- faltering at the most critical of moments. Not bad, but not as great as its intro so effortlessly implied, Bloomtown: A Different Story is a flawed, at times frustrating but fascinating-enough blend of role-playing staples, old and new.

While Mouthwashing has an incredible story and nicely disturbing and surreal visuals that could make it worth checking out, the shallow gameplay sadly hinders it, with dull puzzles, annoying chase bits and repetitive bits weighing it down. The twisted tale of the Tulpar is captivating, but if you're in the mood for a quick horror title, you can likely do better.

Copycat perfectly encapsulates the feeling of self-doubt, fear and hesitance that comes with building a close relationship with another individual. Although the narrative is told through the eyes of a cat, its message is universal and urges players to accept love and nurture one another regardless of differences. The technical side of the game was buggy at certain parts of the story during my playthrough, but the game truly flourishes when it centers around storytelling.

Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP is a fun way to revisit a cult classic, but ultimately doesn't do much to improve it. It's a remaster, not a remake, so fans should temper their expectations going in that this is pretty much the same game they played over a decade ago. There are new cosmetic items to get and the new RePOP mode offers a different visual style for the game, but there are a few missing costumes from the original and the iconic soundtrack has been completely scrapped. Being able to play on modern hardware is nice and having a new achievement/trophy list to unlock can be appealing to some, but saying this is an improved version is a tough sell. Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP can be a fun way to experience the game, especially for first timers, but overall, the original release is the better version.

While it's a solid and enjoyable game in its own right, Reynatis suffers from being unable to visually stand out. Animations in combat and cutscenes are sometimes stiff and robotic or even overtuned to the point where they look outright silly for what they're trying to accomplish.

Overall, Quidditch Champions gets tedious quickly, but in short bursts, it can be fun. The different roles one can take are well done, especially with the seeker, but the lack of skill shots or moves does hamper the enjoyment. Getting new unlockables might be the lifeblood of the game as they feature fun references to the movies for the fans. Hopefully, that will be enough to keep the game forward with a solid player base, despite its repetitive nature.