The single player campaign once again feels tacked on. It’s more like a glorified eight-hour long tutorial, training players for multiplayer by throwing them in tanks and planes rather than telling a cohesive story. In the end, it’s the multiplayer that matters most, and Battlefield 1 excels at giving players the Battlefield experience they love in an era they probably won’t be all that familiar with.

Those who enjoyed Grasshopper’s previous work or are tired of repeatedly being spoon-fed the same game should check out Killer is Dead before it’s rightfully put on “most underrated game” lists in several years by the same people who criticize it now.

New cutscenes build on the lore and character development, the wonderful soundtrack is improved and the areas that warranted the most criticism such as game mechanics and graphics no longer do so. The story takes surprising twists and hits the emotional depth making this is a truly memorable experience.

It plays smoother, looks better than anything out there, and has a kick-ass soundtrack with a goofball announcer to boot. If you absolutely must recreate your childhood, then pick up the $40 pack, but most will be satisfied spending half that.

Cotton Reboot! is a fantastic re-imagining of a classic side-scrolling shooter. It looks and sounds better than ever and thanks to being able to switch between soundtracks, players can enjoy whichever audio experience they prefer. Including the original game’s X6800 port is a nice move and makes this a fantastic value for anyone looking to see what made the series so beloved in its heyday and still enjoy a redone experience too. There are a couple of issues with blind spots that haven’t been fully addressed, but the overall forgiving game design makes Cotton Reboot! a fantastic pickup for those who either already love side-scrolling shooters or for those who want to get into them, but just need something that’s more forgiving to fully enjoy the genre.

Octodad succeeds as both a gut-busting slapstick routine and a touching treatise on what it means to be a family. It’s a little short, and it won’t turn the gaming world on its head, but at least it’s fun, replayable, heartwarming and didn’t cost 15 million dollars.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles was already a wonderfully unique and challenging title when it originally released, but the Remastered Edition brings that all to the table with even more plus the ability to finally play with friends online. While the character models may still be clearly from many console generations ago, there’s so much wonder and charm put into it that it’s fantastic to play through and enjoy time and time again. It’s a wonder how even years later it still feels as inviting, and somewhat terrifying, to take on new dungeons and challenge whatever comes next. Anyone looking for a seemingly simple but utterly charming action adventure with tons of time to spend taking on dungeons need look no further than Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition.

What makes 3 Out of 10 work is that it’s just plain enjoyable, mixing smart commentary on the gaming industry with a great cast that can weather the madness of their world. Like most TV series it takes an episode or two to fully establish itself, but I played these as they came out and caught myself looking forward to the season finale. The needs of a game are different than those of a TV show, but 3 Out of 10 does an amazing job of fusing them together into an episodic adventure that demands a hopefully-quick turnaround for Season Two.

Having a darker sense of humor is somewhat of a prerequisite to truly appreciate this title, but for people possessing that attribute there is much fun to be had within 60 Seconds!

While the game is somewhat pricey considering its runtime lands just slightly over two hours, it’s marvelously unique. If you’re even slightly interested in what living the life of a badger is like, give it a shot. Its mechanics do grow tired towards the end, but the overall experience is so fascinating I can’t help but recommend it.

Streets of Rage 4 doesn’t do much to advance the formula of classic beat ’em ups and that’s what makes it great. The game can be completed in roughly three hours, which is just enough for this type of game. Unlocking all the Easter eggs is a nice way to add to the nostalgia fix. Playing through with each character offers a slightly different game experience, but the real joy comes from playing these types of games with friends. Streets of Rage 4 is a must play for fans of retro beat ’em ups.

It’s never serious and it never tries to modernize when it doesn’t need to, and that’s what makes Double Dragon Neon such an excellent example of a reborn classic.

The Reject Demon: Toko Chapter 0 – Prelude is an excellent start for an episodic visual novel series. It sets up an intriguing, unique storyline and fills it with engaging characters.

For those who can forgive the confusing online component, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 stands as another well-crafted and well-realized remake of an old favorite. For the second time, Vicarious Visions demonstrate both a fond appreciation yet clever deducing on how this type of game should look and feel in current times. It’s this sense of harmony and of finding the treasured middle-ground — between the old we know and the implied new of a better experience — that the studio triumph on where it matters.

Every little thing is recreated in such a beautiful setting that it’s no surprise people would want to experience Koholint again, or perhaps for the first time. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is an unforgettable adventure, and this remake does it justice by capturing exactly what made it one of the most popular in the series.

Project Highrise is the kind of game that grabs a hold of players and doesn’t let go. Only once you’re in deep with a massive building do you begin to notice the cracks. There are undoubtedly numerous improvements that should be made — and likely will be in the coming weeks via patches — but even with some niggling complaints, it’s still incredibly challenging to put the darn thing down.

Linkito is an incredibly clever puzzle game based on real-world electronics (barring the occasional infinite power source) and it's smart enough to introduce things slowly so that even the less technically-minded can wrap their heads around each new part. Clearing the story probably won't take more than eight hours or so, although the bonus puzzles in each area can add another several more hours to that total, but a few bonus puzzles plus a level editor promise to add a significant amount of content if Linkito finds its creative community.

Capcom is quickly running out of Mega Man games to remaster, with notable exclusions being Battle Network Transmission, Command Mission, Legends and Star Force, but they continue to release incredible value propositions that bring these classics to a brand new generation of players.

Minor issues aside, The Deadly Tower of Monsters is a pleasant surprise indeed and a particularly impressive budget action game showcasing a lot of creativity.

Players who don’t need everything to bristle with a dark malevolence will find a great time in this one.

It’s not often you see the inclusion of a story mixed up with a rhythm title, but Taiko pulls it off in a way that makes it wonderful for players of any skill to enjoy drumming while taking down and befriending monsters. It’s wonderful to see this beloved series continue to be released in the west and Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythmic Adventure is worth picking up for anyone looking for more of their favorite drumming action or wanting to get into it for the very first time.

While Gorogoa is one of this year’s shortest experiences, it’s still one that’s worth checking out, as it turns a relatively simple idea into one of the year’s most compelling and innovative puzzle games. Its eye-popping artwork may draw you in, but it’s the superb brain-teasers where you warp around entire worlds and a narrative that leads to some surreal visuals which will keep you hooked until it ends. You may never look at a mere four comic panels and the storytelling that can potentially occur in them in the same way again.

Disney Illusion Island is a great all-ages platform-adventure that works hard to appeal to players of any skill level. Even those finding it too easy should be able to enjoy kicking back with the Disney cast, all of which are well animated with their personality shining through in every movement. The large number of areas can feel a bit samey after a while, and a few more enemy types would have been appreciated, but the escalating difficulty and variety of rooms and secrets makes it hard to get bored. The map tracking of collectibles makes it hard to resist going back to explore and clean up an area, and even after beating the game there can easily be a few sections left half-done. It’s a huge amount of fun to get Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy together in a single large platforming adventure, and Illusion Island doesn’t waste the opportunity to play with its cast of beloved characters.

While its story missions and their variety can be improved upon, especially when it comes to the endgame, Maneater is an absolute blast. The open world is beautiful, captivating and inviting for players of all kinds, the combat is incredibly fun, and it has a nice and sharp bit of humor to it as well, reveling in just how much the people of Port Clovis are obvious jerks…which only makes it more enjoyable to rip them apart, of course. It might not be on par with the likes of Jaws, but what we have here is still one stellar b-movie to gleefully go nuts in. And sometimes, that’s really all you need in order to help live out your monster movie fantasies.

If you stick with the original runner or his female counterpart, don’t mind a bit of iffy 70s-throwback art, and can forgive the repetitious level backgrounds, the actual running/jumping/sliding gameplay rapidly gets under the skin, demanding more and better play.

All in all, Story of Seasons is practically bursting at the seams with content, and the gameplay, while streamlined, has not been “simplified” like many feared. Instead, its new mechanics make the game accessible and current, delivering a wholly satisfying farming sim experience while still finding a way to respect players’ time.

Thanks to the shift to a service model, Just Dance 2023 should be something that players get years of enjoyment out of. The default game is already an easy recommendation for veterans and newcomers alike due to its diverse track list and wide variety of difficulty options for every genre, and having an ever-growing song library through a subscription is going to help in the long haul since players don’t have to worry about grabbing a new entry at full-price to enjoy a new song lineup and a largely incremental shift in core gameplay.

Thankfully, the Ultimate Edition is packed with so much content – eight different multiplayer modes, nineteen different maps and a six hour campaign – that players will be immediately hooked. Gears of War is a game truly worthy of remaking and The Coalition has done a bang up job doing so.

While it’s not without its problems, the first season of Hitman is jam-packed with delectable content that leaves us champing at the bit for more.

Thanks to an incredible and thought-provoking story, a cast of well-rounded characters, and simple yet highly effective gameplay, The Red Strings Club easily kicks off 2018 on the right foot when it comes to adventure games. It’s a stellar cyberpunk story that easily keeps you coming back for more, thanks to its multiple narrative options and endings.

The games included in the Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection aren’t always perfect, but they’re still a ton of fun to take on thanks to some impressive stories, graphics and a nice level of challenge. Like the previous Legacy Collections for the Classic and X series, it’s something fans will love to rediscover or even discover for the first time and is worth picking up. It’s an odd chapter of Mega Man history, but one worth learning about again.

In the end, the overall package is a gripping experience for fans of the genre. The studio has taken everything they’ve learned over the last decade and created something special. Even with its shortcomings, Starfield is a memorable experience through-and-through.

There is no easier way to make music and play recognizable songs than by playing the Wii Music. [Dec 2008, p.42]

Need for Speed Unbound brings plenty of style and builds upon the high stakes dynamic established in 2019’s Heat to create an engaging and enjoyable open world racing game. The large emphasis on story falls flat once again particularly during the slow opening hours, and the online mode lacks some of the best aspects of the single player mode, including police and Takeover events. Fortunately, the excellent performance and smart overhaul to the turbo system ensures the moment-to-moment gameplay always feels great, and the huge amount of unlockable vehicles, customization options and optional activities and collectibles means there’s always plenty to do each time you make the trip to Lakeshore City.

MotoGP 24 sought out to provide what its community requested the most and those small handful of things are readily apparent in the game. Milestone didn't do that much outside of this, but the action on the track and the Career Mode are the highlights to what's offered here. Struggling on the track isn't an issue like it once was, and with the adaptive AI, racing is fun while still providing realism for players. The increase in visual fidelity is nice, but pausing the action may change some minds. A racing game should continue to build on its actual racing and MotoGP 24 does just that.

Maliki: Poison of the Past is one of the most enjoyable turn-based RPGs that's come along in a while. It evokes the joy of the best of the PS1-era of the genre while also featuring some of the most frustrating time-sinking puzzle design and objective fulfillment as well. It winds up being greater than the sum of its flawed parts due to the compelling time-bending narrative, but it would be even better with quality-of-life improvements down the road. As it stands now, it's still an easy recommendation for turn-based RPG fans and also a fine game to give a go if you love time-bending stories in fiction, killer soundtracks and interesting diorama-style art design.

Overall, though, this is a bundle worth its price of admission for the first game alone, especially because it’s been taken care of so well by Namco in this remastering project.

Cadence of Hyrule is a wonderfully unique experience for anyone looking to dive into something a little different, and is a fun new way for fans of Necrodancer to try a completely different style of dancing to the beat.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns pulls all its different elements together to create a memorable tactical RPG. The combat is the main event and its execution resulted in every battle being an enjoyable event, whether it was taking on a nefarious supervillain or relieving Hydra of the ownership of a valuable artifact. Outside of battle, life in the Abbey is full of activities and social interaction with other super heroes that greatly flesh out its RPG elements. The dialogue trees aren’t the most in depth ever created, but they’re fleshed out enough where they help the world feel alive and worth saving from Lilith. The end result is a game that isn’t just a must play for superhero fans, but one that should be experienced by RPG fans in general.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined has been remade with excellent precision. The developers have done a phenomenal job recreating what made the original so special, all while retaining its artistic integrity. There are also some fantastic quality-of-life improvements implemented, such as auto-battle and custom difficulty adjustments. This is a massive game, taking upwards of 100 hours to complete, but with it comes some slumps. The story’s pacing can be a bit awkward at times, and several of the plots have been modified. Kiefer’s newest model also stands out comically bad and the chatter that comes from the party outside of battle feels useless half of the time. Regardless, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is a memorable and ambitious remake that does far more right than it does wrong.

While Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare Jackal Assault VR Experience is lean on content, everything presented in the package is outstanding. The core gameplay is well-crafted and easy to grasp even for those new to dogfighting games.

It’s fun to look at and more fun to play — especially with gyro controls. If you’ve been seeking a new FPS adventure on Switch, give Hypercharge Unboxed a shot.

Due to the nature of the type of game this is, its gameplay can get repetitive, but that can be said of all Dynasty Warriors games of their spin offs. The absence of local co-op is noticeable, but the inclusion of online shows the developers did listen to player feedback and worked to make improvements over the original. Dragon Quest Heroes II is overall an improvement of the original and one of the better Warriors style games on the market. Dragon Quest and Dynasty Warriors seems like an odd combination, but the team behind these games shows that it works and hopefully this is not the last we hear of Dragon Quest Heroes.

No More Heroes III caters to a niche segment of gamers. Because of how well it embraces its absurdity, it’s a title not easily digested by everyone, but this is a must play for fans of Grasshopper Manufacture’s unusual approach to world building. Conventional battles are interspersed with unusual side job minigames to bring variety to the gameplay, even if mowing lawns to raise money for ranked assassin fights feels shoehorned into the plot. No More Heroes III’s quicker loading times and sharper graphics on PS5 are a welcome upgrade of the Switch version, but there are no other improvements or additional content to make a strong case to get this version if the original release is in one’s game library.

Dragon Quest Treasures offers a glimpse into the early years of two intriguing Dragon Quest XI characters. The world of floating islands is a wonderful setting for open-ended adventure, where hunting for treasure and monsters can become equally addictive pursuits. The numerous callbacks to other Dragon Quest titles are sure to bring a smile to longtime fans, whether it be familiar pieces of music or the fan service treasure items. This is not only a brand new adventure, but a love letter to the franchise. Dragon Quest Treasures is enjoyable from the start and only becomes better as the story gradually unfolds and players gain access to new areas and monstrous companions.

Planet Alpha creates an amazing atmosphere thanks to its visual and audio design.

Horrendous loading times, a lack of synchronous multiplayer and optimization issues hold it back from pure bliss, but Just Cause 3 is an absolute blast, an experience equivalent to a shot of adrenaline straight into the heart.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD brings one of the Zelda franchises most beloved games to a contemporary platform, revamping some of the features and making room for amiibo functionality. While flawed in some ways, it gives longtime fans a good reason to replay it.

Axiom Verge is absolutely worth your time if you’re a fan of old-school Metroidvania games, but even if you’re not, it’ll still be a lot of fun.

Road to Gehenna expands the story and provides more of what made its parent game so incredibly playable, providing a welcome return to a lovely but ruined virtual world of puzzle-based first-person action.

Archvale focuses on intense fantasy-RPG shooting action and giving the player all the tools necessary to handle it their way, and the result is a game that’s next to impossible to put down until the last arch stone is collected and even then maybe not. There’s never a bad time to test out Hardcore mode’s bigger maps and denser bullet patterns, after all.

Clockwork Aquario is a fantastic action-platformer that blends quick-moving playable characters and enemies alongside an inventive attack strategy. There’s nothing else like it on the market today — despite so many games trying to replicate arcade-style fun. The big key here is that this is a legit arcade game that has been repurposed for modern hardware and that allows it to retain what made arcade gaming so fun, while having more modern quality-of-life improvements thrown in. It plays wonderfully, looks gorgeous and is a blast in multiplayer. The soundtrack is a lot of fun, but doesn’t reach the heights of classics in the genre. Still, for anyone seeking a fast-paced side-scrolling game, there’s a ton of variety offered up here and a lot of fun to be had with Clockwork Aquario.

Despite aesthetic inconsistencies and online disappointments, WayForward and Nintendo deserve praise for bringing a solid classic to current generation play. Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp brings all the nostalgic feelings in a fresh, new package.

One just wishes that the game went on for a bit longer, but for 600 Wii points it does a good job of delivering a solid amount of entertainment for what you might be able to find digging through your couch after you are done bobbing along to the mus

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition lives up to the Definitive Edition moniker that it sports this time around. Everything about the game has been enhanced to another level for fans, new or old, to jump into and enjoy. The updates to the graphics and gameplay have not only made the game feel more up-to-date, but more compelling and fun as a whole. You’ve got plenty of options and routes to build your characters while on foot, as well as various options for the Skells you fight with. With the past expansions being reworked into post-game content for players to enjoy, there's plenty to do in this version of Xenoblade Chronicles X. There's no doubt that this fan-favorite game is back in its full glory and better than ever.

Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher is a pleasant surprise that was extremely unexpected. From the recent revival of the Monster Rancher titles to Ultraman finally making an impact overseas, it’s a delight. It’s worth noting that this title is aiming to appeal to fans of the Ultraman franchise first and foremost, but there’s tons for those who have never experienced it before to love. Even the ugliest or creepiest kaiju can become endearing and lovable after spending time training them long and hard to be their absolute best. It’s a title that’s easy to get into and doesn’t require a ton of trial and error to figure everything out. Fans of giant monsters will want to consider picking up Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher, especially if it’s always been their dream to raise them and fight against other massive and iconic kaiju.

While it would have been nice to see Centipeded: Recharged‘s leaderboard and score-reporting issues addressed in Black Widow: Recharged, the twin-stick shooting action provides a great quick-hit arcade rush. Each game lasts for a couple of minutes at most, even the best high-score run, and restarting is just about instant. The free-form arcade mode is complemented nicely by the more-structured challenge modes, and it’s easy to spend a couple more minutes playing than planned by hopping back and forth between them. Reviving Black Widow is a deep cut into Atari’s history, but it’s great to see it given a worthy sequel almost forty years since the original release.

Project X Zone is an outstanding blend of action RPGs, SRPGs, and even fighting games that tries many things and manages to do them well.

Guerrilla Games already proved once they could deliver a compelling expansion and they have done so again. Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores is a solid influx of new story, explorable locations and new gameplay elements to keep things fresh. The story builds on Aloy as a character and adds an intriguing new character to the mix in Seyka, all while introducing a great mystery and the series’ first great human antagonist. The gameplay is mostly the same, but the few new additions and the new machines add enough to keep engagements fresh. Unfortunately, the expansion ends with a lackluster boss fight, nor does it address any complaints with the base game, though as an expansion that wasn’t expected. For $19.99, Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores packs a solid amount of good content that’ll kill some time as we wait for Horizon 3.

A welcome return of Travis Touchdown. Amidst the enjoyable gameplay is great storytelling and dialogue set in imaginative game worlds. Fans of previous No More Heroes games and Suda51 games in general will find a lot to enjoy here. Going through the different game worlds watching the story unfold through an old-fashioned computer is highly entertaining and collecting the T-shirts from your favorite indie games gives treasure hunters something to occupy their time. More still, each different game level has enough variety to keep the repetitive combat from getting stale.

I wanted to like Xenoblade Chronicles 3 a lot more than I did as it has a number of faults that made me drift away from it, but in the end it’s an undeniably well-constructed JRPG that succeeds far more than it fails.

Tron: Catalyst is an enjoyable action adventure experience that allows a deep dive into a compelling futuristic world that’s an alternate look at the Disney-owned universe. While some issues keep it from being a masterpiece, the writing and fun combat experience are worth giving a try, possibly acting as an entry point into the sci-fi franchise.

Simply put, Project CARS is simulation racing done right. The subtlety of the nearly countless gameplay tweaks, combined with a robust open Career mode, makes for an experience that racing fans should fall in love with. Of course, none of this would be possible without driving that feels tight, workable and exciting, which is certainly present in droves.

Even though it’s atmosphere heavy and fairly short, its unique world and gameplay pull you in like most shooters don’t.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment proves that the series can still go on and stay strong in its own way of storytelling. It has been created with the intention of tying in Tears of the Kingdom in a way that only improves and fills in the gaps that had previously been unexplored in detail. We gain a new perspective on all the characters involved in this war with Ganon and how everything came to lead up to the showdown with Link and the Demon King. It is a fantastic game to play if you’re a huge fan of The Legend of Zelda and are waiting for the next iteration of the series. While it may not be for everyone, it does the best it can to create a meaningful and fun experience set in the same world that we all know and love.

Rocksteady’s latest romp through Gotham City is a brief one, but something that fans of the franchise will enjoy a great deal.

Lichdom: Battlemage makes being a magic user feel properly badass, and if there’s a little bit of homework involved in creating the spells necessary for badass-dom? That’s just the price of being a mage.

The Smurfs - Dreams is a delightful platformer and a fantastic pickup for anyone who loves Mario 3D Land or 3D World. This is very much inspired by it on a surface level, but with more rhythm to its platforming action. It's a trickier game than one might expect given the license, which has usually been used in simpler, less-challenging games. It plays nicely across the board and doesn't have a lot of flaws in its gameplay beyond having a set formula that changes up based on the weapons you have access to in the stage itself and a soundtrack that's hit or miss.

Dandara‘s seemingly-impossible feat at combining elements of platforming, combat and strategy within its explorative template takes some doing and is almost an accomplishment in of itself.

With an outrageous amount of content, tons of characters and freedom to manage your farm as you see fit, few will be able to resist the allure of Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns.

Take Us Back is a well-constructed but ineffective conclusion to Telltale’s The Walking Dead series. While the gameplay and presentation remain well-suited for the final hours of this journey, the waffling narrative holds back some of the episode’s final decisions from being truly meaningful. Although Take Us Back is not the lowest point in the series by any means, having the series finale falter in these crucial concluding moments makes each misstep seem that much larger as both Clementine and Telltale’s lengthy adventures reach their end.

Fae Tactics: The Girl Who Destroyed the World is a top-notch tactical RPG and one that any longtime fan of the genre should check out. It’s great for veterans as the bright setting is unlike anything on the market today, while lapsed fans will want to try it to fall back in love with the genre. If you’re a newcomer to tactical RPGs, it does a fantastic job of easing you into the core mechanics of combat and makes it a fun story to see unfold with each battle. Having various risk/rewards systems in place encourages bold play and helps keep things fresh too. It’s a great looking and playing game with a strong soundtrack.

As a single-player campaign for Hearthstone, Curse of Naxxramas provides quite a bit of bang for your buck.

It's like candy for your eyes. [Vol 3, Issue 2, p.56]

It’s a mixed bag and the game is nowhere near perfect. Stick through the linear and less gripping parts for the first few hours, and you’ll end up with a story and combat engine that’ll hold you hostage until completion.

While Research and Destroy has a few flaws and comes across as way better when playing in co-op, it can’t be denied that it’s still a great blend of action and strategy, one that embraces classic science fiction and crafts spectacular moments of action out of it, eight seconds at a time. The thrill of successfully taking your time to eliminate a horde of supernatural by using a series of quick actions is something players will love, and has indeed made for a mostly terrific turn-based action hybrid that the developers should be proud of.

Heroes Within is a fantastic table pack for Star Wars Pinball fans.

Nantucket brings to life the golden age of whaling and the story of Moby Dick in a tight package that’s perfect for anyone who is a fan of history, a good management sim or the story of Moby Dick. Unlike other management sims, Nantucket is intuitively easy to understand, helping the player along as much as possible without holding their hand completely. It can be unforgiving, but only if the player wants it to be, as with the use of quick save/load, Nantucket shows that it can be both enjoyed for casual and more serious play. Losing time sailing the seas of the 19th century feels fantastic in this classic epic and the hunt for Moby Dick proves to be as rewarding as it sounds.

Nova Drift is a big, endless, beautiful universe of arcade combat, fusing the modern indie gaming style with the deepest roots of gaming history.

WarioWare Gold is a perfect example of how to take the insanity of microgames from the past and shove them into one packed setting while still having each one stand out. With tons of different ways to play and a multitude of things to unlock, Gold is filled to the brim with wonderful content that’s easy to pick up and play at any time. Anyone who has enjoyed the previous WarioWare titles will have an utter blast in Gold, as it brings back all the good of previous entries while making itself a staple of how the series can continue to grow from here.

NHL 21 has taken the best of what has been offered this generation in the series and sprinkled goodness on top. Be A Pro is a much-needed change and is the first innovative offline mode since implementing the expansion draft. It’s deep enough and feels fresh and could rejuvenate buzz into the series. HUT remains HUT with just more ways to grind for cards. Franchise Mode’s new coaching options are a good update for the league, but it’s only a surface change. The NHL series can no doubt benefit the most from a next-gen overhaul, but there’s enough here for yearly NHL players or those that have skipped a few years. Also, it’s worth mentioning EA is adding NHL 94 for those that pre-ordered later this month.

With the right mindset, the game design is perfect for a brain cleanse or to serve as a half distraction while contemplating a more complex problem.

NHL 16 is a triumphant return to form. After the debacle that was the razor-thin NHL 15, EA has restored all of the beloved modes to the game and they’re better than ever. More still, the game itself is simply better than ever before with slick mechanics, fantastic visuals and incredible detail to individual arenas.

Hypserspace Invaders II: Pixel Edition fuses an intense arcade shooter with eye-searing effects laid over chunky-pixel art, perfectly fused with its fantastic electronic soundtrack, as much a music album as a shooter and with both parts making each other all the better by contrast.

Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei is an action-packed visual novel sure to capture the attention and hearts of otome fans. While some may bristle over one romanceable route or some of the darker content, it’s a title with a lot going for it. Whether players opt into just one route, or go for a full completion, they’ll be on quite a journey from anywhere between ten to sixty hours. Anyone with a taste for Japanese historical fiction owes it to themselves to dive into Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei.

It’s a solid value given how much time can be spent with the new maps.

Zombasite may only require roughly a third of gig of hard drive space, but it crams a lot of substance into that small section of hard drive space.

Hitman 2 is the proper evolution to the Hitman formula. It may not be a monumental step forward for the franchise, but the number of features and adjustments that are made only help create a more gratifying and highly-captivating experience.

Atelier Iris 3 is a game that fundamentally works on a design level, which can't always be said for its predecessors. [June 2007, p.64]

As far as thrillers are concerned, few video games make it anywhere near the skillful story weaving present within the Higurashi series. Higurashi When They Cry Hou – Ch.2 Watanagashi is yet another look into the Watanagashi mystery and makes us want to know even more.

DNF Duel successfully brings the world of Dungeon Fighter Online to a fighting game arena with all the ingredients that made previous Arc System Works games great. The Story Mode provides interesting background about each character’s reason for fighting while the smooth mechanics give reason for having them continue to fight. The animation quality and art direction make this one of those games that is almost as entertaining to watch as it is to play. All the design elements of gameplay, graphics and music come together in a way that proves that while most current games embrace 3D, there’s still relevance in 2D tournament fighters.

HuniePop is pornography – darn fine pornography at that – but it’s also a shockingly good puzzle game. Occasionally those two identities feel at odds with each other, but for the most part they work in concert to show you a good time.

The depths and caverns of Grime are home to terrible creatures, weird residents, gorgeous scenery and a huge amount of secrets to chase after, and once you get a hang of it, it’s almost impossible to stop until you’ve fought and explored through every inch of its twisted world.

Anyone wanting a single player experience should probably wait for a sale, but everyone else would be well served snagging a copy as soon as possible.

Whether you play with the keyboard/mouse setup or use a 360 pad, you’ll get solid controls. It’s a challenging, but rewarding game and its surreal audio/visual combination will be stuck in your head for quite some time.

While a lot of focus on VR games comes from playing games in a first-person view, it’s great to have a change of pace with a real-time strategy game that includes an FPS element. On the outside, Out of Ammo doesn’t look inviting. Once you’re plopped in to the battlefield and realize all the small things needed to win on top of managing a base, though, it’s enthralling. The controls take a while to get comfortable with, but you’ll notice your own progression. As great as Resident Evil 7 or Gran Turismo Sport are in VR, Out of Ammo is the most fun I’ve had with PSVR. Just make it so players can retry a mission and not force them to exit out.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising manages to be more than the sum of its parts, becoming a likeable adventure that not only sets up the world for the main event to come in Hundred Heroes, but stands as a great little action-RPG in its own right.

Katama Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story is a well-crafted adventure that mixes rogue-lites with sword play in interesting ways. The risk/reward system for the dungeon crawling is something that keeps you on your toes at all times, while carefully balancing equipment stashes with what you bring out in the field is trial and error at its best. The action is fast and never gets bogged down by having a lot of enemies on-screen, even if the graphics do have some detail-related shortcomings. The animations are solid and the soundtrack is exceptional even if it isn’t the most memorable. The woodland-finned soundtrack keeps you invested as you go from dungeon-to-dungeon and slay all manners of enemy to survive.