Wealth of Nations adds real depth to the game.

Episode 3 is an emotional thrill ride that had my jaw glued to the floor with spectacular ground-shaking events. If you thought the last episode was disturbing, you haven't seen anything yet.

It may have taken its sweet time to finally arrive in English, but now that it’s here, you absolutely owe it to yourself to play The House of Fata Morgana.

Silent Hope is an outstanding dungeon crawler and one of the few on the market that are easy to recommend for players either burned by prior games or who are completely new to the genre. Having so many different kinds of characters to play as keeps every run fresh and encourages the player to not only keep trying with another run, but do so with a different character with every failure to see if their outcome changes. It controls wonderfully across the board with responsive button commands and accurate stick movements. It looks good enough too, with a consistent framerate and a complete lack of slowdown and should be a must-buy for anyone looking to get into dungeon crawlers or who wants to experience one that emphasizes player fun over pure loot.

Ori and the Blind Forest was great when it first came out and it’s still great in the Definitive Edition.

It’s been a long time since players have gotten to revisit Sinnoh, and all things considered this may be the definitive way to enjoy it. While some changes may seem minor, they really do add to the overall enjoyment experience. Sinnoh was always fun but flawed, and while that’s still a teensy bit true here, it’s better than ever before. Although it’s easy to say it’s a shame that it’s missing the Platinum content, what’s here is still fantastic and will make it more fun to replay for years to come. Sinnoh fans will hopefully be excited to see their region well taken care of while they were gone, and new players can easily enjoy it without having to pick up old systems and cartridges that are now significantly more expensive. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are the best remakes we’ve gotten since Heart Gold and Soul Silver and offer up a fantastic, faithful yet slightly re-imagined version of Sinnoh to enjoy before the next entry in the series makes its debut.

Castlevania Dominus Collection is not only a great collection of games, but also an impressive technical feat of bringing games designed for Nintendo DS hardware to modern platforms. Haunted Castle Revisited is the main attraction of this collection, but it's a standout surprise. An old arcade title that was not well liked or discussed got completely remade and ended up being a good game. For Castlevania fans, the DS titles are all must-play games and M2 went to great lengths to ensure those games remained exceptional on modern hardware. Retro game compilations are standard these days, but between the caliber of games included and effort and making sure they run as well as they do, this is one of the best collections available.

Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a delight to play. Purple Lamp did a fantastic job of remaking the game from scratch with grand visuals and the addition of a double jump makes the game more playable than its Wii incarnation. The paint and thinner mechanics are a true highlight of this Disney adventure, and the overall atmosphere of the game is both creepy and upbeat. It would be a real treat to see if Purple Lamp could make an Epic Mickey 3 in the future, as this game shows the Vienna-studio's talent of making the Wasteland come to life.

Iconoclasts is an amazingly well-done game that never settles down for more than a minute, effortlessly switching from one challenge to another and never letting the player get too caught up on an area. As good as the gameplay is, though, the part that sticks in my head is the story, and the terrible price Robin and her friends and enemies all pay on the way to salvation. It’s a long, difficult journey with a large cast of characters to meet, befriend, fight, and sometimes lose along the way, creating a memorable world that will stick in your head long after the final boss is defeated.

Metamorphosis improves on République’s initial episode in a number of ways, not the least of which being that it raises the emotional stakes of the story.

With its tight controls in full tow, The Messenger is a fantastic debut from a studio that may play deeply on their sole influence but, crucially, find the means to push beyond mere imitation to create something aesthetically fresh. A stellar platformer and one many will remember for some time.

It’s been a long time since players have gotten to revisit Sinnoh, and all things considered this may be the definitive way to enjoy it. While some changes may seem minor, they really do add to the overall enjoyment experience. Sinnoh was always fun but flawed, and while that’s still a teensy bit true here, it’s better than ever before. Although it’s easy to say it’s a shame that it’s missing the Platinum content, what’s here is still fantastic and will make it more fun to replay for years to come. Sinnoh fans will hopefully be excited to see their region well taken care of while they were gone, and new players can easily enjoy it without having to pick up old systems and cartridges that are now significantly more expensive. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are the best remakes we’ve gotten since Heart Gold and Soul Silver and offer up a fantastic, faithful yet slightly re-imagined version of Sinnoh to enjoy before the next entry in the series makes its debut.

The Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy is a title that everyone who loves a great well-written story should have and one that current fans can still enjoy returning to once more.

Every aspect of Evergarden’s design is linked to multiple other parts, balancing challenge and opportunity into a single puzzle-y mass that makes perfect logical sense once you figure out the patterns. And even if the current round doesn’t work out as planned the next game is another chance to figure it out, with no clock and no pressure beyond the curiosity of what other secrets may be hiding in the forests of Evergarden.

This game is not for everyone and if you didn’t grow up on super-hard games that tested every reflect, it probably isn’t going to be a game you enjoy. However, it is an absolute must-buy for anyone who loves a challenge. It controls perfectly, looks and sounds great, and does everything it sets out to do nearly flawlessly.

New Super Mario Bros. U plays it safe in the right areas while providing enough new things and challenge to make it worth not only playing, but coming back to for series veterans. Featuring tons of platforming fun, it plays wonderfully on both the GamePad and Wii Remote and has the best level design of any New SMB-series game to date. A notable improvement from NSMB 2, it does just the right amount of new things to seem different from past games, while still giving fans what they expect in a Super Mario Bros. title.

Dirt Rally 2.0 may just be the most complete racing experience of this generation. The physics and handling model will be a treat for hardcore racing fans, even if it pushes away casual racers. The improved lighting engine brings an utterly realistic and beautiful dynamic to gameplay as the cars look fantastic inside and out. Replays are truly a marvel despite some visual issues hurting the immersion. Yes, there are some things behind a seasonal DLC paywall, but that doesn’t affect what is being offered at launch. Dirt Rally 2.0 feels like the true racing game to test everyone’s driving ability.

Alan Wake 2 is the perfect release for Halloween as it presents a psychological horror movie into video game format. Fans of the original title will thoroughly enjoy what this game has to offer as it keeps its core design while offering much deeper story content.

This is a developer that understands and loves their source material, which very evidently comes out in their work. Consequently, Shadowrun: Dragonfall is another home run for the up-and-coming studio.

Amid Evil does everything possible to let the player have a blast in the intricate landscapes of its mystical realms, tearing through a paper-thin quest to exterminate the corruption of the land while tackling the more important task battling and exploring every square inch of the map.

Much like a jalopy can become a classic, Arrrowhead has beautifully restored Gauntlet to its former glory and made it something you’ll be proud to take a spin in. Ride on, Gauntlet fans.

Games from the Alien movie series tend to be hit and miss, but when they hit, they really hit. Alien: Rogue Incursion improves on the experience from the legendary Alien: Isolation. Rogue Incursion offers more of a traditional survival horror design thanks to its pacing, ammo conservation, puzzle solving and atmosphere. The pacing is what dictates this game, and while there may not be a ton of enemies on screen at once, it's about being enthralled in the position of a facility overtaken by Xenomorphs. Rogue Incursion isn't about mowing down enemies, it's about the unknown and the fact that the controls work flawlessly and minimal damage can be taken on Zula, Alien: Rogue Incursion is the first true survival horror game designed specifically for virtual reality. More importantly, for those Alien fans that have access to VR, this is the game to experience.

On the whole, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D offers up one of the most challenging and rewarding platforming adventures in recent memory. Take note, developers, this is how a port should be done.

Neva is another winner from Nomada Studio, but it's also much more than that. It's a drop-dead gorgeous game with truly fun platforming action, puzzles and combat, with hauntingly-beautiful moments. But the titular character is the true highlight, easily encapsulating the biggest strengths as you see this wolf grow up alongside Alba. It's a journey of motherhood that takes the form of one of the year's best platformers, and just one of the year's best games, period.

A feature-rich (at times astonishingly so) package of content — major, minor and entirely optional alike — Nihon Falcom have proven once again with Trails into Reverie why they remain one of the best and most renowned RPG developers still going. The story of Reverie may find itself branching out into three routes, but that holds no sway when it comes to presenting a familiar brand of quality. In a narrative that’s as much intriguing in its larger story beats as it is surprisingly effective in its accompanying smaller ones alongside. Add to this a combat system that’s still as fun to work out and tinker with, a wealth of customization potential and generally the kind of design philosophy that’s both ridiculously over-the-top yet thoughtfully engaging all the same, The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie serves as both a culmination as much a proud celebration of the series’ grand accomplishments.

Virtua Fighter 5 is a rock solid entry into the series, and a must-buy for your PS3. [Mar 2007, p.64]

ATLUS and Studio Zero have crafted a rare gem of an RPG, much like years before. Outside of a few dings here and there, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a near-perfect game that rivals that of Persona 5. The rich fantasy elements are matched with spectacular gameplay, gorgeous designs and captivating storytelling. It’s been a fantastic year for RPGs with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth leading the way. But now, Metaphor: ReFantazio proves there’s a new king on top and one that will hopefully reign supreme for years to come.

Lazy Bear Games have created a retro themed-world that is wonderfully entertaining and simply must be experienced by gamers far and wide.