Splatoon 2 recaptures every moment of enjoyment of the original while finding room to add even more. Whether it's the challenging single player or the revitalized multiplayer, Splatoon 2 does a phenomenal job at making itself more than a minor upgrade.

Sorry We're Closed beautifully takes that otherworldly psychological horror of games such as Silent Hill and puts its own colorful spin on things, resulting in a game filled with an eye-popping visual style, a terrific story with a clever look at relationships via angels and demons, and an amazing cast of characters, including one truly memorable and unsettling villain, alongside a lot of other surreal and spooky moments. While the combat may be a tad frustrating later on, it all still makes for a great entry into the genre and definitely one to pick up.

A host of unlockable content, including graphic filters, extra lives, and single-level score runs rounds out the package, providing plenty of replay for your trippy musical abstract gaming dollar. [Dec 2007, p.69]

Yakuza 6 isn't just one of the best entries in the series to date, it's also one of the most fulfilling experiences you'll find in 2018. A game bursting with content and character alike, it takes its rightful place alongside some of the best releases of the year not just on substance or style, but on its ability to balance all its attributes yet pace it in a way that's both manageable and inviting.

Each stage in Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World is fun and engaging, giving everyone who enjoyed the original version even more to love. There are plenty of things to love about this game: amazing music, great gameplay and stellar art. Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World is a wonderful addition to the Nintendo Switch 2. It won’t be the most challenging game, with the difficulty being easy, but it's still incredibly fun to play. While it may have been a late addition to the lineup of updated games on the console's launch, it still shows that it can hold its place as one of the best Kirby games.

That same distortion and monstrous-like exaggeration of previous may be out in full force once again, but Little Nightmares II succeeds on its bolder and more refined continuation from the 2017 original. Stripped down to its most basic premise, the game still intrigues and invites through well-orchestrated puzzle segments and spots of subtlety that lend themselves to the creeping, anxious trek characters Six and Mono must make throughout the world.

Destiny 2 has its share of issues, a lot of them to be frank, but it’s still an entertaining adventure that the developers have properly improved. The shooting mechanics are some of the best in the business, and the art team has done an amazing job in bringing this futuristic universe to realization. With that said, it’s not a monumental leap, feeling less like a sequel and more like an overloaded expansion. That’s not to mention the worlds, while beautiful, are less memorable than most of what the original game had to offer. Thankfully, Bungie and Activision have outdone themselves with the PC port. While the graphics are primarily sharper and more defined, the 60 FPS frame rate is the real game changer, ensuring you’ll never want to go back to another 30 FPS shooter. The keyboard and mouse controls also add a level of precision you couldn’t find on consoles, making this the go-to version to get. In the end, the PC release will give players a decent idea what console players have been talking about over the last three years, for better or for worse.

Age of Mythology: Retold eliminates the need to play the original titles as it takes everything from both of those games, modernizes it and brings the experience to 2024. While it lacks the polish of Age of Empires IV, the game remains extremely fun thanks to the mythological units and God Powers that can be recharged and used multiple times. This aspect adds more depth that may have not been there for some players for AOE4. The gameplay aspect does still feel like a RTS from 2002, but the campaign, skirmish and the option of PVE multiplayer will supply a ton of hours to dive into Retold.

For a remaster, Dead Rising Deluxe Remastered brings everything you love from the original and clips the strings that held it back decades ago. While it doesn’t bring an entirely new experience, this zombie hack and slash is brought back to life with updated visuals and a great cast to back it up.

Card Hunter folds the best of card games and video games into a single experience. The combat and aesthetics all gel together in a unique browser-based game. Try the game, even if you’re not into board games, as it a should scratch the itch of anyone who is missing a polished turn based experience.

Best of all, Picross is a wonderfully pure test of logical puzzle solving, with a deep challenge that's as satisfying as it is addictive. [Oct 2007, p.61]

Even though not all the touted features may be immediately noticeable, they greatly contribute to improving the overall experience. Most importantly, though, Madden offers a fun game of football with or without friends.

In DarkMaus, Daniel Wright has created a focused, challenging experience that successfully translates the core tenants of Dark Souls — careful approach to combat, high level of initial difficulty, wise use of resources and character development — into a game that looks deceptively innocent and benign.

Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is as close to the perfect package as is currently available for folks looking to jump into the Zero Escape world. The only thing that would make it better is if it somehow included Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma to complete the set. Even so, the two included games offer players over twenty hours of gameplay as they work through dozens of distinct endings. The lack of tweaks to Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward may seem strange in comparison, even though that title didn’t need much reworking to begin with. In either case, there’s no doubt that Zero Escape: The Nonary Games is a set of visual novels that are both worth a look.

Warriors Orochi 3: Ultimate Definitive Edition is a game that lives up to its definitive edition claim. Story and Guantlet mode can provide hundreds of hours of entertainment. The included DLC content can add up to a small fortune on other platforms, so its inclusion here is appreciated. This is arguably the best Musou game and having owned the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 4 versions, it can be confidently said this is the best version of Warriors Orochi 3. But it’s also debatable if there’s enough content here to justify buying if it someone owns Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate on another platform. Aside from a few extra stages most of the bonus content is either music or character cosmetics which isn’t going to be substantial enough for most people. It seems like having access to it on the go via Steam Deck would be the biggest selling point, but at the current time there’s some stuff that needs to be ironed out for that platform.

The gameplay flows nicely from combat to exploration and back again, and the regular bosses and mini-bosses provide a strong challenge with only the occasional overpowered one in the latter half of the game turning into a task similar to chopping wood in a hailstorm, endlessly hacking away at a massive health bar while dodging its bullet patterns as best possible. The regular flow of new abilities keeps the lengthy playtime from growing stale, and there’s always a new area to explore as the world map keeps growing with freshly-discovered biomes. Top it off with the detailed pixel art and a strong soundtrack, and Tevi is a must-play for anyone who’s ever loved a little bullet hell in their fast-action combat metroidvania.

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.

While there are problems with the structure and overall narrative, there’s no denying that Octopath Traveler is an alluring adventure and one of the better RPGs on the Nintendo Switch.

Triangle Strategy is a unique tactical JRPG, excelling in delivering enjoyable tactical combat and developing an intricate world where the complexities weigh heavily on the choices players have to make. It isn’t without its issues as the execution of such rich world building and interpersonal relationships requires a lot of exposition which leads to pacing issues. Even if the player is interested in the developing narrative, some of the early cutscenes drag on for too long and simply end up being boring. The tradeoff is that those who can get through the slower-paced games are rewarded with a challenging battle system and choices that have a significant impact on the story. A New Game Plus feature allows players to carry over their progress to see how different decisions play out and unlock the multiple endings and the game is enjoyable enough where repeated playthroughs sound like an inviting prospect.

The Swapper is yet another indie coup for Sony, as it is very clearly one of the best puzzle games to come out in years.

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.

The PC port of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance has its share of issues, but it still gets the nod over its console counterparts.

Lords of Darkness is a solid action game that just gets better the farther in you go, loaded with content and high production values despite its barely-passable framerate, but it doesn't do much to earn the Castlevania name.

While some of the controls can be a bit bothersome, the overall gameplay mechanics and sense of enjoyment is overwhelming. Mix one of the most gratifying cooperative campaigns in recent history with an absolutely charming cast of characters, and you have an addictive upper echelon independent game.

It's an all-new game with dozens of new mazes, and a timed score-run that's all about managing risk and reward. [Sept 2007, p.68]

Moss: Book II is an excellent title to close the book on the original PSVR with despite hardware limitations coming into play. If you loved the first title, you’ll undoubtedly enjoy the sequel.

In truth the hardest thing about LISA is talking about it because it’s just one of those titles that’s really better experienced. It’s dark and depressing, but has an amusing sense of humor that makes it easy to smile through the suffering. It’s a title that benefits wildly from making frequent saves, so when Brad gets to an unskippable segment where he has to watch his entire party die through a chance of luck, it’s easy to go back and try again with a hopefully better outcome the next time around. There’s slews of ways to approach a lot of scenarios which makes for unique outcomes as well and LISA is a title that really sells itself on replaying multiple times for those that want to get the absolute most out of it. For those willing to take on the dark tone, visuals and story, LISA: Definitive Edition is well worth picking up for those who haven’t experienced it before.

Rogue galaxy is one of the competitors for the title of the last great PS2 game, and while it is by no means flawless, it should still keep you entertained for a few dozen hours. [Mar 2007, p.52]