Slime Rancher 2 is a game, like the original Slime Rancher, where much of your enjoyment is going to be driven by how enamored you are by its world and the silly creatures that inhabit it. Luckily, that's a hard charm to resist; it's easy to feel driven to explore and build and ranch just to hear beautiful music, see new locales, and hopefully meet yet another strange slime with its own little quirks. At the same time, the game expects you to grind out large amounts of materials for some later recipes, some materials for which (such as Strange Diamonds) can be difficult to get consistently. There are at least two devices in the latter half of the game you seem to be expected to build quite a few of and place semi-permanently, but most players are instead likely to place them down, use as needed and pick up again to avoid grinding to create extras. The game also has a few areas that are relatively easy to miss without thorough combing, but are either story critical or clearly expected to be found by the majority of players. Despite these issues and despite the fact Slime Rancher 2 perhaps isn't as different from its predecessor as some might hope, however, it remains a deeply charming experience with a wonderfully colorful aesthetic.

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.

EA SPORTS FC 26 is extremely fun to play and you don't have to be a fan of the sport to enjoy it. The changes to the gameplay from community feedback not only add variety, but provide some of the best results in the series. While there's slight AI logic issues, the responsiveness of the gameplay plus the option to slow it down with Authentic Gameplay shows just how well the strategy element works. Besides some touchups on the game modes, there really isn't anything new here, but there's still an abundant amount of ways to play. Clubs Rush is still fantastic to play and the game remains beautiful and authentic. The presentation elements bring out the greatness that drives this sport. The portion off the field just feels too familiar.

Hades 2 is one of those games that perfectly encapsulates the best traits of its genre and manages to cleverly work around its harshest weaknesses. It’s the kind of project that has so much passion to all of its details that it’s worth coming back for more every single time. Whether struggling against the odds or acing it quickly, the experience will stay with you as long as you don’t give up and pay attention to everything it has to offer.

Each game in the Final Fantasy series introduces something new, continually seeking to provide an engaging experience for fans to enjoy. In the case of this remaster, fans can now play it on modern hardware, with new features that make the game feel brand new again. The voice acting brings new personalities to characters we might not have expected or seen before, while the improved visuals bring out so much charm that makes the game look exactly how you might have remembered it. This enhanced version of Final Fantasy Tactics is a perfect remaster that not only offers a new coat of paint for the game, but also preserves the original game, allowing you to play either version you prefer. This is a reminder of what makes the series truly special and it's a joy to play through the adventure in the land of Ivalice once again.

While not the best in the franchise, Silent Hill f is a true Silent Hill experience. It's just a great horror game even if you don't want to judge it against other Silent Hill titles. This is the second AAA horror game released in the same month, so Halloween is looking very competitive this year. The technical aspects involving both the audio and the visuals showcase what the PlayStation 5 Pro can do, albeit one bad section. The other world gameplay elements do stray a bit too far, not to mention the relatively short campaign — although it does have some replayability thanks to the five different endings, each feeling like director's cuts. Still, the core ideas of Silent Hill are here, with a unique cultural setting with a story that has very dark endings. Both horror and Silent Hill fans need to experience Silent Hill f.

Moros Protocol is a fun and satisfying run into the alien-infested depths of a mission that's completely spiraled out of control, dismantling everything in your path with every weapon you can scrounge to get answers as to how it all went so completely and thoroughly wrong.

Hyke: Northern Light(s) is a vibrant 2D action game with a good variety of playable witches and stages to explore. Though its repetitive story beats and easy boss battles are underwhelming, the general feeling of journeying along with Hyke and the girls is positive and an experience worth giving a try.

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.

Despite issues here and there, Hollow Knight: Silksong is a game for the ages, focusing on engaging combat along with a world brimming with adventure. In true Metroidvania fashion, Hollow Knight: Silksong will have you coming back for more.

Turning the intense Dragon Ball formula and series into a strategic MOBA sounded like a wild idea before playing Gekishin Squadra, but it truly works. You have to work as a team to heal, attack and support your group with buffs. The anime-style action is replicated in this MOBA with fast-paced animations and cinematics that take you by surprise when you first play it. Seeing your foe fly into the air after the last hit feels so satisfying. Going into the main menu can be frustrating, however, as the characters frequently yell and scream as you're trying to talk to your friends on voice chat. Gekishin Squadra is a MOBA is worth trying out, especially if you're a fan of the Dragon Ball series.

A new planet, a bigger focus on new characters over returning favorites, a new tone set between the dry humor of Borderlands and the humor of The Pre-Sequel, and a stronger focus on worldbuilding and gameplay mechanics results in a refined game that delivers hours of fun on the back of excellent gameplay, levels and boss design.

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.

Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion is a terrific mecha action game in a vast world where exploration is rewarding, customization gives players various resources and combat is exhilarating. Even with an interesting scientific fiction universe that feels like it could have been more fleshed out in a compelling fashion after the initial explosive events, the story never truly forgets its appeal. As a complete package, this is an experience that is worth diving into.

Hell is Us isn’t something you see every day. It’s a thought-provoking adventure that dives deep into the barbaric nature of humans, all while putting together a compelling mystery behind the supernatural elements. On top of that, it’s as much of a puzzle game as it is an adventure, truly testing a player’s will and patience as nothing is guided. There are no waymarkers pointing Rémi in the right direction or a map that shows him where he is. Instead, we have to find everything on our own and remember it, be it putting it in our memory bank or recording it. With that said, Hell is Us isn’t perfect. As enjoyable and surprisingly well-varied the combat is, it mainly boils down to the same formula through most of the lengthy journey. It’s the incredibly detailed and elegantly put-together world and lore that will have everyone immersed. At the end of the day, even with a couple of quirks, Hell is Us is a memorable and rewarding experience that’s a breath of fresh air.

Classic survival horror fans will thoroughly enjoy the gameplay and design of Cronos: The New Dawn. The extremely grounded and heavy feel to movement and aiming mixed with puzzle solving and ammo/resource conservation is masterfully executed. The world and the atmosphere mix dreariness with vibrancy and the game offers unique dynamics for puzzle solving that haven't been seen in other titles. It plays like a Souls-like and involves a lot of trial and error, but you continue to want to push on. The console experience is solid enough with performance, but if the option for PC is available for you, this would be preferable. In terms of replayability, the story is solid and its portrayal is great, but you'll mainly be playing through at a faster pace on a playthrough. It's definitely more than sixteen hours in its first playthrough. Cronos: The New Dawn offers a fascinating story, but the classic survival horror elements blended with new ideas make it essential for fans of the genre.

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.

Shuten Order is a fantastic text adventure that truly sets itself apart from the crowd with its brilliant use of multiple routes to create the complete story. Other than some technical issues that hold the game back, it’s an impressive feat that shows how the Too Kyo team knows very well how to tell compelling stories.

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.

Even if the gameplay of Super Robot Wars Y merely follows in the footsteps of the franchise's past successes, it still provides a fantastic SRPG experience that any fan of mecha, whether they be hardcore or casual, can find enjoyment in. It's always great to see that the franchise is continuing to experiment with its visuals, roster and how the story is told. One can only hope that the future of the franchise continues down this path.

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.

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is a fantastic experience from start to finish and a brilliant comeback for the classic franchise. The gameplay is stylish and will make players feel cool from start to finish. While it does suffer from a repetitive gameplay loop, players who want a 2D action game that brings out the best of modern and classic game design will not be disappointed.

Metal Gear Solid Delta is as good, if not better, than the original, thanks to the myriad of quality-of-life improvements that make it more up to modern functional standards. There are pacing issues near the middle of the campaign, but otherwise, this is something the Metal Gear Solid veterans will remember fondly and new players will appreciate.

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.

Transitioning over to Superstar Mode sees the best iteration of this mode in some time with the addition of Wear & Tear and the introduction of the Sphere of Influence. Everything off the field goes above and beyond what most have expected from the franchise in a while, but on the field is where the frustrations sit. The QB DNA and Coach DNA are incorporated well, but issues with blocking and the AI create baffling results that you hope to get past but never truly can. Hopefully some patches can see this alleviated, but otherwise it's safe to say that Franchise and Superstar Mode are officially back.