A Link Between Worlds is a delightful return to the classic game we loved. There aren’t a lot of improvements, but the additional world and new power are more than enough.

If you decided to wait for the PC version of Dark Souls II before jumping in, you’ve made the right decision. It’s not leaps and bounds better than its console counterpart, but the graphical enhancements aid the immersion.

Capcom has not only recreated Resident Evil 2, but entirely redesigned it to be a bigger and more robust horror experience. The sense of dread and tension they created is unwavering throughout each of the six-hour campaigns. The choices they made only help expand upon the characters and the overall universe, along with making the gameplay a little easier for more people to survive this unforgiving world.

Fans of Donkey Kong have long waited for the hairy primate to get a Mario or Link style glow-up. One where he gets to star in his own 3D platforming adventure on the same level as a 3D Mario or The Legend of Zelda. Donkey Kong Bananza delivers on that, giving DK his first 3D adventure in decades and solidifying him as one of Nintendo's top stars, even if the final product is too derivative of Super Mario Odyssey. The narrative is a step in the right direction by focusing on the relationship between the two leads and delivering a truly stellar final act. There's a lot of Odyssey in Bananza's world design, but that does mean there's a lot to see and do across the beautifully rendered layers. Gameplay isn't refined with a lot of issues surrounding the destruction mechanics and the underutilization of the Bananza transformations, but there's still a lot of fun to be had exploring the layers and seeing what you can discover. Donkey Kong Bananza might not reach the same heights as a 3D Mario or The Legend of Zelda, but it remains fun and lays a solid foundation for future 3D Donkey Kong titles. It's alright to go bananas for Donkey Kong Bananza.

Newer, faster machines mean tearing out and rebuilding the current setup, while new resources such as quartz and oil open up a host of options like enhanced computing, different types of fuels and plastics. Transportation items like trucks and trains or eventually the aerial drones allow moving large amounts of resources across the map, and each new upgrade requires rethinking the current setup to see how it can be made better. There's a story with an end-point, although not at all intrusive, but climbing through the tech tiers to complete it can easily take a hundred hours or more. That sounds like a lot, but in a game with the scope and polish of Satisfactory, that can be just the beginning of retooling a planet to be the industrial powerhouse of your dreams.

It’s worth a replay if you’ve already got the PS3 version, and if you’ve never played it before, then there’s no prettier way to inaugurate your new console.

In short, Assassin’s Creed 2 is the game that the original should have been

Wielding nothing more than a deck of cards and a poker-themed twist on proceedings, developer LocalThunk has conjured something incredible and awe-inspiring with Balatro. What starts as a relatively-novel twist on the deckbuilding format quickly blossoms into an experience that's equal parts methodical, experimental, chaotic but satisfying all the same. A game that rewards clever thinking, mathematical meddling and having the courage to be just that bit braver in uncovering just how far one can push its systems at play. Wherein success and failure alike stand as equally memorable moments to build off. A paradigm for what roguelikes and deckbuilders should aspire towards, Balatro is addictive, expertly-crafted and the new front-runner for what is easily the best gaming experience of 2024.

The level design is excellent, the platforming controls perfectly after a short time to get a feel for it, and the moody art is far more detailed with fancy effects than its pixely nature shows in screenshots. The heart of the game is its mysteries, though, whether that be something as basic as scanning the map for breaks in the wall that indicate a missed secret passage, or realizing that one of the tools has a less-obvious ability that completely changes how useful it is. Even beating the game is just another step towards solving it, because the credit roll means a whole new set of more intricate puzzles has opened up. Animal Well is a stunner of a metroidvania, usually charming but frequently creepy, mysterious but by no means unapproachable, and filled from top to bottom with secrets that are always satisfying to uncover.

Aspiration is a good thing and The Room franchise has grown into an hours-long, Myst-like game with many puzzles and a fully-formed story to drive it along.

Animal Crossing has always been a series where every little thing leads to something productive. Doing nothing and staring off into the sky is relaxing, decorating houses is fun and catching critters feels rewarding. There’s never been a real “point” to Animal Crossing but that’s what makes it enjoyable, as every person can enjoy and do what they like at their own pace. New Horizons nails this feeling more than ever, with so many options and lots of things to collect and enjoy. While it’s easy to play in short bursts, it’s often hard to stop playing when ideas keep coming and experimentation is so much fun when there’s little to no consequences. New Horizons is by far the best Animal Crossing and anyone looking for a way to relax or get creative should not miss out.

Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is what MMOs should aspire to, telling a story for the ages and engaging their players with evolving mechanics. It’s an exquisite adventure that needs to be experienced.

Delivering the full HD experience, Blizzard’s jump to current-gen consoles is a flying success.

There's a giant world to explore here, loaded with details and fantastically pretty. Whether you're stealthing your way through a ramshackle outpost or climbing a radio tower on top of a mountain, it's always engaging, pulling you effortlessly from one scenario to the next and hitting all the right notes along the way.

Play it, and be happy. [Dec 2008, p.57]

It is at once a love letter to the classics that came before it and a gorgeously unique collection of clever ideas, all wonderfully packaged into an 8-bit style game that looks like it jumped straight out of the NES era.

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.

Those who missed out on the XBLA release of Spelunky and want a good tough rogue-like should pick it up from Steam. It’s a little more based on reflexes than most rogue-likes, but even if you find out you’re not that good at it, it is still a riot to watch friends try to get as far as the can before making the wrong step and getting crushed by a boulder.

Fallout 3 is the biggest accomplishment in adventure gaming since Oblivion.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is one of the most cinematic superhero games ever created. It’s a little shorter than its predecessor, but it includes a memorable main story and some of the best side quests found in an open world game. Kraven ends up being a more compelling villain than originally thought, and whenever Venom and his symbiotic abilities appear, it’s an absolute treat.

Outside the campaign, The Final Shape does mostly well. The Pale Heart is a visually-arresting space to explore, though doesn’t change the Patrol Zone formula in any meaningful way. The addition of the Dread enemy faction and Prismatic subclass add freshness to the sandbox, though don’t offer any evolution to the way you’ll play Destiny 2. The only truly downright awful thing about The Final Shape is that, for $50, there’s still not a whole lot of included content, leaving Destiny 2’s core activities starved for anything fresh. Destiny 2: The Final Shape is, ultimately, more Destiny 2, and it provides a meaningful ending to the 10-year Light and Darkness saga.

Like a great novel, Inkle’s games can steal entire nights of sleep from you as you’re immersed in their text, and Sorcery! 3 is their most potent work to date.

To put it simply, Stephen’s Sausage Roll might be some of the meatiest and most delicious food for the mind you’ll taste all year.

Tadpole Treble is a game built for music lovers by music lovers. Its solid gameplay forms a perfect foundation for the music, which is the real star of the game, to take center stage. The level editor, however, is what gives Tadpole Treble real staying power. The type of feature that could make this a sort of cult classic, I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing YouTube videos of levels built in Tadpole Treble. If you like music, you should pick it up.

The visual clarity and overall quality-of-life improvements are a welcome addition and only help excel this dungeon, high school life simulator even further. Persona 4 remains one of the best JRPGs on the market and now it’s accessible to more players than ever before. Whether you’re a long-time fan or a fresh to the franchise, Persona 4 Golden is an experience you won’t soon forget.

Treasure’s library is filled with classics, from Gunstar Heroes to Bangai-O to Sin and Punishment, but Radiant Silvergun is an incredible achievement even for one of gaming history’s greatest pure-action developers.

The only downside is that GlaDOS has no new speaking parts, making the challenge levels feel lifeless. [Dec 2008, p.56]

As it remains, this is still one of the most charming, charismatic adventures you will have, leaving those who experience it with a smile across their face for the duration of their play.