Throughout the game, you'll find all sorts of signs that the developers knew what would ruin the experience, and so worked overtime to avoid those pitfalls. As a result, Call of Duty: Roads to Victory is a serious contender for the handheld FPS crown. [Apr 2007, p.51]

Some who want a deeply-engaging story for a memorable solo gaming experience may feel let down, but someone who wants competitive and team-based gun battles could easily get several dozen or maybe even hundreds of hours of enjoyment from this title. The RPG elements allow players to make their characters truly their own and allows the freedom to build within their preferred playstyle.

Though its turn-based combat may end up doing most of the heavy-lifting, that Noname Studios have cleverly crafted something that’s both fleshed out and as appealing as it is, means Worldless still winds up a delightful studio debut. That something as well-established as a turn-based system can feel fresh and exciting all over again. Aided on top by the puzzle-like construction and re-framing combat as one to work out. One where the smartest moves are just as important as the strongest sort. Such is the variety and continued evolution on its premise, it’s enough of a strong showing that it relegates the otherwise less-exciting elements to that of minor frustrations. Out amidst its geometrically-abstract environments things may look ordinary and plain, but it’s thanks to its combat encounters where Worldless flaunts its creativity where and when it matters most. A premise that is not only interesting, but both challenging and stylish alike.

A good game wrapped in a great remastered package. Capcom could have just slapped together something with a higher resolution and called it an HD remaster like many are doing, but they elected to actually build upon their seven year old game by adding meaningful content. Granted, they didn’t reinvent the wheel with these extras, but playing as Trish, Lady and especially Vergil are more than welcome additions.

Need for Speed Heat features plenty of hours worth of high octane racing while representing an encouraging return to form for the franchise as it heads into the next generation.

The sense of presence is so totally on point that it’s hard for any other video game rendition of pinball to match up. Fans who have already purchased tons of Pinball FX or Zen Pinball tables may initially feel frustrated by a lack of discounts, but should give it a shot regardless. The PSVR headset makes a tremendous difference and as such it is worth supporting these updated tables. Pinball FX2 VR is just the kind of virtual reality experience that gamers of all ages will be able to enjoy.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is the best entry in the Fabula Nova Crystallis series, offering far improved gameplay systems while giving players access to a highly diverse soundtrack and various timelines to explore.

Sure, it has a larger scope and a more intriguing storyline, but there are some questionable design choices mixed in with the thought of déjà vu. Regardless, Dead Space 3 retains its horror brilliance in offering a moody, atmospheric adventure full of exciting events.

Even with two weeks of play under my belt, I feel like I have probably completed one half of one percent of what the current iteration of Neverwinter has to offer. For no cost, players can jump in and play one of the best MMORPGs available on the market at any price point today.

It’s a strange, retro-styled beauty that needs to be played to be experienced.

Pixeljunk Monsters is a constant struggle to properly allocate gold, gems, firepower, and time as the horde advances single file, with each level being more addictive than the last. [Spring 2008, p.61]

The theme of a bunch of teenagers roaming a school haunted by tormented souls trying to kill them may limit the mass appeal of this game, but for the niche audience this type of game speaks to, it is very well done.

Slayaway Camp is a brilliant and funny block-sliding puzzle game that’s drenched in good-humored gore.

Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle could be viewed as a reskin of Slayaway Camp, which would be a problem if Slayaway Camp wasn’t such a great puzzle game, but honestly more of the same is welcome. The all-new puzzles and the path to their solutions are always satisfying to figure out. I’ll admit that the sadism of a few kill-animations is a bit harsh for my personal tastes, but there’s a toggle to drop the rating down to PG-13 I purposefully ignored, so that’s on me.

While a few issues remain that hamper the experience, it’s a no-brainer to proclaim Sniper Elite 5 has taken everything that made 4 as great as it was and improved it.

The new control scheme works great in the remaster, as well, although it can get finicky with some of the unfortunate camera angles. With all the enhancements in visuals and gameplay elements, Capcom has not only set a precedent for how remasters should be done, but helped excel Resident Evil 0 into being a far more enjoyable horror experience.

99 Levels to Hell is all about action, jumping gaps and gunning down hordes of enemies in the finest arcade traditions.

Ravenswatch is a solid tried and true roguelike with many different ways to play through the options of heroes available to players. It's difficult and rewarding for solo or co-op parties and does its best to be an interesting experience. With the diverse cast of heroes and challenging side quests, it's hard not to queue up several runs a day. Every character we have was given the care of a compelling story on why and how their tale took a darker turn. We see the developer taking something old and making it new for us once again. It's truly awesome to see old stories given new life to become something else altogether.

The monsters and bosses of Dungeon Souls are dead-set on seeing you escape, but practice, determination and getting to grips with the different characters will eventually pay off with a win. And then it’s back down to the dungeons again, because one victory is rarely ever enough.

NieR: Automata: The End of YoRHa Edition combines top notch gameplay with an incredible story to create one of the most memorable and unique experiences in gaming. Certain concessions had to be made to accommodate the limitations of the Switch’s hardware. The graphics had to take a minor downgrade and there was animation stuttering in combat, but overall this is impressive port. Being able to play NieR: Automata on a handheld system is the biggest selling point with this edition, and the aforementioned concessions are a small price to pay for this ability. The gameplay and story are just as enjoyable and impactful as ever. NieR: Automata is one of the best games of the past decade and playing it on the Switch is a great way to experience it.

Elden Ring: Nightreign is a drastically different game from Elden Ring, meshing some of the mechanics we’ve become used to in the award-winning RPG with a rougelike adventure. It’s a fantastic and highly engaging side of Elden Ring we didn’t think we needed, and yet it somehow works perfectly. Putting the player on a timer and having to quickly think on their feet is rewarding, at least until you wipe at the end of a long run. There’s a significant difficulty spike playing Nightreign as it’s a borderline randomizer. On some runs, it will hand out equipment that will be helpful for your character, while other times give you the short end of the stick. And because each match can take upwards of 45 minutes, getting to the final boss and wiping almost immediately feels discouraging. With that said, the highs outweigh the lows as FromSoftware has created a fantastic template we hope they will expand upon in the future.

Tales of Symphonia is still one of the biggest highlights in the series with a fantastic assortment of characters, some simple but enjoyable combat and great story to keep players invested throughout. What hurts is that this remastered version has glaring issues that need to be fixed. It’s far from making it impossible to recommend, in fact we still absolutely would for those who haven’t ever played it before, but without autosave and with multiple recorded crashes experienced, it’s hard to tell people to run out and pick it up immediately without proper patches to work out the bigger issues here. With fixes to address the problems, Tales of Symphonia Remastered could easily be considered another fantastic port on modern systems that we hope to continue to see more of from Bandai Namco.

If one were being picky, you could argue Drinkbox’s focus this time on repeated dungeon-crawling may not have the same wow factor the studio’s past projects have garnered on first glance. But while early parts may seem daunting in its implied reliance on needless grind, what players will quickly learn in Nobody Saves the World is that its flexibility with combat and dexterity with character customization is what will keep them happily fixated until adventure’s end. Even if the occasional writing doesn’t hit in the way the studio is hoping. But credit to Drinkbox for not falling into the trap of becoming too reliant on roguelite mechanics in so far as how the world is structured and how players go about rising to the task. Because what truly shines here is the studio’s ability to encourage experimentation without it feeling, like its level progression, too much of a burden to take on. Added to on top by well-suited side-quests, a challenge system that rarely gets tiresome and a general feeling throughout that one’s time never feels wasted, Nobody Saves the World stands as Drinkbox’s most curious but mechanically-satisfying title to date.

Octopath Traveler 0 has fantastic quality-of-life improvements and base-building elements, although it’s not a huge step-up in the formula. Square Enix perfectly takes advantage of their nostalgic 2D-HD art style, all while incorporating a shocking amount of voiced dialogue. The ability to have all eight party members on the field, half of whom are sidelined and can be pulled into battle at any time, is a phenomenal addition, although it does reduce a good chunk of the challenge, especially considering most of the characters can be recruited early on. Regardless, the story will have players engaged enough to keep them playing for the immensely lengthy storyline. If there’s one long JRPG to get for the holiday season, it’s this.

Loaded with humor, skill-based action and interesting brainteasers, the original Darksiders is one of the best games to come out of the last generation. It takes numerous recipes from other games and creates an adventure that’s worth taking.

Atelier Marie Remake is an outstanding re-imagining that takes everything that worked about the original game while modernizing and creating a better-flowing experience.

There’s a lot to love in Angels of Death because it isn’t yet another indie horror copycat. In almost every way it pushes toward different directions. From the offbeat storyline to gameplay which is always shaking itself up, players are in for one heck of a ride.

What it lacks in technical prowess, Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town more than makes up for in sheer fun. The gameplay loop of farm management alongside more active roles such as mining and gathering materials makes the day-to-day adventure a lot of fun, while building up bonds with the townspeople feels like an accomplishment. Anyone looking for a more action-filled life simulation will feel right at home with Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town, and it’s also perfect for any lapsed fans of the genre. Players are guided along nicely, but still given tremendous freedom to make their adventure their own.