EarthNight has limited scope, but does what it does very well. Its fast-paced platforming meshes in nicely with a soundtrack that doesn’t stop delivering satisfying music. It has some of the best gameplay/soundtrack integration out there and is a must for anyone who loves endless runners. It’s challenging and unlike a lot of runners, tests your platforming skills early and often with a blend of perilous jumps and tricky enemy placement. It looks gorgeous with a painted art style that works well still and in motion. Anyone who enjoys a challenging runner will want to give EarthNight a try ASAP.

Blending an absorbing tale across worlds, with a novel but mechanically-engaging interpretation of player-choice, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie sets a new standard for Don’t Nod with what might be their best, most rewarding work to date. A narrative chock full of interesting characters and equally-interesting curve-balls to manage — with truly great performances from its cast to match. A game that spends as much time on the smaller moments as it does the grandiose ones, what truly gives Harmony that cutting edge, is its puzzle-like subversion on offering choice to its player. A system, as much means of presentation, that balances long-term planning with short-term deductions on the right course of action versus the more helpful one. All while still finding the means to surprise and leave its players in suspense at just what lies around the corner. Intriguing from start to finish, for any fan of player-choice narratives and/or visual novels alike, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie can not go overlooked.

Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is one of the most oddly-named collections ever, but features two top-notch platformers in their definitive editions. Both the first and second games are wonderfully recreated, with better graphics and audio than ever before. They both benefit from having the same control scheme game to game thanks to being available on the same platforms for the first time ever. Those who missed out on them should give them a shot now, while anyone who enjoyed them before will want to check them out again and experience the best-possible incarnations of them yet. Hopefully, this leads to more full-on remakes throughout the series and maybe a collection of all of the original games down the road.

Warriors: Abyss is a massive combat action-fest that's got no interest in dumbing things down, and whether you're learning its systems or exploiting them, it's a fantastic brawl through Hell.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, by no means a flawless entry in the nearly three decade-old franchise, may well be the closest the series has gotten to somehow finding a happy medium between past legacy and contemporary appeal. Robust, entertaining and perilously engaging, while it may still find itself tainted by contemporary RPG standards in its character cast-listing or adamancy in offering “more” for the pure sake of it, Fire Emblem’s own “remake” phase in the end pays off in ways both clear and subtle alike. Ways that will appeal to either end of the fanbase spectrum. Its core gameplay and the many grid-based maps may not have evolved as much (perhaps less so here), but it’s everything going on around the combat that makes Shadows of Valentia a game you’ll look to beyond the avid necessity of leveling up your units. An interesting detour if nothing else, Nintendo would be wise to look at Echoes’ many entertaining and delightful offerings when the series, inevitably, makes its long-awaited return on home consoles.

Audica is a fantastic rhythm-shooter but it does come with a small disclaimer. Playing it at its best took a certain amount of tweaking, adjusting various options until the game felt right. Thankfully those options are all waiting in the Settings screen and difficulty selection, but playing it vanilla/Standard felt kind of bland. Once corrected, though, Audica transformed into an incredibly fun and nicely challenging musical target range, where each new stretch of song brought a note pattern that lit up the sky with the pyrotechnics of its destruction. It’s an arcade light show set to an energetic soundtrack with note patterns that stream in from all around, keeping you constantly on your toes as the music comes to life through firepower.

Anyone looking to get wrapped up in an entertaining storyline for a weekend should give this a read.

While some overly long levels and a few frustrating hazards threaten to hamper the game’s enjoyment, the amazing and cathartic action in Bloodroots still finds a way to power through these flaws in order to help deliver one highly enjoyable game. Be it the swift yet nicely chaotic gameplay that offers a good chunk of strategy and buckets of blood, the stylistic and attractive art style with a lot of flavor in every bit of scenery, or the simple yet captivating story, there’s a lot here to enjoy. Rain bring Paper Cult the strength, for they have earned it.

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]

Disaster struck and the world is broken, but RoadCraft lets you rebuild it one satisfying step at a time.

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle doesn’t do anything to revolutionize the crossover tag team fighting system, it simply sticks to a formula that has worked before and does a great job with it.

While the mechanics are stiff compared to modern games, it’s a blast from the past that will invoke nostalgia for those who haven’t played it since its initial release in 2005.

Rune Factory 4 is boundless fun that’s a great time to replay after beating to try new things and experiment with different things each time, marry new partners and perhaps take on a harder challenge along the way. Anyone looking for that farming itch with a dash of adventuring should absolutely play Rune Factory 4 Special.

Played on its own, without worrying about whether it effectively changes up the hallowed tropes of early JRPGs, or conversely, sticks a little too closely to them, Echoes of Aetheria is fun.

God of War: Ascension is another great entry into the beloved series that fans will eat-up, but it’s just that — another entry. While other hack ‘n’ slash series like DmC have been reinvented and boast fresh mechanics and tone, Ascension is content with simply being another God of War.

GSC Game World should be proud that their once-PC-exclusive trilogy from the early 2000s has come so far. In terms of atmosphere, tension and challenge, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Legends of the Zone Trilogy - Enhanced Edition is a triumph of survival gaming. The new textures and enhancements add to the grim visuals of the inhospitable Zone without detracting from the horror that made the games into cult classics. Sure, the lingering bugs can get frustrating, but never to the point where you want to stop playing. Players willing to overlook the present issues will come to enjoy the feeling of roaming and surviving in the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., with its plentiful variety of weapons and enemies, as well as the brutal combat and exploration. So, get out there, Stalker.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for Switch remains a stellar platformer, both in its presentation and more importantly, its finely-tuned challenge. Grueling in its difficulty, yet cunning in its delivery more so, the necessity on getting every split-second move or decision right may put off some, but those keen to stick with it — even replay a level a few more times thereafter — will quickly discover Tropical Freeze’s loop isn’t so easy to put down.

The biggest let down is that the game engine leads to a great deal of frustration when playing. If not for that total annoyance, this release would be the ideal way to experience Umineko When They Cry.

I’ve attempted to stick to reviewing Pokkén Tournament DX on its own merits and not compare it too much with its predecessor. Of course this is the definitive version and superior choice. Fans of Pokémon will have a good time checking out the title. If there is any future content coming or major league gaming events, then it will have a bright future. Regardless, its entertaining gameplay should appeal to Switch owners and earn it a deserved fanbase.

Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance implements some of the smartest choices the series has seen since its debut in 2003, making this not only the best Disgaea game to date, but one of the best Strategy-RPGs available.

Despite a short wish list of things that would improve it, Operation Wolf Returns: First Mission VR is a pleasant surprise. The assumption was that it would trade on the name but be a big standard VR rail shooter with nothing to really add. Instead, newcomer developer Virtuallyz Gaming threaded the needle, making a title that is reverential to the original arcade, while doing new things to amp up the action. It’s not the second coming of a VR rail shooter, but it’s extremely solid and just darn fun. It’s understandable if people see this and think it’s just another VR shooter, but this game is a reminder that, when well made, sometimes simple is better.

Whether it’s the complimentary add-on of its voyage through the environment — and the way the game makes one’s trip a pleasant scurry from one city region to the next — or the ample ways the game adds-to, subtracts-from and so easily flips former rules/conventions on their head, The Pedestrian taps terrifically into the many joys, frustrations and epiphanies that this genre of video game is so good at carving out. Clever, confident and a fine debut for Skookum Arts, The Pedestrian has established a clear high bar — marking itself down as this year’s first must-play for puzzle enthusiasts far and wide.

There remains a strong lack of visual parity between the character models and the environment, and some of the voice acting remains stiff as a board. Regardless, Tales of Graces f Remastered brings one of the best Tales games to the modern day in the best way possible, sacrificing none of its core values and only adding to the charm.

If one can get past these early hours, especially newcomers to the genre, then Surviving Mars will prove to be a joy. It's a truly-rewarding game and feels even better building a city with such unforgiving odds, backed by the strangeness of classic sci-fi. Surviving Mars is a gem and is sure to only go further through the stars from here.

Whether you’re a fan of exceptional adventure games, science fiction, or even its apparent influences, there is a memorable adventure in Technobabylon backed by a believable setting and driven by a strong narrative.

There may be a few spots where combat feels repetitive and the stealth elements are half-baked, but the sheer audacity on display here deserves commendation.

With tons of references and entertaining gameplay, Portal Portal is a great new table. It’s a little thin on content and will require the purchase of either Zen Pinball 2 or Pinball FX2 to play it, however, so it’s an investment that those coming only for the Portal aspect might need to rationalize.

Despite the Race Director that has it out for the player, and some issues with perspective in cockpit view, Project CARS 2 is one of those games that can fill an entire niche on its own. The expansive career mode will eat up the time, quick race will allow for a wide variety of variations and multiplayer is set up to be the perfect destination for the gearhead. Being a realistic racer that’s welcoming to the neophyte is an accomplishment in and of itself. To do this on top of the sheer variety of gameplay that this title has is laudable. Project CARS 2 might very well be the best simulation racer on the market.