With near infinite party combinations and countless hours of quests and war, Grand Kingdom is indeed quite grand.

While there are some imperfections, such as a constant internet connection required and the large amount of grinding required to unlock everything, For Honor is a solid title and recommended for fans of melee combat action titles who want to try a unique twist on a familiar formula.

Who’s to say what the real, developer-side cause is for Scarlet Nexus’ failings. What was already a mammoth undertaking in crafting a competent-enough hack-and-slash action game that could muscle its way into the spotlight, Bandai Namco’s latest in-house creation is not just inadequate in appeasing long-time fans of the genre, but worse, comes across ignorant of its own player’s time.

Metal Slug Tactics is a fun and nicely-challenging strategy game, but what truly makes it stand out is how it finds a way to incorporate mechanics from the arcade games into its gameplay by placing a unique emphasis on movement. Combined with astonishing visuals (especially during the epic boss battle), it makes for an entry into the franchise that's more than worthy and one that's worth checking out whether you're a fan of the series or not. After all, you can't attack a basket of snakes in order to sic them on your enemies and not have fun.

Windjammers 2 is far from a revolutionary new take on the original game, but it’s a great sequel and terrific arcade sports game in its own right, continuing to establish Dotemu as masters of the retro throwback scene. They know exactly what made the original so beloved and found a way to refine the mechanics even further and add their own eye-catching visual flair on top of things. The end result is an addictive blast from the past (or a blast that fits perfectly in the past as well) and a title that’s worth taking a spin.

While it may not be adding tricks at every turn to the platformer genre or making a name for itself with its minimal puzzles, Forgotton Anne will surely win many over with its gorgeous, animated visuals and more importantly, its sense of wonder.

More than four years on, SUPERHOT remains as instantly recognizable and immensely appealing a gameplay concept as it ever was on day one. MIND CONTROL DELETE may feel more like a continuation of a good run, rather than a full expanding upon the foundation, but that doesn’t mean that what new features it does offer up fail in helping to bolster what still remains a fun and ingenious interpretation of first-person shooting and puzzle-solving fused together. While it’s easy to pick out the over-reliance on repeated environments, as much the disappointing lack of committing to the subversive elements of previous, there are just as many — if not more — new additions brought into the fold, that ultimately, rightfully, claim most of the attention. A familiar reflection of what the base game managed it may be, a slew of new threats, devious twists and further reinforcing of smart tactics to compensate for such unpredictability result in MIND CONTROL DELETE ending up a great addition to the SUPERHOT experience.

Marvel Rivals is a stellar multiplayer game that has plenty of potential in the years ahead. It sounds like it has a great content plan, as the game just added the Invisible Woman and Mr. Fantastic into the game a month into the game's launch. When you keep that in mind alongside the stellar gameplay and team-based mechanics, Marvel Rivals is likely to stay for many years ahead.

Arknights: Endfield is a huge sprawling mass of a game that goes in a million directions all at once, and which direction is the right one always feels like it's at the player's discretion.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a nostalgic-filled romp with a lot of heart. It features a decently sized campaign filled with well-designed areas, metroidvania mechanics and compelling boss encounters. It helps that the presentation is beautifully done, with the score having rocking tracks and the visuals being some of the best on the Nintendo Switch 2. With that said, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond does have strange design decisions. For starters, having a rather empty and lifeless open world that mainly just facilitates the need for the motorcycle. It wouldn’t have been so bad if there was teleportation, but even then, the open world feels unnecessary. On top of that, scanning objects in the world breaks up the gameplay and the controls can be finicky at times. Even with these faults, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond remains a memorable and highly engaging entry that will leave its mark on new and hardcore fans alike.

1001 Spikes‘ challenge doesn’t hurt its cause by any means, but those who despise trying something hundreds of times in a row will find themselves quickly turned off.

Whether you were a fan of the original game or a newcomer to this twisted world of dioramas, Bleak Sword DX provides a perfectly action-packed experience that’s sure not to disappoint. The eye-popping use of pixel art and monochrome visuals combined with the challenging combat and impressive level designs easily makes for a classic bit of hack-and-slash fun, a journey of 8-bit brutality that’d not to be missed out on. Sure, you may die several times along the way, but it’s still a journey worth taking.

While it’s a bit creaky around the edges at times, Sairento VR‘s ninja action is truly fantastic when it gets moving. Hopping from wall to wall while picking off headshots then diving to earth in a slide that ends in decapitation feels amazing, as does holding the high ground and raining arrows down for stealth kills. You can pull out the guns and go in blazing or pick your way carefully and be sneaky, although once one enemy has seen you, all enemies always know where you are so you need to be ready if things go wrong. There’s a huge amount of depth in its gameplay and every moment can be dealt with in whatever way makes you happiest. Dive in with the sword, dual-wield pistols, break out the sniper rifle, toss kunai around or machine-gun everything that moves. If you can combine speed, grace and firepower, there’s not an enemy out there that can stand against your ninja might.

Xillia takes the familiar and blends it with exciting newness, and that’s what it does best. It’s the first must-play JRPG to release in a while, and the second couldn’t arrive soon enough.

Treading the path well-traveled, Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name — far from the most radical of entries in the series — remains a delightful example of Ryu Ga Goktoku’s knack for high drama, wild antics and all-round time thoroughly well spent. A tad harsh it would be to so quickly denote this a “more of the same”-type of release, even with its status as an interlude between more pivotal, mainline outings, that the reliance on what has worked wonders — as much what has been so integral to the series’ structure, for better or worse — is so apparent does limit how far Gaiden will reach in the series’ hierarchy. Even so, that what this game professes is nothing short of lovably eccentric and a touch more on the unashamedly-indulgent side is far from a bad thing. The kind of writing, presentation, content and all-round execution that, even at its seemingly “least-brilliant,” still stands leagues above a vast majority of games. Put it this way, that Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name can take the concept of self-indulgence and make it one you happily grin at, applaud and ask for more of is an accomplishment in of itself.

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd isn’t for everyone. It appeals to a very specific sect of gamers, but those who find themselves within its territory will quickly become spellbound by the polish, challenge and sheer volume of content offered.

NBA 2K23 is the game the community has been wanting, but that hardcore community is far more advanced than any casual player looking to just play a basketball game. It’s the little things that help to make NBA 2K23 the best sports representation to date, and the legacy content now puts the series far ahead of any other sports series out there. It’s not without its fault, beginning with the difficulty and learning curve of the game. Every bit of content in this year’s game is fresh and useful and you’ll find yourself playing every mode. If you purchased the version that offers 100K virtual currency, you have to choose if that’s going to MyPLAYER or to MyTEAM. The modes remain a grind to keep the player on the game, but the Jordan Challenge is worth the price of admission to begin with. This is better than the 2K Showcases in the WWE series due to the presentation aspect. It’ll be difficult for 2K to one-up NBA 2K23, one of the best video game sports adaptions of all time.

Though the formula may be getting old, LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens is at least exhilarating with enough charm to make up for the lack of innovation.

Runner3 isn’t reinventing itself on its third outing, but its frantic, split-second gameplay remains just as addictive to [eventually] get right, as it’s always been. While its transition to 3D-styled environments do little to exude the silliness it initially boasts, the smaller additions to its core gameplay as well as a few neat twists to the in-level perspective, prevent one’s play-time from feeling stagnant along the way.

It’s an experience that was quite intense for this particular reviewer. It is a wondrously constructed game born of love and culminating as an incredibly, beautifully bittersweet, emotional adventure. Filled with heart from its opening to the cessation of the credits, it will wow you, make you smile and make you cry. Gamer or not, you need to play Unravel.

Candleman is the first true surprise of 2017. An ambitious little platformer that seemingly came out of nowhere and ended up as an unforgettable, brilliant and gorgeous light in the gaming landscape, not unlike its protagonist.

Blackwood Crossing begins with the promise of a fantastic and emotional journey, and provides one from beginning to end when it comes to a terrific story, but in terms of gameplay, the journey ends well before we can even take a stroll to the dining car or the like. It’s just too short a trip, not allowing for enough time to make the most out of things when it comes to puzzles, challenge or unique interactions. It’s decent, sure, but sadly never gets the opportunity to be truly interesting, which is sad given the amount of potential here.

The Nintendo Switch deserves more ports from esteemed franchise such as this, and while there are a couple hiccups in the execution, Capcom has done a solid job bringing the two games to the console-handheld hybrid.

Part Time UFO is a wonderful puzzle title that’s worth picking up for anyone looking for a unique and sometimes bizarre creative challenge.

Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster is a masterclass in storytelling and gameplay, offering players an unforgettable journey through the Star Wars universe. Whether you're a die-hard fan or a newcomer to the franchise, this iconic first-person shooter is sure to leave a lasting impression and remind you why Star Wars continues to captivate audiences of all ages.

Not only is Silent Hill Origins a strong handheld effort, but also a worthy entry into the beloved series. [Dec 2007, p.60]

In the end, though, it's a testament to the game's quality that even in the face of the imperfect camera and combat, the wonderful adventuring aspects manage to make up for whatever other shortcomings this game may possess. [July 2007, p.54]

Sportsball is a local multiplayer-only title, and should be purchased with that firmly in mind.