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.

After over a decade, Ys Memoire: Revelations in Celceta proves itself just as good as it once was under the moniker of Memories of Celceta. Its only major caveat is that it really doesn’t bring much to the table as a new edition. On the other hand, for anyone who hasn’t given it a try, it’s pretty much a must-play.

Sure, this isn’t the broken mess that Assassin’s Creed Unity was, but in some ways it’s more of a blemish than its predecessor. After all, this is a functional game that simply isn’t all that fun to play, which is far more damning than any technical glitch could ever be.

The shining spot for this year’s game is the defensive gameplay and the ability to truly challenge shots and defenders, especially in the paint. It’s extremely satisfying. While a bit of the game remains, NBA 2K22 still offers the closest television experience in a sports video game to date. However, that shot meter is still frustrating as the game remains geared toward its hardcore community who prefer grinding.

Yo-Kai Watch may lack the epic plot and deep, challenging combat system of other RPGs, but its cheerful spirit and culturally infused world make it one of the most joyful experiences on 3DS.

Windjammers might not be as glorious a return of a long-forgotten gem as we hoped for, but still provides some fast and addictive old-school arcade action that does indeed showcase why such a game ever became a cult classic in the first place. It remains an innovative twist when it comes to sports games, even to this day, and serves as a reminder of just how varied the Neo Geo’s lineup could be at times. DotEmu did a fine job in bringing this bit of quirky athletics to a new audience and should be congratulated for it.

Super Mario Party is a welcome comeback for the series that seemingly plays it safe with its modes, but still manages to be fun. The best way to sum it up what exactly is missing would be a lack of focus, as it feels a little bit like the teams were scattered and didn’t get together to discuss how to make each mode a little more in-depth. It still itches that party-game urge that Mario Party fans have been looking for and will continue to be wonderful to play for a good while to come.

It may not be the RPG we had sought at the beginning, but it’s one that marries together most (though not all) of what makes this Mario spin-off so immediately engrossing.

It’s a shame that so many people are opposed to the idea of a new-direction for the Divinity series. Even if its main story leaves much to be desired and some of its rules aren’t presented particularly well, Dragon Commander is a whole lot of fun. I urge everyone, even skeptical Divinity fans, to give Dragon Commander a shot — especially if they’re amused by the notion of a dragon wearing a jet pack.

With a wonderful cheerful story and plenty of enjoyable moments, Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido is a near-instant classic for the puzzle genre and an absolute treat to play.

As a free to play game, there’s no barrier of entry to speak of. If the game’s concept has ever intrigued you, give it a download — it’s excellent and something all shooter fans should try out.

Clocking in at the better part of four hours, with a cost of 1000 Wii Points, each episode of Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People will give hope monthly to those looking to support WiiWare.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is more of Wolfenstein: The New Order. It’s the same gameplay and same perk system with similar design choices that made last year’s The New Order such a hit.

Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 doesn’t radically change the formula of the first game beyond adding a new character. Fortunately, Copen plays slightly differently and does offer up a fresher experience.

The low challenge means the title has a relatively low lifespan, but you can get a solid week or so out of chasing down all the treasures and playing the minigames.

MotoGP 24 sought out to provide what its community requested the most and those small handful of things are readily apparent in the game. Milestone didn't do that much outside of this, but the action on the track and the Career Mode are the highlights to what's offered here. Struggling on the track isn't an issue like it once was, and with the adaptive AI, racing is fun while still providing realism for players. The increase in visual fidelity is nice, but pausing the action may change some minds. A racing game should continue to build on its actual racing and MotoGP 24 does just that.

It may not be perfect on all fronts, but MAG certainly lives up to its name as a massive action game that caters towards those who want to experience tactical battles larger than those found almost anywhere else.

Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight is the ideal mix of old and new. The visuals and 2D platforming scream ’80s NES, but the detail that went into the pixel art and the attack combos mixed with fluid animation give this title just enough of a modern feel so it doesn’t feel dated. Fans of Metroidvanias and old adventure games owe it to themselves to check out Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight.

The Golf Club 2 combines a good golf simulation game with the social interaction of an actual clubhouse through the online societies with an engrossing career mode.

If you can get past some of the rather tedious moments plagued throughout the campaign, Deponia Doomsday becomes a rather comical adventure.

The Final Station does a remarkable job at leaving a mark with its chosen aesthetic and subtle narrative — peaking one’s interest with this particular post-apocalyptic not-zombie infested World, it’ll be easily remembered above the mediocre allotment of survival titles out there at present. Overall, The Final Station is a welcome breath of fresh (if desolately murky) air and stands out through its interesting mix of platformer and survival mechanics — carving out a game that’s entertaining but cunning too.

EA Sports UFC 2 still has some kinks to work out, but the overall experience has improved over its predecessor.

Dying Light 2 Stay Human is a unique game that players have waited seven years to play. It’s an ambitious project that aimed to improve upon the original’s mechanics while creating more of a unique world. In many ways, Techland has succeeded, giving us a much more involved story that’s presented better, additional moves and actions that enhance gameplay, more rewarding nighttime features and a great playground in Villedor. The game gets into trouble elsewhere, though.

It's the perfect PSP purchase for RPG fans, and a great way for genre newcomers to get their feet wet. [Sept 2007, p.61]

Overall, Cat Quest II is a fantastic adventure that’s easy to recommend for players of any age. It’s a big improvement over the first and greatly expands upon what worked before while fixing some of the issues that didn’t. Having two characters to play as simultaneously keeps things fresh, as does the addition of long-range attacks. The graphics aren’t a giant improvement over the first, but they’re still good overall and pleasing to the eye. The weakest point is its sound — which isn’t bad, but unspectacular. Anyone seeking an action-centric dungeon-crawler will love Cat Quest II — and if you didn’t like the first, the second may just fix that.

Circles is a relaxing puzzle game that can still be surprisingly tricky, sometimes exasperatingly so. Making precise movements while taking the level’s rotation into account and also keeping the speed up because the circles in the level grow larger the faster you move can take more than a few tries to get past, but those sections are the exception to the move laid-back nature of the rest of the game. Try, fail, try again, experiment a bit, win, move on to the next puzzle, and repeat. It’s an easy and comfortable rhythm to fall into, as you’re gently carried along by the mellow soundtrack past one level to the next. Circles switches from relaxing and thoughtful to twitchy and precise over its visually-arresting stages, and its hard to stop playing until you’ve seen everything it has to offer.

Pumpkin Jack has rough edges to it, but it still delivers a fun experience in spite of them. It’s very much a game that is greater than the sum of its parts. It has a wide array of gameplay styles to enjoy, with most well implemented. The action-platforming content is great, while the slower-paced tightrope-style sections are iffy due to some collision issues. Thankfully, the exploding puzzle sections help make up for this and the overall tone keeps things light-hearted and fun even with a dark, gothic look to the world and its inhabitants. It looks good and sounds even better and is a perfect pickup for anyone wanting a new 3D platformer who can accept less-than-perfect mechanics.

Nicktoons and the Dice of Destiny may not change the world with its simple gameplay and level design, but being the first proper Nicktoons crossover story in years is bound to let it worm its way into the minds of fans. While factors like a bizarre loot system and graphical issues hold the title back, anybody who is a fan of cartoons is bound to enjoy their time with this title. This may not be a Nicktoons Unite title by name, but it is one in spirit.