ITORAH is a fantastic Metroidvania and a must buy for those wanting an entry in the genre that tries new things. It’s a forgiving game and one that looks absolutely stunning. There’s nothing else in its class visually and more developers should look at what a unique, painted art style can do because it makes every action in both a character’s face and body language stand out more and that’s rare to see in a 2D game. It’s clear that a lot of care went into ITORAH and it’s paid off in spades with a rewarding and refreshing Metroidvania.

Nintendo Switch Sports doesn’t revolutionize motion-controlled gaming, but instead brings it back at its peak with six enjoyable sports that play great locally or online. Some events, like volleyball or tennis, may feel more shallow than their compatriots, and the absence of a traditional online bowling mode against strangers is hard to overlook. But whether you’re looking to rise through the Pro League ranks or for a fun afternoon with family and friends that doesn’t involve sitting on the couch, Nintendo Switch Sports has plenty to offer gaming fans of all ages that are looking to clash swords, score goals or knock pins.

It would be easy to criticize Rosenkreuzstilette for copying so much of its content from Mega Man games, but that is what makes it so enjoyable. There have been many games that try to piggyback on more successful franchises on a superficial level but completely miss what made the source material so great. This is a blatant Mega Man clone, but it is a clone that was properly done.

Those looking for something completely different in their gaming library ought to download Roundabout.

With an ever increasing amount of games getting console releases, the PC gamer can typically only point to having the best version of a title. Total War has always been a hold out and is one of the few AAA quality PC exclusive series left. While Total War veterans might be justified for feeling a bit of fatigue with the battle system, there’s still plenty fresh in Total War: Three Kingdoms to enjoy. This is a game that brings an amount of depth that would be frightening if there wasn’t also systems in place to help guide a new player. It’s dripping with a beautiful style that evokes the era while still feeling modern. Indeed, the release of Three Kingdoms is an event. Just be prepared to lose track of time building that better China. Plus, it’s a bargain. After all, it’s three kingdoms for the price of one.

The storyline and characters are utterly compelling, regardless of your awareness of the source material. In fact, the story was effective enough to convince me to give the show a watch. The game does, however, end up missing a few of the convenience features expected from many other modern entrants in the genre.

Anyone who loves the Mega Man will enjoy this, and early adopters get more for their money with the inclusion of Mighty Gunvolt as a free extra.

Soundodger+ is a lovely and brutal exercise in pure arcade music gaming.

It’s not perfect, but it’s as close as it’s going to get for this Deus Ex, and that’s impressive in its own way.

In the end, those who are more familiar with works of Nitroplus will get the most out of Nitroplus Blasterz (shockingly enough), but even those with no prior knowledge of the included franchises should easily be able to enjoy it.

If you’re looking for an incredibly nuanced platformer, Dustforce is an excellent choice.

Overall, PACER is fast, addicting and fun with enough strategy involved to enjoy the single player aspect of the game.

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.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus delivers an enjoyable action packed first person shooter experience. The alternate take on history makes for an interesting story populated by characters who are easy to care about. The characters that the player is supposed to hate are quite easy to despise since the game doesn’t hold back about cranking up their despicable level. Some sequences are hard to sit through since they don’t shy away from racism, antisemitism, animal cruelty, domestic violence and just sadistic behavior in general, but this features Nazis, so expecting sunshine and rainbows would be a naive viewpoint. Overall Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus delivers a memorable experience that isn’t afraid to pull punches to get an emotional response but still maintains the over the top action movie camp factor. Most importantly, it delivers fast paced shooting action and explosive carnage which is what people typically want from a first person shooter.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney — Dual Destinies is a success. Yes, it feels like more of the same, but for a series that has yet to put out a bad title, that shouldn’t be viewed negatively.

PGA TOUR 2K25 takes everything that made the previous game in the series stand out and heavily improves on it. The EvoSwing presents the golf simulation aspect the hardcore players are looking for while the introduction of Perfect Swing makes the game fun for everyone while still introducing a challenge. The additions to MyCAREER and MyPLAYER are a much-needed vault in progressing the series, but holding those same progressions behind a paywall or grind inevitably hurts it. There's a lot of ways to play golf in PGA TOUR 2K25 and while the presence of the PGA has improved, it still aims more towards a personalized golf experience where customization shines above. The game is a lot of fun and provides more challenging elements if desired, but the microtransaction aspect and the lack of matchmaking on some modes puts PGA TOUR 2K25 just off the green.

Little Nightmares has its flaws and iffy moments, but when it’s at its best, it creates a tense, nightmarish, action-packed world filled with surreal scenery that contains some classic puzzle design and a host of gleefully creepy characters to chase you all throughout it. It may not break any new ground in the small child/scary world sub-genre, but it still makes for one impressive entry into this world of dark games nonetheless, thanks to The Maw and the unique, twisted visuals it contains. It may be an absolutely horrifying feast that you witness at every turn, but it’s one that’s worth taking a bite out of.

The second episode of Hitman is a satisfying adventure that’s once again dragged down by technical issues. Looking past the extensive load times and online connectivity issues, there’s a fantastic episode here, with even more options than ever before.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Anniversary Edition is one of those things that is simultaneously great and yet seems unnecessary. We can all agree Skyrim is a phenomenal game as it’s cited as a personal favorite of the past decade by a few members of our staff. The thing is with this update is nothing about it seems essential. Survival mode is a great challenge for people who enjoy that type of game. Fishing is boring, but ultimately inconsequential if ignored. The Creation Club content is a robust offering, but the questions is does the player feel Skyrim needs more houses, pets, equipment and quests? Anniversary Edition is currently the latest and greatest version of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and offers fun content for those still exploring Tamriel, but there isn’t enough to bring anyone back who feels like they’ve finished their time in Skyrim.

Top notch platforming mechanics combined with a brilliantly captivating soundtrack that seamlessly meshes with the unique visuals and gameplay turn it into an experience that shouldn’t be missed. 140 is gaming minimalism done right — just don’t expect it to last you very long.

Forced is a gleeful return to form for cooperative play and a nuanced single-player adventure with trials you’ll be scratching your head over for days. It can become needlessly difficult and frustrating at times, but in the end you’ll feel all the better for sticking with it.

Zumba Fitness: World Party is the next best thing to attending an actual Zumba class. This is the most polished iteration yet, featuring well-choreographed routines, impressive looking backdrops and a great lineup of hit and world music.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is an utter delight that can be overwhelming at first, but is worth picking up for those wanting to dive into fast-paced combat with that Fire Emblem twist.

2K and HB Studios have made the necessary additions and changes to make PGA TOUR 2K23 the best in the series. The three-click swing option opens play up for everyone while also eliminating the frustration of having to be overly precise with the Swing Stick. Topgolf is that couch co-op golf that everyone has been waiting for while MyPLAYER finally sees a progression arc added to the series. The game does get held back by a lack of meaningful changes to the Online Mode and that includes no cross play, which frankly makes no sense. Connectivity was fine during the pre-launch period for the three-hole rounds, Divot Derby and Topgolf. The option to select a PGA Pro for Topgolf is needed, however, as it currently isn’t available. Along with those things and the microtransaction aspect, the positives outweigh the negatives and PGA TOUR 2K23 simply brings back the fun in golf.

The biggest hurdle to enjoying the game is simply your tastes for (or tolerance of) copious displays of fanservice. As long as you can handle that then you’re in for a very mechanically sound dungeon crawler with Demon Gaze.

Clocking in at around three to four hours to roll credits, Pepper Grinder while not the lengthiest of platforming titles thanks to its prime drilling mechanic, makes said run-time a thoroughly satisfying one. A core premise that's aided on top by a thoughtful approach to level design, not to mention a knack for continually chopping and changing the formula with one interesting new element or introduction of a neat gimmick after another. Developer Ahr Ech's ability to conjure so much from out so little a detail as how a character moves should not go unnoticed. Serviceable, bordering on unnecessary, its secondary content might feel, Pepper Grinder's ability to be just as satisfying to control, as much to work out and eventually beat, grants this particular drill-powered adventure a well-deserved identity all its own.

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.

The extra year of development has helped Assassin’s Creed as a whole, as Origins is the next level for the series. It’s bigger, better and more robust than ever before, featuring an engaging combat system and surprisingly compelling side quests. That isn’t to say there isn’t anything wrong with it, though, as traversal remains clumsy, the mission structure can get repetitive and the AI can be either overly aggressive or plain dumb to the point of frustration.