Though it may retread old ground in parts, it's the wealth of material as much the care for the smaller details, where Digital Eclipse's reverence is most strongly felt. Not as complete or as comprehensive as one might've liked, Tetris Forever is still nonetheless a pleasant, worthwhile look back on one of gaming's and indeed all of culture's most-prized creations.

Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood succeeds at creating a loyal sequel to the previous installments in the franchise, but fails to successfully bring that franchise to the level of quality synonymous with Nintendo's console games. Slow progression, major quality-of-life issues and unbearably-boring lengths of dialogue and gameplay heavily bog down this fun and lighthearted turn-based RPG, with the final product ending up as a 50-50 split of soul-sucking boredom and family-friendly fun.

LEGO Horizon Adventures is a fun, albeit brief, romp through the world of Horizon. Its story, humor, world and gameplay may not fully match up to its source material, or reach the same heights as the best Traveller’s Tales LEGO games, but Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo have built a strong foundation for a new style of LEGO game.

Sorry We're Closed beautifully takes that otherworldly psychological horror of games such as Silent Hill and puts its own colorful spin on things, resulting in a game filled with an eye-popping visual style, a terrific story with a clever look at relationships via angels and demons, and an amazing cast of characters, including one truly memorable and unsettling villain, alongside a lot of other surreal and spooky moments. While the combat may be a tad frustrating later on, it all still makes for a great entry into the genre and definitely one to pick up.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is how a classic game should be remade. The new graphics style brings Dragon Quest III into the modern era while maintaining the original iconic designs. The quality-of-life improvements also make the 36-year-old game feel modern without sacrificing the core elements of the original experience. There are certain aspects that may not appeal to everyone, such as maintaining the original first-person battle perspective instead of changing it to the more animated one seen in more recent Dragon Quest games, or the omission of the Pachisi minigame. Even with these criticisms, however, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake is among the best releases of 2024, reimagining the classic game in a contemporary form without sacrificing any of the original charm.

When all is said and done, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a solid experience. It's flashy, pretty and entertaining, standing out through the combat and environments. It no longer feels like this sprawling world that we explore and save from the brink of destruction, but rather a small pocket that needs constant supervision. This is a more on-the-rails experience when compared to any of the past Dragon Age games. Considering the struggles that Bioware has undergone since Dragon Age: Inquisition, however, it's still awesome that we received a game of this quality. It doesn’t share much in terms of style and gameplay, but we do see characters we love again in a beautiful world and fun combat. It isn’t the most mind-blowing entry to the series and does play it safe, but it's still a good game. The combat and soundtrack are solid, the environments are gorgeous and the game is still filled with a ton of world-building.

Despite a disappointing setlist, Just Dance 2025 Edition still delivers on the fun of the pastime. Some of the choreography can be too complicated for its own good, but there are some tracks that stand out with easier to follow moves like "Paint the Town Red" and "Vogue" by Madonna. The visuals are also striking, while the inclusion of multiple difficulties within some songs is a step in the right direction.

Techtonica is a huge and rewarding automation adventure that can be hard to tear yourself away from and will easily occupy a fair amount of head-space when your'e not playing. It's a long way down and the only way to get there is to automate all the things, and each new factory is another step on the way to the mysteries buried deep in the heart of Calyx.

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.

The multiplayer brings back the arcadey, fast-paced action missing from the past two years and takes numerous systems back to basics for the better. It's unfortunate that a lot of Infinity Ward’s poor design decisions infect so much of the experience, but the core gunplay, Omnimovement and about half the maps still help make this feel like a proper Treyarch Black Ops experience. Zombies is back to round-based and is helped by Omnimovement and smart map design to create a thrilling experience. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 carries on the legacy of the Black Ops franchise well and is a strong return to form for the long-running series.

Players looking for a sci-fi retro shooter experience with a bit of modernization will no doubt enjoy Rogue Flight out of the box. The replayability comes into question as it comes off more grindy than an arcade shooter or the unlockable roguelike mode should. The visuals and the experience along with the voice acting are superb, while the soundtrack is fantastic and most fans of this genre will enjoy the music alone. The steep PC requirements for an indie title may hurt this in the end, though.

Bokeh Game Studio’s Slitterhead shows a lot of promise in terms of its unique possession action gameplay, direction, music and overall plot. It’s fun, electric and unlike any other game. New IPs are the lifeblood of the industry and the game is a key example of keeping that saying alive.

While it would have been nice to have gotten new content or more Forbidden West improvements, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered delivers a still strong story, smooth gameplay at either 30 or 60fps and gorgeous visuals. Horizon 3 is still stubbornly far away, but Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered should hopefully make the wait a little easier.

Whatever promise Life is Strange: Double Exposure has, be it in its beautiful setting, fun and likable characters, or its intriguing setup, ends up being undermined by a scattershot narrative that never comes together. And unfortunately, with a lack of any substantial gameplay or meaningful choices, that leaves this as just a so-so adventure game at best, and what is arguably the lowest-ranking game in the series. Hopefully Life is Strange can rebound back, but for now, it's not a pretty picture.

Amanda the Adventurer 2 is a fun adventure title that delivers solid puzzles, great performances and a nice mixture of dread and humor, but a few sloppy decisions and a lack of anything substantial in either the gameplay or story areas hold it back. Still, if you can get past those issues (and the first puzzle), there's a nice, quick romp through an eerie library here that's worth checking out. If nothing else, at least the true ending will leave fans properly hooked for more games to come...

Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is a refined version of the 2011 cult classic. The visuals are smoother, the game mechanics feel more natural, but aside from the minor face lift and some new costumes, this is exactly how we remember it. Outside of New Game+, all the changes and updates to Shadows of the Damned ar minor. This is great news for purists who love the original how it is, but it also makes some mechanics feel dated. For players who are fine with average game mechanics and enjoy juvenile humor, however, Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered remains a good enough time that's worth revisiting. It might not be an incredibly deep game, but there's still something satisfying about decapitating demons with a sentient shotgun.

The Smurfs - Dreams is a delightful platformer and a fantastic pickup for anyone who loves Mario 3D Land or 3D World. This is very much inspired by it on a surface level, but with more rhythm to its platforming action. It's a trickier game than one might expect given the license, which has usually been used in simpler, less-challenging games. It plays nicely across the board and doesn't have a lot of flaws in its gameplay beyond having a set formula that changes up based on the weapons you have access to in the stage itself and a soundtrack that's hit or miss.

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead takes an interesting concept and fails to reach the mark, fizzling out into mediocrity before even getting started. The goal of remaining quiet is portrayed well with several successful mechanics (opening doors slowly, watching where you step), but becomes boring as the game fails to create engaging challenges while plummeting in quality. Fans of the franchise will get a kick out of this adaptation for the first few hours, but it's hard to imagine many players sticking around until the ending.

Super Mario Party Jamboree is something of a mixed experience. Its main mode, while offering a truly solid selection of fun minigames and interesting boards, suffers from a frustratingly slow rate of play. Unless it's addressed in a future update, most players are probably going to eventually get tired of everything taking longer than it should. Most of the side modes are “take it or leave it” affairs as well, but Koopathlon, Toad’s Item Factory and especially Bowser’s Kaboom Squad are together good enough to make up for that. Fans with friends to play it with will feel satisfied with Super Mario Party Jamboree, but those who don’t probably need not rush to pick this one up.

Cozy Game Pals have truly crafted one outstanding ode to classic survival horror games with Fear the Spotlight. It perfectly finds a balance between an atmosphere and story that are all suitably creepy, core stealth gameplay that features one impressive, imposing monster while never frustrating the player, and a terrific use of old-school touches like nifty puzzle that wouldn't feel out of place in the likes of Silent Hill. It's the type of horror game that perfectly keeps you on edge throughout all of it, then leaves you walking away feeling refreshed and satisfied. It's an impressive show and one that players need to check out.

Starship Troopers: Extermination is a frustrating game. Not because of the challenge, but because it’s so close to being good only to crash into the ground in a heap of green blood and mandibles. The technical glitches, poor lighting and unrewarding progression system interfere with the moments that capture the feel of the action from the film. With some patches and expansion, this title could be fantastic. In its current state, players would be better off going back to Earth Defense Force or Helldivers II.

Sonic X Shadow Generations stands as a reminder as to where the series has gone and will be going in the future. While Sonic Generations values the original with some added features, Shadow Generations breaks the glass ceiling set by an already top-tier Sonic title.

ATLUS and Studio Zero have crafted a rare gem of an RPG, much like years before. Outside of a few dings here and there, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a near-perfect game that rivals that of Persona 5. The rich fantasy elements are matched with spectacular gameplay, gorgeous designs and captivating storytelling. It’s been a fantastic year for RPGs with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth leading the way. But now, Metaphor: ReFantazio proves there’s a new king on top and one that will hopefully reign supreme for years to come.

Neva is another winner from Nomada Studio, but it's also much more than that. It's a drop-dead gorgeous game with truly fun platforming action, puzzles and combat, with hauntingly-beautiful moments. But the titular character is the true highlight, easily encapsulating the biggest strengths as you see this wolf grow up alongside Alba. It's a journey of motherhood that takes the form of one of the year's best platformers, and just one of the year's best games, period.

Ys X: Nordics brings welcome changes to the template that made its predecessors enjoyable. The ship exploration and naval battles add a new dimension to exploration that wasn't present in previous games. The shift from a three-member party to two does put limit on play variety, but having two constant playable characters brings a different dynamic which works well in the greater context of the story. These changes help differentiate Ys X: Nordics from other entries in the franchise, but it maintains the elements fans have come to expect, such as recruiting people for their base and watching it grow. The story takes interesting turns, especially later in the game, and all is done with a great accompanying soundtrack and frenetic mana-enhanced combat. Returning Ys players will find many elements that are familiar, but enough changes were made to make this new entry stand out from what came before it.

A lone knight tears through a series of towers using parkour and combat skills interchangeably. Most abilities are used to for both fighting and parkour, making for free-flowing action that never fails to look as cool as it feels.

Despite some of the issues with the game, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a solid arena fighting game that has tons of action and content available to players on day one and is worth a shot for fans and newcomers alike.

Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred continues the story of Diablo IV into its next inevitable chapter. The story continues in a satisfying way as players explore the new region of Nahantu. The Spiritborn class is a blast to play, the mix of a martial artist with different Guardian Spirits providing support has potential for numerous viable builds. Ultimately though, even with the new area, vocation and other new features added, Vessel of Hatred offers more of what players can expect from Diablo IV.