With its unique twist on combat and a great sense of style, I went into Strayed Lights with high hopes. However, while its presentation and challenging parry-centric boss battles certainly shine brightly, its largely nonexistent story, a lack of enemy variety, and frequent crashes caused that light to fade well before the conclusion of its four-hour runtime. If you’re simply looking for a novel take on the action-adventure genre, maybe pick this one up once it goes on sale. For anyone else, Strayed Lights is tough to recommend.

If you had told me one of my favorite retro adventures in a long time would be sports-themed, I would have called you a filthy liar. But it’s true that Bat Boy is one of the best games I’ve played in a long time. Though the adventure is relatively short, with only one ending, and can feel occasionally overwhelming, it’s also well-crafted and fun. I spent a good 7 hours with the game, though you can probably beat it in less if you don’t replay stages or go for completion. It’s not a perfect experience, but it’s a worthy one, and I hope this isn’t the last adventure for Ryosuke and his merry band of athletes.

It may have taken more than three decades for Cannon Dancer to make its way to our living rooms, but it was totally worth the wait. If you’re a fan of Capcom’s Strider or classic 90s arcade games in general – especially ones with a meaty challenge – then you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Volcano Princess is definitely one of the more addictingly fun games I’ve played in recent memory. It has that same “one more turn” kind of feel that got me hooked on the likes of Civilization and other strategy games of its caliber. Although I wish there had been more effort put into the English localization because the story deserves to shine as much as the rest of the game, the clunky translation didn’t stop me from pouring 40+ hours into it. If you’re looking for a very sweet but surprisingly deep (and absolutely addicting) experience, Volcano Princess could use your careful guidance to reach its full potential.

Put simply, Cyber Citizen Shockman is a peculiarity of a retro game. Though I appreciate it being brought to new audiences some 30 years later, I can’t say it holds up very well. My hope is that the series grew over time and got much improved, since I know Ratalaika is bringing other games from the franchise to the West. But if you’re looking for an amazing retro experience, you’ll probably be disappointed with it.

So once again, I’ve tried another deckbuilder, only to come out disappointed. Three Kingdom: The Journey isn’t a terrible game, and there’s kernels of greatness that could grow into something much better. That will just depend on Senmu Studio putting in the time to fix the translation and tweak the game balance. Until that happens, this is just one of many frustrating deckbuilder experiences.

Golden Idol Mysteries: The Spider of Lanka isn’t easy to return to if you haven’t played The Case of the Golden Idol for some time, but once you get into it, it offers some of the best content in the entire game. Providing an interesting set-up for the main story and some of the best logic puzzles the developers have derived yet, those who loved the original game last year should absolutely consider checking this out. Those who can, however, should try to play these soon after completing the main game.

Sometimes, as a gamer, you long for a game that you can just let your hair down with. That inner child wants to get some fresh air from time to time, and LEGO 2K Drive is there for just that. Not everyone will be here for the numerous puns and hammy dialogue, but I think anyone picking this up won’t be disappointed in the classic fun of screwing around with a vat of LEGOs. While the vehicle editor has a bit of a spazzy camera and seems to be missing a couple of parts, it’s still so robust when it comes to bringing those childhood fantasies of racing your custom LEGO car to life that it can be easily forgiven. It’s just a shame the same can’t be said about the egregious microtransactions that are about as painful as stepping on a LEGO. Still, if you have a taste for arcade racers and a love for LEGO, or are maybe looking for a good first racing game for the kids, you can’t do any wrong taking a pit stop at LEGO 2K Drive.

While it’s true that Bend the Roo’les is a pretty affordable experience and one that’s easier to recommend, it still has its share of problems, both in terms of glitches and bugs, but also in terms of unbalanced game design. But if you still want to take your chances and spend more time in the Kao the Kangaroo universe, you might still find some limited enjoyment here.

The Path of Destiny mode may not have been much of a hit for me, but everything else available here is more than enough for a Magical Droppin’ good time – keeping this franchise within my pantheon of favorite puzzlers. If the price seems too steep at the offset, then there’s no shame in waiting for a sale or until more of the free DLC drops to see if it adds value to the purchase for you. But if money is no object, then get on this bad boy and start having some fun! Just get some backup controllers on standby because these bad boys are going to take a serious pounding.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—unorthodox though it may be, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is a very welcome addition to the Ys series and a game that I highly recommend. If you’ve already played the game on PS4, I get why you might not want to pick this version up (although I wouldn’t blame you if you did). Amazing as it is, it’s basically the same game, except it works slightly better, and you get some free DLC costumes. If you haven’t played the game, yet, you literally don’t have any excuse to not play Monstrum Nox at this point.

For new players, the more logical difficulty curve that Sunbreak presents, with a meaningful endgame challenge now correct and present, means there has never been a better time to jump into Monster Hunter Rise. Similarly, for lapsed players who were eventually put off by how trivial things had become, Sunbreak provides the perfect excuse to jump back in. Whatever angle you’re approaching Sunbreak from, sharpen those blades – you’re going to need them.

That’s actually a frequent issue with Darkest Dungeon II. I admire that the team at Red Hook Studios took a real swing here, trying new paths forward for the series instead of just tinkering around the edges and making an iterative sequel. The issue is that most of the game’s strengths are still the parts that came from the first game, with most of what’s new feeling fine but also like downgrades to what they’ve replaced. It leaves Darkest Dungeon II in a strange place where, on its own merits, it’s an interesting and well-made game that doesn’t quite live up to the example set by its predecessor.

Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores may be more Horizon, but if that’s what you’re looking for, then you’ll be very happy with this new content. With an excellent story, interesting new characters, awesome new weapons, and enemies, as well as some of the most exciting sequences in the entire game, Burning Shores makes Forbidden West an even stronger experience than it already was.

If you’ve been salivating for a new old-school RPG on modern consoles, Live A Live is a proper treat. The selection of stories you play are lovely and varied, the beautifully upscaled look of the game brings details to vibrant new life, and there is a lot of retro arcadey goodness in here to bask in. Furthermore, the shortness of each individual story makes each of them easy to play without feeling overloaded or that you’re missing something. Live A Live can get tricky, its grid-based battle system is a little passe, and it isn’t the most awe-inspiring remake you ever saw, but it’s a lovingly crafted revitalization that will please anybody with a fondness for old-school JRPGs.

Even though the game’s balancing and AI issues try their best to spoil the fun, ArcRunner still manages to deliver a satisfying cyberpunk roguelike experience. Despite its shortcomings—and they are plentiful— it can feel great to give into the temptation to jam to some synthwave and gun down some nameless bots for a few hours. It’s just a shame that, apart from the killer aesthetics, there isn’t much to compel players to return to its neon-saturated streets once they’ve finished their initial playthrough.

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp offers two excellent strategy titles which will keep players busy for a ton of hours. Whether you’re an old fan happy to be back in command or someone enlisting for the first time, there’s a lot to recommend here. A bit more work updating things, particularly the balance of the latter half of the first game and the multiplayer experience, would have been welcome but that shouldn’t stop those wanting an excellent strategy experience from picking this one up.

Mia And The Dragon Princess is another title that can be gorged through like a starving child when he glimpses a box of Celebrations. But unlike Celebrations, it doesn’t have the quantity nor the quality to entice you to keep on feasting, it’ll instead make you feel full all too quickly.

There’s no denying that Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin has its unintentionally awkward moments when it comes to the story, but at its core it’s a solid experience from both a gameplay standpoint and in terms of how it links back to the entire Final Fantasy universe. In fact, fans of the franchise will certainly be blindsided by nostalgia when it comes to music and settings, so I encourage newcomers to the series to try a few of the mainline entries first if they want to get the most out of this one. As for me, I found myself enjoying Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin in the same way that I enjoyed Final Fantasy X-2: preferring combat to story. Simply put, as long as you set your expectations accordingly, you’ll have a good time.

Overall, DNF Duel was and still is one of the most aesthetically pleasing games I’ve played in a long time and one of the better ports on the Nintendo Switch, taking everything there was to love about the game while still retaining its sleek gameplay and killer sense of style. Sadly, while the characters and animations still look great, and the game runs like a champ, it took a slight hit in terms of graphical fidelity to be able to run the game at its most optimal on the Switch. Nevertheless, while it may not be an entirely new game, it does a phenomenal job showing that an old dog doesn’t need new tricks to be great. So if big beautiful sprites, bone-crunching combat, and vivid visuals are your cup of tea, don’t be afraid to give DNF Duel a try.

Labyrinth of Zangetsu is a solid, addicting, enjoyable game. Yes, there are some annoying shortcomings, but the story and art style are both intricately connected, with the story being surprisingly engaging for a first-person dungeon crawler, and the art style likewise remarkably deep and beautiful for the genre. Exploration is addicting, and character classes can be changed or upgraded as you progress through the game, giving you access to advanced classes. First-person dungeon crawlers can often be a bit of a slog, but Labyrinth of Zangetsu manages to avoid that particular pitfall by being a reasonable length. While the difficulty can, at times, be quite steep, it’s worth the occasional pain and suffering.

I had hoped I would find another amazing roguelite in Mr. Sun’s Hatbox. But between the hardcore stealth component and the persistent glitches I encountered, I found the game more of a chore than a delight. While there are plenty of folks that may still enjoy the game, it’s a much harder sell until those nagging issues are patched out.

I really don’t like having to pick on Mugen Souls as much as I did throughout most of this review. All-in-all, it was a fun JRPG with an entertaining storyline. I also understand that this game is a remake of something that came out a decade ago. And, heck, this game even has every bit of DLC (of which there is a lot) that was released during its initial run included for free! Unfortunately, neither of those things can entirely make up for the game’s misgivings. If you’re a fan of Compile Heart or JRPGs with weird and wacky stories, it might be worth giving a shot. I would, however, caution those out there who only want to spend their time playing RPGs with a bit more… well, quality.

While Square Enix didn’t nail every element of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, they got enough right that I can’t imagine revisiting any other version of any of these games. Some of the greatest RPGs of all time are once again available to players on modern platforms, and that’s a cause for celebration. Whether you’re yearning to reexperience epic journeys from your youth or are just curious about what all the hype is about when it comes to Final Fantasy, this is a collection well worth your time.

Between the half-baked gameplay loops, repetitive open-world busy work, and shockingly poor optimization, Redfall feels like a title that’s still in alpha, never mind a product that’s supposed to represent a flagship release for Microsoft’s premium subscription service.

Ultimately, I had a great time with Varney Lake. The story is well told and features a surprising amount of replay value. While I personally didn’t love the mini-games, they don’t do much to detract from the experience. If you’re a fan of tales of woe and love reading good stories, give this one a shot. It’s incredibly affordable and very enjoyable.

There’s a ton to like about The Library of Babel. From a presentation standpoint, this is one of the strongest games I’ve played in 2023. That just makes it more annoying when the title’s core gameplay mechanics don’t hold up to the experience the developers have created. While they’re mostly okay in the early going, as the game tries to push players further, they simply don’t hold up well to what’s being asked of them. I still overall had a good time with The Library of Babel, and this is a game that, with a bit more refinement, could really have been something special, but as is, this is a game I can only recommend strongly to die-hard fans of classic cinematic platformers.

It’s already been said once in this review, but it bears repeating. Nuclear Blaze is the equivalent of a brightly lit candle—it’s at its end far too soon, but it’s impossible not to marvel at its splendor while it’s still there. As little as I’ve actually thought about the “firefighting game” genre, I’m all-in if future games are anything like this.