New World: Aeternum is a promising action RPG/MMORPG hybrid that offers accessible and flexible combat and progression systems that are a blast to dig into and make those initial hours spent leveling and exploring the island of Aeternum a pure joy.

Neva offers a stunning world, both visually and emotionally. This moving journey grabbed me from the very start, and I never let go. My minor issues with the combat and with a lack of thematic closure do nothing to diminish how it builds a bond with a fictional character while keeping me highly engaged with excellent platforming challenges throughout. This is a world worth taking on, challenges and all.

I honestly could probably spend several more paragraphs talking at length about all the stuff I enjoyed while playing the game, but you probably get the gist by now. 8-Bit Adventures 2 is a marvelous retro-styled RPG that utilizes all the best aspects of the genre while avoiding the worst. Though I do wish the game did more mechanically to stand apart from the crowd, this is nevertheless a well-made, funny RPG with a ton of heart.

As far as Ys chronology goes, Adol’s latest adventure is nothing if not a big step backward. If you ask me, however, this game is a major step forward. Offering an incredibly compelling story, intuitive new mechanics, and a refreshing and unique take on the Ys formula without compromising its identity, Ys X: Nordics is a literal boatload of fun that series fans and newcomers alike. I’d say that good things are on the horizon for Adol from here on out, but, well, we already know that’s true.

Ultimately, though, these are minor complaints. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is another outstanding entry in this wonderful series. To bring back the 2D series style after nine years without missing a beat, maintaining the franchise’s identity while putting a unique stamp on Zelda’s first true starring role, is a major achievement and quite possibly the best Switch game of 2024.

Ultimately, Ara: History Untold is a collection of good ideas that don’t harmonize well. The game feels unfinished, with many mechanics feeling half-baked or monotonous. The overwhelming micromanagement and lack of distinct playstyles reduce the desire to replay, as each session starts to feel like a repeat of the last, mired in the same frustrations. The game doesn’t do a good job of highlighting what’s important, despite having a comprehensive in-game encyclopedia and tooltip system. Important information gets lost in the clutter, and the lack of smooth gameplay flow makes it difficult to stay engaged. For players who enjoy deep micromanagement and have the patience for an unwieldy interface, Ara offers some enjoyment, especially in the early game, where glimpses of a rewarding strategy experience shine through.

I don’t want to come across as too negative because I still think there’s a lot of good in Shattered Space. While the planet of Va’ruun’kai itself may not offer much unique to the game, it looks great and the core quest line here is worth your time. The amount of content you get for nearly half the price of the original game, though, is wildly underwhelming, and there’s nothing here that is going to change the mind of anyone who doesn’t already like Starfield. Fans of the game should absolutely check Shattered Space out when they get the chance, but I might consider waiting for a sale.

Throne and Liberty has a lot going for it. Engaging combat, a stunning world, and a wealth of content for both PvE and PvP players to dive in to make for a rich and deep experience that has the potential to occupy players for hours on end. It’s just impossible to shake that niggling feeling that to truly get the most out of this world, NCSoft wants players to lose hope with the torturous mess of menus and upgrade systems in the name of paying to progress. To its credit, NCSoft is at least generous at the outset with how it dishes out currency to keep progression moving, even for a free-to-play player, but as the game expands and moves into the future, it remains to be seen whether that generosity is kept up.

Despite a few surprising omissions, though, Victory Heat Rally brings the heat. Its drifting doesn’t take long to get used to, and once you do, it feels fantastic to power slide around these corners while looking at some truly striking visuals. Anyone looking for a quick pick-up-and-play racer to enjoy by themselves or against some nearby friends will have an excellent time.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a triumphant return to form for the beloved Budokai Tenkaichi series, offering fans a nostalgic yet modernized experience that captures the essence of epic fantasy Dragon Ball battles.

Earth Defence Force: World Brothers 2 is a fantastic time and absolutely worth picking up for Earth Defence Force addicts like myself or anyone who fancies a smooth entry point to this legendary series. It continues to make smart refinements to the series’ core gameplay loops that make it more accessible, fluid, and dynamic than ever before while also getting rid of some of the rough edges that could make the mainline entries a bit of a chore to play.

On the whole, Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game is a treat, and the confidence with which it approaches its frequently gut-wrenching narrative and merges it effortlessly with completely off-the-wall shenanigans is commendable, putting plenty of bigger budget competition to shame. Cricket: Jae’s Really Peculiar Game tells a tale that feels personal, relatable, and, most importantly, accurate in the way it depicts the impact grief can have on a young mind that hasn’t developed enough to fully come to terms with tragedy.

Seasonspree is a delightfully enchanting romp through time with wholesome aesthetics, endearing characters, and a charming story. As cuddly creature friends work together to plan cheerful end-of-season celebrations to commemorate the passage of time, players will become absorbed into this delicate little world full of wonder and whimsy. Perfect for just about anyone to pick up, Seasonspree will captivate anyone who feels drawn to the tiny time-nudging title.

The developers of UFO 50 took on a monumental task in creating 50 unique games for their fictional collection but they accomplished it in wildly successful fashion. Not only are the large majority of these games excellent, but when taken as a fictional canon, they make each other even better. Seeing how they bounce off each other, interact, and tell a story just in the way they evolve is a wonderful experience that’s unlike any other game I’ve played.

Evotinction may stumble in how it delivers its narrative, but it’s more than able to make up for that in the gameplay department. While starting simple, Evotinction soon becomes a varied stealth sandbox that provides a throwback to stealth games of years gone by. It might never reach the heights of its bigger budget inspiration, but in a world where stealth games are somewhat rare, it’s simply nice to see developers wanting to provide a throwback for fans of the genre, something Evotinction does successfully with its varied hacking-based gameplay.

Gimmick! 2 doesn’t reinvent the wheel, which is probably the best when a new development team builds on something they didn’t create. That said, this is a beautiful game that plays great and makes some smart updates to keep the difficulty, which so many loved about the original, while making things work for modern players as well. You won’t see anything truly new in Gimmick! 2, but if you’re just looking for an incredibly well-executed modern platformer, you won’t find much better.

All in all, I really had a good time playing Athena Crisis. It’s not only an incredibly competent tactical adventure inspired by Advance Wars, it’s even a tool to creature user generated content and share it with others. Throw in the ability to jump into the campaigns of other players and a lighthearted story of adventure, and you have a game that’s very easy to recommend.

Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is a throwback to a game that was a throwback when it came out, and it shows. While updated graphics put a nice coat of paint on things, and the story is far more intriguing than you’d expect from this sort of title, they don’t mask that underneath it, all the core mechanics and level design here don’t hold up. Fans of Mickey Mouse might put up with them to see one of the more interesting versions of the character in recent decades; everyone else should brush up on a better platformer.

In some ways, Keylocker is like going to a concert for a genre you’ve never listened to. Many will be scared or turned off by a sudden wall of things they might not understand, but those who face the music have a high chance of walking away with a smile and a new obsession. Keylocker, for me, was that concert, and having braved a storm of rough learning curves and story-sabotaging bugs and glitches, I do sincerely hope that Moonana has more tunes in store once they get extra practice in.

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but it can be hard not to when the cover is as pretty as this one is. Still, once you get past the wonderful style of The Plucky Squire, you’ll find a game that has a lot of creativity, at least when it comes to its puzzles and exploration. Other aspects of the game are less successful, but they aren’t poorly executed; they just tend to feel a bit generic. It would have been fantastic if the developers had brought the same creativity to all aspects of this game, but anyone who enjoys thinking their way through their adventure should absolutely check it out.

Even with a few minor missteps, Kamikaze Lassplanes is still one of the most enjoyable and unique ecchi adventures I’ve played in quite a while. After spending 10 hours with the game, I not only found the story compelling and fun, but was also impressed by its willingness to deal with heavy concepts like what makes us human, and what price are we willing to pay for victory? Combined with lush artwork and great audio design, as well as replay value aplenty in multiple endings and standalone arcade modes for the Shmup levels, and you have an outstanding game by a very talented team. I highly recommend any fans of VNs check this out, even if they’re not super confident about their Shmup skills.

Like Prodigal and Curse Crackers: For Whom The Belle Toils before it, Veritus is an unapologetically old-school adventure made for a very particular demographic. It has its quirks and can feel a bit unfair at times due to some questionable design decisions. But stick with it for the excellent puzzles, delightful dungeon variety, and irresistible presentation. If you happen to be a retro gamer at heart with a soft spot for the Game Boy Color era, Veritus comes easily recommended.

Frostpunk 2 is the exact move this frozen franchise needed; in fact, it’s the only logical path it could have followed. Scaling up from individuals to factions may have kept some aspects of the original at arm’s length, but the feelings of desperation, urgency, and enervation not only remain, but are dramatically heightened. If you’ve ever wanted to be completely and utterly drained by a game that feels much larger than itself, Frostpunk 2 beckons.

While there are a few changes, like the photography losing a category and gaining no replacement and Frank looking and sounding just a bit off, the pros in this remaster far outweigh the cons. The addition of autosave, the ability to move while aiming, and even the extra mall music make Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster feel like the glorious resurrection the franchise needed. I can only hope Capcom considers reanimating other Dead Rising games after this because, like skilled morticians, they've proven that they're dead serious about preserving the classics.

Deadlink is an excellent mixture of Robobeat’s roguelike structure and DOOM (2016)’s frantic but strategic frenzied gunplay. That’s a very high compliment, as I loved both games very much, and Deadlink proves there’s still plenty of life in the roguelike shooting genre. The gunplay is rapid, clicks together well, and provides plenty of room for experimentation to help soak up some, but not all, of the burnout the lack of enemy and level variety brings. Even when I get a bad run, I still feel accomplished in what I get from it, whether that be more XP and Tokens or even a little secret nugget or two. Just make sure to keep yourself on the move; Deadlink goes full throttle right from the start. From the absolutely electrifying beats to the simple pleasures of racking the pump of a shotgun, every sound comes in crystal clear, and the Dualsense additions are icing on the cake. If you want to run and gun with a bit of randomness in between, Deadlink’s cyberpunk flair just cannot be passed up.

Iron Meat is a challenging, gloriously gory, and fast-paced run ‘n gun adventure with a fun story and solid replay value. If you’re at all a fan of Contra, you absolutely need to pick this up.

The Crush House does something different, combining aspects of social interaction, photography, and simulation with a deeper mystery waiting to be uncovered, always lurking below the surface. It’s an interesting combination, and while it could offer a more cohesive experience, there’s little else like it on the market. Reality TV fans interested in how the medium can translate to video games should absolutely give The Crush House a look.

I’m a little torn about Forgotten Mines. While I did enjoy my time with the game, I also fear it’s just unbalanced enough to dissuade most gamers from spending the time necessary to grind enough Gems to help stack the odds in their favor. And while the combat is fast-paced and punchy, it’s also unpredictable and often cruelly weighs everything against you. If you’re truly patient and can put up with dying many, many times in your quest to retake the mines, you’ll find a game to love here. For everybody else, this is a harder sell.