Overall, Reigns Beyond is a delightful adventure with hilarious writing and a complex yet easy-to-grasp gameplay system. Though I had a lot of fun in my time with the game, I was a little frustrated by the lack of clarity in getting past some scenarios. That said, at the super cheap price point, it’s hard not to recommend that fans of the genre pick this up.

All in all, Final Fantasy‘s finale DLC was a pretty good time. While Mysidia wasn’t quite as in-depth as I had hoped it would be, Final Fantasy XVI The Rising Tide is nonetheless an enjoyable and rewarding journey and a satisfying conclusion to the Final Fantasy XVI DLC duology.

While it took its time getting its hooks into me, once TopSpin 2K25 grabbed me, I grew to understand the appeal of this more technical tennis experience. It’s not for every fan of tennis games, but I know there are players who are going to love it, and I eventually had a really good time. That good time was fleeting, though, thanks to its repetition and lack of content. TopSpin 2K25 is only recommended for players who plan to put a lot of hours into competing online.

If you love Toriyama-san’s art style and world-building and share his love for vehicle design, then Sand Land is the game for you. With its unique blend of exploration, vehicular combat, unparalleled customization, and engaging narrative, the Sand Land video game is a manga brought to life.

Square Enix’s addition to the SaGa series is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, you’ve got its storytelling and exploration mechanics—both of which feel strangely placed, and neither of which gives the proper amount of freedom that you’d expect from a SaGa title. Its masterful approach to combat, however, ensures that you’ll never have a dull moment when it comes to duking it out with the baddies—or even when setting up your own team! SaGa Emerald Beyond isn’t “middle-of-the-road” by any means. It’s a mixture of good and not-so-good. However, as long as you go into things knowing that, you’ll probably still have a pretty good time.

I really enjoyed my time with Lunar Lander Beyond. Even if you’re not a huge fan of the original Lunar Lander, this follow-up takes everything to another level. While I was impressed by some of the new systems and rogue elements, the difficulty spikes and sometimes cluttered artwork kept it from a perfect score. But if you don’t mind a challenging and relatively short sci-fi romp, I’d check it out.

For fans of Suikoden, playing Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes was always going to be an emotional experience given Murayama's passing. Thankfully, however, while we continue to mourn the loss of an industry legend, we also get to celebrate his life's work in the best way possible through a remarkable JRPG that retains everything people loved about Suikoden while building upon it to create an incredible end to an equally incredible career. Looking back on my notes as I sat to write this review, I wasn't surprised in the slightest to realize that the vast majority of what I had written down was positive given the immense joy I felt while playing through Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. Any faults are minor, so minor to the point where in the grand scheme of things, they matter little and cannot even come close to overshadowing everything this game gets right. Playing through Nowa and his companions' journey feels like a true celebration - a celebration of how incredible JRPGs can be when done right, a celebration of a legend's career, and the celebration of the birth of a new franchise that I cannot wait to see expanded upon for years to come.

After two triumphant video game outings, South Park: Snow Day is a crushingly disappointing effort, with new development team Question leaving behind everything that made the New Kid’s previous two adventures such a success. Bland combat, a distinct lack of humor, and one-dimensional level design come together to create something that I suspect most will bounce off immediately. Not even the mildly interesting rogue-lite card system and persistent upgrades can save this one from disaster. At worst, I expected Snow Day to be something that at least could be recommended to hardcore fans, but with such a disregard for what makes South Park special, this is one even the most die-hard of fans can avoid.

The Last Case of Benedict Fox Definitive Edition clearly alleviates and improves upon many of the grievances it suffered from in the original release, but some of those glaring problems are still there. Nonetheless, the game offers an engaging Lovecraftian narrative filled with gorgeous artwork and interesting characters bound to keep Metroidvania fans entertained. Just know that there are much better ones out there.

Children of the Sun delivers a distinctly edgy experience, blending stylized graphics, shocking cutscenes, and quirky elements. While the narrative loses some steam and gameplay variety is limited, its core mechanics – precision sniping, bullet manipulation, and cleverly designed levels – remain consistently engaging. This makes Children of the Sun a worthwhile and uniquely visceral experience for fans of score-based shooters who enjoy a strong, satirical tone and strategic problem-solving. While it might not offer endless replayability, those who appreciate its offbeat nature will find a refreshingly different and satisfying gameplay loop.

Its open world may not contain an abundance of diverse and interesting distractions, but the combat is strong enough that exploration is still satisfying. Couple that with some excellent traversal mechanics and the freedom to truly go anywhere, and Outcast: A New Beginning is a fantastic attempt at reviving the IP for a modern audience in a way that feels faithful to the vision of its predecessor.

It looks the part of a dystopian robot future, and I wish it had lived up to my hype. Ultimately though, Metal Mind wasn’t the rogue-like I was hoping for, nor the robot builder experience. While there might be a worthwhile adventure here for those willing to push past the punishing lack of balance, I feel many won’t have the patience to delve very far into this robot adventure.

While the concept of Parry Nightmare is novel and fun when things are going well, it can also be very irritating. Combining the massive challenge with a UI that isn’t cleaner and more precise, it makes this game hard to recommend to everyone. But if you’re willing to take a shot on something unique, you really can’t go wrong, especially at the game’s incredibly low price point.

While the boomshtick might wear out its welcome with enough rounds spent, it’ll always have a place for those with an attraction to trying their luck, proving that a good concept, when fleshed out just enough, can say all it needs to leave a lasting impression. If you’ve got an itchy trigger finger and are craving a fatal game of chance, Buckshot Roulette serves its purpose and shows promise for so much more down the line.

Zoria: Age of Shattering is a commendable effort in what is an extremely competitive genre. In choosing not to focus heavily on narrative, and instead setting out to provide a satisfying loop of exploration and fast-paced combat that continuously moves you forward, Tiny Trinket Games has managed to provide a CRPG experience that feels fresh. In choosing not to try and go toe-to-toe with the genre’ heavyweights, Zoria: Age of Shattering carves out its own deserved space in the collections of CRPG fans and serves as a welcome alternative for those seeking out new adventures.

I’ve played a lot of amazing games from Devolver’s library, but Pepper Grinder stands above most of the pack. It’s a quirky, creative, and utterly enjoyable platformer with lots of character, if not much in the way of plot. The mechanics work well and the creativity speaks for itself, despite some minor snags keeping it from a perfect score. All platformer fans owe it to themselves to check this one out.

Tango Gameworks’ Hi-Fi Rush returns to the stage with an encore on the PlayStation 5. If you missed playing it last year for whatever reason, do yourself a favor and snag it up right now! Its innovative gameplay combining action-combat with rhythm-based timings, coupled with a charming narrative and stunning visuals, makes it an outstanding performance worth attending.

Given what its based on, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this game would be destined to end up in the same terrible-yet-hilarious state as the games it was based on. But it didn’t. On the contrary, it thrived. Despite having the Zelda CD-i titles as its source material, Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore is a legitimately fun, and surprisingly polished, platformer whose delightful strangeness is sure to please those who long to experience a CD-i-quality game without the CD-i-quality jank that usually comes with it.

Dragon’s Dogma II is an instant classic. Capcom hasn’t reinvented the wheel here, opting instead to deliver the same blend of exploration and monster slaying that they established in 2012 while turning it into a full-on adventure simulator via a sandbox that is capable of generating jaw-dropping moments at every turn. It may not be polished to the degree that I’d like, but I find it impossible to be angry at Capcom when what they’ve delivered carries a level of ambition and seamlessness that needs to be seen to be believed. In a year stacked to the rafters with game-of-the-year-worthy RPGs already, Dragon’s Dogma II is another fantastic addition to what is already becoming a complicated discussion and should not be overlooked.

Despite failing to live up to its name, however, what is here is largely excellent. Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story does a solid job of telling the story of the first half of Jeff Minter’s career and features a ton of cool games that weren’t easily available previously. I’m glad this collection is out there, and for players interested in Minter’s career, this is a must-buy.

Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection definitely needs some more time to bake in the oven with a few more patches and server updates. At its very core, it’s still a solid choice for Star Warsenthusiasts and those who enjoyed the original Battlefront games to experience a dose of nostalgia, but it’s difficult to look past the technical issues and bugs that currently plague it.

While its story may be a bit pedestrian, I have no other negatives to point out about Unicorn Overlord. Vanillaware has created another masterful gameplay experience that still has all the style of their best games. It would have been great to see them nail the story and create a truly unforgettable experience, but anyone who remotely enjoys strategy games needs to pick up Unicorn Overlord.

While there are genuine moments of excitement and mystery to be found in Alone in the Dark, they simply aren’t enough to offset the mountain of issues that plague the game, at least in its current state. With clunky and unsatisfying combat and more bugs than an Ekbom Syndrome convention, Alone in the Dark is a game that’s best left in the shadows—at least until some serious updates have been done to sort out its most glaring issues.

Highwater tells a fairly interesting story about a planet on the brink and offers solid, if simple, tactical gameplay, which I mostly enjoyed. Add in a great art style and a winning soundtrack, and there’s a lot to interest fans of the strategy genre. The rest of the world around all of this largely lets the game down but the players Highwater grabs will get lost in the beautiful tragedy of it all.

With Diablo IV starting to grow stale and my patience for Path of Exile’s impenetrable nature wearing thin, Last Epoch couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Its timely arrival and the fact that it is perhaps the most fun I’ve had with an ARPG since Diablo II speaks volumes. Satisfying progression where every build feels like it has the potential to be meta, rather than just a select few, and its accessible endgame that downplays the genre’s usual reliance on RNG have come together to create something that feels like a true middle ground between the extremes that current competitors represent. In expertly striking that balance, Last Epoch is already a huge threat in the ARPG space, and I cannot wait to see where the developers take it from here as we dive headfirst into future seasons.

Expeditions: A MudRunner Game is a commendable journey for truck and mud running enthusiasts seeking a therapeutic yet intricately detailed experience. Saber Interactive has done an impressive job at delivering a unique blend of relaxation and challenge, despite facing some drawbacks. It’s not quite the same as SnowRunner or even the original MudRunner, but it’s still worth your time nonetheless if you’re a fan of this extremely niche genre of games.

Despite that, Balatro is an incredibly easy-to-learn deck builder with plenty of room for experimentation. Even after hundreds of runs, you’ll still encounter new options and combinations to twist your brain around. Even if roguelites and deck builders aren’t normally your favorite genres, Balatro is a game you need to check out.

And that’s perhaps how best to sum up my experience with this remake of Brothers – something is off. It’s the same great game at its core, but as a remake, it doesn’t do enough to justify itself, given that its headline addition of co-op play strips away the original’s biggest selling point. Even when played solo, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d rather be playing the original with its more fitting, painterly look. Having said that, Brothers is still a fantastic experience, and if this remake shines a spotlight on it again and attracts a new generation of gamers to Naia and Naiee’s touching tale, then that can only be a good thing. The story remains as poignant now as it did in 2013, and when enjoyed solo, Brothers continues to be a delight to engage with due to its novel dual protagonist set-up. On that basis, I’m glad this exists, even if, as an overall product and an attempt to reintroduce this world, it feels a touch misguided.