With beautiful visuals and new scenes in its story, this remake successfully translates the original’s charm and storytelling that allows the player to imagine the world and story in their own way. However, the essence of this adventure is diluted by the many modern quality of life improvements, resulting in a remake that takes a direction that can be questionable for fans of the original.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice comes with some obvious flaws: Enemy types repeat too often, and we would have liked more variety in the maps. Having to defeat a boss in order to upgrade your character can become a big problem, too. However, as a stealth game, it offers plenty of routes to explore and ways to assassinate your targets. But above all, the sword fighting system comes with genuinely new ideas, including posture gauge and deflecting attacks, making Sekiro’s battles feel like an art in themselves. While the simplified levelling system and increased reliance on exploration make Sekiro feel even more difficult than FromSoftware’s Dark Souls series and Bloodborne, close combat battles have never been this good.

inKONBINI successfully combines a gameplay experience that has you working the late-night shift at a convenience store with strong storytelling that connects you to fellow staff members and customers alike. From a Japanese standpoint, there are certainly moments that feel a bit inauthentic, and it’s unfortunate that the Japanese localization leaves room for improvement. Even so, by blending a VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action-like narrative style with a commitment to realism that was inspired by Shenmue, inKONBINI ultimately delivers a one-of-a-kind experience that is well worth your time.

If you enjoyed the original game, you will have a lot of fun with Snipperclips Plus - Cut it out, together! It doesn't go beyond expectations, but succeeds in delivering that same type of pure joy that made Snipperclips great in the first place.

Forager is a game that gives you joy from the minute you start playing, and from there just continues delivering. With fun responses for the player’s actions, simple tasks feel a lot more engaging. Improvement in crafting efficiency keeps the gameplay feeling fresh, which prevents Forager from becoming tedious. By depicting the joy and sorrow of finding new material, Forager creates a story around the crafting gameplay itself. Forager can be enjoyed for as long as the player wants to. Finding your own way to solve problems might feel tough at first, but that’s what makes it so addictive in the end.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream feels like a kind of chemical experiment, where the player’s imagination collides with the game’s unpredictable interpretations to create laugh-out-loud, emergent moments. New systems like Little Quirks and the island’s shared lingo undeniably elevate the series’ core appeal. However, the experience of grinding into that loop ultimately works against it. While the limitations placed on sharing features are disappointing, its distinct identity still stands out—even in 2026, a year filled with rich and varied slow-life games.

Marathon is an ambitious effort from veteran FPS developer Bungie, channeling its expertise into the extraction shooter genre. The act of firing its weapons feels undeniably satisfying, and the loop grows more addictive with each run. That said, the roughness of its UI and task design is hard to overlook. Still, the rapid rollout of quality-of-life patches within just two weeks of launch clearly shows Bungie’s commitment to seriously supporting and improving the game.

God Eater 3, the latest entry in the fast-paced hunting action series, offers a fresh location as well as a new set of characters. While introducing new elements, the snappy core gameplay remains intact, and the difficulty is well balanced. However, the story develops in a rather clichéd way, and some characters would have benefited from a little more depth.

While it definitely has its flaws, XCOM: Chimera Squad’s problems are outweighed by the positives. The breach mode brings the player right into the action, and a timeline is available during battle. These new features make the battle system of XCOM: Chimera Squad feel like a distillation of what makes the gameplay of the series so great. Skills and dialogue both do a great job in showing the unique personalities of your squad members, and choosing from these members and weapons to create your team is a lot of fun. The publisher promised a new story and play experience, and Chimera Squad delivers.

FAR: Changing Tides has the player traverse through a submerged post-apocalyptic world, which is an experience that feels like a playable documentary. While definitely a fascinating journey to take, you won’t be able to fully appreciate it if you haven’t played its predecessor.

Gran Turismo is back with better visuals than ever, offering a wide array of content for both die-hard fans and newcomers. While the GT Cafe does a great job at guiding the player through the game, for old fans used to more freedom it might feel a bit too constrained. On top of change of weather and time of day, small details such as smoke coming off the tires go a long way in creating a more realistic racing scene. It’s great to have the classic GT Simulation Mode back, but I can’t deny the game left me with a thirst for more innovation.

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake faithfully preserves the haunting charm of its story, where sadness, beauty, and eeriness coexist, while vividly reimagining the classic horror experience. Combat with the Camera Obscura can occasionally lack a sense of punch, which is a minor drawback, but the enhanced presentation gives the village an even more oppressive and unsettling atmosphere, and the gameplay now holds up well by modern standards. Though some aspects of its progression remain old-school, the game’s meticulous structure is still exceptional, making this remake in large part a welcome revival of a horror classic.

As a prequel to one of gaming’s most beloved classics, Crisis Core did a great job of enriching the original game’s world as an action RPG on the PSP. This remaster not only enhances the visuals but also improves on many of the original’s shortcomings. While there still are some inconveniences, altogether Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is an exhilarating experience from start to finish.

Due to an increase in mobility, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hopes is a deep and unique strategy game that is also easy to pick up. That being said, the story requires knowledge of both its predecessor and Super Mario Galaxy, and even if you do know them, it still lacks depth.

Scoring by delivering a through pass to a sprinting player is a great feeling, but with too many options for the attacking player, it can become difficult to defend against so many different attack patterns. This results in too many goals for a realistic soccer game.

As the first mainline entry to depict a school-life story, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet has appealing characters, mysterious twists and a well prepared ending, making it one of the best stories the series has ever had. While it struggles as an open world, the game approaches multiplayer in a new way and is full of elements that can be enjoyed for a long time.

As the first mainline entry to depict a school-life story, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet has appealing characters, mysterious twists and a well prepared ending, making it one of the best stories the series has ever had. While it struggles as an open world, the game approaches multiplayer in a new way and is full of elements that can be enjoyed for a long time.

Not only is Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered more playable than the original version, its added content also does a great job in making the game’s nonlinear “free scenario” system more fun. The new UI isn’t much of an improvement, and the experience has aged in some parts, but this remaster is definitely the best way to experience Minstrel Song.

A compact yet intricately crafted original third-person shooter. Its blend of hacking and gunplay successfully creates a unique sense of satisfaction, though it can occasionally feel a bit unfocused, leaving you wishing for greater weapon variety and more diverse combat styles. While the overall story leaves a somewhat muted impression, the lighthearted, everyday banter between the two main characters offers a charm unlike anything found in other games.

Vigil: The Longest Night is a Soulsborne 2D Metroidvania action-RPG. While the game is a bit rough around the edges and has a lackluster story, both exploration and battles are full of surprises, creating a satisfying experience.

Ghostwire: Tokyo is an FPS that could have only been delivered by a Japanese studio. From the main story and side missions to the detailed environments and appealing characters, for those who have been craving a game set in modern Japan, Ghostwire: Tokyo is an extremely satisfying experience. While the battle system can become a bit tedious and controls for healing feel inconvenient, the game deserves credit for delivering action that feels exhilarating without relying on grotesque visuals.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure successfully course-corrects after its predecessor lost sight of the series’ direction. By toning down the more grim elements and refocusing on the relationship between Max and Chloe, as well as the dual-protagonist system, it recaptures the brilliance of its core appeal as a coming-of-age mystery. Its highly satisfying choices and conclusion provide a fitting and impressive landing as a final chapter.

Super Mario RPG is a great remake that manages to keep what made the original so memorable intact while refining it as well. Not only are the visuals and sound greatly improved, but the tweaked battle system makes it genuinely more fun to play. That being said, this is still fundamentally the same game, and Super Mario RPG does show its age at times.

Vivid Knight is a dungeon RPG inspired by Auto Chess in which luck is necessary to obtain the unit you need the most in each situation. The reliance on chance as the key to victory means this game is not for everyone, but it sure feels great when luck is on your side.

Legend of Mana is unique within the Mana series, providing an immense amount of freedom in its gameplay. The therapeutic sandplay feel of the Land Make system allows the player to experience a unique and refreshing world. The newly arranged music allows the player to appreciate the environment and atmosphere to an even deeper extent than before. That being said, it’s too bad that issues of the original such as the confusing map display and story progression weren’t addressed.

The maps in Cindered Shadows feel different from the main game in a good way, and with enjoyable character dialogue and an interesting setting, this DLC is a treat for players who enjoyed the original game.

While Final Fantasy XVI is a focused game that has no hesitation in eliminating the unnecessary, the breathtaking realm of Valisthea feels polished like a true AAA title. It is a high-quality experience that can be cherished through its many details. That being said, the series’ more traditional tropes don’t always match Final Fantasy XVI’s modern production standards, which can at times stand in the way of the player’s enjoyment.

to a T is the strangest game I have ever played. It starts out as a life simulator of a teen whose body is stuck in a T-pose, but it becomes even weirder as the game progresses. It’s a fascinating story-driven adventure that makes clever use of interaction, but its sandbox exploration is average at best. The message it tries to deliver toward the end felt conventional and shallow, but the journey was so crazy and funny it hardly mattered.