While an interesting counter to what RPGs were like back in 1994, it’s hard to deny that today Live A Live feels like a dated experience. That being said, as a remake this is a very well crafted game.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ beautifully realized open world, engaging story and lively characters are some of its greatest strengths. On the other hand, its side activities are not of the scale we have come to expect from the series, while some of the game’s mechanics feel underdeveloped, making it a game with both strong and weak points.

Working together or trying to hinder each other in Overcooked! 2’s kitchen will bring out the kid in you for sure. Its busy co-op action reminds how fun it can be to fight over a video game.

While Paradise Killer seems like a detective adventure game, it’s not impossible to beat the game without solving the main mystery at all. The game’s climax plays out in a court session, which the player can engage in at any given point. But in order to unveil the true story, you will need to collect countless pieces of evidence and talk to many different characters. This means that you will need to work your way through an inconveniently designed open world, and I often found the game’s scenario hard to swallow. That being said, from quirky character design to Japan-inspired locales and a Vaporwave-like soundtrack and UI, the game’s surrealistic atmosphere is well worth a visit.

While bugs and issues can stand in the way of your enjoyment, F1 23 has a lot of content, and its VR mode in particular is sensational. The story mode’s scenario also felt deeper when compared to previous entries.

Ghostrunner is a masterful pure-parkour video game that has you athletically traverse through dangerous environments. The only downside is that you’ll be so busy maneuvering your way through that there’s no time to pay attention to the story.

Having the player advance through environments by rearranging rooms, The Pedestrian succeeds in creating a puzzle game with simple rules that is visually interesting at the same time. The difficulty is always well balanced, and the surprising climax makes great use of the game’s features. Yet, at the same time, The Pedestrian never manages to truly stand out of the crowd, resulting in a game that feels like a role-model student who lacks real personality.

Drainus is a classic shmup that allows newcomers to experience the best moments of the genre. Shooting away with your overpowered spaceship is an exhilarating experience indeed, and beautiful sprites as well as flashy effects make the journey worthwhile. Bosses and stages come with plenty of gimmicks, to the extent that newcomers may be overwhelmed by the richness of the experience. At the same time, the game is so easy that it doesn’t motivate the player enough. While a great title for players new to the genre, seasoned shmup fans will end up craving more.

Dungeon Encounters is a pared-back RPG focused purely on battles and exploration. By gaining knowledge and experience, the player needs to learn how to overcome traps and enemies, resulting in a satisfying experience. Although the game kind of loses momentum in the second half, it’s still well worth a look.

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.

Playing Catherine: Full Body reminded me how amazing the original Catherine was. The exciting puzzles and unique adventure gameplay come with a stylish, mature tone and extremely well written dialogue. With a remixed music score and online multiplayer, Catherine: Full Body does somewhat enrich that original experience. However, the addition of a third heroine can easily be seen as a negative feature. Altogether, Catherine: Full Body is a great game because of the timeless classic it is based on, rather than because of the new features.

Rollerdrome is developer Roll7’s second success of 2022. By blending together skating and shooting gameplay, it manages to deliver an experience that we’ve all dreamed of but thought impossible. The game’s action becomes funner and cooler as you improve, which makes it hard to put down. A new classic in this genre for sure.

From its setting to world building and especially the battles with monsters, this is truly an RPG that stays true to what Monster Hunter is all about. While the story is definitely on the light side, exploring the beautiful world with your favorite Monsties is an experience packed with content that any Monster Hunter fan will love.

Signalis is a top-down action adventure game that was heavily inspired by classic survival horror titles. Although not for everyone, severe resource management makes every encounter with zombies frightening. Its science fiction and Lovecraft-inspired setting is well crafted, and the game’s puzzles fit in naturally. The story left me thinking, but for some players it might be frustrating that no real answers can be found in the game’s ending.

When at its best, My Friend Pedro’s smooth and stylish gameplay is a dream come true for any shooting action fan. However, its design forces the player to go through a lot of trial and error, which makes the gameplay feel less catchy, and the often clunky controls don’t help its case.

While the weak scenario and some other issues drag Necrobarista down, its 3D model animation and cleverly positioned text create a unique experience. In that sense, it’s no exaggeration to call this the beginning of a brand new era for the visual novel genre.

With beloved characters from throughout the series, the remake of Like a Dragon: Ishin is an all-star game that fans of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series will appreciate. It makes you feel like you are watching an epic drama series about the Meiji Ishin period with your favorite characters starring as historical figures. While this remake does bring new elements such as a change in its cast and special skills becoming available during normal battles, compared to the series’ other remakes it feels a bit lacking in novelty.

There’s a lot of fun to be had with Stellar Blade’s combat, which is exhilarating and also offers a sense of accomplishment. The unique visuals and soundtrack are of high quality as well. While its game design might not shine with originality, Stellar Blade is a well made videogame overall. That being said, while taking a story-focused approach, Stellar Blade’s scenario and world-building felt clichéd and left us disappointed. With some boss battles being reused and tedious side quests, the experience started to drag a bit during the latter half.

Breath of the Wild's latest DLC The Champions' Ballad has some problems that cannot be ignored, but its best parts exceed even those of the main game.

Black Myth: Wukong’s combat system doesn’t have anything that makes it truly unique. The variety in ways to tackle combat is often lacking, and it doesn’t feel all that good to play either. That said, the concept of creating openings for the enemy rather than exploiting them is interesting, and by rewarding players who take full advantage of the few chances the game gives you, it makes its boss encounters worthwhile despite its lacking combat system. Character customization and exploration is on the thin side too, and the story is hard to follow if you haven’t read Journey to the West. However, the impressive graphics make every moment of the game look like a painting. Experiencing this world based on classic Chinese literature through the game’s unique vision is still worth your time.

Dorfromantik is a relaxing game that welcomes the player to a rural landscape. At the same time, it is an experience that allows the player to enjoy the fun and challenge of aiming for a high score as well. That means that the game can be enjoyed both as a relaxing break and as a serious undertaking, but never as something in between.

Mutiazone is a point-and-click game set on an island that brings in “gardening” gameplay. The story is moved on by sorting fictional plants in order to create gardens for the game’s characters. This is much more a personal story than a heroic one, and it leaves a warm impression. But while the game makes you think that you are reconnecting the island’s community, it feels like the real issue is being avoided.

While keeping the series’ essence intact, the newly introduced Wild Area makes Pokémon Sword/Shield feel significantly different, switching up how battles and party formation work. Pokémon Sword/Shield is an enjoyable game, and even if it doesn’t include every single Pokémon ever made, its changes could very well mark a new start for the series.

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.

Boomerang X is a diamond of a 3D action game. While it might not offer beautiful cutscenes or clever dialogue, the action itself constantly manages to amaze. The stellar boomerang mechanics are in perfect harmony with the super fast action. For fans of the genre, Boomerang X is an absolute joy from start to finish.

The city of Neo San Francisco in 2064 feels like a future directly connected to the world we live in today. As always, there are plenty of social issues, yet of course, there is also always hope.

While keeping the series’ essence intact, the newly introduced Wild Area makes Pokémon Sword/Shield feel significantly different, switching up how battles and party formation work. Pokémon Sword/Shield is an enjoyable game, and even if it doesn’t include every single Pokémon ever made, its changes could very well mark a new start for the series.

Remnant II is a TPS that combines Souls-like hard boss fights with treasure hunting that allows the player to create new builds. The campaign's randomly generated stages and extraordinary amount of secrets greatly enhance the fun of the treasure hunting element.