Despite beating the game, I find myself returning to Astro’s Playroom for its pure joy.

Splatoon 3 doesn’t drastically change the formula because it really doesn’t need to. Its modes are varied and offer truly different experiences that would shine on their own. If you’re a newcomer looking to break into the series, you may be a little lost at first, but stick with it. It’s an inky mess well worth your time.

Nier Replicant is a must-play for anyone who loved “Automata,” a game some praise as one of the finest ever created.

It doesn’t try to make grand statements about mankind’s hubris or shortsighted innovation. Instead, it walks you through a living, breathing city where robots have molded their own society from the ashes of another, and lets players make of humanity’s self-destruction what they will. And that impression will stick with you long after the game ends.

I expected something scary, but the impeccable sound design, terrifying enemy encounters and clever puzzles make it worth revisiting, even after completion.

After spending almost 30 hours on my first playthrough, I can confidently say that where Triangle Strategy truly shines is in its worldbuilding. When faced with tough decisions, I felt that I had agency; my choices impacted the events that unfolded throughout the game. [...] Better English voice acting would have been icing on the cake, though. The half-baked vocal delivery left me feeling a bit deflated.

The Pokémon series has always been about more than its graphics, and this game exemplifies that.

Lost Judgment is the most captivating, dramatic and transfixing story of the year, and that should be no surprise to fans of RGG Studio’s output.

If you have a dark sense of humor, Cult of the Lamb might scratch that itch. But once you get over the shock factor of all the horrific things you can do in the name of growing your flock, there’s not much meat left on the bone.

Though pandemic fiction may seem like the last thing audiences need right now, the catharsis “Requiem” provides is a valuable salve. It reminds us that others, today and in the past, feel or have felt our same confusion, fear and grief. In this, it makes an argument not for hiding the toll of so much pain away in the shadows, secreting bodies in dark passageways, but of bringing everything out into the light of day so we can try to hear what notes of hope sing through the darkness.

I still haven’t made up my mind if I’m going to be returning to “World of Warcraft” any time soon, whether it is to see how “Dragonflight” evolves from here or to try out future expansions. But after all these years, I’m glad I returned to witness the start of a new journey for a group that spent decades in stasis. Seeing the Dracthyr regaining control of their fate gave me hope that the next time I visit Azeroth, the people behind this world might have freed themselves from their historic shackles.

You’re able to explore every world from the Star Wars universe, but in that expansiveness, sometimes searching for largely meaningless in-game items and completing fetch quests, the greatest revelation is a question: Was this ambitious vision for “The Skywalker Saga” worth its cost?

True Colors is worth exploring in its entirety, but it glosses over the rougher parts of life, painting them in a romantic light.

Sifu is a no-nonsense arcade brawler that can be played in short bursts or long sprints, depending on the commitment to perfect each level run.

It’s all squeeze, very little juice. Maddening.

Age of Empires IV is a simple, pleasurable game that rewards developing high skill but does not require it to push and learn your way through.

Persona 5 Strikers is probably the most innovative Musou game in years, thanks to its closeness to the core “Persona” formula.

Because of this game, I’m developing a connection with the [“League of Legends”] franchise. I just don’t find the game to be a must-play worthy of a ringing endorsement.

Engage continues the series trend of mashing up tactics and RPG elements, but while the latter falls flat and feels out of place, it excels in the former. And if my biggest qualms are with the game’s least Fire Emblem-y parts, I consider that a solid entry in the series.

For some players, Signalis will summon to mind the halcyon days of playing the original PS1 version of “Resident Evil 2” in the late ’90s, or even its miraculously faithful replica on the Nintendo 64. Signalis is itself something of a faithful replica, an acolyte in thrall to an old — and supposedly antiquated — master. But the game finds the classic survival horror genre in fine health.

Guardians of the Galaxy by Eidos Montreal ends up becoming an even better Guardians story than the two blockbuster films combined.

If you can look past the rotating control stick games, and if developer NDcube can offer new content and refine the game over time, you’re likely to enjoy this party for years to come.

For anime lovers and anyone who enjoyed “Fire Emblem: Three Houses,” the game will be a hit.

Puzzle games have to manage a delicate balancing act: If solutions are too simple, players lose interest; too difficult, and they feel cheated, like the answer was never decipherable to begin with. “Escape Academy” was opaque at times, but the answer always felt like it was within my grasp, if I just tried out this one idea, or thought about the puzzle from this other angle. Giving players that sense of empowerment is hard, and games don’t always get it right. But “Escape Academy” walks that tightrope with finesse, joining the pantheon of frantic-but-fun co-op greats.

Scott, his girlfriend Ramona Flowers, his drummer and ex Kim, and lead singer Stephen Stills are back in all their retro brawler glory, and really, it’s like Ubisoft barely touched the old game. They didn’t need to.

If a rollerskating John Wick in a 70s synth bar sounds like a good time, then I have just the game for you.

Aside from the perspiration provided by an initial landing at a crowded point of interest, or the jaw-clenching moments of the final circle, the pace of play is deliberate, allowing players to think, look around and take advantage of the battleground in clever and effective ways.

It gives the player just enough story and intrigue to press on through a grindy midgame focused on revisiting maps.