Tower of Fantasy is a whirlwind of enjoyable combat, exploration and mini-games, mixed with a nefarious gacha system and the annoying proclivity to time and level gate progression. The ability to create your own character, team up with other players, participate in a huge guild, and battle hordes of monsters with a deep yet simplistic combat system tips the scales just enough to warrant the hype that it has been given. Tower of Fantasy dips its toe into greatness through extensive gameplay systems and an accessible game loop that has broad appeal. No matter what you like doing, whether it’s team play, exploration, PvP, or dungeon running, you can find it here. Just temper this fantasy with the realization that you should never spend more than you can afford. Hotta built Tower of Fantasy as a marathon, so there’s no better time than now to enjoy the journey at your own pace.

With the Fifth Crusade, Owlcat Games has unsuccessfully attempted to create an expansive and immersive world. The overworld army combat and city building are merely copies of systems that are done better in other games, and it all ultimately ends up being a bunch of time-consuming rigamarole that destroys the pacing of the core RPG experience. Sometimes less is more.

Overall, Nexon has developed, in my opinion, a very successful game in Dungeon Fighter Online. While it's not a traditional take on the MMORPG, and more of an MMO-ARPG, allowing players a massive array of choices all throughout the game, from class, to specialization, even having a specific type of gear to change appearance, only adds to the unique feel of each character within the world.

At the end of the day, the story is the one thing - the only thing - that differentiates The Last Hero of Nostalgaia from the rest of the pack. Everything else lacks any innovation. The names of certain elements (memory, beacons, etc.) may have been changed to match the theme of the storyline, and although character creation, progression, and combat are all done very well, they are all extremely by the book Souls-like.

Is Tribes of Midgard fun? Yes. Is it all it can be? Not yet, but there's hope. This is the first of several scheduled seasons. We don’t have long to wait for more content either. Season 1 has a mid-season patch scheduled for September, followed in November by Season 2. ToM has room for growth, and those upcoming seasons may hold that one piece of the puzzle that gives Tribes of Midgard the longevity it deserves.

Don’t get me wrong - I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The 8 year old in me sitting around watching the Power Rangers on tv had been awakened. The 10 year old playing in the sprinklers with my mom while she pretended to be Rita Repulsa was sitting right there in my recliner. The 30 year old introducing my toddler to the original Power Rangers was fully engaged. Now pushing 40, I am certain of only a few things in life and one of those things is that you’re never too old to love the Power Rangers.

While this isn't my personal choice for a MOBA, I think it is a great take on the arena-styled MMO. You may find like me that the matches should be longer, but it will give you hours of enjoyment and if this is your game you could find a niche in a clan too. If you enjoy leveling up and progressing your character this is the wrong game for you. However, if you like to immediately jump into the thick of the action and climb a mountain of corpses to reach your victory, then Bloodline Champions has plenty to love.

DDO: MotU literally bridges the gap between Eberron and the fan favorite Forgotten Realms campaign settings. The team at Turbine has done a good job at weaving a tale that incorporates elements from D&D cannon that allows them to create a pathway anchoring one realm metaphysically to the other.

Like Ithelia, The Elder Scrolls Online has many paths ahead of it, and it’ll be interesting to see which they take in the next decade of operation. That said, it’s a beautiful zone with some incredible quests, and the world and story boss encounters are some of the best in the ten-year history of the MMO. However, the package as a whole falls short of being great overall, especially with its tentpole feature feeling lackluster out of the gate.

Pikmin 4 doesn’t require players to have played Pikmin before so if you’re on the fence about it and don’t have any experience, don’t worry! You won’t be lost for not having played other games in the series. It’s fun and quirky even if a bit too chatty. I can eagerly recommend Pikmin 4 but be aware of the issues I’ve brought up. If things like online play are really important to you, it might be better to wait for a sale or to see if Nintendo can get their crap together and fix it. Despite its issues, Pikmin 4 is a great addition to the franchise, and hopefully there’s more Pikmin yet to come.

Overall, Warhammer 40000: Darktide is an immersive, fun experience that allows players to shape the game to their playstyle while still challenging them to adapt to the game mechanics. Darktide delivers graphically with RTX on gameplay but is nothing special when RTX is off. Further, though the gameplay is immensely satisfying and challenging, the repetition leaves much to be desired. Warhammer has great potential and opportunity to build a truly unique experience for gamers who want to take on its challenge and serve the God Emperor’s just will.

Visions of Mana does a good enough job at telling a deep, interesting story with a couple of memorable characters, but it also finds too many ways to detract from what’s actually important. Additionally, the ideas around the combat systems are conceptually cool, however, in practice they’re not as interesting or fun as they could have been. Finally, the strength of the bosses could really use fine tuning, as certain bosses that were supposed to be terrifying endgame challenges were a complete push over while there were that mini-bosses almost wiped my party. Unfortunately, these inconsistencies all around prevented Visions of Mana from being a truly great game.

While the best of both worlds approach largely works, offering immersive, atmospheric horror with Grace's storyline and spectacle and tense action with Leon, Requiem ultimately presents an uneven, not fully realized campaign that runs its course sooner than expected. Hopefully, with many of the long-running storylines finally being put to rest, the new foundations set by Requiem offer a new path forward for the series, presenting a clearer vision of what comes next.

This isn’t going to fully replace the normal Black Desert grind, but Pearl Abyss delivered in creating a gorgeous new place to quest in for new and returning players alike. It’s a good expansion, and a good direction for potential content in the future.

You don’t have to be a big Arena Shooter fan—or have a childhood full of campfire Capture The Flag—to find something to enjoy. If you give Last Flag a little time and meet it on its own terms, there’s a really fun, chaotic rhythm to it that starts to click. It’s weird, it’s loud, it doesn’t always go the way you want it to—but when it works, Last Flag hits in a way that’s hard to replicate anywhere else.

Kingdom Under Fire 2 has gotten off to a solid start, and I honestly had a ton of fun playing. Unfortunately, for me, the gender locked classes are a pretty big deal, and having issues with finding groups to do things can be frustrating.

Overall, the game is definitely fun and reaches the goal of bringing a whole new concept to MOBA type games. The UI design is fairly simplistic yet unique and fitting for the overall game ambiance. The new implementation of mechanics in a fast-paced environment are fairly intuitive and quick to pick up. While it may seem limited at the moment, Hoplon is actively working to expand every aspect of the game from match types to aesthetics and even playable characters. Honestly, I applaud what Hoplon has achieved and look forward to seeing what else they come up with.

I really did like Century: Age of Ashes. It’s been a long time since I just sat and sank a few hours into an aerial combat game, and this one did not disappoint. Hopefully, some changes will come soon and I’ll be able to continue to enjoy flying my dragon and taking out my enemies.

Fae Tactics definitely lives up to the legacy of the turn-based strategy games that have preceded it, but it does so in a manner that almost becomes its downfall. Battles are simple to pick up but hard to master, not because of the enemies on-screen but due to the boatload of options and perks and boosts to consider during every turn. Streamlining the typical turn-based strategy formula is good, but not when complexity is confused for variety, which sometimes happens here. The story is fine, nothing to truly write home about, though the sidequests definitely should be experienced whenever they appear. While expecting Fae Tactics to be the resurgence of the tactics genre is hasty, there’s still a fun, thought-provoking game to be played here. Just try to burn out on all the choices you have to make before jumping into battle.

For FPS fans looking for a cheap fix, this game will definitely do a good job of keeping you happy for a while (or at least till Battlefield 2143 comes out). There's a lot of fun to be had here, and because the price of admission is free, that makes the deal even sweeter. Just bear in mind that there are still a few rough edges here and there.

If you’re a fan of this genre or just have an intense itch for a good story set in the Old West, then this is probably an easy recommendation. Otherwise and unless you really just don’t enjoy this sort of game, I think it’s still worth picking up the next time it’s on sale.

Despite these issues, Avowed still manages to be an engaging and ambitious RPG. Obsidian's storytelling prowess is on full display, and the game successfully immerses players in the Living Lands. [...] If you're looking for an RPG with deep lore, solid combat, and meaningful choices, Avowed is worth playing—just be ready for a few bumps along the way.

RaiderZ is a very fun action-oriented MMORPG. With action combat and very good monster/zone design, it's one of the better MMOs on the free-to-play market at the moment. Although it is not without faults, it still makes for a very enjoyable casual experience.

If nothing else, come for the combat. With TERA on the horizon it's refreshing to know that the future of the action MMO isn't restricted to just one title. There are a lot of things that Bigpoint Games have done well here. It may not be the game that occupies you indefinitely, or even for that long…but I defy anyone to try it out and claim it was a waste of their time.

In the end, the DeepWorld is that of the post-apocalyptic survivor. You are almost alone in this world. You travel and gather resources, you find remnants of civilizations and you encounter the buildings of others. I only wish there was some way to leave them a note. A chalkboard you could build for a visitor to say. "Leroy was here, friend me?"

There is no question that Van Helsing II is head and shoulders above its predecessor in terms of game play and in the replayability factor that the additional two classes bring to the game. It's a solid entry into the aRPG market and one that fans of the genre are sure to enjoy. It's a fantastic bargain and quite a lot of fun to play.

There’s promise in Integrity and Faithlessness that Star Ocean’s next incarnation could be really something special. Right now, it’s just not quite there in this edition.

The overhaul to a single-player game with optional multiplayer still has an echo of the MMO design it once aspired to be. The expansive world, character archetypes and end game loop are all remnants of what was, and yet Airship Syndicate has managed to twist the formula just enough to make it worthwhile for solo and co-op RPG players. While some systems may be as dense as the Gloom itself, Wayfinder ultimately lights the way to an enjoyable and rewarding adventure.