Town of Zoz’s combat feels a bit jumbled, but the presentation, general gameplay, and music are excellent and make for a pretty unique title. If you don’t see potentially bumpy combat as a dealbreaker, I think there’s a lot to really dig about this game, as it juggles a number of concepts in a distinct and mostly enjoyable way.

There’s a lot to love with Mouse: P.I. For Hire, from its frenetic gunfights to its endearing characters and wonderful rubber hose animation. If you’re looking for a shooter that’s likely to entertain, I can’t recommend this one enough.

I should be much more excited about a game that pays homage to games and pop culture, but odd decisions here and there really keep me from wholeheartedly recommending People of Note. The music is great, and the game is pretty frictionless with everything it expects you to do. I really wish People of Note’s verbosity were more focused on the story or even on helping me learn something about music, as this is a rich world with plenty of stories to tell. With the most egregious bugs fixed, I definitely think if you’re here for the journey of these musicians or are hankering for a strangely old-school turn-based RPG, making it to the very special end credits will be worth it.

A slow-burning, but extremely rewarding experience that doesn’t hold back. Xenonauts 2 knows exactly what it wants to be and does it well.

KuloNiku: Bowl Up! is a grand fusion of anime-inspired melodrama and a quick, exciting gameplay loop that feels entirely fresh. Though there’s a little bit of stuttering at times, the endearing story, loveable characters, and delightful aesthetic make this game more than worth playing if you have even a slight interest in the concept.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder + Meetup in Bellabel Park is a grand upgrade to Super Mario Bros. Wonder, thanks to its noticeable visual improvements and an abundance of varied new content. Whilst the visual upgrade should probably have been a separate and free update, the actual new stages and characters are at least worth the price of admission, especially if you’ve yet to play Wonder for the first time.

Super Meat Boy 3D may lose a bit of its distinct look in the move to 3D, but the many tense and thrilling levels and the breadth of well-designed content make it a mostly worthy trip into the third dimension. I hope Meat Boy keeps getting weird and distinct new games going forward, as the little skinned fellow seems to have a lot of life left in him.

Marathon is simply fantastic, there’s no other way to describe it. Bungie really knocked it out of the ballpark with this game, and I can’t wait to see what they continue to do with it.

Fishbowl has a pretty solid foundation and a great art style, but unfortunately, due to its handling of the subject matter and the repetitive, tedious gameplay, it doesn’t live up to its potential. It’s a sweet game, with great art and some fun music, but Fishbowl struggled to connect with me.

Life is Strange: Reunion is another misstep in how Max’s story is handled. While better than the last entry, this is simply not the send-off for Chloe and Max that I had hoped for. Between the lack of downtime, Max having virtually no consequences for her actions, and Chloe’s unimpressive return, I was fairly disappointed. I think Max & Chloe deserve better.

Screamer is an excellent, high-speed racing experience that takes big swings in controls and game design. The racing feels exciting at every moment, and the big single-player mode gives you plenty of tracks to burn rubber on. Much of the story lands flat or doesn’t have enough juice to cover the narrative’s runtime, but it provides enough of an excuse to keep getting back on track. The side modes are a little shallow, but that’s only frustrating because racing in Screamer is just that much fun.

The Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection is another stellar grouping of Mega Man games made more accessible than ever. Capcom keeps nailing it with these collections, as the optional quality-of-life upgrades and inclusion of every bit of international content really do make this the ideal way to play these semi-forgotten classics. Now we just need a similar Mega Man Legends collection.

Damon and Baby has some solid qualities, such as its core gameplay and narrative/setting, but its repetitiveness and confusing map design hold it back from reaching its full potential. I think a couple of additional mechanics and a couple of gameplay tweaks would go a long way for this one, as what’s there is decent, but could be better.

A surprisingly engaging My First Train Simulator.

Crabmeat offers a part thriller, part fishing sim experience that explores fishing, or more specifically crabbing in a more in depth way than many games do with the obligatory fishing mini-game. Whether you’d like to find out more about the hostile crabs, the Feudostate, or just want to spend some time crabbing, this game could fulfill any of those options.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando feels like a shallow attempt at making a Left 4 Dead-like game. A lot of it feels like style over substance, with poor writing, an empty world, and an underdeveloped story. Even though fighting off hordes of zombies can be fun, it quickly becomes dull when it’s one of the only good things you have going for yourself.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been so pleasantly blown away by a game, but Pokémon Pokopia has continued to surprise and delight me with every step. This is no doubt going to be one of the standout games of the Nintendo Switch 2 and of the year, as the addictive gameplay loop, charming world and characters, and seemingly endless amount of content make it 100% worth playing.

Mr. Sleepy Man is a game that will appeal to absolute weirdos – myself included – through and through. It’s a blast to run around, and platform in, and the creatively bizarre world and characters are unlike anything I’ve played before. It can certainly be a bit confusing if you try to play it like a regular platformer, but if you’re willing to wade in the weird, this is one game you won’t forget for a good while.

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake is a pleasantly anxiety-inducing game that combines the creepy thrills of the horror genre with the sharp satisfaction of taking a good photo. Though there are a couple of bumps in the road when it comes to how smoothly the game plays, the atmosphere and vibes are unparalleled and, when combined with the creative photography-based gameplay, create a remake that is absolutely worth experiencing – so long as you have a bit of extra patience.

Esoteric Ebb, then, arrives as something that feels new when everyone is chasing games-as-a-service mandatory-multiplayer only: a single-player, well-written, extremely fun game that is about screwing around and enjoying the game rather than unlocking lootboxes, progressing through the season, or paying for content. Sit back, relax, and listen to what the voices in your head are telling you.

Escape from Ever After is a great game, and considering how people took to last year’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, part of me wonders if this Paper Mario-inspired game will have the same effect. It’s really wonderful to see a two-person team like this fund a successful Kickstarter, who probably played games like Paper Mario when they were younger to understand how to deliver such a strong, reminiscent game, and I look forward to what Sleepy Castle Studio has planned next.

While the tone can be jarring at times, a few areas lack polish, and I wish the characters had been given more depth, The Real Face of a VTuber is an intriguing murder mystery that brings fresh ideas to its courtroom gameplay. It’s well worth playing for fans of the genre, and you might even learn a little more about VTubers while you’re at it.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is a great entry point for newcomers to the Remake trilogy, and the Switch 2 version offers an accessible way to play without significantly compromising the storytelling, visual fidelity, or attention to detail that define this love letter to RPG fans.

Don’t Stop, Girlypop! is a fun and fast arena movement-shooter, at its best when you are moving fast and shooting faster. The fun pink Y2K vibes add a level of charm and humor to a well-made, if a bit standard, FPS. The platforming excels at horizontal movement, but fumbles when verticality is introduced. Ultimately, it’s a great bite-sized experience and I was glad to play.

It’s not perfect, and in a perfect world, we’d still have things like Haven, Monster Meadows, and the Casino. But Dragon Quest VII Reimagined receives high marks for being incredibly accessible and stunning to boot. The new combat system, quality-of-life features, and accessibility go a long way. I had a blast playing Dragon Quest VII Reimagined.

Pathologic 3 is a bizarre remake of a game from 2005 that seems to combine the worst elements from Persona 5 and the Arrow TV series, and wants you to think that it’s somehow compelling. Its lack of atmosphere and plain dressing sap any curiosity I had, and the need for the game to hide even the most basic of information may attract the equivalent of horror game Soulslike fans, but I’d urge anyone to stay away. Somewhere in Pathologic 3, there’s a very interesting Trauma Center game with plenty of lore, decisions to make, and patients to save. Unfortunately, a time-travel and horror story is grafted onto it. Horror fans, you deserve better.

My Hero Academia: All’s Justice features fun gameplay and some nifty side modes, but the unbalanced battles in the Team Missions and story mode make for a bit of an uneven experience. The playable roster and additional narrative content are great, so fans of My Hero Academia may find it worth checking out for those features alone.

Romeo Is A Dead Man is a frustrating experience. I wanted to meet it on its own terms and let the insanity and sci-fi camp wash over me. But too much time spent in boring and tedious gameplay loops, coupled with weak character relationships, left me without anything of substance to hold onto.