Of course, Yuzu Koshiro's soundtrack is stellar and perfectly designed for this challenging, nostalgic game. Still, Earthion could use a few modern features: measuring your progress with passwords that you have to write down is definitely a downside. Because of that, the game still delivers a genuine arcade experience — if you're looking to relive that period, you should try this one.

Shadow Labyrinth shines among passion projects — not because it's a great Metroidvania, or being a great Pac-Man game, but its weirdness is enough to confirm that the old Pac-Man formula still works. Unfortunately, this great concept is stuck inside an unremarkable game, that still has a few good moments.

Wuchang may not become a pillar to the genre, but the boss fights, combat system, soundtrack and the great usage of Chinese mythology show the potential of a debuting studio.

For a Brazilian journalist, it’s hard to criticize Brazilian games, but Gaúcho really misses the mark on the technical side, with an inexcusable amount of bugs. The game’s premise is great, and there’s definitely a good game under all the errors, but they need to be corrected as urgently as possible.

With a few hiccups, Donkey Kong Bananza succeeds in bringing back the character to the spotlight. The game’s ambition charges its price with technical difficulties, but still checks all the boxes and shows that there’s still space to subvert the most essential genre in gaming – and it makes all sense that this new approach comes from Nintendo.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4 delivers exactly what it was supposed to. After years of uncertainty and fumbles around the franchise, the series found its footing with THPS 1+2. With this new chapter, it shows that there’s still a lot to learn from the past, and a lot to be excited for in the present.

The Alters requires time, flexibility and some moments of contemplation to really appreciate all it has to offer. The beauty is in the details, such as the nuances in dialogues, the subtle differences between each personality of the same person, and also the way that the narrative grips you and takes you with it to a place where time is as precious as scarce.

Undeniably better than its predecessor, Death Stranding 2 polishes core mechanics and solves the combat issues of the first game. Still, it still tries to be way more accessible: it’s easier to traverse, and easier to understand what is happening with the story, diminishing the impact of finally reaching your destination and making the next plot-twist way too easy to predict.

I’m genuinely happy that RAIDOU Remastered was released. Despite not liking it that much, it still represents an important period of Atlus’ history that can now be experienced in a much better way. The treatment this game received should be standard for every remaster.

Through an unusual mix of roguelike and battle royale, Elden Ring: Nightreign will make you love soulslike games in a different way.

Despite being a great game, Mario Kart World is not a mandatory title for the Nintendo Switch 2. It may reach that level, given the structure for new content, tracks and characters, but right now, it’s not there yet.

It's true that you have to pay a lot to have access to several games from the past, which should be cheaper, but Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is still an alternative and a correct way to preserve games that are so important and loved by fans.

Doom: The Dark Ages proves that there’s still space to reinvent the franchise, even after ten years since its reboot. Don’t be fooled by the allegedly slower gameplay: this symphony of destruction still plays in the same rhythm as Eternal and Doom (2016), but with lower notes.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has something common to all great games: the ability to make us forget the world around us, even if it's for just a few minutes, to fully absorb its ideas, and deliver a cathartic conclusion.

South of Midnight hits the bullseye when we’re talking about the art aspects of the game: the stop-motion graphics are awesome, the OST is nothing short of amazing, and both help bring the Cajun culture to life. Still, combat feels more like an obligation than something that was really thought out, and seems disconnected from the rest of the game.

Despite its small roster of fighters, Bleach: Rebirth of Souls tries to create new tendencies for the Arena Fighter genre. Fights are fun and visuals, animations and soundtracks are amazing, but a lackluster campaign and an incomplete online mode leave the feeling that there’s something missing for the game to become mandatory for lovers of the genre.

Z-A marks a new beginning. A Pokémon game that isn't scared to be different, and delivers the joy of playing something entirely new. If Legends: Arceus was the experiment, Z-A is the final result. And, honestly, it's the Pokémon game for which I've been waiting for years.

Hades 2 is, somehow, even better than its predecessor. The impeccable art style and soundtrack are already a given when you take Supergiant's track record into account, but the increase in scope is as bold as successful. The ending to the campaign can disappoint some players, but not in a way that obfuscates the rest of the game.

Without leaning towards one genre or the other, Absolum shines with its perfect balance between fast combat coming from Beat Em’ Up games, and the complexity and difficulty from the roguelite genre. With an amazing artwork and a solid story, the game it’s a culmination of years of work from Dotemu, and it pays off with their first original IP.