With its reworked graphics and battle systems, Dragon Quest VII: Reimagined is the definitive way to play the beloved JRPG, though some of its mechanics aren't as revolutionary as they once were.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A tweaks the standard formula to deliver more active monster catching and battling, but it takes place in a disappointingly boring city with little else to do.

Ninja Gaiden 4 is a hard-hitting action game that's sure to satisfy genre enthusiasts, but it exchanges the franchise's complex combat mechanics for a simpler, more arcade-like experience.

Everybody's Golf: Hot Shots is a highly entertaining sports game for casual players and simulation enthusiasts, even if its simplistic presentation leaves something to be desired.

Dying Light: The Beast is a return to form for the RPG series, but its exciting action and parkour are stymied by a ho-hum open-world design.

Drag x Drive offers a theoretically clever way to simulate wheelchair basketball on the Nintendo Switch 2, but unengaging controls and dull graphics negate much of the game's charm.

With Jamboree TV, the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Super Mario Party Jamboree gains even more wacky, if shallow, ways to enjoy multiplayer mini-game mayhem.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a beautiful RPG with exciting combat, excellent voice work, and a fantastic score, but design constraints may turn off genre fans seeking a grand adventure.

Whisker Squadron: Survivor blends classic Star Fox gameplay with modern rogue-lite flourishes for a short yet stylish indie rail shooter.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered introduces two cult classics to contemporary audiences, but some outdated game design elements might prevent it from finding a home with anyone besides die-hard series fans.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has the presentation and adventure chops to charm newcomers and nostalgists alike, but a handful of safe and stale gameplay elements keep it from excellence.

Zenless Zone Zero delivers adrenaline-pumping action with gorgeous visuals and art direction, but it lacks meaningful exploration.

Lego Horizon Adventures is a fascinating remix of Sony’s open-world juggernaut that ditches vast exploration in favor of snappy, flashy, kid-friendly combat.

Pokemon TCG Pocket is a faithful mobile card game adaptation that’s better for shiny digital collections than thrilling monster battles.

Super Mario Party Jamboree introduces an array of new content, modes, and options to push the Mario Party foundation as far as it can go.

Concord is a decent shooter with rock-solid mechanics and AAA visuals, but that’s not enough to attract an audience to yet another live-service game. As is, it’s a fine release, albeit one that feels like it was pumped out of a boardroom algorithm. If you’ve got $40 to spare and aren’t hung up by comparisons to similar shooters (like the free-to-play Destiny 2, Valorant, and the upcoming Marvel Rivals), Concord is a fun time, flaws and all.

Visions of Mana is a charming action-RPG that celebrates the spirit of its 2D predecessors thanks to its liberating exploration and wonderful visuals, but it lacks some gameplay polish.

Star Wars Outlaws admirably attempts to simulate the sly space scoundrel life, but it quickly gets lost in a galaxy of frustratingly outdated gameplay and uninspired open-world bloat.

Though it takes time and skill to master, Cygni: All Guns Blazing is a satisfying arcade-style shoot 'em up that only gets better with replays.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition for the Switch valiantly tries to evoke the speedrunning spirit of Nintendo's real-world, 1990 competition, but the challenges are too flimsy for a 2024 release.

Harold Halibut has an impressive story and art style, but it lacks the strong gameplay hooks to keep all but the most patient players engaged.

Star Wars: Hunters places a basic intergalactic skin over a generic F2P team shooter, but there’s fleeting fun within those modest expectations.

Endless Ocean Luminous offers pleasant deep sea exploration on Nintendo Switch, but the fish photography goes from soothing to boring far too often.

Another Crab’s Treasure may not convince soulslike skeptics, but it's a lovingly executed underwater take on the challenging genre.

Princess Peach: Showtime! is a colorful and fun Nintendo Switch platformer that's best suited for young gamers.

Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection's fun single-player missions can't elevate the beloved series above its many crashes, busted multiplayer lobbies, and outdated presentation.

Rise of the Ronin offers an enticing, streamlined take on complex Team Ninja action, but it will prove somewhat disappointing if you're a fan of mechanically rich combat.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a serviceable Nintendo Switch remake of an excellent Game Boy Advance puzzle-platformer that could use more content for its price.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's excellent presentation, exciting story, and offbeat humor are brought down by repetitive missions, dull enemies, and tacked-on looter-shooter grinding.

Persona 3 Reload is the best way to play an incredibly influential classic RPG, but it doesn't fix the problems that were improved in later games.

Lords of the Fallen subverts its Souls-like expectations by delivering an engrossing dual-world gameplay system, though its performance leaves something to be desired.

WarioWare: Move It's motion controls inject creative chaos into an already bonkers formula that's great for friends and parties, even if the high wears off a little too quickly.

Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs drops classic Angry Birds gameplay into virtual reality, making it a fun diversion for its intended younger audience.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a smaller, tighter title than recent series entries, which results in a fun but relatively uninventive gameplay experience.

Thunder Ray is a fun but brief take on arcade-style boxing with a cool sci-fi spin that separates it from its inspirations.

Detective Pikachu Returns is a decent, though bland, introduction to adventure games that's elevated by its off-kilter use of the Pokémon franchise.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is an entertaining beat 'em up with many unlockable characters, but its relatively long load times and inconsistent difficulty make for an occasionally frustrating brawling experience.

Gunbrella's compelling revenge tale, challenging platforming, and light Metroidvania elements make it an entertaining indie action game.

En Garde’s intense sword fights and infectious atmosphere make it a fun, if fleeting, indie action game.

Oxenfree II: Lost Signals is a retro horror adventure game with strong narrative options, but it feels a bit too familiar.

Starfield is a massive space-based RPG with a galaxy of content to explore, but it has a surprising lack of ambition.

Immortals of Aveum is a magic-focused shooter with excellent graphics and gameplay, but its story and puzzles leave a lot to be desired.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon delivers great mech action and superb customization options, albeit with some annoying difficulty spikes and relatively bland maps.

Disney Illusion Island’s dazzling presentation, tight platforming, and kid-friendly approach to nonlinear design will amaze young gamers, but its shallow mechanics may make less of an impression on Metroidvania veterans.

An homage to fondly remembered wrestling titles of the past, AEW: Fight Forever features a large roster, simple controls, numerous game modes, and a wonderfully entertaining match flow, but some issues keep it from grabbing the gold.

Pikmin 1+2 are welcome ports of Nintendo GameCube classics to the Switch, but little was done to update them in their 20-year absence.

Atmospheric and lushly imagined, Firmament is a joy to explore. Its unique mechanics offer a dynamic puzzle-solving experience, but the game could use more lore.

Lego 2K Drive is a thrilling and creative open-world racing game for all ages that stops just short of reaching its full potential.

Despite its delicious Doom flavor and novel weapon upgrade system, Mighty Doom is a mediocre free-to-play top-down mobile shooter.

Minecraft Legends veers the popular sandbox game into real-time strategy territory, but misses the mark with clumsy controls, dull gameplay, and an empty open world.

The Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection brings the Game Boy Advance RPGs to modern systems, and with it hours of chip-collecting fun.

DIG: Deep in Galaxies is an engaging roguelike platformer that tasks you with digging and shooting through different planets with dozens of high-powered abilities and weapons.

The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR offers cheap chills and thrills along with eye-catching lighting effects, but not much else.

Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse is an impressive remaster of a flawed, but highly original, photo-based horror game.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty offers a cool morale system, leaping attacks, and fresh spins on magic and character customization, though stilted storytelling and underwhelming stage designs prevent it from reaching the heights of other Nioh games.

Blanc is a charming and extremely short adventure game that features challenging puzzles and a beautiful, minimalist art style that should occupy you and a friend for an hour or two.

nOS gives your Nintendo Switch a cute, but extremely limited, facsimile of a new operating system with basic productivity apps.

Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a remastered blast from the past that will appeal to longtime Yakuza fans, but a dated design and some bugs make the game feel rough around the edges.

Hogwarts Legacy delivers a detail-rich world steeped in Harry Potter lore with satisfying spells, exploration, and combat, though it plays better on consoles than on PC.

Forspoken would be a passable PlayStation title if it were released a decade ago, but it drops the ball as a contemporary AAA game due to its awkward voice performances, muddy visuals, and many bizarre design choices.

Fire Emblem Engage recalls earlier series entries by hitting familiar tactical notes, but it augments them with a cool, new team-up system. Its multiplayer modes need work, though.

Need for Speed Unbound is a beautiful street racing game that features a cool soundtrack and welcome cross-platform play, but frustrating car physics and CPU drivers sully the experience.

The Divine Force refines the Star Ocean series' combat and exploration to deliver a sci-fi tale with engaging, action-focused gameplay, but a few of the franchise's longstanding flaws persist.

NHL 23 will satisfy hard-core hockey video game fans, but if you didn't like the recent NHL releases, this year's relatively small additions won't change your mind.

Despite Gotham Knight's cooperative multiplayer and many customization options, vigilante justice can’t save this open-world action-RPG from mediocrity.

Shovel Knight Dig remixes the popular indie platformer into a clever roguelike that’s an entertaining—if somewhat diminished—Shovel Knight experience.

Overwatch 2 is as fun and fast-paced as the original game, but its free-to-play structure sullies the experience a bit.

Across the Obelisk is an exciting deck-building RPG that combines a magical fantasy setting with a charming art style and occasionally frustrating combat systems.

Featuring combo-heavy gameplay and a dark fantasy setting, Soulstice delivers Devil May Cry-style action that's marred by some frustrating mechanics.

Soul Hackers 2 is a decent Japanese role-playing game in the Megami Tensei meta-series, but decent isn't enough when you're competing against titans in your own family.

The Last of Us Part 1 remakes the beloved 2013 PS3 game in stunning detail, but it's difficult to recommend at full price with so few changes.

MultiVersus brings together an eclectic mix of WB characters in a wacky but frustratingly slow free-to-play platform fighter.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a massive JRPG with a unique story and deep combat that's tempered by all-too-familiar gameplay mechanics.

Live A Live delivers a gem of a JRPG from a lost generation. It's a nostalgic blast from the past with enough modern innovations to keep the experience fresh and engaging.

Postal: Brain Damaged delivers a great throwback to classic FPS games from the 90s and early 00s, delivering breakneck gameplay, lots of fun weapons, and for better or worse, its signature edgy wit.

Sonic's beloved, 2D adventures return with a fresh coat of HD paint. However, this otherwise enjoyable collection of Genesis-era games is marred by a few technical issues.

Soundfall’s music-based gameplay adds a fresh groove to an otherwise standard dungeon-crawling adventure.

Enjoy casual spins on popular sports, such as soccer and tennis, in this motion-controlled game collection for the Nintendo Switch. Although volleyball and a few other new additions feature disappointing controls, returning fan favorites showcase just how exciting it is to move your body while playing a video game.

The House of the Dead: Remake gives the classic zombie-shooting game a frightfully fresh coat of paint, but its arcade roots create new problems as a home console release.

Ghostwire: Tokyo is a horror-themed shooter that features a cool, ghostly premise and a lavishly rendered open-world Tokyo. However, it doesn't provide many scares or particularly engaging action.

Chocobo GP has the makings of a great kart racer with its diverse cast of specialized racers, excellent power-up combos, and terrific visuals. However, uninspired track design and excessive microtransactions mar the experience.

Memes aside, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is an aggressively ridiculous action-RPG with surprisingly deep combat and subpar performance.

Elden Ring is a wonderful action-RPG that features thrilling combat, an amazing open world, and tons of replay value. Unfortunately, its PC performance needs work.

The first Puzzle Quest combined match-three puzzles with RPG elements to great success. Puzzle Quest 3 adds free-to-play mechanics to the pile and ends up with far less than it started with.

Dying Light 2 should appeal to fans of the original game with is terrific graphics and zombie-bashing action, though it suffers from poor pacing, a bland story, and technical issues.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus isn't the open-world Pokemon game fans have been waiting for, but it's still the most ambitious Pokemon experience yet, and a fun collect-a-thon in its own right.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remake the original Diamond and Pearl for the Nintendo Switch. They're still lengthy, fun Pokemon adventures, but not much has been added, and even the remade graphics are showing their age.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remake the original Diamond and Pearl for the Nintendo Switch. They're still lengthy, fun Pokemon adventures, but not much has been added, and even the remade graphics are showing their age.

RetroMania Wrestling continues the action-filled fun established by classic, arcade wrestling titles, but features additional mechanics to please contemporary audiences. It isn't the deepest wrestling game, but that's part of its breezy, accessible charm.

Battlefield 2042 is an ambitious shooter that features the excellent Portal mode-creation tool, as well as a few, cool game types. Unfortunately, technical issues and balance problems mean that you may want to hold off buying the game until EA Dice irons out the kinks.

Pikmin Bloom isn’t the next Pokemon Go, but it is a cute way to walk more often with Nintendo’s plucky plant-like pals by your side.

Mario Party Superstars may bring back fond memories of Nintendo's mini-game franchise, but being from the past doesn’t automatically make it a blast.

With Back 4 Blood, developer Turtle Rock tries to revive Left 4 Dead's cooperative, zombie-shooting glory days. The result is a mixed bag that features solid ideas, but half-baked execution.

WRC 10's precise controls and detailed graphics wonderfully replicate rally racing, though graphical hiccups occasionally sour the experience.

Fireteam Elite doesn’t stray from the horde-heavy, co-op gameplay that's typical of multiplayer shooters, but the newest Alien title is packed with great visuals, smart classes, and great action.

Pokemon Unite’s familiar faces and approachable mechanics let everyone enjoy the otherwise inscrutable MOBA genre.

Watch Dogs: Legion - Bloodline injects new fun into the vanilla game, but stumbles a bit. Returning characters improve the narrative, but this DLC add-on lacks the base game’s free-form, squad-based action.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD’s upgraded visuals and motion-free control options make this the best way to play the Wii classic, even if the game is firmly stuck in Zelda’s past.