Overall, Cassette Beasts is charming, fun, and creative. Despite being a monster-collecting RPG inspired by Pokémon, it feels unique thanks to its aesthetic, design, and, most importantly, its heart. The development team has a clear passion, and the game drips with personality on every front. Cassette Beasts is a game I’d recommend to any Pokémon fan looking for a new take on monster-collecting games, as well as a game I’d suggest for anyone in the mood for a fun and breezy little RPG. It’s short, it’s sweet, and most importantly: it’s fun.

Regardless of my feelings on the final changes, or at my annoyances at the reptetitions, few games touch my soul as deeply as this series does. NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… is still an experience that will always stick with me, whether I think my hard work has been rewarded or not. The original 2010 release came with many caveats, and Replicant has softened many while bringing some of its own, but this is a game that makes me think and feel more than most others. It’s tedious, mindless, and even frustrating at times, but this rerelease makes a peculiar, melancholy and beautiful game much easier to recommend.

As an RPG, it is an excellent experience that provides a beautifully crafted world and engaging battle system. However, as a Final Fantasy game, it falls short of expectations somewhat.

Wayward Strand is a heartfelt, touching story that grows on you the more you play it. I found myself caring a lot about Casey and the people she encountered at the hospital, and I started thinking about what I might uncover the next time I played the game the second I completed my first playthrough. That, to me, makes the title a success! I love the messages the story conveys, and the amount of care and thought that was clearly put into it. Wayward Strand is a feels-inducing, gentle sort of tale. For those looking for that type of story, Wayward Strand should not be missed!

While it may not be hailed as a classic, genre-defining game, Riven was a very strong sequel, a difficult thing to do considering the widespread popularity of Myst.

Sure, there's some problems here and there that could use some tuning, but DQB is one of the most interesting and unique titles I've played in a long time.

EverQuest II does not make a profound mark on MMORPG titles that its predecessor did. However, this doesn't mean it's by any means a bad MMORPG; it's just not innovative.

There's murder, intrigue, babysitting, and thoughtful contemplation on what it means to be a man and a father in these changing times.

RPGs as indistinct and shallow as Fable are rare, and for good reason.

A must play for SRPG fans and wistfully nostalgic D&D enthusiasts.

Experience Inc. are on to something exciting with Death Mark; it's a quiet, slow-burning horror the likes of which we rarely see in favor of unrelenting, high octane scarefests. Playing it alone in the dark with headphones on is incredibly affecting, and yet its misguided swerves into fetish territory make me hesitant to casually recommend it. A follow-up to Death Mark that focuses on the scares without getting bogged down with tacked-on titillation could be really special. Hopefully spiritual sequel NG, which recently released in Japan, will be just that.

Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical is a creative, choice-heavy game focusing on interactive music at the root of a murder mystery involving ancient myths in the modern day. Stray Gods: Orpheus is a genuinely compelling DLC addition to that mythos centered around one person’s quest for self-discovery long after they thought their story was over. Ultimately, I love the hopeful possibility inherent in the plot as this DLC proves to be a welcome return to an enjoyable game.

Strategic yet led by its narrative and decision-making, Sultan’s Game sinks its venomous fangs in, forcing addled players to say: just one more turn. I had several instances in which I wanted to set up my team’s positions so that I didn’t forget what I wanted to do before I quit for the day, but I was so curious about the outcomes that I clicked to end the day and see the events play out, telling myself that I’d save right after the stories finished. Then the next in-game day rolled around and four new events popped up with their dazzling clinging sounds. I hovered my cursor over just to see the titles. That title! I just had to see what that title meant for the event. Before I knew it, I was placing characters into a whole new set of events. That’s the kind of game this is. Of course, like any venom, a little bit over time builds a tolerance, and while the content in Sultan’s Game may feel endless, there is, indeed, an end. Two-hundred, in fact.

Wander Stars proves to be a major delight, especially if you’re a fan of the classics that the developers obviously have a lot of love and respect for. Yet, being a phenomenal RPG with an innovative turn-based combat system and a found family of characters you can’t help but grow to love for their own merits makes it a worthwhile experience on its own. While I find the ending satisfactory, much like many classic anime season closings it honors, I wouldn’t mind seeing further adventures of Ringo and company either. The stars may be far apart, but given constellations and the like, they can always find each other again. The creative Wander Stars is one of the brightest video game stars I’ve played this year so far.

Ys X: Proud Nordics is an odd duck: though it’s most certainly the definitive edition of the tenth Ys game, it’s a tall order to get someone to pay full price for a game that could’ve easily been a cheaper DLC expansion, especially if they’ve already played Ys X: Nordics. I greatly enjoyed this game myself and was thoroughly entertained by this new installment of Adol the Red’s adventures, but I’m in the position of not having had a chance to try the original beforehand. I think any newcomers to Ys X should certainly add Proud Nordics to their collection, but those who’ve already crossed these waters might want to wait for a price reduction before doing so again.

Octopath Traveler is unapologetically old-school, and would not have been out of place if it had released back in the golden age of JRPGs.

Triangle Strategy is a game that welcomes numerous approaches to its strategic gameplay and multiple runs through its story. No matter which way you proceed, you’re met with an impactful experience, thought-provoking in its mechanics and the story that it tells.

What makes Crisis Core so great isn't just one thing, it is many things. The presentation is the best I have seen on the PSP; the gameplay is simple and addictive with a great twist on the traditional JRPG, and the story is emotional and fulfilling.

Overall, I found this nine-hour jaunt to be superior to Cat Quest II, which already wasn’t a bad game. As I suggested earlier, all the developers had to do was beef up the game slightly, which they did. This is the definitive comfy game that you can play with a spouse, friend, or child. If this trajectory is any indication of what the developers can accomplish with the series, I’m eager to see what they do next.

After over 100 hours of play, I’ve completely fallen in love with this new take on Yakuza. With its robust character relationships, expansive job system, kinetic turn-based combat, and all of the usual Yakuza wackiness and heartbreak, this has rapidly become my current favorite in the series. For traditional RPG fans on the fence about Yakuza, this new JRPG-inspired entry is the perfect place to start! For those who prefer the classic beat-em-up combat, I implore you to give the new gameplay a try. If it doesn’t stick, don’t worry, because I suspect that Judgment will become the new home of this time-tested combat system. For me, Yakuza: Like a Dragon stands as one of the greatest RPGs of 2020 and (hopefully) the beginning of a brand-new era of Yakuza!

Cupid Parasite is a lengthy game with a decent-sized common route and suitor-specific routes that tend to be just as long. Given that there are five suitors initially and a secret character route once you’ve completed the others, along with the various alternate outcomes you can uncover, there is quite a lot of replayabilty to be had here! The sheer amount of energy in the story, combined with a likable cast of characters and well-written developing romances, makes this a rom-com worth perusing if that happens to be your thing. If nothing else, Cupid Parasite certainly knows how to entertain its target audience!

While I’m ultimately disappointed by a few of the newer features LISA: Definitive Edition boasts, I’m overall pleased with the finished product. The border art, new songs, Painless mode, text scaling, and more are all incredible quality-of-life improvements to an already great game. Adding extra dialogue, endings, and enemies is just RPG gravy. LISA: Definitive Edition takes a game I’d already recommend playing and makes it that much more accessible.

With an awful plot, some shoddy controls and poor dialogue working against it, you might expect that Rogue Galaxy would receive a poor overall score from me... and you'd be right if it weren't for everything else. The gameplay, in particular, was a saving grace but the music and graphics also pulled this game from the depths of despair into something fun.

While Crisis Core’s remaster is a fantastic appetizer to the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake series, it falls flat in a lot of ways. Don’t get me wrong: I enjoyed my time with it, and having all of the narrative freshened up for me is a fantastic strategy on Square Enix’s part, but Crisis Core would have benefited from some substantive changes, not just a face lift. If you’ve never played Crisis Core and want to see what the hubbub is about, this is the definitive pick for you, but remember that this game was developed fifteen years ago.

Retro games have been a popular niche market for a while now, and they exist in a whole spectrum from goofy parody to heart-attack serious. And yet Knights of Pen & Paper somehow manages to find a slot in that spectrum that hasn't been filled yet: the fairly humorous take on tabletop gaming.

Zero Time Dilemma is the weakest entry in the series but still worth a gander to find out how it all ends/begins/continues.

Life is Strange: True Colors opens phenomenally well and then somehow loses its way, never really knowing if it wanted to tell a cheesy conspiracy story or dive completely into slice-of-life territory. I wish it chose an identity. Most of all, I wish it took some chances. I don’t want to say the series is growing stale, but there’s certainly a careful balance needed between giving fans what they expect and reinventing some aspect of itself. This is a cool world to get lost in over a weekend, but it may float on by as a passing phase.

In the broadest terms, there are two ways to make a great game: do something cool that hasn't been done before, or do a great job of improving on things that have been done before. Torchlight falls pretty firmly in the second category, but that doesn't make it any less great.