The combination of engrossing story, fabulous music, expansive world, and complex yet rewarding battle system make XC2 one hell of a grand adventure.

Ultimately Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is a fairly successful remake of the first two Advance Wars games. While appreciation of the new aesthetic may vary, the game retains the tightly designed strategic combat of the original duology while adding a few welcome tweaks. It’s a shame this remake doesn’t have a robust online experience to offer returning players. If you’ve never tried the series out and enjoy strategy games, this is the best way to experience the games for the first time. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough additions to make the remake a must-have if you’ve already poured hundreds of hours into the GBA games.

Not only are the two games in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles remarkable examples of what this series can do, but they deliver a massive amount of content for the price. When played back-to-back, you’re looking at around 70 hours of playtime in total, and that isn’t including all the extra content. I’m delighted that I can now go from desperately wanting Capcom to localize the games to desperately wanting Capcom to announce The Great Ace Attorney 3! These games are full of the same over-the-top craziness and heartbreaking melodrama that makes the series so memorable, and I highly recommend it to both long-time fans and those who are simply looking for a fantastic story. Absolutely no objections here.

Exceptional entries in the series that include some great new mechanics.

A sizable new adventure for Aloy in a frozen wilderness that gives Horizon fans more of what they love.

Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga is a nostalgic fanservice game for Falcom’s PSP era. I happen to love both Ys and The Legend of Heroes: Trails, so indulging in this missing localized title was a true delight. It might only appeal to diehard Falcom fans or those who enjoy earlier Ys and Trails games, but if you fall into those categories, it’s undoubtedly entertaining. When all else fails, I’d bet on the little girl with the orbal cannon any day of the week!

While players won't be choosing skill points in trees or devoting time to selecting whether +5 intellect or +3 wisdom is better, Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime is simply some good, clean fun for all ages.

Collection of Mana, heck even just Trials of Mana in the West, is a dream come true for me. If you decide to pick this up, you're getting three wonderful games that you can play anywhere. Some extra features, like a museum with the series' artwork, or a history lesson on the entire franchise, wouldn't have gone amiss, but we got something we never thought we'd get. If $40 for three excellent games isn't too much to ask, then do yourself a favour and pick this up if you're an RPG fan.

Trails in the Sky the 3rd is one for the fans; it's for those of us who are in deep, who devour every morsel of lore and character development because we can't get enough of this world. It's also notably inaccessible, requiring easily upwards of 100 hours of investment in previous titles to fully appreciate. But isn't worrying about that sort of missing the point? The 3rd is a heartfelt goodbye to a trilogy that has become dear to my heart, and I am deeply grateful that more adventures exist in this world, because I don't know if I'll ever be ready for the Trails magic to end.

With a fun and rewarding battle system, lush visuals, a touching story, charming and endearing characters, and grand world, Atelier Sophie 2 is a fantastic game that is easy to recommend. Fans of the series are in for a treat, though they may be a little surprised by just how story-heavy the game is. New players have an easy way to catch up on the story in a matter of minutes, ensuring there are as few roadblocks as possible. While the game took me just over 60 hours to complete, it never once felt too long. It’s a wonderful, wholesome, and heartwarming game that wears its heart on its sleeve. If this, Atelier Ryza 1 and 2, and Blue Reflection: Second Light are what we can expect from Gust with a little more time and money, I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the 25th anniversary this May.

All of the additions to the "Advance" port of Final Fantasy V are worthwhile, but it is a shame that the new jobs and bonus dungeon are only available right at the end of the game.

While flawed, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a grand and ambitious adventure and an impressive adaptation of a popular tabletop RPG. The eclectic characters feel alive, though the thought of that literally being true is terrifying. In some ways, it feels like too standard a CRPG; in others, it stretches the conventions of that subgenre in fascinating directions. The amount of writing here (and pretty good writing at that) is astounding — it’s a rare case where the sheer quantity is a positive, each quest another strand in your character’s tapestry, even if they don’t always hit. As such, if you only play one game you missed out on from last year, it might be this one, as it might be all you have time for. But that decision is less appealing in the shadow of the abuse accusations.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus wanders from the “traditional formula” that held the series a little too firmly in place. But all who wander aren’t necessarily lost—at least, not in a bad way. Players will find themselves delightfully astray within Hisui’s enthralling world, ambling with many worthwhile purposes and finding amazing new sights and Pokémon. Similarly, Pokémon Legends: Arceus finds a gameplay loop that keeps the franchise’s appeal intact while feeling impressively fresh and thoroughly engaging. It’s wonderful what you can discover when you stray off the beaten path—you just have to be daring enough to venture in that direction.

Beacon Pines is a special kind of game in that it doesn’t strive to be more than it should be. That’s praise, by the way. At its core, it is a mystery title about conspiracy and larger-than-life problems; no deep human insights, no world-ending machinations, and no shoe-horned gameplay. Beacon Pines might not strike our fancy for those of us looking for something more than a small-town mystery, but if a simple romp with cute animals told with superior visuals and music is what you’re after, then Beacon Pines will sate nicely.

It demands a specific mood and mindset, but if there’s a match there, it’s like cracking a code and your reward for meeting these demands is thoughtful, flow-like immersion to reveal an engaging story. One that decidedly does not feel fake when you experience it.

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined is true to the spirit of the original while sporting the best look and combat in the series.

The entirety of Episode 5 pulls at the soul, using the series' history as a catalyst for existential query.

Afternoon of Darkness was great on both the PSP and the DS, and the elements that were added to Dark Hero Days make it even better.

Overall, despite its age, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is still an incredibly solid game and easily one of the best ports I’ve played on the Switch. If you’re like me and haven’t had the chance to play this title yet, I’d easily recommend doing so to any Star Wars fans who happen to enjoy RPGs, too. The Force is still quite strong with this one, and it gives Switch owners something to bide their time with while we wait for more news about Aspyr’s remake!

Ten minutes of novelty can turn into ten hours of monotony, and, while An Elysian Tail has many merits, repetition and simplicity prevent it from ranking among the best.

The lack of ability to choose specific affection levels through the flowchart is a small price to pay for reaching the Salvation endings. Virche Evermore perfectly encapsulates feelings of despair and hope not only through its dark subject matter, but through its phenomenal foreshadowing and focus on bad endings before the good endings become available. While death reminds us of the life that preceded it, the endings of Virche Evermore -ErroR: Salvation- always harken back to content in the routes, the many twists and turns required to reach its endings, and it makes the anguish felt along the way worth it.

Yaaargh! Subtlety ain’t be whatcher expectin’ out of a tale about pirates, but even though the surface might look cheap, the value is in finding the gems hidden within. If ye be seekin’ the experience of bein’ a real pirate, Rogue Waters is a time of swillin’ rum and chargin’ at them scurvy dogs. Drink up me hearties, yo ho!

I haven’t encountered writing anywhere near as good as this since Disco Elysium, yet that isn’t to say one is better than the other. Roadwarden is sort of dark fantasy, while Disco Elysium is an irreverent inspection of human psychology, society, and the Apocalypse. At about thirty hours, I cannot complain about my time with Roadwarden. A part of me is terribly sad to say goodbye to this world and its people, but it certainly didn’t overstay its welcome; that’s important. While I experienced amazing successes, I also made horrible mistakes and oversights that the game punished tastefully and forcefully. I don’t need or want a perfect adventure where everything ends with a neat little bow on top, and Roadwarden delivers just that. Some mysteries were left unsolved, while others were solved a little too well. Succeeding is sometimes a form of failure. So much to chew on, and I am thankful for the adventure.

Disgaea 7 is a mixed bag: while it addresses many of the issues present in its predecessor, it also fails to match the sereis’ best games it is trying to emulate. I enjoyed my time with the game, but I’m left wondering where the series can go from here. Disgaea 7 does what it needs to, but I feel the series has exhausted the concept and taken it about as far as possible without a significant shakeup.

A top-notch game bursting at the seams with Final Fantasy nostalgia.

This is what it all comes down to: if you've already played Pearl or Diamond, the only reason to plunk down another $35 or so for Platinum is if you are dying to have the new expanded online presence.

If Origins left you unsure about the series' new direction as an action RPG, Odyssey will make you a believer.

All in all, Valkyria Chronicles II will probably only appeal to a niche audience, due to its SRPG gameplay (and all the tiny little idiosyncrasies that come along with it), the anime-style production, and a reliance on preparation as opposed to being an FPS/3PS killfest or beat 'em up. However, for that niche audience, VCII provides all that you could want in terms of depth, and is a very polished outing for a portable device.