Dragon Quest Heroes II is one of the most flexible Warriors games on the market, full of nods to its dual lineage for better and for worse.

Though short, Tacoma is a great narrative adventure, especially for fans of sci-fi.

This remake of Trials of Mana is wonderful, with its expanded storytelling, exciting combat, and loving recreation of all the game's artistic elements. The bits of added content are worthwhile diversions, offering more of a good thing. It harkens back to the halcyon days of spring break sleepovers playing at all hours of the night with your friends. Though it's not without flaws, you'll find plenty of joy in swapping stories about your party and how you crafted it. It's been a long time since I've had so much fun with a game, one that filled me with such warmth and joy consistently. It truly feels like the Mana series is back and ready to capture our hearts and imaginations once more.

SKALD is one of those games that brings a smile to your face when you’re playing it despite the dark and mature content. The design evokes fond memories but also adds enough modern sensibilities and systems to make playing comfortable and approachable. The graphics and sound take root in your psyche and you are drawn to the title in much the same way the main character is drawn into the island’s mysteries. It’s not perfect; the frustrations with the combat and technical bugs preclude that, but it’s still a wonderful reminder that sometimes the old ways are best. Just like the Great Old Ones promise.

Worth it for Persona 4 fans, but misses the mark in regards to its rhythm gameplay.

While the 16-bit-RPG-throwback genre is certainly not lacking for participants, Cosmic Star Heroine stands near the head of the class in terms of accurately capturing the audiovisual essence of the era. It falls short on invoking the character and captivating allure of the worlds imagined by the forebearers it aims to honor, however. It's a solid game in its own right, but going in understanding it's more homage than classic will temper expectations and enable you to appreciate it for what it is rather than what it is not. After all, even the best cover bands aren't able to completely emulate the enduring magic of their source material.

Bugs aside, I had a killer time with 2064. Although series like Phoenix Wright and Danganronpa have successfully reinvented the Japanese-style adventure game for the 21st century, there's a certain allure to the mysterious world of menu-driven microcomputer adventures of decades past. 2064 not only successfully simulates that feeling, it welcomes players of all backgrounds and orientations with open arms. 2064's future is one that belongs to all of us.

For dystopian enthusiasts and those who don’t mind getting lost in repetitive minigames, Mind Scanners may be a suitable distraction. I’m sure some people are going to adore everything about this title, but I simply can’t recommend it for most people. It breaks my heart, because I had been keeping an eye on Mind Scanners for a while and had high hopes. After all, I’m a psychologist who loves stories about grim futures, but the execution here just didn’t make the landing. In fact, I might even need a mind scanner myself after binging this one.

If you can look past the so-so music, retro visuals and somewhat sluggish interface, Resonance is a good graphic adventure.

Eldest Souls has a New Game+ mode where the bosses hit harder, players heal for less, and the enemies have significantly more health — as well as new moves — but who wants to go through that? If you’re hungry for a fresh Souls-like experience, this isn’t it. If you’re the type of player who craves a challenge and loves memorizing boss patterns, then this could be for you. Just don’t expect to have meaningful options.

Overall, it pains me to give KOTOR II the score I have, as the core gameplay mechanics are genuinely enjoyable and well-rounded, not to mention that I found the plot and characters to be quite strong whenever the game hit its strides. However, I still can’t overlook the very noticeable glitches present in the Switch port. It’s a shame that the initial base game is a rushed, poorly edited product as well since it has all the makings of a classic and problems knock it down to just a “good” game. Despite these setbacks, the KOTOR duology is still one of my favorite Star Wars stories. It is a testament to all of The Sith Lords‘ strengths that I’m glad for those patches and am looking forward to seeing how the Restored Content DLC might improve upon the overall game experience. However, as for how the base game now stands on the Switch? I’d be hard-pressed to recommend someone purchase it until that free story DLC is released. This echo seems more akin to a dying whimper than the steady, unyielding presence the game could very well be in the future.

The Kaito Files is a first for RGG, but I honestly hope it isn’t the last. There are so many characters in this long-running series, and the field is ripe for exploration of other protagonists and events. Case in point: Kaito makes a fantastic lead. With the future of the Judgment series uncertain due to disagreements with the talent agency representing Yagami’s Japanese actor, Takuya Kimura, this DLC is almost like a proof of concept in a way. While I would hate for Yagami to no longer be involved in future games, Kaito could clearly take the main character role if need be, and that gives me hope that we haven’t seen the last of this spin-off series.

A compelling narrative, wonderful soundtrack, and likable characters all overcome the many flaws that the game bears and makes it an incredibly memorable entry in the Suikoden saga.

This game has the potential to be the sleeper hit of 2011.

If you're a series fan, there's no question that you need to play this game. For newcomers, I only offer this one warning: be ready for a challenge.

Without a doubt, Aion is an incredibly polished experience that refines the best aspects of the genre and creates a spectacular new world. As a fan and critic of the genre, I wholeheartedly recommend Aion to both casual and experienced gamers.

Episode 1 is a good indication of where the season and series are headed, and while I've thoroughly enjoyed it, when titles like Life is Strange and Before the Storm are released and compete with the franchise, one has to expect Telltale to up their game. What was great back in 2012 is no longer great in 2018, and maybe that's why Telltale is putting the cap on the series with The Final Season.

Ultimately, that blend exemplifies the entire experience in Wolfstride. There are good ideas at work with the combat, style, and interesting story twists. But for everything it does right, it does two things wrong. Whether it’s aggravating attempts at comedy, tasks that feel like a chore, or a tone that just can’t decide what it wants to be, there is always something standing between you and the ideal experience. So really, your experience will be defined by how much you can enjoy, or at least tolerate, the worst parts. There’s gold in them thar hills, but you’ll have to dig through a ton of peepoo to get to it.

Genso Manège is an otome that I, admittedly, had a preconceived notion of what it would be like given its “soft and sweet” appearance. Underneath its pastel visuals, I was pleasantly surprised to find a gripping and emotional story about overcoming hardships and loss populated by a memorable cast. Genso Manège certainly adheres to “don’t judge a book by its cover” due to its hidden narrative depth alongside finely-tuned traditional visual novel elements and a fun optional puzzle mechanic, providing fellow romantasy junkies a new game to adore.

Minor quibbles aside, System Shock is a bonafide classic any way you play it, especially if you play it on consoles for the first time through this remake. If you are looking for compelling horror, a good first-person shooter, or science fiction RPG goodness, look no further. If you want a retro-fitted videogame that retains its original’s mazey philosophies, with keycards, corridors, and zero tutorials, you’re in for a treat. If you want to support game preservation through abandonware resuscitation projects like Nightdive’s, there are certainly worse ways to spend your money. After all, without the historical context of important works such as System Shock, without even simple access to it, we might be doomed to wander the maze of modern videogames blindly.

Excellent game, subpar port.

Whether you prefer your RPGing in single-player, multiplayer, or both, there's something for everyone to enjoy in Grand Kingdom.

At times brutally difficult, and others frustratingly random, SaGa Scarlet Grace: Ambitions takes some big risks to ensure it's highly satisfying and incredibly rewarding to play through.

Regardless, Episode 4 reassured me with a powerful episode that tugged at my heart. Max and Chloe truly feel like lifelong friends, and I want them to have happy closure.

Animal Parade is not perfect, but it is by far one of my favorite Harvest Moon titles. This is the most fun I've had with the series in a long time, and it's great to see the story integrated so well with the gameplay.

If not for the grating gameplay and clunky controls, Weird West would be another Devolver classic. I love Devolver’s games, and I was excited for this one. Weird West would be fantastic as a novella, actually–I loved the writing, atmosphere, and unique narrative. Chef’s kiss stuff right here. I’m sure some folks out there will find the gameplay good enough, but even knowing how fascinating the story is, I wouldn’t have put over twenty hours into this game if I knew at the outset what I know now.

As someone who really enjoyed Chaos;Head, I really, really wanted to like Chaos;Child. And there are a number of things I do like about it: the cast is fun, the core mystery is gripping, and the level of gore, while not for the faint of heart, is on par with a Sion Sono flick (nasty and weird, but not wholly distasteful). However, its preoccupation with padding its length with the same tired tropes and non-consensual sexual fantasies makes it tough to recommend to any but the most devoted Science Adventure Series fans. Please 5pb, hire a copy editor.

After the credits rolled, I immediately wanted to dive back into the continent of Runersia for another 30-40 hour campaign from a different nation's viewpoint.