Slightly underwhelming combat aside, it is a pretty small blemish on the face of a work that might be the best Fate game to emerge in a long while. By reframing the core context of a Holy Grail War and establishing it in a new setting and with a new, fresh cast of characters, Fate/Samurai Remnant manages to grasp and elevate the fundamentals of the Fate series in a way that makes it all approachable, while not skimping on fan service for those who’ve stuck with Fate all this time.

In its current state after the first major post-launch update, Assassin's Creed Shadows is worth your time handheld on Switch 2 all things considered. If you already own it on another platform, I recommend it on Switch 2 to play on the go and complement the TV experience you get elsewhere. I hope to see some of the performance issues when playing docked addressed and will be revisiting this for the Claws of Awaji expansion in the future.

I thought about giving Guardians of Azuma a 7, because what game is here isn't strictly terrible, but unfortunately it is extremely disappointing on a wider scale. Boring dungeons, bland combat, lackluster progression, and thin customization are propped up by a fun cast of characters, pretty good voice acting, and pretty good village editing tools — but it's not enough to make the game fun to play. If you only care about the character interactions and marrying the love of your Azuma life, then the combat and village management is a tedious means towards that end, and if you're looking for engaging progression systems, you'll have to look elsewhere, I'm afraid.

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is another excellent addition to the Ys series. Its darker tone and gloomier atmosphere help it to stand out from the rest of the series, but it somehow works in its favor. The character writing and narrative framing is a remarkable step-up from previous titles, yet still preserves the thrilling intense action that the Ys series is known for. Some of Monstrum Nox’s sidequests stand among the best in the entire series. I have a few qualms with its repetitive structure, though what truly stings is the frequent crashes I experienced on the PS5. I loved my time with Adol’s adventure throughout Balduq and look forward to his next big adventure.

There’s a ton of content here to make your way through, especially if you take the time to just explore the city streets and indulge in side activities. If you’re a newcomer to the series, this is an excellent jumping on point, and it’s a steal at only $30. So if you only have even a passing interest in the game, just know that there’s no better time to lose yourself in the neon glow of Kamurocho.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux is still as great and robust a game as ever, now more accessible for those not looking for something quite as demanding. Several quality-of-life additions are certainly welcome to have, and the new content sufficiently bolsters what was already in place. Whether you are new to Strange Journey or are looking for a good reason to revisit it, this release is worth checking out.

As much as I enjoyed Disgaea 7's original release last year, I hate that I'm conflicted about Disgaea 7 Complete. On the one hand, this is a great package for newcomers when it comes to value, but it also is annoying to see the free patch and DLC that were released in Japan not be made available at all to the existing base game owners in the West. It is a shame that a re-release of a great modern Disgaea game has a few too many caveats attached to it right now.

All of these elements combine to create a game that is a jack of all trades, and master of none, but that’s a happy outcome considering how many different things it tries to do. A lot of what I’ve described so far probably sounds like a mashup of several different things that other games arguably do better, but Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy does everything with so much heart and charm that it overcomes some of the elements feeling a little empty and results in one of the best gaming adventures I’ve been on in 2021. Considering how much of a let-down the previous big Marvel game was, I am more than happy to shout how great this is without any conditions put on top.

While long load times and jarring localization decisions hold it back slightly, #FE is still a unique cross-over that Fire Emblem, Shin Megami Tensei fans and newcomers alike won't want to miss.

There was a chance for these games to be some of the best in the series, and it’s just depressing that the final product that we’re left with is so utterly flawed. What was cut from the experience wasn’t worth what sparse improvements that the games received, and what we got feels like it should match the 3DS games’ price-point, and not a $60 Switch game’s. Pokemon deserves better, and I don’t think that’s greedy to hope for.

While many of its gameplay systems remain the same, Monolith Soft did a tremendous job tweaking battles to make them a bit faster-paced and more digestible all at once. Even though the expansion has its share of problems, like gating progress with forced sidequest thresholds, I still found it a lot of fun and people who loved the world of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will have an absolute blast with this new perspective of the stories they’ve heard before.

Gundam Breaker 4 is like watching an old friend rebound from tough times. It may not be as great as its mainline predecessors in some regards, but it is a solid course correction from the last few dire entries. The repetitive stages and diluted weapon options are a noticeable step back, yet so many quality-of-life improvements to this new entry in the gunpla action RPG series make it much a smoother experience to play. While completing the main story took me roughly around 17 hours, I'm just about to reach the 60 hour mark because I keep making entire new gunpla builds to take on the highest difficulty stages on their own. It takes virtual model kit building to the next level and the potential of crafting something truly masterful, or horrific, is only limited by a person’s imagination.

Expeditions: Rome is an easy recommendation for any fan of turn-based tactical RPGs. The variety of gameplay environments, the depth of the combat system, and a surprisingly compelling story with unexpectedly strong characters all carry the experience above the few shortcomings of clumsy UI and underwhelming strategy elements. Even if you have no attachment to the setting of ancient Rome (I sure didn't), the overall scope and level of ambition are worth experiencing first-hand.

There was a chance for these games to be some of the best in the series, and it’s just depressing that the final product that we’re left with is so utterly flawed. What was cut from the experience wasn’t worth what sparse improvements that the games received, and what we got feels like it should match the 3DS games’ price-point, and not a $60 Switch game’s. Pokemon deserves better, and I don’t think that’s greedy to hope for.

I’m cautiously optimistic for the rest of the season--far too many episodic adventures have strong starts and mediocre finishes--but this first episode promises a solid and tense story for the season. Let’s just hope that Dontnod can keep this momentum for the other four episodes.

Octopath Traveler 0 is the type of game that sneaks up on you. Maybe it isn't immediately obvious what makes it great, even if the deficiencies are impossible to ignore; every now and then something will stick out like a sore thumb that betrays what the game originally was, even if that's not necessarily what the game is now, in its current form. When taken on its own merits, Octopath Traveler 0 is the type of RPG you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else - and a fascinating case study in how, much like Final Fantasy prior, Octopath Traveler can reinvent its core elements while still maintaining an identity as a franchise.

Etrian Odyssey V knows what it does well and sticks to it. There are enough small changes from previous entries to give the game its own flavor, but it's not going to reinvent the core framework that makes the series tick. Fans will definitely want to check out this latest entry, and quality-of-life improvements make the game accessible to newcomers as well.

Remnant II is an excellent sequel that smartly improves upon what Remnant: From the Ashes did best. Its story is lackluster, but its moment-to-moment gameplay is superb. There will inevitably be a sense of deja vu with repeated environmental layouts as players run into the same realms again and again the more time they put into it. Above else, it is easily one of the best action RPGs when it comes to in-depth character-building options and encouraging exploration this year.

If you're new to the Monster Hunter series, it still stands that I wouldn't recommend starting with Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate. But even if you're a longtime fan, I don't feel comfortable giving a flat recommendation either way on whether you should pick the game up. For all intents and purposes, it's still a great game, but MHGU definitely magnifies the flaws of the original release just as much as it may polish some of them. It's more of the same, whether or not that makes it worth returning to will depend on your own personal preference.

The Visions of Four Heroes story DLC for Dynasty Warriors: Origins capitalizes on what made the game great. It constantly throws players into battles against overwhelming odds, and they have to find a way to lead their allies to victory. Grand army versus army confrontations never got old in Origins, and this DLC serves them up regularly. The constrained and isolated nature of each DLC campaign does make its fanfiction story beats inherently hollow, though its skewed perspective on alternative “what-if” scenarios does provide some amusing moments for those tapped into the Romance of the Three Kingdoms narrative.

Despite being woefully ignorant of most things about League of Legends going in, I found myself at no real disadvantage when it came to enjoying most aspects of Ruined King. A distinct and deep combat system with a unique mechanical hook, interesting puzzles and stylish art, and a well-defined cast of characters and setting were enough to get me invested in an IP I had largely ignored up until this point. Despite some issues with a lack of polish, Ruined King deserves a look-in for any fan of RPGs, independent of how familiar they are with the source material.

There was a chance for these games to be some of the best in the series, and it’s just depressing that the final product that we’re left with is so utterly flawed. What was cut from the experience wasn’t worth what sparse improvements that the games received, and what we got feels like it should match the 3DS games’ price-point, and not a $60 Switch game’s. Pokemon deserves better, and I don’t think that’s greedy to hope for.

Fantasian is a fantastic RPG, and will probably be a strong contender for GOTY deliberations later this year. Though it might not hurt to wait for a few patches for lingering issues to be resolved, and to consider if you’re up for the challenge that the game will provide.

In the end, I can’t give enough praise to Trails of Cold Steel. It is an excellent port of an excellent game that finally arrives to a modern console. If for some reason you don’t have a PC that can run it, then this is the version to play. It’s extremely easy to recommend this game to anyone, whether they play RPGs or not, and it is also a good first step into the Trails series, which is well worth your time.

I come away from Final Fantasy 1, 2, and 3 looking forward to the remaining games more than I did before. I appreciate the new features like the enhanced bestiary, the auto-combat feature, making grinding friendlier, and I LOVE the new soundtracks. But I hope they manage to address issues like the screen tearing and especially the font before the last three games release.

Octopath Traveler was a pretty good game on Switch and a mediocre game on PC. It's so clearly tailored for Nintendo's portable system that plunking it anywhere else is just going to exacerbate the flaws that it has. Yes, this port "works" okay, but that doesn't mean it works best here. For all Octopath Traveler's promises of harkening back to JRPGs of yore, it forgets we loved those games because we loved to see their characters share the load.

Persona 3 Reload for Switch 2 should've been the easiest win for Atlus, but it is lacking in some key areas. If you've not played it before and mostly play docked on Switch 2, it is a good but conservative port, and P3R remains worth your time. The real issue is how Persona 3 Reload for Switch 2 doesn't feel great to play at all right now on the go, the real draw of this new port. Had Atlus included all DLC, it would've been a good excuse to replay the game with different costume and music options, or even made it so those who played the base game last year could experience Episode Aigis on the go.

Pokemon Let's Go might not be what I wanted next from the series, but I can't say I was left disappointed with it. Gamefreak's latest adventure manages to cut a lot of the franchise's fat while injecting something new into the formula. While I definitely don't want to see everything it changes brought over to Generation VIII, Let's Go acts as a refreshing change of pace for bother newcomers and longtime fans of the series.