Revisiting games I loved many years ago is sometimes scary because I worry I may not enjoy certain aspects with the context of newer games in a specific series. Yakuza Kiwami 2 is still one of my favorites in the series and while this Switch 2 port isn't perfect, it exceeded my expectations despite some issues. If you haven't played Yakuza Kiwami 2 before and want to experience it on the go, the Switch 2 port is a very good way to do so, but I hope the performance issues can be addressed. If you have played it before, I only really recommend this if you want to revisit it on a handheld.

For a certain type of player, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment will be the single game you'll end up sinking the most time into on your Switch 2. If it wasn't for every other RPG I've yet to play this year, I might have ended up in those shoes. Age of Imprisonment isn't just a great Zelda spinoff, but confidently stands among some of the singular best games in the entire Zelda series. I simply can't recommend it enough for anyone who is a fan of the Warriors' genre.

What I get out of Stray Children, more than anything else, is that the people at Onion Games are some of the brightest creative voices in the business. There’s a subtextual plea in how this game was designed to understand them. Stray Children wants you to get the appeal of what used to make games like this so special, and that sincerity is infectious. I’ve seen so many retro revivals fail to understand why people liked games of the '90s. There was an excitement in partaking in the boom of a brand-new art form, and that excitement has understandably waned in the last 30 years. Stray Children takes that feeling and does something beautiful with it.

The Outer Worlds 2 is much like its predecessor in that it is a witty, smart, and energetic adventure. Its highs threaten to touch the stratosphere as easily as the protagonist's spaceship - but its lows mine as deep as some of those poor, slaving Auntie's Choice workers. From this site's more specific angle of interest, its role-playing feels more meaningful and satisfying than in its predecessor or Avowed, Obsidian's other recent action RPG. In a vacuum, it's an enjoyable romp - but no entertainment or art exists in a true vacuum, really. Just as The Outer Worlds 2's scathing commentary on consumerism and blind faith reflects on our real world, so too does our real world reflect on it at the time of its release. Like the game's moral quandaries, it's all about player choice - but in the real world, the consequences are real.

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.

Years ago, I said that Pokemon Legends: Arceus proved that there was room in the Pokemon world for more games like Pokemon Colosseum to exist, and to even thrive. While Pokemon Legends: Z-A wasn't quite what I had in mind, it feels like validation nonetheless. Pokemon is at its best when Gamefreak is allowed to experiment with what a Pokemon game can actually be, and Pokemon Legends: Z-A is an affirmation that the series isn't done evolving, much like the Pokemon themselves. If this is the future of the series - more experimental "Legends" titles which attempt to broaden the Pokemon world in ways that only they can, instead of merely retreading old ground with remakes - I couldn't be happier.

Despite an underwhelming conclusion, Drova: Forsaken Kin is an incredibly fun and challenging game in many ways, and it likely would have made my personal top five last year had I played it when it released. It utilizes a smart integration of challenging environmental exploration, rewarding player progression, and intricate world design to create one of the most engaging RPGs I've played in a while. Only some shortcomings with writing and storytelling hold it back from being recommended without hesitation.

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.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger is an excellent game that carries the spirit of a PS2-era JRPG in its heart. The sheer amount of care put into portraying the Digital World: Iliad and all the Digimon that inhabit it clearly shows the passion that the developers had when developing Time Stranger throughout the years. Its narrative has its fair share of ups and downs, but I think it goes into some wild places and finishes very strong with a finale that will have Digimon fans screaming in joy. There’s certainly a handful of unrefined aspects, such as how its fast travel is handled and the disjointed feeling brought about by its unvoiced protagonist, but it can’t be denied that this is not only one of the best Digimon games ever – it’s just a damn good game on its own.

Hades II is a triumph in every way, and the degree to which the studio has built on the original makes it feel like we have gotten two sequels in one.

For players who grew up loving ’90s anime or those fascinated by experimental mechanics in RPGs, Wander Stars is worth experiencing. It may not fully deliver on the limitless potential of words, but when it hits, it feels as satisfying as the perfect sentence – or punch - landing exactly where it should.

Lost Soul Aside wore on me pretty quickly, with its repetitive arena-to-arena flow, characters I never spent enough time to care about or what happened to them, and unpolished issues and quirks. Except for the aesthetics and decent combat (which had their own drawbacks), I can’t really point to a part of LSA that I can say I genuinely had a good time with. While I wasn’t someone that has been eagerly waiting with bated breath for the game, I still was hopeful and intrigued by what the final game would turn out like after being worked on for so long, and it's disappointing how much it fell flat for me. Sometimes being cool just doesn’t cut it.

Replaying Final Fantasy Tactics has reaffirmed and strengthened my belief that this is one of the best strategy RPGs ever created. Its complex and engrossing story, multi-faceted characters, and flexible gameplay remain a masterclass that has rarely been surpassed in the nearly 30 years since we took our first steps into Ivalice and the boots of Ramza Beoulve. The Ivalice Chronicles, with its enhancements, has managed to make a version that is a vastly more approachable and understandable product, while not detracting in the slightest from what longtime players remember and expect. The inclusion of the original title is just the cherry on top. While there are a few subtle tweaks or settings I would love to see added, I can’t imagine ever playing Final Fantasy Tactics again without using the Ivalice Chronicles version. Final Fantasy Tactics and the Zodiac Brave Story remain one of the best titles in Square Enix’s vast library of classics.

Trails 1st is the type of RPG I can definitively point towards and say “This is a must play.” It’s up there with Dragon Quest XI as a fantastic entry into RPGs for newcomers, as well as a master-class in RPG design for genre veterans. The world, the characters, the progression — everything just flows extremely well. It’s not often that developers get a second crack at an existing game, and remakes can sometimes miss the mark, but I feel more than satisfied as a new player with the game, and am eager to see what comes next. Now begins the long (but not too long) wait for the Trails 2nd remake. Maybe I’ll check out some of the older Legend of Heroes games while I wait...

When I hit the credits of Towa and the Guardians of the Sacred Tree, I felt a little bit bummed out. I don't regret my 25 hours spent playing the game, but it never elevated beyond just being an acceptable action roguelike. Many of the game's unique components in the combat & structure feel either inconsequential or insignificant. The overall presentation is stellar, and the Shinju Village NPC stories are endearing. However, stale combat, underbaked sub-systems, and a mediocre overall narrative bring down a game that I wish left more of an impression on me.

Shuten Order is a frustrating game to enjoy. The writing team at Too Kyo Games clearly has a lot of ambition, and I respect the kind of game Shuten wants to be. Every route felt hampered by something, held back by execution that didn’t match the full potential. Despite everything, it lands with such a tremendous note that I think it’s worth experiencing this at some point. Your mileage may vary on whether you find the core routes to be predictable, depending on how invested you are in ADV games, but I do respect what they were going for. What it lacks in cohesion, it makes up for in spirit. If you can get past the blemishes, and there are a lot to look past, I can see a certain kind of person really getting a lot out of Shuten Order.

Varlet left me disappointed and bewildered. Despite some curious and evident narrative themes of adolescence in the social media age, Varlet's battle & social mechanics are stale at best and broken at worst. I went into Varlet with the best of intentions, but I came out weary and indifferent.

At its best, Grand Bazaar represents the best of what makes Story of Seasons so great, and reminds me of how much I loved the series when I was younger. Even if the game's balance feels like a glaring issue, I can't deny that all the changes big and small have made this remake feel like a more complete and fulfilling experience, one that makes all the time spent investing in Zephyr Town feel engaging. At the end of the day, that's what I choose to focus on. If this is a sign of things to come for the series, I have faith that its in good hands.

OFF to me is like dumping a box of puzzle pieces on the table. You comb through them to try and piece the puzzle together, but you notice over time that it seems like some pieces were never meant to fully click into one another. You make it far in the puzzle, and take a step back. You can’t fully piece the puzzle together, but the process of trying is rewarding. I have seen and done everything in this game, and I still feel like I don’t fully understand it. The lack of closure and lingering thoughts that I have are so much more poignant than any explicit explanation.

If you have a dedicated group of friends that is ready and willing to play through the game together, whether that's in person or online, Wild Hearts S is an easy recommendation. If you're hoping to do multiplayer with randoms, then it gets a bit trickier. Wild Hearts S is a great game, but make sure you understand what you're signing up for before picking it up. While it's one of the best 3rd-party releases for the Switch 2 so far, it's a real question for how long the community might last.

There simply aren’t enough engaging and worthwhile gameplay elements in Edens Zero to make it worth experiencing a worse version of the story. Superfans of the series might find something to love if they dig deep enough – but Konami’s Edens Zero, more than anything, is another grim reminder of the unrealized potential of anime-based video games.

Indeed, Shadows doesn't solve some of the core issues with the series' design introduced in these later entries. At the same time, I feel like the fact that I did stick with Shadows all the way through and still found it fresh enough that I was inspired to try reconnecting with its predecessors (which I failed to stick with at the time), speaks to how well it has refined that formula. It has also managed to revive some of the focus and distinctive feel of the older titles in the series, and in doing so, recaptured some of what made Assassin's Creed one of my favorite titles of previous generations.

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is incredibly impressive when viewed as the first game project developed and released by Leenzee. It’s ambitiously put together when it comes to the marriage of its various flexible gameplay systems and a game world that’s constructed seamlessly. Its depiction of the late Ming dynasty is fascinating because it isn’t afraid to show the brutal circumstances that loomed over this time period, even when separated from all of the dark fantasy elements that provide flavor to it. I enjoyed my time a lot with Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, but its horrid performance and optimization on PC unfortunately damaged my overall enjoyment.

All in all, the game is serviceable for what it is, but the tone of the game throws me for a loop, and the dungeon-crawling aspects aren't that interesting to warrant bouncing back and forth from dungeon to school and back again for multiple sessions. While the game is retailing at $50, I still feel that this game is a little too expensive for what it offers. This feels like the perfect game to grab on sale, rather than rushing out to the store and getting it immediately on launch. That said, there's still enough here to satisfy people with a deep urge for dungeon crawling or anime slapstick, I suppose.

It might seem like I’m harsh on this spin-off, but I think I’ve grown more fond of the title the longer it sat with me. To get the most out of No Sleep For Kaname Date, you need to align your expectations in advance. The story isn’t devoid of emotional pay-offs, but it’s hardly going to hit things out of the park as hard as the previous games did. What it sacrifices in the typical mind-bending mystery, it makes up for with excellent comedy writing. This game knows it can’t meaningfully advance the plot of the main series, and it blatantly doesn’t try to. It wants you to have another go with characters you grew fond of throughout two really special games. It wants to make you laugh over the most ridiculous jokes, and applaud as Date powers up with his signature porno mags. As an AI fan who didn't need this to be the next big thing, I can’t help but appreciate what this offers.

While the multiplayer is nice to have back, and the controller support is solid overall, I was otherwise left uninspired. I will always appreciate games becoming easier for new people to experience or getting a console port, but between the harmless-but-still-annoying bugs, the bland menus, and the lack of meaningful quality-of-life updates, I don’t feel like this release lives up to the “enhanced” moniker it's given itself. The package feels like a missed opportunity. Enhanced Edition is okay. It didn’t crash on me (I’m not faulting this game for crashing due to a mod that wasn’t designed for it), so that’s always good, but that’s a pretty low standard to hold. If you want to play Neverwinter Nights 2 with your friends without installing a mod, or on a console/with a controller, sure, pick up the Enhanced Edition. If not, then there is really no reason to buy this version over the Complete Edition that is readily available and at a lower price.

Yakuza 0 Director's Cut is a fantastic package for newcomers, and I'm very happy that the licensed music is finally available in the West. However, the baffling new cut-scenes and pointless new raid mode make this feel like Sega taking the series a few steps forward and a few steps back in different ways. For those who haven't played it before in any form and only own a Switch 2, I'm glad Yakuza 0 is finally on a Nintendo platform and with a better conversion than Yakuza Kiwami had on Switch, but it is a shame that there are caveats to what should've been the easiest win for Sega given how amazing Yakuza 0 was all those years ago.

Overall, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, has the framework necessary to be an excellent game, and provides a sort of different flavor of fantasy setting than a lot of its contemporaries. For those willing and able to put up with rough spots and a general feeling of unfinishedness, there are still 50+ hours of an enjoyable RPG experience here. It just might take some additional time and tweaking in order to fully deliver on its potential.