Lunar is a tremendous series, a crucial high point of RPG history that doesn’t get nearly enough love today. And the reasons for that are complicated enough that the Lunar Remastered Collection existing at all feels like a small miracle. For the most part it’s a success, opting for more of a restorative, hands-off approach meant to make it look like a literal widescreen conversion of a PlayStation game. There are some unfortunate pain points that keep a great re-release from being a total slam dunk, but the other side of that is a brand-new dub that makes up for the awkwardness with its high quality and reverence for the original. Overall, I commend GungHo for mostly letting these all-time classics speak for themselves. That’s all you really need to do with Lunar.

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is an excellent revival of the GameCube/PS2 classic. It retains all the charm that made fans fall in love with it back in 2002, with several quality-of-life improvements to make it enjoyable for modern audiences. There are cracks where outdated designs/mechanics shine through, but Star Wars: Bounty Hunter remains a fantastic story from a galaxy far, far away.

Forza Horizon set out to give racing fans the opportunity to enjoy the Forza series in an open-world environment, and with the addition of a vast and beautiful locale, multiplayer options, both online and in single-player mode, and all of its activities, Forza Horizon 2 is yet another sequel that vastly improves on its original.

Vampire Crawlers is fun. Like, capital-F Fun. I’ve spent many hours with it and will spend more, especially if there’s as much long-term support as we saw with Survivors. But while Survivors felt like a totally fresh kind of experience in a lot of ways, Crawlers steps into territory that has a long and dense history, which means it’s fitting into a framework with plenty of comparison points available. And where Crawlers is weak, it’s weak in the very spot that defines the new space it’s walked into. That’s a bummer. Where it hits is all in how its trademark style and systems translate, the snappy card combat, and of course the banging soundtrack I’m only just mentioning because I’m not great at talking about music. So a thumbs up from me, but one that comes with an acute sadness at how much more Vampire Crawlers could have been if it had true blobber bona fides.

The Callisto Protocol is a deeply immersive sci-fi horror experience that firmly grabs you at the start and doesn’t let go. While this immersion shows its cracks during the transition into new areas, it’s not enough to ruin the overall experience. The Callisto Protocol is an impressive first outing for Striking Distance Studios, and the latest entry in the pantheon of excellent sci-fi horror stories.

What stuck with me most about F1 Manager 2024 is how much I want to keep playing it. If Civilization is known for "just one more turn," then F1 Manager 2024 tempts me with "just one more practice session," "just one more set of laps to tweak the car setup," or "just one more race to see if we can score some points." It keeps me coming back for more, and I'm excited to see how my custom Shacknews Racing team will evolve over the seasons. If you've ever wanted to experience what it's like to manage a Formula 1 team, you'll find countless hours of enjoyment here.

Mario Tennis Fever is a strong rebound from an era of Mario Sports games that left plenty to be desired, even if there are still some glaring shortcomings. The actual on-court gameplay, wide character roster, and abundance of Fever Rackets were enough to keep me experimenting every time I fired the game up. I’m itching to jump into Ranked and see what I’ve really got once the rest of the world can join in on the fun.

Freedom Finger is an enjoyable take on the classic shoot’em up thanks to its simple yet challenging gameplay. The mechanics are easy to pick up and understand, but a bit harder to master and use effectively. At times it tries to do too much, but the hyper-escalated sense of humor and self-awareness add a unique layer to gameplay. Wide Right Interactive’s Freedom Finger is a worthy installment in one of the industry’s oldest genres.

DICE may have failed to address all of the problems of its predecessor, but it completely re-captured what Mirror’s Edge was all about. Mirror’s Edge Catalyst is a great way to bring new fans–and old fans alike–back into the world of Faith Connors.

It provides an experience that is generally therapeutic and almost never stressful. It’s not a perfect game, but it’s the kind of game that could be perfect for certain situations or groups of gamers looking for their next adventure.

The world is beautiful and the voice acting is excellent. But Henry and Delilah’s story is far too short, and the resolution of the game’s story relies far too much on a backstory that isn’t given the breathing room it needs. It’s an emotional rollercoaster that just teeters back down to a merry-go-round, leaving me with a detached feeling that everything I had spent the past few hours working towards has been all for naught.

While it's not exactly a kick in the pants, WRC 9 manages to build on the solid foundation of WRC 8 and simply give players more to do, which is never a bad thing. The WRC license is a big deal and the roadmap for post-release support looks promising with new rallies slated to arrive by year’s end. It certainly won’t win any beauty contests and rough edges abound, but when things come together, it can turn your knuckles white with fear. Isn’t that what we want from a rally experience in the first place? 8/10 hay bale chicanes.

I don’t love Bakeru like I love Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon, and that’s okay. This is very much a vibes game, and Good-Feel in 2024 isn’t Konami in 1998. There’s a lot of nostalgic evocation happening for sure, but it’s more like a collection of smiles and nods in service to a project that very much has its own identity. I appreciate it, even as I understand Bakeru isn’t entirely for me. A kid at the age I was back then, with a budding interest in anime and other Japanese cultural affectations would probably have a blast. And since the barriers for that space are so much smaller these days, Bakeru can be its whole self in a way that would’ve barred it from international travel (or a decent localization) back then. That’s what it feels like Bakeru is aiming for, and I think it hits that target cleanly.

Bayonetta 2 is manic, adrenaline-fueled combat at its best, showing tremendous depth beyond its shallow lead character.

KeyWe does a great job at delivering exactly what’s on the parcel: it’s a cute and charming co-op experience that will challenge your communication skills. So grab a friend and get ready to sort the mail, because this one is something special.

Solar Ash is another hugely stylish venture from Heart Machine, though it’s not terribly long. Exploring any area to its fullest ran me about two to four hours and the whole thing ran about 11 hours for me when it was all said and done. Nonetheless, the graceful feel of movement, platforming, and combat in this game can’t be denied, and it’s accompanied by a lush and interesting mix of neon, natural, and industrial landscapes caught up in Solar Ash’s Voidspace. There’s a little jank in the controls here at here, but generally, for such a quick game, Solar Ash glides like a cosmic dream.

Genre fans and devotees of the first game should put Ori and the Will of the Wisps on their must-play lists. It looks like a million bucks in motion (when the performance holds together) and the narrative is sure to please franchise followers.

Mr. Sun’s Hatbox is charming and funny as hell. As silly as it is, the game is quite clever in the way it melds systems together, constantly introducing something new to juggle or consider when planning a mission or expanding your base. Its roguelite elements raise the stakes of every heist and make every success feel all the sweeter. While some balancing issues led to early frustrations, Mr. Sun's Hatbox is an impressive little package.

I was able to go wheel to wheel in the most Netflix Drive to Survive kind of way imaginable. Oh, and I sweated. So much sweat. Prepare yourself! If you've been waiting for official VR support in the F1 series, this is it

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn is a breath of fresh air when it comes to the Souls-lite genre. The challenging combat, unusual lore, and well-crafted environments blend the new with the old in an original way. While the gameplay could be more refined, the game succeeds in making the genre more accessible. The story is rather quick on the draw at the start and the ending trails off suddenly, but the relationship between Nor and Enki is enough to carry the bulk of the narrative. As a first entry, Flintlock is off to a solid start, and I look forward to having more adventures with this unlikely pair.

Even with some of the controls catered to novices, the game ultimately rewards patience and dedication. The result is one of the deeper fighting games I've come across, bolstered by an engaging presentation. Learning can be time-consuming, but for some of the keen-looking moves you can dish out, it's worth the effort.

If you’re looking for the full depth of tactics, decisions, and consequences in XCOM or the full spectacle, gritty beauty, and intensity of traditional Gears shooters, you’re likely better off playing those, but if you would like an acceptable marriage of the two, Gears Tactics may be well worth your time.

While it isn't without a few faults, it's very much an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon or two with, then return to later in the week to see how much more you can take on. I'm all about the grind in my day-to-day life, so seeing something similar in such a fun and rewarding little game was right up my alley.

I absolutely have to give Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs Maxi Boost ON credit for its sheer depth of goods as a Gundam fighting game. It packs a lot of fanservice into one game for a franchise so vast and full of different mechs, and it doesn’t lose out on offering a quality fighting system to do it.

When you add all of the sensibilities of the Nintendo Switch to the mix, you’ve got yourself a robust little JRPG to sink your teeth into.

Fans of the original Super Mega Baseball will find lots to like about this sequel. New players can expect a solid game of baseball with enough arcade magic to appeal to almost any type of player. Baseball purists will find a good time if they enter with the proper expectations.

While F1 24 marks significant progress, it's not without its shortcomings. Persistent issues such as the lack of finesse in AI behavior and complexities in currency management detract slightly from the overall enjoyment. Moreover, support for enthusiast hardware remains inconsistent, and certain features like the absence of custom team entry in co-op career mode may disappoint some players. Despite these drawbacks, F1 24 remains a compelling choice for fans of the franchise, offering a thrilling and immersive racing experience worthy of consideration. F1 24 proves to be a worthwhile addition to the series, albeit with room for further refinement in future iterations.

Planet Coaster 2 is a fantastic second entry to Frontier Developments’ spiritual successor to one of gaming's greatest titles. I might be a little disappointed that the core behind these games' formula hasn’t changed in 25 years, but if it ain’t broken why fix it? Aside from little issues like guests' pathfinding being borked on occasion and my spiteful relationship with the way paths snap to each other, I’m overjoyed to share that this game will continue to consume my life in the near future. While the simulation sicko in the back of my mind wishes there was a little more depth to managing my parks, all the other voices fight over what to build next, and there are certainly worse problems to have.