It's not the greatest concert you'll ever witness, but Persona 4: Dancing All Night gives a solid performance, one that does its catchy soundtrack proud.

What the Car? was a nice, little moment of silliness in a packed summer, full of games that have demanded a lot of time and energy. It made my hardened critic's face crack a smile multiple times, even if it had just annoyed me moments before. I’m not ready to turn all the way around and start banging the “wiggly game” drums just yet, but it was nice to know there’s still hope out there for this particular brand of video game foolishness.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Gestalt: Steam & Cinder! It has a story that left me a little frustrated by the end, but the way there was full of good mechanical writing, solid character development, and a healthy amount of proper noun-led mystery world-building. The top-shelf visual quality cannot be understated, with incredibly detailed and well-animated 2D art that can hang with the classics easily. And while combat was the messiest part, there was still fun to be had running around the world, fighting weird enemies and using skills and combos powered by cool animations. I would definitely keep paying attention to Metamorphosis Games, especially if there’s more stories to come from this world in particular.

When a game like Lost Records: Bloom & Rage shows such potential, I feel a grander sense of disappointment when it doesn't stick the landing. The game's characters aren't going to be everybody's cup of tea, because they can be over-the-top at times, but their love and friendship made me fall for them despite their imperfections. The refinements in the formula that began with Life is Strange ten years ago make this story resonate more, because you gain a more intimate insight into everybody's mindset.

When you think about it, that’s kind of the inherent pro and con to puzzles, though. Paper Trail benefits a lot from its distinct mechanics, because they help it stand out among a sea of similar games with similar gameplay hooks. But distinct doesn’t always mean approachable, and Paper Trail ends up being quite complex in a lot of ways that could be awesome for one player and super obstructive to another. And that’s fine! The style, which includes the colorful visuals, silly sound direction, genuine writing, and emotive music, all elevate the experience and aid in that sense of approachability. It’s a little too much for me, but I’m mostly a Tetris guy at the end of the day.

Endless Legend is a gorgeous game, with a unique take on 4X strategy, and a tremendous amount of potential. Its interface and diplomacy systems could use a bit of improvement, but the tactical combat and decision-based campaign help make up for it.

Sorcerer King has a lot of great ideas, but they don't necessarily come together well. Level progression is slow, so losing experienced soldiers is extremely painful. Oftentimes, the game has you wandering the world, trying to complete a vague quest, and hoping that it will bring you closer to defeating the King.

Destiny: Rise of Iron is a solid expansion to Bungie’s shoot and loot universe. While the campaign itself did feel a bit short, and the plot felt like it was paced too quickly, the new enemies, restructuring of old strikes, and the new raid all make up for the expansion’s short comings.

The best thing I can say about Paper Mario: The Origami King is that it has some major problems, but the story is great enough and so worth experiencing that it's worth trudging through the negatives to experience it at least once. Like a lot of first-time origami projects, it starts rough, but it's worth seeing through to the end.

Traverser provides a sweet experience, but doesn't provide a challenge compelling enough to return to.

Concrete Genie feels like a satisfying story, even if it does clock in at only four or five hours for the main story. For a value-priced game, that still feels rather short. However, between all of the pages that Ash can grab to add to his sketchbook, there are hundreds of different artistic combinations to bring out. And I will say that Pixelopus largely makes the most of the time given, with multiple art styles and a relatable lead character in Ash. It's not a masterpiece, but Concrete Genie is still a fine piece of art.

Some surprising quality-of-life additions, like the simultaneous Doominate prompts, add to an already solid package in that area. Plus, it's always easy and fun to dive into games as an audience member. The Jackbox Party Pack 11 may not go down as Jackbox Games' best overall package, but the effort to mix up the party themes is at least appreciated.

WRC 10 FIA World Rally Championship is a solid all-around experience built on a reliable foundation. Rally fans will find no shortage of things to do across the mountain of content included on Day 1 (plus new cars and rallies planned for post-launch release). If you are new to all of this, the package is very compelling, but most of it will be old news for those who spent any amount of time in WRC8 or WRC 9. While it's more than the cliched roster update and higher number in the title, the criticism carries some validity.

EA Sports UFC may not be as fully fleshed out as UFC Undisputed 3 was, but it's a splendid starting point for what could be a powerhouse franchise for the team. The gameplay dials most of the right numbers, even with the simplified ground game, and the presentation nails the sport's authenticity, right down to that painful tap-out.

Destiny 2 proves that the journey is more rewarding than the destination. Sure, I'll pick up duplicate or useless loot, but at least I had a good time along the way. And honestly, it's the kind of good time I could see myself having for a long time.

Unfortunately, what might have looked like a fine jewel in the glint from your flashlight is really just a shiny piece of glass that leaves a lot to be desired. If you want a fairly mindless RPG experience that offers some different weapons and gear to mess around with, then Godfall will give you at least a few hours of fun.

Ultimately I enjoyed my time with Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To, due to its colorful visuals, relaxing soundtrack from Meltycanon, and familiar puzzle gameplay. But the overall experience feels just a little too breezy to make a lasting impact. The writing is cute but shallow, and the puzzle action feels like it’s barely interested in being there. The vibes are pleasant, but I feel like I’m left wanting for more substance. A little more pizazz to the gameplay or depth to the storytelling, and we’d have something special here.

If you’re coming in from the first game, and you liked that one, we have great news: Demon Slayer - The Hinokami Chronicles 2 is basically the same kind of experience, with some small but meaningful improvements. Plus, Training Paths is an excellent new mode that gives you something to do if you aren’t interested in multiplayer. The story mode still has a lot of padding that isn’t fun or interesting to engage with though, albeit operating at a brisker pace. Newcomers can expect an exciting adaptation of the anime relative to other games of its kind, and a shallow, but thrilling combat system that’s more interested in spectacle than challenge or raw skill. CyberConnect2 knows how to make an anime look rad and play well, and at the end of the day, that’s the assignment.

For a surprise, low-cost look into Rayman history, Rayman 30th Anniversary Edition is a neat little treat. But it

People of Note has lot of heart. However muddied its story might be, I can't say that it doesn't have charm. Its turn-based battles are some of the best I've seen in an RPG in a long time, making the most of its musical motif. Plus, the musical performances go a long way toward making this game more memorable than it would have been without them. I wouldn't say it's worthy of topping the Billboard charts, but it's certainly worth a few plays.

Tropical Freeze isn't perfect by any means, but having run through it a second time, I feel like it's aged well in the last four years. The challenge can be soul-crushing, but it's satisfying to finally make it across that one jump or beat that one boss. There are enough tools available to make the journey a little bit easier this time around, but not so much to completely diminish the challenge outright.

While I wish the combat had undergone more dramatic changes, better combos do help it inch its way towards a more naturalistic feel, and the achievement of combining it with a flexible platforming engine makes any omissions pretty forgivable.

Unravel's strengths lie more in its heart-warming story than offering compelling gameplay. Even though there are some thought-provoking puzzles, they’re few and far between. There’s no doubt Yarny is quite the adorable little mascot who has good intentions, but a video game can’t succeed on good intentions alone.

If you've got time to spare, Planetfall has more than enough intricacy to keep you occupied, but if you're someone without a lot of free time, the game's demanding pace, meandering tasks, and compulsory conflicts will prove to be more frustrating than entertaining.

Soundfall does quite a few things right. Its loot and shoot design set to a lot of good music is commendable. The tracks included in the game are of a wide variety and even if you get through the entire game, the ability to play levels to your own favorite music is pretty great (on PC). The problem is… Soundfall’s gear and enemies just aren’t all that compelling. The music and rhythmic gameplay are good enough to carry a lot of this game, but I can’t help but wish it had a more rewarding variety of gear to look forward to and enemies that didn’t quickly end up feeling like repetitive drones. Even so, if you can get down with a good rhythm action game alone or with friends, Soundfall might be worth it whether you play to its soundtrack or bring your own.

Genesis Noir is a very curious game, and mostly in a good way. The cosmic nature of its narrative is tied down interestingly in its humanized elements and the animation and music do a good job of giving every moment life and charm, even if it can sometimes get confusing. It’s not a long game, and some of its stretches are a bit too simplistic for their own good, but Genesis Noir also features a lot of creativity in prominent portions of its puzzles and progression. If you enjoy a good point-and-click adventure and don’t mind a game that just wants a moment to share its bombastic narrative of cosmic creation and love, Genesis Noir might very well be narrative worth your time and interest.

Auto-runners may be a dime a dozen on the App Store, but Fiesta Run is simple, satisfying, and gorgeous to look at.

Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is a remarkable tribute to PC-98 visual novels and hard sci-fi anime of a specific vintage. The visuals are pitch-perfect with multiple settings that offer different vibes, and the soundtrack is a complex beast of speaker-straining chiptunes that enhances the mood even further. But this is a severe case of style over substance, and the storytelling does not deliver on the promises being made by Gun-Dog’s immaculate presentation. I had a decent time but walked away massively disappointed, feeling like I had been tricked into watching a Disney Star Wars spinoff by someone promising the next Armored Trooper VOTOMS. I’d be totally willing to check out what’s next from this team, but with massively tempered expectations.