The Internet is brimming with tons of new F-Zero fan content born out of the game's release with musicians covering and remixing sweet tunes, artists drawing their favorite characters and vehicles, and even speedrunners streaming and making videos. While the seeds of an F-Zero revival have been sowed by F-Zero 99, diehard fans know that this may just be the beginning of a new era for our beloved racing game franchise.

Nightdive’s Quake II remaster is one of the best values in a year overflowing with fantastic games. It appeals to veterans who played the original, and all the customization bells and whistles make it welcoming to players who want to experience it for the first time.

CS2 also proves that despite their reluctance to do so, Valve still has all the chops whenever they choose to put their game developer hat on. Nearly all of the changes in Counter-Strike 2 meaningfully enhance the experience without compromising what made the game special in the first place. With the foundation set for another multi-year run, I’m excited to see how Valve and the community evolve Counter-Strike 2.

How far it feels like the concept of Sniper Elite VR has come. I won’t say this game is perfect, but I will say it’s one of the most visceral and satisfying stealth-action shooters I’ve played in VR. The weapons handle nicely, the missions and locations are hugely varied, and the comfort options are abundant and easily understandable. I wish it catered better to left-handed shooting and that some weapons had better interactivity, and I’m just not crazy about head-on combat here. It’s also not exactly a looker. That said, what a step-up from what I know about Sniper Elite VR. When the dust settles, I’ll have a hard time thinking of a game that made it more satisfying to look down a scope and deliver distant absolution to virtual fascists.

The idea of going back to a sort of Version 1.0 experience of Cities is actually enticing to me. Fast Travel Games has already promised that Cities: VR is set to grow over time with content updates and more. As it is, it’s still a great jumping off point for the VR adaptation. I once again lost myself in its urban management often as long as my headset would allow me to play. The planning and reacting to various events around your town is still fun to handle and the VR controls are good for it. All-in-all, Cities: VR might be a little limited to those who want everything the PC version has come to offer in terms of features and visuals, but still, it might be one of the most relaxing VR titles around right now and feels like it’s bound to only get better from here.

In a lot of ways for someone like me, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is weirdly validating for a video game product you purchase. This series has been living in relative obscurity for decades, either going unlocalized entirely or simply being seen as a niche within a niche destined for handheld gamers looking for more Pokemon. But there’s so much meat, life, and ambition in this one. It’s a console game, it’s got a story it wants to tell, it has ideas beyond “catch slimes, win tournaments”. I hope this is the direction Dragon Quest Monsters keep moving in. It’s no Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, but what is?

An expanded roster and rollback netcode for online fights are pretty much the only things Rising does differently from Versus. Sure, you’ve got Grand Bruise Legends, a cute, but short-lived battle royale that borrows from Fall Guys. There’s also a robust training mode, and it’s hard to overexaggerate just how much better online play is thanks to rollback netcode. Online matches have hardly any lag, even when I played on my Asus ROG Ally - which Rising is technically not optimized for. Battles play out much more smoothly than they did in Versus, and while that sounds like a simple idea, it’s hard to overstate how substantial the effect is for online play.

While the game could use a tiny bit more polish and perhaps some DLC, there is still plenty to enjoy in House Flipper 2. Fans of the original should have no trouble diving back into the house-flipping business, with an enhanced set of tools to help get the job done. Sandbox mode opens up new creative possibilities while adding a social element to the game that will only get better as more players get involved. Despite its shortcomings, House Flipper 2 keeps me coming back for more, and I can only hope there will be more to come back to in future updates.

At the end of the day, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora just feels like a game that’s been made a million times before. You run around and grab resources, craft items, fill out skill trees, shoot bad guys, and search for sets of similar landmarks as you explore a massive map. But it’s all Avatar-flavored, so it’s blue and there are giant cat people running around alongside the humans.

If there was ever a AAA gaming franchise begging for a VR installment, it was Assassin’s Creed. What’s really special about Nexus VR is that it isn’t just a tech demo with an Assassin’s Creed flavoring—it’s a full fledged Assassin’s Creed game in VR. One that makes excellent use of the franchise’s unique sci-fi elements and properly translates the best gameplay elements.

It’ll take a specific kind of person to get the most out of Turok 3. Shadows of Oblivion is an impressive remaster of an interesting retro game, but even when it came out it wasn’t blowing any minds. Did you grow up on games like the Turok series, those chunky, 90s shooters made for consoles before Halo? Are you interested in fascinating, specific corners of gaming history, and what kinds of restorative efforts can be applied thereof? Players just looking for a new shooter to play probably won’t have a great time. For me, I feel like I just slingshot time-traveled inside my own brain. I don’t know what that means, either.

Larian Studios has tapped into the Weave and conjured up a near-impossible miracle, bringing the creativity of Dungeons & Dragons to life in Baldur’s Gate 3. Players are given real agency to pursue the narrative in a way that suits them and to dive into combat and experiment with a dizzying number of options. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a truly phenomenal game that has managed to sweep up the imaginations and dreams of players and developers alike. Baldur’s Gate 3 may just go down as one of the greatest games of all time.

Ultimately, SteamWorld Build was a lot of what I like about the original IP and city simulations. It smartly mixes concepts from throughout the SteamWorld series into your management such as mining and monster control. Between overseeing the mines below and the town above, you’ll have a lot on your plate trying to make sure all the robots are happy and safe as you dig deeper and deeper to find the tech you need to escape the planet. That said, it’s a good blend, fit to please anyone who likes SteamWorld and city builders alike. Make sure your robots are oiled and happy and they’ll gladly venture into the unknown where mysterious discoveries await in this unique city sim.

Last Train Home might not be as deep as some management sims or as broad in scope as other RTS games. However, it combines the best of both styles with some smart and welcome improvements that give it a strong identity. Combine that with a unique story and brilliant presentation, and you’ve got yourself a strong candidate for one of the best in the genre.

Despite one-third of the game getting a passing grade, the rest falls short of meeting even the lowest of expectations. Clinging to the coattails of its predecessor, the reboot fails to capture the essence of what made the original Modern Warfare games so iconic. From its lame excuse for a campaign to its redundant multiplayer, finding redeeming qualities in Modern Warfare 3 has been nothing short of challenging. The game amounts to little more than half-baked expansion disguised as a full-fledged title, and the whole thing feels like a slap in the face to consumers. The most disappointing part is that it doesn’t even matter how much we can see through the ruse, because profits will always speak louder in the end. While there still may be new MM3 content on the horizon, it will likely arrive too late to make a difference.

Super Mario RPG is a beautiful reimagining of an all-time classic. For as many jumps as Mario has made in the RPG world in the decades since his Super Nintendo days, this game is proof that there's still no adventure quite like the first.

Between a story that reduces much of the depth of the series and a combat system that makes every character play too similar, Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections feels like a Greatest Hits sampler that tries to include everything and doesn’t succeed at doing any of it very well.

Just when Tactica’s combat feels like it steps into its own, the game ends. Atlus definitely played it safe by easing players into the basics and gradually giving them more freedom to use all of Tactica’s tools, but the moment where everything clicks and all the systems work together happens a little too late. There's a lot of potential here, though, and I hope this isn't the last time Atlus brings tactics to the shadow world.

Invincible Presents: Atom Eve didn’t change my views on superheroes. I don’t think I’ll start following the Invincibles comics or even seek out more of Eve’s other adventures. I will, however, still be playing Atom Eve to find every interaction and see how Eve’s story changes with my choices with the hope that this isn’t the last such effort we see from Terrible Posture.

Berzerk: Recharged is on the sleeve about what it is. It’s one of the more influential arcade classics of the 1980s with a fresh coat of paint and a few new bells and whistles.

Jusant gets the most it can out of a simple formula. It tells a memorable tale, one that goes to some unexpected places by the final chapter. The game uses a central gameplay mechanic that anybody can grasp. Plus, it's beautiful to behold, taking that idea of climbing a picturesque tower and using it to craft some awe-inspiring landscapes...The climb to the top of Jusant isn't a long one, but it makes the most of every moment. If this is an example of what happens when Don't Nod decides to get experimental, I can't wait to see how much bolder the team can go.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 feels more like a 1.5 or “definitive” version of the original game rather than a full sequel (voice acting and alternate costumes were added to the first game post-launch). It’s the game I expected to play when the first one was announced a couple of years ago. Fleshed-out single-player options actually give me a reason to log on, and the addition of voice acting and cinematics makes the game feel more alive. However, the removal of several fighters from the roster and lack of large-scale innovation makes it a fine, serviceable platform fighter.

Having now completed every side mission, substory, and objective in a little over 25 hours, I can only hope Ryu Ga Gotoku learns from this game and works on more bite-sized spin-offs fleshing out the rest of this universe roster of loveable weirdos, gallant heroes, and snarling villains.

Annoyances and bugs aside, The Invincible is as bold and smart as its protagonist, and I can only hope it starts a trend of equally thoughtful takes on big ideas from history and literature.

Ebenezer and the Invisible World is a run-of-the-mill Metroidvania with the wrong story and outdated design. Except for the beautiful background art and an interesting variety of enemies, the adventure is a short, stodgy, rudimentary affair with weakly executed ideas. On the Christmas table, it’s the dry and underbaked fruitcake that is still technically edible but is surrounded by far too many better options.

Despite the occasional audio glitch or technical hiccup, The Talos Principle 2 stays faithful to the original while elegantly iterating upon all aspects of the game like a cleverly designed nesting doll. With its compelling narrative, complex characters, and perplexing puzzles, the sequel has exceeded my expectations on all fronts. This game is a testament to the art of thoughtful and immersive storytelling, with thought-provoking environmental puzzles that rival those of Portal and other icons of the genre. Navigating the philosophical labyrinth that is The Talos Principle 2 has been captivating, satisfying, and well worth the wait.

While there are RPGs out there with deeper systems and more engaging mechanics, Thirsty Suitors' story more than makes up for any shortcomings. You don't have to be the child of an immigrant to appreciate the story, but it helps. Even if you aren't, the narrative is filled with raucous humor and laugh-out-loud moments that will make you glad you picked it up.

Whether WarioWare: Move It ends up on your shelf is going to depend on how much you like motion controls. Those looking for a more traditional, button-based affair will want to stick with WarioWare: Get It Together. Those who want to enjoy a more physical activity that takes advantage of the Joy-Con controller's capabilities in a party setting will want to veer more in this direction. The Story Mode's samey structure and frenetic frustrations might turn a few players off, but the Party Mode rarely misses.