Pikmin 4 almost always had fun surprises in store with me for each day’s adventures. Every biome, cave, and challenge brought about new threats and surprises, and my versatility between my own upgrades and those to Oatchi and our Pikmin made sure we almost always had new and fun ways to approach each situation. Pikmin 4 does a good job of retracing steps in the series, bringing back features that players liked, and making them feel good in the new setting. It also keeps the new adventure compelling with fun objectives and loads of secrets. Oatchi is a clear contender for Shacknews Best Pet of 2023, and Pikmin 4 might just be the best blend of charming and intense that I’ve played all year.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a splendid new entry in the asymmetrical multiplayer family. Its recreation of the characters and locations from the 1974 movie is deeply impressive, as it’s abundantly clear that authenticity was a top priority during development. It helps to enhance the exhilarating gameplay, though I do worry about its approachability given the deep systems and mechanics. Regardless, it’s one that I look forward to playing both casually and competitively with friends whenever I want a good scare.

Despite playing the bulk of the game by myself, I enjoyed my time in Moving Out 2 overall. Though still enjoyable, solo play felt a bit tedious at times. The game is clearly designed for cooperative play, couch or otherwise, making the addition of online multiplayer a logical next step for the series. The sequel builds upon the cutesy visuals and pun-filled story of the first game with fresh challenges and fun objectives. Moving Out 2 is a slap-happy romp that caters to players of varying skill levels, making it a great party game to enjoy with friends or family.

With a multitude of choices and possibilities, Stray Gods gives players plenty of reasons to stick around for an encore. The show doesn't always have to end when the curtain goes down.

With intuitive combat, a mostly endearing story, and enough Easter eggs to fill the Gobbledy Gooker's nest, WrestleQuest is a must-play for fans of this great pseudo-sport. For everyone else, think of this RPG as a fine form of entertainment, much like professional wrestling itself.

Venba beautifully depicts the struggle of the first-generation immigrant experience — fighting to give your family better opportunities while holding true to your roots. It’s a golden example of how games can give players an authentic peek into underrepresented cultures when the right people are in charge. With the game being beatable in a sleek two hours, it’s impossible not to give Venba an incredibly high recommendation.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure was an absolute delight to explore with plenty to keep me coming back and seeing what else it had to offer each day.

Disney Illusion Island can best be compared to the average Disneyland ride. It's short, doesn't outstay its welcome, and shouldn't be experienced alone.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is not just another punching, kicking, and grapple combo adventure with Billy and Jimmy Lee. They brought back a ton of nostalgic features and worked it into a new rogue-lite approach to the franchise.

Mr. Run and Jump is a fun, but frustrating game that does a good job in replicating the feel of classic Atari gameplay. The music set the tone for each Realm of Color stage very well. Some of the levels even have the enemies moving to the beat of the music too! However, the loose controls really hinder Mr. Run and Jump as a precision platforming game. Certain parts of levels felt like less like a challenge and more like a chore because of the controls and non-intentional ice physics.

Remnant 2’s action, loot, and bosses are cranked up to 11. It’s a marked improvement over the first game, with the fat trimmed and all the good parts ready for devouring right from the start. There’s a lot to love here, with more surprises and reasons to play even after multiple playthroughs. Though I do have a few gripes, they fade into the background as there’s just so much to enjoy here in the minute-to-minute gameplay.

Unfortunately, the pacing is slower than a triceratops wading through a tar pit. Cooler dinos and greater objective variety should keep players coming back for more, but they're unfortunately locked behind a story that's more tedious than Jurassic World and unfolds just as slowly. This is without even mentioning that cutscenes can sometimes play twice and some story instances (I'm looking at you, Magnum!) will not only play out multiple times, they'll play out with the same unskippable dialogue, the same extended loading times, and the same objectives...I just want to shoot dinosaurs, man.

Viewfinder’s unique gameplay mechanics encourage you to think outside the box, and the aesthetically pleasing spaces, intriguing lore, and surreal image manipulation left me wanting more. Despite its brevity, Viewfinder is a solid puzzle game that represents an elegant step forward in the puzzle genre.

Dave the Diver combines two excellent gameplay elements, but still feels like more than the sum of its parts. Deep sea diving and sushi restaurant management are equally enjoyable and complex, making for a supremely addicting gameplay loop. Not only is it the surprise hit of the summer, but it’s one we’ll be having a discussion about when it’s time to look back on 2023’s best games.

This is a series that predates most tactical strategy we know, but it’s had some bumps along the road. Jagged Alliance 3 can’t be counted among those bumps. It’s a proficient and beautiful return to form for this franchise with a wealth of options inside and outside combat.

I knew the writing was on the wall when Everybody 1-2 Switch! was announced in the same month that it was released, with little fanfare from Nintendo. Everybody 1-2 Switch! is fun in the same way that watching a bad movie is fun. If you’ve got some good friends together and everyone’s in a silly mood, you might have a good time throwing on Everybody 1-2 Switch and having a laugh at the absurdity of it all. But after about 20 minutes of this, most sensible people will ask you to close the game and launch Mario Kart, Mario Party, or even Switch Sports before they sink more of their precious time into Everybody 1-2 Switch!

Night School's writing can't be praised enough, because the team is able to be whatever it needs to be in the moment. It can be a supernatural thriller when the time calls for it. It can be a coming-of-age tale when the moment is right. It can go from buddy comedy to buddy drama in an instant. All of it works, and it's a credit to the writers and the voice actors. Oxenfree 2's story will put players through the emotional wringer, but it's a ride that's worth taking.

Despite its veneer of limitless design possibilities, players are ultimately constrained in the types of attractions they can create and pursue during the campaign. While Sandbox mode is your best bet for getting creative with all the bells and whistles Park Beyond has to offer, it too is not immune to the myriad of glitches and technical issues present throughout the game. Although you can spend hours designing and constructing your ideal park, the looming threat of crashes diminishes the incentive to do so, even in Sandbox mode. While there is an innovative theme park sim beneath all the glitches and design flaws, Park Beyond ultimately doesn’t break new ground in its genre and would benefit from taking a few pointers from its predecessors.

Crime O’Clock is an enjoyable throwback to hidden object games, with modern visual and mechanical design elements that eliminate the frustrations of the genre. Its art style and level of detail make each level a visual treat in addition to a challenging puzzle. I look forward to seeing if Bad Seed is able to expand on the experience with additional levels and puzzles down the road.

AEW Fight Forever’s gameplay, modes, and campaign are quite a fun time, if not occasionally cheesy. Unfortunately, rough graphics, strangely limited features beyond the wrestling, and some very phoned-in commentary are just a few of the things that distract from what might otherwise be a solid competitor to WWE and its 2K series.

This new version of Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective was a surprising delight to see out of Capcom. We’ve seen plenty of the Phoenix Wright games make a return, but Ghost Trick is quite the interesting spinoff. It offers a compelling narrative, a rather fun mystery-unraveling and time-twisting gameplay loop, and solid original and arranged soundtracks to accompany the journey. It doesn’t add much in the way of new content to visually and aurally upgraded package, but if you’re looking for another romp, or your first, through Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, then this is an fantastic way to go about it.

Aliens: Dark Descent does a decent job of creating an interesting mashup of tactical action and strategy that suitably translates the tension and aesthetics of the popular movie franchise. Needing to stealth around the xenomorphs is a nerve-wracking experience, and the firefights against the aliens can be intense when they work. However, the plot and dialogue are lackluster, the enemies aren't as terrifying as they could be, and the flow between stealth and boss fights is abrupt. There's just one too many ideas in Aliens: Dark Descent, but it's still nonetheless a worthwhile adventure.

Final Fantasy 16 is a massive game that, in many ways, feels like a response to years of rocky terrain. This is one of the most beloved series in gaming, but one that has had big ups and downs, especially in recent memory.

While I feel the live service elements are out of place, I ultimately can't hate the final product. Crash Team Rumble is a blast, one that's easy to learn and hard to put down.

Technical hiccups aside, Layers of Fear wraps up the series in a graphically enhanced package that is easily the best way for players both new and old to experience the franchise.

F1 23 is an improvement over last year's iteration, but not nearly as impactful of an upgrade. Here's hoping that the F1 series can continue to build on its successes and take a page out of Red Bull's recent Formula 1 dominance: incremental updates are more valuable than wholesale changes.

I had my doubts about two Riot Forge games coming out in such proximity to one another, but Riot Games is proving to be good at picking great developers to give new and interesting life to its League of Legends universe. Double Stallion didn’t just flesh out another corner of League of Legends lore with Convergence. It also built a metroidvania that I feel would be considered innovative and enjoyable whether it had the League of Legends name on it or not. I wish the enemies had more variety to them, and the time-shifting effects on voiced dialogue are sometimes very silly, but I would dare to say that whether you enjoy LoL or not, you’re in for a treat if you choose to spend time with this game.

Despite having predetermined outcomes, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie does a great job at giving players a true sense of agency over the direction of the story. Even when things don’t go as expected, the events that unfold are no less intriguing. The game raises the bar for what can be achieved through player choice, and those looking for a compelling narrative-driven experience have plenty to enjoy here.