Vicarious Visions has a masterpiece on their hands with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2. They handled the remake of theses games with the right amount of reverance while still leaving their own signature on the work. THPS 1+2 combines awesome gameplay mechanics, impressive graphics, and an outstanding soundtrack in a complete package of skateboarding greatness.

As far as a dating sim goes, it’s not the worst I’ve seen, and I would go so far as to say the stories of some characters drew me in at times and made me laugh at others, even if some of it was still an eye-rolling level of writing. On the other end, the dog care angle is also enjoyable and raising your furry friend’s stats to make them the best puppo they can be wasn’t a bad time.

Iron Harvest presents a fascinating alternate reality of which I’d like to see more. The war is intense, the maps are rather pretty, and the units are an escalating maelstrom of steel and steam from which delightfully concepted war machines come into play. The battles are intense and the deployment of armaments can make one feel giddy in the rush of it as bullets and shells fly and explode. That said, some unfortunate aspects distract from the experience. The game’s increasing technology tree makes cover-based tactics a questionable proposition, the slowness can make downtime between events seem just a bit too long, and multiplayer is a bit too limited. The game is not horribly marred by these drawbacks, but best bear Wojtek can only carry the spirit of Polania so far with the baggage weighing him down.

Project Cars 3 is the first game to feature the all-new 8th generation Corvette, a car that driving enthusiasts were itching to get their hands on. It is used in the opening tutorial where its grand first impression is wasted on a two-lap quagmire of bad AI drivers and garish UI popups. Maybe that Mad Box console will come out one day and make things better

Now I'm wondering what anybody saw in the original in the first place. The controls and the combat are bad. The story elements are dull. The load times are excruciatingly long and frequent. And visually, it doesn't look very polished, which makes me wonder how this is a remaster. The menus, especially, are an eyesore to look at with giant glaring fonts and ugly textures. The horrible online experience isn't just the icing on the cake, it's like someone took a cake and threw it in a blender without putting the lid on. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered is a lot of things, but a classic is not one of them.

It honestly feels like Windbound could be a great game. There’s a strong foundation and a lot of spirit in the idea, but ultimately it fails to live up to the endless ocean that it promises. I really wish that there was more to this experience and that it took more advantage of the things it does have to offer. Unfortuntely, if you’re looking for a great survival roguelike to put your time into, then you’re probably better off setting sail in more abundant seas.

Marvel’s Avengers impresses with a well-written, dramatic campaign. From a gameplay standpoint, the combat is as fun and satisfying as one could hope for in a title based on the superhero team. Though the online live service aspect is bogged down by overly complicated menus, systems, and matchmaking woes, there’s still a fun experience underneath. Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix deliver a perfectly adequate adaptation of an iconic property with Marvel’s Avengers.

The Last Campfire sets out what it promises to do, tell a heart-warming and tear-jerking story about life, death, and the emotions one feels when all hope seems lost. While the narrative does take a few beats to get started, the real problem lies in the overly simple puzzles that the game is built on. It’s a lovely experience that is quickly forgotten.

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'll say this much, if you try and play Metamorphosis as a substitute for a book report, you'll probably fail your English class. But as a game that's inspired by Kafka's classic tale, this is not bad at all. The platforming is competent, the puzzles can get creative, and the characters are often interesting. The downside is that the performance lag can't be ignored and sucks a lot of the fun out of this game. The other thing worth noting is that this is a very brief adventure. Even novices should have little trouble getting through the full story in anything more than four to five hours.

Crusader Kings 3 is not only a return to its franchise's grand range of gameplay, strategy, and storytelling, but also a massive and meaningful evolution with little to hold players back from exploration and discovery throughout an intricate web of rulers, dynasties, and statecraft.

As I spent my time with the PC version of the game, I’d like to note that EA has once again failed to utilize any advantages provided by the platform to improve the game, outside of support for higher refresh rates. There is still loads of lag and unresponsiveness in menus and during game situations that make no sense. I experienced stuttering at random times across all modes, including hitching during active kick meters or when trying to complete passes. Sometimes, these hitches corresponded to dropped frames and other times not. There still remains loads of visual stutter every time the game swaps between what you control and between-play camera cuts, even when everything is running at 144Hz.

The team at Saibot Studios have made exactly what they promised to their Kickstarter backers, but I was left wanting more. This doesn't make Hellbound a bad game, but it certainly feels like there were a few things left on the cutting room floor as I finished the game. After a somewhat slow start in the campaign, I was happy to finish the fight, and any fan of 1990s FPS fans could do worse than slaying demons in Hellbound.

Tell Me Why stands out as one of Dontnod Entertainment's best efforts to date, which is high praise given their output to this point. It's a brilliant story about twins coming to terms with childhood trauma while exploring the mysteries of how they came to be where they are. The characters are memorable and the dialogue is some of the best to come out of a Dontnod game yet. And at three chapters that average roughly two hours each, the game doesn't overstay its welcome. Dontnod knows just what it wants to say and it says it beautifully.

Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions marks the franchise's return to gaming after a ten-year hiatus. This action-sports title delivers on the charisma and charm that have become synonymous with the series, despite a middling story. While there are some minor gameplay issues, Tamsoft does a great job at integrating the over-the-top and stylized action into core soccer mechanics. Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions is a more than solid addition to the long list of adaptations of the classic manga.

Wasteland 3 is one of those games that I could go on and on about, but the truth is, you really need to experience it yourself. The vast amount of content on display here is admirable, and inXile has once again proven why the community surrounding its titles is so passionate about what they do.

It’s worth noting that you’re still at the mercy of luck with the utterly randomized rooms and some runs can just plain out feel dirty while some have rewards galore, but it mostly feels fair. We say mostly because it felt like there was some hit and collision detection at times with finnicky spikes and holes in the floor that made for what felt like a few cheap deaths. Even so, it’s not enough to detract massively from the overall satisfying experience of adventure and progress that UnderMine provides.

I'm really wishing I had opted to play on PlayStation 4, but I would have had to wait longer for code to review, and there is no co-op mode to play with on PS4. The Switch version got several console-specific modes, including Assist Mode, three-player co-op, touchscreen support, and single Joy-Con play. Why Metronomik opted to reward the system least capable of running the game smoothly with additional content like this is beyond me, but I wish all systems supported three-player co-op to avoid these issues.

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is a faithful adaptation of the beloved series. Much more than a simple tie-in game, Battle Through Time provides great gameplay with a variety of weapons and abilities, even though the skill tree leaves a bit to be desired. With characters and a story so true to the source material, Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is an excellently executed adaptation that Samurai Jack fans will adore.

Battletoads gets very experimental and it's often to its detriment, feeling like it's more focused on being a D-tier Cartoon Network show than a video game.

The game marks the official entry into the next generation of visual fidelity and scope. Even if you only have a passing interest in the subject matter, it is worth a look on Game Pass just to fly over your own neighborhood or to take a short vacation to Hawaii. With everyone looking to the upcoming consoles to provide the next-generation experience, don’t let this one slip off your radar.

Mortal Shell is a valiant attempt at the Souls-like genre. Its dark and brooding aesthetic are unnerving, while the unique mechanics, like the shells and Resolve, offer fresh takes on the tried-and-true combat. These slight changes from the formula create a challenging experience that will have those intimately familiar with the Souls-like genre relearning the basics. Unfortunately, while Mortal Shell has a heart of gold, there are mechanics and core decisions that prevent it from being a truly great entry into these hallowed halls.

There's a massive amount of work to be done here before I’d ever consider Hyper Scape a go-to over other options in the space.

The gameplay of UFC 4 is stellar and rewarding, but once the novelty begins to wear off, there’s not much more to keep players invested.

A Total War Saga: TROY does a good job in retelling the events of the Trojan War by using interesting elements from Greek mythology as well as the Iliad. However, there were times where the controls felt a little stiff, such as troop organization. The game also doesn’t meet its full potential graphically. That said, battles are simplistic to play but difficult to master. Since there are different lead characters to play as, TROY offers plenty of replay value as well as a chance to enjoy some Greek mythology on each run. It's not a perfect game, but fighting the Minotaur is too cool to pass up.

It's never ceased to bring me smiles. It's consistent happiness. Fall Guys is why I play games, and if my biggest complaint is that I can't get more people in on the fun, that's a pretty good sign for its future.

I will give Kill It With Fire credit for running smoothly on my PC and being a bug-free (groan) experience from the start to finish of its uncommonly short run time. The one fear-inducing music cue it uses repeatedly was worth a half-chuckle the first time I heard it, so I will give credit there. I don’t feel like there is anything here I can recommend to players unless they are deathly afraid of spiders or want to fake scream for a livestream show or two. The spiders can’t even hurt you, so the stakes here are literally zero for those not already stricken with bug phobia.

Risk of Rain 2 is a top-of-the-line roguelike. No matter how familiar you get with the controls, you’re never comfortable, as death is always one or two mistakes away. The vast number of enemies, items, and abilities make for an endlessly replayable experience. The extensive work done in the game’s more than a year in early access has paid off, as Risk of Rain 2 is one of the best roguelikes to hit the market in recent memory.