I could go on about how Avadon 2 is another fine example of classic RPG gameplay on the iPad but the simple fact is if you’ve enjoyed any other Spiderweb Software games, you really need to check out this sequel. It’s probably my favorite offering from the developers and a great example of not only an awesome old-school RPG but also a pretty good port.

The pricepoint may scare some people off, but any flight simulation junkie that yearns for the olden days of Tie Fighter and Rogue Squadron will have fun with Alpha Squadron 2.

Overall, Journey on iOS is a must play if you’ve never played it before. Hopefully the few issues like the audio bugs on older devices and camera controls are addressed in a future update. The lack of controller support is pretty baffling considering this is originally a console game and I hope proper controller support is added at least when iOS 13 ships. If you’ve already played Journey on PlayStation or PC platforms, this is the only portable version and it has been a joy to play on iPad and iPhone years after replaying it on PlayStation 4.

This game is perfect for anyone with a love of stories, puzzles, and fixing things alike, but I highly recommend everyone take a quick peek at it. There’s an even balance between story and puzzle so I doubt you’ll find it lacking in any one area. Assemble With Care is truly one of the best apps I’ve played in far too long and really left me wanting more even though the story was wrapped up quite well. No matter if you’re still in your parents’ house or already having children of your own, I feel confident in recommending this game to each and every one of you.

Overall, this is by far the most impressive of all of Feral Interactive’s iOS conversions yet. Given how awful XCOM 2 was at launch on PS4 for me and how it runs on current consoles, I’m more than impressed with the iOS version and can safely recommend it above the consoles as an alternative to those who want the full XCOM 2 experience and don’t want to play on PC with the caveat about the visuals. The XCOM 2 Collection is a joy to play on iPad Pro and I can’t wait to see where the port goes over the next few months with potential updates and maybe even potential features brought in.

If you're willing to put in the time and patience, however, Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is among the best roguelikes currently available on the App Store. It's something you could find yourself playing for literal months if not longer, and it doesn't cost a thing. All of that is probably worth a little (okay, a lot) of discomfort with the control set-up.

With a core mechanic as simple as climbing over the fallen bodies of your past incarnations, Sometimes is fun, unique, and memorable.

However, in the great scheme of things there's little to complain about in this excellent sequel to a great game.

I’m talking about A Small Game’s Hanger World [Free], and it’s packed full of all kinds of Spider-Mans slinging themselves this way and that. As it turns out, it’s also a really, really fun game.

Overall, What The Golf? is a silly, fun little game filled with popular references, different characters to control, and a lot of lame and funny puns. While you might get stuck in a few levels, the game is entertaining enough to keep playing until you figure them out. Even if the game is not that long, it will give you a crazy experience that will keep you entertained and make you chuckle.

At the end of the day, Punch Club is pretty awesome, and it uses nostalgia creatively.

While there's a little more flab on its restless bones than Hoplite, it's easy to love Lamp And Vamp for its sense of humor and its success at achieving that wonderful feeling of vulnerable empowerment.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is verified on Steam Deck by Valve, and it is absolutely worth your time if you’ve never played it before. If you have, I wouldn’t recommend it at full price. You’re better off waiting for a sale and a few patches (if you play on Windows).

I feel like a broken record at this point, but Live Wire has pulled off yet another fantastic Nintendo Switch port of an outstanding game. Shoot-em-up fans really should own all of these Cave releases from this developer, as they are easily among the best games in the genre available on the console. While DoDonPachi Resurrection is the last of the trio of titles announced by Live Wire a while back, I certainly hope it is merely the last of the first. I’ll take as many of these top-tier adaptations of legendary classics as these folks are willing to serve up.

Simply a stunner in both execution and gameplay, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

The only reason you should avoid Return to Monkey Island is if you don’t enjoy point and click adventure games that can have some obtuse puzzles. This release does enough with accessibility and hints to negate that, but I’d only hesitate in recommending it to that group of people. If you do enjoy the games, just go buy Return to Monkey Island on iOS and enjoy your weekend with it. It rules.

On the whole, Book of Demons is an easy recommendation, especially for iPad. With the Flexiscope, a feature that allows you to pick the amount of time you want to play and a dungeon based on that play time will be created for you, it is capable of delivering both a short romp and a longer dive. While it doesn’t have the near infinite replayability of Diablo, that doesn’t mean it isn’t replayable at all. It is, and it’s just as good the second, third, or even fourth time through as it is on the first.

If you're a fan of Trailer Park Boys, Greasy Money is an effortless recommendation. If you're not into the show, it's still an incredibly competent idle game that mixes up enough of the standard mechanics in a way that somehow manages to feel fresh- Particularly with the boss battles and the way the prestige system works. However, it's difficult to say if you'll appreciate it as much as someone who is picking up every tiny reference the game drops. Personally, I love Trailer Park Boys, and idle clicker games are a guilty pleasure, so this is the perfect game for me. I could definitely see how it might not be for everyone though, particularly with the (censored) swearing and drug themes which pop up.

Instead, the game shines because of the way it does the core mechanics so well, and invigorates a stale genre that has been copied and churned out so many times since iOS gaming began in 2008.

With some elbow grease and a good once over, Spellsword could easily earn a permanent spot on my iPhone. It's really that good.

The folks at Digital Application Design have done a great job of bringing this shooter classic to a modern platform, and those who enjoyed Alien Breed so many years ago will be pleased to see that the feel of the original has been well preserved in its journey 20 years forward in time.

Pizza Hero doesn’t reinvent the cheese wheel by any means, but its specific seasonings add an extra flavor to the familiar Vampire Survivors dish. The fun theme, bevy of interesting upgrades, enjoyable list of achievements, and solid action make for a game well-worth playing even if you’ve gorged yourself on a large serving of other titles in the genre. Sometimes it’s just one secret ingredient and a bit of charm that can make a dish its own, and that’s what Pizza Hero offers.

Unavowed is one of those rare adventure games that I feel can appeal even to those who are not predisposed to play the genre. Its compelling story, well-developed cast of characters, strong production values, and carefully-designed gameplay mechanics create one of the better adventure game packages I’ve seen this side of Thimbleweed Park. As long as you’re okay with some grisly content (you’re investigating demonic killers, not a theft at the bubblegum factory after all), you should give this game a look. It’s really something special.

Goofy though it may be, Atomic Super Lander is awfully enjoyable. It's one of those games where even its rougher elements help add to the overall package. So long as you can keep a good sense of humor about your inevitable failures, you'll get plenty of laughs and thrills out of this one. I don't know if it's something I'll be playing over the long term, but I've certainly gotten my share out of it in the here and now. All of that without even a single Aerosmith song on the soundtrack.

The wait for Gundam Breaker 4 has been super long, and I didn’t even think we’d see a new game in the series after New Gundam Breaker, but here we are. Gundam Breaker 4 is real and it is spectacular in almost every way. It is my favorite Steam Deck game this year since Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance, and one I look forward to playing online and offline over the coming months with all the DLC planned.

All of the various systems in the game come together in a delightful mix of clever new ideas and familiar tried and true concepts.

MEGATON MUSASHI W: WIRED feels unreal in a good way. Not only is it one of Level-5’s best games in years, but it is a fantastic mech action game packed with tons of quality content. The fact that it even has cross platform save letting me take my progress across Switch and Steam Deck only sweetens the deal. I hope it gets a demo so that more folks can try and see why it is so good before committing to the full priced purchase though.

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is instantly one of the best indie games of 2023. It is Deconstructeam’s finest work yet, and proves that Devolver Digital still has it in them to publish the kind of games I originally became a fan of theirs for in the first place. Now we just need a physical release with a nice big artbook for all the cards and gorgeous pixel art included in The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood.