Toukiden 2 feels like it takes a lot of what made the earlier games feel a bit flat and fixes it up.

The DioField Chronicle surprised me with just how much depth its combat system offered, and powering my way through its levels proved to be a joy, despite its narrative and characterization shortcomings. The real-time strategy battles are an innovative aspect of the game that I’d love to see adapted in more RPGs, and while I do wish the protagonists weren’t as cookie-cutter as they come, I’ll take bland stories and pretty art over boring gameplay any day.

Before I knew it, my initial skepticism and complaints had begun to evaporate. Even as a silent protagonist, John manages to exude so much personality from his non-committal shrugs and sighs, and he and Sam play off each other so well it’s hard not to feel endeared to them. Everything about Eastward just feels immediately magical and nostalgic, and while my gripes with the combat and stretched out dungeon designs never really went away entirely, Sam’s journey is still one I’m glad I went on in the end.

Not A Hero is a game that rarely slows down, offers a ton of variety to both primary and secondary missions, and is seeping with beautiful nostalgia. While it’s sometimes wearisome trying to get through a single mission that keeps getting you down, when you finally get past that hurdle, there’s always something new waiting.

Layton’s Mystery Journey marks Level-5’s glorious return to this criminally underrated puzzler series, and it paves the way for brighter adventures ahead for Kat and her friends. While the case and story structure feels a little weaker because of the lack of a ‘main’ mystery or hook at the beginning of the game, this is still very much a strong point-and-click narrative adventure that fans of the genre should not miss out on.

The biggest issue you could perhaps point to with Relayer is that it really isn’t for everyone. If you don’t enjoy visual novels, if you aren’t into turn-based games, or if you hate anime tropes, this game likely isn’t for you. If, however, you enjoy your anime, mecha, turn-based tactics, and a deep and interesting story with a rich cast of attractive characters, it’s easy to recommend Relayer. It’s really as close to a playable sci-fi anime as it gets, and I’m all for it.

I enjoyed my HD revisit of Mario vs. Donkey Kong quite a bit, even to the point of earning every badge in the game. While there's not a lot here that will appeal to those who weren't attracted by the original game, it's still a solid remake that adds fun new stages and HD polish.

It’s been four years since the original release of Captain Toad, and yet, the game still feels as wonderfully unique as it did then. There’s nothing else quite like it, and the Switch version looks and plays wonderfully.

The story, despite being on the short side, was warm and heartbreaking at the same time, and it all comes to a head when an epic ending reveal sets up what could be an impressive and unexpected springboard for the story in Life Is Strange 2. It’s good to be back in this strange universe.

Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer is the ideal experience for those looking to exercise more regularly, with fun boxing gameplay and gamified mechanics that reward consistency and progress.

Memories of Celceta is a perfect onboarding point for anyone looking for something more exotic than the ATB system, but with the look and feel of a classic game of that bygone era. It’s engaging, satisfying, and perhaps most telling of all has me excited to check out other entries in this storied franchise.

Despite some performance issues and awkward camera controls, I would recommend Wild Hearts not only to long-time fans of monster hunting but to players like me who never quite understood the hype before. Wild Hearts will make you understand as it made me understand. From its immersive world to its unique building system, this is one big release you will not want to miss out on.

The mystery surrounding the disappearances, and the hearts pulled into the gripping narrative are well-thought-out and beautiful, in an eerie way.

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is a true gem of an action RPG, and this HD remake certainly does nothing but improve upon the original release. The story certainly has its fair share of emotional drama and plot twists, complete with a handful of light-hearted moments too. If you’re looking for excellent brawler gameplay with RPG elements and absolutely gorgeous artwork and uniquely designed bosses, you can’t go wrong with Leifthrasir.

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is a wonderful mix of the two ideas. As a platformer, the game wouldn’t have enough driving force, and would wear out quickly. For farming, while it’s truly lovely, there’s too much downtime with not enough to do. Each of these things in a game of their own would be draining, but together it creates a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup of a game that deserves recognition and continues to feel fresh and enjoyable even after 20 hours in.

Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is exactly what it needs to be: A quality rhythm game experience that lets fans of the series look back on it fondly. Its flaws are minor, and its strengths lay the groundwork for a promising future of bigger and better spin-off titles in the genre. It’s a great first step into the genre and will keep fans of Kingdom Hearts and rhythm games alike engrossed in its different modes for hours on end.

The Evil Within 2 is held back by a forgettable story and annoying AI issues that would probably put a serious damper on your gameplay experience if you were playing on Nightmare difficulty. And yet, it also does exactly what a horror game should do, and it does it well. Despite its flaws, The Evil Within 2 is a thoughtfully constructed horror rollercoaster ride that strikes a delicate balance between giving the player the power to fight back, and also making them realize that sometimes, all those guns and gear won’t save you from the terrors you can’t understand.

A New Frontier does Telltale’s The Walking Dead series justice, and its finale brings almost all of the closure that fans have been asking for.

Cadence of Hyrule might not be the challenging follow-up that Necrodancer fans were looking forward to, but it serves as a charming homage to the music of The Legend of Zelda series, and as a celebration of its classic 2D formula.

All in all, I Can’t Escape: Darkness is a very simple, though difficult, game. It’s squarely rooted in the past, with the only modern touch being the Steam-based scoreboards.

Hogwarts Legacy fulfilled a long-standing childhood dream of mine: the dream of receiving my Hogwarts acceptance letter as a kid, and waving a wand around to do all sorts of cool magic tricks. Bad fanfic or not, it’s hard to ignore the amount of pure, unbridled joy I got out of the game simply by being present in its immersive world. Hogwarts Legacy gave me the rare opportunity to be transported back to a time that was harder in some ways, but also simpler in many others. The fantasy of what could’ve been was sweet and lovely, but also devastatingly fleeting. Then again, perhaps that’s really all I could ever ask for.

Road to Gehenna serves as a fantastic addition to an already-great game.

Overall, Windjammers 2 is a massive success that fans of the franchise will surely enjoy and those new to the game will quickly understand why the fans of the original game love it. The lack of game modes with meaningfully different gameplay is unquestionably disappointing. Yet, the core gameplay is just so good and enjoyable that hours will pass in the blink of an eye.

Concrete Genie has outstanding design and a style which bring the game to life, and keep it from fading into the background alongside every other game on the market. And yet, due to its odd design choices in the final stretch of the game, it’s hard not to say that it falls short of becoming something spectacular, mired by incongruous gameplay designs and an unclear vision on what kind of game it wants to be remembered as in the end.

While I’m not convinced it’ll ultimately live up to Rhys, Fiona and Loaderbot’s escapades (my own personal favorite series), for sheer enjoyment, it’s shaping up to come mighty close.

While War of the Human Tanks: ALTeR probably isn’t in-depth enough for hardcore strategy fans, it’s got a certain charm and the novel-style story and human drama inserted through it add a wonderful depth to the experience.

My hope is that it finds its audience so that we might yet again see Dr. Reid on an even grander scale in the future.

There will be work to do to ensure that Beyond Light’s content remains interesting for an entire year and that Stasis is kept in check, but overall Destiny 2: Beyond Light is a solid effort from Bungie and is a worthwhile expansion to pick up for anyone that enjoys the series.