If you are looking for a masterpiece of racing as a genre, Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition Remix probably isn't quite it, but it's plenty close, with open-ended free play where you can choose what to do freely.

Red Faction: Armageddon both satisfies and disappoints, depending on your camp. The single-player campaign may feel too restrictive for some because of the lack of open-world areas to play with, but the weaponry and mass destruction you can inflict still make the somewhat-lengthy experience fun. While co-op multiplayer is great, the lack of competitive modes will turn off those who have come to expect a more refined multiplayer experience. Still, the game is enjoyable enough that fans will not be terribly disappointed in the final product, especially those who prefer single-player over multiplayer games.

The game may be as old as the Wii's predecessor, but New Play Control! Pikmin still remains a very challenging and engaging title. While the graphics haven't held up as well as one would have hoped, the sound and gameplay definitely remain timeless.

There's plenty to like about Mayhem Brawler. The setting is unique among games in the genre, and the mechanics work well with the combat system thanks to its fluidity and diversity. The main campaign may be short and the unlockables list consists of one mode, but the three different endings and multiple campaign branches mean that there's more content to this game than originally believed. You'll have to rely on local friends for this one, but there's an absolutely good time to be had.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a solidly enjoyable JRPG that is hurt by not having the style of the original or the ambition of its spin-off. Genre fans will find a lot to like here, and those who enjoyed Xenoblade 1 for its exploration and gameplay will find Xenoblade 2 to be a worthy follow-up. Comparisons to the original are unavoidable, and Xenoblade 2 takes longer to warm up than the original, and it never reaches the same heights. Taken on its own merits, Xenoblade 2 is a fun JRPG with a ton of content, customization and gameplay that any genre fan will enjoy.

Overall, Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a solid sequel that differentiates itself sufficiently and improves upon the franchise's formula. It has a diverse mix of units and races, wonderful artwork, and what appears to be a massive range of strategies. Customizing your forces with an array of passive effects and active abilities is handled effortlessly by the UI, and it's very rewarding to use it in the tactical combat. The campaign should take anywhere from 30 to 60 hours to complete, depending on how quickly you play, and that's before stepping into the random scenarios and multiplayer, where a wide range of options and customizations can cater to your play style.

Oddworld: Soulstorm is Oddworld at its best. It's creative, clever, funny, enjoyable to play, and shockingly good at getting you to empathize with Gollum's slightly uglier cousins. The gameplay is simple but enjoyable, and it makes you want to save as many of your fellow Mudokons as you can. Imagine that: a game-long escort mission that is fun! If you like puzzle platformers, I'd recommend starting with New n' Tasty, but Soulstorm is an excellent follow-up. It's worth playing, especially if you're a PS+ member and can get the game free on the PS5 during its launch month.

A well-designed, well-executed, graphically superior racing game. The replay value is high, the learning curve is fine, and the overall presentation is first-rate.

Red Faction: Armageddon both satisfies and disappoints, depending on your camp. The single-player campaign may feel too restrictive for some because of the lack of open-world areas to play with, but the weaponry and mass destruction you can inflict still make the somewhat-lengthy experience fun. While co-op multiplayer is great, the lack of competitive modes will turn off those who have come to expect a more refined multiplayer experience. Still, the game is enjoyable enough that fans will not be terribly disappointed in the final product, especially those who prefer single-player over multiplayer games.

In the end, Revenge of the Savage Planet is a good follow-up to Journey to the Savage Planet. The concept of exploring new, absurd worlds remains novel, while the expanded tool set and mobility tweaks strengthen the gameplay. The worlds are large and packed with loads to discover, and the game offers up a good amount to do even after you've seen the credits for the first time. For those who love exploring, Revenge of the Savage Planet is well worth checking out.

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny is a strong update to a good game. It adds all of the polish and updated features I had wanted. Most of the problems I have with the game are ones that were true of the original release, too. It's a darn fun little follow-up to Onimusha: Warlords, which expands the gameplay without losing the fun feudal Japanese Resident Evil vibe the franchise has always had going for it.

Overall, LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues is a great addition to Traveler's Tales LEGO games and a fun follow-up to first LEGO Indy title.

For all its bluster, Dragon Age: Origins comes off as a game that's afraid to take risks. Everything about it, from the combat to the story line, stays very safely within established bounds. After Mass Effect, though, Origins feels like a bit of a step backward.

The story and gameplay mechanics have greatly improved, and it sports many graphical upgrades. It's unfortunate that the enemy AI isn't more challenging, but for this franchise, the fun will always come from the end-game content. As long as players understand and accept that, they should snap up this sequel and prepare for another long adventure.

It may be a very straightforward journey and it may feel like a knock-off of Sega's Alien Syndrome, but Alien Breed Evolution: Episode 1 is still a darn fun and tense game with redone graphics and well-used sound.

The gameplay's got certain unavoidable flaws, but with a player-controlled camera, some more evocative set design, and another few hours' worth of gameplay, Obscure could've been one of the greats.

Digimon Survive is an interesting experiment that largely succeeds in taking a beloved children's franchise and giving it a darker tone without completely losing what made it so beloved in the first place. The story is largely engaging and has enough twists and turns to keep things moving forward at a comfortable pace. The gameplay is enjoyable but unexceptional, but the story is the main draw. If you're a fan of Digimon, then Survive is absolutely worth your time. Even casual JRPG fans will likely find the story to be worth a look.

Pinball FX2: The Iron & Steel Pack is a great addition to the Pinball FX 2 collection. Both tables offer a nice balance between ambitious and traditional elements that make them pleasing to a wide range of pinball fans.

It's a little disappointing that the mechanics, story and gameplay haven't seen any noteworthy updates, but it's a great port.

It's Pokemon. Moreover, it's Pokemon with online play. If you're a Pokemon fan, that reason alone is enough to pick up Diamond and Pearl, ignoring the new Pokemon and new features.

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster is an average port of an exceptional title. Despite being almost 20 years old, it's still one of the best JRPGs ever made, and it still stands up favorably to the games that came after it. It's still a PS2 game at heart, but it's a rare one that has aged quite well, so it's still worth playing for the first time even without the comforting glow of nostalgia. Unfortunately, the actual HD upgrade is perfunctory and bare-bones, so what you see is largely what you get. It's basically a way to play Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne on modern systems, and it's good for that. It just could have been more.

The best compliment that we can give to Shinsekai: Into The Depths is that it feels like a well-done indie game. Exploration is the game's big hook, since the environments, secrets, and floaty movement encourage looking around, while combat works most of the time but isn't the main focus of the experience. There's a good balance between exploring at your leisure, maintaining your stats for survival, the boss fights, and the dwindling resources in the late game. Although the extras aren't enough to entice Apple Arcade subscribers to double-dip, everyone else will enjoy this adventure from beginning to end.

Like its predecessors, Expeditions: A MudRunner Game is for a specific type of player who wants a driving game instead of a racing game. The player must enjoy messing around with the intricacies of off-road vehicles and doesn't mind experiencing every driving mishap possible. Expeditions isn't a game for everyone, but for those looking for something different from the norm, it's well worth a shot.

There's enough good stuff here to recommend it to genre fans and fans of the previous game.

Super Hydorah is a game for those who appreciate the space shooters of yore. It isn't forgiving in the slightest, but it also doesn't overwhelm you with bullet hell sensibilities. It looks and feels so much like those old games that you could mistake it for a long-lost classic. Even if it didn't come with a co-op mode or a nice bonus game, Super Hydorah is so fun that it would still be a recommended purchase for genre fans.

The Darkness II proved to be a solid, artistically pleasing twist on demonic possession and dark heroes, and it's one story with mobsters I plan to follow with interest.

Priced at 1,200 MSP ($15 USD), Scarygirl is on the high end of the impulse purchase range, but still worth the cost. It's one of those select titles that grabs your interest from the start and holds it through the end of the adventure.

If you can soldier past what makes it feel as battered as its namesake and push aside its past baggage, potential survivors might find that New Vegas' odds are worth betting on.