I didn’t hate King’s Bounty II; I loved the combat system. The hex design and the battlefields are all highlights. However, the things that can be done in-between those fights is where the majority of the player’s time will be spent. And it as much as I usually enjoy exploring RPG’s, there was no joy in navigating the overworld in King’s Bounty II due to the ridiculously slow movement speed. Those that are fans of the franchise will no doubt find much to love here with the fun combat and varied units and even decent main story.

When it’s all said and done, Tales of Arise features a likeable cast of characters, compelling story and one of my new favorite combat engines, not just in the Tales series but in all the JRPGs I’ve played so far and if not for the pacing issues and the PC port’s technical issues, it could have set the bar for JRPGs to follow.

Foreclosed feels like its on a swinging pendulum where the extremes are “Frustrating” and “Mediocre” and it constantly swings in these directions within minutes of each play session. It’s all style and no substance, unfortunately. If the aiming was so haphazardly programmed and maybe an extra animation or two to make it feel like I wasn’t shooting the same person over and over, or maybe if the cover in the cover-based shooter would actually work, then maybe I could give it a pass, but the way Foreclosed is currently, I would say pass on this one. Even at deep discount, you’re just going to end up frustrated or bored.

Cruis’n Blast is a fantastic trip back to the past with some modern luxuries to round out the package. This is not a game for everyone. It can be maxed out in a day and the replay comes from the enjoyment of the races and tracks themselves. If you are into that though, you will be hard-pressed to find a more polished version of an arcade racing game to date. You can feel the love from Raw Thrills past work poured into this game and I hope it eventually makes its way onto other platforms at some point. Everyone should get a chance to experience the thrill of arcade racing in its finest form.

Deathloop is probably one of the best examples of really blending those rogue-lite elements into an otherworldly and excellent story, freedom of choice, tight controls and a delightful cast of characters all wrapped in a beautiful package.

Clearly aimed at the fans of the Rocky/Creed film series, Big Rumble Boxing perfectly emulates the finale scenes in the aforementioned films. Each fight with its flashy moves and animations encapsulates the edge of your seat thrills that one gets from the movies, but in this case the outcome is not predetermined. If you aren’t a huge fan of the films but can get past the egregious decision to only include a sparse amount of playable modes and endure the grind to unlock the other fighters; then Big Rumble Boxing can be a solid and fun fighting game to play.

No More Heroes III is a wild ride though a psychedelic warzone that begs to be experienced. The technical issues and slog of an open world drag it down at times, but it never stopped me from wanting to see it through. I really wish the game had been released on more powerful hardware as it is clear the team had bigger ambitions than the Switch could handle. Still if you have enjoyed previous entries then this is a no-brainer. Definitely a solid end to the trilogy and one of the most unique games you will play ever.

Recompile is not an awful game by any means, but it is not much more than the sum of its parts. While the exploration works, its hindered by the spotty level lighting; you have a good assortment of weapons but putting them to use is underwhelming. Its almost as if for every step forward Recompile takes, it insists on taking one back. However, the saving grace is that its not a long journey through the motherboard, that is to say it is thankfully pretty short. So those folks that are forever chasing those achievements can rack up some score here, and its on Game Pass which makes the cost of admission even better. If you enjoy ‘metroidvania’ type games and you don’t mind the issues then there is fun to be had here, and you don’t even have to go digging in the dark web to find it.

Iki Island is a nice addition to an already amazing game. For anyone who hasn’t experienced Ghost of Tsushima you are in for a treat. For players like me returning to the world it is worthy content. The expansion can last anywhere from 5-10 hours depending on your completion mentality. It is a worthy expansion worth the price of admission and as good of an excuse as any to revisit one of the best games of last generation.

Axiom Verge 2 is a stellar follow-up to one of the original indie Metroid-inspired titles. It is worth checking out even if players haven’t dove into the first game. Also you should totally play both games. They are some of the best in the indie genre. I can’t wait until the game drops on Xbox as well so all platforms have a chance to experience such an amazing experience.

Even with the little pathing issues, and text overlaps Mayhem Brawler is an absolute joy to play, wither in single player or in 3 player co-op. The eclectic cast of characters, the grungy yet colorful setting and the bass thumping, bad guy busting soundtrack really help to encapsulate that 90’s vibe the developers were going for, they have managed to not only make a solid side scrolling arcade game but they also delivered a fun and unique story at the same time.

For anyone who wrote this game off for any reason, please give this game another shot. It contains a wonderful story, one of the most satisfying final battles, some of the best humor in any Zelda game, plenty of completely optional side content, and some really unique gameplay that only Skyward Sword has offered. I have never been happier to say I was wrong about a game.

If you are a fan of the franchise then you don’t need to be advised you are going to enjoy this game, but if you are new to Aliens know that it does a great job of easing you in so that you don’t feel overwhelmed.

Psychonauts 2 is a masterclass in design. Some of the levels in the game will stick with me for another 16 years easily. I hate that it took this long for Tim Schafer and his team to get the chance to make this sequel, but it was truly worth the wait.

In a lot of ways Skydrift Infinity feels like the airborne version of the old Hydro Thunder racing games. The sense of speed, the lens flare and power ups are all present in Skydrift, and it really took me down memory lane. Skydrift Infinity is a really fun game that needs more content, more tracks and maybe more events would be nice. Local multiplayer is nice if you have friends in the same house but without an audience in multiplayer I can’t recommend this game as someone who is looking for online only racing. However, if you want a solid arcade flying racer and you feel the need…. the need for speed; then this could be the game for you.

While there is some semblance of enjoyment to be had here for those who like to see numbers go up, to see a series I’ve adored and followed for nearly two decades take inspiration from garbage mobile games in the spirit of greed and becoming bastardized as a shell of former self, breaks my heart.

Unfortunately, the best way to describe Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX+ is as follows: a console port that feels like it isn’t supposed to be played on console. As a result, it feels like a cheap experience – a rehash of highlights without any thought as to how the package fits together as a whole. Perhaps most egregiously, the medium through which this console version is played appears to be an afterthought at best.

Offering multiple endings and paths based on your decisions and who lives and dies; Fuga: Melodies of Steel takes the best parts of the story telling from Mass Effect 2 with the simple vehicle combat from Advance Wars and smashes it together with a wonderful RPG system, melodic music and beautiful graphics to a roaring success. Its not often that you find such a dark and adult story wrapped up in such a whimsical and beautiful package, this one could be a contender for RPG of the year.

If you are a fan of rogue-lites there is absolutely no reason for you to not be playing Hades, and if you aren’t a fan of the genre but enjoy action RPG’s with the above ingredients then you should give this a try. If Hades becomes the gold standard for rogue-lites going forward, then consider me a willing convert and long live the rogue lites!

I don’t think anything is gained by playing either Famicom Detective Club that can’t be gained by watching a playthrough because the puzzles are at best throwaway and at worst barely present. These are inherently flawed games, but if somehow the idea of slogging through menus isn’t a turn off there are absolutely two great, down to Earth murder mysteries to be experienced here.

I don’t think anything is gained by playing either Famicom Detective Club that can’t be gained by watching a playthrough because the puzzles are at best throwaway and at worst barely present. These are inherently flawed games, but if somehow the idea of slogging through menus isn’t a turn off there are absolutely two great, down to Earth murder mysteries to be experienced here.

When Blightbound works the way the developers intended the game is fantastic fun! Working together with your team searching levels for loot and fighting bosses is a blast. Which makes it that much more painful when you run into the issues with this game. Because you KNOW there is fun to be had here, you want to progress the story and find out more about this dark and gothic world. The beautiful contrast between the bright colors and dark a dreary environment is really a sight to behold. The puzzles, however simple they may be work to bring home that “adventuring” aspect of the game. Sadly, just about everything else is broken, and it makes you want to pull out your hair in frustration.

There is lots to love about Orcs Must Die 3, from the cartoon colored levels to the depth of coming up with working strategies and tactics to cull the oncoming swarm. The combat is fast and frantic, and the weapon variety is plentiful and most of all fun. If I had to level a complaint at this game, it would be the announcer. The audio is passable for everything else but the lines that the announcer uses gets repetitive quite quickly. But even with that slight annoyance, the game as a whole is a triumph of sandbox fun.

The Ascent is a wonderful experience that is easy to recommend thanks to Game Pass. It has some technical issues, some bugs, and also takes a while to get to the point, but it is worth the investment. There is little reason to not check it out if you have Game Pass. This is a game that is great with friends and even solo manages to entertain. I hope they continue to clean up the bugs over time, but for now it is easily one of my favorite experiences of the Summer.

I really enjoyed unraveling the mystery that is The Forgotten City. The setting is beautifully displayed graphically but the real cherry on the top is the narrative itself. Talking to all of the characters, and figuring out the order in which to do things ala Groundhog Day is one of the most rewarding experiences you’ll have this year. Even those fans of the old mod will find a fresh experience here, as the development team has expanded and even changed things from the original. I really can’t recommend this game enough, even with the lackluster facial animations this is an experience that shouldn’t be missed if you value narrative; in particular mysteries.

After half a decade of playing the “will it or won’t It get localized” guessing game, to see the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles see release in the States is an event worth celebrating indeed and doubly so as it was done well for a pair of games that weave an intriguing storyline well worth reading all the way to the end.

Mario Golf Super Rush feels rushed. There are no bones about it. I feel like they could make it a great game over time with more content, but I worry the tail of this particular game won’t be as long as some other Nintendo titles. You wonder how much the pandemic was involved in its lack of content, but for the first time in a long time this feels like a $40 Nintendo game, and that just never happens.

The team has done a fantastic job of refreshing this franchise, and I am hopeful that they garner some new fans to keep this series of games going for years to come.