Regalia: Of Men and Monarchs is a game that tries to do it all. It has influences of Persona, Disgaea, Atelier, and Final Fantasy Tactics all wrapped into one. While it does have some missteps, overall this is a solid game that can really take a player by surprise at just how big it really can be. Tactical RPG players and story driven RPG players will have a great time with Regalia, and even with its faults, I still recommend it to anyone that enjoys a complex RPG.

Ultimately, I like the concept of Detective Pikachu and will likely see the movie when it releases, but hopefully the developers choose to challenge their audience a bit more with any potential sequel.

Hellblade is an amazing achievement in game design. It is something I think everyone should play. Again, I cannot stress enough to do it with headphones on and immerse yourself into its world. It is games like this that really showcase what talented developers can achieve. It is also worth mentioning that proceeds from the Xbox One sales are going to mental health research, so yeah, buy this amazing title already.

Extinction is a game that feels like a novel idea that didn’t get fully fleshed out. I wanted to love it, but the repetition really drags it down. At a lower price or with a little more variety to the encounters this game could have been something special. As it stands though it is nigh impossible to recommend it.

Minit is a delight that never wanted to waste my time. It made almost every second I spent with it feel like I was accomplishing something, and even when I didn’t, the time limit placed upon me meant I wasn’t wasting all day on nothing. The characters were extremely charming and dare I say adorable. The soundtrack I would call wonderful if you enjoy chiptune with the perfect mix of ambient sounds. Puzzles were fun and sometimes fairly obtuse yet never unfair.

The Adventure Pals may look like a thousand other games just like it, but it stands out among the crowd. It is fun, whimsical, and just a joy to play solo or with a friend. For those that enjoy the genre it is a must own. Add that to the fact that it is available on absolutely everything and there is no reason to let this game pass by.

God of War is, simply put, the best PS4 game I have played in the console’s lifecycle. I can’t stop thinking about its world and characters. I had so much fun exploring it and taking on its combat. I wanted more, and the game delivers. After having hesitations about the direction I thought the game was going, I am thrilled to report that all of my concerns were nullified within the first hour of the game. This is the true evolution of the series, and quite possibly the best game of the year. Well at least so far.

Rogue is a title that released at a terrible time and on consoles that a lot of people had already put in storage. It is nice to see this game get a second chance. It is a great entry in the series, and one that takes the story in places it had never gone. Mix it with the addictive sailing of Black Flag and I definitely recommend it to fans of the series. Don’t sleep on this title. It is definitely worth checking out.

Attack on Titan 2 is definitely a better game than the first. I just wish it was more new than retread. Still for those that skipped the first game it is easy to recommend. You can basically skip the first game as it is almost entirely recreated here, with plenty of quality of life improvements. Add in the co-op and competitive online modes and it is definitely the better package. An action-packed romp that shows Omega Force has chops outside of the normal Dynasty Warriors formula.

I think my time with Ash of Gods: Redemption was well spent, despite getting a very cryptic bad ending to the story. The writing was stellar and the world was super interesting. I hope to see more of it. Other than my own personal tastes I can’t fault this game for much. It’s gorgeous and I’d like to see more from this team and this franchise.

With Pit People, Behemoth tried something new and was only partially successful. It has excellent art design, unique world-building and some truly funny moments, but the problems with its combat and structure hinder what could be a hit. Understandably, the game’s weakest parts are those that the studio doesn’t have much experience with.

As it stands Sea of Thieves feels like a title that gets the ideas in place for an amazing game, yet fails to capitalize on them. There simply isn’t enough content to keep me coming back. I love Rare and I hope this builds into something amazing at some point, but for now this game is hard to recommend sinking a serious amount of time into.

The biggest take away from Far Cry 5 was the fact that it was just pure fun. The missions were both fun and entertaining, the visuals are fantastic, and the shooting is refined and on point. Fans of the series have more than likely already picked this up, but if you remotely enjoy first person shooters, this is a must own. It’s not perfect, but it tries its best to be and you know what? It got close.

For those that have never played it, they may either love it or hate it depending on how well they adapt to the grid-based movement. Fans of the original 2006 release who are looking to try the game out again will have a fun time here. While it’s not the best port of a PC action RPG, it has the makings of a fun time with up to five buddies online. Granted, local co-op should have been in there, but this is still a very competent RPG that I think any fans of Diablo will enjoy at a great price.

Burnout Paradise is as divisive as it has ever been, but now for other reasons as well. Still going back to this game brought back so many memories of playing with friends and the sense of speed is simply unmatched. I really enjoyed revisiting the world and think anyone who has fond memories will find more than enough here to warrant the price tag. Newcomers who never played the original are in for a treat though. There is nothing quite like Burnout Paradise and I hope the series makes a full return with a proper sequel in the near future.

It is nice to have these three games to complete the entire DMC anthology on my shiny new console. I enjoyed revisiting all three games as they are definitely memorable parts of my past. For $30 it is hard not to recommend for those with fondness and want to revisit them. For newcomers I can see plenty of people wondering why these games are so cherished among the community.

Building on the strength of the original, it presents a meticulously crafted world, brought to life by a team of visionaries who deserve every praise they’ve received over their long, illustrious careers. With a much improved combat engine and a myriad of entertaining new gameplay elements, it comes two steps closer to achieving the true potential of a title that can rightfully be recognized as the result of a dream collaboration.

When it focuses more on being a game than an interactive movie, I think there’s a lot to enjoy. While I personally had technical hiccups, I don’t need to talk about those as this game has enough faults in its gameplay pacing and story that can’t be fixed with a small technical patch. It’s not a bad game, but it’s mostly forgettable.

de Blob 2 is a solid game that I am glad has made a return. While the remaster portion is a little of a misnomer, it is nice to see the game back. Now with these two remasters out of the way hopefully THQ Nordic can get on crafting the final chapter in the Blob trilogy. Bring it back, and make it beautiful. Colorful platformers are always welcome in my world.

Way of the Passive Fist is a clever play on words and a unique take on the genre. Sadly, the problem it attempts to solve with its unique combat starts to suffer from the same problems the games it draws inspiration from are plagued with. Still, it is a neat diversion from the norm and worth checking out on a decent discount.

Ultimately, Tesla vs. Lovecraft isn’t particularly innovative but is, nonetheless, extremely enjoyable and easy to pick up and play. Milestone challenges and higher difficulty levels will encourage players to come back for more. However, a woefully underdeveloped story contributes to an overall lack of personality depth, which leaves this game feeling less memorable than its solid gameplay perhaps deserves.

Nine Parchments is a pretty game with some wonderful presentation. While it may lack much depth in the combat and story department, I still had some fun times while playing co-op. Some design choices are also questionable, but in the end, I found the overall package contained a decent amount of content and had some fun collecting new spells and unlocks with some people online.

Fear Effect Sedna is a bad game.

What Yakuza 6 meant to me as someone who has followed the series from the very beginning is a true culmination of 12 years worth of characters and story. It’s an absolute emotional rollercoaster ride, packaged together with some of the best content the series has offered to date and polished to an absolute shine. “The Song of Life” may very well represent the final chapter in the legendary chronicles of the Dragon of Dojima. However, as is the case with every great legend, his story will live on, having left an indelible mark in gaming history as one of the most memorable and important characters to have ever graced the medium.

Fatal Bullet isn’t going to light any charts on fire, but for those looking for a different take on the genre, it accomplishes what it sets out to do well.

If the idea was to preserve the original experience as much as possible while bringing the visuals up to modern standards, Secret of Mana fails with its slew of technical issues and unimpressive graphic design. If the intent was to forge a brand new experience based on the original, Secret of Mana fails as the dated combat engine challenged me in all the wrong ways and the added elements like voice acting fell flat with poor performances all around.

Gravel is a fun game that I siphoned a lot of enjoyment out of during its brief stint. I wish online was more populated and I wish the single player was a bit more meaty, especially at full asking price. Still when it hits a deep sale Gravel is worth a look for those that enjoy the off-road arcade racing we used to be flooded with on consoles.

It’s difficult to play a game like this in isolation. Sooner or later, the mind wanders back to the present – the truth is, the genre has come on in leaps and bounds since Age of Empires came on the scene all those years ago and this is one remaster that feels like it doesn’t really belong.