Overall, Monster Hunter Stories 2 is a fine game. It does nothing offensive while still having some great mechanics thrown in. The story is decent, the combat is fun, but can get a little long in the tooth and the overall progression system was fine albeit a bit one note after a while. Monster Hunter fans can have a fun time with it while old school RPG fans will get more out of the mechanics of the combat mixed with the rite of channeling that can really get the maximum stat boosts going. It has its pacing issues here and there with the combat and the quest progression, but overall, these are minor compared to the sheer amount of things you can do while still raising the best team of Monsties you can make.

Conception II is a title I feel wanted to be a contender to P4G’s crown of the best Vita JRPG, and while it borrows some elements from the king, it falls short of its goal and presents a solid, albeit unremarkable title with its own unique quirks.

LEGO Batman 3 is a solid entry in the series.

While the repetitive combat and atrocious performance issues make Drakengard 3 very difficult to recommend, its characters and story, along with a fantastic OST, makes me feel that there may very well be an audience for this wonderful mess of a game, myself included.

The graphics are good, and the game is fun to play especially online.

Aqua Moto Racing Utopia scratches that itch I get every couple years to play a wave racing game. It is rough around the edges, and lacks a good collection of unlockables, but the core racing is fun. For those like me that are tired of waiting on Nintendo to resurrect the king, this is a great substitute.

Despite the lackluster dungeon designs and rather pedestrian difficulty, the gorgeous art style and a greater emphasis on its story and characters makes Ray Gigant stand out amongst its peers.

WWE 2K24 is, as I mentioned above, the best-playing game in the series. The progress of the bell-to-bell of the series from undesirable to undeniable should make cover boy Cody Rhodes proud. Unfortunately, I had less fun with the game this year than last year, mostly I think because of fatigue with the flaws of the series. They have had years to correct the frustrating and often mind-boggling problems with AI wrestler behavior, clipping and collision detection, and reversal-heavy gameplay, and these issues continue to persist. The Showcase mode, a real highlight in last year’s game, has also taken a huge step back, which is a major disappointment. After taking this many years to finally get things right when it comes to the player-controlled action, it may be strange to hear me say that they need to think about some major overhauls of the franchise’s DNA, but I believe that may be what the series needs to feel fresh again. Just like a wrestling match the biggest sin a wrestling game can commit is to be boring, and for me that’s just what the WWE 2K series has become.

A solid action RPG with plenty of loot to collect. I really got a sense of Champions of Norrath the more I played it, and wanted to continue grinding, which is uncommon for me.

While still a fun time, Trine 3 is rather short lived. The game will take most players around four hours to complete, even with the side missions that crop up over time. It’s sad to see, but in those four hours, I had a blast playing it.

The WWE series is ready for its major heel turn, here’s hoping that a new publishing home and a new generation of consoles will give it the shot in the arm it needs.

Fairy Fencer F is the title I had the most fun playing through from the developers at Compile Heart and yet, I feel they have the talent to do better.

The Inner World is a solid adventure game that’s whimsical yet dark, and accessible to those who may not have much experience with adventure games. I think I’ll be playing through this again, somewhere down the line. For an adventure game, that’s high praise from me.

With expansive sandbox levels, some thrilling stealth action, and (of course) those magnificent X-ray kill cam shots it’s easy to see why this fourth iteration of Rebellion’s popular series is generally considered the most well rounded. With that being said, the seams are beginning to show this long after the original release, and while the Switch manages to pull off the action behind the scope exactly the way you’d expect, your mileage with the middle of the road visuals and mostly bland story may vary.

While Visions of Mana did not end up being the title that will take the series to the next level due to its issues with clunky combat, pedestrian difficulty and lackluster story, it’s still a solid entry to this long running series and a step in the right direction for what I hope will be continued to be improved upon for the next entry.

In the end, Black Rock Shooter: The Game isn’t quite the standout title that will entrance the world’s audience, but it offers a glimpse of what could have been and makes me hopeful for the future of the series in the gaming medium.

If there is one thing I could say about Sparks of Hope, it is that is more of the same, and that isn’t a bad thing, far from it. But along with the improvements to gameplay, there are also some odd additions to be found, such as the Rabbids now spouting dialogue. Overall the package is a generous one, with plenty of content to enjoy and challenges to overcome. But it is hard to ignore the fact that Maio seems like a secondary character in his own game, as do all of the Mushroom Kingdom’s cast. Does the inclusion of Mario make Sparks of Hope a more appealing package, yes absolutely, but it stops at making it a better game. But it is hard to deny the appeal that the first game had and Sparks of Hope certainly makes good on the promises of the original. A game that places fun at its forefront.

The unique art style and characters give the game personality and the level design and action are engaging.

If you only snag one copy of this game this year, the PSP version is definitely more than worth your money.

It does have it’s moments of difficulty, but fans of side-scrolling shooters looking for a decent romp through a Mega Man-esque experience should take a look at A.R.E.S.

It’s dumb fun. It’s junk food. It’s a B-tier game that has decent writing and is doing something different. I had fun for the just under 30 hours it took to complete everything the game had to offer. It’s not perfect, but neither has been any other title to try and tackle this sort of experience; this game is by far the best though. If just swimming around and proving who’s the real apex predator sounds appealing then this is the game to play. There’s not much out there like Maneater.

All in all I don't hate The Forgotten Sands, I just feel like this game was put out to capitalize on the release of the movie. I know that Ubisoft said the game was in the making before they launched the 2008 PoP, but I don't buy it.

As a whole, Zeno Clash is a decent game. There are some hitches here and there, and sometimes the game can get frustrating and downright boring. But, if you stick with it you will find a unique experience that was well crafted by the developers.

In the end, Thunder Wolves is a game that does one thing,”be a fun arcade shooter where one pilots a helicopter and blows up bad guys.”

While Like a Dragon: Ishin! Might not be the strongest entry in this venerable franchise, its emphasis on weapon combat and an interesting take on historical characters and events makes it one worth experiencing all the same.

Clockwork Tales of Glass and Ink will last players around 3 or 4 hours depending on how fast puzzles are figured out or how much abuse the hint system gets. It’s best to just get absorbed into the world they created and figure it out as best players can.

In the end, Ys Seven is an ok game. It does get monotonous as far as the combat goes, but the story and level progressions are decently paced. For those looking to get into the series for the first time, this is a decent jumping on point. Sure, some characters act like they know each other, but it feels like each Ys game has its own standalone story. For the RPG players looking for a simple, yet fun time and isn’t bothered by some mindless hack ‘n slash, Ys Seven is a good one for you.

While the puzzles can become frustratingly difficult with not much reward, the mysterious story had me coming back. Fans of adventure games will find their fill with Night of the Rabbit, and the visuals don’t hurt either.