Crime Boss Rockay City deserved better, from the inexcusable number of bugs and glitches that players will come across while played the games narrative or the multiplayer missions to the just laughable performances of some actors who I used to hold in such high regard. In a different timeline this game would have just leaned 100% into the jank and made this a successful parody. But instead, it falls flat by trying to tell a serious story about an ambitious crime boss who wanted more, a story as old as time and one that’s been told a million times better before.

While personally I think the future looks grim for this one only because multiplayer audiences are so fickle, Crash Team Rumble is a blast and if you have some fond memories of the old games, you’ll enjoy this one quite a bit…while it lasts.

It feels weird to go backwards with these releases. Raiden III is by far the simplest I have checked out so far. Evolution in reverse is a bold choice. Still the simplicity of the combat makes for an addictive nature. I was coming back over and over to unlock new tunes to listen to and the visuals are still excellent. I love a good shooter and the Raiden series is always a good time. The price tag is also low enough that I don’t have a lot to knock. If you love shooters this is a great addition to your collection.

While not quite living up to the “Advance” moniker in its title, Advance Wars provides a satisfying SRPG experience with its solid strategic combat and a wealth of content- making it a worthwhile addition to the library of any die-hard SRPG fan.

Trinity Trigger has some really good ideas that sadly never get fleshed out. The story is quite unique and really could have been something if handled with a bit more care. What begins as a Legend of Mana-esque journey, soon delves into a mess of broken combat, poor directions for the player, and lackluster graphics. Which is really a shame, because with some more time in the oven Trinity Trigger might’ve been able to help differentiate itself from the sea of other RPGs out right now.

I may seem a little overzealous when I say this, but We Love Katamari is one of the best games ever made. Sure, the concept isn’t for everyone, but it does everything this concept has going for it perfectly. I think the series lost focus after this title which isn’t a surprise because this is the last Katamari game that the creator Keita Takahashi worked on. The other Katamari games are great do not get me wrong and I hope those get remastered too, but future games lacked the same innovation We Love Katamari had for the concept of rolling up junk. This is the top of the clump spirit folks, and I would suggest not missing it.

Ravenlok feels like the culmination of all the work this team has done using voxel tech. It is a beautiful game, one that evokes images of various Disney/Pixer type worlds and just as vivid. Each of the worlds offer side quests and various characters to interact with that was all enjoyable. Aside from the easy combat I enjoyed my time with Ravenlok and if you are looking for a quick fantasy adventure, I can’t recommend it enough.

SFVI’s launch marks an impressive effort by Capcom, having learned from previous failings and while the lackluster World Tour mode and gross battle pass stains an otherwise spotless package, it still shines brightly as the new standard for fighters to come.

Nintendo continues to keep this series fresh and while I do love what these new entries are doing, I would be remiss if I didn’t say I do kind of miss the classic design. Still Tears of the Kingdom is by far one of the best games of this generation and if you somehow haven’t played it yet, there is no excuse.

Stray Blade has its ups with the colorful graphics and likeable protagonist but it’s a combat heavy game where the combat just isn’t fun which makes this one hard to recommend.

There are lots of survival systems at play in Beyond Contact, but due to the poor functionality of the UI a lot of those systems aren’t fun. While I did enjoy the actually base building, and research systems for upgrading gear and tools my constant fight with the UI and bugs just marred each of my play sessions with the game. If players can deal with the controls, the developers are promising more planets to explore. Those that prefer the mouse and keyboard might have a better time with this one than I did with the controller.

Terminal Velocity is a nice trip down memory lane. I enjoyed revisiting this as much as I did Forsaken when Night Dive Studios remastered it a few years back. These types of games are not as common today and I sometimes forget how much I enjoy them. If you grew up with the likes of Descent this is a must purchase. It holds up surprisingly well in the game play department as long as you can deal with the pixelated polygons plastered all over your fancy high-definition screen.

Even though I enjoyed the actual racing and especially the story campaign in Lego 2K Drive, but for me a player who loves to play online this game gives me pause. I don’t get a lot of time to spend on games between reviewing them, my kids and just life overall. So, sitting down to play and seeing my opponents all have super tricked out rides; I just know I am in for a loss. I don’t have an issue with microtransactions in games, but I do have an issue when players can just purchase power making it unfair for those who can’t or just won’t. If you plan on strictly playing Lego 2K Drive single player, there is a lot to enjoy here…. Even with the wonky drifting system.

Super Mega Baseball 4 is an outstanding entry in the series and the best to date. I have enjoyed each entry and spend more time playing these than the licensed Show games. I really love customizing my team and taking them through a franchise season. The updates and additions here really flesh out the series and I am excited for the future. I wonder if they will ever tackle another sport. Would love to see some Super Mega Football in the future.

After Us had some lofty goals and it shows but sadly, they didn’t quite reach those highs. Incredible art direction and a dope soundtrack sadly don’t make up for the ‘tacked’ on combat and the very floaty platforming controls. The design choice to make it open world is also a head scratcher because the game absolutely does a poor job of telling players where to go next. I’m left wondering what could have been with After Us, had the combat been taken out I think this would have been a much better adventure.

While there are hundreds of Warhammer games out there, few of them really stand out among the pack. Boltgun is one of those games and even non-fans of the universe owe it to themselves to check it out. It is visceral, addictive, and paced extremely well. The array of difficulty options offer up something for everyone and it has some of the best weapon feel of any of these types of games out there. I cannot recommend this game enough for anyone looking for a good time blowing up pixelated baddies.

Diablo 4 feels like a wonderful homecoming, with its darker tone and sublime cutscenes which Blizzard has always been wonderful at; the whole game just feels like a love letter to us fans who have waited so long to return to Hell and defeat its denizens once more.

Convergence is my favorite League of Legends side story thus far. Double Stallion did a fantastic job of taking a champions kit and realizing it in a totally different genre of game and made each ability shine. Ekko as a character has a sort of an infectious positivity about him and his willingness to aid a hand to help his city and those in need is something that we need more of in the real world. Full of cameos and easter eggs for League fans and having some genuinely fun boss fights against some champions from Runeterra there is a lot to love in Convergence for longtime LoL fans. Its solid gameplay, fantastic graphical style, and excellent metroidvania gameplay makes this game one that even those non-fans of the series will love.

While there are still some improvements to be made in terms of difficulty balancing and dungeon designs, Octopath Traveler 2 makes meaningful improvements over the original and manages to realize most of its lofty ambitions, culminating into an experience not to be missed by any JRPG fan.

It is great to have BlazBlue back on Xbox and available on Game Pass. It gives players a chance to check out one of the coolest fighting game series out there. It is fast, fun, and full of content and I cannot recommend the download enough if you are even slightly interested in fighting games. Let’s hope this is the return of Arc System Works on Xbox. They have been sorely missed.

Overall, this is a great program as long as nothing else is expected other than dungeon creation and playing. It’s pretty easy to use and there’s definitely an audience that is going to make crazy dungeons with it, but that audience isn’t me. If they implement a dungeon code system, I can see myself being a player rather than a contributor, but anyone looking to make Zelda dungeons (and only dungeons) this is exactly what you are looking for.

As a lifelong Star Trek fan, I loved every single moment of my time with Resurgence; and that includes when I had issues. But for those that aren’t huge fans of the source material, I can say that the sluggishness of the controls when you are able to actually *play* this video game may be too much to endure, even if you are down for a good story. But I am guessing that this is going to be a game that only the fans will really pick up, and hopefully this release along with the Star Trek Picard streaming series being in the top ten for multiple weeks will help us see more games in the Star Trek Universe. I just need some developer to give me a game that’s not based on the Federation, come on guys the Romulan Star Empire is right there and they have TONS of stories to tell.

While I didn’t love The Mageseekers mainly due to my issues with the overly fast combat and my difficulty keeping track of Sylas when things really got going. However, as a fan of the lore, I enjoyed his heartbreaking story of revenge and redemption. I am looking forward to the next few releases from Riot Forge that are featuring Ekko and Nunu, but can we please get a project featuring the Noxus Empire…please?

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a big departure from the mainline Bayonetta games usual formula. Instead of leaning on fast paced combat, scantily clad lead, a loud soundtrack and a story with a lot of killing and revenge. Instead, this is a family-friendly story, one that is told like a grand storybook and even has themes of love and friendship throughout. Quite the change of pace for our Umbra witch but quite the welcome one if you have your eyes open as to the type of game this really is; Cereza and the Lost Demon is a delightful adventure that thoroughly surprised me.

I don’t hate Disney Speedstorm, worse I just feel kinda cheated. I didn’t mind that it was a F2P game, but the fact that the founders pack doesn’t unlock everything available at launch is disappointing. Especially when you look at how much grinding has to be done to get a toon up to a receptible level for multiplayer races. I loved the tracks and the music that blasted over them but being hit over the head constantly with so many of these free to play mechanics just makes this game frustrating to play and its really a shame.

The new monsters were the highlight of my experience in Sunbreak, the new crab monsters were by far my favorite. Due to them scuttling about it made their movements unpredictable and made for a much more dynamic and thrilling fight that forced me to get better at utilizing my movement skills. The only real issue with the expansion is that it takes so long to get to the new monsters. Having to complete the main game and then slog through the same monsters just juiced to Master rank makes for a bit of a slog but once you clear it the fun of discovering new monsters and techniques makes up for it. Sunbreak isn’t going to create new fans but it will give longtime ones a lot more of what they love.

Aside from the giggles I get every time I have to say Dogfight: A Sausage Bomber Story, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed my time with it. Not usually a fan of the shmups but the charming graphics and many sausage puns won me over on this one. It’s not a perfect game but if you enjoy Sausages and the technology they can create, then I’d recommend Dogfight: A Sausage Bomber Story.

God of Rock is an interesting experiment that works sometimes. I do wish I could focus more on the action at the top. I also hate that I have to retrain my brain with the button combos and get frustrated when I miss notes as it usually leads to me failing and having a hard time getting back into rhythm. Still the idea is sound, the characters are excellent, and I really had fun with this one. A little more polish and this could easily become a whole new genre.