The lush environments speak to the tragedy of lost life and forgotten civilizations, a natural aspect of the storytelling that adds to the experience and makes it feel like a genuine adventure instead of just a straightforward narrative. Alongside the “Legendary Souls” DLC, which expands on the story and introduces new adventures to the game, Lost Ember: Rekindled is a great update of the game that highlights what made it so compelling when it launched over six years ago. A gorgeously rendered experience, Lost Ember: Rekindled may be a fairly basic game, but it is also a wonderful work of art that will grip you with its natural worldbuilding and quiet storytelling.
It’s a decent slice of a game with potential glimmering just beneath its surface that deserves to be fleshed out into something more ambitious. Thief was built on innovation, as the original was one of the games that helped popularize the stealth genre. And this VR entry, with its primitive mechanics and level design, doesn’t live up to that storied legacy.
Even with its faults, Metroid Prime 4 still has a lot to like. Many of the game’s newer elements fall flat and don’t help push this series forward in the way that I’d prefer, but the most vital aspects that have allowed this franchise to become one of the most acclaimed in video game history are still very much present here in this long-awaited sequel. Metroid Prime 4 may not have warranted all of the hype and attention that has been placed on it for the better part of the past decade, but at the end of the day, it’s still good to have Samus back in another new adventure.
Octopath Traveler 0 is a fine JRPG that has a weird mix of capitalizing on the series’ strengths while also deviating from them. It finds reasons to pull you out of the narrative, even if it drops a hooking moment, and combat rarely feels challenging. But when the story and combat grip you, you become completely invested. Square Enix and DokiDoki have certainly created an expansive game, but dialing in on what made the series so beloved could have delivered the perfect conclusion to one of the best JRPG series in recent years.
Short and sweet, Marvel Cosmic Invasion is about as good as beat ’em up games get, and works best as a retro throwback and a modern inheritor to the genre. If you’re a Marvel fan, a gamer with an appreciation for retro approaches, or just someone who enjoys action games, then Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a must-play.
I had a lot of fun with Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. This is a great Switch 2 port, and it may well be one of the best action games the console has to offer so far. The graphics are sharp for a 10-year-old game, the frame rate is solid, and the gameplay is classic Lara Croft goodness with some extra motion control bells and whistles if you want them. And for just $20, it’s hard not to say that everyone who enjoys a good action-adventure game with a side of puzzles should play this on Switch or Switch 2 ASAP.
Despite these minor drawbacks, Demeo x D&D: Battlemarked is just plain fun. It’s a solid virtual tabletop experience that streamlines the TTRPG experience while still bringing the best elements of IRL play to life. Provided the UI gets worked out and the glitches smoothed over, I could see this being my group’s go-to alternative when an in-person D&D night just isn’t an option.
Even with a ton of collectibles to unlock and challenges to take on, I can’t see myself returning to Kirby Air Riders much in the future. This is a racer that tries to buck many of the genre’s most traditional conventions, which, at the very least, makes it quite memorable. Ultimately, though, the content on hand in Air Riders wears thin in no time, which leads to it being a game that you’ll put down sooner than you might anticipate.
While Deadpool himself may be a bit of a mixed bag in the game (and players who dislike the character entirely should probably avoid this title), Marvel’s Deadpool VR is a very entertaining way to recreate the character for a VR audience. Not necessarily a killer app on its own, Marvel’s Deadpool VR has enough fun showcasing the action, platforming, and worldbuilding of the VR space to be well worth checking out for gamers who already have the available tech. If you like Deadpool just as much as you like hacking enemies to pieces in video games, then Marvel’s Deadpool VR is the perfect title for you. For everyone else, it’s still a pretty fun experience that can be annoying at times, but is overall a bloody good time.
I hope Call of Duty 2026 is like a defibrillator and not only gives the series a second wind, but also revitalizes my love and enthusiasm for this franchise that I have been playing since I was 5 years old.
