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Halo: Campaign Evolved is clearly meant to serve as a basis for what’s to come from Halo in the future, and while the game itself isn’t bad, this remake has made me a bit worried about the franchise long-term. On its own, Campaign Evolved doesn’t do a whole lot to justify yet another remake of Halo: Combat Evolved. Knowing that it will almost certainly be the first in a long string of Halo remakes also is a bit concerning, especially if those future remakes also don’t include multiplayer. As much as I enjoyed another playthrough of Halo with this latest reimagining, I’m left feeling as though Xbox still doesn’t know what to do with its most iconic franchise.

Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game’s trite campaign is just one of its many uninspired or poorly assembled parts. The slapdash tutorials don’t adequately run through Legends’ many mechanics. Lacking a ranked mode means matches can be widely lopsided since most players are shoved into the same queue, and not having a true lobby system further inhibits those who want to test their might online. All of its solo modes are dull and aren’t flexible or creative enough to let players truly improve. It’s a damning list of downsides, but it’s carried by its character variety and phenomenal freedom of expression. The actual combat is a load-bearing pillar here, meaning Gameplay Group International, perhaps at the expense of almost everything else, honed in on what was the most important. Like a mix between a Fire Nation soldier and an Air Noman monk, it burns hot, but it is also rather light.

In spite of some drawbacks, there’s still plenty of enjoyment to be had with Splatoon Raiders. Its fast-paced combat and short levels make Raiders a great game to play in brief bursts, which is particularly ideal for those who play Switch 2 while on the go. Nintendo has found with Raiders that it can absolutely expand the Splatoon IP outside of its trappings as a competitive multiplayer series with ease, but there’s still plenty of room for improvement and ingenuity if this spin-off were to get a sequel of its own in the future.

It’s this well-rounded approach that makes Denshattack such a thoroughly fantastic experience. Chaining tricks together and using a train as a projectile against various metal monstrosities while the bop-filled soundtrack thumps is enrapturing, especially as it expertly layers in more systems and rewards those who put in the time to master its intricacies. Placing these systems in a story about fighting back and building unlikely communities works surprisingly well and only adds welcome context to the destruction. It’s a masterful balancing act to put all this into one cohesive package that doesn’t veer off the rails, but Denshattack stays on the tracks, despite its penchant for sharp turns and breakneck speeds.

The Dark Animus rifts stand in deep opposition to how naturally every other change in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced gels with the rest of the experience. From small additions like the cute cat or monkey that hangs near the Jackdaw’s wheel to sizable alterations like the overhauled stealth mechanics, Resynced does an excellent job of touching up a classic with features that feel like they were there in the first place. Ubisoft didn’t slowly swap out every board of the Jackdaw and turn it into something else; it’s no Ship of Theseus. Instead, the team cleverly fortified its existing foundation in order to ensure this famous pirate ship will stand up a little more accurately to the lofty tales that precede it.

Even with these minor issues, I found myself eager to return to Moonlight Peaks each and every day. After putting a slightly concerning number of hours into the game for this review, I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of all the mysteries the town of Moonlight Peaks has to offer. I can safely say I’ll be playing this one long after the ink on my review has dried, and I am pretty confident in recommending this one.

Despite a few minor snags, though, Rhythm Heaven Groove is just plain fun. With an extensive library of single-player and multiplayer mini-games, every stage offers a unique and engaging challenge that ensures the game never feels stale. I often found myself muttering “just one more” during my play sessions because I just didn’t want to stop learning new rhythm games and challenging myself to make it to the remix stage. If you enjoy rhythm games or are a newcomer curious to give them a try, I think Rhythm Heaven Groove will feel well worth its $40 price tag for the amount of entertaining gameplay on offer.

As it stands, Abysuss is a solid if flawed take on the extraction shooter that benefits from a unique art design. There’s a much better game baked into the DNA of the game; it just needs the developers to fully unlock it before this fun enough extraction shooter becomes a must-play addition to the genre.

As a longtime fan of the game and larger series, this remake delivered in all of the right ways. And for those who haven’t played a Star Fox game before, the Switch 2 iteration is now the best jumping on point. While Star Fox 64 almost certainly didn’t need to be remade or improved further, I’m more than happy that Nintendo opted to return to it once again.

As a longtime farming and life sim enthusiast, I felt right at home, but I could see some fans yearning for simpler times. For me, though, this is everything I wanted In the Jungle to be and more, taking what I love about Dave the Diver and pulling in even more cozy gaming classics to level it up a step further.