The Verge

What Surrounds Us manages to do a lot of interesting things, both thematically and with its gameplay, and it does it all in a tight, three-hour playthrough. Who knew a cute little donut had so much depth?

At a moment when the live-service space is imploding, and new shooters fail with alarming regularity, Raiders is a reminder of why these games are so popular in the first place — as well as a sign that Splatoon still has plenty of room to grow.

Campaign Evolved does a remarkable job of re-creating the experience of playing Halo for the first time. But that’s not enough to make Halo — or Xbox, for that matter — feel as essential as it once was.

Like other on-rails games, however, Denshattack! occasionally felt repetitive. Each region has the same general structure, meaning you’ll tackle the same types of levels over and over again. The game also has a lightweight story, but I mostly mashed through it. Like Star Fox, this isn’t a game you’ll be playing for the narrative; it’s all about the levels. But those are nitpicks. The sheer maximalism and expertly crafted levels meant that every time I started a new one, I couldn’t wait to see where the rails would take me next.

In many ways Dosa Divas is a careful balancing act. It’s a roleplaying game that shrinks down an epic quest, and a raw and personal story that isn’t afraid to get silly or tackle larger themes. The most impressive part of the game is that it manages to be all of those things without feeling bloated or unwieldy. It takes just as much time as it needs to — which is a good thing, because now I have lots of cooking to do.

The Dark Ages expanded the Doom formula, especially with a new shield that doubled as a throwable buzzsaw, but in the process added some unnecessary features. Revelations wisely focuses more on the core Doom formula of taking down wave after wave of bad guys and significantly cuts down on the rest.

Hopefully the TV issue gets fixed in a future update. Otherwise, Groove, like the rest of Rhythm Heaven series, is a near-perfect collection of bite-sized rhythm action. I always think of these games like albums, and Groove is a familiar yet new offering from one of my favorite bands.

In the end, I couldn’t solve everything. It took me about three hours to work my way through What’s the Password?, and I completed about 77 percent of the puzzles. But the game reminded me of the value of patience and a good night’s sleep; coming back in the morning with a fresh mind and coffee in hand, I usually had an easier time figuring things out. A lot of the fun of What’s the Password? was seeing what unexpected format would be thrown at me next, and that’s what gives the simple premise such depth.

Star Fox is illustrative of both the good and bad of this trend. In many ways, the visual overhaul benefits the experience, making it feel even more like a sci-fi movie you can play. But it also shows how awkward it can be when old-school gameplay meets modern graphics. In this case, the balance mostly works out in Star Fox’s favor. But it also has me more curious than ever to see how Nintendo remakes one of the most iconic and influential Zelda games.

And for all its dystopian elements, there’s something idealistic about a world where art, for good or ill, deeply matters. Diamond Hand may be a work in progress, but it’s a recipe for becoming obsessed with skill and perfection, chasing the world’s greatest sandwich and the string of lucky dice rolls that will get you there.