Jt0429

At launch the game was notorious for bugs and jank; later patches and updated versions improved stability and performance, but some awkward animations and quirks still remain. Inventory and UI can feel clunky and slow, and certain mechanics (like saving, lockpicking, and early combat) may put off players who don’t enjoy trial‑and‑error learning. Despite this, the combination of historical authenticity, systemic depth, and strong atmosphere makes Kingdom Come: Deliverance stand out in a crowded genre. As an immersive, grounded medieval RPG it comes highly recommended if you value realism, role‑play, and patience over instant power fantasy.

PAW Patrol Rescue Wheels Championship succeeds at what it clearly aims to be: a straightforward, colorful racer that lets kids drive around as their favorite pups. It lacks depth, complexity, and longevity for older or more experienced players, but that’s not really who it’s for. As a children’s game, I would recommend it for PAW Patrol fans and families, but skippable if you’re looking for a robust kart racer in general.

Madden NFL 26 functions as a competent way to play digital NFL football, but it does little to justify itself beyond being “this year’s roster update.” On-field action can still be enjoyable, yet it’s hamstrung by long-standing issues and a lack of bold improvements. Modes either stagnate or are aggressively tied to monetization, leaving the package feeling thin for returning players. As a result, it's an acceptable game for diehard NFL fans who need the latest rosters, but very hard to recommend to anyone hoping for a genuinely fresh or ambitious football experience.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii succeeds because it commits fully to its premise: a modern‑day pirate fever dream starring one of the series’ most beloved lunatics, executed with style, heart, and an almost embarrassing amount of fun content. Weaknesses like occasionally stiff naval handling, recycled environments, and a story that prioritizes energy over depth keep it just below masterpiece status, but they don’t meaningfully drag down the overall experience. As a spin‑off, it’s top‑tier—more than a stopgap before Like a Dragon 9, it’s a great voyage that any fan of the series, or of over‑the‑top pirate adventures, should seriously consider boarding.

Final Fantasy II doesn’t magically turn a strange, uneven experiment into a top‑tier classic, but it does elevate it into a genuinely enjoyable retro RPG with clear historical value. Its unconventional growth system, solid but familiar story, and excellent audiovisual overhaul combine into an experience that’s often compelling, occasionally clumsy, but rarely outright tedious anymore. For newcomers doing a series playthrough or long‑time fans who bounced off old ports, this is easily the best way to experience FFII

Indika is not trying to please everyone; it’s trying to say something sharp, strange, and uncomfortable, and on that front it succeeds remarkably well. Its flaws—occasional mechanical clumsiness, limited interactivity, and a divisive, ambiguous ending—are real but ultimately overshadowed by its daring narrative, strong performances, and cohesive artistic vision. For players who value story, atmosphere, and thematic ambition over complex systems, Indika is one of the standout narrative experiences of its era, and a game that will likely stick in your mind long after the credits roll.

Good- Interesting setting; Some clever ideas here and there. Bad- Unsatisfying combat; Lackluster loot; Lack of feedback during fights. Thoughts- Achilles: Legends Untold is a game that definitely has some interesting ideas going for it, but unfortunately, none of these ideas really come together well enough to form anything but a game that, at best, will help you waste a few hours.

Good- Two distinct brawler combat styles, including a slick new one; Multiple maps; Loads of side activities. Bad- A distinct lack of polish; A constrained story; Lack of English dub at launch. Thoughts- Is it still worth playing? Absolutely, if nothing else it’s a good way to get back in the RGG Studio universe and mood ahead of the upcoming launch of Infinite Wealth early next year. What’s here is still good (not great), and fans of Kiryu or the overall story will at least want this missing piece of narrative, warts and all, to have the full picture. It’s just… for the first time in a very, very long time, a new Like A Dragon release feels a little underwhelming. It’s a funny feeling, that’s all.

Good- Easy to pick up handling that's difficult to master, with each vehicle feeling unique. Realistic course and weather conditions, with long, well-paced layouts. Moments feels like a strong addition while Builder Mode provides extensive customization. Strong presentation and visuals, with an exceptional amount of content. Bad- Some slight performance hiccups, mostly before races. Career Mode has a few issues to iron out. Online multiplayer lacks any Quick Race option and requires long wait times. AI could use a bit of tuning. Thoughts- Overall, EA Sports WRC is a worthy successor to Kylotonn’s games and Codemasters’ rally titles. Several things need to be improved, but as a complete package, it’s a fun, meaty experience for rally racing fans to dive into.

Good- Brutalizing zombies is still fun; Stunning visuals and art design; Impressive environments. Bad- Quickly gets repetitive; Uninspired mission design. Thoughts- When all is said and done though, is Haus good enough to warrant a trip back to Dead Island 2’s HELL-A? Well, that depends on what you’re looking for. If you just want an excuse to smash zombie brains again, then sure. Dead Island 2’s crunching combat is more than capable of providing short bursts of goofy, gory fun, and that continues to be the case here, even if it does feel like it’s wearing a bit thin by the time the expansion comes to a close, especially combined with the uninspiring mission objectives. On the other hand, if you were hoping that Dead Island 2’s first expansion would be a major chunk of content that would bring interesting new ideas to the table, you’ll likely be disappointed by what’s on offer here. Hopefully, the second of the game’s two expansions – SOLA Festival, which is due out in Q2 of 2024 – will be a meatier and more ambitious one, because Haus ultimately doesn’t do enough to justify a return to this zombie-filled world.

Good- Wonderful art direction; Great audio; An interesting story; Intriguing mysteries. Bad- Not much gameplay; Too many flashbacks. Thoughts- The Invincible is a game held up in large part thanks to just about every single one of its aspects aside from the core gameplay. While there’s quite a bit of exploration, the gameplay isn’t really why you’d want to play the game in the first place. Rather, it’s the story, writing and characters that will pull you **** simple story of The Invincible may not be the most bombastic or fantastical one out there—it is based on a sci-fi book to begin with, after all—but rather, the quieter moments of the game, where Yasna is just looking up at the night sky and wondering about things aloud that really make the game what it is. Of course, it also helps that the game has incredibly strong art direction, with one of the best executions of the art-deco-inspired retro futurist aesthetic in a video game.

Good- Set piece creation is a solid new addition; Meaningful improvements to transfers; Improved on-pitch animations; Core loop remains as addictive and engaging as ever. Bad- Not a lot of major improvements; Player interactions still have plenty of room for improvement; Improvements to the match engine are marginal. Thoughts- Ultimately, Football Manager 2024 neither surprises nor disappoints. If you’re familiar with what the franchise is about, going into the game, you’re going to get exactly what you expect. It’s an iterative upgrade that continues to build on the series’ incredibly strong foundation with a number of smaller improvements. And though none of those improvements might stand out individually as headline-grabbing ones, collectively, they do make a noticeable difference. Is it enough of a difference to warrant a purchase of the game if you already have Football Manager 2023? Perhaps not, especially since next year’s instalment is promising to be the biggest shake-up in the history of Sports Interactive’s long-running series. But is it a game that you can easily sink hundreds of hours and sleepless nights into, as has become traditional for the franchise? It most certainly is.

Good- Gorgeous aesthetic and visuals with a soundtrack that accentuates the atmosphere. Fun gameplay loop that remains fresh throughout. Solid biome design that introduces new mechanics at a good pace. Interesting story and lore, with environmental detail adding to the charm. Bad- Some slight jank, especially when rappelling around or walking around normally in the environment. Not too much freedom to explore anywhere. Storytelling can take some time (and reading) to draw you in. Thoughts- Jusant’s greatest strength is that there’s nothing quite like it. Other similar types of games may try to test your mental fortitude, but DON’T NOD is more interested in taking you on a journey – vertically-fashioned, sure, yet easy enough to grasp and master, while presenting a relevant environmental message. The story-telling, lore, visuals and gameplay loop combine for a solemn, relaxing experience.

Good- Beautiful world; Engaging stories, action, and detective work. Bad- Lackluster facial animations. Thoughts- At the end of the day, RoboCop: Rogue City is an experience meant for RoboCop fans made by RoboCop fans. While Teyon isn’t massive studio that has the resources to output AAA blockbuster titles, the team absolutely puts their best foot forward with the property. Long time gaming fans should understand the difference between an AAA and an AA title with the former typically being able to afford far more production value due to the backing of big publishers. With that in mind, RoboCop: Rogue City is easy to recommend to the most ardent fans of RoboCop, in particular.RoboCop: Rogue City aims to deliver a fan-crafted experience, and it succeeds on nearly every level. With the understanding that this title comes from a smaller studio with limitations in the AA space, it’s easy to forgive the lack of polish in certain areas such as facial animations. Otherwise, Rogue City is a thrilling ride you should experience.

Good- Solid presentation that captures the atmosphere of UFC. Fighters look good with decent animations and details. Career Mode is made even better with quality of life improvements. Combat is mostly on point with improved submissions and balanced AI. Authentic Damage adds more strategy to fights, and doctor stoppages enhance the realism. Bad- No full introductions by Bruce Buffer. Some hits don't feel like they should register, and there's a distinct lack of snappiness. Career Mode can get monotonous with its lack of additional activities. Ground and pound is pretty dismal. Doctor stoppages can get excessive. Not much of a jump forward from EA Sports UFC 4. Thoughts- Overall, I didn’t mind EA Sports UFC 5. It’s essentially an improved version of the fourth game with some intriguing new systems and mechanics, even if some (like doctor stoppage) could be better. The visuals are good, even if the presentation lacks in some key areas, and the gameplay feels fun, especially if you can get into the new submissions system.However, it just doesn’t feel like enough, especially three years after the last game, especially in Career Mode, character customization and so on. It’s not an awful game, but with how much has changed with the UFC over the years, EA Sports seems like it’s hesitating to take the next big step.

Good- Good use of lighting to create atmosphere; Story’s concept is interesting. Bad- Bad level design; Mediocre combat; Stilted voice acting; Terrible cinematic direction. Thoughts- Ultimately, Quantum Error is a game where the studio seems to have ideas well beyond its capabilities. Where its story and general concept are unique and interesting, it’s all let down by voice acting and cinematic direction that, at the best of times, feels questionable, and at worst is just downright bland and **** best thing about the gameplay in Quantum Error is that it just works. It controls fine, and the DualSense’s adaptive triggers’ implementation is done really well here. Unfortunately, other aspects, like the lack of any real feedback on whether an enemy actually got hit, strange level design decisions, and insistence on stealth in a game that doesn’t really give you any tools to sneak around with drag it all down. The best thing I can ultimately say about Quantum Error is that its story and concepts are at least interesting—even if the story is told in an absolutely terrible way that throws way too many badly directed cinematics at you.

Good- Delightfully compelling and addictive gameplay loop with a mountain of systems and mechanics doled out at a steady pace that keep things fresh; funny characters; over the top and self-aware humour; great graphical style. Bad- Slowdown in some busier portions; could threaten to get too overwhelming for some players. Thoughts- In a year full of great games, Dave the Diver is one that still manages to stand out. It was a big hit when its 1.0 version hit PC earlier this year, and it manages to remain a standout experience now that it has launched on the Switch as well. The best recommendation that I can give Dave the Diver is that, in a year as packed and full of great games as 2023 has been, I would still call special attention to it, and say that it stands **** play it.

Good- The visuals look good, whether it's the environmental textures or the lighting. Some decent puzzles in the beginning. Gunplay, when it works, is serviceable. Bad- Combat as a whole is unpolished. The dialogue is laughable at best and mind-numbing at worst. Tries and fails to imitate better horror games. No real sense of horror or tension. Poor presentation and voice acting, with one of the worst protagonists ever. Boring exploration and progression. Dumb enemies and glitchy bosses. Thoughts- In summary, buy Black Tabby Games’ Slay the Princess instead. It’s a better horror game, a much better story with interesting characters, has a distinctly gorgeous 2D art style and is cheaper. Even if you receive Stray Souls for free, the few laughs you’ll get from the absurdity of it all and the solid graphics can’t overcome how terrible the gameplay experience is. It may not beat the likes of Skull Island: Rise of Kong or Gollum for Worst Game of the Year, but that speaks more to their utter lows than anything else.

Good- Fun combat; Enthralling story; Interesting characters; Gorgeous visuals; Excellent atmosphere. Bad- Jump scares don’t add anything to the game, combat system is too simplistic in its mechanics. Thoughts- Alan Wake 2 is a great horror game. Its use of its environments to create atmosphere is fantastic, and unlike the original Alan Wake, the core gameplay is fun too. The story, while fairly complicated, is told quite well not only through the use of cutscenes and conversations, but also through the rather inventive Mind Place, where players can put together clues and read through notes themselves, ultimately coming to the same conclusion as Saga Anderson. The eponymous Alan Wake’s involvement in the story is also incredibly interesting, especially thanks to the expansion the game’s setting saw with Control. Alan Wake 2 is bound to be enjoyable for not only fans of the horror genre, but for anyone that enjoys a good third-person action game with spooky elements and gorgeous visuals. Of course, the Twin Peaks and X-Files vibes certainly help as well.

Good- A collection of some of the most influential games out there; Excellent extra goodies; All games play and perform absolutely fine. Bad- Weak offerings in the soundtrack. Thoughts- All in all, Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 is an excellent release. Not only do you get three fantastic stealth/action games to play through, featuring some of the most interesting and outright insane characters in video games, you also get a ton of extra goodies. The books and digital graphic novels are especially noteworthy parts of the collection, since they can let you take a break from the intense stealth gameplay offered by the games to instead delve deeper into the downright absurd world of Metal Gear. And if less complexity is your thing, there’s also the ability to play through the NES and MSX releases of Metal Gear, with each platform’s version being essentially completely different **** if you manage to finish playing through all of the core games, there are also plenty of gameplay extras to tinker around with, like Metal Gear Solid: Integral or Metal Gear Solid 3’s European Extreme difficulty mode.

Good- The speedrunning gameplay loop feels great, thanks to smooth controls, varied encounters, strong level design with multiple approaches and capable enemies. Sleek futuristic visuals, backed by well-optimized performance, and a great synthwave soundtrack. Epic boss fights. Several characters are appealing while the overall lore is expanded well. Some motorcycle sections feel very good. The revamped progression is more streamlined but also interesting in its own way. Bad- Wooden expressions on the human characters. Some iffy dialogue that doesn't quite land. One motorcycle level feels tedious and goes on for some time. The enemy placement in certain sections feels a little unbalanced with way too many ranged units, especially those that can kill you across the map. Jank, which manifests when using Blink. Thoughts- If you enjoyed the original or the demo, Ghostrunner 2 is a worthy follow-up. It looks great and controls well while delivering some stellar level design and boss fights. Even if some sections can feel overtuned in terms of enemies, the occasional jank emerges, or your human allies stare into your very soul with their near-blank expressions, this is a fast-paced action-adventure that shouldn’t be missed, if you can deal with the constant respawning.

Good- An incredible amount of inventiveness and variation in every level; excellent controls and level design; dripping with charm and whimsy with an overwhelming amount of personality-laden animations and aesthetic; the game almost never seems to repeat its tricks and gimmicks; surprisingly smartly implemented online functionality. Bad- Some people may feel disappointed at the lack of collisions in co-op. Thoughts- After two decades of New Super Mario Bros., the 2D Mario games were in desperate need of reinvention. The NSMB series was good, but it represented a safe, sterile take on the Mario universe that led to the 2D games being left behind not just by the overwhelmingly excellent and inventive 3D Mario titles, but other 2D platformers made by other developers too. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a statement of intent. With Wonder, Nintendo shows us that 2D Mario is no longer content to stay in its 3D siblings’ shadow, and will instead be every bit the genre leading property that Mario should be. By re-injecting a healthy dose of whimsy and, yes, wonder back into proceedings, Super Mario Bros. Wonder makes the case for being one of the best 2D platformer games of all time, Mario or otherwise.

Good- It has Kong. Bad- Horrible combat; Pointless platforming; Level design that wants to waste your time; Broken enemy AI; Useless combat abilities; Lack of any real feedback during combat; Hostile camera; General lack of polish; Poor visuals. Thoughts- Alongside its other ideas also being rather poor, a running theme with Skull Island: Rise of Kong is a lack of polish. The game has terrible visuals, some downright horrendous gameplay, and level design that seems to be more keen on wasting your time rather than presenting you with any interesting challenges or rewards. The level of polish is so low, that the game’s taskbar icon on Windows is just the standard placeholder icon any game developed in Unreal Engine has. Unless you’re a massive fan of monkeys, stay clear of this game.

Good- Aesthetic looks nice with decent lighting and shadows. The exploration and sense of discovery are on point, at least in the early going. Water mechanic, which necessitates avoiding the sun, is unique and challenging. Intriguing mechanics like reviving dead plants, generating vines to climb and more. Bad- Some environmental textures look extremely substandard. Iffy performance, even when playing on Medium settings. Starts to feel a bit stale after the opening hours, especially with lackluster enemy variety. New biomes also don't feel all that interesting. Gear is mostly lackluster and combat is dull. Building and terraforming don't feel very intuitive. Thoughts- Overall, Wildmender has an interesting premise that needs more time to grow into its own. Some aspects, like the construction and terraforming, can be improved over time. However, in terms of progression, combat, exploration and immersion, it’s competent enough without breaking the mold or drastically changing things up, even a few hours **** you’re keen on a new setting and don’t mind the performance issues that come with it, Wildmender may be worth checking out while taking a break from other titles. Otherwise, it’s a serviceable but ultimately forgettable sandbox experience.

Good- Improved career mode, better track layouts, gorgeous visuals. Bad- Bikes feel wobbly, certain progression elements are not fun. Thoughts- In conclusion, Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 is a sequel that’s bigger and better than the original in almost every regard. Right from the vehicle selection to track layouts and race types, each new improvement the sequel does helps in making this arcade racer a more polished and complete experience this time around. Some design decisions like the risk-reward-based progression don’t hit the mark, but looking at the broader picture – Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 is a sequel that’s unmissable for fans of the franchise, or at least worth trying out if you are interested in the prospect of racing around at high speeds in such faithfully recreated cars.

Good- Path-finding elements in the terrain. Bad- Visuals, controls, unsatisfactory core gameplay that stifles speed and impedes the "fun" factor at just about every turn. Thoughts- Most of the flaws from the first title were carried over to the sequel without any solid improvement in the game’s mechanics or offerings. At the end of the day, the core gameplay is often frustrating and dull leaving little room for any enjoyment in Career mode, multiplayer, and beyond. The parts where slow and methodical gameplay is required isn’t fun and the physics and controls will often be a hindrance to the entire experience.

Good- Strong visual style with great lighting and environmental details, coupled with solid music and voiceovers. Tower defense, escort and dungeon crawling mechanics combine well for some tense moments and strategic planning. Gunplay is on point and each hero's play style feels distinct. Good amount of upgrades and the lore of the Endless remains endearing. Bad- The Shove mechanic could use some more polish. Runs tend to feel samey due to lack of major distinguishing mechanics in each biome. Loot doesn't feel very exciting, even at higher rarities. Thoughts- Like its inspiration, Endless Dungeon won’t reinvent the roguelike genre. Nevertheless, it translates several genres into one compelling mix, with the new perspective and progression mechanics offering more long-term investment. The mysteries of the Endless may never be fully resolved, but they make for a fun, though conservatively quirky, adventure.

Good- Feels like a simultaneously unique and authentic Spider-Man story, just like its predecessors; Plenty of memorable boss battles and cinematic set piece moments; A largely engaging story; Increased sense of speed and the addition of web wings make an already incredible traversal system even more of a bright highlight; Combat has seen significant improvements to become that much more engaging; Both characters' abilities are a blast to use in combat encounters; Excellent side content with an impressive amount of variety and some solid storytelling; Open world doesn't feel as padded out as the first game. Bad- Simplistic progression mechanics quickly run out of steam; Final third of the story feels a bit rushed from time to time. Thoughts- In the end, for my money, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is exactly the game I was hoping it would be. It meets expectations in almost every way possible- it takes the incredible framework of its excellent predecessors, and builds on it in impressive ways in everything from the traversal to the combat to the open world and the content it offers. It does stumble here and there, particularly with the all-too-frequent peaks and valleys of its final narrative third, but by and large, this is yet another victorious outing for Insomniac and its Spider-Man universe.

Good- Decent fidelity on display in the environments, textures and majority of animations, with solid performance overall. Controls feel on par with the classic Sonic games in responsiveness, and the sense of speed is unmistakable. The classic-style Special Stages are fun to play. Bad- Bizarre lighting diminishes any visual appeal. Tedious Zone design with annoying gimmicks and unnecessary hazards which break the gameplay flow. Certain sections feel specifically catered to co-op in a bad way. Emerald Powers don't lead to fundamentally different gameplay - certain abilities are also especially chief in some boss fights. One of the worst soundtracks in the series to date, with some awful mixing. Battle Mode customization prices feel too high. New Special Stage is way too iffy with its grapple mechanics. Thoughts- As enjoyable as the sense of speed can be, with the background rushing by (thanks especially to the rock solid frame rate), it doesn’t make up for all those times where the action comes screeching to a halt as you deal with stage hazards and annoying gimmicks. Maybe you’ll have more fun with friends in co-op or embrace the potential online chaos that Battle Mode can offer. A Sonic game like this with a not-insignificant amount of development resources could’ve and should’ve been so much better.

Good- The game looks great, even better than the remake of the first game, doubling down on the stylization and cutting back on visual effects that might make it look dated or lower budget; some very interesting mechanics in combat that make for some very compelling battles; some great world building. Bad- The localization feels poorer than the first game; the lack of voice acting remains a bummer; the combat retains the randomness from the original game, while also upping the difficulty, leading to more frustrating battles; the story and characters all feel a lot more tropey and predictable this time around. Thoughts- Is Front Mission 2: Remake a great game? Not really, at least not by the modern standards of the SRPG genre. But it is, and I would argue unlike the remake of the first game, a genuinely good one. There are some pretty glaring problems here – I think the story isn’t as good as the first game’s to begin with, and it suffers in the storytelling aspects as well, from the lack of voice acting to the poor localization. The game’s combat also feels more frustrating this time around, with a higher difficulty level while also retaining a lot of the randomness from Front Mission 1st Remake. At the same time, however, it adds so many interesting mechanics, that not only help mitigate a lot of that frustration, but also make this game a legitimately interesting and compelling one. And it looks great too, doubling down on the stylization aspects of the aesthetic, and culling back on a lot of visual flourishes that would draw unfavourable comparisons to modern titles. At the very least, if you are a fan of the series, and/or the genre, and want to see how it grew and evolved through the years, this release is very much worth looking into – and it does the on its own merits, not just on the back of this being the first official release for this game outside of Japan.

Good- Weapon variety; Fun combat; The Umbral realm is a joy to explore; Gorgeous visuals. Bad- The storytelling is the weakest part of the game, and it largely relies on the gameplay to push the player forward. Thoughts- All in all, Lords of the Fallen is definitely one of the most impressive games in its genre. Coupling excellent gameplay with incredible visuals and an interesting take on the “realm of the dead”, the game ends up being a unique take on the Souls-like genre, despite it largely using the same gameplay and level design complex as its predecessors. While the game isn’t really revolutionizing the genre, it is instead acting as more of an evolution of tried and tested ideas and concepts.

Good- Exhaust Engine adds fresh tactical dimension, Fine-tuned crowd behaviour and overall atmosphere, Awesome slomo replays. Bad- Not all new features are new at all, Certain game modes demand a refresh, Improvements can still be made to overall presentation. Thoughts- Last year I gave NHL 23 a 7 out of 10 score; is NHL 24 worthy of an 8 out of 10? Well, some required presentation improvements and refreshes to certain game modes aside, the on-ice action does feel better than last year, so 8 out of 10 it is. Is it worth the asking price if you bought NHL 23? Well, no… annual sports titles never are. But if you haven’t taken to the ice recently then NHL 24 is a valid entry point.

Good- Presentation is better with additional scenes that add to the immersion and atmosphere. Decent commentary. Batting and bowling systems can be fun. Significant amount of content and difficulty settings. Bad- The advertised Pro Team is missing without any word of why. Visuals could use more polish. Commentary has limited lines. Awful menu music. Random responses while batting that add to the frustration. Missing IPL teams. Fielding overhaul amounts to very little. Annoying bugs. Thoughts- Maybe things will improve drastically in the next game. For now, unless you want a new Cricket game to play or are counting on the community to fill any gaps in content, Cricket 24 is difficult to recommend.

Good- A fun story with a satisfying resolution; surprisingly strong voice work for the main characters; charming characters and great fan-service for long-time fans; easy and fun to pick up and play for younger players. Bad- The graphics look dated, and there are a lot of loading screens; the gameplay is extremely simplified; the story is done well and is fun to follow along, but remains largely predictable. Thoughts- Should you play Detective Pikachu Returns? If you are a fan of Pokemon, and enjoyed the original game, you will probably get something out of this one. While there are some changes to what the first game did, on the whole, the boat has not been rocked too much, and you will still get more of that same formula here. Younger players especially will probably like this game a lot and be drawn to it, with its charming characters, fun story, and simplistic gameplay. For older players, the recommendation has more caveats, but if you’re down for getting a deeper look at the Pokemon world than you otherwise get, you’ll find what’s here fun enough.

Good- Baghdad is an incredibly realized, richly detailed, and highly atmospheric setting; The open world's design is helped massively by its more condensed scope; A tried-and-true collection of stealth tools and abilities, used in a way that's consistently fun; Well-designed stealth objectives and arenas, especially in black box missions; Proper parkour makes a glorious return, and remains fun throughout the game; Looks gorgeous. Bad- Bland story and storytelling; Sluggish combat; Characters' faces don't look great; Some might be disappointed by its lack of originality. Thoughts- In almost no department, Assassin’s Creed Mirage is anywhere close to being refreshing, inventive, or even too complex- it’s a game designed specifically to be pretty much exactly like the Assassin’s Creed games of old, and it takes that edict to heart. On some rare occasions, however, a lack of originality and a slavish devotion to recapturing past glories can be a good thing, and this is one of those rare cases. With Assassin’s Creed Mirage, you’re going to know exactly what you’re in for- an old Assassin’s Creed game made in 2023. And that is, by far, its biggest strength.

Good- Revamped gameplay feels fresh and endearing while raising the series' standard. Builders Cup and customizing a car to best suit your play style is fun. New car progression offers an addictive RPG-like spin. Stunning visuals with excellent performance. Stellar sound design. Impressive array of settings for realism and accessibility provide impressive freedom. Bad- Scant but severe technical issues, like the game hanging after applying upgrades or crashes in Performance RT mode, which void completed races in Builders Cup. Some pop-in, which is more pronounced in Performance RT. Location variety feels like a slight step down from Forza Motorsport 7. Thoughts- However, for the time being, Forza Motorsport is an incredible game. It’s simultaneously a fresh new start for the series and an incredible evolution of its best aspects. The sheer level of polish to its gameplay and presentation is something to behold, while its racing is some of the very best in the genre.

Good- Wonderful visuals; Simple without feeling simple; Interesting concepts with its worlds-within-worlds concept. Bad- Some puzzles can feel too esoteric or tedious at times. Thoughts- Some puzzle designs aside, COCOON feels like one of the best puzzle-solving games to have come out in quite some time. Its visuals and ambient music do an excellent job of creating a chill atmosphere while you’re solving puzzles, while at the same time easily ramping up the pressure when you take on a boss fight. The game’s minimalistic approach to storytelling also never feels overbearing, and its simple concepts and controls get taken to quite interesting extremes once you zoom out a bit and get a better picture of the world you inhabit, as well as the world you carry on your back.

Good- On-pitch gameplay is as fun as ever; Looks good and runs well; Sleek new menus Bad- Doesn't make any meaningful changes or improvements; The changes it does make are granular at best, and even most of those don't work out very well. Thoughts- And that’s really the story of FC 24 in its entirety. EA had the perfect opportunity to significantly shake things up for the series to go along with its new name, but once again, it has decided not to rock the billion-dollar boat. For the umpteenth time in a row, the series has failed to make enough changes and improvements, and the majority of the ones it has made don’t work out nearly as well as they could or should have, for one reason or another. It feels like an incredibly granular and half-hearted update, if you want to call it that, and while that’s ever been the way of the FIFA – now EA Sports FC – series, those issues sting a little extra this year. It’s a good thing that the on-pitch gameplay remains as solid and fun as it does – thanks, ironically enough, to the fact that it’s largely the same as last year’s game – because outside of the pitch, there’s plenty to be disappointed by in FC 24.

Good- Solid gunplay which feels weighty and responsive. Interesting array of heists with a decent amount of freedom to their approaches. Strong attention to detail in levels and a noticeable bump in visual quality over Payday 2. Bad- Throwaway story and plot. Infamy Level progression is heavily based on completing Challenges and not personal performance. No lobby browser, Quick Play or looking for group features. No Pre-Planning or chat in pre-heist lobbies. Solo play is terrible, with shoddy crewmate AI and always-online requirements. Poor UI design. Thoughts- While I enjoyed Payday 3’s overall gunplay and abject freedom, too many baffling omissions and design decisions get in the way. The fact that matchmaking issues – because even solo play relies on matchmaking, for some reason – can effectively render the game unplayable is just unacceptable. Starbreeze will improve on its foundation in the coming months and years (hopefully), but for now, Payday 3 is a major step back for the series and has a long way to go.

Good- Great combat mechanics; Each character offers an incredible amount of variety; No shortage of quests. Bad- Story is largely inconsequential; Can feel like a slog for solo play. Thoughts- Gloomhaven is an incredibly fun game, and this continues to be the case for the console release. While single-player focused players might find it fun, the game really shines when you play with other people. Parties of up to four players are encouraged by the game, and the console version also allows you to just pass the controller around for when it’s the right character’s turn. Its tabletop-styled visual aesthetics go incredibly well with its incredibly nuanced card-based combat to create one of the best digital board game experiences out there.

Good- A fun, sufficiently engaging story; Combat is still a ton of fun, thanks to the core mechanics; Excellently designed combat encounters; Grappling gun is a great addition, especially from a combat perspective; Great pacing. Bad- More of the same, for the most part. Thoughts- In the end, Separate Ways is a much better and more significant facelift of its original version than I had thought it would be. Where the original felt like a quickly cobbled together asset flip, the remake DLC feels like a proper mini-campaign of its own, one that not only adds important narrative context to the base experience, but one that also consistently excels on the gameplay front in all the ways that the RE4 remake itself does. If, since its launch earlier this year, you’ve played the remake and enjoyed it, there’s little chance of you not also finding plenty of enjoyment with Separate Ways. By its very nature, it’s obviously a much more condensed and much shorter experience – it’s still only an expansion, after all – but across its relatively brief runtime, it consistently delivers in all the right ways, just as the base game did earlier this year.

Good- Relatively fun on-track gameplay; No microtransactions; Vibrantly colorful tracks. Bad- Lack of content; No real progression model; Reuse of many pieces of content; No unique selling point. Thoughts- NASCAR Arcade Rush feels like it could have been much more than it is, because in its current state, it feels like a momentarily fun flash in the pan that rips more from Mario Kart than it has ideas of its own. It has almost no mention of NASCAR aside from the names of its tracks, and while its traditional cart racing gameplay has potential and a few moments of high intensity, it doesn’t set itself apart from any of the games that came before it. Given my affinity for much of the genre, I wanted to like NASCAR Arcade Rush more than I did, but in the end, it stalls much earlier than it should have.

Good- A gripping story that only gets better the more you play; Incredible cast of characters, backed by strong writing and excellent performances; Adds an excellent new ending to the base game; Dogtown is an excellent addition to Night City; The open world feels much more alive and vibrant; Solid side quests; Moment-to-moment combat and stealth are an absolute blast; Radially improved progression systems, with actual, legitimate build variety; Looks incredible. Bad- Side quests don't impact the main story in any meaningful way; Still has a few bugs, some of which are not minor. Thoughts- And yet, I still can’t help but be amazed by the radical improvements that Phantom Liberty has made to Cyberpunk 2077, to the extent that I would even call it one of the best expansions I’ve ever played. Very rarely do you see expansions that are so good that they uplift even the entire base experience, and that’s exactly what Phantom Liberty does. If this was the level of quality that Cyberpunk 2077 had managed to hit when it first launched, there’s no doubt in my mind that it would have gone down as an unequivocal victory for CD Projekt RED. All in all, I’ve spent roughly 30 hours playing the game with its addition of Phantom Liberty, and I have loved every second of it, bugs notwithstanding. I absolutely cannot wait to see how CD Projekt RED builds on the massive strides it has made here with future content in Night City.

Good- A solid offering of the core Bomberman premise, executed well enough; Battle 64 is a legitimately fun spin on the classic premise; cross-platform multiplayer ensures online play should remain populated for a while. Bad- The Castle Mode does not quite stick the landing; the story mode is mind numbingly trite and awful. Thoughts- Super Bomberman R 2 is a fun offering that improves upon its predecessor in some obvious ways, and tries to execute on the core formula faithfully and well. It also tries to expand upon that core offering in many ways. Many of these experiments do not play out, but some do, and its attempts at iteration are admirable regardless of the end result. And even when they don’t quite land, it does enough things just well enough to end up as a fun to play Bomberman game that will find a lot of traction at many parties for many fans.

Good- Looks as good as ever; ProPLAY animations are noticeable and an interesting improvement; MyTeam tweaked for the better. Bad- Glacially slow progression without microtransactions; Unfocused and underwhelming MyCareer mode; Inconsistent AI. Thoughts- A few tweaks to MyTeam and the short-lived but fun Mamba Moments highlight the major sellers of 2K24 over 2K23, while a bevy of other issues, most notably the oppressive presence of microtransactions, remain or have gotten worse. The 2K series is absolutely still the most robust basketball sim on the market, and if you’re just looking for a roster update and some minor tweaks this year, then 2K24 is your game. However, with no real story to tell and no revolutionary mechanic to introduce, 2K24 is just going through the motions while it waits out a holding pattern that won’t seem to end.

Good- Excellent graphics and art style; Invasions is the highlight of the experience; Sound design is exceptional; most of the story mode is satisfying; Online still remains a ton of fun; Diverse roster; Kameos are an excellent addition; Combat-wise, Mortal Kombat 1 is easily the best game in the series; Progression and gear system are better balanced than Mortal Kombat 11. Bad- The conclusion to the story mode feels rushed; Stages lack interactivity; Characters cannot be customized from the roster screen. Thoughts- In conclusion, Mortal Kombat 1 is easily the franchise’s best offering to date. It combines the series’ best-known elements and packages them together with an excellent Invasions mode and a robust online offering. The story mode along with Tower endings have me intrigued about the future of the series, although the events leading to the ending could have been handled better. Of course, there are also Kombat Packs to look forward, which to will bring in new characters, Kameos, and collectibles, but for now I have this to say: Let Mortal Kombat Begin.

Good- Remastered visuals are a massive step up over the original release and run great. Combat is solid and easy to get into, while opening up new skills and challenges. Seasonal mechanic changes up stages and offers significant replay value. Interesting plot and solid localization. Bad- Soundtrack is decent with a few memorable tunes, but definitely a step down from Falcom's best efforts. Overhead camera can be a little iffy, especially when you can't see obstacles ahead. Some twists are fairly telegraphed. Thoughts- In a year with blockbuster games, The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails surprised me. I went in, knowing that it wouldn’t be a typical Trails experience, and it won me over with its gameplay, presentation and intriguing plot. It’s not going to break new ground as far as action RPGs are concerned, but this is an all-around good game that delivers on pretty much every front.

Good- Lots of customization in weapons and abilities; Gorgeous visuals; Interesting setting; Excellent gameplay; Fun bosses; Creepy enemy designs. Bad- Story pacing in unbalanced. Thoughts- Lies of P is a fantastic addition to the Soulslike genre, with its own clever ideas about how weapons and special abilities work, and its wonderful setting. The game is absolutely gorgeous, even while playing on the Performance mode in the PS5 version’s graphical setting, and its enemy designs are some of the most inventive ones I’ve seen this side of Bloodborne. While it falters in telling its story, the gameplay alone was more than enough to ensure that any time I spent with Lies of P was an absolute joy.

Good- Moment-to-moment driving mechanics are much improved over The Crew 2; Playlists offer decent variety in themes and mechanics; Enjoyable side activities; Plenty of content to dive into; O'ahu is a beauituful and varied open world setting; Looks gorgeous; Solid performance. Bad- Questionable design decisions with the progression mechanics; Planes and boats are de-emphasized; Incessant NPC chatter, all of it poorly written. Thoughts- The Crew Motorfest is a solid step forward for Ubisoft Ivory Tower’s open world racing franchise. It’s a better game than any of its predecessors were, not only because the moment-to-moment driving is more fun, but also because it’s got a much stronger personality, and because it’s an open world setting is an absolute joy to behold, even after you’ve spent hours driving through it. Does it ascend to the heights of the Forza Horizon games it’s so clearly trying to emulate? No, not quite. But it does succeed in a lot of the same ways, delivering a racing game that’s well worth checking out for all fans of the genre.

Good- Smooth, fun gameplay mechanics; Great visual design. Bad- Lackluster progression grind. Thoughts- At the end of the day, SYNCED offers players a worthwhile shot at a potentially fun online free-to-play shooter. With any luck, future updates will refine the progression aspect of the game – it’s driving force in finding a returning audience. Still, fun and frenetic gunplay coupled with excellent visual design and the low, low price tag of “free” should at least earn an hour (at minimum) of your time just to see what the game is all about. It may not be the best free-to-play title out there, but you can easily do worse.