MrDeven

He’s finally back, and about time too! No seriously, DK is actually seriously back in one of the most fun games I’ve played in a hot minute, with personality and charm out the wazoo. After getting off to a bit of a bumpy start with Mario Kart World, the Switch 2 has finally made its mark on console history with this title. BUY IT!!!!

It’s one of the best Sonic games of all time—a remaster that reflects upon the best parts of the blue dude’s legacy and even tweaks some of the things that didn’t work in the original 2011 release—combined with a masterful evolution of the Frontiers formula focused on one of the most simultaneously complex and inspirational anti-heroes of our time, with a brief but impactful narrative. If that doesn’t sell you on this whole package, then come on. I dunno what to tell you man. Actually worth the hype.

Do you remember that feeling you had as a kid? The formative feeling of fun? Astro Bot is quite literally the epitome of that.

Imagine Drill Dozer, but with a steampunk aesthetic, better controls and even more innovation. Because that’s exactly what you’re getting here. This is why indie games are king

I was planning on simply writing “WOWIE ZOWIE” for this review, but that alone simply does not do justice to this vibrant, fun and surprising game. This is the best 2D Mario outing in a long long LONG time

Despite its rather simple difficulty and suffering from the unfortunate reality that it will never reach the insurmountable heights of Forgotten Land and Planet Robobot, this is an absolutely ROCK SOLID port/extended reimagining of one of my personal favorite Wii games, and it acts as an excellent first game for those unfamiliar with the Kirby franchise. The fact that HAL brought back a ton of fan-favorite minigames from past entries in Merry Magoland shows how much they care about the little pink guy even after all these years! I wish every game company had that level of respect for their legacy.

Bro. It's Metroid Prime, AKA one of the BEST FPS GAMES EVER MADE, finally home on the Switch after all these years with multiple control schemes and a satisfying visual upgrade. What else do I need to elaborate on here???? Props to Nintendo, Retro Studios, Iron Galaxy Studios and all of the other amazing folks responsible for developing a port that not only came the heck out of nowhere, but turned out to actually be worth the wait for a change. A true rarity in the current gaming era.

After hearing about all the praise for this game coming out of ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE, I signed up for Game Pass and bought an Xbox controller to specifically play it on my cheap $150 laptop. Hi-Fi Rush almost no flaws I can think of. Part of why that's so surprising is because there are so many gameplay elements that, when looked at individually, could easily devolve into cheap gimmicks. Tango Gameworks did NOT take that route and instead put their hearts and souls into crafting something that feels fun and nostalgic, yet fresh and new. The game's setting is beautiful, the gameplay is ridiculously addictive, all of the characters are relentlessly charming with PHENOMENAL voice direction, the visuals are pure pop art insanity and that soundtrack... ...SWEET CRUMPETS THAT SOUNDTRACK. Imagine if Devil May Cry, Rhythm Heaven, Jet Set Radio and Persona 5 went to karaoke night at a dive bar in Tokyo and formed a dream team prog rock band due to their immensely popular cover of "Baka Mitai". That's basically what you're getting with Hi-Fi Rush, but somehow it's even better than that. It's a new, bona fide gaming classic.

I had my doubts initially, but I can honestly say that this is the best 3D Sonic in quite some time. The open-zone format was a great idea on Sonic Team’s part and Sonic’s new upgrade system/combat mechanics feel more satisfying than the latest Bayonetta game, which is something I never thought I’d say. And it CANNOT be overstated how much of a brilliant move getting longtime comic writer Ian Flynn on board to write this game was, as the characters in this world finally feel like more mature, nuanced versions of themselves with less emphasis on silly jokes and one-liners— it’s all wrapped up in a surprisingly dark and existential plot. My only drawback to the whole experience are the cyberspace levels, which suffer from a lack of variety and don’t control as smoothly as I would have expected given the rest of the game, but that could just be a matter of personal preference. Frontiers is MUCH better than you’d likely expect it to be, and showcases a level of successful experimentation for this franchise I haven’t seen since the Dreamcast days.

This game kicks hiney. Everything about it from the get-go was right up my alley! A future cult classic in the making if I’ve ever seen one.

It’s literally Fall Guys but with Kirby and desserts, which by proxy makes it a better game. So much fun. WARNING: This game can and will destroy friendships. Play responsibly.

Easily the best non-Smash platform fighter I've ever played--take it from someone who played the alpha just a few months ago. It's easy to tell from the upgradable/customizable characters and justice done to each IP on display here that this is most certainly NOT some rushed licensed game like others of its ilk. HOWEVER I do have some qualms about the reward progression system, because at the time of writing its slow as molasses. I get that WB is pushing this thing as a F2P experience (and don't get me wrong it's a fine example of one at that), but it still feels unfair to casual players like myself. Despite that, I'd definitely recommend giving MultiVersus a shot. Looking past the corporate greed that most freemium games entail, the developers truly cared about making a game that feels polished and FUN to play, which is something to be said considering its still in the beta phase. Also you can pit Jake the Dog against a Game of Thrones character in the Batcave. How can I not give it a near-perfect score on those terms alone??

It's quite telling that I've never really been a fan of the Ninja Turtles franchise and still had an absolute blast playing this game. Hats off to DotEmu and Tribute Games for making one of the finest beat-em-ups in its class.

Quite literally the Elden Ring of modern platformers, except you can swallow cars and use vending machines as projectile launchers. If that isn't peak gaming then I don't know what is

Fun game with some of the best dialogue I’ve heard from a video game in a verrrry long time. I hope SE uses this as the benchmark for all their future superhero games because this is significantly better than Avengers by about 15 and a half country miles.

WHY THE HECK IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS GAME ITS INCREDIBLE But seriously though, this is a phenomenal tribute to the Contra and Treasure-developed games of the ‘90s. I’m shocked it’s not getting more attention than it already is.

This game is super-fun!! I was honestly a little worried going in that it would just be another boring modern racing game that focuses on realism over actual enjoyment, but Milestone miraculously managed to avert that by making one of the most vibrant and exciting games in its class. The cars are diverse, the physics are dope and the tracks are genuinely inspired. HIGHLY recommended whether you’re into the racing genre or not.

I almost didn’t think this game would live up to the insurmountable hype that preceded it, but somehow those maniacs at Insomniac did it. It is EXCEEDINGLY rare for ANY modern AAAgame to capture what made gaming fun in the past while also taking advantage of what next-gen technology can do—these guys put those two respectively amazing concepts together and just threw in some amazing writing and heart just for the heck of it. I’m gonna say it: no PS5 is complete without this game.