New animations and improved AI make Madden NFL 24’s on-field action the best it's ever been, but everything that happens off the field is a slog of dated modes and laggy menus that brings everything around it down.
Crash Team Rumble does a great job of transforming Crash into a unique, flavorful multiplayer game with some incredible maps and fun characters, but a lack of modes, some balance problems, and an irritating unlock system means it’s more of a snack than a full meal.
For every great thing Street Fighter 6 does — and there’s a lot of them — there’s some flaw, some annoyance, or a ridiculous microtransaction system. If you’re looking for a 2D fighting game to play online or with your friends, Street Fighter 6 is one of the best around. But almost everything around the fighting itself is flawed in a way it probably shouldn’t be. The fight is all, but we shouldn’t have to deal with all of this other stuff to enjoy it.
In my opinion, the answer is yes. I’ve dumped dozens of hours into Tears of the Kingdom, and I am still in awe of it. It shouldn’t exist, and it certainly shouldn’t be this good. It transcends its hardware, the genre in which it operates, and the series that spawned it. It’s a masterpiece. It’s Zelda. And I can’t wait to see how Nintendo tries to top it.
Diablo 4 feels like a statement game from Blizzard, a “we’re back” for anyone who was concerned after Diablo 3’s rough launch and the middling reception to Diablo Immortal. It’s the sequel to Diablo 2 people have been waiting for, and it doesn’t disappoint. Diablo 4 is a game about legacies, so it’s fitting that in developing it, Blizzard has re-solidified the franchise’s — and its own.
The story of Star Trek: Resurgence does an excellent job of capturing what makes Star Trek work by presenting strong characters and tough decisions. Some storylines lack closure and it doesn’t always run smoothly, but its heart is in the right place.
War has changed, and maybe we have, too. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
A ballet of blades and bullets.
When you're rocking this hard, why stop?
Need for Speed Unbound is a finely crafted ride that's great when running well.
Gungrave G.O.R.E oozes style and has a fantastic combat system, but a lack of variety, aggravating difficulty spikes, and often-frustrating design decisions keep it from reaching its full potential.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force is a throwback to the PS2-era, but that's part of what makes it fun.
There are some good ideas in Resident Evil Re:Verse, but balance issues, a lack of content, and aggressive monetization make it little more than a sometimes-fun curiosity.
Terrifying and unique, Saturnalia delivers almost everything you could want from an indie horror game in a single stylish and accessible package.
Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed's love for the source material shines through, but its good ideas are hindered by a lack of content and repetitive gameplay.
Fueled Up is a fun couch co-op game that delivers challenge and chaos in equal measure. Just bring some friends along for the ride.
Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance has good ideas, but poor enemy variety, samey levels, bad puzzles, a shockingly poor story, the lack of local co-op, several quality-of-life issues, and numerous bugs that affect every aspect of the game make it hard to recommend to anyone, no matter how much they like the source material.
Guilty Gear Strive is a beautiful, technically complex fighter that sports a great soundtrack, incredibly varied roster, fantastic teaching tools, and some of the best netcode in the genre all while making Guilty Gear more accessible without sacrificing too much of its technical depth. While its online lobbies need work, it's easily one of the best fighters on the market today. Go buy it and start rockin'.
The Ninja Gaiden Master Collection is a barebones port of two of the greatest action games ever made and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. The fact that these are the Sigma versions, and that Team Ninja has done nothing to iron out the weaker moments of these games, drags this collection down, but it's still a good way to play Ninja Gaiden on modern hardware.
Days Gone's PC port doesn't fix the game's generic premise or writing issues, but it does offer a slew of technical improvements that takes advantage of the PC's better hardware. Pair those with a compelling world and some great gameplay and you have an adventure that's better than it's often given credit for.