Super Mario Bros. Wonder looks and plays like the true next step for 2D Mario platformers. Wonder effects change each stage in both surprising and delightful ways, the Flower Kingdom makes for a vibrant and refreshing change of pace, and Elephant Mario steals the show.
Somerville has ties to modern legends Limbo and Inside, but it’s equally reminiscent of another Hall of Famer: Out of This World. The end result is a unique physics-based puzzle adventure that isn’t quite on the level of the games that inspired it, but is nevertheless an extraterrestrial nightmare worth exploring.
Gearbox's New Tales from the Borderlands successfully recaptures the charm and humor of Telltale's original adventure-game spinoff of the Borderlands first-person shooter series, but its attempts to stretch out the gameplay and the story don't fare as well.
Return to Monkey Island expectedly comes packed full of smartly crafted puzzles, funny dialogue, and memorable characters. But as series creator Ron Gilbert returns to the series’ director’s chair for the first time since 1991, it unexpectedly offers a lot of heart, too. It is an adventure gamer’s delight.
Tunic is an unapologetically challenging action-adventure game that is charming, multi-layered, and immensely rewarding to solve.
Halo Infinite's single-player campaign is exactly what this series needed. It brings out the best in Master Chief's unique and satisfying combat style while leveraging old ideas to create memorable new moments. Its story falls short for both new and veteran players, but it was worth the six-year wait.
Twelve Minutes injects a compelling time-loop mystery into a traditional point-and-click adventure game to create original gameplay that complements its story's curiosity factor.
Story isn't its strong suit, but the rest of The Ascent delivers a wonderfully realized cyberpunk world mixed with satisfying twin-stick gunplay to create an enjoyable action-RPG.
The Ancient Gods Part 2 is a challenging, smart conclusion to Doom Eternal's story arc.
Cold War's quiet times are more memorable than the loud ones, even if the story's ambition outweighs its execution.
The "Saints Row The Third" part of Saints Row The Third Remastered is good. The "Remastered" part...not as much.
Much of Modern Warfare 2 has aged pretty well, and the remaster is very well-done, but the 2019 reboot casts a shadow.
Doom Eternal is one of the best first-person shooter campaigns in years. Its brand of fun remains unmatched in FPSes.
Halo: MCC is like a divorced dad who stopped drinking, started going to the gym, and went to therapy to better himself.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's varied gameplay modes and excellent gunplay suggest the series is headed in a promising direction.
Luigi's Mansion 3 is so fun, charming, and smartly designed that I hope we get more than three of these every 20 years.
RAD is deeper and more challenging than it looks, making it a super fun post-apocalyptic adventure that's always fresh.
Saints Row 3 is still as fun as it is crazy on the Switch, but be warned if you're going to play it on a TV.
Dangerous Driving completes Burnout's revival, but not flawlessly.
Hitman 2 is like a hearty stew: not pretty, but so full of nutrition that you're bound to walk away full and happy.