Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, while not the definitive edition that includes all of the previous side content, embodies the perfect version of Erdrick's adventure that both old and new fans can appreciate as if a brand new adventure from Yuji Horii.
Slitterhead is an experience that's fantastic in still shots or in story trailers but the actual gameplay becomes a muddled mess when the player is forced into repetitive chase and combat sequences.
One of Akitoshi Kawazu's most experimental titles from the Super Famicom, Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven shows that a classic JRPG can be given a complete overhaul to turn into something brand new while still retaining its unique quirks and charm.
No matter how much I engaged with the core fundamentals of Metaphor: ReFantazio, I couldn’t escape the feeling that this was largely Persona 6 by another name rather than some new IP that could stand on its own merits.
As one of the few platformers to keep me grinning from beginning to end, Astro Bot is some of the most fun I've had working on a review all year. There's a profound sense of whimsy and wonder to everything that plucky little robot can do while the worlds he visits inhabit such a diverse set of environments and abilities. Astro Bot's adventure still may be far from over, but this time he's brought a few hundred friends along for the journey.
Visions of Mana is a fun JRPG for the first thirty hours but the continuous backtracking and overall padding left me feeling like my time wasn't being respected by the time Val's journey came to a close
Animal Well is a fantastic breakout title from both a new developer and publishing studio. Fans of Fez and Tunic will feel right at home jumping into this well.
Taking a step back from Kim Hung Tae's character designs for a moment, Stellar Blade is a phenomenal action RPG that evolves from the framework of NieR Replicant and NieR Automata to become one of the next cult classics.
Rise of the Ronin struggles to find its identity in ways that hinder what would otherwise be one of Team Ninja's finest works. A compelling story told against the backdrop of the 1850s Bakumatsu Period is instead overshadowed by a vapid and uninspired open-world setting and a narrative that rarely feels like the player has agency.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth takes the second chapter of Cloud Strife's struggle to save the planet he calls home and surpasses the highs of Final Fantasy VII Remake in every way.
An 80-plus hour rollercoaster of emotions and crime drama, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is the perfect way to send off Kazuma Kiryu's lineage and pass the mantle on to the self proclaimed hero Ichiban Kasuga.
A weak campaign with an unsatisfactory cliffhanger resolution, a Zombies map that's little more than rebranded DMZ, and a selection of multiplayer maps taken straight from Modern Warfare II (2009), Modern Warfare III barely stands up on its own merits, especially if you've thrown countless hours into last year's entry and have plenty to carry forward.
While another trip to Sotenbori is always worth the price of admission, Joryu's brief trip away comes at a high price: respecting the player's time in Like a Dragon Gaiden.
Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon is without a doubt one of From Software's most unique and polished experiences in the last decade. However, there's a certain expectation of AC Pilot skill getting into the cockpit that even making it through until the final chapter requires an established familiarity far above and beyond any Soulslike pedigree.