Julio La Pine's Reviews
Enshrouded has set a new standard for the genre, and Keen Games has shown the true power of early-access development, turning an addictive survival-crafting game into an action-adventure masterpiece.
Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen delivers the progression, exploration, and expanded skills the base game needed, creating the definitive Dragon’s Dogma 2 experience.
This prequel once again raised the bar for the series and the genre, delivering one of the year's most brutal, jaw-dropping shooters.
Minecraft Dungeons II is a huge step up in this spin-off series. The combat and progression systems are extremely engaging with a lot of depth, yet pretty accessible for those jumping into it for the first time.
The Blood of Dawnwalker is an excellent dark fantasy RPG that shines thanks to its strong sandbox elements. As a debut title, Rebel Wolves has done a terrific job of finally doing justice to vampires in video games.
Capcom pushes all boundaries once again with Onimusha: Way of the Sword by delivering a compelling narrative alongside one of the most reactive and engaging combat systems in the genre.
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy delivers the franchise's strongest gameplay and puzzle-solving yet, but an increasingly predictable story prevents it from reaching the same heights narratively.
Mortal Shell 2 is a superb sequel that reimagines and refines every idea from its predecessor while sidestepping many of the pitfalls that often hold the soulslike genre back.
Beast of Reincarnation is GAME FREAK's latest endeavor, showing the studio is more than capable of moving beyond the creature-collecting genre. With an excellent story and gameplay systems that work cohesively, it stands as another highlight of 2026.
Final Fantasy X/X-2 Remaster consolidates most of the features we've seen in other remasters, bringing a full, ultimate experience to play these classics, but its steep price and no upgrade option for Switch 1 users sting.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is a superb remake of one of the best installments in the series, which feels fresh for veteran fans and is an excellent starting point for those getting behind the Jackdaw's helm.
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales brings solid action-adventure foundations to the gorgeous HD-2D style, which has now reached its pinnacle. While the story and characters feel flat at times, it is an excellent first entry to what I hope becomes a formula that Square Enix uses more often.
007 First Light is not only the best James Bond video game to date, but also one of the greatest action-adventure titles of this generation, full of jaw-dropping action sequences, a compelling narrative, and superb acting.
Rune Dice brings a fresh and unique take on the roguelike formula, with some of the best progression systems in the genre and a challenging yet rewarding gameplay loop.
Playground Games has once again set the gold standard for racing games, surpassing all it did with Forza Horizon 5, and making the sixth installment a benchmark not only for the genre, but for open-world driving experiences as a whole.
Invincible VS is an excellent fighting title with solid foundations and a low skill floor for newcomers, while also offering a high skill ceiling for those willing to become...invincible.
Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred stands as one of the best Diablo, nay, Blizzard expansions ever made. Its superb narrative, incredible new classes, and several revamped features feel like a new beginning for Diablo.
Pragmata is a bold and beautiful experience that shows Capcom is just as great at making new entries to its franchises as it is at creating brand-new, exciting IPs.
Samson has a solid foundation and several interesting ideas, but an uninspiring combat system and several glitches quickly drag this adventure down.
Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection is a stellar collection of some of Mega Man's often-forgotten adventures that, despite some shortcomings, feels excellent to play with modern QoL features and other additions.