Jeff Cork
Destruction AllStars' frantic blend of bumper-car and on-foot action offers plenty of short-term fun, but the thrills are less thrilling after a few hours
Cleverly designed levels offer moderately tough challenges, but generous checkpoints and a genial atmosphere make it easy to keep coming back
Don't let the lackluster production values scare you off. Song of Horror has some genuinely shocking moments
Judgment is a Yakuza game in all but name, offering the same dizzying array of action, side content, and a lengthy (and convoluted) story
Bite-sized missions and an engaging empire-building layer make Shakedown: Hawaii a great destination – whether you have minutes or hours to spare
Solid roguelike elements keep the action engaging and tense. No previous experience (or nostalgia) with the series required
Your enjoyment is dependent on the room's creativity, but great prompts and easy-to-learn games help the humor-challenged from ruining everyone else's fun
This final chapter is bittersweet, wrapping up King Graham’s story while pointing toward something new
Dragon Quest Builders is a great alternative for people who want more structure from a Minecraft-style experience – and plenty of structures to build
Once Upon A Climb is a delightful romp that makes me excited for the next installment
Cuphead is a singular experience. Studio MDHR knew what it wanted to make, then went ahead and made it. A tough boss-rush game based on classic animation archetypes? It shouldn’t work, but here we are. It’s fun to play, and possibly even as satisfying to watch, since you can fully absorb what’s going on screen. It would have been easy to dial down the overall difficulty (and I wouldn’t have complained), but that wouldn’t have been Cuphead, either. Stick with it, is all I can say. We don't often get something that will make you laugh and grind your teeth in such close proximity.
Adr1ft's mix of tense gameplay and mature storytelling stays with you after the mission's end
This is a great family game, and it's an opportunity for people who don't have a Vita to see why it's a favorite
Blowing up everything loses its anarchic thrill after several dozen times, but it's still a blast
For players who haven't yet played this classic, the 20th Anniversary Edition is the best way to do so
For Honor is as close as most of us will get to our sword-and-shield fantasies, and it is amazing when it all works. Unfortunately, networking and interface issues are a chink in its armor
Hypnospace Outlaw captures the essence of being online in 1999, while delivering a series of clever and engaging mysteries
The zany story, huge roster of great characters, and quality-of-life updates make this one of the best entries in the entire Lego library
Yakuza Kiwami is a sprawling adventure, but – as enhanced as it is – it's clearly a foundational entry in the series
With imaginative puzzles and wondrous settings, Broken Age is a delightful game for fans of adventure