Dated design, clunky multiplayer systems, and unacceptable load times make playing Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition a terrific chore.
Onimusha: Warlords is exactly how you remember it, and in 2019, that's not necessarily a good thing.
There are already so many different ways to play Minecraft, and the 3DS version fails to live up to the standards set by the other versions. It's not a bad slice of pizza, but there are so many better choices.
EA Sports NHL 18 is quite possibly the most accessible sports game on the market, as well as being a load of fun.
Octopath Traveler 2 is a very enjoyable JRPG sequel that feels a little too safe and familiar.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer moves the formula forward with bigger maps and more customization without sacrificing its bulletproof mechanics. [OpenCritic note: IGN separately reviewed the multiplayer (8) and single-player campaign (6). Their scores have been averaged.]
Call of Duty: Vanguard's multiplayer doesn't do enough new to distinguish itself from the last few years to be a great game, but its excellent maps and Champion Hill mode mean that it's still a reliably good time.
A beautiful modern rendering of a PlayStation classic, Legend of Mana retains both the charms and the problems from its initial release.
Super Mario Bros. 35 is stressful, strategic, and quite a bit of fun, but its repetitive nature makes it feel a little less super after a while.
Simple and fun to play, Minecraft Dungeons is a good entry-level dungeon crawler, but it doesn't dig too deep.
Moxxi's Heist of The Handsome Jackpot starts off a little bumpy, but when it goes all-in, it hits the jackpot.
Runner 3 is a fun, challenging experience with a weird, charming aesthetic brought down by out-of-date graphics.
I found myself thinking about my daily farming routine in Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns even when I wasn't playing it. Since there's never any feeling of the grim spectre of Father Time looming large and there are enough random events to shake up the daily routine, doing my virtual chores in these charming and beautiful towns and unlocking a steady stream of rewards is relaxing, despite some annoyances with unnecessary travel and unskippable animations. And since the only requirement of Trio of Towns is to prove that farm life is a noble life, the pressure to succeed is never daunting.
Assassin's Creed 3 Remastered does a good job bringing an older game into the modern era, all things considered, but it can be hard to go back to.
NHL 16 brings the series back up to speed with some great modes and features, but you can't count on its online modes.
NBA 2K18 is the gold standard for sports simulations, but this year's entry is overloaded with microtransactions.
Station to Station is a relaxing, cozy railway planner with clear goals, flexibility in how you accomplish them, and the absolute perfect amount of challenge. It doesn't try to be anything more than a fun and easy going experience, and the fact you can randomize levels and crank their difficulty up a bit provides some nice variety to how you approach each session. I love its voxel-based graphics so much, the music is soothing, and it just oozes charm. Even failing a level didn’t frustrate, because it just meant I got another opportunity to roll through the blocky countryside and do a little better. Its biggest strength lies in its simplicity, and it doesn't stray too far from that initial gameplay premise. Honestly, it doesn't have to.
Exciting combat, fantastic art direction, and interesting environments only make me wish Boomerang X were twice as long.
Game Builder Garage is a robust, yet easy to learn, game engine that's absolutely delightful.
Bravely Default 2 is a long, familiar JRPG journey with excellent customizable combat and beautiful backdrops that pass the time as you work through its extended stretches of grinding.