Trials of Mana is a great remake of a 16-bit classic, but its 16-bit roots are often hard to ignore.
The games in the Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy still deliver, but the bonus features are pretty standard fare.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 plays it safe but is otherwise exactly what Call of Duty multiplayer should be: fast, fun, and a little on the ridiculous side. An excellent string of missions that offer variety and flexibility come together to make Black Ops 6 the best Call of Duty campaign in many, many years. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Zombies mode is absurd and campy fun in all the right ways, with two interesting maps and a welcome return to round-based gameplay. [OpenCritic note: IGN separately reviewed the multiplayer (8), single player (9), and zombies (8) game mode. Their scores have been averaged.]
The great news is Commander Lilith and the Fight for Sanctuary DLC is more of the funny, loot-happy Borderlands 2 we know and love. It's a lot of fun and a novel way build anticipation for the sequel.
NHL 19 proves you can have your cake and eat it, too. It has a complex, sim-heavy Franchise mode, fun, fast, ridiculous arcade modes, and everything in between. There's a style of play here for anyone, from the absolute rookie to someone who lives and breathes hockey. The action on the ice feels excellent and there's just so much to do in NHL 19 that I was able to find a game mode to match any kind of mood I was in at the time. We don't need to ask “where did all the arcade-style sports games go?” anymore, because NHL 19 folded them all into a fantastic, robust package oozing with pure fun. What's most amazing is how the modes are so different in tone, but maintain excellence throughout.
After a very bumpy take-off, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has hit a smooth cruising altitude, with impressive new features and exciting modes that once again make it an outstanding achievement.
Fun, novel, and brimming with loot, Bounty of Blood: A Fistful of Redemption is the best of Borderlands 3's DLC batch so far.
Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze's addition of Funky Mode makes it more accessible without reducing the formidable platforming difficulty to a walk in the park. There's still a lot of challenge, even with the extra help Donkey's Funky uncle affords. But the Switch version manages to take just enough of an edge off a punishing game to let the fun platforming outshine its difficulty.
Kerbal Space Program is a deep, funny, and detailed physics sim that never takes itself too seriously.
Octopath Traveler is a JRPG dream come true.
Super Mario Maker 2 does nearly everything better than its already excellent predecessor, keeping the charm of a Mario game while introducing some incredible new ideas.
Unparalleled realism and an entire planet to explore makes Microsoft Flight Simulator a simulation like no other.