Dragon's Dogma II doesn't feel like anything else on the market. Despite fantasy action-RPG being one of the most common genres, Dragon's Dogma II manages to stand out from the crowd. The unusual atmosphere, excellent combat, and general sense of place and weight make it feel distinct in a world full of Soulslikes or Skyrim clones. It's a boatload of fun to play, and it manages to make what could be a tiring genre feel fresh and full of life. If you're looking to hunt some monsters and cast some spells, Dragon's Dogma II is easily one of the best titles on the market.
Alone in the Dark is a perfectly fun survival-horror game that doesn't manage to stick the landing. Fun puzzle-solving struggles with awkward combat, and a lack of tension keeps the horror feeling limited. It's an interesting reboot of the franchise, and I could easily see it becoming something better in sequels, but the first outing feels unexceptional.
Outcast: A New Beginning is the epitome of a "perfectly fine" game. It plays well, runs well, looks fine, and is a decent experience that never manages to go beyond that. The mobility options make it a delight to explore the open world, but it lacks the punch needed to keep the momentum going. If you're looking for a solid and by-the-book, open-world game, Outcast does everything it needs to - nothing more, nothing less.
Cost aside, Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a perfectly delightful, charming and enjoyable puzzle-platformer that doesn't overstay its welcome. Taken entirely on its own merits, it is an excellent game that is a perfect mix of platforming and puzzle gameplay. It doesn't break any molds, but it provides an excellent arcade-style experience with minimal muss and fuss. Only its short length keeps it from being a strong recommendation, but if that isn't a flaw to you, then pop it into your queue.
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is an extremely polished and deeply enjoyable entry in the franchise. It doesn't break the mold or introduce wild new gimmicks, but it focuses on giving you more challenges, more options, and making the basic experience shine. This is a fantastic entry point for newcomers and a welcome return to form for longtime fans. It is the embodiment of what Shiren the Wanderer should be: easy to pick up, difficult to master, and addictive enough that you keep coming back.
Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth knocks it out of the park. It takes the already excellent first game and expands it to a bigger and more populated world. The combat has been improved, the dungeon design is better, the story hits a lot more than it misses, and from start to finish, it was pretty much everything I could've wanted. Only a few nagging problems keep it from perfection, and it's a love letter to everything that makes Final Fantasy VII great.
Slave Zero X has a few too many rough spots to make it an easy recommendation, but it isn't a terrible game. When you get into the groove of combos, cancels and bursts, it can be incredibly satisfying to leave the forces of fascism in bloody chunks on the ground, but the effort it takes to reach that point feels like too much to be worth it. If you're in the mood for a bloody, execution-intensive beat-'em-up, then Slave Zero X might be for you, but it might be tough if you're used to playing modern beat-'em-ups.
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is a great example of less being more. What it does well, it does very well, but those elements are bogged down in a needlessly large, open world that's been padded out with thin gameplay. When you reach the meat of the game, it's usually worth the effort, but there's so much dilution that it has difficulty shining through. The poor performance also makes the tedious elements feel more so. Like its main characters, Banishers is stuck in limbo between excellence and blandness, and I can only hope that any sequel will focus on quality over quantity.
Overall, Granblue Fantasy: Relink is an enjoyable action-RPG, even when divorced from its gatcha origins. It doesn't break any molds and tends to feel more like an MMO than Monster Hunter, but almost every part of it is well executed and enjoyable. If you've been curious about the franchise and want a more friendly way to explore it than gatcha and fighting games, Relink gives you everything you need. If you're looking for a chill multiplayer RPG to play with friends, Relink absolutely nails the experience.
Persona 3 Reload is a fantastic - if safe - remake of an excellent game. The updates to the mechanics and visuals do a lot to bring it in line with Persona 5, and many of the game's rough edges are smoothed out. At the end of the day, it's still Persona 3, with all of its strengths and weaknesses, and it does a great job of recapturing the feel of a 2009 game in 2024. Fans will find a lot to like in Reload, and newcomers to the franchise will find a fantastic start to their journey.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an overall fantastic entry in the franchise. Stuffed to the gills with content, there isn't a more fully packaged RPG on the market. The plot is charming and heartfelt, the characters are lovable, and the gameplay incredibly fun. It doesn't matter if you're a longtime Kiryu fan or jumped into the franchise with Kasuga; it's everything a Like a Dragon game should be.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is a worthy successor to the Phoenix Wright Trilogy released in 2019. It contains all of the same basic upgrades and improvements, and it finally means that the entire franchise - minus the Edgeworth games - can now be played on one system. The overall quality is similar, with the somewhat weak Apollo Justice being followed up by some of the finest Ace Attorney has to offer. It doesn't really matter if you're a newcomer or a long-tie fan; if you like turnabout cases and back-and-forth courtroom drama, this trilogy has you covered.
At the end of the day, The Last of Us: Part II - Remastered is a fine but pointless upgrade. In a vacuum, it's a straight boost to the PS4 version in every way, and the $10 upgrade cost is probably worth it if just for No Return. For all of its glories and failures, Part II is still the same game, even more so than The Last of Us: Part I. It's the best version of the game but probably not something that players need to rush out to get.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is an excellent Metroidvania. It doesn't completely break the mold of the genre, but it is firing on all cylinders, and it's a delight from start to finish. The excellent gameplay is bolstered by the anime-inspired visuals to create a distinctive style. The somewhat lackluster plot lags behind, but even that is mostly fun, if unexceptional. If you're a fan of Metroidvania-style games, you're certain to have a ton of fun with Sargon's adventure in The Lost Crown.
In Stars and Time is probably my dark horse for one of the best games of the year. It's a distinct, fun and interesting experience that makes masterful use of the time loop concept to create something that's deeply heartfelt. At times, it borders more on an RPG-themed visual novel than a full-on RPG, but it uses the RPG trappings more than well enough to justify it. Aside from some dullness when it comes to repeating events, In Stars and Time hits all the marks dead-on and should be a must-play for fans of plot-heavy RPGs.
Overall, Howl is a fun experience. It doesn't exactly break any molds, but it's a solid strategy/puzzle game that is well put together, and it scratches the itch of something like Into the Breach, even if it lacks much replayability. The gameplay loop feels great, and the short stages mean that you don't feel bad having to restart a level multiple times to assure a good score. It's well worth giving a shot, and it's a great example of a charming, low-budget indie title.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is a solid and enjoyable RPG that plays it very safe. If you enjoy Dragon Quest gameplay, then there's a lot to like, and the monster customization and fusing systems allow you to create some truly ridiculous monsters. Overall, it's a nice and breezy RPG. It doesn't break any molds, and it may not engage players who don't already enjoy Dragon Quest-style gameplay, but it knows exactly what it is and goes for it. Some technical issues hold it back and can drag down the experience, but Dragon Quest fans should be able to overlook that with ease.
I really wanted to love Custom Mech Builder. Earth Defense Force and customizable giant robots is everything I should want. Alas, Custom Mech Builder doesn't have much going for it. If you like creating giant anime robots to smash enemies, there are better choices. If you like over-the-top explosion-fests, there are better options. Pretty much the only thing Custom Mech Builder has going for it is how easy it is to make a bullet train with drill arms, but that amusement quickly wears out its welcome. As a budget $20 title, Custom Mech Wars might be worth the cost for the amusing builder, but mech fans can find better games that cost less.
Ultimately, Final Fantasy XVI: Echoes of the Fallen DLC is just another FF16 dungeon, albeit a fun one. There's a bit of scattered lore and a thin story to justify the exact events, but you're paying $10 for one more dungeon with a cool boss fight. If you were hoping for something a bit meatier or delves into some of the mysteries of the setting, you're probably going to be disappointed. Echoes of the Fallen feels more like fan service and a precursor to the upcoming The Rising Tide DLC.
Persona 5 Tactica is a fun attempt to bring the ideas and concepts behind Persona 5 into the tactical setting, but at times it can feel more like a proof of concept. The core gameplay is a lot of fun, the story is enjoyable, and it's a good game for Persona 5 fans. It suffers from the cast being so overexposed that it's difficult to get super excited to see them again, and the actual persona element feels a tad lackluster.