Three additional characters and brutal Animalities are overshadowed by an uneven, head-scratching story expansion.
The frenetic fighting Dragon Ball fans expect is here, but it's marred by an overall shallow experience with more repetition than revolution.
Six classic fighters and one extra beat-'em-up come together in a collection that's well worth the wait.
Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 is best experienced for yourself, not spoiled by a friend or watched on a YouTube channel. To fully understand what it's trying to do, you need to hear those voices for yourself, feel that anguish and pain as it happens, and continue to press on through it. It's a powerful game with a powerful message, even if some parts of it aren't as engaging as the rest. Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 requires your patience; if you provide it, you will be rewarded handsomely.
Great action sequences and a lean story highlight an RPG adventure that doesn't overstay its welcome.
A new aggressive fighting system and a healthy cast of characters make Tekken 8 pack a powerful punch.
Improved fighting mechanics and mode selection can't overcome some glaring weaknesses.
Fear is what Alan Wake 2 is all about. When it's working, it's a spooky and thrilling adventure with two separate-but-equal methods of scaring the heck out of me. When it's not working, I'm afraid I may run into another weird glitch that makes me lose some progress. Thankfully, the former is far more common than the latter, and the times I did have to restart, they were small hiccups rather than major time losses. 13 years passed between Alan Wake's initiation and his return, and I am happy to say Alan Wake 2 was worth the wait.
Great mechanics and a wild story make a solid first impression, but a shallow selection of modes keeps MK1 from a flawless victory.
Starfield is one of the best space-based RPGs ever made, one where hours fly by in minutes, and one where the only hard limit is your imagination.
Sabotage Studio unearths a time capsule in this incredible retro-style RPG.
All Elite Wrestling's first match in the video game ring is a solid outing that doesn't quite live up to its real-world product.
Capcom's flagship fighter is back in form with intricate but approachable fighting mechanics and a feature-rich package.
A potent combat system and thrilling story are slightly held back by a slow start and rudimentary level design.
A strong take on a storied Disney franchise is held back by its brevity.
Endless content and tight rhythm-based gameplay make Final Bar Line the best Theatrhythm yet.
Fire Emblem Engage has a lot of great elements, from its striking visuals to the classic Fire Emblem turn-based strategy gameplay. The story being told, however, does not live up to the bar set by other games in the series, while some battles drag on to the point where I'm fighting off a nap just as hard as I'm fighting the enemy armies. I enjoy the game in spurts, but before long I find myself wondering when I can stop engaging with this Fire Emblem. There's enough here to enjoy Fire Emblem Engage, but only the most dedicated will be able to see this through to the end.
What Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion accomplishes is something few other remasters or remakes get right: it revives the original core experience – pun intended – of the original Crisis Core release and places it on modern consoles with modern upgrades. The combat system is more refined and responsive, the visual upgrades are serviceable if not as extreme as some may hope, and the storyline is virtually unchanged – for better or worse.
Squanch Games' trademark humor mixes with solid shooting and traversal in this goofy space romp.
With Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, Digital Eclipse has set a new bar for future historical compilations in video games. It's a digital traveling museum exhibit, as the game bursts at the seams with nostalgia thanks to more than 100 playable games and hundreds of relics from the developer's vault. While a good amount of the games offered will pass by quickly, those brief life spans cannot weigh down the amazing historical value of Atari 50, and I hope Digital Eclipse has more wings of its digital history tour opening in the coming years.