For all its shortcomings, I wouldn't mind seeing WayForward get another crack at this series with a more concerted effort to bring in non-fans, with more depth. Bakugan is a world worth exploring. For now, you may want to stick with the physical game.
Kirby Fighters 2 has the right stuff buried underneath its foundation: you just have to dig to get there. With a few tweaks here and there in terms of unlocks and the way content is delivered, it could have been a much stronger package for both solo and party play. As is, you're going to have to put in some work.
Pikmin 3 Deluxe is another re-release that isn't going to blow some people away, but provides another means with which to play a potentially forgotten Wii U classic. For me, it still holds up, and then some.
Now that the season pass is in the hopper, it's easy to feel like Pokemon Sword and Shield are a transitional generation to something greater. Sure, I liked Sword and Shield for what they were and filled out my Pokedex in a matter of weeks, but there are several half-baked elements that needed more time in the oven to really bring the whole loaf together. For now though, with two DLCs under its belt, that loaf doesn't taste half bad with some butter.
If you're desperately looking for more Doom Eternal, The Ancient Gods – Part One will give it to you.
There's plenty to criticize, but Super Mario Bros. 35 is a free download, so give it a shot. I've played many rounds already and will jump into plenty more until that fated March 2021 eShop removal death date. Hopefully Nintendo has a change of heart like it did with Jump Rope Challenge and updates the game to address some of its shortcomings: because it has even more potential than a temporary flight of fancy.
Genshin Impact could be a little more lively than it is when leveling, but the beauty of its world helps suck you in. You really can't beat free, so long as you resist the rather tame temptations to spend money.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is a strong return for the series, and a showcase of what might have been if we got a true follow-up to Crash 3. I sincerely hope that Activision entrusts Toys for Bob (and Vicarious Visions) with the keys to the Crash kingdom from here on out. I wanna see more of the little guy.
It's a simple review for a simple game, folks. Serious Sam 4 doesn't wildly reinvent the formula; and really, it doesn't need to. There's plenty of room for old school style FPS games in an ocean of looter shooters and games-as-a-service titles.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars, as barebones as it might be as a compilation, is a great way to experience (or re-experience) these games all over again. It was a joy running through all three of them even if they weren't strictly upgraded. That goes double for Mario Galaxy, as this is going to be my preferred way to play it from now on.
Spelunky 2 is more Spelunky. It doesn't wildly reinvent the formula, and even brings back a lot of the same hazards and enemies that tormented you the first time around. But it innovates ever so slightly in so many ways to help give this sequel its own life. Either way, it sucked me back in.
Although it can feel slow-going at times, Borderlands 3: Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck benefits from its lore-heavy framework and a clear focus on one major character. If Gearbox has anything to say about it, this isn't the end of Borderlands 3's DLC, despite the fact that this is the final expansion of the first season pass. There's plenty of room for improvement if it is meant to be.
When Avengers isn't getting in the way of itself with its tacked-on campaign, it's a bit of silly arcade fun. If a lot of these concerns are answered via post-launch patches and the DLC characters are fun to play, there's plenty of room for improvement with Avengers. At launch, it's not going to wow everyone. Maybe Marvel wanted this out as soon as possible, but it could have used another delay.
Blemishes aside, Activision is doing so much right this time beyond just putting Vicarious Visions in charge. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 isn't going to blow people away, but it preserves the original experience with a few modern conveniences. It's a win.
Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is a weak adaptation of the series, but the action mechanics just aren't all there either, dragging it down even further. With a few tweaks it could be a fun little weekend mascot game, but as is, this adaption isn't going to appeal to just about anyone.
Battletoads is another one of 2020's infamous oddities. I suspect it's going to be highly polarizing (not only due to the adherence to retro style difficulty but the newness of the art and humor), but it somewhat won me over due to sheer force of will. I also can safely assume that I'm going to be on the higher-end of the spectrum of liking it: but if we never see these dudes again because this game was an absolute cacophony, I'll be a bit bummed.
Hyper Scape has some cool ideas, but still feels like it's in beta even after the 1.0 launch, especially on PC. We've seen Ubisoft snatch victory from the jaws of "somewhat underwhelming" before. Maybe they can do it again.
Having played through Horizon Zero Dawn on PC, my view of it hasn’t changed since I first played it in early 2017. There’s a lot of open world bloat present, but when it works, it works. And man is it still beautiful, especially on PC.
Hellbound is pretty upfront with what it is. If you've already burned through most of the homages I listed above, give this a shot.
It feels really weird for a new take on Crysis to be releasing so close to the next generation, behind the curve. For those of you who are curious about this series and want to jump in, you could do a whole lot worse on the Nintendo Switch. If you want to play Crysis in the most shiny way possible and own another platform, it's best to wait.