Detective Pikachu Returns isn’t for everyone, with too much reading for little ones and an overly-gentle difficulty curve for adults, but I think some kids, particularly those just beginning to read and explore the greater Pokémon universe, will have a great time with the game. A surprisingly robust world, diverse mysteries, and involving plot may even draw in some parents, despite badly-dated visuals. Investigate Detective Pikachu Returns before buying, but if it seems like it’s right for you or your kids, don’t hold back – it might just hit you like a minor bolt of brilliance.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage doesn’t make the sharpest first impression with its dated visuals and by-the-book mechanics, but like its hooded protagonist, the game sneaks up on you with its manageably-sized yet vibrant map, intricately-woven campaign, and varied missions. Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s blade may be slightly tarnished, but it still leaves a mark.
NBA 2K24 doesn’t feel like the work of a team that’s hungry as a majority of the game’s modes and features aren’t much of a step up over last year. It’s a shame, because the on-court action, brought to new life by innovative ProPlay animation tech, is more accomplished than ever and MyCareer actually makes some welcome changes amid all the microtransactions. NBA 2K24 delivers plenty of polished roundball fun, but some of the choices the game’s developers made following last year’s excellent entry make me question their coaching.
Mortal Kombat 1 is one of the franchise’s most bloody-entertaining entries to date, offering up refined action, smartly revamped fighters, and a story mode that delivers a surprisingly-coherent plot and plenty of blockbuster thrills. A lack of compelling modes and meaningful character customization does hurt, but Mortal Kombat 1 should be a heart-ripping hit with fans even if the overall package is slightly anemic.
Immortals of Aveum makes a solid early impression with engaging magic-infused FPS action and eye-catching Unreal Engine 5 visuals, but a predictable plot, irritating characters, and repetitive, by-the-books level design dims the game’s razzle-dazzle. Immortals of Aveum will be worth it for some shooter and fantasy fans, particularly at a discount, but don’t expect your memories of the game to live forever.
Venba is a delectable slice of a game that offers a subtly moving story that ought to appeal to Tamil people, first-generation immigrants and their children, and wider audiences alike. It’s also a fantastic cooking game, capturing the sights, sounds, joys, and challenges of preparing food like few games before it. A short runtime may leave you hungry for more, but that’s largely a testament to the quality of the meal.
Remnant II is an impressive technical and artistic accomplishment in some ways, offering an intermittedly-striking, cutting-edge procedural world that’s satisfying to unravel. Unfortunately, a forgettable story, middle-of-the-road gunplay, dull loot, and some performance issues means this fantastic world isn’t always that fun to inhabit. Some folks, particularly those with a regular co-op party, will be drawn into this dark multiverse, but others may find Remnant II only provides scattered fragments of excitement amidst the frustration.
Pikmin 4 adds or reintroduces a lot to the series’ formula, including caves, nighttime missions, and an adorable doggy sidekick, to the point the game starts to feel a bit busy and unfocused. Fortunately, like a well-managed Pikmin squad, the game comes together in charming, effective fashion by the end. While the franchise may have bloomed slightly brighter in the past, Pikmin 4 will still provide a bountiful harvest of fun for longtime fans.
Master Detective Archives: Rain Code may tame Danganronpa’s anarchic spirit slightly, but it also greatly expands and improves on its formula with a more developed world, bold visuals, refined gameplay, and the best collection of whodunnits writer Kazutaka Kodaka has delivered to date. This is, simply put, one of the best, most ambitious visual novels in recent years. Get in on the ground floor, because Master Detective Archives has all the makings of a killer franchise.
Like the promotion it’s based on, AEW: Fight Forever can be a bit rough around the edges, but the game is also a welcome breath of fresh air. Fun, approachable in-ring action and an endearingly-quirky career mode largely make up for scruffy visuals and some missing content. AEW: Fight Forever won’t be for everyone, but if you’re looking for an alternative, feel free to push your chips All In.
Age of Wonders 4 offers a rare and refreshing level of flexibility for a 4X game, allowing you to customize your leader, people, and realm to an impressive degree. This can be a bit bewildering at first, and the level of complexity threatens to overwhelm the game’s limited tactical battles, but it all comes together as a satisfying package after a bit of trial and error. Age of Wonders 4 may not be the perfect potion for all turn-based strategy fans, but it should enchant a good portion of them.
Lego 2K Drive is a nicely-polished ride, offering up unexpectedly-intense kart-racing action and a handful of diverting sandbox stages to explore. Unfortunately, the game is also a bit light on content and its aggressive microtransactions may make parents looking for something light to play with their kids pump the brakes. Lego 2K Drive is still worth considering, particularly once it goes on sale, but it feels like it’s a few bricks short of what it could have been.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom sticks closely to the blueprint established by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but it’s a richer, more rewarding game in most ways that count, offering a more intricate world, versatile suite of abilities, epic story, and satisfying dungeons.
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is a very respectable retrofit of two of the best old-school tactical strategy games of all time. Some may question who the audience for this package is as it doesn’t offer much new content for experienced commanders, but these are still objectively high-quality games and this remake does little to diminish their charms. If you’re new to the Advance Wars series, or just looking for a more convenient way to play some of its best entries again, this remake is likely to capture your heart (and free time).
At this point, I can say Meet Your Maker’s raids provided decent tooth-gritting satisfaction, and building my own Outpost deathtraps was simple, devious fun. I’m just not sure if Meet Your Maker’s building tools have the necessary versatility to give the game long-term legs, particularly when combined with limiting mechanics that make more elaborate Outposts a chore to complete. I hope to be surprised, but if the game can’t attract a dedicated community of talented creators, Meet Your Maker may find itself at the pearly gates before too long.
The makers of MLB The Show 23 clearly heard the complaints about a lack of fresh features in recent entries, as this year’s game offers up the new exciting and enlightening Storylines mode as well as significant tweaks and improvements to Franchise, March to October, and Diamond Dynasty. A lack of innovation when it comes to core gameplay keeps this year’s title from being a true home run, but it’s at least a strong double.
The new Resident Evil 4 is well worth it for fans of the series, just keep your hopes slightly in check and you won’t be spin-kicked by inflated expectations.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon’s restrained tone and quirky dual-character mechanics won’t immediately connect with everyone, but you owe it to yourself to give the game a chance. Bayonetta Origins eventually comes into its own in a big way, delivering escalating action, compelling character development, and expertly-executed fan-pleasing moments en route to a satisfying finale. This tale of friendship is the perfect companion for Bayonetta 3 and may even win over those who haven’t been bewitched by the franchise in the past.
WWE 2K23 is the best entry this long-suffering franchise has put out in nearly a decade, offering mechanically-sound action, a pair of satisfying MyRise career mode storylines, and a handful of other well-executed, if limited, additions like WarGames. WWE 2K23’s gameplay and presentation could still use some further polish and not all of its modes are must plays, but for the first time in a long time it feels like this series’ star is on the rise, even if it hasn’t achieved main-event status yet.
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is one of Nintendo’s more expansive “Deluxe” Switch repackaging efforts, offering a slick visual makeover and a slate of new content. That said, all the additions don’t really raise Kirby’s Return to Dream Land above its status as a fun yet somewhat unremarkable game from one of the pink guy’s less ambitious eras. There’s plenty of charm on display here and younger players are likely to enjoy themselves, but this wisp of a game can only be puffed up so much.