De'Angelo Epps
Tales of Arise a great step toward the JRPG's evolution and a must-play for fans of the genre.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge isn't just a great Turtles game for nostalgic fans. It's a perfect retro-style beat 'em up that's eager to innovate.
Capcom’s latest takes everything you’d expect from the father of the fighting genre and turns it up to 10. There’s something for everyone here, with no fat or filler to ruin the experience. Street Fighter 6 is the best fighting game experience in a long time, and in the years to come, its impact and legacy could be every bit as massive as Street Fighter 2.
Scarlet Nexus is an excellent action roleplaying game for all fans of the genre.
No More Heroes 3 is a gem for the Nintendo Switch that no action fan should lack in their collection.
Shin Megami Tensei 5 is yet another gem for the Nintendo Switch that every JRPG fan needs to check out.
Granblue Fantasy Versus is the new fighting game from Arc System Works that is beautifully basic at first glance but has a lot hidden under the hood. Highly recommended for the fighting game fan, both casual and veterans a like.
If you have a soft spot for arcade-era classics like Guilty Gear, Marvel vs. Capcom, or Street Fighter III, then Type Lumina should definitely be on your radar. But if you plan to play online, there’s one big catch you should be aware of.
The King of Fighters XV features excellent core combat that serious fighting game fans will enjoy, though its single-player offerings leave a bit to be desired.
Rumbleverse's unique fusion of battle royale structure and fighting game depth is a great, though sometimes imperfect, match.
One Piece Odyssey is an anime spinoff JRPG that's a cut above the rest.
By taking a strong fighting game foundation and expanding on it in every way, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 comes into its own. It introduces systems never seen in other platform fighters and keeps the speed that made the original a blast. Cleaner graphics, better art direction, and the inclusion of full voice acting don’t hurt either. The only thing the series still lacks is quality control, an area where it becomes clear why Nintendo still rules the platform fighter genre.
Despite missing on a major mode, Tekken 8 is another great entry in one of the fighting genre’s best series. Whether you come for the story or just the core brawling, the team at Bandai Namco makes sure there’s something everyone can enjoy here. It’s a tight package that loads a lot of surprises into every corner and another fighting game that’s very much worth your time in a true golden age for the genre.
Gundam Evolution is a hero shooter that gives Gundam fans and new players a full product despite being free-to-play, though it's not without high item prices and tech quirks.
Midnight Suns is easy to recommend for fans of comics, strategy, and roleplaying games. While Firaxis does go overboard with the base-building and crafting side of the game, I did enjoy getting to know my heroes better. This game truly shines thanks to its unique and memorable combat system. Thanks to the mission structure and DLC on the way, it feels like a game I’ll revisit again and again.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a must-play for the hardcore, but doesn't look after casual audiences.
Digimon Survive mixes tactical roleplaying action with visual novels to varying results.
Omen of Sorrow is a fighting game I can only recommend to those really looking to experiment with something new or are really big fans of horror. The combos are fun but are kind of shallow and get repetitive really quickly. The mechanics are pretty standard and can be fun but the lack of translation to new players kind of ruins them along with actually playing certain characters.
Override: Mech City Brawl had a lot of promise and actually generated a bit of hype from me. Sadly the game sinks like a giant hunk of metal should instead of rocket boosts out like we'd hope in many departments (especially the melee combat). There is fun to be had here but depending on the player it can fizzle out fast and leave you wishing there was more to it. I really commend the team for the ideas presented here and the support they're giving it is great with 4 more characters being released in the future. The foundation has been set, I just hope they come back to this idea with more in store one day.
Gungrave G.O.R.E delivers on the run-and-gun, stylish action with a modern PS2-like coat of paint that you'll either love or hate.