RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army is definitely one of the better RPGs to (re)release this year. Easy to pick up and play, but still challenging, demon fusioning is a fun and addictive mechanic; trying to make your perfect crew. But some quality of life improvement do make the experience a bit irritating. The forced auto-targeting causing headaches during boss battles, the constant hand holding can feel like a detriment. On the good/bad side of things, it’s shorter than most RPGs, clocking in at around 20-ish hours, story only. If you don’t explore and rely on the handholding, it can be ever lower. As a die-hard fan of the original, and the SMT universe as a whole, I still enjoyed my time with RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army despite its shortcomings and I strongly recommend it,
Next of Kin is an enjoyable, albeit short, gaming experiences that touches on some tough subjects. While it does feel a tad predictable, the soothing score adds a layer of dread of what’s about to happen. The lack of hand holding is fine, but can feel tedious at times as you try to figure out which item you need to investigate. If you’re looking for something short to juggle between longer AAA experiences, Next of Kin is an enjoyable experience that might make you think.
Is Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny a good game? Yes, absolutely. It was back in the early 2000s, it is in 2025. Is it outdated? Yes. It takes a of time to adapt to the archaic mechanics such as the combat, camera angles/changes and the lack of guidance and hand-holding, but if you’ve never played it and looking for a challenging action game, Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny is for you considering you can tolerate the “outdated-ness” of it. If you’ve enjoyed back in the day, it’ll fit like an old glove. There are worst ways to spend money
Blazing Strike is a highly enjoyable and surprisingly decent fighter jam packed with content to keep fans entertained for some time; only once you’ve adapted to the slower movement. Also releasing this so close to Capcom Fighting Collection 2 won’t do this game any favors. Thanks to its slow movement, it’s a great entry point for those looking to dip their toes in the genre; while hardcore fans of the genre might find the lack of speed boring.
Clearly inspired by the Half-Life series, Kvark is a great FPS with a perfect old school feel; fairly balanced, interesting story, creepy ambiance. There’s also a decent variety of weapons to pick up and have fun with. It is also surprisingly lenghty and there’s quite a bit of areas to explore. However it does become a bit annoying constantly seeing the same enemies over and over; and the trailway section kinda slows the game down a bit. If you’re looking something substantial that feels different than common FPS, Kvark is a must-play; whether you’re an old veteran FPS player or tempted to dive into the genre.
Stratogun is an overall enjoyable, highly challenging shmup experience with a minimalist approach. There’s a decent variety of perks and weaponry with RPG lite mechanics making this game a bit addictive. However, the limited usage of perks and constant weapon overheating takes a fair challenge and turns it into cheap hits/deaths. Fans of the genre will revel in this unique challenge, whereas newcomers of the genre should look into a different shmup.
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is a no-brainer. Whether you’re a fan of the genre and want to re-experience these classics or a newcomer looking for a starting point in the fighting gaming community, this collection is a great addition to your collection. This package contains some of the best of Capcom’s games, with a few hidden gems with less commercial success. While the controller isn’t the best to use, it won’t hinder your progress. Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is one of 2025’s must buy games. It’ll definitely be worth every penny.
Combining objectives based missions and arena shooter mechanic makes Sker Ritual stand out from most shooters. Each map is unique and fun to explore, and it can easily be enjoyed solo or with friends. While the game won’t fully help you complete objective and you might have to be required to grind for points, it doesn’t deter from the overall experience. If you’re looking for a tense shooter with a unique twist, Sker Ritual is a must play.
Post Trauma is a great, enjoyable, albeit short survival horror game. The environments, settings and characters all do their part to offer an unnerving experience. The fixed camera is a welcome addition and throwback to classic gaming. Despite its flaws; lack of map, backtracking, questionable voiceover and sometimes clunky movement, Post Trauma is a fun and creepy experience. I strongly recommend playing this little gem, whether you’re a long time fan of the genre or looking to dip your toes.
I was actually looking forward to Pocket Bravery. I remember pre-ordering it like over two years ago when it was announced. But oh boy, the final result is highly disappointing. While the quantity of content is through the roof and is surprisingly as more diverse (if not more than) Street Fighter VI, the gameplay and feel of the game feels off and semi-responsive; complemented by cheap A.I.. Considering the price tag of this and high quality fighters available on Xbox, it’s hard to recommend Pocket Bravery.
There’s something with The Last Hero: Journey to the Unknown, but unfortunately it falls short as a whole. The game offers a waves of enemies instead of traditional go from A to B type of level design, which is a nice change, boss fights are fun, albeit very easy and there’s a handful of enjoyable special attacks to purchase and use. But the questionable level design, questionable hit detection and restrained to using a short range sword does break a bit of the fun. The game is ideal for younger players in your family, but they might need some help for a few levels. If you can tolerate the shortcomings, it’s a nice, short adventure. Otherwise, there’s a myriad of better platformers available.
Breakout Beyond is another version of a great puzzle game from early age of gaming. Easy to pick up and play, great use of power ups and focus mode to help through some of the harder levels. However, it’s greatest feature is also its greatest downfall; lack of gameplay variety and replay value. If you’re looking for something different to keep you busy, Breakout Beyond is a great way to spend some time and money.
Bleach Rebirth of Souls is great fighter that can stand on its own thanks to its unique approach and gameplay to the genre. The game offers a decent roster of 30+ characters out of the box, gameplay is easy to pick up and hard to master, and there’s enough gameplay content to keep players busy for months. Despite Story mode feeling more like a watching an anime (felt like 40% playing, 60% watching) and burying the shop under layers of menus in story mode, the gameplay is solid enough to sink its teeth into players. If you’re a long time fighting genre player or looking for some different, Bleach Rebirth of Souls is a must play.
Shadow of the Orient is a by the book 2D action platformer; kill enemies, find treasures, save prisoners; albeit in slightly bigger levels. But that’s not a bad thing; easy to pick up and play, and plenty to find scattered throughout each area. But combat feels unbalanced and annoying due to flying enemies or insanely rapid enemy reaction. But if you move around the various enemies or conserve your sub-weapons, it makes it more enjoyable.
Sorry We’re Closed is a decent, surprisingly little gem. Story is interesting, the visuals are a nice homage to classic PS1/N64 era of gaming, and Third Eye power is a a fun mechanic to mix things up a bit. This unique experience, however, is dumbed down by the clunky combat and questionable camera views makes this game more frustrating than it should be. If they improve the camera work and fine tune the combat, a sequel could even be more special. I can easily recommend this game, however it will take sometime to master the combat.
Mullet MadJack is an absolute blast to play. It’s high intense action, fast paced and adrenaline pumping. The health vs timer system does take a bit of time to adapt to, but once you get a grasp of it, you’ll have a blast. But again, it’s not for everyone because at the same time, the timer can feel like a strict method of playing. Thankfully, if you just want to enjoy a balls to the walls shooter, disable the timer and just go nuts. If you’re looking for a unique FPS experience, Mullet MadJack is highly recommended. And it’s on Gamepass! (as of this writing).
If you’ve played the last 2-3 entries in the WWE2K series, you know what to expect, except better. More wrestlers, more features (new and returning), and a plethora of gameplay value. If you’ve been on the fence, whether since the disastrous 2K20 or a previous era of wrestling gaming, WWE 2K25 is the best game to pick up if you’re looking to step back into the virtual squared circle. Yes, there are some annoyances like DLC (I wish New Jack and Guilia would’ve been available from the start), lack of accessibility features, and questionable character/render design, but the core game is jampacked with content that will keep you hooked until next year. Question is: How can they improve on a near perfect formula? Highly recommended.
Street Fighter 6 is definitely a step up and vast improvement from the PS4/PC exclusive Street Fighter V; more content, slightly bigger roster, more gameplay variety. It’s also more stylish and gameplay is addictive. But the thin launch roster of character (17; compared to Tekken 8‘s 32), overly complex online hub, tedious World Tour mode does impact the overall quality of the game. As with most games with DLC/Seasonal content, it feels incomplete and having favorites left out from launch is a bit irritating. That being said, the core gameplay is as perfect as could be and SFVI can easily be an entry point for newcomers to the series and the genre. If you’re looking for a diverse experience, you can’t go wrong with Street Fighter VI.
Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is a nice nostalgia package for those who grew up with the original Tomb Raider games. Aspyr added a few interesting perks here and there across all three games, especially for Angel of Darkness where they added cut content and improved the story telling; among other perks. While these are more approachable than the previous remastered trilogy, they still show their age. Players with the patience and curious about exploring Lara Croft’s past, Tomb Raider IV-VI Remastered is a good option.
If you’re looking for a proverbial nostalgia shot in the arm, Accolade Sports Collection is a great way to go. All five games’ gameplay mechanics hold up surprisingly well by today’s standards. Sure, there are a few events that in both Olympic games that require a bit of adapting, but other than that, this is an addictive collection. Sure, I wish there would’ve been a bit more variety, but whether it be solo or with friends, this guarantees a few hours of fun. Highly recommended.