Welcome to Elderfield from developer Chris Cote and publisher Kwalee is a horror-filled cozy game that offers plenty of questing content, a well-designed farming and crafting system, and features just enough turn-based combat to deliver a cornucopia of fun. While it has a few minor, correctable issues, it’s an enjoyable overall gameplay experience.
Garfield: Escape from Monday from developer OSome Studio is a good game that meets the standards of a 3D platforming experience. While it could have used a bit more enemy presence, the controls, levels, and overall game are still fun and make good use of the IP.
Silent Hill: Townfall from developer Screen Burn and publisher Konami is a step in a new and right direction for the old series. Relying more on stealth than fighting and focusing more on the narrative that builds a compelling mystery makes for a good and terrifying time.
Crimson Moon from developer ProbablyMonsters is a gorgeous action RPG roguelike that is quite the uphill battle at the get-go. Still, thanks to good backend and frontend rewards, it makes the difficulty worthwhile. The controls do need some work, as do consistent updates, but in the end it’s more fun than not.
HOT WHEELS Infinite Rush from developer Milestone S.r.l is a fun game that relies on large open-world maps with a variety of collectibles and cars to drive the experience.
The Blood of Dawnwalker from developer Rebel Wolves is a great starting point for what could become a bigger series. It delivers a strong story, entertaining gameplay elements, and plenty of quests to keep the journey going.
Star Wars: Zero Company from developers Bit Reactor and LucasFilm Games is a tactical masterpiece. It’s fun, it’s easy to learn, it’s immersed in good Star Wars lore, and it’s an incredibly deep tactical experience.
Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition is surprisingly solid on the Nintendo Switch 2. While it won’t match the resolution or frame rate of bigger, more powerful platforms, it still delivers fantastic gameplay with plenty of extra content.
Helix: Descent N Ascent from developer Badass Mongoose is an addictive, gorgeous puzzle game that features some well-placed Metroidvania elements. It can be confusing and sometimes frustrating, but it’s a hoot to play overall.
This year’s Madden NFL release is solid for the most part. I think it’s an improvement from last year’s game. Madden NFL 27 has on-field tweaks that improve gameplay, mostly solid modes, and better stability. A questionably unsteady kicking game and a required EA online connection with Superstar mode keep this from being great.
Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Volume 2 from Konami brings back some solid games to add to an already budding Metal Gear Solid collection. Of course, the star of the collection, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, is the real reason why players will want this, and it doesn’t disappoint with its story and perfect PS3 translation.
HellSlave II: Judgment of the Archon, from developer Ars Goetia, is a fun turn-based RPG with a strong narrative, solid world-building, a deep backend system, and plenty of adventures throughout. It’s fun, impressive, and a lot more than I expected.
The Mermaid Mask from developer SFB Games is a point-and-click marvel that brings with it a good story, modern gameplay design, and a respectful tip-of-the-hat to an old genre.
Beast of Reincarnation from developer Game Freak is a good first step for what could be a fun action series. The story is great, the characters are interesting, and the action, when it gets going, is fast, fun, and furious. The bland and repetitive enemies and bosses, as well as a confusing skill tree, get in the way of making this game something special.
Cultic from developer Jasozz Games is a fun game that is a tip-of-the-hat to old-school first-person shooters from the early 90s, while also sporting some modern gameplay amenities to make it feel familiar to most gamers who love the genre.
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game from developer Gameplay Group is an impressive fighting game that has been visually translated from the show in a 1:1 manner. The visuals are stunning enough, as are the easy-to-pick-up-and-go controls, to help mask the minor imbalances in the fighting game. It’s a fun game that will please fans of the IP.
Gurei, from developer Lobo Sagaz Studio, is an incredibly challenging and unforgiving boss-rush game that takes pride in its gameplay simplicity while also offering complex strategy and a hefty amount of difficulty. It will properly rage-bait players, but in the nicest of ways.
Echoes of Aincrad from Game Studio Inc. is a wonderful open-world setup that brings gorgeous graphics, good backend character building, easy-to-get-into controls, and a very solid story. What it lacks is enemy variety and action-adventure elements that keep the gameplay engaging long-term.
College Football 27 from EA Tiburon and EA Sports feels good in gameplay and execution, as expected, and still delivers a fantastic football experience. It stalls a bit in its additional mode innovation, despite its variety of modes, by focusing more on number-crunching than button-mashing.
Observer – System Redux from developer Bloober Team is a psychological horror gameplay experience driven by old-school and new-school gaming concepts, while also being led by a fantastic story with a great lead actor. It’s not perfect, but it’s quite good.