While the name may be slightly misleading, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is a fantastic way to experience one of the best action games ever made.
But on the other hand, the beat ‘em up fan in me is disappointed with how the game turned out. The lack of character progression or variety really drags the game down, and doesn’t give you much reason to replay it – which is unfortunate considering it’s only two hours long and costs $10 more than its contemporaries.
From the moment it was announced Metal Slug Tactics was a winner in our eyes. Marrying the SNK classic with the turn-based tactics genre is a golden idea on paper. Hearing it’s a roguelike in the vein of Into the Breach was the coup de grâce for this game being anything but a banger. And we’re happy to say it lives up to those lofty expectations.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is the best Dragon Ball game we've had since the PS2 and a generous love letter to Toriyama's classic series.
While the Khaos Reigns expansion does come with a full Kombat Pass 2 (including the guest fighters later down the line), the story is only around two hours long, making this expansion's price – which is almost on par with an entire game – a little questionable. And it doesn’t do anything to change the glaring flaws already present in Mortal Kombat 1 such as the terrible Invasions mode or the overpriced cosmetics.
The combat feels awkward; the game is buggy, and filled with abrupt cutscene transitions. At the end of the day, we’re left asking, ‘Who is this for?’ Children don’t care about Battlestar Galactica and The Thing, and adults won’t love the boring, simplistic gameplay loop.
Wild Bastards is good, but it didn’t quite hit as hard as we’d hoped. That said, the studio's fantastic art direction and writing continue to shine through, enough to make this a title worth looking at.
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is an essential release if you're after one of the most prolific parts of fighting game history. The museum mode is a treat, and the games themselves seem to be arcade-perfect conversions, apart from MvC 1 (which should hopefully be fixed in a patch given it's fine in the PC release). While some bonus features from the console versions of these games would've been nice, it's still undeniably a great collection of titles.
SteamWorld Heist 2 does everything the name implies. It has the copious amounts of charm and strong world-building found in the wider series, while building and improving on the excellent gameplay foundation introduced in the original SteamWorld Heist. This seafaring adventure isn't one you should miss if you're after some top-tier tactics, and the improvements over the original make the almost-10-year wait more than worth it.
SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos is a weird curiosity in the history of fighting games. While it did have the monumental task of following up on one of the best fighters ever made, it's hard to deny that it's a bit of a letdown. It does have bright spots like some unique character choices and a range of fantastic sprites, but it doesn't stand up with Capcom or SNK's best. Meanwhile, the PS4 port itself is as okay as okay can be. It won't blow you away with extra content or features - it's simply a solid way to play SVC Chaos.
Though Hellblade 2 has the power to force your jaw open and give you goosebumps, too often the whole project ends up feeling like a very expensive tech demo – an absolute tour de force of technical achievement bogged down in its own sense of gravitas and mystery. Keeping you off the stick for so many of its most impactful moments, and not giving you enough to play with when you do have control, hobbles the potential of this visual and aural masterpiece enough to make the whole experience feel like it was constantly trying to find a foothold on that dread Icelandic scree, and never really getting to its feet until you come staggering over the finish line.
The game's story mode is short overall, but thankfully there's an Arcade and Challenge mode that offer great replayability. The challenge mode in particular is a highlight as it doles out mini-challenges for you to blast through, like tricky platforming or a pacifist run of a level. So, all in all, this is undoubtedly the best game the series has had in a long time, and one fans of the classic games won't want to miss out on.
WWE 2K24 is the best entry in the series since it returned in 2022, with Visual Concepts continuing to improve on what makes the series great.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth features one of the series' best stories yet, all while packing in a wealth of fantastic side content
Tekken 8 makes great strides to sort out Tekken 7’s biggest issues, all while carving out its own identity within the series thanks to the brand-new Heat system. The wealth of single-player content available is the best I’ve seen since Tekken 5, and the cinematic story mode outclasses the likes of Mortal Kombat and Injustice in the format they pioneered.
Persona 5 Tactica is another step up for Persona spinoffs, while it doesn't bring along the overworld exploration from Persona 5 Strikers, I'd say this is a plus it feels like the fat has been trimmed to create a smoother storyline. Plus you're able to check out optional dialogue between the party members between missions to flesh out some of the games story even more.
While more seasoned players may find the experience a bit too easy until the post-game, Super Mario RPG is a great introduction to the RPG genre for newcomers. It’s also just an incredibly charming game, and it's a joy to look at from start to finish.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 amps up the core fighting found in its predecessor, but the roster choices are absolutely baffling in this sequel.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name goes toe-to-toe with the likes of Yakuza 0 and Kiwami 2. It also serves its main purpose and then some: to bring Kiryu back into the fold and get you excited for what could be his final ride in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
Simply put, WarioWare: Move It! is the best the series has been since the Nintendo Wii’s WarioWare: Smooth Moves way back in 2006, with Nintendo opting to take a simpler approach than some of the convoluted entries like 2021’s WarioWare: Get It Together. While the same issues present in most entries persist, it’s undeniable that WarioWare’s core gameplay loop is still as fun as ever, over 20 years down the line.