Ryan Meitzler's Reviews
Aside from having an incredibly solid fighting game structure at its core, Dragon Ball FighterZ is a title that Arc System Works clearly treated with respect and love for the franchise that it is inspired by, and it stands toe-to-toe with the iconic anime and manga because of it.
Even though both games are coming well after players enjoyed them on several other platforms, the Bayonetta games remain near-perfect examples of pure, unfiltered action and spectacle. Both Bayonetta games seamlessly blend escalating action with imaginative design and a combat system that toes the line between accessibility and making you feel like a true badass, and rewarding players with careful timing and experimentation. Bayonetta‘s over-the-top action and style may not be for everyone, but for Switch owners looking for a bit of blood-pumping action to have on-the-go, it's easy to recommend having Bayonetta show you a good time.
As a game devoted to the art of storytelling itself, Where the Water Tastes Like Wine shines with its powerful writing, exceptional voice-acting, and its visual and aural elements that bring players back into the time of tall tales and endless stretches of road to explore. While its gameplay structure might be a bit loose for some players, the tales and characters that Where the Water Tastes Like Wine introduces make the journey to the promised land that much sweeter, even if there is no telling what is on the horizon.
Like closing the final chapter on a thousand-page-long fantasy novel, The Banner Saga 3 delivers a dark and thrilling conclusion to remember. Though at times it might prove to be a bit more of a challenge than some might expect, The Banner Saga 3 is the culmination of Stoic Studio's four-year-long journey through a tense and memorable world that's entirely worth seeing through to the end. While I'm sad to see The Banner Saga series come to a close with its third and final act, The Banner Saga 3 finishes it all in a brutal and brilliant fashion. The story may be over, but The Banner Saga‘s world is one that I will surely yearn to come back to.
With a massive roster, tons of customization, and more fan service than you can ever imagine, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the series in near-perfect form.
Combined with genuinely shocking moments that I would have the heart to spoil here, The Walking Dead: The Final Season is already off to an incredibly promising start, even when I know that its ending will surely be hard to swallow. The Clementine that I know and loved from The Walking Dead's first season is very different now, and I can't wait to see how her story ends.
As a title that I would consider a bit "under-the-radar" compared to the heavy-hitting games coming this fall, The Gardens Between is a wholly unique experience that you shouldn't let fade away from your memory.
11 years after we last saw Dante, Nero & Co., Devil May Cry 5 shows that the series is in fine form with one of its best installments yet.
Combining strategy, procedural-generation, and survival, Finji's Overland is a challenging, memorable trip across post-apocalyptic America.
The third time really is the charm, as Luigi's Mansion 3 finds a perfect blend of humor and gameplay for a delightfully spooky experience.
By bringing players into their own island, Animal Crossing: New Horizons works the series' charming, wholesome magic like never before.
Tense, heartbreaking, and profound, The Last of Us Part II is an affecting examination of consequences and a masterful sequel by Naughty Dog.
Persona 5 Strikers is an excellent return trip for The Phantom Thieves and hits all the stylish, energetic highs of its predecessor.
Whether it’s your first Dragon Quest game or your eleventh, Dragon Quest XI S truly earns its “Definitive Edition” title by making an already exceptional RPG experience even better. Thanks to its wealth of refinements, new features, and the ability to play through the whole game in its 2D mode, Dragon Quest XI S will feel as much like a new experience for seasoned players of the original game as much as it will for those who are coming to the series for the first time. If Dragon Quest XI was intended to be made as a love letter to the classic JRPGs of the past, then consider the Definitive Edition to be its coda.
Life is Strange has always been about showing us the collisions between the past and the present, and with an ending set to turn the series on its head, there's no way of knowing just where to look back.
The game of thrones is never an easy game to play, and while House Forrester is currently on the losing end of it, "The Sword in the Darkness" at least shows that hope may still remain for the family's safety by the season's end: even if it's only a silver lining.
While Game of Thrones has yet to give a definitive vision of what the future holds for House Forrester (and knowing the series and George R.R. Martin's inclinations it probably isn't going to be good) Episode 2 of its game adaptation still shows that their tale is worth sticking through to the end, even if it may mean paying the iron price for it.
In taking players high into the mountains, Far Cry 4 often reaches even higher and very nearly touches the skies above it — it's only in a few areas that its ambition slightly avoids its grasp. Despite its weaker aspects in story and characters, it keeps players coming back to Kyrat.
It's an excellent re-imagining of an old classic that will surely please both veterans and curious newcomers alike. Even if Abe was the reluctant hero of Oddworld, New 'N' Tasty! is giving him the attention he deserves.
Like the saddest songs that call to us from the depths of our emotions — from despair, to longing, to heartbreak — Transistor may not necessarily be the easiest, or most accessible, title to jump into wholeheartedly in a rush. But given time and a chance to shine, its song resonates beautifully when it hits all the right notes.