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Tekken 8 is a blast to play thanks to its strong core gameplay and welcome breadth of content. If you’re essentially a Tekken beginner like me or a returning series regular, there’s lots to do and enjoy in every corner of Tekken 8.
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy is a pleasantly loaded collection of the latter three mainline Ace Attorney games that newcomers and fans both should turn to for the best version of these games. The group of games is filled with twists and turns that look excellent and come with dandy extras. Now, if we can just get both Ace Attorney Investigations games in a collection …
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a shining jewel in the series and an exciting, and much needed, surprise from Ubisoft.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is what all sequels should aspire to be. The gameplay is improved upon all-around, the story is riveting from start to finish, and the breadth of side content is second-to-none. It may be early, but I feel confident in saying that one of 2024’s game of the year frontrunners has debuted not even a month in.
Come on ride the depressing train (WOO WOO!)
Headbangers: Rhythm Royale is a cute and light-hearted experience albeit a short-lived one as you’ll inevitably find something better to do.
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is a stellar RPG that anyone who enjoys monster-catching games has got to play. The technical issues can be frustrating and surprising, but they don’t impede the game enough to be a serious hindrance. The depth of the synthesis system and the intriguing story make The Dark Prince easily stand as one of the best RPGs of the year.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a thrilling and compact continuation of the neverending and endlessly exhilarating adventures of Kazuma Kiryu. There’s plenty of content to make you feel fulfilled alongside the expectedly explosive story. This is a delightful little Like a Dragon experience that will tide you over until the next main entry.
The DLC does fall into a lot of the problems the main game and prior DLCs did, mainly some overly large levels that take a bit longer than you’d like, and intricate hard to reach machinery that feels like you can just never get clean. It’s also very short, about the length of a Back to the Future movie. You’d also hope for a little more references to the movies themselves, there’s a cute moment when you finish cleaning the Delorean, but that’s about it.
Super Mario RPG is a light and enjoyable return to the roots of Mario’s now-iconic presence in the role-playing game genre. Those looking for a more complex RPG may find it a tad too simplistic, but this remake thrives at being a straightforward and endlessly pleasant throwback to a simpler time.
Naruto X Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections is more Ultimate Ninja Storm. That’s great for me, as I enjoy the game series and the source material, but if you’ve played every Ninja Storm game, this won’t provide you with too much new content. Still, it’s a ton of fun – especially for Naruto fans who want to partake in battles between any combination of characters one can imagine.
WarioWare: Move It! is another excellent entry to Nintendo’s strangest (and one of its most consistent) series. A couple of the games take a bit to get used to, but the variety of fast-paced and goofy microgames and modes provide everything you could want from a WarioWare game.
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl takes all the good of its predecessor and builds upon it quite a bit. The roster is varied, the additional modes go a long way in giving the game some extra juice, and the combat is smooth and exciting. There are some bugs here and there that hinder things, but I have confidence that the future of All-Star Brawl 2 is bright.
Air Twister is a peculiar game that can be intriguing and fun despite its flaws. It’s neat to see Yu Suzuki go back to the success of Space Harrier all these years later, though the price may be a bit steep for those who aren’t arcade enthusiasts.
They really did do a great job with this one, creating something fans of the game can fall back in love with, as well as creating what might be the best jumping-off point for new fans of the series. As I said earlier, I had NO intentions of going in as deep with this game as I did before I started writing, but here I am already wanting to go back to do some end/post-game things just because it was so enjoyable. This is a worthy entry into any RPG fans’ collection, and it does the original release great justice.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is largely the most fun Spider-Man game yet, even if its story is more uneven than I would have liked. I’m hoping the next game will finally drop the stealth missions, but fighting and flying is the best it’s ever been. Insomniac clearly gets Spider-Man, and how to make these games fun, so I hope the third main title (or whatever the next smaller spin-off is) continues to build on the best parts of this sequel.
Alan Wake 2 is an incredibly rich narrative driven experience with such impressive visuals and performance that truly feels like a next-generation experience.
Games should exist and designers should always make games but Gordian Quest offers nothing new and does nothing exceptionally well.
Sonic Superstars is largely a blast to play thanks to its various characters and wonderful presentation. Though a couple of segments drag on a bit, most of the game is a fast and flashy adventure that tries new things but stays true to what people love about Sonic, to begin with. If this is the future of 2D Sonic, then the horizon is very promising.
Though Gargoyles Remastered is a bit bare when compared to other remasters, the game itself is worth revisiting (or trying out for the first time) if you’re fond of the show or just looking for a brisk retro platformer. I wish I liked the new visual style more, but even just as a retro title, it’s a good time. I’m glad to see less well-known Disney games come back to modern consoles, and I hope this trend continues going forward.