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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a complete and spectacular package, offering a fun and varied campaign, lightning fast multiplayer, and a return to round-based zombies that lives up to the hype. It doesn’t fully reinvent what Call of Duty is, but it’s far more varied than previous entries and everything included feels like it got the love and attention it deserves, making it a must-play for anyone who has fondness for Black Ops or Call of Duty.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure is an incredibly beautiful game with interesting time mechanics and strong narrative hooks that eventually lead to a dissatisfying ending.
Sonic X Shadow Generations is a fantastic package that features a great remaster and an excellent all-new story that takes the best lessons from Sonic Frontiers. If 3D Sonic games going forward are like this one, it’s going to be a bright future indeed.
[REDACTED] is another action roguelite in a sea of games in that genre, and while it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it does have some unique ideas. A focus on fast-paced speed and defeating rivals throughout each run provides a nice twist and the fluid action matches that speed, making for a fun experience. The narrative is lacking, but it also doesn’t take up too much time anyway, letting you focus on slaughtering enemies as fast as you can.
Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered is a bizarre and intriguing game that’s worth trying out. The combat and characters are a blast, which makes up for the janky movement and basic story. If you’re like me and had never played this one prior, it’s worth experiencing.
Super Mario Party Jamboree is overstuffed with unnecessary and uninteresting side content. While the main party mode feels like the strongest of the Nintendo Switch entries, a lack of variety in the minigames and only a few standouts make for a Mario Party that has a strong core, but not much else.
A winding and divergent narrative, Slay the Princess - The Pristine Cut is the ultimate version of Slay the Princess and one that I would recommend to almost anyone.
Shin chan: Shiro and the Coal Town is another laid-back and charming title like its predecessor and the Boku no Natsuyasumi series before it. There’s lots to do and no pressure to get anything done, making for a bountiful title that lets you do what you want, when you want, as much as you want. It’s a great game to relax with, and worth grabbing if you need a break between bigger and more fast-paced games.
I am so genuinely happy to see the SaGa series get a well deserved new starting point for new fans, and doubly so for the fact that series vets will love this as well. If you have ever had a vested interest in the SaGa franchise, there probably won’t be a better time than now, with Romancing SaGa2: Revenge of the Seven. I am thoroughly impressed and have a new top 3 SaGa game.
Silent Hill 2 has more than enough modern features to make experiencing it in 2024 hit just as hard as it was praised for doing in 2001. The story still feels unmatched in the genre and the horror is upsetting in ways that feel quite different from some other modern horror titles. Its depiction of real-life horror is handled with incredible skill, using awful realities to benefit its horror without exploiting them or shying away from the realness of them. Combat doesn't have the depth you might hope for and its opening is stretched a bit too far, but it's still an excellent horror experience.
RetroRealms takes two of the most beloved horror series and adapts them into enjoyable platformers with excellent pixel art. The difficulty can be a little bit mean at times, but both titles are a blast overall – especially for fans of each respective series. I can’t wait to see what other movies get the RetroRealms treatment, though I’ve got my fingers crossed for Alien.
Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2 offers a brand new story, and lots of new brothers and enemies. While the online community leaves a lot to be desired, World Brothers 2’s improvements over the first game remain significant enough to recommend.
Visions of Mana is a competent, visually beautiful, and fun game that might have stood out were it released any other year but this one.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is an incredible comeback for the Budokai Tenkaichi series. The roster is packed, the gameplay is satisfying, and the breadth of content is impressive, to say the least. This is the Dragon Ball game so many have been waiting for, and I can’t wait to see what content we get throughout the game’s assuredly long life.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is an exciting new take on the series formula that takes some big swings and largely succeeds.
What the Car is perfect in small doses, especially if you’re looking for something to pick your mood up with a few laughs.
I think if you even have an inkling that Bloomtown: A Different Story is your jam, you owe it to yourself to try it out.
Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns is a pleasant enough expansion to the latest Mortal Kombat game. The new characters are a blast to use and the story, while somewhat all over the place, has enough fun moments to be worth a go. If you didn’t dig Mortal Kombat 1 already, this expansion won’t change your mind, but it’s a good time for those who are already into the title.
Athena Crisis is a solid tactical RPG that takes some of the best parts of Advance Wars and brings them to PC and Steam Deck. There are some rough edges, but the map editor and general gameplay make this one title worth keeping an eye on.
Epic Mickey: Rebrushed fixes many of the issues the original game had to craft a much-improved version of the hidden gem. A few irritating issues persist, but for the most part, this is the way Epic Mickey was always meant to be experienced.