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Halo: Campaign Evolved is surface-level impressive. The visuals are gorgeous, even if they muddy readability and necessitate a cluttered HUD, and the mission changes are actually interesting. Halo Studios has made bold moves here, some of them pay off, others don’t.
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is a rock-solid fighter that manages to honor a beloved IP without compromising any of the sensibilities needed to succeed in this genre.
Is Splatoon Raiders groundbreaking? No. Is it the best in its class? Also, no. I've played better, deeper, and more involved looter shooters out there. Having said this, I found a fun charm in Splatoon Raiders and it all comes from this universe that Nintendo has built.
I’m still having a good time with College Football 27. It’s a fun football game that feels responsive and rewarding. I will probably spend a couple hundred hours in Dynasty mode by the time it’s all said and done. But the publisher has hindered this game with its live service ambitions, and I hope we can keep those shenanigans off campus for next year’s game.
That said, the strategy, depth, and, most importantly, vibes are all there in respectable fashion. Whether you want to introduce a young fan to baseball sims or pick this up for some fond memories, Backyard Baseball will serve up good RBI for the price of admission.
Denshattack! is pure, unfiltered Video Game. It’s a joy to see in motion, and be a part of what drives that motion.
After 10 years since the last game in the series, Culdcept Begins marks a riveting return.
The Mermaid Mask is a mystery full of quirk and intrigue that pulls the player in and keeps them going with a riveting story of wayward souls and their mysterious benefactor.
While it has plenty of charm and solid fundamentals, the nitty gritty in Dark Scrolls really weighs it down.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is a high quality remake of the original, but the franchise’s formula is still ever-present, as is the jank. This remake doesn’t revolutionize the series, but what it does do is add enough and change enough about the 2013 version to give fans another superb reason to jump back aboard and experience Edward’s story again.
Its little games are simple, yet addictive, its imagery is silly and light-hearted, and there is undoubtedly music that will stay with players well after they clear any given round. I’m not crazy about how simplistic some of the bonuses are, but I did like the parallel progress through co-op games with their own unlocks.
Star Fox for Nintendo Switch 2 faithfully recreates the N64 classic with new additions like cinematic cutscenes, online battle modes, mouse aiming gameplay, and songs that will be stuck in your head for weeks to come.
For anyone who loves old-school Zelda-style action games, Elliot's story proves to be an adventure worth embarking on.
UFC 6 is my favorite game in the series so far. It’s content-rich, looks beautiful, and the actual fighting feels tight and responsive. It’s only bogged down by some smaller flaws, but overall, UFC 6 is a strong contender.
Bubsy 4D is, straight up, a bad time. It’s fun to jump around a little bit and play with the tools you get, but in a fleeting, shallow way that isn’t enough to sustain a multi-hour platforming video game.
Nostalgia, game development, and meta storytelling collide in this RPG-themed deduction game.
Mina the Hollower is a charming and challenging adventure that never ceased to delight and surprise in music, art, and gameplay.
007 First Light is a crowning achievement for IO Interactive and the culmination of the studio’s growth over the years.
Forbidden Solitaire is at its best when it’s being a new old game, perfectly capturing the look and feel of a spooky, experimental FMV horror game made for PCs in the 1990s.
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a charming and welcome return for one of Nintendo’s most iconic characters. Mario fans looking for a new 2D platformer to chew on may bounce off quickly, but those who buy into the game’s concept will surely be delighted by Yoshi and the Mysterious Book.