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It’s good to see Persona 4 again. The more modern entries have all been built on a solid foundation that is continually being refined, and the Persona 4 Golden PC version is a really good example of exactly how well a series known as a PlayStation staple can play on a new platform.
Aokana is one of those romantic visual novels where yes, you are eventually trying to win over one of your classmates. But, it’s structured in such a way that the journey, your school life, and the Flying Circus team you help coach feel equally important.
Never has the world needed Jackbox Games’ library more than it has in 2020. Sure, it’s been fun to play in the same room and through streaming for the past six years! But with so many needing more social interaction with friends and family and only being able to do that remotely, now is a great time for a fresh Jackbox Party Pack.
Much like Kasuga’s dragonfish tattoo feels like a quirky but faithful successor to Kiryu’s dragon, Yakuza: Like a Dragon rebuilds the franchise by leaving a lot of it in place. The new protagonist doesn’t feel like he has seven games of story in him, but his eagerness to join the fray could carry the next few entries.
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is the hero we’re looking for. The game takes everything people loved about Marvel’s Spider-Man, the story, the collecting, and the smooth fighting, and presents us with a story that somehow feels more balanced and dedicated to its star.
Ubisoft Quebec has created an incredibly fun (and funny) open world experience for the realm of the Grecian gods. It has its own combat style, narrative style, dungeon-crawling style, and, yes, art style. And it’s delightful.
Monster Hunter Rise is without a doubt one of the best Monster Hunter games I have ever played, if not the best outright. It caters to new and veteran players effortlessly, and while some accessibility issues holding it back from outright being a perfect game, it really offers the best of both worlds.
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 is a more approachable version of an emotional and thought-provoking RPG. This is a game people might not have known what to do with years ago. Now, following the success of NieR: Automata, it’s presented with additional accessibility options, better looking and smoother gameplay, and additional content that gently builds on what was already there.
With how long we all waited, a new Pokemon Snap game long felt like a long-shot. But even more unlikely? Living up to what we wanted the game to be. New Pokemon Snap isn’t perfect, but it’s smartly-built and worth the time it asks of you.
R-Type Final 2 is a satisfying shmup with many challenging, carefully crafted stages. Having so many different ships gives it a ton of replay value, and also gives you many strategic options for how you tackle a given area. I wish it had a more striking, clear visual style so I could appreciate the designs and stages more (and die less to dopey things).
Indie games generally hang their hats on one great idea. Is it a compelling, original narrative? Or an aesthetic that you haven’t seen anywhere else? How about a unique game mechanic around which the rest of the game builds? Any of these can work. Just one of these can lift a small-team title above the indie pack. Chicory: A Colorful Tale has all three.
You can tell when some forms of media are going to hit you hard. The moment I began playing Sumire on the Switch, I suspected it would have the potential to devastate me. And I mean, I was partially right. It’s a beautiful, heartfelt, and haunting game, one where every moment can count, and it can leave you feeling about how much people’s actions can matter.
While I loved every second of replaying Mass Effect for the fourth and definitely not final time, I have that history and nostalgia keeping me through the outdated gameplay. I would recommend anyone jump into this series if they love BioWare RPGs, but I’d have a string of caveats. A lot has not aged well, especially from the first game, even though the first game arguably has the best story of all three. The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is an absolutely incredible walk down memory lane, but that’s really all it is.
FFVII Remake Intergrade is a game full of moments both expected and unexpected. It is packed with people you recognize and, unless you went all in on Compilation of FFVII, don’t. Its fundamental gameplay is tight and does enough that it engages you with what-ifs. What could happen this time and how will things change since Square Enix is able to things out more? And with FF7R INTERmission especially, we’re getting hints of how additional stories could go.
Monster Hunter Stories 2 is not only a friendly way to ease into an otherwise imposing series. It’s also an example of a developer improving upon every flaw from the original game. The result is a game that is one of the best I’ve played so far in 2021.
When I played The World Ends with You on my Nintendo DS back in 2008, I was struck by how vibrant and wonderfully unique the game is. I’d hoped for more for years, especially after teases found in the ports. Now we’re back in Shibuya for NEO TWEWY, and it is the sequel the original deserved. Yet, at the same time, it stands tall on its own merits and is a welcoming experience for people completely unfamiliar with the series.
Samurai Warriors 5 gives you a sense of incredible herculean power as you play through it. Few other action games give you such an ability to cleave through crowds of foes that stand in your path, and it’s undeniably satisfying to be able to swat a few dozen people aside. Not that this series and other Musou titles don’t give you that same play style and feeling, but the mixture of political intrigue in its story and the striking new visual style make this entry well worth playing.
Dodgeball Academia borrows smartly from a lot of old-school greats, but it’s also more than the sum of its parts.
We haven’t had this much fun with a card battle RPG since the Pokemon TCG games on the Game Boy Color. If you at all have an affinity for the concept, it’s unlikely that you’re burned out on the idea these days. Give Shadowverse: Champion’s Battle a shot, and it’s unlikely that you’ll be disappointed.
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster respectfully builds upon the classic game's foundation while making tweaks that drastically improve its pacing.