Both the dialogue and gameplay sometimes grated on me, but there are a number of impressive moments and the occasional strong joke that surprised me and made me laugh.
Both the dialogue and gameplay sometimes grated on me, but there are a number of impressive moments and the occasional strong joke that surprised me and made me laugh.
Age of Imprisonment offers myriad improvements across the board mechanically and visually, but my favorite element is that it treats Tears of the Kingdom’s story with respect.
Dispatch delivers one of the most compelling interactive dramas in years, an adult animated superhero story with the emotional punch of prestige television and a script that truly shines.
Little about Possessors' formula will surprise Metroidvania enthusiasts, but Heart Machine has nonetheless notched another entertaining single-player action game under its belt.
Though there’s substantially less content and replayability than its primary contemporary, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is concise and effective in its mission, offering the most well-rounded kart racer of the year.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is beautiful, nuanced, and deeply rewarding, but it’s also tuned to be grueling in ways that aren’t always fun in the traditional sense.
Though its narrative and level design sometimes get in the way, the entire package is still a setpiece-filled action romp and one of the year’s best shooters.
Its adorable aesthetic and wordless storytelling make this brief adventure one worth sharing with family or a friend, but its distant camera angle and visual filters were frustrating obstacles on an otherwise picturesque road.
Though many of the series’ core elements remain intact, Gearbox has refined and reconfigured them in such ways that Borderlands 4 rises beyond anything the series has accomplished to this point.
Hell is Us isn’t perfect, but it’s a bold and respectable debut that largely delivers on its puzzle-solving promise, despite middling combat and uneven storytelling.
If you’re in the mood for something that recalls games like Resident Evil 4 and Dead Space, Cronos might hit the spot. But it’s not without its pain points.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance should serve as a blueprint for delivering a retro-facing experience of an absentee franchise while still leveraging modern technology and game design conventions.
Recent updates have eliminated the tedious grind for upgrades, but the lack of a strong foundation underneath leaves FBC: Firebreak with too little, too late.
Shadow Labyrinth is uneven, overstuffed, and often frustrating. It has decent moment-to-moment gameplay, but it fails to materialize into something coherent.
Across its 12-hour runtime, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound seamlessly blends gorgeous pixel art, inventive level design, and sublime gameplay to create one of the best retro throwbacks I’ve ever played.
When Eriksholm finally lays out all of its stealth puzzle pieces on the board two-thirds through the game, the entire experience sings, inviting playful and smart experimentation. I just wish I had access to all of these pieces sooner.
Like a standout freshman bursting onto the scene, College Football 25 was a pleasant surprise, but College Football 26 aptly demonstrates it wasn’t just beginner’s luck, delivering an equally impressive sophomore effort.
While Iron Galaxy has excellently modernized the gameplay and graphics of these classics to feel right in 2025, I wish it had done a better job of highlighting the influence these games once had in their heyday.
