Assuming you’re okay with dealing with the frustrations of local multiplayer—or just plan to play online and don’t care about any of this—Killer Queen Black is a brilliant ballet of a team-based online competitive game. If you haven’t experienced it yet, you won’t be disappointed.
Magic Arena’s pitch has finally gotten me hooked on a game I’ve been playing on and off for seven years. Its ease of play makes the average Magic game more of a ballet than a stop-and-start football match. As most of its clunkier aspects game melt away, the heart of a card game that has nearly three decades’ worth of staying power shines through.
It’s difficult to imagine the type of gamer for whom Smash Ultimate has no appeal. This is a big game, and with the fat skimmed off, a remarkable one. Its core attraction—fighting on a platform—is as polished and brilliant and sharp as ever, its fighters the most unique and deep.
Chaos still reigns, yet with more opportunities for strategy, Super Mario Party has aged at pace with its audience.
Battle Chef Brigade delivered exactly what I wanted out of it: an engaging, but light game between visual novel segments with eccentric fantasy chefs. It's a delightful way to while away subway rides when, at home, mountains of heavy-lift AAA games are piling up.
Brawlhalla is a dynamic take on platform brawler that feels good to play. It's never going to replace the game that inspired it, but means that there's another (non-Nintendo) game to play when I invite my friends over to hang on the couch.
Arms is a one-trick pony. That one trick is polished and addictive, with deep minutia worth mastering.