Triangle Strategy is a great strategic battler, meshed with devilish politicking and weighty decisions. It's just a shame the cast of characters never gets a chance to shine just as bright.
Deflector is a pretty hectic early access action game that's got its risk to reward ratio a bit off balance. It's also pretty buggy right now.
Whether you're a newcomer or someone steeped in the history of the Neo Geo classic, Windjammers 2 is arcade action in simple and enthralling form, beckoning you in with a low skill barrier, dazzling art style, and an eclectic mix of characters.
Endwalker rounds out a decade of swirling story developments and character arcs with a triumphant finale, ensuring Final Fantasy 14's legacy as one of the best MMOs ever made.
Shin Megami Tensei 5’s combat is great, punishing and rewarding in equal measure without ever tipping the scales too far in one direction. Mixing and matching your deck of demons makes for great fun as well, and spurs you to look to all corners of the ruined world for allies of all shapes and sizes. It’s everything outside of the battling and grungy soundtrack where Shin Megami Tensei 5 badly misses the mark, with one-note characters that you’re never given the chance to better know, and a paper-thin plot that feels dragged out over dozens of hours. Shin Megami Tensei 5 is a good RPG battler, but it’s not good at much else.
Although the playable roster of The Hinokami Chronicles is feeling the lack of demons right now, there's a lot to enjoy from the characters who are there. This 3D fighter delivers on the promise of a power fantasy of Gotouge's manga epic.
Lost Judgment is more of the same, with better detective work, great side cases, and fast-flowing combat.
There are missteps and a few bumps along the way, but this soft reboot of a long-running series emerges a triumph.
A brilliant battle system is let down somewhat by the largely underwhelming side stories and meandering companions of Scarlet Nexus.
Monster Hunter Rise is a great adventure, providing fascinating new tools like the Wirebug and walking a fine line between arcade and fast-paced HD gameplay. The Rampages are a neat new addition when used sparingly, but a reliance on online hunts to finish Rise's story is a puzzling step.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is an ace accomplice to Breath of the Wild, providing charming backstories to its colorful cast of characters while carrying forward the spirit of experimental gameplay with impressive results.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon impressively pulls off the switch to an RPG in style, providing an excellent combat system supported by loveable characters, and a tantalising main storyline with meaningful side quests.
Tell Me Why has been Dontnod operating on a reduced scope, with less characters and less time, and they've pulled it off. Tyler and Alyson have successfully been allowed to grow and function as developed characters before tackling difficult subject matter, and that's really helped the pair flourish as relatable characters. Despite a somewhat rushed conclusion and a final choice that rendered my past actions a little meaningless, Tell Me Why has been one of Dontnod's more pleasant adventures to experience.
After a solid debut chapter, Tell Me Why: Chapter 2 doesn't keep the momentum going. There are pleasant individual character moments between twins Tyler and Alyson Ronan, who remain the undisputed highpoints of the game, but the rest of the cast suffers as a result. Tell Me Why wants to paint an emotional tale of struggle and growth, but Chapter 2's experience is stunted by overuse of the Bond mechanic and the decision-based icon sapping any tension.
Tell Me Why: Chapter One is certainly a promising start for Dontnod's new tale, as the developer looks for a slightly stunted but more mature take on difficult subject matters. Tyler Ronan is a surprisingly positive depiction of a transgender character, even if the bar is set incredibly low, and it's a relief that for once a Dontnod protagonist isn't put through drawn out, traumatic events as a rite of passage. I'm cautiously optimistic to see if Tell Me Why can build on this solid start.
Carrion is an energetic and taut game that flips the tables on The Thing, putting you in command of the alien creature and tasking you with simply going to town on the hapless humans surrounding you. The loose physics-based gameplay is satisfying to play, and the enigmatic creature's bloodlust is crucially never too powerful to render the armed humans that challenge you entirely helpless. Although Carrion's story falls largely flat, it's a very satisfying slaughterhouse of gnashing teeth and tentacles.
Rocket Arena is an enjoyable up-tempo experience with genuinely fun traversal abilities to keep you on your toes and moving to the high and lows of the arena. It's largely undefined characters and lack of meaningful customization options, however, hold it back from being truly memorable. It's a fun arena shooter in the moment, but it'll fade quickly from memory after you've walked away.
If Found is a mesmerizing commentary on the nature of failed relationships and human nature.
It's not going to be a memorable tale, but this Sakura Wars is an enjoyable adventure while it lasts.
Dreams is fantastically experimentative, and it's obvious that the near-limitless creation tools provide a platform on which the community can build far into the future, but to judge this package as whole right now, it's not the wider product that leaves a lasting impression.