Combat is the best part of Beast of Reincarnation, courtesy of a satisfying combat system filled with experimentation and tense fun. If only the rest of Game Freak's venture into the action space matched it.
Unraveling the truth behind the unsolved deaths of a group of people gathering at a mansion one stormy night is engrossing and inventive, with a tale that keeps you guessing until its final moments.
If Bubsy 4D is an attempt to bring new players to this 33-year-old franchise, its poor level design, characterization, and platforming will ensure it won't.
Despite the inflated cast, the main characters are likable, and smart changes to the core battle system and the town-building aspect differentiate Octopath Traveler 0 from its predecessors.
Despite its shortcomings and the campaign’s lack of variety, Black Ops 7 is a solid entry solely for establishing new ways to play while making Call of Duty the social space it used to be.
The absolute glut of content is impressive and intimidating all at once, and NBA 2K26’s on-the-court performance is so good that it’s worth the annoyances that come with the franchise.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Overture is a victory lap, a reminder, and a worthwhile investment of time for anyone who enjoyed Neowiz’s first crack at this fairytale-inspired adventure.
