ActRaiser Renaissance's plastic look betrays a solid remake with a lot of new content, and plenty of heart.
It takes a little time to warm up to Tales of Arise's main characters (ironic, when two of them wield the powers of hell itself), but once you're over that hump, you're left with a charming JRPG powered by a battle system that never slows down.
The console version of Koi has potential to be a standout indie hit, but as it is now, it's a very small fish in a very big pond.
Hyper Light Drifter is very much worth the time, effort, and aggravation it costs you (and inflicts upon you). Its blistering speed takes some getting used to if your experience with action RPGs leans towards the likes of Zelda and Secret of Mana, but once you warm up to the icy slickness of Hyper Light Drifter, it quickly commits itself to your muscle memory.
Mighty No. 9 contains the seeds of a good platforming franchise, but for now they're exactly that: Seeds. In its current state, Keiji Inafune's intended successor to the Mega Man series lacks creativity, joy, and character – not to mention several weeks' worth of polish.
The Wonderful 101: Remastered is the latest Wii U exclusive to be whisked from near-obscurity to land on modern platforms. It's a worthy rescue: Like the original game, The Wonderful 101: Remastered is funny, action-packed, and loaded with unique PlatinumGames charm. That uniqueness is simultaneously its best and worst asset: The trademark line-drawing technique that lets the Wonderful Ones turn their followers into weapons is awkward to pull off without the Wii U's gamepad. There's a lot to love about Wonderful 101: Remastered, but there's a lot to get frustrated over, too.
Yooka-Laylee is built out of the heart, soul, guts, and bones of Banjo-Kazooie. It's exactly what fans of Rare's classic 3D wanted. Unfortunately, technical issues stick to it like bat guano.
The game used in this review was a digital copy supplied by the publisher.
Typoman dishes up pleasure as well as pain, which probably isn't surprising, given its scenario. It's a flawed game, but an interesting one nonetheless. If you get a kick out of word games and/or puzzle games, it's worth a look. Just steel yourself for frustration when it comes time to run.
The story for the first episode of Minecraft: Story Mode is a little familiar, but it's solid and full of fun references to Minecraft lore. The puzzles are lacking, however.
Shantae: Risky's Revenge - Director's Cut is a good action game, but it looks and feels a bit primitive next to Shantae and the Pirate's Curse. It's still worth playing if you're a fan of action titles, and that especially applies if you're a fan of Shantae who missed out on the first release of Pirate's Curse.
Azure Striker Gunvolt 2's offers a unique method of taking down bad guys, which is enough to differentiate it from the Mega Man Zero series that indirectly spawned it. Tagging and shooting foes is tons of fun and the ability to play as Copen is a nice addition, but Gunvolt 2 still has notable issues with repetitive level design. Still, if you enjoyed the first game, there's no reason you won't have a blast with this one.
Though slow in parts, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is fun, funny, and simply feels good to play. A must-play for Mario RPG fans of all stripes.
This is a portrait of what its genre can offer. It's only downfall is it may not have taken enough chances to truly distinguish itself.
It all comes down to this: don't deny yourself Final Fantasy V.
Through its solid workmanship, cool settings, and myriad content, Skylanders: SuperChargers demonstrates Activision's lofty fantasy world is still a fun place to visit. Kids will love it, obviously — and if you're an adult fan of 3D action games who's yet to make a brief stop-over, maybe it's time you did so.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity isn't The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, but it's a great musou game with a lot of content for starved fans of Breath of the Wild. Even if you're a Zelda fan who can take or leave musou games, Age of Calamity is worth taking. However, occasional slowdown and frame drops, especially in handheld mode on the Switch Lite, make it clear the Switch is aging quickly.
The Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection could stand a few more extras. Customizable controls would be great, as would sound options, design documents, or artwork. When you think about everything the original All-Stars offered-three graphically upgraded Mario games, plus a "lost" game-3D All-Stars is a bit lacking. That said, the games in Super Mario 3D All-Stars still hold up today. I'm surprised how fun Super Mario 64 still is, and Super Mario Galaxy remains one of the heroic plumber's best outings. As for Super Mario Sunshine, well, that's still up to personal taste.
Panzer Paladin adopts a bit of every NES platformer you played as a kid, and the result is a little chaotic, but a lot of fun.
If you're OK with Paper Mario's turn to action, you'll find an enjoyable game packed with humor, secrets, and unique boss battles.