I had developed a distaste for the original RE4 because it led the series down a path that took horror out of the franchise. The remake revitalized my fondness for the game, taking me back to 2005, when I first played the original. Back then, seeing a game play so differently from the older Resident Evil titles was mind-blowing. Now this remake creating a true horror vibe with interesting characters is giving me a lot of that same joy.

Hogwarts Legacy evokes the same magic as the first book's opening chapter, letting you explore a beautifully realized world, meet a fascinating cast of characters and embark on your own wizarding career. It's the Harry Potter game fans have been dreaming of for decades.

It's Pokemon. It works...Unfortunately, the weaknesses of Pokemon games are very much still present. Interacting with other characters in Pokemon games is always a drag, with reams of dry dialogue reliably halting momentum. Now that exploration is more free and alluring than ever, the plodding interactions with friends and rivals induce correspondingly larger groans.  Some of the Gym Leaders are cute, but the vast majority of people you meet have the depth of cardboard cutouts. Lack of voice acting can make cutscenes almost comically ineffective. One interaction with a rapping character falls especially flat. But, like past games, those frustrations abate in the wild. Collecting Pokemon is still addictive, and feeling the wind breeze in your hair as you travel through the open world is a thrill -- even if a stuttering frame rate makes the wind more choppy than you'd like. 

It's Pokemon. It works...Unfortunately, the weaknesses of Pokemon games are very much still present. Interacting with other characters in Pokemon games is always a drag, with reams of dry dialogue reliably halting momentum. Now that exploration is more free and alluring than ever, the plodding interactions with friends and rivals induce correspondingly larger groans.  Some of the Gym Leaders are cute, but the vast majority of people you meet have the depth of cardboard cutouts. Lack of voice acting can make cutscenes almost comically ineffective. One interaction with a rapping character falls especially flat. But, like past games, those frustrations abate in the wild. Collecting Pokemon is still addictive, and feeling the wind breeze in your hair as you travel through the open world is a thrill -- even if a stuttering frame rate makes the wind more choppy than you'd like. 

That air of familiarity permeates the whole game and never really dissipates. It's a welcome familiarity because Ragnarok builds off such a strong foundation. Revisiting the Nordic realms in God of War: Ragnarok is sensational -- even if it's not as memorable as the first trip.

Sonic Frontiers isn't the disappointment the Sonic Cycle has conditioned us to expect, nor is it the masterpiece Sega fans have been hoping for. It's a super-speedy step in the right direction for the series though, and hopefully lays the foundation for a truly incredible followup.

And it's an adventure that RPG fans willing to put up with some dated mechanics should definitely take -- a sizable free demo lets you transfer your progress to the full game if you're uncertain. The love that went into remaking Live A Live while preserving the core experience is evident in every minute, right down the occasional tedium of '90s gaming. It'd be incredible to see more classics -- like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 6 or Suikoden -- remastered in this manner.

While Switch Sports isn't nearly as accurate or as visceral as sports games in VR, it has something VR still lacks: A way to play with my family in the same room together. Those moments, as silly and random as they are, are worth the effort.

The big challenge that I felt from Ghostware Tokyo was how much it stuck close to very deliberate and slow pacing throughout. But I'm glad that I stuck with it, as Ghostwire Tokyo is a game that offers an intriguing and oddly personable world to explore, despite its eerie and unsettling nature.

The story is enthralling from beginning to end, with enough twists and surprises to keep you hooked. The ending, while not as emotional as the first game, effectively lays the groundwork for a potential third game really well. In that respect, it falls victim to Penultimate Instalment Syndrome, a disease I just made up where – you guessed it – the penultimate ending doesn't really stand alone, but rather is used to tease what is coming next. That's not so much a negative, it's just how it is. And it still works. Regardless, this game was well worth the five year wait. It's gorgeous, fascinating and I can't wait for you to play it. Now if you don't mind me, I'm going to research experimental memory-erasing procedures in the hopes of experiencing this game for the first time all over again.

Is Arceus sort of like a fusion of what Pokemon Snap was dreaming of, and what Pokemon Go enables with augmented reality on phones, and what Breath of the Wild was to RPGs? Yes. Is it also a more traditionally open-world RPG than I'd prefer? Yes. But I can see where this is going. Whenever Nintendo leaps forward again with a next-gen console, Arceus might be a template for its future game franchises.

Given the slow burn recession the series has experienced over the past decade, it's impossible to read Halo Infinite as anything other than a shocking return to form...Single player missions come replete with some of the game's most spectacular set pieces and dramatic boss fights that had my heart exploding out my chest.

Resident Evil 4 really, really works in VR and it runs surprisingly well on the Quest 2. If you have a Quest 2 and don't mind horror, it's probably well worth the download (over 7GB, by the way, in case you're curious). It may be one of the best console ports I've ever seen for a standalone VR headset.

While Metroid Dread sticks a bit too close to a familiar formula, it's still one of the best action games of 2021.

Returnal misinterprets the incremental progress integral to the success of the roguelite. These games are supposed to carry a level of frustration and feel difficult early on in order to challenge players. But Roguelites are supposed to carry a glimmer of hope: Next time will be easier. Next time I'll be stronger. All too often, Returnal denies players that hope and that makes it difficult to keep going when it feels like all is lost. The game is about being stuck in a time loop, but it's not supposed to feel like I'm actually stuck in a time loop.

Resident Evil Village is a slick, atmospheric addition to the franchise, and it bookends the story started in Resident Evil 7 beautifully. Every area is dripping with dark personality and it's filled with memorable characters, while fun combat and a satisfying upgrade system keep things fresh throughout your adventure. Higher difficulties, the Mercenaries mode and other fun unlockables will keep hardcore players coming back after they've beaten the story, so there's plenty of value and challenge beyond the main game. It could definitely be a bit scarier and more difficult, and the final major area isn't quite as visually arresting or fun to explore as earlier ones, but it's a strong start for the series on next-gen consoles and a delightful tribute to the series on its 25th anniversary.

A lot of people don't want to spend 50 hours playing one game, much less 200 hours to 100% it, and would rather a more linear, streamlined experience. Even with its shorter main quest, Cyberpunk is unlikely to sustain this type of player from start to end. But Cyberpunk 2077 isn't designed for that type of player. Anyone who's followed the game knows what they're in for. Players keen for a world to get lost in, a game to sink untold hours into, will be satiated by Cyberpunk 2077.

Mario Kart Live is a fun experience at home that feels like a little magic theme park ticket. And the game itself, while not as good as Mario Kart 8, is deeper and better than I expected. There are unlockable extras and time trials and cups to try to win. [Hands-On Impressions]

If what I've seen so far represents how Larian will bring forth Dungeons & Dragons' Faerun setting through the rest of Early Access and into the final game, I can easily imagine myself putting 200 hours into Baldur's Gate 3. [Early Access Impressions]

My experience with Ghost of Tsushima was most enjoyable when I dipped in and out of the game's elements as the mood struck me, rather than relentlessly pursuing the story, side quests or upgrading items. The island is massive enough to support that approach, especially if you play over weeks or months rather than binging the whole lot in a fortnight. The last year of a console generation's life cycle always brings some incredible games, and Ghost of Tsushima's PS4 open world is worth getting lost in.

But it's not fair to appraise Last of Us Part 2 as some kind of futuristic hybrid. It is a game -- a thrilling, harrowing and thoughtful one. Prepare to be riveted, surprised and, yes, traumatized.

SnowRunner is an amazing sandbox full of engaging toys, and is still an amazingly good low-paced, low-stress way to destroy an afternoon. [Roadshow]

I love the feeling of solving puzzles in haunted spaces: You definitely should put on headphones. Fireproof Games, besides making a number of other Room games, has visited VR before (Omega Agent, a jetpack game that was an early standout back on the Samsung Gear VR). I visited the game in quiet night hours when everyone else was asleep, or in the afternoon between moments of work.

I played mostly on the Valve Index, but I also played on an Oculus Quest, through a USB-C link cable beta that turns the Quest into a PC-compatible VR headset. It worked surprisingly well in a pinch, but the Quest suffers some lag and controller tracking hiccups with my review build.

Despite some graphical oddities and questionable traversal choices, Respawn's game offers gripping narrative, intense lightsaber combat and wonderful worlds to explore. It's an adventure worthy of George Lucas' galaxy far, far away -- a new hope for the single player Star Wars gaming tradition.

Fire Emblem is intimidating.

It's compelling to see a top-tier developer make innovative game design tweaks that change what we've come to expect in the battle royale genre. We'll have to continue to play, but from my perspective, Apex Legends is off to a great start. [Early impressions]

Resident Evil 2 drags the series' classic formula into a new era and there's never been a better way to experience survival horror.