TJ Denzer
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Nintendo and Koei Tecmo have made a fairly loyal fan of me over the course of several Warriors collaborations and spinoffs this last decade and then some. I’ve been particularly enamored with the fact that KT isn’t just strapping fan favorite characters to the Musou formula. Instead, it is augmenting that formula with adaptations of the mechanics from the franchises it is handling. Such was the case with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, and now it’s happened again with Age of Imprisonment. Only this time, Koei Tecmo has utilized the power of the Switch 2 to make an altogether better performing game and a worthy spinoff to the excellence that was Tears of the Kingdom.
Obsidian Entertainment has built a mood with The Other Worlds series. It’s one that positions corporations, executive manipulation, and rampant consumerism as a plague that haunts humanity well into our future in space, but in dark comedic fashion. The vibe continues into The Outer Worlds 2 where those nasty old mega companies are at it again, but I’ll claim that even if you’re over the joke, The Outer Worlds 2 does a lot more than just keep telling it. It also offers a rewarding and varied space adventure that sits nicely on an upgraded foundation of solid gunplay, enjoyable characters, and unique opportunities between playstyles.
I have to hand it to FuturLab. The developervery good at one specific thing, and that is creating structures absolutely caked with grime that only a good power washing will fix. The developer decided to stay with what works and build upon that with a sequel. PowerWash Simulator 2 is very much more of the same. However, it also brings plenty of quality-of-life improvements, especially in splitscreen play and co-op careers, which make exploring all of its new jobs loads of relaxing fun if you’re into this kind of thing.
You know, I never thought I’d want to play a Ninja Gaiden game that didn’t have Ryu Hayabusa front and center in some capacity, but Ninja Gaiden 4 makes a pretty good case for Yakumo of the Raven Clan. He’s the star of the show in this latest entry in Team Ninja’s legendary action franchise, this time with PlatinumGames developing, and not only does he bring an awesome combat gimmick to Ninja Gaiden’s 3D side of the franchise, but Ninja Gaiden 4 also offers a stylish and challenging action-adventure that puts a great bookend on a story that’s been running for decades.
Whether you’re looking at the making Hollow Knight: Silksong or the many patient fans that have been waiting, this has been a long time coming. And in the end, it was worthwhile to open this up, let it breathe, and take in all the notes, because not only is Hollow Knight: Silksong a challenging Metroidvania, it’s also dense. And while that challenging side sometimes slips into annoying territories, this is an undeniably well-crafted delivery of a promise made nearly a decade ago.
Bloober Team has gone back to original IP work with renewed vigor, and that vigor comes through in spades in Cronos: The New Dawn. This is a new sci-fi horror game set in an original universe, and it is an ambitious one. Bloober Team took what they learned from combat and survival design on Silent Hill 2, blended it with its expertise in environmental design, and told a story that sinks its hand-claws in and leaves you uncertain of your decisions at pivotal points. It’s not always ticking at a good pace, but Cronos is an intense time-hopping journey that adds frightful new flavor to the horror universe.
In 2004, Hideo Kojima and his team at Konami released the original run of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. It was one of most immersive gaming experiences most of us had seen and many legendary bits and pieces would influence games and their players for decades to come. Flash forward, Konami, in its recent trek back into AAA gaming, has attempted to recapture that magic with a remake in Unreal Engine 5. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a top-to-bottom redesign of the original that polishes its visuals, controls, and brings things to modern standards. While it misses a few beats and preserves some old warts in the process, it’s still an well-assembled love letter to one of the best games of the 2000s.
We’ve had quite a few non-FromSoftware takes on the Soulslike genre that could easily stand on their own for one reason or another, and this season, Chengdu-based Leenzee is throwing its hat in that ring in its gaming debut. Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is a Soulslike game that takes us to a fictional ancient China based on folklore and mythology, but it also puts some spins on the formula that make this an interesting action-RPG in its own right.
It has been a little under six years since the original Death Stranding came out and much has changed since. We’ve seen the world go through political and economic turmoil, a pandemic, and so much more. Maybe that’s part of what makes Death Stranding 2: On the Beach so interesting in 2025. Where Kojima and his team once told us a story of connections in the original game, its sequel questions the dangers of those connections, exploring the pain they can cause us and even how they can be used to manipulate us. The story is an overflowing well of ups and downs, shaped by improved gameplay and compelling characters that take a long and sometimes awkward journey to a stunning conclusion.
I have some expectations when I look at something in Disney’s Tron universe. I expect blue and red light accents on the characters, a good electronica soundtrack, light cycles, disc throwing, and copious amounts of de-rezzing of characters as they struggle with the questions of individuality, choice, and purpose. Tron: Catalyst is a new game that goes after all these checkboxes, but it does so in such a way that made it hard for me to be enthused. It wasn’t a particularly broken or frustrating experience, but Tron: Catalyst also didn’t leave me with big feelings, even if its biggest gimmick tries its darndest to make things interesting.