Graham Banas

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“Ultimately, this is a brilliant remaster of a great title, and if you’re a fan of shmups, this is a must.”

“NHL 26 isn't a massive overhaul by any means. The title fixates on a couple of key areas to improve upon, and unlike some previous entries, it succeeds. The new updates to Be A Pro, chiefly the World Juniors and voice acting, are incredibly welcome. Even more so, the tweaks to the hitting engine and especially goaltending are phenomenal. But that's a rather slight list of changes for a full-scale annual release. Pair that with poor online performance and difficulty of finding matches, and you have to ask yourself if the updates are worth it. Is this a better title than NHL 25? Absolutely. But are those changes enough to make this a good game? Well, that's a more complicated question.”

“The collection provides a huge array of titles with iconic, timeless gameplay, and a brand new title that deftly reinvigorates the franchise. If you like shmups, this one is a must.”

“But it’s hard to knock the games too hard for retaining original experience intact in this respect, as the remasters improve pretty much everything else. This collection leaves you with what is now the definitive way to experience Patapon and Patapon 2.”

“If you're a fan of the franchise, then TRON: Catalyst is a title you won’t want to miss. Bithell Games has massively expanded the scope and ambition of its title from the first time out, and the results are mostly successful.”

“The game ultimately has strong, important messages about loss and mental health. Add in some great music and wonderful navigation, and it becomes difficult not to recommend Afterlove EP despite its rough edges.”

“Nightdive has greatly improved on a lost gem from the turn of the century, with a massive visual overhaul that further enhances on an impeccable atmosphere, even if aiming still underwhelms.”

“Taken as a whole, Naiad is a title with incredible art and sound as well as something to say, even if the gameplay isn’t always firing on that same level.”

“Throw in the crisp texture work — blended with less impressive ones — and rock-solid performance with modern resolutions and frame rate, and you’ve got a winner.”

“Vendetta Forever ends up having a highly replayable gameplay loop with slick combat and incredible variety. This is one of the best titles to hit PSVR2 this year without question.”

“NHL 25 isn't great. While there are welcome changes this time, almost all of them are cosmetic, or menu-oriented. Ultimately, that's what this iteration amounts to: a hyper-fixation on presentational components. Where are the new game modes? Improvements to the controls? Sure the game looks great, but wouldn't it be awesome if it played great as well?”

“Cumulatively, you end up with a title brimming with nostalgia and good ideas, but controls that hold the affair back.”

“The writing is the real star, though, with a manic joke-a-minute energy that is so deliciously, darkly comedic. A number of references are a little dated now, and a couple of jokes aren’t nearly as funny in today's world. However, by and large, the wackiness of the narrative and minute-to-minute character interactions propel the title forward.”

“Ultimately, the game’s charming visage is enough to overcome some mechanical shortcomings and provide a game that's equal parts relaxing, charming, and goofy.”

“If you're looking for a brief distraction, Turbo Golf Racing delivers a sizeable amount of fun in an admittedly slim package.”

“Aspyr has done a serviceable, even admirable job with its porting of Star Wars titles up to this point, but the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection represents a monumental misstep and a much-deserved blemish on its reputation. These are two beloved games representing some of the very best experiences the Star Wars IP has ever offered. To release these remasters in this state is deeply concerning. Our only solace is the fact that, eventually, most of the problems should be fixable.”

“Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake is a solid retread that occasionally gets in its own way. The graphical and musical overhauls are spectacular, and the emotional heft of the story is intact, but the industry has left the title behind in a lot of ways. The control scheme is still pretty unique, and a rousing success in single-player, but the co-op mode comes with an asterisk. While it's a welcome accessibility inclusion, it fundamentally alters the experience, and not really for the better. Throw in some technical woes and you're left with a remake that doesn't quite feel up to snuff in a modern setting. However, the core game was incredible for its time, and ultimately remains a moving tale in this refreshed version.”

“The writing is fun too, though the sound design can often undercut things by blaring over the top of dialogue on default settings. We missed some jokes early on before making corrections. It's great that the title is so fun though, because it also happens to be quite a bit longer than we’ve grown accustomed to with VR titles. Clocking in at nearly 10 hours, Vertigo 2 is a PSVR2 must-play. This is achieved through a combination of great gameplay, fun, often insane boss fights, a playful tone, and oh so much more.”

“That describes the game on the whole, really. A give and take where one element of the game is great fun, but another is broken or unpolished. What you're left with is a game with a super fun core that's unfortunately too broken to put any meaningful amount of time into.”