John Carson

“The First Beserker: Khazan is a brutal but impressive soulslike that makes pushing through its devastating bosses worth the effort.”

“Dawntrail doesn’t reach the peak of earlier Final Fantasy XIV expansions, but its path is different. Its mission is to begin a new grand tale, and it absolutely succeeds in placing the threads for the future while weaving an effective story about legacy and loss. Although I have grievances about the pace of questing and the main character’s contradictory actions, I’ve loved my time exploring Tural and can’t wait to see what the next chapter of the story brings.”

“I have reservations about the experience as a whole – however, I can't help but smile thinking about this adventure with the Straw Hats. It nails the core cast of characters, the Memoria areas are fun to revisit, and the revelations surrounding Waford, Lim, and Adio ultimately satisfy. Of course, I can't thoroughly recommend this voyage for someone new to One Piece, but seasoned pirates will find a worthy adventure on the horizon.”

“Respectable combat carries Valkyrie Elysium through a bland-looking action-JRPG with predictable story and straightforward level design.”

“Temtem may look like a copycat on its surface, but its deviations from the Pokémon formula pay off considerably. With unique battling elements and an engaging MMO structure, Temtem evolves as its own experience and offers a vast, challenging adventure that even those without a Nintendo console can enjoy.”

“It's a lot of fun to experience JoJo’s eccentric and ostentatious battles in solid yet boilerplate offline modes, but online struggles often knock the wind out of it.”

“I applaud Digimon Survive for being a dark, harrowing, and wonderful visual novel, and subverting what I thought a Digimon story could be. While I wish the combat evolved as much as the surrounding story presentation, it’s not enough to deter someone from seeing the narrative through. Don’t expect a tactical masterpiece, but rather a well-made melancholy tale depicting Digimon in a light they haven’t been in before.”

“MultiVersus may not be a must-play at social gatherings, but its refreshing team-based battles make it a great platform fighter online.”

“I’ve had a great time with Sunbreak overall. The lack of new monsters plagues the early hours, but there’s plenty to love if you keep at it. The added flexibility of the Switch Skill Swap system is a freeing and fun expansion to combat for hardcore hunters and the new creatures in the Master Rank quests – when you get to them – breathe life into the experience. For someone already invested in Monster Hunter, there’s plenty to love in Sunbreak. Just don’t expect to see a lot of new content in the opening hours.”

“I was looking for a substantial Diablo experience to play on my phone with Immortal, and it often reaches that bar. While I don’t see myself going deep into the endgame unless Blizzard resolves the issues with legendary gems, I still plan to spend hours in Diablo Immortal, leveling a character in every class and playing until my hands ache.”

“I want to like Salt and Sacrifice, and in some stretches, I do. I enjoyed exploring the world, concepts of hunting and crafting, and the moody atmosphere, which kept me continuing for dozens of hours. But its clunky progression systems and many maddening enemy encounters quickly make the fun times easy to forget.”

“Despite my nitpicks, every new discovery unveiled, skills obtained, and boss defeated wipes away any grief and replaces it with deep satisfaction. There’s a lot to clean up with the core progression systems to make the ramp from beginning to end escalate more evenly, but I’ve enjoyed most of my hours struggling through countless generations of my goofy little bloodline. I am overjoyed the entertaining heritage of this series remains firmly intact.”

“Kirby thankfully remains as charming as ever and this new adventure can effortlessly provide hours of glee.”

“Amazon Game’s second run at the MMO market is very impressive. The years of content already created for Lost Ark provide an enticing package filled to the brim with fun activities and exciting locals to explore. Each class is wonderfully unique, and the customization systems allow for an abundance of freedom to tailor to a variety of playstyles. I’ve had a great time with Lost Ark in these early days, and I’m looking to sink many more hours into it with friends over the coming weeks and months. Those looking to scratch an Action/RPG itch or sink time into an MMO won’t go wrong giving this adventure a fair shot.”

“Endwalker caps off a story over a decade in the making in spectacular fashion and cements it as one of the series' best entries.”

“Drinkbox Studios delivers a funny and challenging adventure that's not afraid to get weird and encourages clever customization.”

“Catching, training, and trading Pokémon remains a blast, and Sinnoh is a great region to explore”

“Nickelodeon's characters and stages translate well into Nick Brawl with easter eggs of character-favorite moments hidden in each move. However, it's missing the accessibility and party feel of other platform fighters”

“No More Heroes cutscenes and boss battles are worth the time investment alone. Its highs greatly outweigh the lows and provide plenty of fun for those who stick it out until the end”

“Boredom is never allowed thanks to entertaining characters, diverse team compositions, and a steady difficulty curve”