Life is Strange: Heatwaves is a love letter to the franchise it heralds from, but fails to fully recapture the fanfare of the story it is continuing. Brittney Morris clearly respects and cares for the franchise, but caters to a constricted page count and fans who have history with the franchise.
With massive shoes to fill, Suicide Squad Kills the Justice League manages to stake it's own claim in the Arkham Universe, despite some issues cropping up here and there. With fun new gameplay mechanics and a cast of loveable, unloved unheroes, The Suicide Squad is here to stay
With a long and illustrious legacy to uphold, the re-release of Persona 3 is just as astounding as its name suggests. Adding new features and loads of content, Persona 3 Reload is just as memorable and outstanding as it always has been.
Even years later, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes returns to the dystopian world of the Hunger Games with new characters and a new story. With a revival of the themes of humanity and corruption, The Hunger Games sees a new life in a old perspective.
With a delightful level of charm and camp, Wonka is a wonderful loveletter to the original classic. Fun visuals, joyful songs, and a thick layer of cringy charm: Wonka returns in a modern masterpiece.
Returning for a second season, Loki proves it is more than a one time slice of magic. With a solid story arc, likeable new characters, and the same villainous charm, Loki secures a solid second season
Coming off an outstanding year on TikTok, Pinkpantheress returns from her debut EP 'to hell with it' with her first full album release 'Heaven Knows'. While her songwriting may have needed a bit more effort, the drum and bass beats and Y2K vibes are a quality listen through and through.
Adding to the ever growing list of rogue-like games, WORLD OF HORROR offers unique and inventive gameplay, settled into stylish pixel art and eldritch horror in equal amount. While the loop approach to the narrative can end up a bit predictable, WORLD OF HORROR is an indie title well worth time and price tag.
With a stunning new artistic direction and a plethora of inventive power-ups and abilities, Super Mario Wonder is a marvelous addition to Nintendo's 2D Mario lineup. Adding a host of new ideas, Nintendo captures the wonderful wackiness of imagination.
With innovative level design and a healthy amount of new gameplay, Sonic Superstars is a solid addition to the legacy franchise. Borrowing the better elements from past titles, the new Sonic game feels refreshing and familiar all at the same time.
Ending the rocky Cyberpunk legacy with a bang, CD Projekt Red delivers the final expansion to their would be RPG masterpiece with Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty. With loads of new content, bug fixes, and content overhauls, Cyberpunk can officially be considered a marvelous success.
With stylish game design and intense mechanics, Lies of P finds itself in a world of grim fairytales and despair. Following in the footsteps of FromSoftware's growing legacy, this Soulsborne-like masterpiece captures magic with no strings attached.
With a classic feel, Totally Killer plays the role of dumb, fun slasher to a T. While having more than a few unneeded jokes, it makes for a solid time-waster for the Halloween season.
Coming after a sizeable break and a hellish rollout campaign, Doja Cat scares with a new look and a not so new sound on Scarlet. With a focus on rap and hip-hop, Scarlet has some hits, some misses, and a whole lot of red.
Returning from her dominant freshman album SOUR, Olivia Rodrigo doubles down on teenage joy, rage, and heartbreak with the bold and energized GUTS.
Despite poor performance on launch, Jedi Survivor proves itself as Star Wars quality. With exciting gameplay, expanded universe, and all the customization your heart could want, the Jedi sequel sets itself above the competition.
Metallica returns this year with their 11th studio album and despite being a marked improvement from their last release St. Anger, 72 Seasons doesn't manage to capture the classic thrash style that brought the band to fame. While boasting headbanging riffs and revived vocals, Metallica can't seem to escape their habits.
The Mandalorian has hit the climax, bringing all the threads across season three into a intense and thrilling episode seven. With nothing left to do but close the season out with a bang, The Mandalorian strikes it out of the ballpark once more.
While Jack Black can do absolutely no wrong, episode six of The Madnalorian feels like a Disney cameo requirement rather than a fun Easter egg for viewers. Still holding onto Mandalorian quality, episode six falls somewhat flat off season three.
Despite returning to well-used concepts, indie-rock band Phoneboy delivers a solid sophomore album with Moving Out. Showcasing talent and developing skills, the band promises a long career of quality.
