Gaming

Tales of Arise doesn’t exactly forge new ground in the JRPG genre, but a fast-paced battle system and a well-told story make it easy to pick up, and hard to put down.

Boyfriend Dungeon elicits an emotional attachment to its large cast of characters, but repetitive gameplay and dungeons sour the experience.

No More Heroes 3 is the latest game by director Suda51 for the Nintendo Switch. While the game has a colorful cast of characters and a unique style, it suffers from repetitive gameplay.

Marvel’s Avengers: War for Wakanda adds an interesting playable character, but the game’s structure is as repetitive and unfocused as ever.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a bland co-op shooter that coasts on the strength of its license.

Double Fine Productions’ long-awaited Psychonauts 2 is finally here, jumping straight in where the original game left off 16 years ago.

Naraka: Bladepoint is a battle royale with Chinese mythology inspirations. While it does have guns and bows, its primary focus is on melee combat and quick grappling hook movement.

Twelve Minutes is a tense and gripping thriller with a narrative you won’t soon forget.

Madden NFL 22 features a revamped franchise mode, minor gameplay improvements and a successful story mode, but the NFL simulation is still growing stale.

Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut is the best way to play one of 2020’s best games, but the PS5 upgrade can be a bit pricey.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a charming but niche adventure

In Hades, you’ll die a lot, but this compelling roguelike makes battling out of the underworld a pleasure.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris provides more familiar gameplay, but doesn’t add much to the well-worn series formula.

Neo: The World Ends with You is filled to the brim with style and charm, but actually playing the game can get tedious sometimes.

The MSI Katana GF76 boasts impressive hardware and decent performance, but there's a sense that its powerful components should be able to deliver better results.

Eldest Souls is a beautiful, 16-bit pixel art boss rush, which provides a serious challenge in an unforgiving world. Battle the Old Gods and test your mettle.

Pokémon Unite is a simplified version of the MOBA genre. It condenses systems found in League of Legends into fun short bursts, but lacks the staying power of more established games.

Subnautica: Below Zero is a solid addition to the survival game genre, delivering a standalone experience that manages to be both cozy and challenging.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD makes a few smart improvements to an excellent game. A cumbersome control scheme still holds it back, however.

The Razer Barracuda X is an inexpensive and versatile wireless gaming headset, which plays nicely with PC, PlayStation and Switch, but has few bells and whistles.

The Roccat Syn Pro Air wireless gaming headset offers good sound and a quality mic, but it’s frustrating to use, and far too expensive for what it does.

Mario Golf Super Rush has plenty of initial charm, but comes up short in terms of content.

Scarlet Nexus is an action-packed adventure, with a good story and characters. It’s worth picking up for both longtime JPRG fans and newcomers.

Knockout City is a zany take on dodgeball that combines surprisingly deep gameplay with a bright, colorful aesthetic. It’s a winning combination.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade leverages the PS5 to make a great game even better, but it’s the Intermission DLC where the experience really shines.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is the exclusive title the PS5 has been waiting for. With finely tuned gameplay, an ambitious story and terrific production values, it's a high-water mark for the series.

The Roccat Kone Pro is a comfortable and effective gaming mouse, with particularly striking RGB lighting. It's expensive for what it does, though, and the software could be better.

The MSI Aegis RS11th couples strong performance with a chassis that'll fit your needs as they grow, at a price that's fair — if it's in your budget.

The Razer BlackWidow V3 Mini HyperSpeed is one of the best gaming keyboards on the market, combining a just-big-enough keypad with excellent functionality and a sleek design.

The MSI MEG Trident X looks great, doesn't take up much space, and runs demanding games at top settings. It's not cheap, however.