A Minecraft-like game of gathering, crafting, and building wrapped in an action RPG. It’s also a love letter to the Dragon Quest franchise - the soundtrack is a compilation of newly-orchestrated versions of the series’s best music and the story is set after the optional bad ending of the original Dragon Quest with many nods and references to that game. You play as the legendary Builder gifted with the sacred ability to make items and place blocks, using this power to save the people suffering under the reign of the evil Dragonlord.

A brawler starring busty schoolgirl ninjas who take clothing damage. A direct sequel to Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus that is mostly bigger and better - the cast has grown to twenty-eight playable characters without DLC (with the fun variety and unfortunate character shallowness that implies) and while you still fight through rooms of enemies to get to the boss at the end, the combat is more satisfying and feels less like filler - due partly to just looking better and having more on-screen enemies at once on the PS4, and partly to it serving as an important adjustment period since you’re rotating between so many characters all the time. The story is the weakest in the mainline series so far, though it has some great character moments. Diorama mode (pose up to five characters for screenshots) and the new “creative finisher” set pieces are fun fanservicey additions that take advantage of the series’s first HD excursion. The abusive DLC model from the previous Sony installments is back - only worse, since it’s no longer part of a cross-buy platform. All in all, it doesn’t really move the series forward, but it is Senran Kagura on a console, looking better than ever and with perhaps the best combat yet.

A brawler starring busty schoolgirl ninjas who take clothing damage. A direct sequel to Senran Kagura Burst, but with a bit more depth and less breadth than the Vita’s Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus. The cast is the same as Burst (plus an optional male joke character) but combat is deeper, fighting styles are more varied, and there’s a new pair-battle system allowing two girls to work together to clear levels. There’s also a lot to do, including a huge Yóma’s Nest to clear out for weapon skins and special missions to undertake for equippable stat bonuses. The level gating requires some grinding for anything off the main story, which is a shame because even the improved combat becomes repetitive after a while.

A rhythm game starring busty schoolgirl ninjas who take clothing damage. Like most rhythm spin-offs, this game is basically competent but hard to recommend for folks who aren’t already fans of the franchise. Story mode has the cast of Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus taking part in a cooking tournament. Each girl has their own story, all of which are very silly (and non-canon, not that Senran Kagura has a particularly well-defined canon). The tracklist is fairly short with just one song per character, but it’s neat that each girl has a theme song now (though only the class leaders and DLC characters get lyrics). The series-standard cheesecake and outfit customization are intact and all Shinovi Versus DLC can be used here too. The rhythm gameplay is not especially deep, but it works and someone who enjoys both the Senran Kagura cast and rhythm gameplay can have a good time here.

A brawler starring busty schoolgirl ninjas who take clothing damage. Bigger in many ways than its 3DS predecessor, but some of these are mixed bags. As the game area is now 3D, it’s often compared to Dynasty Warriors but this is not entirely fair - while you do take on large numbers of weak enemies simultaneously in a combat system that’s heavy on combos and special attacks, each level is a linear series of rooms that you can’t leave until you mop up all the enemies. Without the sense of freedom and living world provided by Dynasty Warriors, and since none of these enemies really pose a challenge, this combat often feels like rote filler you just have to wade through to get to the actually-interesting boss fights. Similarly, the cast has doubled in size which makes for additional variety of combat styles, but means that character depth is sacrificed as many girls are reduced to their most stereotyped traits in order to stand out from the crowd. But the game looks great on the Vita, which enhances the outfit customization and omnipresent cheesecake.

A sidescrolling brawler starring busty schoolgirl ninjas who take clothing damage. The game supposedly exists because the creator wanted to see breasts in 3D, and you should definitely steer clear if you don’t enjoy fanservice of the cheesecake variety. But the game is surprisingly well put-together and there’s a lot of other things to enjoy here. Combat is engaging if a bit repetitive, characters have surprising complexity and likeability, and although the story can be melodramatic it features a surprising amount of moral sophistication. And if you do enjoy cheesecake, there’s also plenty of that, including unlockable outfits and accessories with which you can dress up the girls.

I really, really want to like this game. (So much so that I bought it three times!) It’s got a distinctive and gorgeous watercolor art style, likeable characters in an anime alternate universe retelling of World War II, and a really cool hybrid of action RPG and turn-based tactical RPG. The first few hours are a blast, with missions that put you in complicated but understandable situations and demand you use your tools to triumph.

Structurally the same as its predecessor (a visual novel in which you investigate murders and then solve them in courtroom sequences) but with much improved writing - characters are more consistent, revelations are (usually) more interesting and more plausible, and atmospherics are put to better use. While respectful of the first game and its fans, it does poke fun at or brutally deconstruct some of the more cliche or implausible elements while paving over some plot holes. The mechanics unfortunately are even more bloated than in the first game. There are a couple of minor improvements (such as the removal of the completely unnecessary Re:Act system, and explicitly marking which courtroom arguments would be supported as opposed to refuted by your action) but rather than trimming the fat for a more pure and focused experience, even more minigames and systems to manage have been added. It doesn’t really add anything to have an in-game Tamagotchi, or to put courtroom questions behind a tube-racing minigame. Still, the result is a game that’s even more engaging than the first, and this time you’ll almost never be frustrated by the story or characters - just the mechanics.

A visual novel in which you play as one of several trapped high school students and investigate a series of murders and then solve them in an informal courtroom. It’s a hodgepodge of plot/characters/themes/mechanics that wears its influences on its sleeve - primary sources include Ace Attorney, Zero Escape, and a dash of Persona 4, though there are many other works that are referenced or stolen from and the game applies its own distinctive aesthetic on top. Some of the elements work and some don’t, and the overall result is both flashier and dumber than any of its influences, with many systems that seem designed to feel active but that don’t actually add any depth. It’s still quite engaging and there’s a lot to enjoy here, despite the occasional frustration from a plot hole, poorly-defined character, or badly-designed mechanic.

An RPG that brings Sonic the Hedgehog and friends into the world of turn-based battles, dungeon-diving, and dialog menus. The characterization is solid, with strong dialog that allows every personality to shine. If you like these characters, it might be enough to keep you going despite the game’s significant problems.

A rhythm game with a story mode that intersperses visual novel scenes starring the cast of Persona 4 plus a few new characters. It’s a satisfying spinoff with a competent story that avoids the pitfalls of other P4 spinoff games - established characters aren’t derailed and new characters aren’t spotlight-stealing Mary Sues. It’s enjoyable to spend time with the Investigation Team and friends again, revisit P4’s excellent soundtrack, and see each character’s personality-appropriate dance moves. For the Persona fan who enjoys rhythm games, it’s absolutely worth playing. Rhythm fans who aren’t also Persona fans would likely be better served by a Hatsune Miku game. The gameplay here is serviceable, but the tracklist and customization are a bit slim. Also, there’s a lot of pricey DLC despite the base game being expensive enough that it really feels like it should have been the complete package.

A 2D fighting game with a story mode that intersperses visual novel scenes starring the casts of Persona 3 and Persona 4 with a few new characters added in. The fighting game seems competent enough, but if you’re looking for more story with the Persona characters, you’re likely to be disappointed. Many characters are derailed, their individual arcs tend to be rehashes of their arcs from the mainline games, and you have to watch each one go through the same painfully-slow gradual understanding of their situation. Don’t bother with this unless you’re interested in it as a fighting game.

A JRPG that is equal parts dungeon crawler, murder mystery, and life sim. You experience a year in the life of an ordinary high school student in a small Japanese town with a lot of ways to spend your time between plot beats, including a variety of jobs to take, hobbies to pursue, and people to befriend. The game has incredible use of place and a lot of depth in character arcs, resulting in both the town and many of its inhabitants feeling alive. I’m more attached to this cast and setting than those of basically any other game.

A JRPG that is equal parts dungeon crawler, murder mystery, and life sim. You experience a year in the life of an ordinary high school student in a small Japanese town with a lot of ways to spend your time between plot beats, including a variety of jobs to take, hobbies to pursue, and people to befriend. The game has incredible use of place and a lot of depth in character arcs, resulting in both the town and many of its inhabitants feeling alive. I’m more attached to this cast and setting than those of basically any other game.

A relaxing rhythm game that uses your own mp3s. Unfortunately, it doesn’t feel finished and the level of work put into the game is inconsistent. There are a ton of visualizers and for some reason even a mixer with which you can create your own tracks, but when browsing songs you can’t sort them or group them by album or artist. Song playback doesn’t work every time - some mp3s refuse to play while others cause lag. Gameplay also feels shallow - there are limited inputs and no real risk to manage, since you can’t fail a track. The game is still satisfying as essentially an interactive visualizer and I think it would have been great if it had been finished properly. If they had dropped the stupid mixer and put those resources elsewhere, that surely would have helped.

An Animal Crossing spin-off that plays like a standalone expansion - it’s an entire game based around a greatly improved version of the mainline games’ interior decoration mechanics. Villagers request homes in particular styles or moods, and occasionally you’re tasked with designing a public facility (such as a school) as well. It’s fun to play with the much more powerful design interface, even if content and mechanics are doled out slowly - you have to design several interiors before you gain the ability to design exteriors, for example. The game is also laced with the standard Animal Crossing warmth and charm, but it doesn’t lead up to anything - the Polygon review called it “shaping a world in which [the player is] never invited to live.” As such, I found it hard to want to stay with the game for long. I can’t help but feel I would have liked it so much more were it not standalone - if it tied in to Animal Crossing: New Leaf such that I could design homes for my neighbors and facilities for my town and then inhabit that larger, deeper world in all the small ways you do in mainline Animal Crossing.

Animal Crossing is a strange series. The sequels seem to be less about advancing the original formula and more about simply bringing the experience to a new system (hence there being exactly one mainline entry each on GameCube, Wii, DS, and 3DS). There are surface improvements along the way and New Leaf is certainly the best installment yet (it helps that handhelds are a natural home for this sort of play) but the core is unchanged. That’s fine from a comfort-food-gaming perspective - if you’ve played any previous Animal Crossing you’ll recognize the characters and know how to interact with the world. Your nostalgia will be fed and you won’t have to stretch your brain to learn radical new concepts or skills.

A life sim set in a small town with humanoid animals of various species (though for some reason, the player character is apparently human). In many ways it feels like an offline MMORPG with no combat. There’s even some asynchronous multiplayer as multiple players can move into the town and see each others’ houses and send each other mail. There’s no single overarching goal or win state; rather, the player can engage in various activities such as fishing or collecting insects, doing fetch-quest favors for villagers, donating to the local museum, saving up to buy house expansions, collecting furniture and outfits, and participating in various holiday events. There are also real-time day/night and seasonal cycles that affect what activities, townspeople, and fauna are available - which is actually pretty inconvenient, since shops are only open during certain hours and neighbors go to bed, meaning that a lot of the game is simply unavailable at night.

An action-RPG with dating sim elements and extensive customization options set in modern Akihabara. The premise is that a group of evil vampires who feed off of life force rather than blood have infiltrated the area, and you must fight to expose them - literally, by stripping their clothes off to inflict direct sunlight upon them. The combat is clunky, which is unfortunate since you’ll be doing a lot of it and the novelty of defeating the enemy by tearing off their outfits can only carry it so far. But the faithfulness of the game’s recreation of Akiba, along with the extensive variety in equippable weapons and clothing and the likable cast who are broadly painted but feature surprising emotional depth carry things much farther. If you like the idea of playing dress-up with your friends and stripping down your enemies in the otaku mecca, you’ll have a good time here.

A life sim set in a crossover Disney universe. Your Mii-based character moves into a town populated by Disney characters (and other Mii-like townsfolk) and explores connected worlds themed after particular Disney properties, undertaking quests and doing favors for beloved Disney characters. There’s a real-time day/night cycle, but it’s just cosmetic and doesn’t block off any of the game’s content. There’s a seasonal cycle too, with special holiday-themed events throughout the year.