When it comes down to it, the essence of Dynasty Warriors' longevity is simple: Cleaving through hundreds of enemies like a hot knife through butter feels really good. It's the ultimate power fantasy, with each swing of your weapon sending bodies careening through the air in every conceivable direction as the KO counter ticks up into the thousands. For almost 25 years, this basic formula has remained virtually unchanged, lending the series a fervent albeit niche following. Dynasty Warriors 9 attempted to evolve the formula, but the shift to a lifeless open world was a misstep that didn't mesh with the series' core appeal. Dynasty Warriors: Origins, as the name implies, sees Omega Force returning to its roots, emphasizing the large-scale, hack-and-slash action Dynasty Warriors is known for while implementing a number of clever new additions that achieve what Dynasty Warriors 9 failed to.

If you're unfamiliar with the long-running series, Dynasty Warriors is based on Luo Guanzhong's 14th-century novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms--and the ancient history it's based on--loosely adapting the classic Chinese novel by taking some absurd creative liberties along the way. While previous games in the series have typically covered the bulk of the Three Kingdoms period from 184 AD to 280 AD, Origins tightly focuses on the early parts of the story, beginning with the rise of the Yellow Turban Rebellion and culminating in the decisive Battle of Chibi. Unlike the rest of the series, the story is also told from the perspective of an amnesiac warrior who's meeting legendary figures like Guan Yu, Dong Zhuo, and the fearsome Lü Bu for the first time. This setup is clearly designed with newcomers in mind, making the series' enduring legacy and myriad beloved characters much more palatable for new players to dive into for the first time.

Still, that doesn't mean returning players will be left wanting. By focusing on the early events of the Three Kingdoms' tapestry, Omega Force has opted to delve into the time period in greater detail than before, with a renewed emphasis on storytelling and character development. Even minor figures are more fleshed out, while pivotal moments are given the gravitas they deserve. This is somewhat of a double-edged sword, however. The writing is generally solid, with defined, charming, and likable characters engaging in moral quandaries and battles of both wit and brawn, but the overabundance of cutscenes sometimes works to its detriment. Too many conversations simply feel derivative, either repeating plot points or adding little of substance to the narrative and your understanding of its ensemble cast of characters. This disrupts the game's pacing, leading to more than a few occasions where you're forced to wait impatiently for the next battle to arrive as you cycle through one superfluous conversation after another.

I didn't expect much from Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The first movie was a nice little diversion from COVID, but the sequel was quite irritating--and with the same director and writers back for another go-around, I figured we were in for another round of "more of the same." Fortunately for all of us, I was wrong: The threequel successfully reins in the pop culture references and Jim Carrey's wackiness just enough, while also giving us a serious villain for the first time with Keanu Reeves's Shadow, and the result is that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 works better for audiences of all ages than its predecessors, which were more squarely aimed at children.

Sonic 3 picks up some time after the last movie, and the Wachowskis have adopted Tails and Knuckles along with Sonic--they've got a nice little family unit going. Robotnik, meanwhile, is very depressed, just hanging out in his crab mech binge-eating snacks and binge-watching telenovelas. In other words, all is well. At least until an unknown person manages to free the mysterious Shadow the Hedgehog from stasis, letting him loose to pursue revenge for something that happened long ago and putting him into conflict with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles.

That unknown person was, it turns out, another Dr. Robotnik--grandpa to the one we know (but still played by Jim Carrey). Robotnik Sr. and Shadow are allies, having shared a deep trauma decades earlier that is driving them both to extreme lengths for revenge. The younger Robotnik, the one who was a bad guy in the other two movies, serves as a wild card, because he wants to team up with his grandad but has a pretty different ultimate goal.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver was ahead of its time when it launched in 1999 for the original PlayStation. From its storytelling and worldbuilding to the technical prowess behind its interconnected world and innovative Realm shifting, developer Crystal Dynamics created a near-masterpiece of environmental and narrative design, with ideas and concepts that still resonate to this day.

Now, 25 years later--and 21 years since the last game in the series--Legacy of Kain makes its overdue return with Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered, bundling together two of the greatest action-adventure games of all time. Developed in partnership with Crystal Dynamics and Aspyr--the latter of which recently launched the similarly packaged Tomb Raider I-III Remastered--this bundle reintroduces the world to vampire protagonist Raziel and his quest for revenge against the eponymous Kain. With improved visuals and a modern control scheme, it's a solid remaster that, above all, showcases why these games are so revered.

Set in the decaying land of Nosgoth--where vampires are apex predators and humans cower within walled cities--the first Soul Reaver begins with Raziel committing the sin of surpassing his master, Kain, in evolution. As the self-proclaimed king of Nosgoth, Kain sired and raised Raziel as his eldest lieutenant and son, tasking him and his four brothers with besieging the land and decimating humanity to ensure his despotic rule. By growing a set of wings, however, Raziel is deemed to have threatened Kain's supremacy and is thrown into the Lake of the Dead to suffer for all eternity. After rotting for centuries, Raziel is resurrected by a dormant god and set on a path of vengeance to seek out his brothers and kill them before doing the same to Kain.

When the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers emerged as many Americans' first exposure to the popular Super Sentai series, it was hard not to feel like it was riding the wave of Turtle-mania that defined the early 1990s. After all, it was a band of color-coordinated heroes who traded gentle quips and used martial arts to dispatch endless faceless baddies. I watched MMPR at the time, but I was also just cresting the age at which I felt a little embarrassed by its undeniable camp. Three decades later, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind once again feels a bit like it's riding the turtles' coattails. TMNT: Shredder's Revenge was an excellent retro brawler throwback, and by comparison, Rita's Rewind is a pretty good retro brawler throwback, but one with some of its own special charms--as well as its own frustrations.

Rita's Rewind fully recognizes the passage of time, even pinning down specific years. The original Rangers are still fighting evil in 2023, now against a mechanized Robo Rita--a timely reference to the villain of the reunion movie, 2023's Power Rangers: Once and Always. But apparently overwhelmed by these Rangers who have decades of experience, Robo Rita hatches a plan to go back in time and team up with her flesh-and-blood self. The modern-day Rangers say it's too dangerous to follow her through time and risk a paradox, so they just have to hope their younger selves are able to withstand the machinations of two Ritas.

That places Rita's Rewind strictly on the 1993 timeline, which means it's the first time the Rangers are encountering mainstays like Goldar and the Green Ranger. The only real difference is that this time we see Rita Repulsa bickering with Robo Rita over strategy.

The second level in Indiana Jones and The Great Circle takes Indy inside the bowels of Vatican City. It's the first time when MachineGames breaks loose from its linear shackles, presenting you with a massive play area to freely explore. I went from gawking at Michelangelo's masterpiece on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to exploring the ancient ruins hidden deep beneath the holy city, spending more than three hours on this single level alone without coming close to completing every task in Indy's journal.

It's not quite what I expected from a studio known for its frenetic shooters, nor a game that's been described as a first-person action-adventure. For the most part, The Great Circle is a stealth game that resembles Dishonored more than any of MachineGames' previous output. Sure, you could skulk through the shadows in Wolfenstein, plunging knives into Nazi spines, but it was a shooter first and foremost. The Great Circle has moments of action, but its violence is sudden and tends to end quickly, indicative of Indiana Jones as a character; it wouldn't make sense if he were running and gunning like BJ Blazkowicz. It's a refreshing change of pace for the studio, and it's a rip-roaring good time, even if the inexperience of creating this sort of game sometimes shows.

In terms of story and tone, MachineGames definitely understood the assignment. The Great Circle's prologue is essentially a love letter to Raiders of the Lost Ark, immediately making it clear how much the studio both grasps and reveres the series and its globe-trotting protagonist. This feeling persists throughout the entire game, beginning with an opening level that takes place inside the fictional walls of Marshall College, where Indy teaches archeology. The Great Circle is set between the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, weaving into the existing fabric of the series in a way that makes it feel like a natural extension of Indy's story. A few familiar faces return, and new characters seamlessly blend into its cinematic world, contributing to a compelling adventure that sees you travel the world, uncover ancient mysteries, and butt heads with the Axis powers.