Horror games based on beloved movies are more popular than ever, even when you compare this era to the early Nintendo years when movie tie-ins were a lot more common. But most of these modern takes on famous horror monsters have gone in the same direction, for better or worse. While everyone else is offering asymmetrical horror multiplayer games, RetroRealms turns back the clock to offer a package more in line with those horror tie-ins of decades ago, and thanks to some charming nods to horror history and pixel-perfect platforming, it's an uncommon and intriguing ode to the horror genre.

As a product, RetroRealms is sold in a peculiar manner. RetroRealms Arcade is itself a free 3D hub space that you can explore in first-person, combining touches of a classic arcade with a horror museum. Within that space, you can purchase one or both 2D 16-bit platformers available at launch, Halloween and Ash vs. Evil Dead (AVED). For this review, I've played both games and used all current characters available.

Like Dead By Daylight, RetroRealms uses the idea of a demonic Big Bad, The Overlord, to bring its otherwise disparate worlds into one multiverse. The villain's goal is a bit unclear and the story in general isn't trying to be more than set dressing, with each playable character getting their own McGuffin to chase through any of the game's multiple campaigns. The simple conceit paves the way to let you run through elaborate levels as Michael Myers, Ash Williams, and--if you buy additional character DLC--Laurie Strode from Halloween and Kelly Maxwell from AVED.

Mortal Kombat 1's time-twisting campaign ended on a high note, as the introduction of various timelines signaled a wealth of opportunities for future installments. Khaos Reigns is the first DLC expansion on the story, in which a Titan version of the anarchic villain Havik tries to throw Liu Kang's version of the world into his own brand of chaos. The only chaotic force at play here, though, is the storytelling, as this expansion is plagued by rushed story beats and a boring, monotonous structure.

Khaos Reigns features five chapters--one-third the number in the main campaign--with three of those focusing on the three new roster additions: Cyrax, Sektor, and Noob Saibot. The two chapters between Sektor and Noob follow two main roster characters, Rain and Tanya--albeit in new Emperor and Empress variants, respectively.

Every one of these chapters plays out the same way: A cutscene eventually bleeds into a pre-fight dialogue, then the fight happens, followed by post-fight dialogue, and repeat. There is no variation to this structure, which means that a story themed around chaos and anarchy instead feels confined and frustratingly rigid. That theme seems like a natural fit for some experimentation, whether that's quick minigames or gauntlet-style matches against multiple opponents, but alas none of that is found here--a point made to feel even more uninspired by the fact that this format is also how the story of the base game played out.

After a significant post-GameCube slump, the Mario Party franchise showed signs of new life in its first two titles on the Switch. While both Super Mario Party and Mario Party Superstars were commercial successes and well-received by fans, the former leaned a bit too heavily on a new Ally system while the latter was essentially a "greatest hits" of classic maps and minigames. As the console approaches the end of its lifecycle, Super Mario Party Jamboree ends this Switch trilogy by attempting to find the sweet spot between its two predecessors and stumbles into an issue of quantity over quality in the process.

One aspect that Jamboree inarguably has going for it is sheer quantity. Nintendo touts this entry as having the most playable characters (22) and most minigames (112) in any Mario Party ever. A big roster isn't necessarily a bad thing, although I have one nitpicky complaint about Bowser's inclusion. I've got no beef with the man—he's been a playable mainstay since the SNES after all—it's just the fact that him being playable means that the "Bowser" that appears as the antagonist throughout the maps and modes is constantly referred to as "Imposter Bowser," which feels a little hamfisted and unnecessary. Just take him off the playable roster or have some new placeholder villain, we don't need a fake Bowser with spooky purple lines and PlayStation symbols surrounding his body all the time.

With that important complaint out of the way, let's get to the party. It's been a while since we've been treated to great original maps. Super Mario Party's were lackluster, and Mario Party Superstars featured five solid ones but they were all from the Nintendo 64 era. Jamboree's offerings are a satisfying mix of five new maps and two returning favorites. The five new maps are better than Super Mario Party's offerings, with the standouts being Roll 'em Raceway and Rainbow Galleria. Only two retro maps made their way in, but I'm very happy with the returning Mario's Rainbow Castle (the first Mario Party map) and Western Land (from Mario Party 2).

It's the bottom of the ninth in the fifth and final game of the Super Ultra Championship of the Universe Series. My Mighty Monsters are trailing by two runs and down to their final out. Kenny Kawaguchi, the league's best pitcher coming off a record-setting season for strikeouts, is at the plate. No one would doubt his repertoire at the mound, but his strength has never been in the batter's box. With runners on first and third, the count goes full--could it be any more dramatic? The 3-2 pitch screeches inside, but Kenny makes great contact. Incredibly, the ball is launched. The kid only had four homers all year, but this one could count for much more. It's high enough if it's got the velocity. Back, back, back… gone! The Monsters win! A walk-off three-run blast from the team's pitcher sends the squad of neighborhood pals into the history books of the Backyard Baseball League. Do you believe in miracles?

My true story of sports heroics took place roughly 24 years ago on one of those colorful Mac computers many had in the late '90s and early aughts. Backyard Baseball, once handed out merely as the prize inside a cereal box, would go on to become an institution in the lives of Millennial kids everywhere, and if you're around my age, you might have some nostalgia for it yourself. Over a quarter-century since the game first debuted, Backyard Baseball '97, as it's now officially called, has debuted on Steam--where shady download links and eBay price gougers can't hurt you. It's been great to discover the game still holds up, even as it's also very obvious that I am no longer the target audience.

Backyard Baseball '97 is a re-release of the original game that kicked off the Backyard Sports series. Under new rights-holders, the plan is to bring back several games lost to time, eventually paving the way for a Backyard Sports multimedia universe. With such grand plans for the future, the first release of the bunch has thankfully turned out great, and could feasibly serve as the series' grand re-opening. It's said that the game is remastered, though I can't see how. Every inch of it looks identical, not just to my spotty memory, but also when I compare it to gameplay videos online.

It's been 17 years since Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 and its 3D-arena-based combat graced consoles, and ever since, fans have clamored for a return to that old style. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has answered the call, with the benefit of an entirely new story arc to explore thanks to Dragon Ball Super--which wasn't part of the Dragon Ball canon until 2013. For the most part, the Tenkaichi approach still works thanks to its fast and energized battle system; however, repetitive gameplay and limited mode options leave us wanting more from this battle.

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is a return to that old Tenkaichi format, where two fighters wage war in an open arena lined with buildings, rocks, cliffs, and more just waiting to be destroyed. Each fighter has a mix of physical and ki-based attacks, highlighted by flashy and bombastic special attacks like the Kamehameha, Final Flash, Spirit Bomb, and other iconic Dragon Ball techniques.

As is immediately noticeable, the visual style of Sparking Zero is top-notch, from the main menu to the heat of battle. Every character moves and fights fluidly, and the small scenes that play during a successful ultimate attack are a delight, which makes connecting with those moves even more exhilarating. In particular, attacks like the Point-Blank Kamehameha performed by Ultra Instinct Goku's Sign form--the animation complete with scenes ripped right from the anime--are amazing to close out a match with.