Even the now-venerated "Streets of Rage 4," which made The Washington Post's best games of 2020 list, hued so closely to original formula that its fighting systems are not nearly as robust as the one in "River City Girls." New moves and abilities are earned through leveling up and collecting thousands of dollars from downed, would-be boyfriend kidnappers. You can also buy dozens of even more powerful moves from the Double Dragon brothers Billy and Jimmy, voiced by YouTube creators Game Grumps. This same progression mechanic is in "Scott Pilgrim," but that game becomes entirely too easy once you play it enough. "River City Girls" scales up the challenge so you're always engaged in the fights.

Both the comic and film follow Pilgrim navigating a complex relationship with Ramona, a girl he's head over heels with, but who has her own baggage -- in the form of seven evil ex-boyfriends. Scott has his own issues, namely how he treats other people, and the two learn to accept the challenges of being in a relationship, all while fending off the superpowered toxicity of her ex-boyfriends. In the game, this premise is boiled down to seven stages with seven boss battles, all within distinct, colorful levels filled with unique bad guys and contextualized by famous moments from the comics and film.

The show began with a look at "Immortals Fenyx Rising," previously known as "Gods & Monsters," which is an open-world game where you battle Greek gods and explore a world ripe with Greek mythology. The lengthy teaser showed off its gorgeous world -- reminiscent of "Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" -- as well as its character creation features. You play as a young woman named Fenyx who gets shipwrecked on the Golden Isle, which is overrun by beasts from the underworld. "Immortals Fenyx Rising" arrives Dec. 3 for current and next-gen consoles.

Clockwise, from top left: Nintendo; Lenovo; Build-A-Bear's Pokémon collection; "Beasts of Balance" Clockwise, from top left: Nintendo; Lenovo; Build-A-Bear's Pokémon collection; "Beasts of Balance" (Nintendo; Lenovo; Build-A-Bear; Beasts of Balance) Though this itty-bitty retro gaming console may be relatively hard to find, it's worth the hunt, as it represents some of Nintendo's best work. "Super Mario World" expanded the universe for our favorite plumber, and games like "Earthbound" brought serious topics to the home console. Scott Pilgrim's "Precious Little Card Game" pits you -- and up to three of your friends -- against one of the dreaded evil exes from Bryan Lee O'Malley's "Scott Pilgrim" series. But don't worry -- damage will be dealt, but no hearts will be broken. "Super Mario Odyssey," Mario's first-adventure for the Nintendo Switch, looks to be one of the oddest in the series yet -- and remember, this is a game with walking mushrooms.