Put very simply, the Star Card system ruins what’s otherwise an actual improvement from the first of DICE’s galactic efforts. There are indeed more ways to play, albeit those ways come in the form of a largely forgettable campaign and an arcade mode that’s ultimately just not rewarding. Multiplayer is a little better, but the entire progression system is flawed at its very core, and they run through the entire experience at large. It would take a massive overhaul that’s likely impossible in order to clean up this mess.

Blanc is a cute and entertaining game that will test your team work and puzzle-solving abilities.

Biomutant has some wiggle room for improvements but if you are looking for a bright and colorful adventure full of cutesy names, martial arts and weirdly dark undertones, then this game is for you. If you don’t like the story, it’s not all that important anyway. This is a well-rounded good time that I would recommend for all RPG lovers.

Despite minimal storytelling, Dislyte is a refreshing and unique free-to-play mobile RPG. The characters are all unique and interesting enough that sometimes even a bad gacha pull is still worthwhile. The blend of a unique environment of the futuristic realm of five years from now, mixed with the club scene look of the world and characters and the amazing EDM soundtrack makes this such a solid change over the standard fantasy RPGs.

Dead by Daylight has enough positive in it that this isn’t a terrible game. The problem is that it’s just not a particularly good one. The look of the game seems to be one that could fit just as easily on the previous generation, and the replayability factor is rather low given the limited maps and ways to win.

Magikarp Jump can barely be called a game and is instead more of an exercise in scrolling through endless text boxes. While a cheery aesthetic and some admittedly clever writing can keep you engaged for a few league’s worth of jumping, there’s simply not enough to this game to merit your attention for longer than a few days at best. At least, unlike the Magikarp, you can buy in the main games for 500 Pokedollars, with Magikarp Jump you get what you pay for.

Although the graphics can sometimes leave a lot to be desired, the gameplay is a lot of fun, immersing the player in the intricate politics of vampire society. And you get some wicked powers too.

Super Lucky's Tale had potential to be the good kind of throwback 3D mascot platformer you don't see any more. But a terrible camera, shoddy jumping and awful forced padding squander it completely, leaving Lucky to once again join the graveyard of forgettable video game mascots.

Forspoken presents a genuinely human story blended well with combat and a variety of exploration options, setting it up to be PlayStation’s next big franchise.

In the best way possible, Darksiders III is a game that feels restrained in its design. Its game structure, systems, and mechanics are all incredibly lean, providing just enough depth while also avoiding getting bogged down by bloat.

Hood: Outlaws & Legends has a great premise, both in terms of thematic setting and core gameplay mechanics, but underdelivers on both fronts.

Lawn Mowing Simulator lives up to its name of capturing every aspect of running a lawn mowing business, down to the mind-numbing nature of massive rectangular properties and complex backyards with gardens. If you can look past some of the game's faults and the abysmal graphics, you're in for a nice chill sim game.

Arcadian Atlas is a serviceable return to the older Square tactics titles of years past; but, sometimes it feels as if they went too far back, missing many of the modern features that make the newer entries more exciting.

NBA Playgrounds has some rough spots, but one cannot deny that it is a fun arcade-style basketball game. Local multiplayer is a joy, and the single-player modes are entertaining enough to warrant a playthrough. If the online is able to recreate the fun of local multiplayer, then NBA Playgrounds will be tough to pass on.

While the story is built around an original premise (sentient self-delivering boxes), the gameplay is lacking in creativity and becomes repetitive fairly quickly. If you must play a 3D platformer with sentient boxes, then you must play Unbox: Newbie's Adventure. If not, then stick to Crash Bandicoot.

Secret of Mana’s remake lacks polish, but not power. The innovative-for-its-time combat is still fun and variable today, and its charming characters and precise pacing carry the story through the mechanically awkward moments. It may not be worth a revisit as a veteran, but those who have never played Secret of Mana should consider this a ripe opportunity.

While it’s an interesting piece of history for die-hard Nintendo fans, going back before the hundreds of quality of life features Nintendo gradually added to the series feels punishing to anyone but the purest of purists.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD is a good refresher to a franchise that was slowly falling into obscurity. While not being the heaviest hitter back in ‘06, the HD remake trims a lot of the fat and refines areas that were not as strong.

With all of the potential of an awesome futuristic FPS game at their fingertips, DICE and EA drop the ball on Battlefield 2042 with mediocre multiplayer, server issues and no solo campaign. Great ideas and great graphics can only go so far without a great execution.

In all, the execution fails a great premise for what could have been a fun romp around a city. I wanted to like this game more, but it ultimately never brought much more to the table beyond the slapstick vibe it had from its opening moments.

Although the fun in traversing through Belles’ Hells and beating a variety of Kleshas will keep you engrossed in the game, it will start feeling a bit repetitive after a while. It lacks engagement in some areas where I expected a bit more. This unique storyline of various girls and your precious bond with your soulmate Ms. Poisonette put this game ahead of certain RPGs.

Madden 24 features some excellent on-field improvements and the gameplay is fun but the rest of the game is the same tired experience we’ve been playing for years.

Mario Sports Superstars left me with a weird mess of feelings. Some aspects, such as the tennis, baseball, and some aspects of horseback riding and golf were genuinely enjoyable, if lacking in long-term replay value. Others, such as the golf course reskins, everything in soccer, the tedium of horse care, and the fact that the best versions of every character in every sports are locked behind paywalls left a sour taste in my mouth. Should you get this game? If you like Mario Sports in general, well, sure. But if you’re only looking at a single sport or just looking for more 3DS fun before you cave and purchase a Switch, Mario Sports Superstars is a title you can skip without regret.

Need for Speed Payback’s focus on microtransactions leads to a poor progression system and an over-reliance on grinding. The game takes several steps forward, but just as many back.

The Devil May Cry trilogy is undoubtedly an older collection of games that can feel dated at times, but without considering the graphics, it often feels just as modern as a game that came out last Tuesday.

While PayDay 2 certainly needs a touch of polish and a bit more love given to it, OVERKILL has a solid game on their hands. If they give the Nintendo Switch version the continued support they gave the previously-released versions of the game, I see a great, and beautiful future ahead.

Crackdown 3 is a severely outdated sandbox title that neither pushes boundaries or evolves itself in any way. While it puts an emphasis on gameplay, the game does the absolute bare minimum to provide any entertainment for the player and, instead, creates a 20-hour-long headache.

From the graphics to the gameplay, Disintegration breathes new life into the first-person shooter genre. The first-person shooter and real-time strategy elements mix nicely and the story will grab your attention early on. Disintegration is a solid new IP that will hopefully grow with future installments, should V1 Interactive choose to expand on this universe.

If you're looking for a game where you can control a scuba diver and occasionally see a fish, you're in luck. If you're looking for ANYTHING more than that though you're going to be deeply disappointed. A step down from Endless Ocean's original Wii entries, Endless Ocean Luminous has you exploring a version of the ocean depths so boring and devoid of detail that it may as well be the background.

This is a game poorly planned and executed by Konami, and unfortunately, could be the final nail in the coffin for longtime fans of the Metal Gear franchise.

Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time represents the show it is based on incredibly well when it comes to the look and the characters. That’s all it gets right, though, as the gameplay is just frustrating and tedious.

One Piece: World Seeker can certainly offer serious fans of the franchise something with its resplendent visuals and a solid story, but the lack of polish and often unpleasant gameplay make it a poor attempt at capturing the magic of the popular anime.

If you have about 6-8 hours of time and you want to solve a mystery while trying to avoid madness, then I’d say Arkham Horror: Mother’s Embrace is a good time.

The Council episode 4, "Burning Bridges," took a big risk by becoming a different video game with different ideals. Deduction and dialogue were given less care than the need to double down on its more grandiose suggestions. As a result, my efforts to build a Louis de Richet worth a damn has eroded after a dozen hours in a matter of seconds. Burn it all down. I don't care what happens anymore.

While The Suicide of Rachel Foster has the environmental and graphical potential to be an incredibly spooky and mysterious horror game, it becomes a frustrating and uncomfortable story that never really gives a cathartic ending and therefore squanders its narrative and horror potential.

Despite being a fascinating rundown of the Nintendo Switch hardware’s capabilities, as a game in its own right, 1-2-Switch falls sadly flat. You’ll enjoy yourself immensely for a few hours, but after you and your friends have tried it, 1-2-Switch will be relegated to gathering dust on your shelf and having its most innuendo-heavy screenshots be used for bad memes. If you can play a preview of this somewhere, you’ve already seen everything it has to offer.

Although there are some surprisingly strong stealth elements in the gameplay, Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood’s mediocre combat, dull characters, and boring plot makes this experience an average one at best.

It’s a collection of ten minigames, half of which are fairly similar, and none of which are especially fun unless you have friends in the room with you, and even then only for an hour or two. The best I can say about it is that it’s functional online and off, but most of the Kirby magic has been sucked right out of this spin-off.

Dynasty Warriors 9 still retains the fun factor of its predecessors but has not built upon them. The inclusion of the open world and 90 playable characters does not add as much value as it should but does only a little to take away from the experience. If you are a fan of the franchise, you will enjoy this game despite its limitations and glitches.

Behind a terrific and exciting wrestling system in AEW Fight Forever is some odd choices, unfortunate hiccups, annoying quirks, and dumb limitations. Yukes fulfilled their promise to make an arcade game that felt like No Mercy. The problem is that we should have been more careful about what we wished for because a game made in the 90s is lacking a lot of important stuff. A wrestling fan who is looking for a good AEW time is going to be serviced by this offering. Anyone who is looking for proper competition to WWE should hold out (or wait for much-needed updates). If you absolutely need to have this game be portable than you can rest knowing the Switch has your back. Everyone else should just get it on Steam.

Death or Treat has a few good qualities but is held back by a design that’s intrinsic setup is outshined by poor execution.

Wanted: Dead is a game made to entertain, and while it does have some inconsistencies and imperfections, it does just that.

Jump Force feels more like a game you’d watch rather than own. For Shōnen Jump’s 50th anniversary celebration, it’s lacking in crucial areas.

Date Night Bowling is a fun arcade-style bowling game with many silly mini-games. In that it understands the assignment and makes it really fun. The pixel art also shines in many of the scenes providing a ton of charm. But the dating part is a bit of a letdown with recycled dialogue and a lack of depth to the characters’ stories. Ultimately you have a fun, lightly dating-themed bowling game that’s good for a fun co-op experience with someone but not great for a single player actually looking for a dating sim.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 is not a terrible game. It is, however, hopelessly dull, shoddily put together, and lacking any distinguishing features to make a case for itself over its contemporaries. All would-be snipers are encouraged to set their cross-hairs on other, much better titles.

I'd only recommend purchasing Seven Deadly Sins: Knights of Britannia to fans who already adore the world and just want to see more of their favorite characters. Otherwise, this game might feel a little lacking in substance.

Anthem has some good ideas and excellent combat, but the current state of the game leaves a lot to be desired.

If you had high expectations for GTA: The Trilogy Definitive Edition, that’s going to be your downfall with these games. The Trilogy is just alright and the upgraded graphics don’t cancel out the missing content and the infuriating bugs. Either play the originals or wait until the remastered games are on sale.

Valkyria Revolution is an extremely wrong-headed attempt to re-invent a series that needed no such treatment, and falls short on just about every level.

In Nightmare is a beautiful landscape touching on the process of working through trauma and bad memories. With stunning visuals and incessant monsters, you’ll feel like a child again.

Flip Wars is yet another fun party title from Nintendo. Alas, just being fun doesn’t justify a purchase. Many of the concepts used in Flip Wars are interesting but lack the depth or volume for me to call them anything greater than a concept. It may be worth revisiting in a few months after some heavy updates.

Has-Been Heroes is a brilliant idea that overreached itself in difficulty. A mix of incredibly complex strategy, RNG, weak tutorials, poor UI explanations, and a limp story drag a strong concept into the mud. If you’re patient, skilled, and attentive, you might be able to master the core concepts of Has-Been Heroes and relish the goodness hidden beneath the bad design choices. But had I not been reviewing the game, I would have been done after just a few hours. I just don’t like skeletons that much.

After the first few hours of Fallout 76, you can expect a lot of the same mission types over and over again. Playing with friends is ideal, but it cannot overcome the constant repetition. Base-building and undiscovered locations serve to be the best portions of this radioactive mess.

Star Horizon is a solid action shooter. It’s great if you’re just looking to fly around and shoot ships but if you’re looking for the promised story, Star Horizon is about as good as a Jill Sandwich.

While definitely not for the online competitive community due to the game’s lag issues, manga/anime fans looking for a fun time are going to really enjoy how well all of these characters translate into the game, even if they're sometimes a bit nightmarish.

Frank Rising strips away all of Dead Rising 4’s best assets – most notably its weaponry and light-hearted humor – in favour of an unforgivably short piece of DLC that butchers the narrative of the main campaign for cheap thrills. If you’re a Dead Rising fan, best to sit this one out.

If 3D platforming, action-adventure, and puzzle games are your thing, XEL is going to fulfill your needs and then some. It comes with a compelling story, solid gameplay mechanics, and a beautiful world that is yours to explore freely. But until the bugs are solved, this incredible title is going to continue to be held back not by its design flaws, but by its mechanical ones.

Randall is not a bad looking or broken game, but its lack of variety in level and enemy design, along with the lackluster plot, confusing dialogue and cut-scenes, make it a chore to finish.

Despite showing signs of a strong vision, undercooked mechanics and a nonsensical story propel The Quiet Man to miss the mark in just about every way, causing its best ideas to deteriorate into forgettable gimmicks.

Troll and I had the potential to be a good game: an intriguing (albeit overdone) adventure-driven story mixed with puzzle solving, combat, crafting, and more. But the game fails to successful execute any of these ideas in a meaningful way. The plot falls flat and the gameplay is repetitive and boring. The game is filled with immersion breaking bugs, and has the graphics of a PS2 era title from a Walmart bargain bin. When looking at Troll and I, remember the internet meme: “Don’t feed the troll.”

While not completely fleshed out just yet, Disc Jam provides enough fun and enjoyment with a simple concept for the asking price.

Awkward controls and a requirement of patience are the only things holding Birthdays the Beginning back from excellence as a scientific twist on a world simulation. Managing to perfectly balance education and enjoyability, you’ll continually be delighted by the different paths life can take and the ways you can shape it as you alter your Cube. Three different game modes and a vast library of creatures to discover offer playtime beyond the basic goals of the Campaign, and ensure the birthday surprises continue for hours on end.

My only hope is if they release a rock version or, at the very least, a classic pop game with the likes of Michael Jackson and Rick Astley. This game has the potential for excellence, but the series isn’t quite inclusive enough… yet.

The Jackbox Party Pack 4, as with its predecessors, is a great crowd-pleaser at parties, family gatherings, or for online streaming. Its five offerings are, on the whole, weaker than the pack’s predecessors, but if you’re a fan of the games, don’t let that stop you from picking up this latest entry.

Out of the Park Baseball 20 is one of deepest baseball games I’ve played. From the power of Live Start and historical teams to the creativity of Perfect Team 2.0, the game is a solid, all-around sports strategical gem. Combine the rich depth and pre-game control with the smooth looking gameplay, and Out of the Park Baseball 20 is a base hit in the gap for strategy enthusiasts.

While I haven’t seen a game use this many of another game’s components since Super Mario Brothers 2, it definitely has it’s moments. Unfortunately, these moments are repeated till even the exciting parts are redundant and boring. Also, a beat’em up without multiplayer is just a cardinal sin.

Take a MOBA formula, drop the selectable roster to six characters, put it on a tiny map, and make Marvel’s most iconic characters look like Borderlands NPCs and you’ve got a recipe — a recipe that can just go right into the compost pile.

Relicta has a lot of clever ideas that are marred by a heavy lack of polish. Unnecessarily large hub worlds littered with an oversaturation of clone items, like benches and beanbag chairs, broken and muddy textures, and a wealth of characters that all feel written in the same voice, create a world that felt less like an escape and more like a chore. This is a game that seems so confused by the capability of magnets, I’m surprised Insane Clown Posse wasn’t given a special thanks in the end credits.

Arcadia Fallen is a solid visual novel with branching baths based on character interactions, romance options and how you ultimately choose to educate your character. Some of the voice acting is a little rough and the art style is devoid of things we’ve come to expect from visual novels, like splash pages that actually show what your character is doing. Despite its flaws, Arcadia Fallen is a fantastic visual novel game, and a solid first step for Galdra Studios.

If you like the indie feeling of a dark and dreary walking simulator with no actual need for a camera, then 35MM may be the game for you. However, it seems maybe PC is the better home for it.

A Memoir Blue is a very personal story that paints a beautiful picture and emotionally captures players.

The Serpent Rogue offers a fun and relaxing game that is part adventure and part sandbox. Whether you’re here for the gameplay or the atmosphere, I think you’ll enjoy your stay.

Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds is an absolutely beautiful game that feels like you’re in a Studio Ghibli rendition of Sword Art Online. The story is clever, the animation and character design are top-notch, and the soundtrack, vocal work, and lighting effects are all stellar. Small gameplay issues aside, the biggest problem is Netmarble’s shameless need to take a beloved thing like Studio Ghibli and convert it into a way to pull more people into the crypto scam.

Last Call BBS isn’t going to keep you locked in for weeks, but if you’re old enough to remember computing in the 90s, this is an absolute trip down memory lane. So make sure the line’s free, and download this off the World Wide Web today!

S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored had so much potential to be one of the creepier games to play this spooky season, but it just bites off more than it can chew and takes the player out of the environment too much, ruining the effect.

The Wardrobe – Even Better Edition is a colorful and fun old-school puzzle game with colorful animations and silly pop culture references.

Unfortunately, the Market District isn’t as expansive as it initially seemed, with many of the buildings serving only cosmetic purposes. The update introduced a main plotline and gave the Doctor a goal, but still prevented him from progressing too far. I enjoyed the introduction of the new area and the terrifying new enemy type, but my explorations were frustratingly-brief. Perhaps it’s for the best, then, that my main complaint with Gloomwood is that I want more.

Caves of Lore can be addicting for any adventurer looking for variety and diversity in RPG exploring. I would caution anyone looking for a straightforward saga with easily accessible quests, Caves of Lore is for stat managers and detail oriented gamers. It would seem that Caves of Lore is already picking up praise as the game has won the Gold Award from Games Without Borders and has a 96% positive rating on Steam. Mike Robins spent a lot of time and details on making sure this gem scratches that old-school itch and he nailed it.

Despite its dated graphics, stand control choices and ugly character models, there's still plenty to love about the Hotel Renovator. Whether you're trying to make your lobby more presentable, finding accommodations for a survivalist that wants a sleeping bag and tent in their room or just helping your run-of-the-mill vampire find a place for the night, it's a nice surprise. So before the game's graphics have you running for the door, take a stab at this with your steely knives.

Despite some minor flaws in the twist tracking and the poor quality of the cut scenes, the game is a pleasant surprise. They went above and beyond what most trips to VR do and actually gave us something better than the original experience as opposed to watered-down cartoonish versions like House Flipper VR did. Just be forewarned, if you're looking to get all your work done before the end of the day you are absolutely going to break a sweat.

Primal Survivors is an average title with nothing to really make it stand out or be remarkable in any way. Afil Games has been pumping out titles lately, but I'd like to see what they could do with a little more time on a single game as opposed to the mad rush of cornucopia titles.

If you go over to the community page of the game, you will see the love it is getting. After playing it, I too would find myself rallying behind the crowd. The does not need to be complex to be enjoyable. If I had to, the one bit of criticism I would give is to add hints. Sometimes players may find themselves running haywire, searching for clues in the snowy fields. Maybe a button to get pointed in the right direction would be great. Apart from that, I have loved the game. Blender Studio has struck gold with their first release. The cute easter eggs sprinkled in this game show the level of thought that went into making it.

Overall, Sky: Children of Light is a stunning, beautiful game that should be celebrated for its success as it is in the game. It's a wonderfully fun indie game that thrives on friendships, caring for others and your world, and creating something from a long-lost life.