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.

Dead or Alive 6 is certainly a looker; make no mistake about that. It’s even really fun to play at times, and anyone from season veterans to button-mashers can get in on the action with no problem at all. But everything else about the game makes it difficult to recommend unless a free-to-play version launches down the line.

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.

Just Dance 2018 was a fun game, but not one that left me breathless. The addition of Kids Mode was smart and will appeal to an even broader audience. But this franchise needs some competition in order for them to amp up the content of the game because frankly, it’s just not worth $59.99.

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.

Super Meat Boy Forever would be a great iOS or mobile game; but, unfortunately, that is not what Team Meat delivered. It feels cheap in its gameplay and bits of its presentation. Although, it was nice to see Edmund McMillen have fun with his animations.

Knack 2’s fun combat sparkles in its precision and the simple satisfaction of watching and hearing enemies (and yourself) crumble to pieces, though it falters somewhat if you don’t bring a friend along. Its story is beyond laughably bad. If you and a pal go make yourself a snack every time two characters open your mouths, you’ll adore Knack 2 and find it a refreshing improvement on its predecessor.

If you are looking for a game with a lot of substance, then Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus isn’t the game for you. But, if you want to kill a few hours trying to solve a mystery, then you can do a lot worse than trying to save your favorite uncle.

Before We Leave puts creativity to the test and while it has potential, it fails to reach beyond the stars and truly embrace the vastness of exploration and city-building.

Torna the Golden Country could’ve been a welcome expansion with some insight into the past of several key characters and a welcome twist on combat. However, the new “community level” mechanic that is forced upon you makes a good portion of it just a slog to get through.

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.

In setting up an explosive finale, the player's predictable busywork and inconsequential story as Javier fall into predictable, repeated tropes. Barring the final moments (some of which flip conventions on their head in a genuinely interesting turn), Telltale cannot decide how to make their protagonist compelling enough without servicing the narrative needs of others. Hopefully, the final episode carries forward with its momentum and salvages a worthy capper to the story of A New Frontier.

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.

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.

Lost Sphear tries so hard to be like RPGs of the past that it forgets to build on those or establish its own identity.

New Super Lucky’s Tale does boast a couple of significant improvements over the original version but it’s still a fairly forgettable 3D platformer on a console loaded with great ones.

Rally Arcade Classics succeeds in one important area: it brings back the approachable feel of classic arcade rally games. It’s fun in short bursts, and fans of rally racers will find plenty to enjoy in its car roster and gameplay. At the same time, the grind-heavy structure, lack of polish, and absence of true online racing hold it back from being a must-play. In the end, the value will depend on what you’re looking for. If you want a simple, content-rich throwback you can chip away at for hours, it’s worth a look. If you’re after a polished arcade racer with modern production values and multiplayer, you may want to wait for a sale, or stick with the classics it’s inspired by.

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.

The Bayonetta Remaster is an interesting time capsule that didn’t get a whole lot cleaned up for its 10th Anniversary. Stellar controls and excellent enemy design constantly combat a terrible camera and painful cutscenes.

Ripe for narrative potential, Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a brilliant concept overwrought with unnecessarily padded questing, turning a winning linear FPS formula into an ARPG grind fest.

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

The lack of gear and infuriating combat mechanics leave much to be desired from what could have been a gorgeous and fun game about monster slaying.

Despite a pleasing aesthetic and overtures at greatness, Yonder’s clunky menuing, excessive fetch questing, and empty story deprive it of the greatness it reaches for. There’s a lovely game buried within Yonder The Cloud Catcher Chronicles that I want to enjoy, but it’s far too shrouded in Murk to properly get at for now.

The potential was there for Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom to be a big improvement over its already solid predecessor, but instead of focusing on one new thing and doing that well, it doesn’t keep anything that worked and gives us several modes that could’ve been great but all have major issues. It’s not a bad game, but certainly not on par with the original and does little well enough to make it stand out in a pretty big sea of PS4 RPGs.

Misplaced hype? Nostalgia done poorly? A shinier clone of Banjo-Kazooie? Yooka-Laylee is a prime example of all of these things, serving up fifteen passable hours of entertainment yet not managing to surprise at any point along the way. But while those looking to revisit their youth will likely find the game enjoyable enough, Yooka-Laylee is also a testament to why the book should stay closed on the lessons gaming has already learned.

Lineage 2: Revolution is proof that something like the MMORPG format can work on mobile, but its insistence on clinging to certain MMO conventions will likely confuse those looking for a different experience than what it offers.

Mr. Shifty is a competent and mostly enjoyable top-down brawler with an instinctive, visceral combat system. The teleportation mechanic is a standout addition to the game that makes players feel more like a superhero than a thief. But that feeling is short-lived, as the game fails to meaningfully introduce enough new elements to keep the gameplay from feeling formulaic and repetitive. With essentially no replayability, Mr. Shifty is a mildly entertaining title that did not fully capitalize on its potential.

With a story that’s just okay and controls that make you want to pull your hair out, the great audio and voice acting are overshadowed. Watching someone else play it would be the more satisfying route to experience The Medium.