Story Mode is fun and light-hearted, and rekindles those feelings of excitement and adventure you had with friends when you were a kid. It may wear its influences on its sleeve, but that's not such a bad thing when it's handled so well.

The universe is huge. It instills such a feeling of insignificance and it is incredibly fun to think of all the possibilities when arriving in a new place, but when it inevitably requires the patience to do the same things over and over, the wonder of exploration loses out on some important magic.

Dropchord may not be the perfect rhythm game, but it has enough style and substance to keep you busy for a good while.

The Walking Dead: Michonne is tough game to swallow because it makes you think about all of these elements in ways you probably haven't before, but that's also what makes it so great.

What I thought would be a first-person coaster simulator, and nothing more, turned into a complex and engaging little game, letting me express both my creative and my destructive sides in one fell swoop.

Bill Killem isn’t the most memorable app on the block, but if you dig endless runners that come with a twist, it’s definitely worth a look. Maybe aliens will eventually win the war on Hollywood, but at least Bill has a few tricks up his sleeve to keep us entertained.

If only a virtual thumbstick or something similar was implemented, the game would be a lot more fun to play. But as it stands, it’s kind of just a cumbersome shooter with pretty graphics and an upgrade system designed to entice you to spend your money on in-app purchases.

I’m madly in love with Cover Orange 2, and that’s a big deal coming from a commitment phobe.

A gorgeous game that requires a lot of patience and commitment, Sundered will challenge you early and often. Even with that in mind, Thunder Lotus Games has crafted another special game. The design is just wonderful, and the combat and platforming are easy enough to grasp that you don't need to be an expert action-platformer player to get the most from the experience. Yes, you will die, and it can be frustrating at times, but for every moment of brow-furrowing angst, Sundered presents an equal number of awe-inspiring segments to keep you coming back for more.

Although Angry Birds Transformers doesn’t reach stratospheric heights due to its repetitive gameplay, there are other elements that should keep you intrigued for the long run.

When you strip away the silly executions and crowded, dense maps, Hitman is still a solid stealth experience.

Maybe the developer is trying to tell us the best things in life usually involve more than one person, and thanks to my middle aged failings I’m not going to argue.

Joining Hands 2 is a fun, simple sequel that’s great for younger kids and can be enjoyed by adults too, but in a more limited manner. It’s priced to sell and worth a try if you enjoyed the first one, or are simply looking for some incredibly low-stress gaming.

It’s a diverting way of passing the time on your respective device, and although it doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, Happy Hills 2: Bombs Away! succeeds as a solid puzzler.

Greedy Grub is fun until this free game tricks you into opening up your wallet.

If you’re expecting a full Mario, or even a full Nintendo game experience, you’d be better off skipping this game.

Repetition notwithstanding Ghost Recon: Wildlands is a great way to blow off some steam with a few friends for a couple of hours at a time. Co-op gameplay is some of the best I’ve ever seen and this in-game world will take weeks to explore, just don’t expect to be wowed by the mission variety during the adventure. My world wasn’t rocked, but these Wildlands offered enough fun for me to recommend it to those looking for some co-op shooter fun.

Quotation forthcoming.

I feel like there’s plenty to enjoy, and the old-time RPG feel bursts from the surface quite admirably.

I never thought I’d listen to Flock of Seagulls, but Futuridium EP is a space age love song that sings straight to the soul.

Unity is not a bad game, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it advances the series very much, especially for the first title in the series to be a fully next-gen game.

When a horde of zombies start filling in the room and you start backtracking, the experience falters occasionally. But otherwise, Dead Effect is a shot to the brain, right where it counts the most.

A solid little game that will remind you of the days you spent in the arcade pumping quarters into the Missile Command machine. It is proof that some of the oldest gameplay styles still holds up today and that is always a good time.

There's a solid foundation of ideas here with Codename S.T.E.A.M, both in its outlandish character selection and its unique take on the strategy genre. The problem is both of these elements trip at the finish line, the cast with their boring and repetitious script and the strategy gameplay with its inconsistent pace.

Fortified is by no means perfect, as it has a few quirks that really get under my skin. However, when it's time to lock and load against the Martians it's a challenging little game that tests my strategic mind just as much as my trigger finger.

It’s refreshing to know that for just $1.99 you can take a rabbit for the visual sky ride of his life. Few apps have ever led me to a daydreaming state, but none of them knew how to fly like Cloud Spin. Book your flight as soon as possible, and let those dreams guide Lucky to a better place.

It all adds up to an impressive effort, albeit one that’s noticeably flawed as well.

Michonne is the big draw here, and Samira Wiley's performance alone makes this episode worth playing. We just have to hope the later episodes give her more to do that we haven't already seen before.

It’s hard to describe the seductive power of Abyss Attack’s visual design, but its deep waters can only be eclipsed by the breadth of one’s imagination.

It’s not just retro, pixely platformers that deserve the port treatment. Colin McRae Rally was and still is a good racing game. The speed and handling remain just as tight as ever, and the game is sure to keep your hands sweaty as you try and keep your ride ahead of the competition.

A bizarre marriage of tower defense, real-time strategy and 2D shoot ‘em up action, Metal Slug Defense is like Kingdom Hearts— a blend of disparate things that somehow manages to work.

I wanted Desync to be good. I’m fan of games that actually test your reflexes and mettle but so much of this title just feels unfair. It controls well enough and when you’re actually able to get a combo going, it’s fun. Ultimately, those moments are too few and far between. Maybe with some improvements or toning down the difficulty and enemy speed, I’ll return to Desync. For now I’ll just to stick with games that do everything Desync tries to do with better results, like Bulletstorm or Doom.

There's a lot to like about Star Fox Zero, but those ideas are rooted in games past and the new features muddle the whole thing up.

It’s a good game, it’s just not a memorable one, nor is it one you’ll feel the need to keep coming back to.

Star Wars fanatics will love the music, sound effects and enemy models of Star Wars: Assault Team, but will scratch their heads at who their favorite characters are partied with. Nevertheless, Assault Team’s combat system and presentation are engaging and fun enough to shroud most players from realizing how pointless its story missions are.

Knack II is more engaging than its predecessor, but there's still not much about this franchise that can make it one of Sony's defining original properties. This sequel is an easy game to enjoy, but Knack II fades from memory just as fast as the character can shift between forms.

Although there’s a lack of Game Center achievements and a horrendous misstep with the manual running feature, Stickman Tennis won me over with its straightforward game play.

Turd Birds is shallow, but fun, and the juvenile humor will keep the young (and young at heart) amused for a while. The sound effects add a hilariously juicy quality with all the splat noises and comments from those who are getting pooped on. It has a pricing structure that’s as typically aggressive as any other freemium game, but there’s still a lot of fun to be had with this feces-encrusted title

Mad Max is not without its battle scars, but there’s a hell of a good time to be had in the wasteland.

Sky Tourist’s unique gameplay and controls put it a notch above other iOS platformers.

There are worse things you can do with your money, and whenever a first rate app hits the store, paying for a few premiums is a more than worthy Faustian bargain.

Although it doesn’t have the bells and whistles of most of my tablet survivors, Wheel of Fortune Cubed is a total keeper thanks to its word building structure. Whether you’re bankrupt or have thousands of dollars in the bank, at least you’ll know how to put things together, one letter at a time.

WWE 2K17 should be marking a new era for WWE video games, but unfortunately it dredges up old problems from the past just as much as it improves with new content. The massive roster, excellent control scheme save for reversals, and extensive creation suite all impressed me, but the little technical nuances just kept annoying me to no end.

The Marvellous Miss Take may, considering its refreshingly light color palette and cutesy moniker, be mistaken as an all too easy stealth experience, but looks are definitely deceiving. Sophia and her partners are beguiling, artful dodgers, and along with stealing a ton of masterpieces, they will also capture a healthy chunk of your time.

Despite being themed around a holiday, Hide and Shriek is surprisingly fun and offers some amusing layers. Jump scares and shock horror aside, it’s really the runes that make this game much more fun than it first appears. They add various depths of strategy to the game to make it sort of like a weird game of Halloween cat and mouse. That said, the shrieks most definitely do their job.

There is no denying that Sensei Wars still has enough virtual stimulation to keep your attention for a fixed amount of time, but the screen viewer hiccup and lack of real difficulty makes it tough for me to keep this game on my phone for much longer.

In its current state, Greedy Dwarf is a fun game which will leave players hoping for future updates. The sharp sound design and short levels are great for quick, focused bursts of gaming, and the twisting gameplay helps set it apart from other, similar titles.

It’s a spellbinding, colorful and beautiful world that is hard to shake, even if it occasionally shoots in the wrong direction.

Rhythm Thief & the Paris Caper has a couple of kinks in the program but it’s still a delightful little game to play, which will definitely eat up many hours of your time.

At the end of it all, The Charnel House Trilogy does a lot of things right. I enjoyed my overall journey through it as the suspenseful, yet easily accessible adventure it was. That said, there was a definite lack of challenge that made it feel more like a visual novel than an actual game at times.

Mafia III as a narrative alone is a commendable effort, and is unlikely to be forgotten for that very reason. It takes a hard look at a life many of us have never led, and challenges players with an experience most could never truly know. Ultimately though, even the strongest of stories can't save Mafia III from falling prey to genre conventions, and too many at that.

Smash Bandits is one hell of a fun game.

Drawing lines on a chalkboard may sound like a mind numbing bore, but thanks to this casual game’s intriguing play on one’s memory and use of finger skills, The Impossible Line rises to the occasion.

I cannot conclude this review without stating my utter hated for gyroscopic controls, and Driver’s Ed still does not give you the option of manually steering your car with on-screen controls (or any options for that matter).

When you get down to it, the game doesn’t offer any variety. All the action takes place in a single screen with a gradually increasing number of bubbles moving at gradually increasing speeds, with the only long term goals being new high scores and new swag at the item shop. You can drop some coins to challenge Hyper Mode, but that’s just a higher risk, higher reward version of the same gameplay. That core action is fun, but it won’t keep you coming back for more than a handful of hours.

Pac-Man Dash has some fast and fun action here and there, making it a good title to mess around with for a little bit. But I was not going in to this game ready to be blown away by anything. It’s really more or less what you would expect of a stock endless runner title that revives a classic video game character.

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water's full price tag might shy away some would-be buyers since it's only available in North America as a digital release, but veterans of the series or survival horror fans in general will certainly have a good time having an otherworldly photo shoot at Mt. Hikami.

Its few shortcomings aren't to be overlooked, however, as its sluggish, frequently directionless, and deliberately archaic in its design. Don't come in expecting jump scares and big gore; this is a slow-burning experience with an emphasis on style and atmosphere.

Not everyone is going to enjoy Surgeon Simulator’s comedically clunky gameplay. For those with a bit of patience, you’ll get a game that will make you laugh, groan and repeatedly murder your patients in a variety of malpractice-y ways.

I don't fault Ubisoft for trying something different with its acclaimed Assassin's Creed franchise, and in some respects there's a lot to like. However when the game stumbles it does so in grand fashion, creating an infuriating experience that makes me want to throw my controller more than continue on my quest.

Iesabel doesn’t offer much on the RPG front as far as innovation, but that doesn’t detract from its appeal.

Ancient Battle: Rome isn’t going to set the world on fire anytime soon, but it checks all the boxes as a solid turn-based experience.

Its slow pace, lack of complexity and lack of micro control options may not appeal to everyone, but if you’re looking for something that makes decent use of your brain while moving things gently along, Oil Rush: 3D Naval Strategy may be the thing for you.

Bloodmasque may not be a perfect game, but its fast combat, (mostly) appropriately-priced upgrades, and minimally-intrusive social networking all mesh together to create a tasty action game for any wannabe vampire hunter.

Assassin’s Creed Pirates isn’t some cash in on Assassin’s Creed 4, it is a damn good game that stands right up on its own. It is epic, engaging, and most of all fun. It doesn’t wear out its welcome with bloated mechanics or unnecessary plot. It distills the essence of what we loved about the naval battles and puts it at your fingertips.

At its core, Bloodstroke is an unapologetic and noirish journey through Woo’s universe. Its streets may be bathed in black and white, but after a few rounds as Lotus, all you’ll be seeing is red.

If you can get past that you’ll find an approachable, yet complex, role-playing game that offers a lot do, but never manages to quite break away from the shallowness of the freemium genre.

Ultimately, most of this game feels as though it should have been patched into the original and it plays almost exactly the same.

Free is free, and this game is good for a few smiles and some decent entertainment, but you cannot outrun the ceiling of mediocre, free games forcing players into micro-transactions in order to unlock the fun stuff.

My only gripe regarding Ring Run Circus lies in its complexity, but that’s just me whining about my lack of intellectual dexterity. Finding the right circles to run in, as well as when to collect stars and slap elephants, really isn’t my forte. For some, life is just a circus, and for others, it solely exists as a dream. This app offers a bit of both, so choose your circle wisely.

A really great shooter for the iOS that expands the offerings in the App Store. It’s fun, exciting, and handles great. But, it lacks its own identity and much of the time, you might find yourself craving after your console and the disc for another video game that has already been out for quite a while.

Diner Dash Rush is easy to pick up and put down. There’s absolutely nothing complicated about its game play, but for some reason, in the middle of all this customer madness, one’s adrenaline is bound to spike.

Another Case Solved is an engaging puzzler that also doesn’t go for the money grab within the first 20 minutes of action.

I love the absurdity of a game dedicated to collecting zombie fish. The controls are a bit of an issue and it’s not as feverishly addictive as something like Ridiculous Fishing, but I found myself coming back to this little title for more than a few rounds.

Kamikaze Pigs may come off as a total joke from the onset, but if you get past the relatively easy game play mechanic, this title has a surprising amount of nuance. This isn’t just a blow them up, score as many points adventure, but if you want to keep it on that playing field that’s completely fine.

Fans have been wishing for the perfect Dragon Ball Z game for a long time, and Dragon Ball Xenoverse makes it clear that they'll need to collect the dragon balls again and wish for something else, because this thing sucks harder than Yamcha.

The story is interesting if you like fairytales and gives you a chance to battle the once good-guys-turned-bad instead of playing as them.

An intriguing trip into the unknown, simian.interface is a puzzler filled with delicious colors, sounds, and three dimensional shapes. Brain twisters come in all shapes and sizes, and this app will stay on my mind, at least until the next batch of simians come along.

With its multitude of tasks and upgrades, Band Stars should keep you busy and interested for at least a couple of hours.

There have been reports floating around that some people have it working, but Puddle has left me high and dry.

It’s a decent title, but unfortunately, it never reaches the angelic heights of fun that were promised.

That said, "Give No Shelter" is an improvement over the first chapter, which to be honest, wasn't that hard. Hopefully Telltale can continue riding this upward trend for the finale, and deliver a satisfying conclusion worthy of its protagonist.

Civilization Revolution 2 is a solid and entertaining strategic experience that’s worth the download if you’re in a strategic state of mind. I’ve had a few failed moments as a ruler, but I’m not exactly disappointed.

Though it can be enjoyed as a pick up and play title, Call of Duty: Heroes is a tower defense journey that also welcomes full immersion into its universe.

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk could have been more than a simple re-issuing of the same Warriors formula that Omega Force has perfected over the years, but instead this is merely a re-telling of the Berserk story with a lot of emphasis on the Square and Triangle buttons.

Despite the nice presentation, I couldn’t get past the blatant cash grab of how this game is designed.

While Mario Party 10 is still a great party game and fun to play with friends,the fun is short lived due to small boards and a lack of any customization.

Prometheus, in his quest to steal the spark of fire from the gods, forgot to bring with him a spark of creativity. Godfire’s parts are all correct, with its sharp visuals, great score, and grand boss battles, but most of the moment-to-moment gameplay fails to satisfy. If you want to smash video game monsters in Ancient Greece, you could do worse… but you could also do better.

I will devote more hours to winning more trophies and filling my garage with cars I can only dream of owning, and for seven bucks it’s a fantasy I can finally afford.

If you’re a fan of games like Diablo and Torchlight, you will likely enjoy the casual, simplified version that Gloomy Hollow offers you to play on the go.

Priced at only five bucks, Gilbert’s latest effort is undoubtedly a gem. But much like something valuable you’d unearth while digging around in an actual cave, it’s got some schmutz on it that needs to be polished off.

If the Van Der Veer team would have focused on adding variety and more depth to the squad missions, this game would have been a much better experience.

World War Z could dramatically improve its controls, but that irritating flaw doesn’t ruin the entire experience. There is a visceral thrill to mowing down as many zombies as possible, but thankfully the developers bring much more depth to the overall proceedings.

Although it’s a simplistic app in scope, it definitely flies in the right direction.

Crescent Moon Games adds a few neat and new features to the endless runner genre, but doesn’t quite execute them to their greatest potential, leaving Gear Jack Black Hole as a somewhat solid, but ultimately unremarkable endless runner.

Nevertheless, Need for Speed looks and sounds great, excluding the random frame rate hiccup, and there's a ton of fun to be had behind the wheel. Need for Speed floors it in the right direction for the most part. Unfortunately, not everything was right under the hood when this racer left the garage. As we all know, this can cause some major problems when you're trying to peel out.

Ultimately, Awakened Fate: Ultimatum does provide a unique gameplay experience that caters to players seeking a challenge.

As a distraction while on public transportation, Infinity Danger is good for a few minutes. But any more than that and it will begin to frustrate you because of its squandered potential.