A small helping of issues are not enough to derail Nerve, though they do keep it from greatness. What's on offer is worth playing if you're a fan of games that encourage "one more attempt", though there will be moments you'll walk away more annoyed than satisfied. The lurid, psychedelic art style and pumping soundtrack nearly elevate Nerve to similar heights as its inspirations, but it'll need a little more tuning under the hood before it reaches those same lofty precipices.

In no way is Redfall groundbreaking — but sometimes all a game needs to be is fun to play, and Arkane has created an experience that is a hell of a good time.

NBA Live 16 makes a number of well implemented adjustments to the gameplay, but the lack of completely new game modes, or even major additions to the existing ones, prevent NBA Live 16 from being a real slam dunk.

Chibi-Robo makes the leap to 2.5D with gameplay mechanics that are very well implemented, but baffling decisions like the Destination Wheel and repetitive level design take away from what could have certainly been a better game in Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash.

While the gameplay is centered around the seemingly monotonous task of fulfilling villager requests from stage to stage, Bob Help Them is an oddly laidback game that is an enjoyable experience, albeit a pretty short one.

This fast-paced racer will give you both a rush of nostalgia and adrenaline.

Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy is a member of the all too uncommon first-person dungeon crawler club, and while it may be very complicated, it also offers an addictive experience for on-the-go that is bound to be enjoyable for fans of the genre.

While not anywhere near as glitch ridden as the Mafia II remaster, Mafia III: Definitive Edition adds nothing more than the previously released DLC along with the very strange removal of Xbox One X support that was added to the original release after launch. Lincoln Clay's story is well worth experiencing a first time, but there is no real reason to venture back to New Bordeaux with this latest release as part of the Mafia Trilogy.

Minecraft: Story Mode Season 2 - Episode 5 doesn't stick the landing, but it also doesn't fall totally on its face. It's a suitable conclusion to the season, but if you haven't bought in yet, there's not much reason to now.

Despite its lost potential, Iron Marines Invasion might succeed in satisfying your craving for something close to a Starcraft campaign. Just don't go in expecting a deep RTS experience.

The graphics and voice acting totally put you into the world of the show, and even offers some decent gameplay, if you're new to VR. For non-fans and VR veterans there's simply not enough here to warrant a full recommendation. You'll get a fun hour or so out of the game, but it's not offering much new outside of being set in the Voltron universe.

Sniper Ghost Warrior: Contracts' potential feels wasted on missions and objectives that have you putting the rifle down and trying your luck with the game's lesser systems.

Minecraft Legends is the genre blend I didn't know I needed, but it's not without its flaws. While the gameplay feels fresh and refined, the strategy feels shallow. It's lots of fun at first but don't count on it sticking around long enough to replace your favorite action or RTS games.

This could have been a decent remaster, but instead it just seems to be a slightly lazy upscaled port, with DLC chucked in to pad out the content.

Final Fantasy Explorers may not be the best spin-off that the series has received, but with the level of fan service and solid gameplay, it still might be worth a look for those who are fans of both Monster Hunter and Final Fantasy.

While the turret controls are very polished and the power-ups are a lot of fun to use, the gameplay itself can become tedious after awhile in the rather short EVE: Gunjack.

With a hefty price tag and less content than its more than acceptable PS4 counterpart, The Last of Us Part 1 is an entirely unnecessary remake with gorgeous graphics that only make its dated gameplay stick out even more.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R is a product of its time as both a hardcore-adjacent PS1-era JRPG and as a host to several problematic romance mechanics. Its plot is exciting yet generic and is wildly insistent about how certain characters should end up together. But beyond that, you'll find a brilliant and modular character stat-building system, glorious battles, some fabulous character portrait art, and a wonderful 32-bit-inspired world for you to explore.

When combat is firing on all cylinders, and the Legion System isn't crashing your PC, Serious Sam 4 is a decent slice of old-school shooter goodness. Yet, in sticking to its guns, Serious Sam 4 ends up being an aggressively mediocre experience.

It's hard to perfectly encapsulate what Stray really sets out to do, as it is a jack of all trades, but unfortunately a master of none of them. Certain parts of this game are near masterclass, like its stealth sections, but it finds itself lost within its own identity too often, and misses the mark on more than one occasion.

Code Name S.T.E.A.M. presents a lot of interesting ideas, but never pulls them together to form a cohesive and fun experience. There's certainly a lot here to enjoy, but to get to it you'll have to suffer a little boredom.

Madden NFL 18 marks a second consecutive year of Madden football in a holding pattern. Features and additions to this year's game either just don't feel noteworthy, or miss the mark entirely.

Rust Console Edition is a vastly inferior version of the game being sold at a higher price.

Following off the stellar Metro 2033 and Last Light, Exodus feels like a misstep for this series. This series has built a reputation on its quality, but Exodus falls flat in some ways that truly matter.

Necromunda: Hired Gun does have redeeming qualities. The movement is great, the gunplay feels good, and the environmental design is stellar. There's simply a legion of issues on both the design and technical fronts working overtime to hold it back. If you are willing to overlook Hired Gun's many problems and massive amounts of jank you'll likely have a great time blasting gangers to bloody bits. But, I won't fault you for waiting on a sale or sequel instead.

Kingdoms of Amalur is still a solid game even to this day. It’s just too bad that as a remaster, the game is quite frankly disappointing.

You won't want to break the cycle because Returnal offers an immersive experience that sucks you in for hours. However, when you finally break the cycle and reach the end of Selene's journey, you will realize just how much of a masterpiece Returnal is.

Built for local couch multiplayer matchups with friends, Paperbound is definitely a quality option for parties, but otherwise will likely be collecting dust on your hard drive in the mean time.

Aquanox: Deep Descent works well enough to justify its existence. Performance is fine, gameplay is fine, story is fine, length and price are fine - Aquanox is just fine. It won't wow a lot of people, but the people it does impress will be enamored by it. And, you know what, sometimes that's all you need out of a video game.

Criminal Girls: Invitation Only starts off very lackluster with rather baffling gameplay choices, but after unlocking more skills that improve the battles drastically, dungeon crawler fans can easily find a lot of fun here.

Minecraft: Story Mode Episode 6 brings on some YouTube talent that will please their fans, but disappoint everyone else. The central story, which involves a spooky house and a murder mystery, has its moments, but the overall feeling is that this was not the episode that fans waited so long for.

Super Neptunia RPG is a diamond in the rough. It has the potential to be the best spin-off to date, but is so marred by gameplay issues and bugs that its successes are often overshadowed. Unless you’re in love with Neptunia, then I’d suggest waiting for a patch. Hell, wait anyway.

Mirror's Edge: Catalyst rarely, if ever, makes as memorable an impression as its predecessor did. While it tries incredibly hard to do so, and succeeds in terms of world building and story development, it's all at the sake of nearly every other facet that players of the original may have held near and dear.

Outside of its stunning setting, Assassin's Creed Mirage doesn't have anything exciting or new to offer. It's a mixture of the worst parts of classic and modern Assassin's Creed, sacrificing both storytelling and exploration in an attempt to appease fans from both eras.

WarioWare: Move It! utilizes the Joy-Con to its full potential, delivering the quick-paced, quirky fun you'd expect from such a brilliant franchise. While Story mode is a blast, the game only offers a few hours of content outside its clever but somewhat disappointing multiplayer. Move It! won't replace a certain red-hatted plumber's party and family game staples any time soon, but Intelligent System's creativity is something to be applauded.

Wolcen could have been a contender in the ARPG arena, but it can't get out of it's own way for more than two seconds. Perhaps in time WOLCEN Studio will patch everything up and allow the game to shine as it deserves, but right now the game fights you at every turn. Wolcen is game that is as fun as it is frustrating. I like Wolcen; I simply wish I could love it.

Kirby Star Allies won't bring any new fans to the series. It sticks to the tried-and-true gameplay strictures of the franchise for better and worse. Co-op is nice, and the HD visuals do bring Kirby's world to life in a fresh way, but overall this is a totally by-the-book sequel that adds little of value other than a chance to play another Kirby game.

For fans that missed out on the original release, this is the version to get. The hack-n-slash style of gameplay might not be suitable for everyone’s taste, but the game is still fun in short bursts.

Serious Sam 4 on consoles is a beautifully fun mess. It’s more Serious Sam, which isn’t a bad thing, but there are performance problems that cannot be overlooked.

Broken Age showed a lot of promise in its development and in the first half from last year. However, illogical puzzles combine with an overall lack of new content in the back half to make for an overall middling experience.

Mario Strikers: Battle League is a game that’s carried mostly by its local multiplayer and gameplay. There was so much missed potential for this game to shine brighter than its predecessors. From the lack of single-player modes, content, and limitations to its online, it’s very tough to justify buying the game in its current state.

Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs-Force has its weak points, but if you're able to overlook its shortcomings then you'll be able to find some solid gameplay. It's just unfortunate that more attention wasn't put into the localization effort, as it leaves a lot to be desired. Hardcore fans of the Gundam series should give it a shot, but everyone else should proceed with caution.

A paltry offering of game modes and online issues really overshadow the many good things about F1 2015. As expected, the game looks and plays better than its earlier iterations, but it's just not a substitute for substance and functionality.

Fated: The Silent Oath is unique among the current slate of VR games, in that it has an engaging story and a fully realized world. However, the short time spent in this world could be vastly improved in many ways. Those who have a VR headset and want to see how a traditional story-based experience could work should be intrigued, but others might want to skip this adventure.

Saints Row: Gat out of Hell is the Saints Row you know and love, minus the good stuff. A lack of humor, repetitive missions and structure for this short expansion leave a lot to be desired.

On it's own Fallout 76: Wastelanders is an excellent expansion, but it doesn't completely amend the problems that plague Fallout 76, or subvert the controversy that surrounds it. What it does do is provide a path forward that may eventually lead to Fallout 76 becoming a genuinely good game.

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier – Episode 4 “Thicker than Water” is a worrying penultimate episode for this promising series. It’s not outright bad, but it feels very much like it was rushed out the door before it was ready. Technical issues, such as crashing, are only a small part of this. The real problem is an unsurprising story that only engages the player so much, usually whenever Clementine is around. Let’s hope that this was just setting up for a truly exciting and bombastic finale that delivers on what this series has promised so far.

As a Musou game, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is enjoyable. Narratively, on the other hand, it pulls every punch and is completely underwhelming as a prequel to Breath of the Wild.

Crime Boss: Rockay City's execution isn't revolutionary or exceptional, but its shot at an innovative roguelike campaign is a praiseworthy proof of concept. It might not have the most versatile activities, best gunplay, or first-class writing, but Crime Boss: Rockay City does provide an interesting experience that, like a cheap B-movie, has that certain kind of charm you can't help but enjoy.

The attention to detail, great soundtrack, and largely well-designed characters belie a game that is clearly loved by those that worked on it, but the crippling lack of depth in every area of Bleeding Edge has made what should have been an excellent game a mediocre one instead. I hope Ninja Theory is given the opportunity to expand on the game, but right now Bleeding Edge is fun but forgettable filler.

ReCore had a ton of potential and sadly squandered a good portion of it. The game still has moments of glory, and pulls inspiration from a lot of great games of the past. It even has a very old school feel to it, with 3D platforming and combat that feels very classic, if unfortunately not delivering top of the line quality. Still, the first few hours are worth trying out, and perhaps the flaws won't be as glaring for all players. The game has a good foundation, and maybe some patches will get it close, but it'd take a complete rework to truly live up to the expectations that were set long ago.

Despite all the positives and added-on fancy features, I can't recommend paying full price for Madden 24, as it doesn't feel different enough when comparing last year's edition. But if you're a series veteran craving a Madden that promotes more player agency, EA has fine-tuned the football emulation to make it a better experience.

The story is cliche, the gameplay is simplistic, and the entire package just doesn't come together in any significant way. Still, the game does look good and when the action is hitting it hits well. If you just want a new action shooter for PSVR this won't disappoint too much.

Battleship is one of the original board games and has managed to stand the test of time over the years, and now Frima Studio has managed to reinvigorate its core gameplay by adding more strategy than ever.

If you plan on playing Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare this year as your go-to shooter, it’s almost mandatory that you purchase the map packs to go with it. Unfortunately, Havoc isn’t a very good one.

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia tries its best to be cool and innovative, but in doing so the end result is a repetitive game that overly relies on stealth and a lackluster combat system.

If you loved every minute of Portal, The Witness, Obduction, or other sorts of puzzle adventures then Relicta does have something for you. But it's not as well polished as those titles, and doesn't offer as much creativity in puzzle solving, or variety in the puzzles themselves.

Nostalgia is a big thing these days and Pirate Pop Plus is definitely looking to build on that with its original Game Boy style visuals. While it can get somewhat tedious and repetitive at times, its simple gameplay style and bargain price make the overall experience pretty enjoyable on the go.

Like many mobile rooted games, King Oddball features a very simple premise that is easy to pick up, but a real lack of level variety holds it back from being a really good game.

The thing that I kept saying to myself when playing Ultimate Alliance 3 is that if this wasn't a Marvel game with such beloved characters and familiar story lines it would be a bad game. A great coat of paint does raise the average for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, but its roots are a rote beat 'em up that shows off all its tricks in the first couple of hours and wears out its welcome well before the credits roll.

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon makes attempts to evolve this Pokemon spinoff to a new level, but for the most part feels very much the same.

Catherine: Full Body didn't really change my opinion on Catherine all that much. I'm still as conflicted as I was in 2011 with a love for the art style and weirdness of the game. The uninspired puzzles that make up the rest of it wear out their welcome too quickly though.

This is a fun yet bare boned tribute to Naruto’s long history and adventures. Almost all the features are mostly carried over from previous games.

Chaos brings the most complete experience in the series with its first US release in six years, but is still held back by the repetitive gameplay and dull environments that prevent it from being a fully satisfying experience.

One of the most anticipated games of the year, No Man's Sky is somewhat of a letdown. While it certainly puts its best foot forward with a beautiful audio and visual presentation, to put it bluntly, it's boring. Ambitious as the universe that's been created by Hello Games is, what lies within is a middling survival/crafting game.

Even with dull visuals and a little too much reliance on the past, in a world where Capcom has seemingly forgotten that the Blue Bomber exists, Mighty No. 9’s enthralling boss battles make it an okay substitute to fill that void for the time being.

Let’s Go is surprisingly shallow when compared to just about any Pokemon game, despite an appealing presentation that returns players to a popular location.

Let’s Go is surprisingly shallow when compared to just about any Pokemon game, despite an appealing presentation that returns players to a popular location.

For an expansion that took nearly an entire year to arrive and priced at a premium, Death of the Outsider fails to deliver.

The Need For Speed franchise has certainly had its ups and downs over the years and the Need For Speed reboot has certainly not gotten out to a fast start. The customization and racing itself is fantastic, along with an over the top story that is genuinely fun, but frame rate issues and the insistence to be always online really hold Need For Speed back from a first place finish.

State of Decay’s visual presentation is the most dated that we’ve seen on the Xbox One. Calling this a remaster seems a little disingenuous, as there are so many glaring issues that constantly take away from the experience and overshadow the interesting gameplay ideas.

The Outer Worlds for the Nintendo Switch is an admirable, yet mediocre port of an otherwise great game - end of story. It runs well enough to justify its existence, but at the current asking price you're better off playing Obsidian's latest elsewhere.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX's graphical style, story, and music help carry the repetitive gameplay, but the experience can start to wear on you after hours and hours of monotonous dungeon crawling.

Shadow of the Beast somehow takes fast and brutal action and makes it feel slow and clunky. The game isn't terrible by any means, and even has some very enjoyable visuals, but there's just too many frustrations to make it feel like a fun, cohesive experience.

Attack on Titan 2 falls prey to the same problems as the first game, but worse. The story is less enjoyable, as it covers very well trodden ground. This feels like a sequel that didn't know what it wanted to be, so it just became a retread of the first game. It's unfortunate, as the first was just fun enough to be a real fan pleaser, but Attack on Titan 2 falls flat where that one soared.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition could have been a success had it simply nailed the multiplayer, but cumbersome limitations make it difficult to enjoy with friends. Overall the Remastered Edition is a prettier, yet lesser experience all these years later, so unless you're itching for that sweet hit of nostalgia and don't mind playing with strangers, it's perhaps best to sit this journey out.

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 is yet another action heavy entry in the spinoff series that will provide fans of the series with a fun experience for awhile before starting to feel very monotonous as a result of the lack of anything special to set itself apart from other games in the genre.

As it stands, Sapienza is a step down from the original release. There's far less story in this second helping to really keep you engaged for the coming episodes. Hopefully, IO will keep delivering the same top-notch gameplay and level design, but add a little more story to the experience to make them truly feel like episodes, because at this point they just feel like levels.

Whereas the first episode was emotional, tense, and compelling, this second episode kind of feels like it’s just getting itself from point A to point B in the story. It’s not a bad episode, but it feels very underwhelming when compared to the first.

While the game may not be anything near the visual showcase that the original game was for the PS4 itself, Driveclub VR is one game that gives a glimpse at the potential of VR racing and needs to at least be tried by any PSVR owner.

Outriders has great ideas and those come shining through at various high points to spectacular effect, but it is pushing against the weight of inconsistent execution and unstable systems.

Mafia II: Definitive Edition may have definitive in its name, but the numerous glitches that plague it really hold back what is still a good game at its core from truly earning that title.

Cooperative gameplay and challenge levels seems to have led to a lack of charm in this follow-up.

Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two starts off a bit rocky with a content-filled but overall kind of dull episode. Jesse's story continues here with some tried-and-true story beats that might keep younger players engaged, but more experience gamers will want to wait for more episodes to see if this hits Telltale's usual level of quality.

Short and not very good, Crackdown 3 has few things to point to as reasons to exist.

While the combat and variety of game modes can be a lot of fun, along with beautiful cel-shaded cutscenes that recreate the fan favorite Paramount War arc, jumping into a story that takes place more than halfway into the nearly 750 episode anime series makes One Piece: Burning Blood one that might be best left to just the most hardcore fans.

There's nothing quite like Rainbow Six Siege competitive multiplayer for shooter fans. It can be incredibly fun despite some its shortcomings, but those shortcomings are visible in a number of important areas that keep this good revival of the popular Rainbow Six franchise from being great.

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns will satisfy fans of the series and genre, delivering the life and farm simulation that they've been addicted to for years. It won't do much for those who haven't jumped on the bandwagon though, offering little new outside the titular towns.

Samorost 3 is a beautiful game and definitely worth experiencing if only for the visuals and musicality. It is a pleasant adventure with some great ideas, but is let down by its short gameplay and sometimes frustrating puzzles.

Firewall: Zero Hour borrows from some of the greatest shooters around and tacks on some great VR support. However, the sum is not quite equal to its parts and the feeling one gets from playing the final game is that it's somewhat incomplete and not worth investing much time in.

The Technomancer's big sci-fi ambition is marred by its lack of polish and botched execution in a couple of big areas. It won't win any awards on the presentation side of things, but the core gameplay nevertheless elevates it and delivers some fast and chaotic fun. It's just too bad that the overall package wasn't able to come together as well as it could have.

The core of Out of Ammo is a decent strategy/shooter hybrid, offering a unique take on both genres. What kills a lot of the fun is the lack of PSVR customization, taking a room scale game and putting it into a much more restrictive space. Once you get past this it will be a decent amount of fun, but the lack of variety does diminish the real value of the game.

For the price, Super Bomberman R is a tough sell. It does deliver on the promise of a return to the classic multiplayer that we all love. And the Switch is starving for content, as all newly launched systems do. If you really love Bomberman's signature multiplayer, or if you really have to have a new Switch game, then Super Bomberman R will serve its purpose. If you want a full, content-rich experience then you'll want to wait for something else.

Without a better story, and the game ending before you can really ever test your mettle, Assassin's Creed Chronicles feels lackluster.

Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure doesn't do much to rock the boat that the series has built over the last couple of decades. This is both a good thing and a bad thing, as the game doesn't ruin what fans have loved, but it also doesn't offer much to bring them back either.

Resident Evil Revelations is a fun and captivating game that now offers its best graphics and more content than ever. However, its modest origins as a 3DS game imposes certain gameplay limitations that puts it below everything that has come afterwards, relegating it to a filler status among the catalogue of Resident Evil titles available on current platform.

Darksiders 3 is a much different game than its predecessors. The ideas here aren’t bad, so much as they are poorly executed. There’s still an interesting story and great presentation to experience, but you’ll likely have to overlook the technical issues even if the core gameplay suits you.

Minecraft: Story Mode gets off to a decent, but flawed start with Episode 1. The series is definitely going to be a more family friendly affair than its Telltale brethren, but not quite enough was done to accommodate the more mature gamer. Future episodes could help, but for now it is best to be wary, while still diving in if you appreciate the universe.