Whispering Willows wants you to learn its story, connect with its characters, and become engrossed in its world.

There’s the outline of a great game here—one whose aesthetic would likely attract audiences young and old—but it only ever appears in glimpses. Traverser’s creative premise is worth celebrating, it’s just unfortunate that actually playing the game makes this so hard to see.

Arkham Knight is quite simply the Batman game that anyone who obsesses over the caped crusader always dreamed would exist.

LEGO Jurassic World is a fun, wild romp through the Jurassic Park films that not only lives up to their legacy and the expectations of fans but also those of Tt Games’ LEGO franchise as a whole.

The hand of [Her Story’s] developer never intrudes far enough to spoil the basic thrill of solving a narrative puzzle completely on one’s own.

What starts out as merely unpacking boxes, very quickly begins to feel like more of a private peek into someone’s life.

The puzzles hit that perfect blend of complexity and intuitiveness that keep them immensely satisfying.

Dungeon crawling fans, especially on the Vita, don’t have a lot of options, so it’s good thing that Operation Abyss has it where it counts. It’s a budget title, and it shows and feels that way in many respects, but it also has deep RPG systems and a challenging level of difficulty for those that are tired of being coddled.

After several of the tournament-style sessions, I never once cared if I won or lost, as it was just so bloody fun.

If you’re looking for a very different, very open ended, very “freeing” game about jail breaks, The Escapists will appeal to the experimenter and escape artist in you. It’s not going to hold your hand when it comes to enacting a brilliant escape from jail, but if you’re willing to watch, plan and be patient it’s a very rewarding—if demanding—game.

If the writing were cleaned up and the scares implemented a bit more effectively, Kholat would be better able to take advantage of its unique, real-world premise. As it is, only the most ardent fans of exploration games are likely to find much to enjoy.

his game isn't quite as painful as the previous game to me, but it doesn't quite do anything new.

If, for some reason, you’re in a situation where you love JRPGs, but somehow only have access to a PC, then Re;Birth 2 is a budget alternative that will scratch that itch.

Farming Simulator 15 can provide a tranquil, educational and interesting virtual farming experience. However, at $50 for a hamstrung version compared to its PC sibling, the bugs and narrow gameplay make it difficult to easily recommend.

The game is literally just about a cat running through a house and breaking everything. There’s no story, no lofty goals, and certainly no moral or ethical grounds contemplated here.

For fans of Dragon Age, this is a meaty, content-packed piece of DLC that will take a few hours to thoroughly explore, and feels like it naturally slips in with the base game content.

There’s enough tongue-in-cheek dialogue to remind you of how campy and fun the Power Rangers are, but it’s often undercut by the game’s insistence on being silly.

The platforming elements are completely tied into its puzzle system, so to appreciate the game, you’ll have to really love this one element of the game’s mechanics.

In the end, the missions just aren't enough to really make this stand out too strongly.

Nicole Martinez and Brad Kane clearly care a lot about this world, and with episode four, they’ve introduced a lot of critical momentum to the season that makes it feel like the series has turned a corner.

This is easily one of the most purely enjoyable titles available on the Wii U and given that’s exactly what a Nintendo game should be, it’s impossible not to recommend it through giddy superlatives. Get thy ass out there and purchase thee a copy post-haste, fellow Nintendo ninnies.

The game has some potential as a puzzler, but it's not going to hold attention for very long.

Upgrading gear is no longer quite the marathon it once was, with players able to retain the stats of weapons, and even upgrade existing gear to meet the new performance caps that have come with House of Wolves. And this really is the expansion’s biggest issue; the patch changes that are free to all are more important than the paid content.

While not terribly interesting or original, most classes have special abilities that play well with the construction/destruction concept.

Tasharen Entertainment has struck a gold mine of nostalgia within me.

The Witcher III has a compelling plot, combined with some old school, complex game systems that encourage exploration, crafting and experimentation. It has some rough spots, but when the plot and characters suck you in the way The Witcher III does, it’s worth forgiving the unrefined aspects of the game for the expansive world and engaging, morally ambiguous storytelling.

Not a Hero does a lot right - the cover-based shooting in 2D environment works incredibly well and the comical setting and writing do a lot to set the mood. However, it’s more in what it doesn’t do that holds it back from being as memorable as some of its contemporaries.

The game might sound like little more than a gimmick complicate a simple n’ successful puzzle formula, but it’s surprising how well the battle system works on it’s own terms.

Toren won’t appeal to everyone, obviously, but creates a wonderfully moody and magical atmospheric vibe that few games achieve.

Life Is Strange has already proven itself to be capable of making an interesting story out of its premise, but it’s in this third episode that it has begun to develop a real level of confidence in its narrative.

While there are some uncharacteristic interface and game play issues for Q-Games, the overall effect is another terrifically original take on a variety of genres.

Project CARS is a game that punishes every mistake you make, which makes successes and victories infinitely more rewarding.

With this kind of game, it's easy enough to say that the difficulty is intended, but some of these reactions tended to stray close to interrupting experience rather than enhancing it.

The constant need to speed up, turn, avoid, or utilize level features at break neck speeds all conspire to make your moves instinctual. It’s possible to get “in the zone,” with this game, where you hit that Zen state where your hands know what to do faster than your brain does.

There’s no denying the quality of FFX, as it’s often hailed by some as the last “good” JRPG Square Enix has made in the last 15 years, but there’s already a much cheaper, slightly blurrier version of this compilation out there on the PS3.

MachineGames’ latest take on Wolfenstein is a very good shooter that is only a few missteps away from being, like its predecessor, a truly great one.

If GTAV was more fully devoted to being either a comedy or a drama, its narrative may have been more successful. As it is, the most fun to be had in the game comes almost entirely from the moments when the player breaks away from the mission structure and enjoys the world without worrying about the context of its plot.

At worst, it’s a cautionary tale about getting too much money and getting too ambitious with that money. At best, it’s a solid adventure title with wonderful visuals and great characters mixed in with a few bad puzzles and story issues.

Dead Synchronicity is an impressively dark, grimy, and uncomfortable excursion into a horrible and oppressive future.

Make no mistake, Shovel Knight is a classic, side-scrolling, retro platforming, and if that’s the kind of game you’re looking for, it’s one of the best out there.

This game deserves attention. It's a good addition to the rogue-like, and nobody else is going to get a chance to make rhythm-based games like this again. The bar's set pretty high after this.

This might be damning with faint praise, but considering the dearth of games in this genre, Tropico 5 is easily the best strategy game on the PS4 right now.

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China isn’t terrible in any particular way. It is, from top to bottom, entirely middle of the road standard at best and its main attraction is the cheap selling price for a few hours of side-scrolling action.

There isn’t a whole lot of depth to Titan Souls, but if you’re in the mood for a game that doesn’t require a whole lot of commitment or countless hours of micromanaging and leveling, yet still requires quick-thinking and a mastery of what at first appear to be simple and limited skills with an added splash of 16-bit era style, this is the game for you.

State of Decay is still, without a doubt, one of the better zombie games available today. Despite not having all the polish and AAA bells and whistles of a big budget title, it has an original concept, a lot of depth, and a genuine tension evoked by its “no one is ever safe,” atmosphere.

The Charnel House Trilogy takes too long to get going and doesn't go very far when it does. Most of it is a dead bore.

In the end, this scratches my Necromancer itch pretty nicely. You feel like you’re raising the people of a nation to serve you as undead, and becoming an immortal god-mage in the process.

Unfortunately, what’s new is simply the blending of two old parts that don’t work well enough in conjunction.

The game is a brilliant and complete version of Dark Souls 2, with enough fresh content and tweaks to encourage veterans.

This sucker is just as nasty, fun, and addictive as ever. It’s just that now the face-eating moves are more beautifully animated to keep up with new technology. What a time to be alive.

If you’re looking for an action-RPG with a substantial story to fill the Diablo void in your life, then Bastion will be right up your alley. It plays well, has a striking aesthetic, and a unique story.

As a game, Xenoblade is still one of the best JRPGs available in years, and on that front, any fan of the genre who’s never played it should buy it immediately if there’s a new 3DS in the house. As a port, however, it’s a less than stellar job, and people spoiled on improved remasters of old games are in for an unpleasant surprise.

In the end, I did compare this favourably to my experiences with Baldur's Gate, a game which excited and interested me. I'd played that game recently, so it was easy to compare, but Pillars stands on its own as an immersive world and fun gameplay experience.

You might not feel blown away by The Show 15 with anything new, but you’ll be blown away once more by everything that this series has done right for so long.

I was pleasantly surprised by Mario Party 10. I expected another disaster after learning of its similarities to 9, however they have added enough to make 10 rather enjoyable even through the Bowser love.

It’s as much a living homage as it is a natural successor to Nintendo’s 2D Metroid games.

People unfamiliar with games themed around Dragon Ball Z will not find much here to latch onto, but fans of the Dragon Ball Z franchise will not know what to expect from a twist and turned filled time travel story that will rearrange all of their favorite characters until those fans can put them back in order again.

As interesting as exploring the ramifications of [the main character’s] time-manipulation abilities are here, the most resounding moments are those centred on less fantastic issues.

Fossil Fighters is essentially a younger brother looking up to an older one; it clearly admires everything Pokemon does and tries to emulate it in every way possible, but never manages to do so in any clever or inventive ways.

Episode Three fulfills all the promises it needs to for fans of the Game of Thrones TV series, even if it doesn’t necessarily give old school adventure game fans much to actually do in terms of interactivity.

Ultimately, The Awakened Fate Ultimatum ends up being a pretty decent dungeon crawler that gets bogged down by a cumbersome story and poor lead character.

As with any remaster, the value of the Handsome Collection comes down to your relationship with this series. There’s no question of the quality of these games, just your own sense of (over) familiarity with them.

Even for ten dollars, this is a sparse package, and lacks the polish and substance I expect from a finished product.

The game is exactly what Souls fans have been hoping for in this new generation of consoles. It’s gorgeous, terrifying, relentless and highly addictive. There’s so much depth to this game that it’s impossible to go over everything, and there will be many surprises in store over the next few months as swarms of Hunters descend on Yarnham and explore its twisted alleyways and endless secrets.

Wrong Number, more than a direct continuation, is an expansion and affirmation of Hotline Miami’s themes.

If you’re looking for a fun, solid-though-not-brilliant cop drama to play through that then lets you jump into multiplayer and be the cop or the robber, this is the game for you.

If you’re one of the eager fans who cannot wait to dive back into this world, the impression that this inaugural episode will appease your worries, rekindle an old flame, and inspire confidence in the game to come.

Capcom seems to have honed in on the fact that Resident Evil is, despite its previous posturing of drama, silly. It’s embraced its B-movie nature and ends up being a lot more entertaining because of it.

White Night is a beautiful mix of noir and old-school survival horror and adventure.

For people [who] love the world of Borderlands, and people that appreciate snappy writing and surreal comedy, episode 2 is a definite winner.

Super Galaxy Squadron feels comfortingly like an arcade cabinet I might have once slipped a quarter into at the Pizza Hut down the road.

If you like those days-long Civilization sessions going through thousands of years of human development, the brief sessions of Starships leave you feeling like there's something missing – like you're eating a salad when you really want a hamburger.

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, is very good portable game that’s been snuck onto consoles, and it feels like it. The need to retake missions so as to grind out a team of characters artificially lengthens what’s actually a relatively short main game. The story is actually better than that of FFXIII, but it comes at the cost of those steep grinding requirements.

Tormentum feels like one of the dreams I (and many other teenagers) had from time to time. Inspiring to the imagination and often evocative, but easily forgotten.

In the end, Train Fever has been designed to serve a very, VERY specific need; people that love to tinker with the infrastructure of public transportation.

When Code Name S.T.E.A.M. works, it’s a blast. When it doesn’t, it’s a drag. Your enjoyment level will depend on how much you can ignore the latter.

It’s better than the previous two in every way that matters. It feels bigger, more fun, and more engaging.

This is a beautiful, surprisingly poignant, and simply well-designed take on a familiar genre.

Whatever your feelings are of the original DmC, credit has to be given for the sizable chunk of new additions made to this remaster.

When all is said and done, DOA 5 ends up being a great looking, middle of the road fighter that still heavily relies on absurd female characters in revealing outfits to sell copies.

The familiar game play and dirt cheap price makes Revelations 2 worth a look for even casual horror gamers.

This is such a different kind of game from most of the stuff we've seen lately, however, that it feels distinct.

For a paltry $6, Penal Colony includes about two hours of single player story and a horde of zombie-filled hours in the numerous Raid levels, complete with multiple characters to build and upgrade.

This game takes many hours to play a campaign, which is a definite plus, but those hours can be quite tedious when cutscene loading and strange hang-ups occur.

Koei doesn’t seem very interested in appealing to new customers because DW8 Empires assumes that you’re thoroughly familiar with not just the DW franchise, but the Empires spin-off.

If you’ve got a Vita and you’re jonesing for a Final Fantasy Tactics clone that is not too deep, and incredibly silly, this is the game for you.

For newcomers, this is the game to start with, but the franchise does still feel a little exclusive with the mountains of text you have to read to get a basic understanding of how the game works.

The game, despite its problems, can be fun in small doses and certainly provides plenty of old school challenge.

Whether you're sitting down for a quick coffee break adventure, or an all-night binge, Hand of Fate delivers in spades.

A genuine visual marvel and one of the most beautiful technical achievements on the Wii U.

The Homeworld collection is a fantastic and complex RTS that will challenge players with an almost intimidating amount of depth of choice.

This title won’t win any awards for ingenuity, but it will provide any gamers who like to casually call each other “Ice Man” and “Maverick” with plenty of bonehead blowin’ up fun.

Citizens of Earth isn’t always right on point. The humor is spotty and predictable, but the combat system has enough depth to be engaging.

Grim Fandango is back, and, unlike The Longest Journey, it’s gotten a bit of modern spit and polish for its console/PC debut, and it goes without saying that for fans of adventure games, this is a must own title.

Gameplay is serviceable, and somewhat fun, though it is hampered by unresponsive controls and annoying pathfinding which leads to your troops wandering in the most convoluted way.

Stardust Vanguards is not a perfect game, but it does its job well to entertain players with its one of a kind fun factor.

Life Is Strange’s first episode is a compelling, but awkwardly written introduction to a promising story.

There’s potential to be found in LISA, but so much of it feels like a rough first draft.