It’s not amazing, but it’s definitely not awful. While it functions well enough as a platformer, performance issues keep it from being a stand out in the genre.

Overall, Total Tank Simulator is a decent package for simulation fans who want to sit back and watch the magic happen. For those who would rather be on the front lines, you can do that here as well, just don’t expect the same experience as you would from a dedicated FPS. While deceptively simple at the outset, Total Tank Simulator is much deeper than what you might expect.

While the plot may not be as riveting and the player may feel like they’re guessing more than sleuthing, Night Call presents wonderful short stories featuring a bountiful cast of characters who share their lives with you. The unfortunate side to this is that it means the main serial killer plot takes the backseat on this one. Despite its numerous technical glitches, Night Call leaves a strong impression and I’m positive that with a couple of improvements it will definitely rise above.

Overall, it feels as though Fairy Tail is targeted toward players who have knowledge or experience of the franchise already. As someone who knows Fairy Tail, it was very easy for me to understand and enjoy the game. While it starts at a point that makes sense for the purpose of the game, it does seem like it may alienate some who are hopping in for the first time. Despite this, Fairy Tail’s premise should still allow for newcomers to enjoy the experience, and perhaps lead them toward the source material as well. While Fairy Tail doesn’t do anything new, it does a lot of the common RPG elements well enough, and ties in the source material effectively as well. For fans of the series, this game is a no-brainer, for everyone else, it could be worth a try.

Wind & Leaves turned out to be a real bummer. The exploration and world history are intriguing and there’s no denying the beauty of the world as it speeds through growth when time is fast-forwarded. There is also some really good soundtrack music going on too. The intent of creating a Journey-like experience is clear but there are too many game mechanic missteps that break immersion. This a game some will no doubt like because of the world. It all depends on your tolerance level of the game mechanics.

There is a lot of content here to experience. The campaign will take you about seven hours. It would be great to have a little more variety in, well, just about everything. The environments all look the same and there are only a few bosses and enemy types. Another option I would love to see is one where you could change the gravity level. The default value is about thirty percent of earth levels. It would be a hoot to try the swing mechanic on a normal gravity level. The inner child of a lot of Spidey fans would be ecstatic, present company included. Despite the limitations of the PSVR tech and the three-year-old game design, Windlands 2 is still worth a try, especially if you have a couple of friends to play with.

The love and passion gone into the creation of WrestleQuest is clear, however, certain design decisions and a repetitive combat system make this a stumble down memory lane. Although the story is full of intrigue and famous wrestlers form part of the adventure, the repeat deviations quickly diminish interest in the narrative. Combat gets repetitive and animations fail to capture the nuances of the sport. Although fans of wrestling will enjoy seeing legends as part of the experience, some design decisions fumble the finish.

The main complaints about Kingdom Hearts III Re:Mind are that it provides no answers to the questions the series left players with, and that it involves playing a lot of content that the player has already experienced. My positive spin is that it’s an extension of what was already a fantastic game ending, that provides multiple characters to use, and extra boss battles. My main complaint is that it came too late, or shouldn’t have been DLC at all. If one accepts Re:Mind for what it is, it should be a real treat for hardcore Kingdom Hearts fans.

Close to the Sun deserves praise for the world it builds and just how gorgeously rendered that world is. There are moments of pure wonder throughout the campaign, but it doesn’t quite reach its full potential. Between an underdeveloped protagonist and a lack of meaningful collectibles, I was left wanting more. In the end, the problem is not that it flies too close to the sun, but rather it doesn’t fly close enough.

Even though Berserk and the Band of the Hawk isn’t the best way to experience the Berserk story, its story is so in-depth that it would still be a great way to experience it for the first time.

Even with its mediocre plot and heavily emphasized fan service aspects, I really enjoyed Lightning Returns. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve followed the series since the beginning, or because I’m a sucker for the characters and their relationships between one another, but this game made me experience a range of emotions that I haven’t experienced from a game in a long time.

Front Mission 3 Remake is a fantastic strategy JRPG. It has excellent combat, and deep mech customization, led by an engrossing story. It’s easy to get sucked into the conflict of the Front Mission world. And that early choice leading to different narratives truly shocked me. I had no idea! The game does have some visual oddities and too much framerate stutter in its cutscenes, but I would still say Front Mission 3 Remake is a must-play for fans of strategy JRPGs.

Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, if nothing else, represents a symbolic step forward for VR game platforms like the Oculus Quest 2. It’s the closest thing to a AAA title I’ve played on my headset yet. I don’t know if its nearly-50GB file size is warranted given the so-so visuals, but I did have a lot of fun with the Campaign missions. I’ll still wait a while for the multiplayer to work out its kinks, but I can see myself enjoying that eventually, too. All in all, I’m not sure if Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond would do Grandpa proud, but if you own an Oculus Quest 2, it’s a fun experience and worthy of your time.

I was about to launch into another broken situation here, but I’m sure you get the point. The point is this: although there’s a very competent core loop and entertaining resource management sim somewhere within State of Decay 2, it’s really, really, broken. Unacceptably so. It frustrated me mightily to see a flash of a game I wanted to play, only to be immediately reminded that it’s not ready for release.

While I’ve made it clear that this game is meant for a younger audience, I still recognize its merits. The visuals are clean and crisp, even if the humans look a bit weird. Pikachu himself is a real bright spot, with more charm and personality than any other character. And if you’re a diehard Pokémon fan, there are a ton of them scattered throughout this story. But I can’t recommend this game to anyone reading this review. Rather, Detective Pikachu Returns will be a great fit for your kids. If you’re looking for a fun, approachable adventure they can dive into, this might be a pretty good choice.

I understand one of the big attractions to the MotoGP series is the realism, but too much realism for me takes away the hint of escapism that I look for in games. MotoGP 18 is impressive, as all of Milestone’s games are, but that doesn’t always translate to fun for general audiences. This title is a must have for serious Grand Prix fans, but lay people like me it comes off as overwhelming with a tedious learning curve.

Diluvion is something I really sunk my teeth into, and though there were some snags, I thoroughly enjoyed my time. The excitement of exploring the deepest nooks and crannies of a fictional ocean is something I kept with me throughout my play through, wondering what mysterious creatures lurked beneath me. With a little bit more polish I can see Diluvion sitting in the top seller chart for a while.

It’s decidedly more realistic take on the sport of MXGP may not endear fans looking for a more over the top MX vs ATV like experience but fans of the sport of motocross should enjoy this.

Battlezone is well-made in terms of its brilliant UI design and solid set of shooting and movement mechanics. However, the single player missions do not showcase the tactical brilliance of playing with real human players and the lack of any PvP online modes is almost a crime.

In the scheme of history though, City of Brass will probably be best remembered as a game that dared to go to brave new places, and inspired many games to come.

This is a great game for single player and multiplayer with tons of content and replayability.

Aperion Cyberstorm is meant to be played with friends. As a solo experience, the game’s lifeless art style and ubiquitous play style won’t win many people over. But as a local co-op experience, it’s an exceedingly fun spin on the genre. If you’re looking for a great single-player game, you should look elsewhere, but if you have had a handful of friends willing to play with you, this one is definitely worth a try.

Mario Party 10 is a packed game. With three main game modes, tons of mini-games, and Amiibo support there’s lots to do. Unfortunately Nintendo chose to continue to dumb the game down to an uninteresting board-fest broken up by only a couple of mini-games.

If you only own a console, however, and you want to experience this great series for the first time, then The Sims 4 certainly will give you lots of enjoyment, despite the annoying aspects.

Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is considerably better than just a cash grab game tied to a singular cultural event, but it’s not the gold medal winner of sports sims either. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with going home wearing a bronze medal.

The Mercenaries expansion adds to the already great game with new races to play with, new campaigns to conquer and new ways to dominate the galaxy.

Echoes of the End is a mixed success. Its narrative, characters, and performances are excellent, and the world is impressive. Some of the game’s more logical environmental puzzles and its late-game combat are engaging, too. Unfortunately, the game’s overall pace is undercut by repetitive gameplay structures, far too many busywork puzzles, and flat combat that takes too long to get interesting. There’s a lot of great stuff in Echoes of the End, but it’s impossible to ignore what doesn’t work as well.

Even with its environment being so desolate, there is still something rather beautiful – and this isn’t about the visuals, but the overall charm of the game and its characters. When I first heard of Beautiful Desolation I had expected a guns-blazing adrenaline-pumping RPG that would involve a high level of stress, but instead, I was given struggling human characters trying to find a way home with actual useful dialogue and choices that made a difference. Sure there is a lot of exploring, backtracking, and crying about finding items (eventually leading to searching online for hints and walkthroughs), but through it all, it was a journey that was worth experiencing – especially on a television screen.

Professor Lupo: Ocean will be a treat for fans of the original. It continues the story, sets up a compelling mystery, and it looks and sounds fantastic. The puzzles are of one kind, however, and the game is short. Luckily the price tag is small, and it really is a continuation of the ideas/ story of Professor Lupo and his Horrible Pets. Puzzle fans should enjoy the length and variety in that game, and come back for more of a very specific-kind of puzzle in this sequel.

The combat feels smooth and responsive, yet there wasn’t enough variety. I like the characters, though I quickly got tired of listening to them. The RPG component was the worst offender. A system meant to create depth instead offered frustration in high doses.

The dialogues between named characters and quest givers are equally dull. There was not a single moment of depth in any writing and all characters just spoke their mind and acted out their cliched character tropes. I definitely would not recommend this game for its storytelling. I would say, for most of our audience, to definitely hold off on purchasing Sands of Salzaar as it is still currently under heavy development. However, there is immense potential with the system they have developed! Keep an eye on this one.

Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is a solid remaster and a fun action-platformer. Its protagonists are incredibly endearing and its simplicity is very charming. I recommend it to anyone with a craving for tough retro gameplay wrapped in a cute package. Just don’t go in expecting anything particularly long or deep.

There really isn’t a lot to like about Bleeding Edge. I found it uninspired and boring with only a couple redeeming qualities such as some neat character designs and a robust tutorial. I honestly don’t understand why Bleeding Edge was developed. Maybe Xbox Game Studios requested their newly acquired Ninja Theory to throw together a quick team-based online game to fill a void until the Xbox Series X launches. Who knows. I imagine we won’t see much post-launch support with Bleeding Edge, as the team at Ninja Theory is probably fully focused on making Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. At least Bleeding Edge is free with Xbox Game Pass, so if you subscribe, you can give it a go and see for yourself.

Despite some interesting situations and engaging puzzles, Vampire: The Masquerade Swansong fails to get off the ground, much less stick the landing. It’s slow and obtuse where it should be visceral and emotional. The writing is pedestrian and the characters are the dullest vampires imaginable. Whether or not they drink your blood, they definitely suck your ability to enjoy the game.

Sure it is fun to return to a game that I enjoyed so much in the late 90's, but does that make it worth the $15? Not in this case. Great source material and decent mechanics are marred by sloppy execution and limited extras, both which make this a decidedly average game.

If the game was a little more polished on the graphical front and came with a more original story, this one could have been a real gem instead of being good.

It is ironic that a game with a truly unique game playing mechanic was deposited into such a generic game, and called Detached. That’s what the end result feels like.

Like a good diorama, Button City has a lot of fine detail. Sure the story is breezy and the characters are charming, but what about the games? What about the simple, engaging level design? I wish the sidequests were less about long walks, yes. I want a run button so very badly, it’s true. And the games could actually be harder. But I still want to visit this weird little town. I want to keep coming back to this arcade, I want to get sick of the only good games, I want to save up for the only good prizes. Whether you remember places like this or not, Button City is a delightful escape to the lost world of arcades. Heck, if you’ve got one in your town, this might convince you to start going again.

With Treyarch at the helm and eight studios collaborating on development, Activision clearly spared no expense on Black Ops 7. The all-hands-on-deck approach shows, with production values soaring. Despite a few technical hiccups, this is one of the most content-rich Call of Duty games ever released…Treyarch has crafted something special: a sprawling, ambitious, and endlessly replayable shooter that caters to nearly every corner of the Call of Duty fandom. It’s not flawless, and some may scoff at the lack of innovation, but it stands as a staggering achievement in both scale and ambition. Massive and occasionally messy, it’s nonetheless a thrilling ride. Black Ops 7 delivers everything fans could hope for and then some.

In the end, Never Gone is a stylish and good looking slasher that will give you a ton of hours on your mobile device.

2023 is such a banner year for great games, but this is not one of them. It saddens me that I cannot recommend Hammerwatch II. It is, at best, enjoyable for a night or two with friends.

Shortcomings aside the unique visual experience that Black Knight Sword offers up is well worth a few hours of your time. At a price tag of $9.99 you certainly can't go wrong; however, just do not expect an experience you will come back to after you have put the game through its paces.

Ultimately, American Fugitive lives and dies by its gameplay. Driving around and tearing through Redrock County is fun, destructive, and weirdly cathartic. Casing buildings and barely escaping before the police show up is breathtakingly thrilling. Past those two parts of the gameplay, however, there’s not much of substance to hold onto. American Fugitive is a quirky and fun open-world sandbox, but if you expect a bit more from games that tackle Grand Theft Auto’s legacy, you’ll be left wanting.

The Outer Worlds on the Nintendo Switch is the final straw for me. My heart can’t take the disappointment of these ports anymore. Time and time again, a port of an otherwise excellent game is released on the Switch (at full price, mind you) only to be a shell of the developer’s original vision. I get it, there’s money to be made, and there will always be that dedicated group of fans that can’t be told no, and will argue these games don’t look the way they do. But we all know that’s a joke. The Outer Worlds on the Switch looks bad, plays bad, and did nothing more than make me want to get the game elsewhere. I guess that’s a win for Obsidian.

So is Company of Crime worth playing? I’d say definitely. The worst of it is pretty uninspired, but inoffensive. But the best of it is superlatively good. I hope this game gets a lot of circulation just so developers can learn from its greatest strengths. But that’s about design, and not about players. If this were just one part great game and one part mediocre game, I’d say that averages to good. But what nudges it a little farther towards greatness is the presentation. The music, the clothes, the art style all create a sense of atmosphere. There are more polished games out there, but few do as good a job at transporting you to their setting. There’s a universe out there where Company of Crime totally changed the genre forever. We live in the universe where it’s just a really cool game that fans of the genre shouldn’t miss!

Soundfall is a clever and refreshing genre hybrid. There aren’t enough music games, and pairing a rhythm game with an RPG is smart and creative. The game’s tracklist is varied and catchy, and the basic mechanic works pretty well. The song import feature is a work in progress, and over time the game can get a little repetitive thanks to a lack of variety in level design and that strict requirement of just hitting the beats. As a proof of concept and a genuinely new idea, though, Soundfall is definitely worth checking out.

I kind of wish that Mirthwood’s combat was either way better or entirely optional. Alas, it is neither. Aside from that, though, Mirthwood is an entertaining and engaging mashup of cozy farming and RPG adventuring. It’s easy to spend a lot of relaxing time puttering around, chatting up the townsfolk or combing the world for treasure.

Sure it has its flaws, and yes, it’s a port of a port, but it was still an enjoyable experience. It made me feel badass, even on the easiest difficulty.

It looks and sounds the part with excellent visuals and a stirring soundtrack, and has competent gameplay mechanics, but it misses the mark with repetitive missions, a poorly developed story, and a fair bit of roughness around the edges.

Ane of the most memorable and enjoyable experiences I have had in quite some time.

Mineko’s Night Market has finally arrived. It lives up to everyone’s expectations, despite its limitations. It serves as a visually stunning tribute to Japanese folklore and culture, while also providing a humorous social simulation. And it’s a dream for those who have longed for a healthy and heartwarming relationship with your dad.

Although there are flaws in the games design, for dedicated Transformers: Prime followers there is some fun to be had here. At the end of the day, for young fans of the Transformers Prime series this game is a fairly good choice; however, for older fans a weekend rental will probably suffice.

In the end, whether or not you enjoy Unepic will depend on whether or not you enjoy reference humour, and if your enjoyment of the exploration outweighs your frustration with the mediocre combat. Depending on which platform you’re buying it, the game costs anywhere between $9 and $15, so if Unepic sounds like something you’d be interested in, you may want to give it a try. Otherwise, this is one quest you’re better off skipping.

At $30, the game is definitely pricey, and though the multiple expansions helps compensate for that, the only people I can really see utilizing them are those who are already fans of the board game to begin with. If you fit into that category or are simply looking for a fun, no-frills digital board game experience, Talisman is one of the better options out there.

Ultimately, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker is an entertaining, competitive, and addicting game that truly captures the visual style and overall feel of the source material. Its thorough character customization allows you to create your ideal ninja, both in looks and fighting style, and its competent multiplayer action lets you unleash your powers in flashy elegance. I’m still perplexed at the choice to restrict the already minimal content, but the fundamentals of the game are solid through and through. With some additional modes and quality of life changes, Shinobi Striker has the potential to assert itself as one of the strongest, and most unique Naruto games to date.

If you’re content to cross off those map markers, slowly covering the whole screen in checkmarks, you’re in for a good time. Alternately, if you blazed through the game towards the last boss, this DLC will leave you bitter. The story section is a flash in the pan, blowing by in a handful of hours. There’s fun to be had, but only if you’re ready to hunt it down. Rage 2’s Rise of The Ghosts DLC is either more of what you loved or hated, in generous portions.

I really enjoyed the original Greedfall’s blend of magic and 1600’s technology. While the combat is a little more flexible this time around, the narrative plays too many of the same beats, and its pacing fails to find a groove. Greedfall was a cult favorite of sorts. Greedfall: The Dying World does some interesting things with classes and combat, but lacks some of the charm and inventive spirit of the original game.

Playing Serious Sam 4: Planet Badass can be fun. It’s also clear that the franchise is at a crossroads. It wants to steal from other AAA shooters, to have believable characters, NPCs, and a story. At the same time, it goes all-in with a lame-joke cracking juvenile in a man suit and gameplay that is rote, lacks creativity and is repetitive. Long load times and framerate issues don’t help, either. Twenty years on, Sam isn’t edgy, goofy or ironic. Sam’s schtick, and the gameplay that goes with him, are seriously due for a makeover.

Hyakki Castle is a 3D dungeon crawler rich with Japanese mythology and lore, however a lack of tutorial and repetitive textures can be a drag.

Onslaught is by no means the definitive must own CoD DLC but it’s solid and gives Ghosts some more legs. So really what more could you ask for?

In the end, I am still enjoying Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal as I continue to play through it. It’s a fun, vapid and over the top action game that doesn’t shy away from what it is – a game about sexy ninja girls. Sometimes I don’t need a game to be deep or hit me with the feels, sometimes I just need to relax and undress my opponents, and really, is that such a bad thing to ask?

All in all, Heroland is a solid title which finds its niche, sticks to it, and ramps it up. Its humour and style may not suit everyone, but for those it suits, they will love it. While the game starts a bit slowly, it won’t take long for one to dive deep into it, though the game can be enjoyed both in small chunks as well as much larger ones. In Heroland, you won’t be the hero, but you will enable everyone else to be, and that’s perfectly fine. The game turns the RPG genre around just enough to keep things interesting, and who knew that being a tour guide in an RPG theme park could be so fun?

The Force Unleashed is a fascinating slice of video game history. Unfortunately it’s not exactly fun history, not anymore. Again, your mileage may vary. Perhaps you’ve lately grown wistful about motion controls. Maybe you long for the days when quick-time events were a much bigger part of mainstream gaming. For me, revisiting this chapter of gaming’s history was downright unpleasant at times. I loved messing around with force powers and lightsabers, but that only gets you so far. If you’ve got fond memories of this game, they’ll likely survive a subsequent playthrough. Otherwise, I’d be wary of jumping into Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

Lack of a concrete story and various unpolished dimensions of the game lend poorly to its overall conception, however underneath its faults and beyond the connection and host issues, Payday 2: Crimewave Edition is a solid experience with tons of hours to invest in the progression system.

Once again I ask, is the Pokemon Violet DLC worth buying? That depends. If you were hoping for a smoother framerate, you’ll be disappointed. The Teal Mask DLC runs just as well as the base game. If you want more Pokemon content, you’re in luck! There’s something like 100 old Pokemon being added to the total roster. There’s also new sidequests, new story content, and new items to acquire. The battles are challenging (by Pokemon standards), and there’s a wide variety of biomes within Kitakami to explore. For me, this was a perfect excuse to jump back into the game. But I recognize that I’m a hardcore fan of these games. Ultimately, that’s who Pokemon DLC is usually for. If you’re a fan, you’ll enjoy this extra content. Otherwise, you can leave this one be.

If you’ve got a very specific Ralph Bakshi craving, you could do worse than Ash of Gods: Redemption. It’s not a bad game, it’s just too similar to a better one.

GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon reinvents itself through the inclusion of rogue-lite elements. However, the weight of numerous collectibles, basic combat and odd design decisions mean that the game struggles to compete with contemporaries. Although there is still plenty to enjoy for fans of the original and newcomers, it fails to cut through the competition.

Regardless of its somewhat flat textures and oddly long loading screens, this is definitely a user-friendly title with potential for hours of fun with friends as they fly high and kick mud in each other’s face.

Lego The Incredibles simply does not meet up to the expectations its predecessors have set. With a roster that lets us down, overpowered heroes, a near lack of puzzle mechanics, a small world, and a ton of repetitive tasks, there is nothing super about this game.

Sense of humor is personal and what you respond to is none of my business. Rustler might very well be your comedy jam, mixing GTA with wannabe Monty Python and firing the joke cannon at every opportunity in the hopes that the humor will hit with someone. What we can agree on is that mechanics and gameplay are at least as important as the setting and story, and this is where Rustler fails to deliver a consistently fun experience.

88 Heroes is an amusing and challenging platformer with a big heart, yet beyond its pop culture references, humor, and numerical gimmick, there isn’t a whole lot to offer gamers looking for a lengthier experience.

It will only take you a lazy Sunday afternoon to finish the main campaign elements but the amount of collectibles and items you can level up gives this expansion plenty of wheels. Saints Row fans rejoice as this is a solid purchase for $20 bucks.

The voice acting is quite good. Although there weren’t any standout characters, from the NPCs to the random voice recordings you find, I always felt involved with the world and its story. Additionally, there is a personal fort you can decorate and craft to your liking. There is quite a variety of options for decoration things purely cosmetic to useful things, like the Lucktree, which you could feed loot to grow larger, granting you better luck within dungeons. However, these little successes don’t fully make up for the game’s shallowness that probably will get you bored in a few hours. Torchlight 3 is not a bad game by any means, I just don’t see a point in playing it over the original or two.

I liked paying Super Blood Hockey, and it brought back nice nostalgic memories from the best of the NES days. It knows what worked about the old classics, and tries to make the experience new by adding its own ideas. The downside is that the gameplay was not deep enough to keep me addicted for too long. Yes, it makes a valiant try with Franchise Mode and Tournaments, and playing with your buds in local-multiplayer is super fun, but when the puck hits the ice, the core experience of actual hockey needs more to keep me interested long-term. But hey, until there is more selection of titles on the Switch, Super Blood Hockey is the only game in town and for that alone it deserves a look.

Last Stop’s anthology-based approach to storytelling is great and helps to keep you engaged throughout. Even though your choices don’t really impact the story, it’s a lovely journey that touches on some interesting themes. Unfortunately, the conclusion is disappointing as it delves a little too far into the realm of science fiction. Regardless of this, the grounded characters and interesting cast are worth meeting.

If you’re interested in surfing or if you just want a fun game to blow some steam off with, you should really think about Surf World Series. You’ll be shouting ‘cowabunga’ at the top of your lungs before you know it.

While its random elements will surely turn some gamers off, there is a lot to like about Tharsis. From its toying with morality to the pure ecstasy it provides when defying the odds and having a successful flight, there really isn’t anything else like it. If you’re willing to overcome a substantial learning curve, then you’ll your haphazard trip to Mars.

Slavish adherents to modern sensibilities may wish to look elsewhere. However, if you’re looking for a blend of fast-paced fun and familiar flaws, you can’t go wrong with this game.

Tomb Raider Reloaded has a lot of potential. Overall, it needs more focus on smoothing out the last of its gameplay issues and less on the progression hooks. Opening the app to that cluttered menu only reminded me that I can get the best parts of Reloaded elsewhere. The same goes for Lara herself.

If you love puzzles, and are looking for a visually-stunning indie game (or you just love corn), take a bite out of Maize. Just be prepared to have the initial zany fun wane when the novelty wears off.

Although this isn’t the most thrilling episode so far, it seems like all of the conversations and emotional moments will act as a bridge between the first couple of episodes and the last two. While the excitement is rather lacking in the majority of this episode, Telltales gives us a more believable story overall, especially where all of the characters are concerned.

A decent LEGO game that comes closer to the console LEGO games more so than any other portable LEGO games have in the past. Though it does have its flaws, it can’t be denied that Legends of Chima is fun.

It can be a fun diversion but lacks that “just one more level” sense of attraction.

It’s fun, but simple.

For an indie title, Abbey Games does a great job in developing an in-depth, complex simulation game. Unfortunately, the game at times did not really feel like a game given the amount of numbers utilized.

The stories being told felt sincere and deal with issues you just don’t find in games; especially the fourth patient, a trans-gendered individual in a physically abusive relationship. What hurts this experience is the actual puzzles, which make up the bulk of the gameplay. I just wish more effort was put into developing more meaningful puzzles that were designed to be more intuitive and actually fun to solve.

With a ton of ways to play and a spiffy new upgrade, Edge of Control is a lot of fun and held my attention better than many other racing games.

Spelunker Party! hearkens back to the old days of platformers, featuring simple yet challenging gameplay. Playable individually, Spelunker Party! is likely at its best when played with others. For those looking for a simple, classic platformer, this game is likely to be right up your alley. On the other hand, players should not go into this expecting something more contemporary. Overall, Spelunker Party! is what it sets out to be, and it does it well.

For those who love action-arena games like Gift of Parthax, this game will likely delight, as the pixelated characters are nostalgic as hell and the combat, when leveled properly, can be that right mix of challenging but fun. Unfortunately, for those more casual about the genre, Gift of Parthax doesn’t offer enough to offset painfully unbalanced seasons, the grinding that results, and a leveling system that’s as mystical as its characters.

A borderline unusable map and generally difficult combat combined with traps that kill you immediately could definitely turn people off, but those who choose to persevere will likely enjoy this game enough to see it through to its obtuse, confusing ending.

If you’re a fan of My Hero Academia, you’ll enjoy My Hero One’s Justice 2. It brings your favorite characters to life and gives you the opportunity to pit them against each other in a solid fighting arena experience. But for the rest of us, this is a pretty lackluster brawler that looks and plays a lot like other games we’ve seen. What it does, it does competently, but My Hero One’s Justice 2 has a long way to go before it can claim the King of Fighters title.

Cyanide & Happiness: Freakpocalypse isn’t going to blow you away. It’s certainly not going to have you reaching for the medicine cabinet, though. I suppose much of what you get out of CH: F will depend on your ability to take a joke. The gameplay won’t be what keeps you coming back, but Coop’s story has much left to be told, and I’ll be there for the sequel. The rub is that if Explosm doesn’t bring their A-game for episode two, I’ll probably take a swing at Coop, myself.

If you can get sufficiently sucked into the gameplay, every other problem seems insignificant. On the other hand, if any part of the moment-to-moment experience starts to drag, it can pull you right out of the game. In other words, if all you want to do is sail around starting fights, slowly gathering power until you become a force of nature on the waves, King of Seas is perfect for you. Conversely, if you’re looking for something more multifaceted and less focused, you may want to steer clear. I thought sailing and sea battles would sustain me. Perhaps there’s more to being a pirate after all.

At its price point, you’ll be in for an okay time, especially if you find yourself enjoying the look and have an itch for a light tower defense game. It’s charming, and it doesn’t get in its own way of just letting you have at a few levels quickly. Whether or not it sticks with you will depend on how much you jive with its critters, the hand-drawn art, and Victor’s story.

Time-machine nostalgia and a pixel-perfect retro vibe can only carry Graven so far. Combat, exploration, and level design have to ferry the player to the end. Unfortunately, Graven has enough issues in these areas that its very promising premise isn’t quite fulfilled. Players who grew up with mid-90s shooters will appreciate what Graven has to offer, at least for a while. Ultimately, it might make them appreciate how far we’ve come.

I really enjoyed Rushing Beat X: Return of Brawl Brothers. The core beat ‘em up combat is fantastic, and the goofy story gives the game a unique flavor. I never thought we would see another game in the series, and the devs obviously have great love for the source material. Unfortunately, Rushing Beat X: Return of Brawl Brothers is lacking in features, which puts it behind all the modern genre greats. But I easily recommend the game to anyone who’s a fan of beat ‘em ups, or in the mood for something nostalgic.

In my experience, setting the game to Pro and using a joypad is an experience in frustration. You will need many hours of practice starting at amateur and slowly disabling driving aids before you can finally remove all the training wheels.

Need for Speed is not a horrible game, but it is definitely not the amazing ‘reboot’ experience I was looking for. Its biggest detractors are the repetitive gameplay, the graphics engine hanging up or stalling at some very inopportune times, and the ‘less than robust’ online modes.