Nero calls itself an interactive story, and does fine by itself with the story aspect, however interaction is sorely lacking.

It pains me to say it seeing as I had such high hopes but The Crew missed its mark by a long shot and just barely chugs over the starting line.

It’s a disappointment to see something squander such potential.

The controls are smooth and the graphics look fantastic but it feels like it just needs more variety. In a game heavily inspired by children’s imaginations, the repetition is surprisingly dull.

There is no denying that Full Frontal Assault can be an entertaining game in the realm of multiplayer, but with no story mode that fans have come to expect, and a lack of further multiplayer options, the experience becomes repetitive and somewhat boring quite quickly.

ADR1FT is great for people who love combing through every possible nook in a game. It definitely rewards those who practice due diligence, but is a little empty for those looking for a little more gameplay.

Van Helsing takes a bunch of ideas and mechanics from different games and tries to amalgamate them. It doesn’t attempt to do anything original or push the boundaries of RPGs. If this were the 90′s, I might be impressed. Nothing sets this game apart; it strives to be a solid game, nothing more. Unfortunately, ‘solid’ is just too flimsy to warrant a second playthrough.

I liked Super Lucky's Tale for its cute charm and textbook platforming, I just wished I would have been more challenged throughout the adventure. The lack of difficulty really pulled me out of the adventure, as it's hard to stay engaged when I know nothing is really going to test me.

Forspoken feels like a test that was turned in with answers missing, returned with a big red "Finish Your Work" inked at the top. So much of the game feels like unrealized potential, a big, messy first draft. There are too many mechanics, there's too much story, too much empty world, and too little chance for surprise or discovery. However, I can't say I didn't enjoy a lot of my time with Forspoken. When the combat clicks, it can be a lot of fun. Forspoken is ambitious, and there are hints of a winning formula. I hope the developers keep chipping away at what doesn't work. It would be a shame if Forspoken is forsaken.

Empire City shares the same fate that a lot of ambitious VR games do. They try to mimic the scope of big-budget AAA flat games, but cannot do so because of their much more limited budget. So the game ends up being spread thin with little depth over its six-hour game length. TMNT: Empire City VR is a fun, if thin, game. Just be aware that its chief charms come from playing with friends and moving around the city with the parkour system. If you are a Turtle fan, that may be enough for you.

Darksiders 3 could have done so much more for the franchise as they branched into the Souls-like style of gameplay, however, frame-rate problems, long load times, outdated graphics, and the kind of bugs that shouldn’t be a problem anymore coupled with a lacking narrative and shoe-horned character development left me disappointed. I wanted to get pulled into this world once more, but instead, I was left wanting to get out.

All in all, Shadow Labyrinth is an ambitious reimagining of a classic franchise that works much better than it has any right to to. That said, the presentation is still a bit rusty, and it’s really difficult at times. I hope you’re prepared to spend six tries to get past almost every boss and nasty platforming section.

The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos gives us an interesting and inspired tale to jump into with that loveable band of misfits you call a crew. It pays great homage to classic sci-fi and vintage serials when it comes to the main quest, but it doesn’t feel like it leans enough into that aspect for the rest of the DLC to make it stand out from its predecessor. The writing is absolutely on point and a true delight every step of the way, but the technical issues with dropped textures and exhaustively long load times kill the atmosphere the main quest is trying to set. If this could have leaned harder into the narrative it would easily stand tall over Peril on Gorgon, but instead, we are getting more of the same. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as The Outer Worlds is a sleeper hit, but this should have been something greater.

Even as a fairly short game, Spirit of the North managed to accomplish what it had set out to achieve – to tell us a story without words and to slow us down. A truly unique experience where the visuals and music were its greatest strengths, it shows that a game does not have to be filled with excitement for it to be gratifying. It wasn’t a perfect adventure, but it served as an important reminder to always be curious about your surroundings, to take your time, and to stop and smell the flowers.

Although King Oddball is repetitive and becomes frustrating with poor level design and the reliance on luck over strategy, there are a few redeeming factors including additional game modes, that actually make the game a decent value for the price. For less than $5, you can play an indie version of Angry Birds, with controls that are even more simple.

I think Rainbow Skies is an excellent title for any RPG enthusiast who isn’t locked to an aggressive review schedule or an ever-expanding backlog. If you’re the sort of person who delights in maxing out skills and levels of all sorts, you’ll want to check out Rainbow Skies.

Dead Island Definitive Collection is the best way to get these two flawed experiences, ones that are enjoyable despite some poor design choices. There’s still nothing quite like Dead Island’s analog combat, but the game’s poor structure can’t be saved with a graphical facelift.

Writing this review exhausted me. I was hoping a new saga of Destiny 2 might get me excited for what’s next. Instead, I’m tired. The skill to make cool stuff still exists at Bungie, but it’s being catastrophically misused. Design and mechanical changes need to be more thoroughly considered, and the entire player base needs to be brought along for the ride. If Bungie leadership is reading this part: please. Give your people the time, space, and freedom to create something incredible. They have the capacity, and they need your support. This franchise can find its footing again, but Bungie needs to get out of its own way to do so.

Lacking a story, bot matches, or any other form of single-player content, Hood: Outlaws and Legends is committed to a very specific multiplayer model that may or may not have legs. The game feels unbalanced, populated by a large number of surprisingly high-level players wreaking havoc on newbies, and squads interested in subverting the flow of gameplay. Some of these issues will get ironed out in time with tweaks to balance and matchmaking but what remains is still a fairly limited experience even under ideal circumstances. Additional modes, a wider variety of classes and especially, some sort of alternative to PvP combat would all potentially bring Hood: Outlaws and Legends’ fundamentally solid gameplay to a wider audience and give it a chance at longevity.

If you enjoy other rogue-likes or roguelites, there’s a very good chance you’ll enjoy Neon Chrome.

This is the Police nails its efforts in mashing up a management sim with an engaging noir story. However, top notch presentation aside, the gameplay tends to grow a bit weary somewhere in the middle. Having said that, fans of management sims should still give this a look. There are interesting systems at play and most of them make This is the Police worthy of your time.

It’s just too bad that, for what Moons promises, it so rarely delivers. I wanted to be swept up in the Lovecraftian madness, but too often I found myself frustrated from lack of direction or rote fetch quests. Some of the creatures you meet promise intrigue and terror, but some of them too are oddly conceived. And while you can’t fight the monsters here, you can run like SOMA, but where SOMA was thoughtful and left an impression on me to this day, Moons of Madness gets in its own way, hoping visuals can carry it through. It doesn’t quite hit the mark.

This is the best version of a very bad, fatally flawed product.

If you love JRPGs, you owe it to yourself to play Tales of Symphonia, and Tales of Symphonia Remastered is an easy way to do that. I’d even recommend this game to fans of retro gaming in general. I really wish I could recommend it to everyone. Unfortunately, the slightly clunky design and aged graphics make it hard for me to do that.

With simple controls but somewhat awkward combat, it has a lot going for it, however, Airheart lacks an explanation of crafting and the stakes for returning home are far too high, making it too great of a punishment to be enjoyable.

I can’t help but wonder what King’s Bounty II could have been had it stayed isometric and relied more on written words over spoken dialog. Maybe it could have offered something wholly unique. But this is the choice the developers made and for some of you, if you’re able to get past the jank, you’ll find a pretty okay turn-based combat game in King’s Bounty II. For others who are also looking to get lost in a deep world along with the combat, you’ll be better served elsewhere. ‎

The best compliment I can give Windlands is that, for other developers, there is a lot that can be gleaned from this experience soaring through the skies, and the game is worth checking out for that reason alone.

A pretty good game. From large game levels and lots of extra tasks to that non-linear approach to how you can complete said tasks and the ability to play the whole campaign cooperatively, there really is a lot to like.