Gamesoft is on to something with Clockwork; an interesting premise, a unique story, and characters that didn’t actually feel two-dimensional and bland. The only let-down were the slightly repetitive puzzles, which was, sadly, the majority of the game. That being said, I still enjoyed the experience and only really wanted more variety.

I am reminded of Sid Meier’s often repeated quote: “games are a series of interesting decisions.” I never really felt that my decisions were all that interesting in Astronaut: The Best. Either the course of action is fairly obvious, or it’s totally opaque. Click a button, find out what happens next. But then I keep looking at images from the game, which reminds me how consistent the whole experience is. I appreciate the wild swing, but ultimately, I don’t think Astronaut: The Best, is (the best.)

Robonauts is a game that knows precisely what it is: a classic arcade-inspired shooter with unique mechanics to keep it fresh.

There are two ways of looking at Hollowbody. As an homage to a bygone gaming era, a conceptual love letter to an influential time, it succeeds pretty well. Without the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia, Hollowbody is a pretty unsatisfying experience. If you grew up playing Silent Hill 2 on the PS2, Hollowbody will certainly resonate with your memories. For everyone else, there are simply too many more recent and more accomplished games in the horror genre to spend your time with.

Atlas Fallen is a study in contrasts. A rote story and inconsistent voice acting are married to an attractive setting and generally fluid movement. On the whole, combat is fun but there's also not a huge variety of enemies. Like in their earlier games, Deck 13 Interactive is definitely punching above their weight. If this results in some moments of unexpected awesomeness, it also results in some rough patches and missing polish.

The SNK 40th Anniversary Collection has a little something for everyone: adventure, rail shooting, bullet hell, and even a few sports games. Each one has that original arcade feeling you really can’t reproduce on home console anymore and for anyone who grew up with these games in the 80’s you are sure to have a blast. While these games were iconic trendsetters for their time, only a handful of them hold-up to today's standards of playability, ingenuity, and fun. While the library size is large, so many of these games feel like reskins that it doesn’t quite reflect the broader scope of SNK’s accomplishments over the years.

Desolate definitely has some mega aspirations for such a short game. The developers are clearly acting under the influence of some major titles that have dominated the genre and for a game at a $19.99 price point, it delivers … for now. While we were playing, we talked it over as a group and we think the game is definitely worth the sticker price — we all agreed that there was a really good foundation, but there’s a long way to go. More story, more quests, more character customization, and more rewards appear to be on the horizon. The framework for Desolate is super solid, but it’s time to flesh this out before folks lose interest.

Dex: Enhanced Edition isn’t perfect. It’s a love letter to not only classic sci-fi but also classic 90’s RPG/adventure games. Where Dex falls short is the sum of its parts; so many gameplay elements have been incorporated in, but not one of them stand out as excellent.

Cat Cafe Manager is a work in progress that still manages to capture your heart. It was unfortunately riddled with small problems that ultimately led to an unplayable experience. Even though the cats were adorable and the characters were endearing, the poor performance made it difficult to see past completion. The first few hours of gameplay are relatively stress-free, but as it progresses there are some complications that followed. Glitches, difficulty to perform actions, and laggy movements ultimately led to a frustrating gaming experience. Despite the fluffy cats and creative strategies, an update is needed to improve the game’s performance. After some improvements, it will definitely be a hit, but right now it’s not quite ready yet.

Sky Force Anniversary is a slick-looking game that is easy to pick up, play and enjoy for a while, but just be prepared to put in some serious time repeating levels if you want to make it to the end of this air raid with all your wings intact.

Dear Dark Alliance: those of us that were fans of the original PS2 game and the Dungeons and Dragons franchise came ready to enjoy you. You waved your fancy pedigree and showed us your impressive environments, only to disappoint us once we paid the price of admission. So, fix the AI. Balance the single player game or ditch it entirely. Let the players create real characters that express themselves. Above all, kill the bugs. Do those things, and maybe we’ll come back, because it could be a nice little house to live in for a while.

Although not as strong as some of DONTNOD’s previous efforts, Twin Mirror is still a solid Interactive Drama which includes some interesting mechanics. The introduction of the Mind Palace is great but is unfortunately underutilized. However, even with pacing issues, the intriguing story and characters will keep you hooked.

If you were unimpressed by Terminator: Resistance, your mind will not be changed by Annihilation Line. For better or worse, it is more of the same. The cast mostly carries over, as do the mission types, enemies, and weapons. It’s a little more challenging, perhaps, and the pace is faster. Annihilation can’t compare to the best recent shooters, but it does have an audience. The ideal player might be a diehard Terminator fan eager for a compact few hours in their favorite sci-fi universe. Players who really liked the main game will enjoy the DLC as well. For everyone else, it’s probably a pass.

Overall, Oneiros has proven to be a satisfying and enjoyable puzzle game to unwind with. The worlds are beautifully rendered, the puzzles are complex and challenging. It almost feels like a light-hearted digital escape room. The underlying narrative Liam is trying to unravel about events in the real world is compelling, driving the story forward as we try to understand what happened. We are teased just enough to keep wanting a little more, but Liam himself is the biggest force against immersion. Every other box from the environment, to the backstory, to the puzzles themselves, lean into the notion of something serious on the horizon, but Liam seems like he couldn’t care less. That and those minor graphical hiccups are the only thing that stand in the way of an otherwise delightful first-person puzzle game. It’s perfect for a rainy day or just relaxing after a nice dinner.

Despite its sci-fi setting, Dolmen is less a Soulslike than a Dark Souls clone, with very few original ideas. The biggest issue, beyond the overall familiarity of just about everything, is that it brings back annoying mechanics that games like Elden Ring have evolved away from. While there is some fun to be had in Dolmen’s weapons and combat, at some point you’ll just wish you were playing a FromSoft game instead.

While I enjoy the odd FPS and rogue-like game, Heavy Bullets never really managed to grab me like I hoped it would. Do not get me wrong Heavy Bullets is a competent arcade shooter and rogue-like rolled into one. The cheap price is another bonus. Yet there are just a few too many aspects about the game that I didn’t find entertaining at all.

If you need to scratch that survivor game itch, 60 Parsecs will definitely do you good, but it’s not going to blow any minds.

In the absence of other and more impressive Soulslikes, AI Limit could definitely step in and fill a void. It gets the basics right and even iterates in some enjoyable ways. Fans of sci-fi anime and those bored with gothic fantasy will appreciate AI Limit’s setting and theme. While the combat is nothing special, it’s still undeniably fun, if awfully familiar. In a genre absolutely brimming with better choices, it’s hard to recommend AI Limit, but players coming to it with reasonable expectations will have a good time.

On its own this is still an excellent story, albeit one bogged down by all the most insufferable visual novel tropes. But without the first two parts, the story still feels incomplete.

Sacred 2 Remaster accomplishes a couple of things. It reminds us that the original was ambitious and forward-looking in many ways. Sacred 2’s wide-open world and deep progression systems hold up well. Sacred 2 Remaster is also a reminder that the original’s tech and combat left a lot to be desired. People loved the 2008 game in spite of those things. Enjoying Sacred 2 Remaster means having to overlook them once again.

So often developers create a game using the kitchen-sink approach and it isn’t always clear how or why disparate mechanics deserve to play together. In the case of Tainted Grail: Conquest, deckbuilding, roguelike progression, and action RPG-type exploration feel compatible with each other as well as the dark fantasy setting and story. Less successful are the punishing, protracted battles that take too long and lack variety over multiple runs. With some additional balancing, classes, card types, and adjustment to pacing, Tainted Grail’s fundamentally solid concepts could shine through the darkness a little better.

Starship Troopers: Terran Command does a pretty good job of paying homage to the films, at least in terms of design and presentation. As a real time strategy game, it feels defined by limitations and absent features like multiplayer, map editor, skirmishes and the ability to turn off the omnipresent commander. Gameplay can be challenging and fun, but here, too, dumb unit AI and lack of variety inhibit next-level enjoyment. Both fans of the film and squad-based RTS games will find something to appreciate, provided they don’t come to the experience with super-high expectations.

Robot at Midnight is only a handful of hours long. There isn’t a ton of replay value thanks to its limited systems, weapons, and enemies. The combat and bosses are undeniably fun, but I kept wishing the mechanics had a little more depth, and the world had more detail. At around $20, the balance between content and price might be, unfortunately, up for debate for many gamers.

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.

Caveman Warriors is a throwback game through and through. It will appeal to many gamers for the same reasons it won’t appeal to others. As a retro-inspired platformer, it succeeds in providing strategic puzzle-platforming. While there are issues of difficulty balance and pacing, it shouldn’t turn off fans of classic stone age action.

Overall, 112 Operator is a fun game for anyone who likes to play management sims. Unfortunately, when the easy control system and preset stories wear thin, there’s nothing to keep this dispatcher from changing careers. I know the developers are planning to release more content, which will help, but I don’t think that will be enough to completely salvage the experience.

As a “spiritual successor” to Descent, Overload accomplishes what it sets out to do, bringing it twenty years into the future with new graphics, weapons, and gameplay. However, it seems to have skipped many of the lessons that game developers have learned along the way, failing to adjust the game for modern expectations as it succumbs to the repetitive level designs that so characterized past limitations.

The game is an ambitious debut that wins you over with its personality and cultural depth rather than its mechanical polish. It’s a mostly positive romp that feels like a rough diamond. The Bottom Line: If you enjoy vibe-heavy games like Cuisineer or Hades (but with a much slower, cozy pace), you’ll likely love the atmosphere of Town of Zoz. However, if you have low tolerance for technical jank or slow-starting tutorials, you might want to wait for the first major patch. Town of Zoz needs a little bit of polish to address some crashes, combat system and UI clunkiness. But the core story of community and healing through food is something special.