As a comic brought to life, Hellboy: Web of Wyrd nails the narrative tone and art style that Mike Mignola perfected decades ago. As an action game, there are impediments to enjoyment, starting with the purposefully choppy animation and Hellboy’s lack of fluid movement. What works in the pages of a book doesn’t necessarily translate to fun in the hands of the player.

There are other modern updates, I’m sure. It runs fine on my PC, and though I have seen reports of bugs and glitches, I didn’t encounter anything egregious. But there’s still a question of why. Why remake these games? Why put a fresh coat of paint on this weird little action shooter that is not so fondly remembered? I’m sure there are compelling business reasons, but nothing that makes sense to me as a gamer. Mafia II is an imperfect fix to a game that was already pretty flawed. Now it’s just as flawed, but in a way that can be appreciated by modern audiences.

SiNG Party serves its purpose as a functional, no frills karaoke game, that could be fun with a large group of people. That being said, without any online features, and only a few game modes that are tiresome and confusing at times, the fun fades fast, and there really is not any lasting appeal.

Scar-Lead Salvation is a roguelike third-person shooter that ultimately misses the mark. While mechanically competent, it lacks the ambition needed to elevate the experience. Its roguelike elements are too basic, causing each run to blur into the next with little variation. There are flashes of creativity, but they’re not enough to sustain momentum. In the end, the game fails to deliver that essential, just one more run thrill that defines the genre.

n many ways, HYPERGUN is like an unfinished house. It is held up by a solid foundation and looks good from the outside, but once you step inside you realize so much of what makes it function is still missing. The 80s neon aesthetic and soundtrack are great, and the fast-paced gunplay has an almost doom-like feel to it, which adds to the frantic energy. Nevertheless, that doesn’t excuse the numerous balancing issues.

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.

Sacred Citadel is a throwback to the glory days of arcades and side scrolling brawlers, but sadly doesn’t really capture the magic of genre classics. It’s technically competent, but suffers from repetition and a general lack of diversity and uniqueness.

AWAY: The Survival Series is an audacious game that fails to deliver on its excellent premise. Although clearly built with love and passion, the number of bugs and flawed mechanics make this a frustrating and arduous trek through the wild.

Overall I found that the game just seems to lack some personality. Old school fans of the original may enjoy Carrier Command: Gaea Mission for the PC but for the price, the rest of us may just want to pass.

Fans of the bullet hell genre may want to skip on this title and players wanting to get into this franchise may want to look elsewhere as this is not a good starting point for newcomers.

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.

If you’re looking for a visual novel with a compelling plot, and are able to ignore lots of terrible dialogue, then AI: The Somnium Files is a no-brainer recommendation. But for anyone else, this is a tough recommendation because it almost feels like the game is doing everything it can to stall the player from experiencing said compelling plot. The gameplay is solid, but be prepared to play something more like a visual novel than an “adventure game”, which is how AI: The Somnium Files is being advertised.

This is a step in the right direction, unfortunately, that still leaves things average at best.

Overall, Rain of Reflections is well-made from a graphical and gameplay standpoint, although neither elements excite me on their own. The story concept is interesting enough to give the game a look, and it might be worth buying if the second and third chapters, which do not follow Wilona, serve more satisfying conclusions to the story. Right now, I can’t fully recommend this game as it stands, unless you’re really into hacking mini-games.

1348 Ex Voto joins games like A Plague’s Tale and Kingdom Come: Deliverance in giving players a slice of medieval life. Unlike those titles, 1348 Ex Voto is a short time commitment with a relatively simple story and unique character dynamics. If the world weren’t quite so barren and the combat were less frustrating, 1348 Ex Voto’s attractive environments could be the foundation for a special little game.

While Aporia may not be for everyone, those hardcore Myst enthusiasts will find a lot to like. It’s got the bare bones of a decent puzzle/exploration game, and it’s got atmosphere for miles. The controls, the graphics, and the level design effectively transport the player to a desolate world. It’s beautiful and enchanting. If only there was something more to do there.

Silent Hope has an interesting and fun idea, playing into the silent protagonist trope. Overall, the concept is bogged by shallow gameplay execution and enemies that feel janky and unrefined. It does however thrive in it’s endearing design. Though it might be a little more enjoyable if you’re here solely here for quick dungeon runs, but even that aspect falls a bit short.

It pains me to speak ill of a series I’ve thoroughly enjoyed in the past, but Just Cause 4 is a disappointing extension that needs to aim a lot higher and is, frankly, kind of boring. In the climate of exceptional games that have preceded it this year, it simply does not hold up.

Trulon: The Shadow Engine is an impressively mediocre game. Not good enough to really encourage you to pick up at its current price point, but enough to say “maybe if it goes on sale”. The game isn’t bad, it’s just not as good as it could be. Maybe one day we’ll see a sequel with several improvements.

I’m not sure if more time in the oven is the answer to The Waylanders’ problems, but it couldn’t hurt. I really liked the setting and core story, but I’m afraid that the game’s bland combat and awkward controls are baked in by now. It has character, charm and style to spare but swings and misses in the execution. The Waylanders is a collection of really good ideas, almost none of which are allowed to shine without compromise.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme VS-Force has a lot for long-time Gundam fans to enjoy, but little to offer for newcomers. The action is too cumbersome for those just looking for a fun beat ’em up, but the amount of fan-service included is enough to make this a good time for those who enjoy the anime. Hopefully this will lead to some of the better Gundam games coming stateside, but as of now this is what fans will have to settle for.

If you’re itching to bounce around and solve puzzles, you could do worse than Shiftlings – just don’t expect a mind altering experience.

For hardcore genre fans Raiden V might be worth a look, but there’s a pretty thin amount of content on tap here, especially considering the price.

The 25th Ward: The Silver Case has all the makings of a classic, stylish Suda51 game that unfortunately is flat for Western audiences. While visual novels can be fantastic experiences, this one doesn’t hit the mark for being a novel or a video game. With unimaginative text and no audible dialogue, a game like this ought to rely on striking visuals to keep the player interested. Instead, we are treated to still images that change every few minutes and the occasional puzzle or mini-game to try and keep our attention.

Unfortunately LEGO Friends doesn’t have any extravagant features that make it stand out among other dress-up like games. Add to this that although LEGO is supposedly a main part of the game, it barely utilizes the brand power and you almost forget it’s a LEGO game.

Overall, this was a solid effort that felt quite polished. Unfortunately, it’s missing the most important thing in video games—fun. Perhaps some updates could fix this, but it would take a creative overhaul to do so.

If you like puzzle or adventure games, Whispering Willows won’t have anything new to offer you. Its lack of critical thinking puzzles, basic mechanics, and inability get you invested in the story from the beginning make it a game hard to recommend.

Crash Drive 3 is a fun idea that is enjoyable in short bursts. Unfortunately, in longer sessions, an array of issues are glaringly obvious. The slippy driving mechanics, repetitive missions and bland visuals make this an uninspiring release. With almost no reason to play solo, the game’s reliance on a community could mean that the game crashes before it hits the highway. Due to this, I would hit the brakes before picking up this racer.