This game is not what I had envisioned, instead giving me wonky tech and an adversary who’s about as frightening as Barney the Dinosaur when all is said and done.

Roots of Insanity is not a complete disaster; it offers some weak jump-shocks glued together by an adequate if cliched story. Gameplay is straightforward and its few or so hours of game time have their moments of excitement and even a few twists. But its fatal flaw is that, on a basic level, it just isn’t very scary. If you are looking for serious, pants-peeing terror, there are many much better offerings out there right now, and you might want to invest your time – and clean underwear budget – elsewhere.

The Bubsy series gets by on Looney Tunes style visuals, and 90s ‘tude charm. And even those aspects won’t be for everyone. Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection is a package of three below-average 2D mascot platformers, and one very early 3D platformer. They’re not good games, and they haven’t aged well. But Bubsy in: The Purrfect Collection is an incredibly loving and complete package of everything Bubsy. Anyone with nostalgic love for this series will be over the moon. I just don’t think Bubsy’s gonna make any new fans any time soon.

Clearly the developers went in with a lot of new and ambitious ideas but the execution of such in some ways fell short. What made the first Joe Danger game enjoyable is simply not found this time around.

There are charming aspects to the game past its initial impression. I considered dropping it early on, but I’m glad I didn’t: some of the later settings are very picturesque, and there are funny moments throughout. While the missions followed a pattern, I could see an attempt at differentiating the levels. I wish this game felt better to play; I wanted it to succeed. Unfortunately, there aren’t many people I can recommend Zorro The Chronicles to. If your child is a fan of the show, the game is worth picking up, but if you’re a more general fan of the Zorro franchise, it’s worth waiting for another outing – Zorro always rides again.

Agony is an ambitious game; it sought to give gamers an experience that they had never had before, which it does somewhat deliver, and I have to credit its developers for even the attempt. But this final product just doesn’t feel finished; this is more like an Early Access game – full of promise and great ideas but just lacking in content, polish and attention to detail.

The pacing is too slow at times, dragged down by excessive dialogue, but the $10 price tag is a welcome price point. Overall I found One Against All to be a nice change of pace from other games but there is still plenty of room for improvement.

I’ve played a good number of VR titles so far that are intended to be this sort of interactive short narrative or experience, some like this, with zero previous experience of the source material either. Despite this, The Way of Kings: Escape the Shattered Plains is the first one that I truly felt like I absolutely needed that connection to enjoy it.

You may enjoy some of the puzzles and how the game looks. But other indie games have done it better. There’s promise underneath all the cruft, and I do hope there’s another crack at this from the team, but I can’t say I enjoyed much in Fobia outside of the visuals. Fobia reminded how hard it is to pull off a tight survival horror experience. I kept waiting for something to truly surprise me or show me a twist I hadn’t seen before. Ultimately, I wanted something more.

Tamagotchi Plaza is a mediocre experience. While the aesthetic and the mood of the game fit its target audience nicely, portions of the game are unnecessarily complex and without instructions, making it even harder to fully grasp. While Tamagotchi Plaza features some interesting and even fun mini-games, the overall package isn’t worth the headache. Would it kill them to incorporate parts of the traditional Tamagotchi experience into its video games? Whether that would help with the game or not, at least it’s worth a discussion.

Tales of Berseria Remastered preserves a title that was never that great to begin with. The potential of its darker tone and strong character focus loses impact through tedium, and the gameplay portion feels dated with its uber-linear exploration and repetitive combat. A bad game? Certainly not. A worthy upgrade? Far from it. This rerelease improves performance and visuals slightly while adding minor conveniences and DLC, yet it falls short of a meaningful upgrade. Ultimately, it’s best suited for newcomers, and its price feels hard to justify for anyone else.

Here’s the thing, though; despite every issue that the GTA: DE suffers from, I’ve still been having a good time with it. Which is simply a testament to how well-written the Grand Theft Auto series is. The GTA: DE needs a patch. Or, maybe, it needs a boatload of patches. Though, I still find myself enjoying the over-the-top storylines, ridiculous dialogue, and outrageous mission structure. It’s hard to call these definitive, but still easy to call them classics.

I think that’s where Drug Dealer Simulator 2 fails the most. From start to finish, it feels like a wholly unpolished, underdeveloped game. There’s no denying that when compared to its predecessor, Drug Dealer Simulator 2 outshines it in almost every way. But that doesn’t mean it’s something I can necessarily recommend. If you loved the original, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the sequel. If you’ve never heard of the series and are interested in jumping in, keep your expectations in check. I see potential in Drug Dealer Simulator 2, but as of now, it’s a bust.

There is no question Sid Meier’s Starships should have been much better.

Even with its eye-catching art and a bubbly soundtrack, it needs a deeper combat system in what tools you are given, mainly in its lack of a parry function. In the end, Questria both succeeds and fails in its quest to deliver a solid dungeon crawler.

Overall, Little Friends: Dogs & Cats has some fun to offer, and what little it does offer is well executed. The visuals for the various dogs and cats are nice, and pretty realistic looking, but the other visuals like those of the houses and parks are simplistic and basic. The gameplay draws you in at first since it is so simple, accessible … and downright adorable. But I can’t see many players coming back to play it on a regular basis. There just isn’t enough of a game here to warrant a big commitment.

Battle Worlds: Kronos is completely functional, even good by indie standards, but it just made me want to play other games. The story is not gripping and the neither is the gameplay.

Penn & Teller VR is a mixed bag. Its reliance on pranks, which are unlikely to come in handy unless you have access to some very gullible victims, severely limits its appeal. The minigames, while great, are too few to make a good VR showcase for when you have company over. For a game about magicians, it’s baffling that there isn’t more insight into how magic is performed. In fact, I expected Penn & Teller to pop up at some point and tell me that none of this is meant to be taken seriously, that it’s all a big joke on me, the player, but that’s not the case. As it stands, Penn & Teller VR will please only fans of the titular duo.

Sure, there are some big giant bosses to battle here and there, but they certainly aren’t challenging. There are relatively few things that are firmly something I dislike. By the same token, however, there isn’t really anything that stands out to me as something I really enjoyed about it. While JackQuest may be technically proficient it just doesn’t really move the needle in any one direction. It’s the gaming equivalent of what you had for breakfast last Tuesday. You’re pretty sure you ate something, but you certainly don’t remember what it was.

Sometimes I walked right past a guard in broad daylight, right in front of him, and I wasn’t detected. Sometimes I crept by quietly in the dark 100 metres away with the guard’s back 3/4 turned away from me, yet somehow he saw me and madness ensued.

In the end, Rise of the Tomb Raider’s short and zombie infused DLC fell short of expectations.

Overall, Those Who Remain is fine. Just fine. It’s not terrible and doesn’t deserve to be hate-played or mocked or anything like that. Edward is a fine protagonist, the eerie atmosphere starts out strong and devolves to fine, and the gameplay is fine. I’m sure a lot of work went into this experience (I say this a lot, but I mean it), but unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be anything keeping this game safe from the gaping maw of irrelevance.

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.

Whether it was the shoddy writing, non-existent character development, the floaty platforming physics or the combat mechanics that are often at odds with themselves, Randall is the kind of game that is no more than the sum of its parts. Unfortunately, that sum does not add up to a memorable experience.

Loop8: Summer of Gods started so promisingly. It has an extremely compelling narrative, and gorgeous visuals. I loved how the story tied into the gameplay structure. But all of the JRPG elements are way too light. The combat is pure trash, and devoid of almost any strategy. And every loop after the first few became an aggravating chore. By the end of Loop8: Summer of Gods, I was only playing for the story.

Moto Racer 4 is a prime example of a missed opportunity. The gameplay is enjoyable in small bursts, but it’s packaged in such a terrible way that it becomes hard to recommend even to longtime fans of the series. With some extra polish and a different structure it could’ve been a surprisingly fun throwback package, but in its current state it reeks of being rushed to release.

All said, if I were dying (okay, yes, we’re all dying, but I mean in the more expedited sense), the last thing I would do is waste any time playing a game so frustrating.

Grimshade has stunning visuals for an RPG game. Additionally, it has an easy to play combat system and a wide array of characters with different backgrounds and personalities. Sadly, the negatives outweigh the positives due to the fact it’s incredibly story dependant, meaning you can get lost easily mid-quest if you are not invested in the story. The combat is predictable and there are game bugs that will make you restart the game and by extension the battle itself. Lastly, the choppy visuals are a little tough to digest.