Crimson Spires is a visual novel that has interesting characters and a relatively unexplored setting for the genre. Combining romance, science fiction, horror, mystery, vampires and the supernatural into one tasty soufflé, Crimson Spires isn’t a perfect meal but it’s definitely worth tasting.

MechWarrior 5: Clans does a good job of balancing story, combat, and the all-important time in between. Customizing the mechs and gearing up the squad are both lots of fun and the battles themselves are appropriately oversized. The narrative is a bit reliant on overly familiar war story tropes and the battles themselves can get slightly repetitive. Overall, MechWarrior 5: Clans is a solid entry in the franchise and a more-than-equal partner to Mercenaries.

While providing little bursts of harrowing, strategic survival, Grimmwood falls a little short.

I wouldn’t call RKGK mindless fun, because its mechanics and level design have depth and reward multiple playthroughs. But it does harken back to classic action platformers where the focus is on entertainment, the bad guys are cartoons and the stakes are no higher than the next jump. As long as it’s done well, that’s sometimes enough.

COGEN: Sword of Rewind is a solid side-scrolling platformer that perfectly implements a time-shifting mechanic. Combat and platforming are tough but rewarding, making the moment-to-moment gameplay a joy. While the main characters and bosses are brilliantly depicted, the stages are bland and lack the identity that enshrouds its cast. Even though the game is short, there are many reasons to revisit the game, making this a title that you shouldn’t fast-forward.

Jurassic World Evolution seemingly casts a wide net. If the aim here is to appeal to a larger audience, rather than a niche one, then it’s a job well done.

Where Winds Meet is over-ambitious, messy, opaque, and inconsistent. It has too many gears that don’t mesh, a lot that’s poorly explained, and it refuses to give the player a moment of unproductive time, even at the cost of coherence and comprehensibility. For all that, Where Winds Meet is a lot of fun. It often looks incredible and the world is certainly filled with content, whether for a single player or in a group. Even without touching the cash shop, Where Winds Meet provides a huge amount of free game play. Right now, Where Winds Meet is a little shy of greatness, but with some technical improvements and time it could get there.

Although only available for Xbox 360 and PS3, it does more than an admirable job in faithfully recreating some footie action, and the low price point is also an added bonus.

Even taking into account some of those negatives, Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 is a really good game to play. There is an abundance of things to do and collect, enough, in fact, to pour countless hours into it for those looking to 100% the game.

All in all, Saviorless is an intense experience that I recommend to fans of difficult platforming and metafiction. The controls are frustrating on purpose, the puzzles are merciless, and the atmosphere is designed to stress you out. But the narrative is fantastic, especially when it’s at war with itself.

The Last Clockwinder is a delightful puzzler that includes a clever mechanic. The ability to create a chain of clones to solve conundrums is a thrill and continues to be so throughout the campaign. Even though there is a lack of interactivity in the environment, you’ll enjoy tinkering with the bots to create the most efficient production line.

Yonder takes many of the things, such as fishing and farming, that usually take a backseat and brings them front and center with rewarding results.

Despite the latter half of this review being mostly criticism, Arcade Paradise, at its core, is a very good management game, with tons of very well-parodied arcade games to play. The mix of genres works incredibly well. I really wish there was a version of Capcom Arcade Stadium in this style. Or an NES Remix. Arcade Paradise’s inauthentic aesthetic, and lack of polish bring it down. But anyone intrigued by the game’s premise should give it a try.

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.

On one hand, I didn’t necessarily enjoy the gameplay. On the other hand, the story was enjoyable and this really is an excellent PC port both visually and how smoothly it runs.

Men of War 2 appears more approachable than it actually is. There’s a depth and complexity that’s rewarding to master, but getting there takes a lot of time. Fans of the original will find it to be a worthy sequel. Casual RPG players might feel a little overwhelmed at first. Although there’s plenty of content for single players, Men of War 2 really comes into its own with or against other humans on the battlefield. In that genre, it’s one of the best.

Rogue Lords’ approach to turn-based combat — with or without cards — isn’t radically different, but the Devil Mode and ability to “cheat your way to victory” offers a new mechanic that will have you rethinking your usual strategies. Some issues with bugs, balancing, and its overlong, weariness-inducing campaigns are made less egregious thanks to its amusing writing, great music and fantastic gothic horror art direction. Unlike some of the games in this style, Rogue Lords demands a bit of patience, thought and tolerance for complexity while still be accessible to fans of the genre.

Steel Seed successfully blends its inspirations into a compelling sci-fi adventure that feels both fresh and familiar. It truly shines during its climbing and cinematic platforming segments, delivering memorable moments that echo its influences without feeling derivative. While the stealth mechanics stand out, thanks to a variety of tools and strategies for silent takedowns, the melee combat feels less refined by comparison. Technical issues do occasionally hinder the experience, but they’re not enough to derail what is ultimately a focused and engaging journey, especially for fans of the genre’s classics.

Nothing about Katanaut screams originality, but the game’s particular combination of familiar elements comes together in an addictive package. There are a few minor annoyances, but nothing rises to the level of real frustration. Fans of side-scrolling Metroidvanias, retro-themed action games, and roguelites should have a great time with Katanaut.

The main game consists of 5 chapters that each take about 2 hours, as well as 3 bonus chapters. Corpse Party isn’t the longest game, but it doesn’t overstay its welcome, and it’s certainly worth its bargain price. The only complaints I might have is that it won’t be for everyone. Corpse Party isn’t quite a visual novel, but it’s definitely more of an interactive story than a videogame. Its modern equivalents are games like To the Moon, and Yume Nikki. So if you’re into JRPGs, old school survival horror, or modern narrative-heavy RPG Maker indie games, I highly recommend picking up Corpse Party. I was curious about playing it, and am so happy that I did.

After many hours, I felt like I had seen what there was to see. The story remains compelling, but the gameplay loop starts to grow predictable. There are only so many mission types, and another kind of lumbering beast doesn’t drastically change what you are doing. But Alder’s Blood stuck with me in a strange way that few games do — I credit that to the imaginative story and the eerie tone. God has been murdered in this world, and I still feel compelled to understand just what that means. I’ll probably return to this world when the leaves are changing and I’m in the mood for an ethereal scare. I just hope I can remember to tread lightly and not have to reload so much.

Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged improves on its predecessor with refinements on the track and new modes. The multiplayer portion has had an overhaul with new modes that take advantage of new mechanics to offer more variety. However, the small number of environments is still an issue and makes the different tracks feel too familiar. Milestone sticks to what worked which results in a very similar experience. While it does improve on the original, it doesn’t add enough to make its way up the podium.

The port over to the Nintendo Switch for Worse Than Death isn’t bad at all. The puzzles are hard but not mind breaking, and the overall atmosphere is rock solid. If there was a way to better fix the controls during those puzzles segments where you have to shuffle things around and more variety in terms of monsters, this would be a better two and half hour experience. This being said, I liked the fact this game takes place during a high school reunion with a protagonist who is logical and doesn’t make dumb mistakes which is usually the case in horror situations.

AIPD is a very well done game from its awesome blue and red ‘Tron-like’ graphics to its fast paced, fly around shooting style. It takes concentration and skill to make it to the top and the extra difficulty each level brings out makes it a must have for those times when you just want to kill some alien spaceships. It is a great play and definitely fun once you unlock some of the later content.

For those that played Madden 13 to death you will also notice some changes; however, I am not convinced those changes bring enough “new” to the series and there are some elements in this years game you may find frustrating. You would think, given this is Madden’s 25th anniversary, EA Sports would introduce some “game changers”. If that is what you are expecting you won’t get it here.

All in all, SaGa Emerald Beyond is a conversation between the player and the worlds it contains. Its presentation is far from perfect, but I’d rather something flawed and interesting than perfect and boring. And SaGa Emerald Beyond is certainly not boring.

The roadmap ahead for Exoprimal is bright. New Exosuits, game modes, and more are in the works. With just a little more content, Exoprimal could become something huge. As it currently stands, it is an addictive and greatly enjoyable experience for someone who wants to experience the story. Having only one real game mode at launch has done more harm than good. If it had been sold to us as a narrative game with multiplayer components rather than a drop-in shooter, it might have done itself some favors. There is great potential in Exoprimal and it is easily one of the most fun shooters I have played in a while. It just needs a little more to make it one of the best.

RetroMania Wrestling is the perfect sequel to a classic. Not only does it maintain the essence of WWF Wrestlefest but it also develops the mechanics adding depth and strategy. Although there are a ton of gameplay options, the lack of online play and the niche roster may discourage some players. However, even with few missing elements, this is one of the best wrestling games currently available and a must for fans of the sport.