The Colonists wasn’t perfect nor was it the most user-friendly, but the city-building objective of the game was met and a thoroughly enjoyable experience was presented to all types of players, making this an easy game to boot up for anyone looking to strategize in an environment that moves at a comfortable pace.

Eventually I would love to see a timed mode added to this to make it even more challenging.

When you consider the cross platform abilities, low price tag and just the enjoyably ridiculous nature of the game, I think it's safe to say Clever Beans did a great job for their first game out of the gate.

What started off as a story that seemed to plod along quickly escalated and kept me hooked from start to finish. Despite its technical hiccups, there’s almost a certain charm to the way game looks and sounds, and those goofy animations at moments, and almost cheesy voice acting from some characters only help it further.

Look, I feel like I’ve been spending a lot of time here bashing Rune Factory 5, and maybe I have. But let me emphasize that I still had a lot of fun with it, and I think other players will too. I might be even a bit addicted to it, honestly. There’s just too much here to not like on many levels. But it’s just missing some finish to its technical aspects, especially the visuals and menus. And it needs some follow-through on all its great ideas to make it coalesce into one great experience. Yes, Rune Factory 5 is many games in one, for better or worse. And if you’re ok with that, you’ll have a lot of fun with it. Now, let’s just hope they fix that menu.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about marine life or wanted to explore the ocean depths without fear of having to fend for yourself, this is the game for you. Not to mention Beyond Blue would be a fantastic way to get children more immersed and aware of underwater creatures. However, suppose you’re looking for a game with a bit more to offer in terms of gameplay and content. In that case, you may be better off sticking to games like Subnautica that provide the same exploration with added goals and an even higher arching narrative.

If you want a classic arcade experience without leaving your house, then pick up Deathsmiles.

Big Brain Academy games ride the line between entertainment and training. You’ll churn through the content being offered in an hour, but that’s by design. A proper playthrough of this game is stretched over several months, with you improving slightly every day. Although I can’t imagine extensive research would teach you anything really new. Even a couple hours with these challenges would be enough to illuminate your weak points. Such is the central tenet here. If you’re looking for a gaming experience, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want to train that brain of yours, that’s a different story. These tools and tasks take on a whole new purpose then, one with practical ends. I’m not sure you’ll enjoy your time with Big Brain Academy: Brain vs Brain. But I’m certain your time playing the game will be well spent.

In the end, I am still enjoying Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal as I continue to play through it. It’s a fun, vapid and over the top action game that doesn’t shy away from what it is – a game about sexy ninja girls. Sometimes I don’t need a game to be deep or hit me with the feels, sometimes I just need to relax and undress my opponents, and really, is that such a bad thing to ask?

Mineko’s Night Market has finally arrived. It lives up to everyone’s expectations, despite its limitations. It serves as a visually stunning tribute to Japanese folklore and culture, while also providing a humorous social simulation. And it’s a dream for those who have longed for a healthy and heartwarming relationship with your dad.

If you play Black Ops 2 for its multiplayer component you have likely already downloaded the pack. If you haven’t by now, and you are looking for a reason to get back into it, Vengeance may just be the reason you need.

Budget Cuts surprised me in more ways than I expected – and to clarify, that’s good and bad. What I thought was going to be a fun homage to the likes of Job Simulator turned out to be a game that, more than it had any right to, made me feel like I was in ‘The Matrix.’ It’s easy to feel like a badass when you glide through a room and eliminate all threats without breaking a sweat. But, it’s also easy to get caught up in aggravating tracking issues that you won’t find on top-of-the-line VR headsets. If you can play Budget Cuts on your PC, do so. But if your only option is the PSVR, you aren’t entirely left out in the cold.

Evil Dead: The Game is mostly everything I hoped it would be. It’s a fun, logical next step in the asymmetrical multiplayer horror genre. Sure, it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it did enough to reinvigorate my passion for this type of experience. I’ll be keeping a close eye on Evil Dead: The Game over the next few years. It’s a few maps and some solid single-content away from being truly great.

There is a certain portion of the gaming population who want a more complex experience, which this expansion certainly adds, but I’m not convinced it adds depth to the gameplay in equal measure. If you are itching to go back out into the void and stake another claim this expansion will give you more of the content you want. However, if the core game didn’t win you over, Jupiter’s Forge isn’t likely to prompt further investment.

Soundfall is a clever and refreshing genre hybrid. There aren’t enough music games, and pairing a rhythm game with an RPG is smart and creative. The game’s tracklist is varied and catchy, and the basic mechanic works pretty well. The song import feature is a work in progress, and over time the game can get a little repetitive thanks to a lack of variety in level design and that strict requirement of just hitting the beats. As a proof of concept and a genuinely new idea, though, Soundfall is definitely worth checking out.

ANONYMOUS;CODE is a fun science fiction adventure, a compelling mystery, and even a surprisingly sweet romance. It’s just also very short, very linear, and the mouths scare me.

The Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection instantly becomes the best way to play these games due to the quality of life improvements, cost, and ease. Despite not being the most popular subset of Mega Man games, the level of care put into the collection makes it easy to enjoy. For Mega Man fans or Battle Network fans, this is an easy recommendation. It’s surprisingly uncommon that collections improve an experience while keeping faithful to the originals, but this one does just that.

The battles you fight in are incredibly fast paced and frenetic, exactly what you would expect and hope for from a Dragon Ball game.

There are a lot of things it does right — from the boo-tiful visuals to the haunting music, to the mostly-fun gameplay. It could use a bit more work in its jumping mechanic, and there are some segments that go on longer than they should. But I had a hell of a good time overall and Pumpkin Jack is much more treat than trick.

In the end CastleStorm is a great little game that is worth the asking price if it’s a genre that you’re interested in.

The problem however is that the two parts of the game, the open building, and the linear story, just don’t seem to mesh very well.

The Nintendo LABO Variety Kit has some fun and satisfying aspects to it, but it lacks any real longevity. And now I’m faced with the ultimate dilemma – where the heck will I store all these cardboard projects now?

The core gameplay is great fun; it’s just that getting to it can be somewhat of a huge drag. Having the songs locked in a boring campaign and the inclusion of long loading screens really took a lot of the fun away.

With an intriguing art style, easy to use flight controls, and an overall memorable experience, InnerSpace is a relaxing departure from the usual “run-n-gun” games we play about high speed/high stakes content. While the game poetically uses minimalism in its lack of direct information – instead relying on its art to tell the story – this can be a double-edged sword as players might find themselves lost on what to do next for quite some time.

Despite its flaws, I kept coming back for more. It’s quite possible that developer 34BigThings could have a successful franchise in their hands – I suppose we’ll know for sure in the future.

Nocturnal has a strong core mechanic that generates some interesting puzzles and game play. Aside from that, the environments and story aren’t especially interesting, and while there is progression and a bit of depth, there’s some frustration, too. Nocturnal does a lot with its basic premise, but the rest of the game feels like an afterthought.

The story is intriguing and genuinely surprising. The skill trees and RPG elements add a personal touch that other similar games simply do not emulate.

Livelock is a flawed top-down shooter. The dialog and its delivery is awful and the game has some glitches to work through, but it also features some well designed, fun gameplay – and ultimately, that is what’s most important. Being able to have two friends join in the adventure via online co-op is also a huge plus. If you enjoy top-down shooters, you really can’t go wrong with Livelock.