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

The Solus Project does what it sets out to do — immerse you in a dangerous environment for a dozen or so hours and task you with surviving long enough to experience the story. While I wish there was a bit more to the plot, and while the controls frustrated me, it’s a fairly solid exploration and survival game. The VR component makes it worth investing some time in.

The entire game is based around exploration, puzzles, and atmosphere. It lives and dies on those three things.

Splasher manages to take one of the oldest gaming genres and deliver something new. Nothing about its novel mechanics come off as bizarre or out of place; it weaves mechanics and level design in such a way that it positively innovates. Kudos to the folks over at Splashteam for making a platformer that doesn’t rehash the same old experience.

There is a lot to really like about Project Cars 2. There’s a veritable smorgasbord of cars and tracks, enough so that there should be something for everyone. The visuals are again top notch. The handling is much improved since the first game. The issues that are there are ones that seem to be at least fixable.

Lightfield is a solid futuristic racer that definitely has some cool aspects to it. Lots of color, electronic music, and solid racing will pull you in for a time but the experience lacks depth and, for a $19.99US price tag, the variety could be greater. If you are really a fan of the genre, give Lightfield a try, but otherwise, stick to classics like WipeOut HD.

With a ton of ways to play and a spiffy new upgrade, Edge of Control is a lot of fun and held my attention better than many other racing games.

Ultimate Tekken Bowl is exactly what the name suggests: Tekken 7 characters bowling with nothing more. It is the basic of basics that doesn’t offer anything new or exciting to set it apart from the likes of other bowling games. Even if you’re a fan of the Tekken 7 cast, you’ll be rather disappointed that all the animations, greetings, and ending animations are copy and pasted right into the Ultimate Tekken Bowl giving the feeling that it’s a cheap regurgitation of the main game, just in a bowling setting.

NBA 2K18 is a solid title but does little to improve overall, featuring relatively the same experience as years past.

Gust’s attempt at creating a brand new world with Blue Reflection shows. The development team brought innovation to the table demonstrating they can step outside their comfort zone. However, production value and time may have hurt the project as the game suffers from random graphical stutters, a lack of rich animation, and a failure to utilize the entire cast of characters. Nonetheless, the party customization, character interactions, art style, and overall design is admirable and keeps things entertaining.

RUINER is a tight experience that transcends its inspirations and becomes an experience of its own.

The minor issues encountered while playing 3030 Deathwar Redux are just that: minor. If you like space exploration with a decent story, then this is easily the adventure for you. The price tag is low, the systems and mechanics are fun, and you are absolutely sure to get your money’s worth if you can get past the UI and influx of information at the start of the game.

The story is a bit dull, featuring a “mysterious Pokemon” that really isn’t that mysterious, even to casual fans like myself.

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.

The combat is weak, but the puzzles, story, and atmosphere are not. Because of the way things left off and the surefire success this title is going to garner, I have no doubt that we’ll return to this world again. Until then, I’ll be replaying Figment until I know every note of this unbelievably good soundtrack.

When I think about my time with Death of the Outsider, I don’t immediately think of the shortcomings in the story, I think about that oh-so-sweet combat that exemplifies my love for this series.

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

NBA Live 18 is a step in the right direction.

The game teeters close to punishing the player with its brutal difficulty but it never felt frustrating to the point of quitting. The simple mechanics and graphics make Lichtspeer approachable to anyone and lends itself well to the Switch’s pick-up-and-play ideology. Grab it if you’re looking for some mindless fun.

With an absolutely gorgeous setting, deeply rich and complex character development, intelligent and tactical combat that is still user-friendly, and literally hundreds of ways to play through the game, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is an absolute must-have for fans of fantasy RPGs.

An interesting concept with a relatable story that is well executed in some aspects but done poorly in others. The game attempts to tell a thoughtful story about an invasion of privacy by requiring the player to snoop through a stranger’s phone, and the further you get in uncovering the depth of Laura’s problems, the more it feels like voyeurism. It requires some cognitive dissonance on the player’s part, drawing you out of the game and making you question why you are fishing for passwords and so aggressively digging into someone else’s life.

For all its playful polish, this is a Senran Kagura game at heart. The story battles take time to ramp up. The dialogue between said story battles can get a little tedious. The controls are pretty good, though at times I felt like they were rough around the edges. The fan service vibes are at full power with Peach Beach Splash.

Other than wishing for some more of that story, the only other drawback was that the default configuration for a controller didn’t have the brake mapped to it. You can change it of course, but should probably be there somewhere, to begin with. This game is worth your time, whether for nostalgia, the car combat or both.

PES 2018 is great off the pitch, but its very foundation begins to disintegrate when the whistle blows for kick-off.

The game’s focus on the art of defending and the long-awaited addition of authentic player styles makes the play experience a joy to take part in

Minecraft Story Mode Season Two started out on a high note for me, but as I wrap up Episode 3, Jailhouse Block, I’m to the point where the only notes worth appreciating are the musical ones. A story is slowly progressing, but I don’t feel like I’m having a hand in it, and quite frankly, I don’t know if I’d want to. Here’s hoping there’s still time to bring players back in on the action.

Though it might not take long before you give up in a fit of rage, while it lasts, Blasters of the Universe is one for the books.

Although I cannot discredit Infinity Ward or Activision for their good intentions, they simply fail to execute their plan in a really enticing way for veterans and newbies alike here in the final DLC.