Bladed Fury looks like an action game you’d want to play, but I’d recommend action fans do something else with their money, as there are other 2D games in this vein that do satisfy on the gameplay. If you’re really in a pinch, you won’t hate it. Bladed Fury is short, affordable, and a very cool art show with questionable fan service. As for me, I’ll be polishing my fighting skills elsewhere.

Onimusha: Warlords is a fun remaster for those who have not experienced the franchise. While the remaster may not provide much new content for past players, it is undoubtedly a worthwhile experience for everyone else. Despite some design decisions of the past which haunt the remaster, namely the fixed camera and save system, Onimusha: Warlords is a classic title worthy of a playthrough. With Capcom re-establishing itself as a force in the industry with some of its latest releases, one can only wonder where the Onimusha series goes from here.

Skyfront VR is a perfectly serviceable, run-of-the-mill shooter, bearing little difference to the ones you’ve played many times before. The developers miss an opportunity here to expand and innovate upon the idea of zero-g arena combat, lending to an overall feel of “been there, done that”. When there are already so many VR shooters available, most of which, for better or worse, try to push the boundaries of the medium in their own ways, one may find it difficult to justify spending money for “perfectly serviceable”.

Regardless of your latent skill level, there’s a ton of content here that’s sure to keep you hooked for quite some time. If you’re one of the many Wii U diehards out there, these games might not pique your interest in the same way. The portable element is lovely and the bundle is super convenient, but I recognize that might not be enough. Either way, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (god, it’s like a mouth full of marshmallows) would be a worthy addition to any respectable Switch collection.

Double Cross is an enjoyable adventure through a fun and interesting Saturday morning cartoon. The characters are unique and charming, the art style grabs your attention at every turn, and the gameplay feels fresh despite being a simple platformer. While the ending was predictable early on, the journey to get there was captivating and fun, and the various unlockable abilities will surely make each players experience a unique one.

After waiting for Below for over five years, I’m left conflicted. On one hand, it’s a beautiful and deeply engrossing roguelike with fantastic art direction and stunning music from Jim Guthrie. But it also doesn’t quite jive with some of its gameplay systems and, at times, feels like a confusing mixture of ideas. Despite this, however, I still don’t regret my time with Below. Even though it doesn’t always feel cohesive, it’s certainly worth playing, especially if you’re a fan of roguelikes —just know that your mileage may vary in the enjoyment department.

All in all, Godly Corp is weirdly compelling. As TR8 Torus Studios’ inaugural effort, it was difficult to step into it with any expectations, but maybe having none was the way to go. A few elements are surprisingly charming, and for those who are Lovecraft fans, they’ll find a fun, brief little home in this time-management puzzler. It isn’t the epic adventure into R’lyeh that we all want, but it’s certainly a fair and distracting peek.

While Sundered: Eldritch Edition is not without its faults here, the new additions thanks to the Eldritch Edition are welcome. The new co-op mode is intense and it adds a bit more replayability to the mix here. Sure, the longer you play through the single-player experience, the more it all begins to feel the same, but the graphics certainly don’t hurt your eyes, and the music lends credence to the ancient religious themes throughout, adding depth to the atmosphere as well. If you’ve been waiting to kick start the new year with some 2D metroidvania platforming action and you’re looking for freedom to explore without instruction, Sundered is one to keep your eye on.

There’s definitely lots to like about Coffee Crisis, and its developers deserve credit for recreating the 90s brawler with near-perfection. If you have a nostalgic yearning for some retro fun, and especially if you’ve got a buddy who can help you kick some alien ass, Coffee Crisis is one cup o’ joe that’s worth a sip. On your own, however, it might be a bit more frustrating and simplistic than you’d like at times, and your initial caffiene-high of enjoyment might wear off quickly. Either way, though, make sure you keep the lid on your coffee mug because the bangin’ metal tunes will have you pumping your fists as you play.

Aaero is a small and simple game but it sure packs a punch. With stunning visuals, responsive buttons, and remarkable EDM tunes, Aaero truly delivers a fantastic experience that incorporates music with rail-shooting action.

It’s beautiful, it has great music, it shows promise in its themes, but that’s about it. The game is frustratingly lacking in polish and originality, with things as critical as movement falling sub-par. I should say that, if you’re patient, not especially critical, and you’re desperate for a pretty puzzle game to play for a few hours (it took me about three hours to finish), Iris.Fall will not hurt you to play. Just don’t go in expecting a gem. As I said, it’s unpolished at best.

For every part of the game I slammed up against, it was bookended by some excellent moments. While not always clearly defined, Battle Princess Madelyn is still a damn decent excursion into the storied history of 16-bit platforming.

In the end, Beholder 2 might not be able to compete with the big AAA titles out there in the visual and depth departments, but it is a solid sequel to the original. Kudos to the developers for listening to criticism and addressing a lot of the shortcomings of the original Beholder. Beholder 2 is a pretty fun experience that gives you lots to do and look at, all while simulating the horror of a totalitarian existence with a nice balance of humor and seriousness. Could it look better? Sure – but as they say, beauty is in the eye of the … something something …

Superbrothers is a good game. It provides the player with a charming story with great puzzles. And yet, the controls and combat find a way to fall short. They bring this game down to an experience that, like many, you’ll only want to have once. It is definitely worth a play for the price, on mobile or console. Whether it’s worth more than one is up to you. I had my fun but I’ll be moving on and placing Superbrothers in the depths of my library… I’ll pick it up again another day, but not today, as I’ve got bigger fish to fry.

Though I feel I’ve experienced every facet of what the game currently has to offer, I’ve enjoyed my time with Last Year: The Nightmare. It radiates the amusing aspects of teen horror films while introducing me to an excellent style of multiplayer, and I eagerly await the game’s evolution.

Fortune Island is not as vast of a departure as either of the Forza Horizon 3 expansions were, especially the Hot Wheels expansion. However, the island is huge, with a massive amount of content crammed into it.

Silver Lining didn’t surprise me much but it was a fun enough time overall.

I find it hard to be too critical of a game when it is succeeding at what it set out to do. And there are a few parts of the game that I enjoyed – including the included ‘Blissful Sleep’ DLC which brings a new protagonist and supporting characters. In the long run though, Beholder: Complete Edition is a bit too much like an exhausting job, a job that I wished I could quit after a while.

Overall, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom met my expectations and exceeded them in certain aspects. While the game does get off to a bit of a slow start, the various puzzles, bosses, platforming sequences, transformations, and much more eventually tie together into an exquisite title. The game is both technically and artistically crafted to provide a focused experience to players quite unlike many other games that captivated me this year. If you had to pick just one side-scrolling adventure platformer to play this year, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom would not be a wrong choice.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or a newbie that’s looking to try something a little different, rest assured that Katamari Damacy Reroll is the best way to get acquainted with this bizarre, yet endearing franchise. Here’s to hoping this isn’t our last visit from The Prince and King of All Cosmos.

In the end, the parts that work well, even the driving mechanic allows for a first-person view, all add to a very engaging VR experience. Getting to explore Pandora and interact with all the various characters and creatures in scale is a helluva lot of fun. Hopefully, the rumors of forthcoming DLC and Aim support will materialize down the road. In the meantime, it’s time to lock, load, loot, and explore Pandora!

It is fine as a simple game and the characters are lovely, but I know it has the potential to become even bigger. So much imagination was used to create such an epic story and to have named all the different characters, monsters, places, and remnants, and I believe a lot of these aspects could become sentimental pieces and not just names in a game. Overall, if you are looking for a fun, straightforward, and interesting JRPG with fun twists, The Last Remnant fits this description and is worth the play.

In a time where Battle Royale is all the craze, raking in all that money and not bothering to try to keep up with your competition seems like a stupid idea. Considering PUBG creators sued Epic Games over Fortnite over plagiarism, it becomes pretty apparent that the suit wasn’t over losing money, but out of spite that someone else was making a better version of your game. Instead of paying legal fees, maybe pay a programmer to outdo your competition and beat them by being better, not by throwing a legal tantrum.

Overall, I did enjoy Rival Megagun, even if I did find the occasional fault. One other notable thing is that even considering the genre and the $14.99 price tag it does seem a little shallow. Not a huge drawback if you are score chasing, but it does seem like there could be a bit more somewhere. The Player vs Player aspect is going to be the real selling point, as there isn’t much out there like it. It’s probably also a little more newcomer friendly than other shmups as well. As for its place among the genre, it’s a competent shmup that wouldn’t be a bad addition to your collection.

Arca’s Path is at once a flowery, majestic adventure that immerses you in the magic of its world and in the madness of its moments, while also presenting another side that consists of a mundane, empty trek through a dead world. And this juxtaposition can be seen in all areas of Arca’s Path, from its gameplay to its design and visual makeup. It is an adventure that can be sliced in halves of good and bad, and a game that I can only recommend to those who don’t mind sitting through one side to get to the other.

Its gameplay is familiar and fun, but its world is like nothing you’ve ever seen. You have to work to see it all, and you’ll want to.

Fans of simulation games will probably quite enjoy this title. While it isn’t as in-depth or fleshed out as The Sims, Youtuber’s Life is addictive and fun in a more condensed form. Not to mention being able to watch your stats and view rates climb with each video certainly has some merit. Unfortunately, with the confusing deck-building mechanics, boring social events and repetitive nature does somewhat kind of tarnish the overall goodness to the game.

It’s the closest you’ll get to that feeling of shooters from yesteryear, and you’d do yourself a disservice as a shooter fan by missing it. Buy Dusk. Beat Dusk. Then ramp up the difficulty or dive into the Endless mode or multiplayer to get your fill. It’s been too long, my friend. Far too long.