There's literally not reason to try out Kingdom Come: Deliverance - From the Ashes. It's pretty weak DLC that, instead of breathing new life into the core game, just adds a short, and not that engaging (or rewarding), quest line.

It's understandable that Totally Reliable Delivery Service doesn't aim to be a typical video game, where your purpose is just to deliver goods. The island the tipsy protagonist will explore is a gargantuan playground, where players are supposed to have fun with the over-amplified physics and cumbersome way it all controls. They are supposed to. They won't.

There are some elements of Sadame that are done well, but they are completely overwhelmed by the fundamental aspects just being so poor.

In short, Last Encounter has a neat concept, but fails to follow through with it. A good challenge is the lifeblood of a videogame, especially when it comes to roguelikes. If the level of difficulty is incapable of matching and growing with the player's skill and arsenal, then there's no purpose in continuing to play. Before long, what should be a thrilling run deep into enemy territory becomes nothing more than a thirty-minute spectacle of light and sound.

The developers deserve accolades for trying something new, but the game is just rife with far too many problems to recommend. Pathfinding and controlling is a mess, difficulty swings are incredibly wild, and despite all the cool pictures of stats and equipping stuff, none of it really matters. It was clear what it was going for, it just fell short of the mark.

And to think how many ridiculed the comment that Gotham Knights was enjoyable. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League doesn't quite tarnish an excellent track record for Rocksteady in comic-book tie-ins, but it tries its hardest to. With a bland repetitive genre choice nobody wanted and a barely passable gameplay mechanic, the best advice to give is to wait for the cutscenes to be bundled together and watch a mildly enjoyable story without the hassle of a game ruining it.

Scribblenauts' charm was always in challenging the players to use their imagination and their diction to come up with fun and original solutions over the obvious or the mundane. While there's still some of that in Scribblenaut Showdown's Sandbox mode, it's too little to truly enjoy and too much focus has been placed on the mediocre party games instead. Even for the low cost, this is a considerably disappointing entry into the series.

There's nothing awful or fundamentally broken about the game, and Tenkai Knights: Brave Battle has a pleasant atmosphere and presentation. However, it's blunted by the lacklustre and repetitive gameplay, along with controls that lack polish.

It is understandable why AeternoBlade has developed its cult following. It is a game full of many good ideas. Unfortunately, AeternoBlade is not the sum of its parts. It is a good try, and even might be a game to admire since there are some interesting ideas involving time travel in what is basically a Castlevania clone. There is a legitimate attempt to make something that had some passion behind, but what holds this Switch version back is that it also comes with all the baggage of the original 3DS release. The developer did not address any of its flaws or make any updates to the visuals to make it comparable to other remakes or upgraded ports on the market. The Switch port is ultimately pointless, better played on the 3DS or PlayStation Vita since they make more sense contextually.

Much like a relic from a forgotten age, Assault Gunners HD Edition struggles to find its place in today's gaming landscape. There isn't anything wrong with dozens of missions centred on destroying anything that moves. Really, it's the charming simplicity that helps keep this shooter afloat. The main problem is that there just isn't any depth, nuance, or fun.

Despite still being mired with an unhealthy assortment of technical hiccups and a paper thin narrative that feels like a rejected Call of Duty plot line, there is still fun to be mined out of Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 but it's entirely dependent on an individual's tolerance of the occasional glitch. Sure, it could have done with a lot more time in the oven, and even after a number of sizeable patches its litany of issues still make it a fairly tough recommendation, so it would be remiss not to slap a 'Buyer Beware' sticker on it. At its core, the sniping itself can be pretty satisfying, and Georgia makes for an interesting, if sparse, playground but, ultimately, this isn't really enough to carry the game over the constant threat of unexpected setbacks and, as such, it's unlikely to win over non-fans of the series when there are much slicker alternatives available.

It is a good idea from Enjoy Gaming, but sadly the limited customisation options mean games will usually end up roughly the same. For £3.60, this isn't a bad buy if 3DS owners are looking for a game that contains classic puzzle themes and has a reasonable game editor thrown in, but for most people Block Factory simply will not be worth the time or money.

Post-apocalyptic settings can be many things, but boring should never be one of them, and The Uncertain: Light at the End is unfortunately exactly that, with its mediocre to bad writing, forgettable world and characters, and okay-ish to lacklustre puzzles. Even the best thing on offer, which is the design of each area, fails to leave an impact. The graphics are nice, but visual appeal and atmosphere are almost non-existent.

One Piece: Unlimited Cruise SP is a game for the fans only, and even they might feel insulted by it.

The definition of niche visual novels. It's easy to see that there is probably a demographic for this story and its geeky exploration of trains, but the slow pacing feels wrong. The exploitation of its childlike characters, mixed with a lack of a choice system means that this is very hard to recommend, even though the technology and artwork is commendable.

Old Man's Journey is not as emotionally charged as its developer wants you to believe it is, but at least the landscapes that said old man will tread through are beautiful and fit like a glove with the vibe of each moment encountered. Unfortunately, what could be a nice and easy-going, if not a little forgettable, experience, turns into an hour and a half of boredom, due to the needless, and simplistic, puzzle-solving included.

The quest in RemiLore: Lost Girl in the Lands of Lore is inconsequential, and the only reason why anyone would play this is to have a cute hack'n slash with the utter bare minimum of rogue elements. Bringing a friend along will help keep things interesting, but there is just not enough substance to keep most hooked. It is too easy, and one has to play very carelessly in order to feel the rush of walking that razor's edge that comes with the better rogue-likes.

Captain America: Super Soldier for 3DS could be a decent game were it not for the graphical glitches, slowdown and frustration caused by potentially game breaking instances.

The story in this sci-fi crime drama is nice and all, but a combination of below average voice-acting, awkward-looking characters, and bad pacing ruins it all. What makes the pacing so bad? Boring puzzle after boring puzzle, with very few of them having any connection to the plot, and even less being fun to solve.

Waku Waku Sweets on Nintendo Switch is an example of how cute graphics do not necessarily make a fun game. The ridiculous game mechanics that swiftly remove any enjoyment from what in its original 3DS form made it a fun easy game brightening up a gamer's day, makes this version feel unplayable. The story and characters may be entertaining, but that is worthless when making the treats themselves have a permanent invasive and unavoidable tutorial mode. Perhaps a patch in the future may resolve this issue, as it is doubtful even the youngest of players need constant reminders of how to whisk a bowl or break an egg once they have accomplished it successfully themselves. Until that patch comes, go hunt out the 3DS version which can actually be enjoyed without wanting to throw the console out of a window or in a bin.

"Seize forbidden treasures. Summon alien gods. Feed on your disciples. Play as a seeker after unholy mysteries, in a '20s-themed setting, of hidden gods, and secret histories," says Cultist Simulator to potential buyers, but, like in every Lovecraftian tale, the actual truth will drive you mad. What's the truth here? Well, it's that this is basically a tedious, resource management game, where nothing is explained, which will leave a great number of players scratching their heads, even after spending a significant time with it.

The Padre is a horror-themed adventure that's not frightening, is filled with pop culture jokes that aren't that humorous, has enemies that are annoying to fight with, and, finally, offers an assortment of puzzles that are a mixed bag. It looks good, and, generally, means well... but you should better play Silent Hill instead.

Remothered: Tormented Fathers is wasted potential. This is supposed to be the start of a trilogy, and hopefully the designers will learn from this mulligan and make something that has a bit more polish next time. Chris Darril's heart is in the right place, and he is proven to be a very capable game designer - the next effort just needs to be more carefully thought out and play-tested.

Having an interesting premise and a wacky idea can sometimes lead to a successful gaming achievement, but unfortunately The Deer God fails to put the emotional care into what should have been a really moving and powerful story. Illustrating the concept of how wrong hunting animals are, and then turning the main character into a hunted deer in order to teach him right or wrong doesn't work that well when the entire quest focuses on helping two people get to a church, or hunting skunks for the evil witch in the woods. The art style is beautiful and it makes for some nice shots of the locations, but other than that, there is really no need to delve into this endless-platformer.

As is, at $2, less than the cost of a side dish at a fast food restaurant, it is so inoffensive, so softly marketed, that it actually may be a good purchase for some fans of physics puzzling games. Be warned, though, that much like fast food, the entire game may be finished in less than 30 minutes.

Truberbrook's handcrafted backdrops are strikingly beautiful, and its delightful to see such craftmanship woven into a video game. When it comes to the rest of the experience, though, there's very little to sing praise about. As a point-and-click adventure, this fails woefully. As a story-driven mystery, it tediously chugs along without offering anything of substance. Die-hard point-and-click gamers might be able to find some signs of life, but for everyone else there's little here to admire beyond the handcrafted environments.

The real shame about Dragon Fantasy: The Volumes of Westeria is that it actually has some good ideas and is decently and competently made; it's just not the best written.

'Mundane' is the word that perfectly describes this horizontal shooter. Hell Pages is way too basic in what it offers and isn't even that good at it. Simply put, the genre is choke full of alternatives, at the same, or even lower price, so there's no need to play this.

From beginning to end, Dark Rose Valkyrie feels as if it has every flaw of the JRPG genre combined into one package. The characters are stereotypical instead of memorable, the story sort of… sits there, and the battles are slow, and depend more on grinding than tactical thinking. Apart from all this, Compile Heart's creation is audio-visually unimpressive, a technical mess, and feels as if it hasn't spent the right amount of time in the oven.

It's hard to stick with Legend of the Skyfish. Even clocking in at only around 2-3 hours for the 45 stages, it's easy to get bored with the game around the halfway point when it becomes clear that it has already shown all it has to offer and just repeats the same types of puzzles and gameplay. While it may have been more palatable on mobile three years ago compared with its competitors at the time, on Switch there are many better options for puzzle games, for Zelda clones, and even for Hookshot-centric style titles.

While the idea of Big Pharma is interesting, and could have the potential to engage some players in many hours of gameplay, the implementation causes this to be not enjoyable. Text that is so small that it is hard to read, alongside with information disappearing and reappearing, are somewhat annoying, so much so that some may decide to give up before even exploring the title's full potential. That along with confusing tutorial instructions, make for a disappointing gameplay overall.

The most impressive thing about this is its pleasantly corny, '80s-esque name, because, besides the fact that Raging Justice is a brawler of below average quality, it makes the mistake of being way too much in love with its source material, and doesn't stray one bit from it.

It's hard to recommend this to any but the most hard-core and starved puzzle lovers. Despite its 'fun' graphics, the game does not have much charm, and the levels are repetitive and rely far too much on just trying random things until something finally works. Despite how fun older games like this once were, it does not stack up to modern puzzlers in the slightest.

Folly of the Wizards looks like a beautiful and competent roguelike at first glance. The first couple of playthroughs promise a fun title that will offer hours of entertainment and surprises to come. However, after a few hours, none of those promises feel fulfilled; rather, it gives the feeling that players have spent hours with a demo or early access for an okay roguelike instead of a full game. Bugs, poor descriptions of items, and menus that feel unfinished are all that are to be found under the pretty cover, and it feels like folly to have ever expected anything else. Even for fans of the genre, this is an easy pass.

A little romance, and lots of boredom, are the only things that can be found within the ample bosom of Childhood Friends. There's nothing here that will make the reader like, hate, sympathise, laugh, or relate with the main duo of this extremely safe visual novel. It's a long, tedious date, which goes on forever; one you can safely avoid.

DreadOut distinguishes itself within the horror genre by drawing inspiration from Indonesian folklore, creating a unique and intriguing atmosphere. Regretfully, it is painful to play due to the harrowing roughness of the final product. Despite its current flaws, it possesses potential for improvement. A critical update is necessary to rectify game-breaking glitches, crashes, and graphical bugs. Given the prolonged period of unresolved issues on the PC platform, the likelihood of these fixes being applied to any console versions is remote.

If you can get over the fact that Video Hustler isn’t a traditional pool game, there is brief appeal to its unique score-based stylings. Unfortunately, the wonky control method and air hockey-like physics make it difficult to play for even short sessions.

Unlike UNO, there really is no reason to pick Monopoly for Nintendo Switch over its physical counterpart. The multiple boards, pieces, and unlockables are nice in theory, but they're plagued by inadequate load times, a choppy frame rate, and a surprisingly unfriendly UI. The inclusion of online is a good bonus for anyone desperate to play Monopoly on the go, but that's only in the hypothetical situation where someone happens to be online and is willing to throw a few hours into a laggy match. Monopoly should have been an easy adaptation over to the Switch, but it simply isn't worth purchasing when the actual board game can't be bogged down by technical issues and bizarre direction.

If this was a fan game you were showing to your friends (like it originally was) it would be much easier to recommend. Given that this is a full release and at almost full price it simply does not stack up to the plethora of other better titles. The music is weak, the difficulty annoying, and the platforming so badly controlled there is little to talk up - even to fans of Touhou.

While it has all the makings of a long-lasting space adventure, Morphite lacks any real emotion in the story it tries to tell, while lacking the denizens to populate the various planets found within. Everything feels quite empty and lifeless, made further haunting by Myrah's need to scan everything on the planet while breaking into temples to steal the rare Morphites that turn out to be…not so rare. This feels more like a concept piece for a brand new title, and it's hard to justify this as a purchase for what it offers currently. The story is bland, the procedural worlds are even blander, and the side-quests are completely broken and poorly maintained.

Take away all the disturbing and horrific imagery, and Tamashii becomes a run-of-the-mill, trial-by-error indie platformer. It will test one's patience and frustrate to no end, thanks to its design and structure. It is much too rigid to allow anyone to get immersed in, and the tedium of having to memorize a new level only fills the soul with regret. The horror flourishes are what save this otherwise subpar title.

If not a fan of the Macintosh/NES Shadowgate, this won't convince you otherwise, as it's the same, below average (yes, fellow nostalgic friend) game. Now, if a fan, or think that this is for you, and don't mind playing something with early '80s visuals, you are advised to play the original, which is somewhere out there on the web (and completely free), as the "improved" visuals of this remaster actually lack that special retro magic, and the few additions aren't worth the price of admission.

Essentially, Back to Bed is a game about figuring out how to redirect a hapless moving creature to safety over weird landscapes. If you want to play a game, then, about figuring out how to redirect a hapless moving creature to safety over weird landscapes, then it's hard not to recommend… Lemmings. It's not that Back to Bed does much wrong, it just doesn't quite do enough right to sustain interest.

Not being content with being one of the most soulless products released under the Warner Bros. label, it is also extremely underwhelming from a technical point of view. Gotham Knights was originally developed as a multi-gen title, but PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions got cancelled. Despite this, the visuals underwhelm and fail to impress and manage to look worse than the last major Batman instalment released seven years prior. Capping at a mere 30fps might be excusable if this boasted the most cutting edge visuals on the market, but it manages to look cheap and dated. For a AAA production from Warner Bros., this should have been a visual tour de force, with top writing talent, and have evolved the gameplay to compete with its contemporaries. Maybe it can be salvaged over time with updates, but currently it's one of the most droll and sloppily designed triple-A products of 2022.

KUR doesn't have what it takes to join the slowly, but steadily growing family of old-but-modern FPS games. The gunplay is generic at best, the visuals not that appealing, and, most importantly, this is undoubtedly a title that left Early Access way too early. Wait for many an update before trying this out.

Not a game worth buying in its current state, but there is something good to build upon.

There's no point in trying Moonchild out. Not because it was made in RPG Maker, as there are good games created with it. There's no point in playing this because there's nothing here to enjoy. From the poorly-handled storyline, and subpar characters, to the badly-implemented battle mechanics and boring level design, there's no reason not to avoid this, and simply spend the same amount of money to purchase an actual JRPG classic.

Despite all its exterior polish, TurtlePop: Journey to Freedom is a bit of a mess. It's trying to pull elements from multiple different genres, but it does it in a chaotic way that leaves the player little time to process what's happening on-screen. It's a constant battle with the controls to switch between the various turtles you need to control, and to also manage the genie, all while various on-screen hazards endanger the player's shot at a perfect score. The co-op mode slightly alleviates some of these issues, but it doesn't do enough to fix the fundamental issues with this quirky puzzle-platformer.

Anyone who enjoyed League of War: Mercenaries will likely appreciate League of War: VR Arena since they have the same DNA. The audience that enjoys the kind of VR experience that involves mostly sitting back and watching things happen will probably want this. Fans of the RTS genre won't find much to enjoy here, which is a shame because the idea of a deep VR strategy game with an overhead view is a fertile concept that is worth exploring. With so little involvement for the strategy and the chaotic nature of the wars, this is a very hard title to recommend. Like head-cheese, League of War: VR Arena is definitely an acquired taste.

DreamBreak fails to offer much because it's just so dull. Sure, the controls are bad for the most part, but that's made up for by some enjoyable, yet again, mostly boring gameplay. It never aims to be much more than a typical adventure game, and fails to even get that right thanks to its myriad of issues. Due to that, it really can't be recommended to anyone other than genre diehards, and that cousin of yours you're trying to trick out of his birthday money. "Bet you can't beat this game without throwing the controller." Don't take that bet!

It is simply just generic and does not justify itself enough to stand tall in the forest of third-person shooters on the market.

Switch is becoming the new Vita, stuffed to bursting with indie darling ports from PC, giving a whole new audience the chance to experience them. However, it's also meant an influx of mobile ports that are not quite as memorable. Tiny Troopers: Joint Ops XL falls somewhere in the middle. There's a ton of content here for the low price of £9.99, but these games are sadly artificially inflated with repetitive, boring gameplay that really shows its age.

Solar Flux feels like a cheap mobile port that hasn't quite grasped how to perform on the hybrid handheld that is the Nintendo Switch. The puzzles themselves can be fun to play at times, but frustrating controls diminish the experience.

A mobile-esque, generic, repetitive, and mind-numbingly easy shooter, with subpar audio-visuals, Assault Gunners HD Edition is a waste of time and money, even for the most passionate of Mech fans.

Hell Warders won't even be remembered as the sloppy low-budget experiment that it is. It won't be remembered at all. It is much too rough to meet the standards of average gamers, and not weird enough to be interesting. It certainly is a huge hassle to play for more than four hours, but those first few moments before the balancing gets out of hand are actually enjoyable.

Frozenheim doesn't do enough to stand out; furthermore, it suffers from some severe problems. The camera controls, unit controls, and just its overall feel makes it seem far more like an alpha build than something ready for release. While there are some small interesting things like finding free resources on the map, the game is not one to recommend.

While there is a lot to like in Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality, this port basically makes it unenjoyable. While it's possible to play this to completion, and the content is all there, it's recommended to play this on a different platform, where there are less compromises.

Armikrog is often too old-school for its own good, and it's impregnable for those who don't know the genre for all its faults. Those that manage to scratch the surface won't necessarily be rewarded for their efforts, either, with a paper-thin plot and characters that are just too hard to root for. The art style (and opening song) may be enticing, but sadly that's all that this retro-styled point-and-clicker has to offer.

The danger of playing with nostalgia and doing it injustice means that the high bar that was set before it is the bare minimum that needs to be achieved to be even deemed worthwhile. There are a lot of call backs to Crazy Taxi in this review and that is due to the derivative nature that Taxi Chaos borrows its concept from. The sub-par graphics, generic map, bland soundtrack and lack of new ideas or the ability to even replicate what came before it has destined Taxi Chaos to the copycats of shame bin. If, even after reading this review there is still some urge to play Taxi Chaos then it is highly recommended to go and track down a copy of Crazy Taxi and Crazy Taxi 2 and play these instead.

The Complex is a decent story that feels bigger than it could be. While some choices feel very weighty, they are few and far between, leaving a lot of inconsequential decisions in between. Honestly, it may have worked if the experience was a bit shorter - sure, a common complaint has been it is too short, but maybe it would actually benefit from being trimmed a bit. As it stands, it feels like whatever ending you got the first time through, everything else is just "what if" scenarios that don't really matter.

Rainbow Skies is not only uninspired, it feels almost like a cheap nostalgia cash-in for JRPG enthusiasts. The characters are generally annoying and mostly one-dimensional, and the writing is quite poor and riddled with syntax issues. The explorative nature of the game is something that players might be drawn to, but that's not enough to carry the significantly weaker portions of the game. The combat system is sort of cute in its simplicity, but it's not unique enough to keep players invested throughout all the annoying little quirks that fill up the majority of Rainbow Skies

Morphie's Law is not without its good points. The game does run pretty well and the cosmetic customisation options do offer enough flexibility to make a unique dummy. What is worse than having to endure matches of Morphie's Law, though, is how its balanced since having to buy anything with the in-game currency takes an absurd amount of time to accrue. Just stick to Splatoon 2 and its DLC.

The veteran series has sadly been outgunned by newer rivals such as Total War, which breathes greater personality and more engaging gameplay into this time period. This one suffers badly from poor game design choices, and a visually dull style, which will put many potential buyers off. While the scenarios are detailed and historically accurate, sadly there is little in the way of control in the overall gameplay loop. Battles are disappointing and confusing affairs, while the turn-based chore of filling up hexes to conquer areas gets old very quickly. With a raft of DLC already available, when there are some basic features missing on release, it is a hard title to recommend to fans of the genre or time period. The best word to describe this? Lacking.

While Khaos Reigns extends the experience of the enjoyable Mortal Kombat 1, the story expansion itself is nothing to write home about. The six new fighters are the meat of the experience, with some fun returning characters from past games and three well-realised guest characters, some of which have shaken up the meta in a positive way. Regardless, this bundle is difficult to recommend as a package, so fans who are only interested in a select few Kombat Pack 2 fighters would be better off purchasing them individually.

Take away the frustrating tutorial and newcomers stand a chance of liking Farm Manager 2022, that is if they can get to grips with the, at times, illogical menu system whose navigation is critical to gameplay and can put up with the occasional ridiculously long loads. It is a real shame that it took such little time to turn a beloved simulation into a highly unenjoyable experience, not letting the game's positive aspects of running a farm and managing all aspects shine as bright as they should have.

Battlefield 2042 is nothing short of a rip-off, and screams of EA trying to see what they can get away with this generation. Overpriced, yet devoid of the content to justify its next-gen premium, it will leave franchise fans feeling insulted. Make no mistake, anyone looking to get into Battlefield should look elsewhere, or risk letting a lacklustre first impression sour their perception of what is otherwise one of the most premiere first-person shooters in the genre - which frankly just makes 2042's lack of content, lack of a campaign, and lack of polish all the more frustrating. Battlefield's legacy deserves better than EA squandering DICE's potential by launching a major title in a clearly unfinished state. Battlefield 2042 is a beta masquerading as a AAA release.

The biggest mistake in game design is making a player feel totally disinterested on what's going on in front of their eyes - twice as big of a mistake in the actionless genre of city-builders, because unless given a strong incentive to do what needs to be done, it all feels like tedious, boring work. In Aquatico no one will feel as if they are helping a group of people survive the end of the world. You are basically a project manager of the slowest, least demanding project, where almost everything is done without much input on your behalf.

A heartfelt confession, but an otherwise boring experience, Sea of Solitude fails both as a game, as well as an exploration of mental health. At times too symbolic and abstract to decode, and at other times very straightforward with its message, most will find it hard to feel the struggles of its cute, feathery protagonist and connect with her. This is basically like reading the diary of a high school kid. What is said within its pages is true and all, but that doesn't make it a good read. Even worse? The simplistic platforming/exploring/puzzle-solving that needs to be done here can even put an elephant to sleep.

MetaGal is the store-brand version of - any - Mega Man. It has all of the elements from said franchise, but none of the charm - competent, but unremarkable. The pieces are there for a good experience, but the potential is withheld, and the result is a title that's merely serviceable. With the much better-made, and entertaining Mega Man 11 out, there's no need to bother with this one. Like Mighty No.9, it attempts to be a spiritual successor to the classics, but past the retro aesthetics, there is a game that's simply run-of-the-mill.

As a side or minigame, Neptunia Riders vs Dogoos might be kind of fun…for about an hour, but as a nearly full price game, something like this is tough to swallow. The whole thing can be beaten in a few hours, and the gameplay is entirely derivative, bland and lacking much in the way of anything interesting. Idea Factory should stick more with the ecchi games or themes, as that's what they're best at.

In some ways, Siegecraft Commander works well for the VR medium; it introduces an apt and engaging control mechanism with the structure flinging. In addition, the control of the map and units and the touches of love in the UI all are positive things. The disappointing part is that the main gameplay on top of those things is just simply not anywhere near engaging or interesting enough to make for a great experience. Battles, whilst having a touch of strategic thought, more often than not descend into a boring slog of tower-defence mechanics.

Gee Bee's austere visuals looked cheap next to emerging colour games in 1970s arcades. With only three-to-five-minute games with no escalation or features, after a few plays, the loop becomes mind numbing. Its core is so basic that not even modern features can do much to elevate its plainness. Most people play video games to beat boredom. Gee Bee is for people who crave monotony.

Only the most fanatical solitaire enthusiast may enjoy this product.

Imagine, for a brief, painful moment that Sigi - A Fart for Melusina is an actual fart. What kind of fart would it be? Luckily, it's not one of those disgusting, watery-ones - sadly, it's not one of those glorious, last-night-I-ate-like-a-bison, volume turned-to-11 ones either. This generic action-platformer is just a boring, scentless, barely heard fart… and not even a funny one.

Outward isn't so much bad as it is outwardly bland. Bolstered by its genuinely endearing premise, and an emphasis on a more "human" approach to the RPG genre, the title is simultaneously held back by lacklustre presentation, an underwhelming combat system, and a main game that goes on far too long to justify the onslaught of hostility thrown at the player. The survival elements do help to keep the experience engaging, but, more often than not, they hold back what would otherwise be a rather atmospheric and pleasant action-RPG. The hostility on offer is a genuine strength on a conceptual level, but it perhaps goes too far, resulting in an RPG that can't quite overcome its flaws despite its qualities.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood is hurting without B.J.. While he was sort of made out to be a tool in The New Colossus, his daughters are insufferable dude-bros who only want to kill - they just so happen to use Nazis as an excuse to justify their bloodlust. There are no more soulful internal monologues, instead these girls cause tons of collateral damage, and the game acts like its cute. The gameplay is so flawed on a fundamental level that it is beyond saving and all of it is for the sake of padding. What's the point making the side-quests "optional" if they are necessary? May as well have made this a traditionally linear, first-person shooter in the first place.

Samurai Defender is not worth buying, especially not on the 3DS where it has a $3.99 price tag. Perhaps for 99 cents (or nothing at all, for that matter) it could actually be a worthwhile, yet tedious, distraction.

Somehow, it manages to take the original and, honestly, it makes it worse… The same story and the same game are still here at its heart, but it's hidden away under so many layers of imperfections and issues that it's almost indistinguishable. Frankly, it's a better idea to grab a SNES mini and enjoy the original instead. Horribly disappointing.

Sayonara Wild Hearts is a beautiful-looking and sonically dazzling work of art, yes...but like most arty games, it lacks a compelling hook. The very bare mechanics can be generously called "gameplay", in that there is moving a character on a screen and pressing button prompts, but there's no substance at all. Doing a perfect run and not making mistakes for a flawless music video should be a reward. It shouldn't have been given away to just anyone. Overcoming a "broken heart" is not easy in real life, and that should have been reflected in the gameplay.

Alteric had the potential to be a good alternative to the difficult platforming genre. However, the various issues that rise up, from "sliding" off during intricate platforming sections, to respawning on top of a boss for another immediate death, can be very annoying. The skill that is normally required for traversing these difficult platformers goes out the window in Alteric, as the controls and level design work together to make things unfair instead of being challenging. The gravity - and plane - switching features are cool mechanics and it is a shame that they were hampered by the controls.

Even if you're a die-hard Potter fan who falls into the lower age category the game is clearly intended for, there's very little here to hold your interest for long.

Selfloss is a game that really should have been better. It feels like Cocoon or Unravel or one of those other elevated indie titles that critics love to throw laurels at. It dares to explore complex emotional themes within a richly imagined world. Its artistic direction and narrative ambition are great, and this feels close to offering a genuinely worthwhile experience. However, it never gets there. Even with all it gets right, this is a genuine struggle to get through. It is a poorly designed, glitchy mess that is equal parts brilliant and boring. Those willing to overlook its flaws will find a journey that is memorable and emotionally resonant. Unfortunately, it is a lot more likely that journey is going to get cut short and this is the sort of experience a lot of people will quit on before the credits roll.

Once the one that would show the industry how things should be done, Civilization VII is an unpolished, pale imitation of what a Civilization instalment should be. There are a myriad of problems with this, but the biggest one is that the wonderful feeling of freedom for which the series was always known for is now completely gone, as players are forced to go down very specific paths in every single match. Unless there’s a very, very big sale, it would be best to stay away from this bundle of disappointment.

Masquerada: Songs and Shadows is an incredibly disappointing RPG, not because it's outright bad, but because it has everything it needs to excel. Gorgeous visuals, a well directed voice cast, and the tutorial's promise of a political drama set in a city that's clearly on the verge of a coup, all make for a compelling experience. Unfortunately, the visuals are let down thanks to a painfully bland dungeon design, the script isn't anywhere near the voice cast's direction, and the actual story opts for a bafflingly generic approach following the intro. It certainly doesn't help matters that load times are abundant, dragging an already slow title to a crawl, and that the core combat is somehow both chaotic and uninteresting. Despite a relatively strong start, this simply isn't worth the time or effort.

Light on content and presentation, Shut the Box is a hard recommendation for any gamer. Cheap graphics and sound sully the experience.

Given the title, Panty Party doesn't really throw a lot curveballs. Seeing as how each pair of undies has their own strengths and weaknesses, there's actually a bit of depth to the action. As long as players make effective use of cover and manage their stamina, they can avoid getting shredded to pieces. The three modes of play are also appreciated. However, the camera is a constant nuisance. Aiming is really unreliable, and the lock-on isn't great, either. Then there's all of the lolicon garbage, which has no place anywhere. Altogether, this is a strange and only somewhat amusing game. It just can't quite reach its full potential.

Gemology is a flawed game, with serious problems in its difficulty curve, which, as a result, makes for an unsatisfying playthrough.

Technical issues, and lack of polish put aside, Evil Genome is just a mediocre action-adventure, that only metroidvania aficionados can manage to enjoy for more than an hour. Bring its many problems back in, and what you get is a bargain bin metroidvania that simply isn't worth the trouble... fan or not.

Reel Fishing Paradise 3D is one of only very few options available for people looking for a fishing game on the Nintendo 3DS. It simply cannot match console simulators that really get the feel for fishing down far better than a portable edition can, though.

Giraffe and Annika doesn't quite excel when it comes to its adventuring side - a pity considering how much time it ends up taking - but a charming, comic-esque presentation, and rhythm game boss fights at least make it interesting. That said, it's worth keeping in mind that the rhythm-adventurer's best qualities are the ones it indulges in the least. There are only around half a dozen bosses in the entire thing, leaving the exploration to carry a majority of the experience. Still, light puzzle-solving and a short campaign make it easy to stomach its rougher edges. This is absolutely a case of a concept being better than the execution, but this might still resonate well with a younger audience.

As a homage to a classic cult anime series, Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening sort of works. The animation has the right feel, and fans of the show and those nostalgic about it will absolutely have a blast with that part. Unfortunately, the gameplay completely disregards that nostalgia this title relies on to appeal to its audience. It doesn't help that the level design is at times a massive disaster. While impressive, the boss fights, anime cutscenes, and campy '80s feel do not save this.

With much better Breakout alternatives already available on WiiWare, Soccer Bashi is a struggle to recommend.

If there is one easy way to describe Foregone, it is disappointing. It is on the edge of actually being a very great game, but all of its parts are just completely average. Combat is too slow, gear is too boring, skill upgrades are nearly non-existent and there is just too little that is 'cool' about the game to keep a player going. The game needs far more of its purported story, combat needs to be far more fluid, and the RPG mechanics need heavy expansions before this game can be recommended.

Way too little rhythm gameplay in this rhythm game, as Witch's Rhythm Puzzle leans more towards a puzzler, with the beat acting only as the "opening" during which you can hit a button and play the darn thing. The actual puzzle aspect is nothing to write home about. As for the anime lasses, aren't something special either.

It pains to criticise this remaster so harshly, because there was a great fondness for the original title that sprang to life if local multiplayer with friends was taken advantage of. Square Enix has shown little desire to give Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles the makeover it deserved, however, and its many dated issues only become more apparent next to the removal of local multiplayer and region-locked online play. There is still a case for chancing it with friends that enjoy dungeon crawlers and can deal with the limitations, but beware of the strange control schemes and tedious gameplay.

Unless an avid fan of all things tied to the Neptunia series, there's little reason to try the borefest known as Megadimension Neptunia VIIR. Repetitive, with not much humour, and with a profound unwillingness to add something new, or at least fix past flaws, one can easily find a better JRPG fix.

Arson and Plunder: Unleashed is just another beat 'em up of no importance. It's simplistic, it's repetitive, and, it looks and feels amateurish. Fans of the genre as advised to keep on playing the classics that got them into brawlers in the first place, and just avoid this.

The most important thing in video games is the fun factor. Forget the visuals, forget the story, forget everything else; it's all about fun, fun, fun. The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos isn't aware of that, which makes you think whether its developer even had any people test it out. The storytelling bit that mocks D&D tropes tries too hard to be funny and fails while at it, with the playable characters being a bunch of completely unlikable "heroes." As for the actual, turn-based strategy affair, while definitely the better part, it has some severe issues of its own, with the most game-breaking one being the existence of an aggravating RNG that frequently ruins one's plans.