If you have any interest at all in Pokémon this game will surpass your expectations.

If you shun DiRT Rally’s authenticity or F1 series’ almost tiresomely detailed race weekends and don’t mind the deficiency of online features, GRID is just about the best game you can get if you only fancy racing fast. It knows where it’s good at but at the same time, I still wish there was more character and challenge to it.

The PC conversion is technically flawless, running butter smooth even on a modest hardware and with tons of configuration options you can make the game as pretty as it can be. I’m used to that Nihon Falcom’s games exist in a timeless bubble, always visually a bit behind of current standards but making up for that with catching stories and intricate characterizations, but it’s there where Ys: Memories of Celceta sadly fails.

In the end, it can feel like a tedious grind. If you can round up buddies for online multiplayer and like the idea of a faster version of Monster Hunter, then God Eater Resurrection is a good way to begin your feast.

Granted, when you’re as intelligent and debonnaire as Poirot, humility is beneath you. Where this adventure mystery game lacks in technique, it excels in creativity, humor, and puzzles. As a librarian who enjoys puzzles and escape rooms, Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders is an excellent nightcap to round out my day.

Split/Second is one of those games that has a really solid concept and runs with it from start to finish. What ends up happening with this game though is that it looses that initial flare and ends up fizzling into a pretty standard arcade racing title.

Just an average stealth game on the PS2. It suffers from frame rate problems and just doesn't offer as much as we all would have hoped.

Attack of the Earthlings checks off a few boxes that don’t often get checked. It’s a stealthy turn-based game with a sense of humor and flipping the role of humans to enemy is a welcome change. It’s a bit slow and the highs it hits aren’t stratospheric but fans of the genre who need a strategy fix should check it out.

Really one of those games that can be compared to a roller coaster in many ways. It has a lot of upsides and a lot of downsides, but in the end it just depends on whether you like roller coasters.

Combat is fine and functional, offering enough of a distraction from the constant back and forth that makes up the “adventure” portion of the story. That is bound to be perfectly fine to those that have a passion and patience for the genre and I’m sure they’ll enjoy what Sakura Wars offers. I just wish there was more to see and do in what amounts to be a Jules Verne-inspired vision of Jazz-age Japan. I desperately wanted to break away from the confining linearity of it all. There’s a lot of artificiality here, from vendors who sell you items despite there being no currency, the reuse of still images in the story segments, and the lack of any meaningful upgrades or additional moves to use during fights with demons. For all its flash and flair, Sakura Wars doesn’t go far enough beyond its reach.

March comes early on the 360 with EA's first efforts on the console. It has some nice touches and gameplay tweaks, but nothing too impressive.

The price tag is a bit of a bummer, but there is no way to get this experience cheaper, because there is no other game like it. If you are interested, but not sure if you are going to like it, then there is a good demo on the website that is representative of what is in the game. It is worth a look.

Attractio is a good game that you can play in a weekend, share with your friends, or give your brain a complex challenge.

I would recommend this content to any fans of pinball or Ant-Man.

Deponia is an adventure game for people who like adventure games. It's not going to convert any admirers out of detractors but it is a solid game that any fan of the genre will most likely enjoy.

The new Wastelanders content doesn’t last as long as main campaigns in the previous games. After all, it’s just an update but here’s hoping that Bethesda will build upon it and bring more narrated things to do in post-nuclear Appalachia. And perhaps add some more factions along the way, too. It is just baffling why they didn’t make the game like this in the first place. Bethesda’s backward approach begged the storm of negative critic upon the game, some of which was deserved and some purposely malicious, a common thing in this day and age of toxic social media. Still, Fallout 76 staggers onward like a weary but hopeful vault-dweller, adamant to find its place among hot gaming trends and gather new followers along the way. Wastelanders is clearly a signpost towards better future for Bethesda’s flawed but beautiful sandbox game.

A decent enough addition for those collecting Zen Pinball 2: Portal tables though it is a slightly empty homage to Aperture Science.

If you like Bomberman, there is no reason not to check this game out, it's a perfect weekend rental.

Defence Technica in its current state is by no means perfect, so it’s very encouraging to see the developers actively listening to feedback from their audience. Working with players has enabled them to patch the game on the fly, rebalancing to make it more appealing to a casual audience, but also ensuring hardcore fans are still tested.

Assassin's Creed Revelations will satisfy those who are looking for more of the same but if you're expecting some major innovations, prepare to be disappointed. Revelations isn't a bad game, but the experience no longer feels fresh.

Namco debuts their flagship racer on the 360, wowing everyone with the fast arcade style racing it is famous for, except for a lag-plagued online play.

If you need a good excuse to kill a weekend and you are in the mood for some mindless entertainment with a friend (or solo, if you want), then Blue Estate is worth checking out.

With a load of quirky characters, great comedy value (I seriously laughed my chops off at the awesome dialogues and amazing voice acting) and original game ideas, Schrödinger’s Cat and the Raiders of the Lost Quark could’ve been an easy 5-star entry, but I’m afraid the developers did not fully take advantage of all they could offer us, to the point of insulting my craving for challenge, instead giving me unwanted repetition for the sake of extending the game’s duration.

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is a bit too long for its 12-ish hours running time, considering its simple gameplay both inside and out of dungeons. Reiterating the same ideas over and again works only for so far. Of course, all games can be called repetitive but it’s only highlighted by Anodyne 2’s pedestrian pace and too many dungeons. The game could have used tightening up its dramaturgy and gameplay to better hit home its heartfelt, timely message (of course, there’s a bad ending, too, that is really bleak). As it is now, the road towards the finale that is worth seeing goes on too long. However, for a two-person development team, Anodyne 2 is a true passion project of games of yesteryear. It’s targeted at people who experienced the exciting transition from 2D consoles to 3D games in the mid-90s and who long after those days when the new technology (that now looks charmingly aged) vowed an entire generation of gamers.

Painkiller Hell and Damnation is just as fun as the original game if not a bit quaint.

Insane Robots is a neat little game. It's well-presented and easily-accessible, something for everyone but the simple, lite card battles will not keep most people entertained for long.

Despite its flaws, Gunpowder hits the most important notes for a simple puzzle game. It is a fairly easy game to recommend, although at $10, the PC version is hard to recommend over the iOS version, which is only $3.

Hob has a lot of style, just not much heart. The game is far more than a walking simulator but its stripped-down approach to combat, loot and character development can leave the player unsatisfied. The visual elements can be striking and beautiful, and the platforming is generally mechanically sound, but Hob's progression feels aimless and ultimately disappointing. Despite the attractiveness of the world, there simply isn't enough story or emotional content to support the game's ten or so hours of play.

The driving in Test Drive: Eve of Destruction is one that I think had the potential to be great but with the lack of fine tuning ended up just being average.

PlanetSide 2 is a hard game to sum up. It's a beautiful, solidly built shooter that presents large-scale conflict like nobody else in the business. The rest of the game's enjoyment, however, is entirely up to you. If you can dedicate the time to learning the systems, decoding the cumbersome UI, and finding a group of people that you like playing with, PlanetSide 2 will be a blast.

Until such a time, though, Train Sim World: Great Western Express is beautiful and I'm impressed that it runs so well even on mid-range computers. But, just as Train Sim World: CSX Heavy Haul did, it doesn't really live up to the World part of the Train Sim World brand-name. I really hope that Dovetail won't repeat their thousands-of-dollars of DLC model from the Train Simulator 20XX series.

Once you get the unlocks, the game is pretty fun for a few hours a day, at most, but doesn’t really hold up to longer sessions. The leaderboards could use some work, and I hope that they continue to peck away at them, but Race the Sun is a fine runner with some decent hooks and unique modes that can give you some good fun if you stick with it.

With the FPS genre and WWII setting being done to death on the Xbox, Activision's new shooter offers some variety in the gameplay, but falls short due to its sloppy shooting mechanics.

The Whispered World isn’t for everyone but fans of the genre may find a nostalgic treat in Sadwicks’ lengthy journey.

On the surface, Romancing SaGa 3 looks like an instant recommendation for anyone who loves traditional SNES JRPGs, but in reality, that’s not the case. The game is very different from many other conventional JRPGs. Even the most die-hard fans of the genre will find the game frustrating unless they are willing to invest in learning its finer details.

Despite the always-changing tactical and strategic decisions, there's a bit of disappointing sameness from mission to mission in the campaign but overall, Golem Gates is a strong addition to the ranks of two already well-represented genres.

Love 'em or hate 'em, snipers are modern combat's ninjas. Sniping your way through one whole game might be fun, if you can stand the slow pace.

When the game is at its best, it provides exactly what a video game about a submarine should provide -- that childlike sense of wonder and adventure that can only come from a new discovery or a narrow escape from a tough battle. It is just a shame that the game is hampered by some major flaws that shouldn't have been terribly difficult to avoid. If you can stick with the game, it rewards you suitably. When the credits rolled, I was left smiling, with a positive impression of the game, but that was only five hours or so after I decided to quit the game and never pick it back up again.

The MK franchise signs off with somewhat of a whimper, albeit boosting the largest character list and few enhanced features here and there.

Had Reforged been an optional and free graphical update, undersold and understated and a gift to fans, I doubt there would be any backlash. Instead, Blizzard suggested a revolutionary re-imagining of one of gaming’s most popular titles and failed spectacularly to deliver it. Warcraft III: Reforged does not diminish the core experience that made the game great, but its relatively modest improvements are coupled with some missing features and technical issues that make it a disappointment.

With its massive number of creatively designed set pieces, StarDrone VR proved itself to be more fun than I initially gave it credit. The virtual reality element adds a nice sensation of depth to the visual aesthetic, but I never felt the headset was necessary nor the definitive means to play. Replete with puzzles of varying difficulty and scope, StarDrone VR is a fun, pick up and play activity that won’t upset even the most sensitive of VR owners.

The sequel improves upon the original with a more engaging plot and tighter combat, but lacks that extra touch to really deliver on all fronts.

Those expecting a full-on console version on the handheld will be disappointed, as EA serves a stripped-down game plagued with needlessly frustrating controls.

Despite a few flaws, Xenoverse proves to be a solid entry and a much needed step in the right direction of a franchise that desperately needed it.

Ultimately, Serious Sam 4 has a bit of an identity problem. It hews pretty closely to the standout features that made the series great — immense battles, weird enemies, crude humor and frantic action. It also steals from the playbooks of recent shooters and has more story, a cast of characters and slightly more measured pacing. Over time, the wave-based battles become more fatiguing than fun because they’re often so similar, but Serious Sam 4 is overall true to the singular series and its fans should be happy to join their hero once again.

This however is still a very good Tony Hawk game and if you enjoy a bit more arcade flair to your skateboarding adventure then this is a title you should check out.

The re-telling of the Tale of Genji improvises on the novel with fast-paced action, hard-hitting combos and deep storyline. Pity it doesn't last that long.

You'd be excused for taking this as a Dynasty Warriors clone, but Capcom's free-form fighter provides a solid controls and decent if unspectacular gaming experience.

Transference is equipped with a fascinating premise that suffers from a substantial disconnect because there’s no apparent connection between the Hayes and you, the player. Who are you supposed to be? How did you stumble onto this simulation? Is this supposed to be some new twist on the “found footage” genre? Tying the player into the narrative to some degree would have gone a long way to make me feel more attached, involved, and invested in these people’s lives and why they matter outside of the empathy you develop in seeing them suffer from Raymond’s apparent physical and mental abuse.

Trials Rising is an enjoyable blend of adrenaline motorbike racing and physics-based puzzle-platforming. Although leveling up is a grind, there is plenty of content with numerous tracks to complete, challenges to achieve, and items to collect. Also, online multiplayer and custom-made tracks indefinitely increase the replay value. The Switch version’s shortcomings limit the potential, but the ability to play quick tracks on the go may be enough incentive for new racers to take on the game’s trials.

Styx: Shards of Darkness' single-minded dedication to being a stealth game is both admirable and potentially a turnoff to players who expect more flexibility in their approach to completing missions. The flexibility is there, though it's entirely represented by the myriad ways the title character moves through the shadows and confounds his enemies. It's refreshing to play a despicable, amoral antihero; but the game's puerile, scattershot humor will not appeal to everyone. Although its mission objectives are a bit repetitive, the balletic act of moving through the world makes Styx: Shards of Darkness overall entertaining.

Tecmo produces a light-hearted and quirky action platformer that charms us with its simple but highly strategic combat and adorable characters.

Overall, this type of game is bursting with replayability and I found the actual gameplay to be quite fun. There’s a lot of options for customizing your units and the unit variety was great as well (especially when you start leveling up monsters and doing quests to get more items). I also really enjoyed the soundtrack and the absolutely amazing artwork (it’s just so gorgeous!). Sadly, the story and 3D graphics do leave a bit to be desired, but the game is still an easy recommend to strategy RPG fans. It' doesn’t quite stand up as tall as, say, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but if you’re looking for that next strategy title to scratch that itch you’ve been having, you should give Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia a go!

Absent server crashes and disconnects, playing through the campaign in co-op mode is still fun and certainly more efficient than slogging through it solo, though it doesn’t improve the quality of writing or convoluted narrative. Ghost Recon: Breakpoint blurs the line between a singular, well-defined approach to the tactical shooter and a whole mess of other games, and the result is a loss of identity with little gained in the process.

With only one episode left (well, two, if you’ve purchased the Deluxe Edition with an extra episode), the jury is still out about what I feel towards this mini-prequel. There are some really nice character moments in this episode which gives these young people a chance to be themselves and set aside the woes of the world for a minute or two. The episode also reveals a few hooks to hang Life Is Strange, which reaffirms my concerns with how deeply Before The Storm is entrenched in another game’s identity.

Despite its duller moments and shaky controls, The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia is a unique game that provides a solid challenge for those open to the idea of a type ‘em-up bullet hell experience.

The horror sequel continues the story in a much larger setting. Still retains the dark outlook of the original, but doesn't add much to the gameplay.

With Feather, what you see if what you get: an uninhabited fantasy island you can fly around but not interact with in any meaningful way. It’s designed to make you feel relaxed, an attempt to help the player de-stress during a time where that’s extraordinarily difficult to do. It works to some extent but if you’re looking for more beyond what it promotes on the back of the box, you’re probably going to be disappointed. If you’re the kind of player who plays any and all games strictly for their achievements, then Feather offers few barriers to earning them all. Samurai Punk’s Feather is a game built with good intentions and anything that offers a modicum of peace and quiet is certainly one to follow. Just don’t expect a whole lot more.

The cause-and-effect puzzle elements are clever but require too much trial-and-error to be truly intuitive.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is not for every Pokéfan. Younger children who want to experience an easier more forgiving roguelike dungeon crawler with their favorite characters will get the most out of this charming title. Catching ‘em all and training teams of rescue parties are entertaining, even though this game includes just the first half of the National Pokedex. Older gamers and those who played the original may not be as impressed by the monotonous dungeon crawling and simple difficulty. Although the Switch game looks and sounds great, it does not update the original games enough. I would sooner recommend one of the more recent offerings in the series or hold out hope that we get a brand new title featuring the Galar Pokémon one day.

Octodad: Dadliest Catch doesn’t always play to its strengths – mechanically or conceptually – but it’s still an enjoyable and unusual game whose charms ultimately won me over.

For an adventure game, Ether One does some pretty interesting things that allow it to break free from the genre’s mold.

Morphite definitely has its place on the PS4. While its shortage of depth discourages extended play sessions, the game fulfills its desired role as an escape - not just from the real world, but the explosiveness of other games. The things you're able to do are a collective excuse to soak in the experience, and that's precisely why I wanted there to be more of them. Regardless, it does enough to ease whatever tension you might be feeling and replace it with a serene brand of happiness, making it a solid stress-relief title.

Mario Party 8 is a great title to bring out if you want to have a good sit down, laughing experience with a game. Mario Party 8 is not perfect and leaves plenty of room for improvement in the future, but for those who didn't invest in a Gamecube and now have joined the large install base of the Nintendo Wii, Mario Party 8 is a good opportunity to check out what you have been missing.

The leveling system, different classes, and questing are all really fun elements that make Fantasy Life a role-playing game worth checking out. But be ready for an uninteresting, wordy, and overbearing story that gets in the way of the fun that the title does offer.

Tera will be remembered for two things: art and its implementation of a combat experience unique to the genre. But the use of familiar MMO tropes feels somewhat uninspired. From the beginning, taking down monsters and levelling up is easy and only after the player leaves the Island of Dawn do monsters pose more of a challenge, but the biggest enemy you'll have to contend with is boredom. While Tera has a strong focus on community and PvP and the combat certainly is an innovation that I'd like to see implemented in more MMOs, I've had a difficult time breaking through the monotony of the non-community experience.

Decent attempt, but doesn't quite deliver the goods.

As fun as it was, playing through Rogue Wizards left me with an ever-expanding wish list: I wished the characters (who are unvoiced and under-written) were more distinctive and that combat and environments were more varied. I wished player characters would visually change throughout the game and the darn tiles would stop dropping in. But, I also know that the small team at Spellbind Studios also got a lot right, and that Rogue Wizards is still full of depth, charm and promise.

After playing Project Spark for an extended period of time, I must say I was disappointed. A game built around creation makes it frustratingly difficult to do so.

Despite its problems, Cognition succeeds at immersing you in its emotionally charged, supernatural mystery. If you are fond of mysteries and adventures, you won’t regret the time that you spend with the first episode of this promising series. While it shares lots of flaws with its brethren of the genre, this point-and-click adventure game has enough going for it with its story and cognition mechanics to make it worth playing.

Bullet Witch is a like B-grade movie; it's far from perfect due to its modest production values but that's why you love it anyway. Who can I recommend the game as out of place and time than this to? At least not to tech-heads who find even 4K resolution insufficient. But anyone like me who enjoys curious games of the past, appreciates the Japanese penchant for drama, just loves pretty and moody female protagonists and is fed up with most of modern gaming fads can find plenty to like about Bullet Witch.

I think I would have liked the game better if the characters were on foot or the bikes were less touchy. In the end, I give Street Rats some credit for its creativity because I haven’t seen a mashup of gameplay like this before. It’s fun and has a great sense of style that works with the world it’s trying to show off.

There’s fun to be had and things to like in Unruly Heroes, though there are moments I felt the gameplay and mechanics had an annoying habit of getting in the way.

Stars in Shadow is a fun 4X title that makes for a great game for newcomers of the genre to dip their toes into. Likewise, rabid 4X lovers will find a familiar experience here that offers some new, interesting design choices along with a set of systems that are well-polished and well made. The fact that Stars in Shadow was made by a small team is all the more impressive when you look at how smooth it runs and the great deal of polish that went into this title. While it won’t set the standard for new and interesting 4X gameplay, Stars in Shadow offers a great 4X experience that is well balanced and a great deal of fun.

I would love to say that I recommend everyone to pick up this game, but if you already own NCAA March Madness 2007 the need for an upgrade probably isn't necessary for this game.

There are some big-budget adventure games with tutorial chapters that are longer than the entirety of Mask of Mists. I can imagine that for some, a five-hour RPG is appealing but for others, it will seem like not quite enough value for even a budget game. The critical issue is not length but quality and by and large, Mask of Mists delivers a fun experience for fans of puzzle adventure games. It’s a lighthearted, fast-paced, stripped-down romp with some interesting puzzles, not much story and combat that won’t be much of a challenge. That all sounds a little like faint praise, but there is nothing wrong with a game having modest ambitions and succeeding at meeting them. Too many games overreach and fail.

As an educational tool it’s pretty solid and a great way to get kids to learn and practice their math homework, but as a game it’s just… not amazing.

This homage to the old series includes Street Fighter III, which is more than enough to win over 2D fighting game fans. The rest of the collection, however, pales in comparison.

It's business as usual as this expansion retains the essence of the original, with the addition of new weapons and redesigned levels, expect for the disappointing online play.

The fighting is solid but I still think the ground game needs some tweaks in order to make it up to par with the stand up game.

The repetitiveness of the obstacles, the cheap deaths, the annoyance of later platforming sequences set in low gravity, frequent trial and error, and the time it takes to pass through elongated hallways that connect puzzle rooms and platform set pieces all contribute to making the whole thing a bit too tedious and empty for my liking. Now that I think about it, if Planet Alpha were an animated short, I think I’d like it a lot more because the visual storytelling is far more interesting than anything else.

There's nothing next-gen about this Xbox 360 port, as apart from the improved visuals, everything else remains the same. And paying double the price of the normal version is not our idea of fun.

Perhaps if it had taken a page from Gone Home and had been developed as a horror-themed exploration game sans enemies, then Outlast would have been more effective. Take away the tedious patrol route study and stealth conventions and Outlast could be the cause for many, many sleepless nights.

In the end, Shining Resonance Refrain is a solid addition to any JRPG fan's lineup, but honestly, I'd recommend it to hardcore JRPG fans looking for something new. For as many things as Shining Resonance gets right, it stumbles with as well which leads to a very generic RPG in the end (retreading areas and reusing enemies over and over really make this title seem like it was made on a budget). If you can live with all of that and can't wait another minute to dig into another adventure, you're definitely in luck with this localization!

A sincere and genuine attempt to tell a story about the impact of depression, Anamorphine as a delivery vehicle for addressing mental illness is constantly undermined by its engine troubles.

I’m happy that Naps Team is still around. I played their first game, a beat ‘em up Shadow Fighter on Commodore Amiga 23 years ago. It was a bit homespun but really thrilling and competent fighter. There’s some similar likable roughness to Iron Wings. The game needs some more ironing to its wings to get rid of the bugs and seriously tone down the ridiculous time limits to really take off. Then again, there is no air combat game quite like it around at the moment. For all its bents and bullet holes in the game design, there’s an indelible picturesqueness in the game's visceral action. Iron Wings is like a pulp novel. You know it’s a bit silly but it will entertain you nonetheless.

The problem with all puzzle games is that they are almost always a single-play through experience, so that initial run has to be the memorable one. Moons of Madness has some jump scares and other surprises, but its biggest draw might be that it takes Lovecraftian elements into a wholly new environment and replaces combat with exploration, puzzles and a slow-growing sense of confusion and dread. Fans of all those different elements and genres might find Moons of Madness just the right companion for Halloween night video gaming.

Gang Beasts is one of those games I wanted to try because it captured the attention of a small, but vocal portion of the Internet. Like Battlegrounds, this ended up being a game I’d rather watch other people play. The controls don’t feel particularly intuitive and are pretty punishing for new players. You’re going to take more than a fair share of lumps before the game “clicks.” On the other hand, I think you'll get the most out of the game by playing it with friends in the same room, especially since online matches can easily be one- or two-sided. Despite being a published video game, Gang Beasts has the feel of an early access title. For it to be something accessible to a larger audience, I think it needs more time to bake.

Serious Sam: The Random Encounter is a fun, albeit short game that delivers where Serious Sam games try too, with shallow but dumb fun. The humor is great, graphics are nice and the game is fun while it lasts. TRE doesn't do a whole lot, but what it does is fun and I would say that that fun is well worthy of a purchase especially if you're already a fan of Sam.

The multiplayer is solid but the offline play just doesn't carry its fair end of the deal.

In the end, Daymare: 1998 is clearly a passion project and it definitely shows (and I absolutely love it for that). Granted, there are some bumps along the way in the gameplay and design departments, and the game itself looks like it is a generation behind current gen. However, if you can live with those things, you have a solid survival horror experience here. Just make sure you've played all the classics first!

Layers of Fear 2 is impressive to look at and listen to but like so many games in its genre, it feels sterile. Dream logic environments and an actor’s unraveling personality are interesting hooks but the game does little to make us care much about the star of the show to begin with. Real fear comes from attachment and the prospect of losing something or someone close to us. By the time Layers of Fear 2 has really defined its leading man, we’ve long grown impatient for the voyage to be over with.

Jaws of Hakkon is a well-made addition to Dragon Age: Inquisitions. It provides a beautiful new location to explore, more loot to acquire and enemies to vanquish. But in the end, that’s it. There aren’t any truly meaningful additions here, no new gameplay elements or characters interactions. It is literally more of the same.

Scarlet Curiosity is the video game equivalent of comfort food. It is an experience with little substance, but I still wholeheartedly enjoyed it. It’s a game that’s clearly has flaws and lacks polish, but the good parts outweigh the bad. Overall, Scarlet Curiosity is a game that I would primarily recommend to fans of Touhou or those interested in getting into the franchise.

There's certainly fun to be had, and there's no doubt in my mind that there's an excellent foundation here for future updates, but Chasm lacks the qualities needed to make it an essential player in an already competitive genre.

Sony Interactive Entertainment and Sumo Digital’s Sackboy: A Big Adventure on the Playstation 5 is a charming, vibrant, graphically astounding platformer that serves as a great entry into the genre for newcomers. However, more seasoned veterans of the platforming genre, who were just given the marvel that is Astro’s Playroom, might feel that the narrative and mechanics are quite simple and annoyingly familiar due to Sackboy: A Big Adventure clearly borrowing mechanics and level progression from iconic genre mainstays such as The Super Mario Brothers franchise.

While it lacks the processing punch of a PC-tethered headset, the mobility and no-strings-attached freedom of the Oculus Quest has allowed me to dive deep into the headset as a fitness product, and Beat Saber, Box VR and a few other titles are in regular rotation. Synth Riders has the potential to challenge those products if it can expand the range of its playlist and offer a few more bells and whistles (like a campaign) to the generally solid foundation. Synth Riders’ approach is definitely influenced by Beat Saber but it has expanded the earlier game’s vocabulary and mechanics in several interesting ways.

Exit the Gungeon is much smaller game and is more focused on platforming action that disregards much of what made Enter the Gungeon so excellent. It is still a fun game, but one that I doubt many people will play to completion.