The Coma 2: Vicious Sisters mixes up the Lovecraftian horror with the Asian concept of netherworld to present its ghastly apparitions and locales, overgrown in tentacles and disfigured flesh. Still, the game is wise enough not to rely on jump scares even though there are some unexpected sights to behold. Like the best Asian horror, it slowly creeps under your skin and when played late in the night, you know what you will be dreaming of. Most of all, the game shows how an effective gaming experience can be made in a simple, economic way.

Overall, I enjoyed Crosscode much more than I thought I would. Despite the generic and cliched start of the game, it is full of great writing and a lot of heart. Couple that with solid gameplay, beautiful graphics and a solid soundtrack and you have an indie-RPG that is easy to recommend to fans of the genre. If you're a fan of action-RPG's and fondly remember the 16-bit era, you owe it to yourself to check CrossCode out!

All in all, if you’ve been waiting to play Xenoblade Chronicles for any reason, now is the time to do it. Having never taken the plunge with its initial release on the Wii, or its re-release on the 3DS, the Definitive Edition is just that. It’s a beautiful game with a great story that finally feels like it's found the system it deserves.

There's plenty to like in Mr. Driller DrillLand. It looks and sounds great and the same core gameplay that people loved more than twenty years ago holds up beautifully. However, it ends up being let down by a structure that doesn't make a lot of sense and glitches which don't belong in a game released in 2020. If you have a ton of nostalgia for Mr. Driller or just need a well-designed puzzle game, though, there is still fun to be had.

Ghost of Tsushima is a game I could not put down because the combat is so good, the world is fun to explore, and the stories it has to tell are rich and compelling. And I’m already anxiously awaiting a sequel.

Unfortunately, Maneater does not have very much post-game content or replayability, but it’s a tremendously epic, over-the-top open-world action RPG where you dominate the ocean as an apex predator, gaining new and improved bio-adaptations as you rank up. Kindly do yourself a favor and play it!

I like how Robert Foster is an old-fashioned game hero with no inner demons to drown or who is operating in a trendy grey area where no one is neither good nor bad. In fact, Beyond a Steel Sky is in many ways respectful of genre traditions but with modern wisdom and presentation. The game can be enjoyed without prior knowledge of Beneath a Steel Sky but obviously, it has a lot of gentle nods to its predecessor. And unlike the original game that felt too short for me at the time, Beyond a Steel Sky has a good length to it with a well over dozen hours to see it through. During your stay in Union City, you will encounter some sensible and some crazy people, solve many tricky situations with a common sense and wit alike, bump into unexpected faces of the past, get your grumpy friend Joey back, visit the old cyberspace, uncover the truth beyond, erm, the steel sky, and leave some goodbyes along the way.

The highs are very high. Conversely, the lows are quite low. For everyone else, your mileage may vary. Regardless, I did enjoy my time with Woodle Tree 2: Deluxe. It’s just a bit disappointing that there were so many technical issues on what could have otherwise been a pure expression of unbridled love for the genre.

Summer in Mara is as charming as it is frustrating. The game has a lot of potential but it feels rushed and unpolished. Hopefully, future updates will fix many of its issues. It has an instantly likable visual and a well-crafted world but the overall experience is blemished by awkward game design choices.

Cameo: CCTV Detective is an enjoyable first-person point and clicker adventure-style title that places you in the shoes of a police detective busting criminals one by one. Its story is one that is interesting and fun to experience, even if it doesn't last long enough. It certainly isn't without its problems, but if you have a few hours to kill and want to try it out, it's perfectly enjoyable.

Offering a far less consistent library than Volume 1, I can't in good conscious recommend Namco Museum Archives Volume 2 to most players. For those who need an individual title here, you may want to watch out for a sale as there is some fun to be had, but the titles offered are mostly mediocre ones that weren't crying out to be collected. Without any other material worth your time, you're better off finding another option to get your retro fix.

While I wish Namco had rounded out this package more, there's a lot of value for a very fair price here. There's a great mix of titles that range from all-time greats to at least mildly interesting. Namco Museum Archives Volume 1 is well worth your time if you love the classics or are merely interested in them.

F1 2020 feels really rewarding with its fast-paced and realistic racing with plausible on-track happenings and mishaps, making the game all the more intense than any version before it. Playing the race weekend with all its goodies is almost hypnotic as you drive laps over and over again, searching for those optimal driving lines and set-ups. After the race, you’ll find yourself soaked in sweat as you have been so intensely focused on driving. F1 2020 is a perfect remedy for not getting to see the whole F1 season this year.

Still, in a collection of 51 games, it’s hard to expect them all to be winners. While a few additional options would have been nice, Nintendo has still released an enormous package with a ton of value, even releasing it at a value price. I can’t imagine anyone not finding at least a handful of games to enjoy if they pick this up and it could be a great way to stay connected during this time where life is working so hard to keep us apart. I don’t know how Nintendo knew that this was the moment to bring back Clubhouse Games, but I’m grateful for their foresight.

In Marvel’s Iron Man VR, Camouflaj delivers an immersive experience featuring the world’s most favorite billionaire playboy philanthropist.

Edna & Harvey: The Breakout certainly has the DNA of old-fashioned graphic adventures. If you’re up for some funny and taxing adventuring, it will keep you occupied with the puzzles while the story and its delivery will amuse you. The 10th Anniversary Edition polishes the original sketchy look of the game to make it more approachable but it doesn’t lose the crazy heart that beats life to Edna’s odd world.

Fly Punch Boom is a fun multiplayer game that will keep you and your friends entertained. Although lacking a lot of variety for a single-player campaign, playing with a group of friends will bring laughter and frustration (the good kind). With a unique take on the genre, JollyPunch has created a title that is accessible yet tough to master. So, if you’re looking for a new fighting game that doesn't follow the formula, then Fly Punch Boom is certainly worth your time.

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!

Other than some incommodious bugs and a lackluster story, Project Warlock on PS4 is a stylistic gem, with an incredible soundtrack, that pays homage to its predecessors while providing an extremely high skill ceiling.

Although beautifully designed and well-written, The Almost Gone is kept from greatness by the nature of its game elements and UI. If you can overlook that or are willing to take advantage of the innumerable walkthroughs that will invariably pop up, you may enjoy this entry in the puzzle adventure game genre.

Charming, cheesy, and mysterious, Dark Nights with Poe and Munro delivers a solid FMV adventure throughout its six episodes. Though the game plays out more like a choose-your-own-adventure than a full on video game, it’s a good time nonetheless. I found the dynamic duo to be fun to watch, especially during their playful banter due to the strong chemistry between the two actors. However, the quick time event based gameplay lacked polish and felt tacked on. Regardless, Dark Nights with Poe and Munro is certainly worth playing for those who enjoy goofy supernatural FMV games.

All in all, World War Z is an entertaining comfort food piece of gaming entertainment. It doesn't have a gripping and visceral story that will keep you invigorated the same way other games can, and it feels disappointingly short in length, but those who are looking for a fun zombie-killing game that you can play with a bunch of your friends, the game definitely does the trick.

The Desperados franchise has a solid and faithful cohort of fans but a decade and change is a long time to wait between games, so it makes sense to start with the origin, making it appeal to newly-converted lovers of the genre jonesing for a horse opera since the heady days of Red Dead 2. Desperados 3 is nothing like the overwrought and action-packed Red Dead, of course, but it replaces gunplay with the constant suspense that comes with well-made stealth and challenging puzzles, and taking a more satiric tone than the generally serious Rockstar product. Patient and creative fans of stealth games will enjoy Desperados 3 quite a lot, whether they’re into the genre or not.

Disintegration falls somewhere between its spiritual forefather and the potential it could have achieved. Neither single-player nor multiplayer is satisfying enough to guarantee staying power in the ruthless battle for gamers’ souls.

Command and Conquer Remastered Collection is not a remake or reboot, but instead makes the original games — two of the all time classic RTS titles — accessible to gamers that might be turned away by 25-year-old graphics and clunky controls. The Remastered Collection looks and sounds as great now as you probably thought it did then, when your unjaded imagination allowed you to render a stack of blurry sprites into a fully animated super soldier. Command and Conquer was fun in 1995 and thanks to this new edition, what made it great still shines through.

Fifty dollars might seem like a hefty price tag to pay for a set of games, considering the “latest” game in it is six years old, but the Borderlands Legendary Collection offers so much value and content to justify the price tag. However, it is possible to buy the games separately if you’d like. With the literal hundreds of hours of gameplay that can be played anywhere you go, The Borderlands Legendary Collection belongs in every action game fan’s Switch library.

“Short but sweet” is the emphasis for Neversong, both in its three-or-four hour runtime and the yarn it’s weaving. This comes at the cost of its substandard gameplay never invested in any particular idea. Each new bauble and character share the same story: neither feels like enough stock was given. But as an indie auteur’s expansion of a historical flash game, the effort poured into its revitalized presentation and atmosphere is something platforming fans could still admire.

All in all, is the Bioshock Collection worth picking up on Nintendo Switch? I would absolutely recommend it. As I mentioned, whether you have played them before or not, the hybrid console is a fantastic way to experience each of these titles, and the excellent result of the port alone should be enough to entice players new and old. The games have amazing stories, truly unique settings, and memorable characters and locations that everyone should jump into.

Those Who Remain looks and plays like it come through a time portal from the mid-90s. The graphics are washed-out, plain, and badly angular. The frame rate is choppy despite the simplicity of visuals and jerks horribly when turning the viewpoint. There is no cohesion to the production design; nonspecific props are just scattered all over the place and random images from the web are plastered into frames that decorate walls. The main character’s sedated delivery kills off the rest of the atmosphere. And no, being indie isn’t a plausible excuse because there are plenty of similar but better-done indie horror games out there. All in all, Those Who Remain is an unfortunate attempt at psychological horror that goes on to show it’s a hard genre to get it right.

Between the challenge, the mission variety, and the rock solid gameplay, there’s an incredible amount to like here and the ability to do it anywhere you want is enticing. The issues I mentioned definitely put a damper on the experience, though, and while some, like the bugs, may improve in time, I doubt we see those load times going anywhere. If you have no other way to experience XCOM 2, it’s still well worth your time. If you are in love with it and need a handheld version, you can feel confident that this is a very solid port. If you’re going to pick any version of the game, though, and handheld play isn’t your top priority, there are better options available.

Minecraft Dungeons is fun if a bit flawed and is one of those games best spent playing online with friends so you have something to do while shooting the shit with each other.

Unsurprisingly, The Dark Eye: Book of Shadows has some technical issues with crashes and mission-killing bugs, but those pale in comparison with the game’s biggest flaw: its lack of imagination or originality. I don’t think it’s a cynical cash-grab. I think that the source material might be part of the problem, coupled with the developers being satisfied with minimal presentation and coloring obsessively inside the lines. There are so many outstanding action-RPGs — both based on D&D and not — that this game is hard to recommend unless you are already steeped in the lore and culture of The Dark Eye series.

Sporting a great cast of wonderful characters, a memorable soundtrack, and a deep story filled with humor, drama, and twists and turns, there is absolutely no sound reason to miss out on this wonderful and spirited video game.

As addictive as any card builder on the market, Monster Train absolutely nails the dopamine drip of fast-paced matches, the promise of increasing power, and enough variety in its gameplay that it will take dozens of hours before the game starts to feel repetitive. A well written story and crisper graphics would elevate the title to another level, but what is here is fantastic and endlessly entertaining.

There's no easy way to sum up The Last of Us Part II. It carries all of the flaws of modern video games but also tries to be so much more than that. It's a beautiful game, graphically and in terms of storytelling, but those qualities are coupled with a ridiculous level of violence and gore. Violence and gore that are the point and potentially overshadow the point. It's not perfect, but it's still amazing. It's the most well crafted third-person game that Naughty Dog has made so far, as well as the longest, with impeccable writing, acting, and pacing. Much like the first game and the PS3, anyone with a PS4 should seek out The Last of Us Part II. It is every bit as good as the first game, and together, the two games make Naughty Dog's most exceptional video game experience to date.

This wonderful experience is cut too short. There are only eights dive to perform, each taking only about half an hour or less even if you spend your time exploring outside the mission objectives. Beyond Blue can be easily played through in one session and there is little replay value if you already explored everything in your first go. Of course, the game is labeled as a single-player narrative experience, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s insanely short. I would have liked it to last at least twice its current running time as it’s such a beautiful and soothing experience with an important environmental message. Still, Beyond Blue is worth a try for those who respect life instead of taking it in video games. Who knows, the next time when browsing through a store for a game to buy, you may go for something more peaceful and tranquil than the latest first-person shooter!

If Found... is a visual novel that navigates its subject matter with care, its loose hand-drawn art immersing us in a world that we are forced to unmake. Its central metaphor of erasure is horribly effective, forcing us to destroy this fleshed out person's personhood. Through its thoughtful depiction of LGBTQ themes, bold presentation, and penchant for articulating all of the messy particulars of its protagonist's life, If Found... is a deeply moving coming-of-age tale.

New players would be advised to play through Planetfall’s main campaign before diving into the latest expansion, both for context and and an understanding of the game’s dense mechanics, complex skill trees and tactical options. Long time Planetfall players will definitely enjoy the new elements and the Skakarn faction. Invasions is a solid expansion to already excellent strategy game.

I would recommend that to get the most out of the game in all areas, you should play it on another platform. The compromises of the Switch version can take away from a lot of the visual beauty and wonder, which is a big part of any game - I mean, you’re looking at the screen all the time. However, the Nintendo Switch version - while certainly rough around the edges - is still playable on the hybrid system. It’s worth keeping in mind the drawbacks mentioned in this review, but if you don’t have the option for another platform to play on, or are dead-set on playing the game with handheld as an option, then this is still a solid option for those players and is an RPG worth playing however you can.

Despite some clunkiness of the control system, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is a fun and challenging VR survival game that is also a case for not judging a book by its cover. Bored as I am with Robert Kirkman’s zombie series, there’s no reason to not add this to your PSVR collection.

Thunder Force AC is a solid port of a classic shmup. If you are craving some retro shooting action on the Switch or want to give the genre a try, give this game a shot.

Turmoil on the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic and addictive experience, wrapped up nicely in a wonderfully simple art style and excellent music, perfect for picking up and playing on the go. Whether you’re in it for the long haul, or just feel like doing some quick digging, Turmoil will keep you coming back time and time again. I highly recommend the game - and specifically this version of it - as I believe this is the optimal way to play Turmoil.

As a stand-alone expansion, Aftermath is excessively pricey. However, for the newcomers to the game, Aftermath Kollektion that includes the base game, all DLC characters so far, several skin packs, and the Aftermath add-on is the way to go to join the eternal fight between Overworld and Netherrealm champions.

As a package, Audio Trip lacks some elements that we’ve come to expect and that add depth and longevity to the game. While there are leaderboards and a local “party” mode, there is no campaign and relatively few modifiers to custom fit the experience or add specific challenges. Coupled with the game’s modest playlist, Audio Trip comes across as being a well executed concept that needs a bit more of everything — songs, modes, and modifiers to start with — to be really competitive in what has become a pretty crowded space with several outstanding games.

The story is pretty OK despite its heavy lean on worn mafia movie stereotypes and tropes. However, this remaster of Mafia II is hurt by its poor showing on the PlayStation 4 because of numerous and frequent problems within the most vital portions of the game. This is the kind of show I’d expect from something that was rushed out to the market and the results are pretty disappointing. You’re almost better off tracking down the original PC copy of the game until Hanger 13 and d3t Ltd. make the fixes that are so desperately needed.

Although I enjoyed the puzzles and the setting, House of Da Vinci 2 is hampered by its performance, control, and UI issues. It needs a little more polish to be considered a great puzzle game. If you have some patience for the clunkiness of the game and love complicated puzzles, you may want to check it out.

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.

All in all, Infinite: Beyond the Soul mimics old action games unexpectedly well, but often with smarter gameplay. Too many games these days are about pressing left, square, right, circle, up, X, down, left bumper, right bumper, both triggers down and a Buddha prayer on top to make things happen. That’s why a game like Infinite: Beyond the Mind is more than called for; it’s a blessed throwback to simpler times and games.

Modern point-and-click adventures like Thimbleweed Park and Irony Curtain had a healthy dose of self-irony that elevated them head and shoulders above the usual crop of retro-conscious adventures. VirtuaVerse comes off as smug and immature in comparison. Instead of post-modern awareness, the game is drenched in the old school it painstakingly recreates that holds it back from being a great adventure. True, it might have been a conscious design choice but a very stubborn one as games have evolved for a reason, even retro game attempts. While VirtuaVerse’s presentation certainly fits the bill, elsewhere the game is too dustily rooted in the illogical puzzles, weak writing, and thin characterization of the past.

All in all, I did not really enjoy Trials of Mana. It feels rushed, cheaply made, and the gameplay just doesn’t engage me. I realize this may be a frustrating opinion for fans of the series (who are very passionate), but this game just isn’t for me and I feel like it is not put together or balanced very well. If you’re already a big fan of the series, you might find this title to be quite enjoyable. As it is, though, I find it to be a bit of a mess.

With its endless charm, solid gameplay, and beautiful display, Songs for a Hero is a fun platformer throwback that I couldn’t put down, falling into that familiar time sink state that is so often heralded by the phrase, “Just one more level.”

Predator: Hunting Grounds is an asymmetric game with an interesting premise, yet it ultimately fails to deliver its full potential. There are thrilling moments but they are too few and far between. With enough time spent on polishing the game, it could become a top-tier title in its genre. As it is now, it is a tough game to recommend even to the most diehard Predator fans.

While Huntdown's cloying one-liners and disconcerting framing can occasionally come across as grating, its captivating gunplay successfully mixes the chaos of classic run and gun games with the methodical cadence of modern cover shooters. Dashing through murderous strikes while you slide under incoming bullets creates a sense of cool that the game's writing fails to deliver, inching it a little bit closer to the heights of its many points of inspiration. It may be somewhat short and fairly straightforward, but Huntdown's gameplay largely succeeds at emulating the type of testosterone-fueled bedlam perfected by its silver screen counterparts.

Mechanical Scrollery is an experimental title that is rough around the edges. There’s clearly some ambition with the direction the game was going, but a lack of polish and vision ultimately hinder the experience. Though I found some joy in the mindless, bland gameplay, it’s not something I’d be eager to return to. Past the core combat, the RPG system provides a progression system that delivered passable incentives for getting through the game. Overall, Mechanical Scrollery is not a title I’d recommend as there are plenty of more polished and creative Touhou fangames out there.

While there are new additions that make Super Mega Baseball 3 a worthwhile sequel, I hoped for more features – especially given its much higher price point. Just as its predecessors delivered, it’s a great game, but feels somewhat schizophrenic when you stack up what features have been added versus what has been passed on. There is a major emphasis on some inclusions that feel like they’d be more at home in a realistic baseball simulator, yet some very fundamental inclusions for an arcade baseball game are still absent.

While it isn’t a perfect game, Wintermoor Tactics Club delivers a memorable cast and great presentation that does a lot of heavy lifting. Solid strategy gameplay also makes it easy to recommend, especially to those who are new to the genre as this would be a fantastic introduction for those interested in this sort of title. For those with a little more experience, the game might not be quite as interesting, but the engaging story should still seem them through this all too brief adventure.

The combat and driving are solid, the customization options are engaging, and the missions are wild. Volition did a fantastic job with the original version and Sperasoft has done good work updating the game but has also introduced several issues and missed some opportunities to improve the game. If you haven’t played a Saints Row game before, The Third is the best place to start. And if you’re a fan of the series, it’s just as good as you remember.

Arcade Spirits is tailor-made for someone like me who was born in the 70s and spent much of their formative years in the 80s, the golden age of arcade, video and computer games. The old retro uncle inside me trembles with enthusiasm when seeing the game’s piquant arcade hall and all its lovely retro games. In the arcade game auction during chapter two, when I made a bid for a game I would have loved in real life, too, it felt so uncannily real. That’s the strongest part of Arcade Spirits; it sucks you in to get involved in a life that despite a few whimsical departures is very much reminiscent of our own with all ups and downs.

Transposing the tactical turn-based combat and character permadeath of XCOM to the fantasy genre seems like an obvious idea and Fort Triumph does a good job with it, adding some physics-based combat and touches of contemporary humor to the mix. On the other side of the ledger, the humor might not tickle everyone the same way and overall the look of the characters and the story seem content to settle for familiarity instead of reaching a little more for originality. Fort Triumph is in no way a bad game and fans of turn-based RPGs, traditional fantasy RPGs and XCOM will probably enjoy the experience.

SnowRunner is both relaxing and laborious, although there is gracious video gameness to it, like the fast travel between garages. Elsewhere, if you make a mistake and tip your vehicle over, you won’t be paralyzed or have to pay millions in compensation for the cargo that was left loose and swept territory under it. To sum it best up, Snowrunner is a lifestyle game. There is no grand call to answer as you drive at your own pace and do what you want. The game is all about small triumphs. When you get out of some tricky pothole after an hour of trying, you feel like a winner!

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!

Project DIVA MegaMix feels very much in line with Project DIVA Future Tone. It’s all about the sheer amount of songs and costumes, while avoiding any semblance of a campaign. Players will have to make their own path and enjoy the songs on their own terms. The brand new Mix mode is delightful once you get past the initial learning curve and the tried and true Arcade mode is what we’ve come to love about these games. A solid rhythm game through and through, Project DIVA MegaMix returns the series back to its portable roots.

Obey Me is one of those indie games that you would love to like and look through its problems. But when you suffer from them long enough, it simply won’t work out. Obey Me’s flawed design might have been saved by proper game testing, but like too many indie games these days, it is oblivious to its problems. Too bad, really, as there are makings for a good co-op brawler, enhanced with a biting punk attitude.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 – Road to Boruto is the most complete fighting game in the series thus far, with every DLC and over 100 characters that span generations. Arena fights featuring strategic ninja jutsu action are exciting to play out, although it does feel simple compared to other fighting games. The story mode, with its intense quick-time cinematic sequences, is a highlight, although it only covers the very end of the long series. Adventure modes are more of a dull grind, but a packed online mode makes up for it, especially with the plethora of playable ninja. Those not familiar with the series may not appreciate the strides taken to recreate the anime, but hardcore Naruto fans will enjoy what this game has to offer. Believe it!

Although Biped has a nice style, the controls greatly hampered my enjoyment of the game. Added to that, the game is pretty short and the puzzles are a little too reminiscent of other platformers to find much of value here. If you’d like to experience a challenge in co-op and test the limits of your personal relationships, you might want to give it a try.

As well designed as the game is though, its also very short. Only a few short hours in and the game will be over. With little in the way of replay value since you'll already know how to solve all the puzzles, there's not a ton of long term value here. While it lasted I really enjoyed The Room VR: A Dark Matter but it ultimately left me wanting more. More environments, more movement options, more story. For the right price, I definitely recommend experiencing it but what I'm really looking forward to is a follow-up, to see if a great start can be grown into a truly great game.

Visually striking, yet mechanically dull, Spirit of the North is all style and no substance. Tied with a minimalist story and no spoken words, the journey tries to be meaningful, but its self-imposed limitations make it hard to understand. It is loaded with vast, beautiful environments, which end up functioning as a double-edged sword as many areas felt labyrinthine in design. Often, the game felt pretentious to the detriment of the gameplay. Ultimately, Spirit of the North has its appeal, but I would only recommend it to players drawn in by either the visuals or the concept.

Cloudpunk is obviously a game made with great love and care. It shines through the visuals, the soundtrack, the city, and most especially the characters. Huxley, Camus, and Ben are easily some of the characters in any video game yet released in 2020. The gameplay is not particularly deep but it is solid and enjoyable in its relaxing way. While Cloudpunk does have a few minor faults (mainly the camera), none of them detract away from what is otherwise a wonderful experience. Get your multipass ready, it’s time to go for a ride.

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.

Jumbled, infuriating, and unfinished are a few choice adjectives I can attribute to Doug Hates His Job. The panoply of gameplay styles it wants to flex should be treated as a canary in the coal mine for other young developers. The mockumentary approach makes its dull humor more of a mockery than of the white-collar job climate it’s lampooning. As a result, Super Villain Games succeeded in helping me relate to Doug's plight in one crucial way: hating my reviewing job — if only for a short time.

Keeping your station running isn't easy, especially as more and more needs build up, but doing it over and over can get a bit repetitive. None of this gets in the way of the core gameplay here being very solid and addicting in the way that the best simulation titles are. I had a good time with STATIONflow and if you're into simulation games, I think you will, too. I just wish that a lack of variety and a few less than intuitive gameplay choices didn't keep it from being something truly special.

Before We Leave is a civilization management game that’s relatively stress free, calming, and really charming. Its low-key nature and philosophy make it great for those who feel overwhelmed by the laundry list of responsibilities of 4X-style management and development. The design is sound, the presentation is fantastic and I’m a huge fan of the hex-gridded world map represented as a 3D globe. The individual models of the Peeps and their architecture are so charming, and the soothing soundtrack that plays when running the time at max speed is really nice. There are areas of the game that feel a little rough around the edges but the updates show a commitment by the developer to bring in the right amount of polish that’ll lead it toward greater heights of inventive fun.

Deliver Us The Moon is a short adventure but a memorable one. I like how the story concludes in a manner that leaves loose threads, leaving you to speculate how things might have turned out for everything outside the player character’s sphere of influence. The puzzles are modest and easy and for as much backtracking you end up doing, the journey never felt arduous. And right when I felt like things were getting boring, I was treated to strategically placed views of a hauntingly beautiful lunar surface and a dying, lonely Earth floating off in the distance.

Streets of Rage 4 left me feeling like a ten-year-old kid playing his Genesis again, while still managing to bring modern gameplay and variety to a classic series. There was no way for me to keep my expectations low with this series returning yet Lizardcube still managed to blow those expectations away. I can say without hesitation that this is the pinnacle of a long-dormant series and genre; a game I'm confident I'll be returning to for years to come.

While it might be a surprising translation between genres, Gears Tactics plays like it was meant to be. The game is often quite challenging and instead of the twitch reflexes of a shooter, it demands smart and strategic thinking. It nails the look and feel of Gears and adds some welcome refinements and improvements to the now-standard turn-based formula. Lengthy and populated by familiar and violent Gears of War moments of triumph, Gears Tactics suffers a bit in the areas of story and character and repetitive mission structure. In most ways, however, Gears Tactics is a refreshing and unexpected take on the Gear of War saga.

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.

Swordbreaker: Back to the Castle is a bargain-price game, but a low price point cannot balance the scale against the lack of quality that casts a shadow over every moment of playtime. If its combat were better or its storytelling actually existed in some form beyond rudimentary, and if its quests or enemies were interesting, Swordbreaker might be worth a look. The open world RPG space is populated by excellent, well-made and entertaining games, but unfortunately Swordbreaker: Back to the Castle is not one of them.

Chimera Squad is XCOM, despite the colorful shell and slightly less permanent mechanics. The turn-based structure changes for the better with the introduction of individual turns and smaller maps, leading to less overwatch shuffling around maps. However, it loses steam when it comes to mission variety and it literally fails at one of its core areas by way of bugs. Does this stop me from recommending this game, especially at its seemingly budget price point? No, not really. But I can tell you that I am going to wait for a few updates before diving back in, to see which team members I missed and whether or not I can actually hit that 90% shot this time.

MotoGP 20 is quite similar in structure to Codemasters’ F1 games, but it’s a more coherent and exciting experience. Be prepared to put in a lot of work to tune the bike to get best out of it and perform well on the track. That’s the simple recipe for success, no slacking is allowed at any point! After all, you have better chances of winning when starting from a pole position instead of back of the grid, so all those laps you spent on free practices will pay off. Despite some presentation issues and the lack of true motive to race other modes outside the career, MotoGP 20’s tight gameplay keeps things consistently interesting and turns it into an addictive and rewarding racing simulation that no virtual speed freak should be without.

Hot Garbage is a nice add-on to a great game but I would have liked to see it improve on the base game rather than double down on its faults. The humor, visuals, and exploration are still just as funny, beautiful and engaging as they are in the main game. I originally reviewed the game on PS4, and in order to review the DLC on Xbox One I had to replay most of the game again. And I still had a great time doing it. While it’s brought down by an increased focus on combat, some control issues, and a lackluster antagonist, Hot Garbage is simply a lot of fun. If you enjoyed Journey to the Savage Planet, Hot Garbage is more of the same brand of journeying and savagery.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps doesn’t try to recreate the magic that made the first game so special, instead it embraces it. With its absorbing soundtrack, meticulously crafted world, and all-around gameplay improvements, Moon Studios has miraculously given us a worthy sequel to the marvelous series.

Lydia is a tough game to recommend to everyone because, as a video game, it is too short and has only a minimal amount of gameplay. However, if you're looking for a thought-provoking experience that will stay with you even after you have finished the game, I can confidently say that Lydia is a very strong candidate for you.

The Longing is one of those video games that dares you to see it through. Guiding a barely mobile creature who can’t be bothered to pick up the pace a little seems so nonsensical and completely antithetical to fun but if you’re the kind of person that likes to find their own unique brand of fun in video games - like following the rules of the road in Grand Theft Auto - then The Longing is bound to trigger some sort of positive electrical charge. And because much of the game can be accomplished while you’re away, it’s the kind of game you can have going on in the background as you sit through the latest Zoom meeting. Given the uniqueness and special circumstances of reviewing The Longing, Darkstation does not give it a score.

If Operencia: The Stolen Sun was really a 28-years old game, I probably wouldn’t bother with it anymore. As much as I love old games, sometimes modern comforts are just nice to have. Operencia plays with old-school expectations but turns them into a meaningful experience where a modest budget is mostly turned into the game’s favor. Some further playtesting would have perhaps solved sudden difficulty spikes more efficiently than constantly loading a save until you succeed. However, if you are interested in dungeon crawlers in the first place, you are probably prepared to take in some extra punches along the way.

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.

Sure, it might be starting to show its age a little in places, but Saints Row IV is still a great way to cut loose and enjoy the fun that unbridled chaos and a childish sense of humor can bring. And the extra content you get in the Re-Elected edition that just released on the Nintendo Switch means you can enjoy it for even longer as you play through everything Deep Silver threw at the swan song of the main Saints Row series.

Shinsekai could have been a true classic if it were more willing to embrace what makes it unique and shed some aspects which feel like they're here because someone wanted to check something off a list. Still, even what's here is a beautifully controlling platformer with a unique and haunting atmosphere. Shinsekai is worth taking a dive for, even if it could have been more.

Separation is an apt title to illuminate its central problem. The adventure beckons you to experience a desolate world, utilize a VR headset, tingle your sensory stimuli in a way you can almost touch, and engage with a narrative tackling uncomfortable emotions. But, despite this magical potential, all of the accumulated shortcomings reveal the integral quality it sorely lacks: authentic connection.

In the end, I think that an FMV game should offer more variety in locations and interactivity than The Complex. A one-location drama doesn’t necessarily carry through consecutive playthroughs all that well in this media. When you are skipping through scenes, you only begin to pay attention to iffy special effects and some extras who really look a bit out of place. The Complex has a well-written story, some witty dialogue, and a likable cast, but the lack of true branching for most of its running time dilutes its appeal beyond a few playthroughs. In the hunt for all the endings, you will most likely grow feeling indifferent to everything the story tries to say.

For anyone still tinkering with Cities; Skylines five years into the game’s release, Sunset Harbor includes a well-made suit of new buildings, commerce options, and aesthetic possibilities. For any city builder who wants to clog the arterial waterways with industry and streak the skies with activity, this new expansion is full of potential for fun.

Freedom Finger is best enjoyed when stripped of the jokes that beat themselves over the player’s heads. An annoying cast of characters that just can’t seem to shut up and bad political jokes that are tired before they fall flat get in the way of what makes this particular shmup really cook. The soundtrack is fantastic on its own but the way the levels and enemies engage with the different songs is really unique and offers its own special challenges that more than pick up the slack left behind what amounts to be a less pointed version of MAD Magazine’s style of humor.

All in all, Resident Evil 3 goes on to prove that the traditional Resident Evil formula, only souped-up to meet today’s needs, works better than, excuse me for saying this out loud, the first-person flatness that was introduced in Resident Evil 7 or brainless shooting action of super-overvalued Resident Evil 4 that took the illustrious series entirely in the wrong direction, only to be redeemed by these excellent remakes.

Be it presentation, length, variety, or simple gameplay polish, Half-Life: Alyx is one that beats its peers cleanly. If you aren’t yet interested in virtual reality or you have not yet taken the plunge, then I would strongly recommend that you consider investing in the technology to play this game. It’s the closest thing to a killer app that VR is going to get any time soon. The format still has its shortcomings and likely always will, but with Half-Life: Alyx, it’s very close to realizing its full potential. If you think back to the first time that you visualized what VR would look like and feel like, then you probably envisioned something very similar to what Half-Life: Alyx has to offer. It’s immersive, exciting, terrifying, and exhilarating – everything that you would hope for a virtually reality game to be.

TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2 is a big improvement over the previous game. KT Racing really went a mile to make it better in all fronts instead of giving a nominal upgrade and slapping a new number to the title. The driving physics feel good (and more forgiving), the sense of scope is much bigger with added racing locations, the presentation is professional and the revamped career mode has a terrific amount of content. If you want instant rewards from your racing game, however, this one is not for you as it takes a long-time engagement to be competitive. The game is certainly tough but it doesn’t take away from the fact that TT Isle of Man 2 stands among the best adaptations of riding a motorcycle in video games. Maybe in the next iteration we get more personality through more profound customization.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered feels like a series of contradictions. It’s a remake of a popular online shooter without the “popular online” part. Its gameplay is aggressive, defensive, fragile, and bombastic all at the same time, constantly pushing you forward but requiring you to hang back. Its story values twists and turns over characters or any sort of sensibility, making the twists and turns lack any sort of value. If you’re coming to Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered simply to revisit a fondly remembered campaign updated for 2020’s visual standards, then Beenox has delivered in spades. But it’s a hard sell for anyone new to the series.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is an enigmatic thing, a product born out of nostalgia but reimagined and redesigned to take advantage of technology and hardware that could capture the grandeur of this particularly beloved adventure. If you’ve played the original before, don’t go in thinking you’ll know exactly what’s going to happen because the story takes a good number of unexpected left turns. These changes are mostly fine but I’m curious to see what sort of tweaks will be made to the larger story in light of some of the more dramatic changes--with special regards to a final boss that screams, “Well, we just couldn’t help ourselves!” Final Fantasy VII Remake is a fresh take on a familiar story, expanded with a larger scope that just wasn’t possible twenty-three years ago.

Although the lack of clarity with the UI and interface takes my opinion down a notch, overall, I really enjoyed my time with Murder by Numbers. The combination of a detective game and picross really works. I hope that this is the start of a beautiful friendship.

While poor performance often makes the repetition more of a chore than it needs to be, a truly interesting world, game design that understands its gameplay is repetitive and regularly finds new contexts for its loop, and fantastic atmosphere still kept me having a great time with Disaster Report 4. There were times when the game made me groan, but there was no point in its campaign where I didn't want to see what was coming next. Its a game I know I'll remember.