Although the lack of graphical polish could be seen as a flaw in the game, I really can’t think of a person who wouldn’t enjoy this game on some level. If you’re a fan of puzzle platforming or physical comedy, grab Human: Fall Flat right now.

There’s simply nothing to not like about this DLC. It continues an already great story, adds weight and characterization to an already established Spider-friend, and, as a bonus, awards two of my favorite costumes in the bunch. If you’re looking for more Spider-Man to play, and I mean, why wouldn’t you, Insomniac continues to provide ample reasons to swing around New York. Beyond just swinging. Which is still fun, btw.

Nagging control issues aside, A Fisherman’s Tale is a charming PlayStation VR game that I found to be a total joy to experience - the same joy I felt playing Astro Bot: Rescue Mission. As far as first-person virtual reality experiences go, this makes the medium so worthwhile. Shooting zombies and exploring derelict space stations is fun in VR but could easily be reproduced and playable as a regular console title. I couldn’t fathom playing A Fisherman’s Tale without VR and experiencing the same feeling of wonder and delight. Consider this an essential addition to your PSVR library next to Beat Saber, Moss, and Astrobot: Rescue Mission.

The game isn't perfect, but for anyone wanting to check out an arcade tennis title for the PS2 should definitely give this title a look.

That beauty is just so fleeting, though. Dustforce doesn’t give you these moments enough and often it felt more like attrition instead, where the game and I just beat each other down until we were both bloody messes with me as the last one standing.

Full Auto goes from an Xbox 360 technological demo to a full-on game, and one that thrills us with fast-paced racing and truly destructive weapons.

NASCAR Kart Racing is still a very well polished and nicely developed Kart Racer that may not be the best the Wii has seen but is enjoyable nonetheless.

This game deserved to be full throttle from the very beginning, because of how awesome the tone and art direction is. It is not until you master your skills that Ronin actually becomes rewarding, but when it does you feel like a ninja master.

No Straight Roads is a mischievous celebration of creativity that is rarely seen these days. Full of breathtaking energy and fabulous personality, it travels back into time when games were wild, bold, and ingenious, and revives inventive madness to the next level. No Straight Roads feels like a fresh new song that crops up in a radio’s playlist that’s usually full of commercial crud. It may be a one-hit-wonder but the game fully deserves its platinum disc and five-star review. To quote Bunk Bed Junction’s catchphrase, bunka, junka, shakalaka!

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.

In the long run GripShift, is a game that has some rough edges with the main mode feels sort of dry and missing some key areas that would have made it a much better game.

You could see the developers had high hopes for a lot of the new functionality of the game, but when it is all said and done, everything doesn't gel together all that well.

As good as this fairy tale themed game seemed to be, Road Not Taken didn’t feel quite right.

Regrettably, despite my initial interest in Heavy Metal Thunder, and my high hopes for a piece of gripping and thrilling science fiction set in an inspired and fleshed-out universe, the final product failed to entertain me with every dull page-turn.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is a good new game in the series. Nothing more, nothing less.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with Immortal Redneck but I wanted it to hit harder. It’s definitely a repetitive romp, as most of these games are, and the gameplay is what makes that repetition worth it. Unfortunately, while the game runs smoothly and looks sharp, the guns feel weak and the gameplay is borderline mediocre. It’s not a make-or-break thing for me, in fact I was able to ultimately look past that major flaw, but many gamers won’t stick with a game with poor combat. For fans of the rogue-like genre in an FPS shell, Immortal Redneck is a fun romp reminiscent of games like Ziggurat and Tower of Guns. For fans of FPS games like Call of Duty or Titanfall, this probably isn’t going to give you that great feel you’re looking for. Ultimately, Immortal Redneck has its share of issues but it’s a good addition to the rogue-like genre with decent FPS mechanics, an interesting setting, and a fun upgrade system that’ll keep fans coming back.

It’s again the broken record time. Grim Legends 2: Song of the Dark Swan is an amusement spent well and I so love these games where you’re not in a constant mortal danger. The strong start made me disappointed by the rest of the game which didn’t live up to the first promises. Luckily the bonus chapter saved the day. I’m pretty sure the best Artifex Mundi game is yet to be seen as an Xbox One conversion. Meanwhile, I keep playing these casual adventures with great pleasure.

Gunhouse is truly something else. It’s an unorthodox genre crossover with an equally unconventional puzzle mechanic. It takes a while to learn, but the payoff is worth it. It’s unfortunate that the game is fairly expensive on the Nintendo Switch compared to its much more competitively priced mobile version. Nonetheless, those looking for a different puzzle experience may feel welcome in the Gunhouse.

Ripped Pants At Work is a fun and wonderfully inexpensive game that’s great for a group of friends to pass the controller around. The numerous puzzle pathways to each pair of pants are cleverly designed and offer a good challenge. The soundtrack is pitch perfect, as an acoustic guitar plays a jaunty and gentle tune that runs counter to the stress and terror typically associated of running across busy streets in your underwear. While this won’t command much of your attention for too long, as you could easily collect the entire of pantheon of legwear in as little as half an hour (or less if you challenge yourself), it's still a pretty fun distraction from boring computer work. Ripped Pants At Work takes an instantly relatable premise and fills it with personality, easy to understand mechanics, and silly visual humor.

In between charming art design, polished farming mechanics, and a huge array of quests and craftables, there's a lot to enjoy. There's no shortage of games available that involve chopping down trees and harvesting carrots, but Deiland is still one that fans of the genre will want to add to their collection.

Fans who are starving for more Pillars of Eternity II will not be disappointed, either by the gameplay or by this mini story’s dive into some of the universe’s more interesting lore. On the other hand, if you have sunk 150 hours into the series through two full games and two previous DLCs, then you may be tiring of its formula, its routine, and its combat. It probably feels even more tiresome if you love the series for its open ended exploration, since the mostly linear DLC offers very little of this. How much you will enjoy Beast of Winter ultimately depends upon how important each of these elements are to you.

From its price to its story to its demands on the intellect and reflexes, Swords & Souls: Neverseen is modest. Likewise, it’s modestly successful and moderately fun. Training, upgrading and short and fast-paced battles are great ways to spend a few minutes but in the long haul, the game’s limitations become a little more apparent and concerning. If I knew anything about sports, I might say that a good, solid stand-up base hit is better than swinging for the fences and whiffing it. Swords & Souls: Neverseen makes a good case for itself as a fully-formed PC game.

Ichidant-R is a challenging taste of retro gameplay. If you have good reflexes and a sharp brain, it’s the game for you. Otherwise, grab a buddy and conquer it together.

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.

The Sims 4: Journey To Batuu may just be another room in the virtual dollhouse that is The Sims but it absolutely nails everything that makes Galaxy’s Edge one of the most unique theme park attractions today.

It’s worth bearing in mind that the game is in no obvious way improved upon compared to the standard version, but is also no worse for wear. As I mentioned, however, there is the occasional slowdown in certain situations, but nothing that causes too much of a hassle, and could even possibly be patched out in the future. With all of that in mind, I absolutely recommend Saints Row The Third to anyone who is interested. Whether you have played it in the past, or if this will be your first time, it’s a solid experience that is a pleasure to have on the Switch.

As reboot, it does everything it needs to, to bring the core mechanics to 2014. As Eidos Montreal’s second game, it shows that the studio learned much in the process of making Human Revolution (especially in regards to boss battles). But as a game on its own, Thief a fantastic ride and great game in which to merely be a thief in. It’s just a shame that it exists in such an uninteresting and disjointed world.

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

Magrunner: Dark Pulse is a great puzzle game that you might be tempted to dismiss as being unoriginal. If you make that mistake, you will be cheating yourself out of a memorable experience.

Overall, this series is worth starting if you have yet to jump in, and it was more than good enough to have me looking forward to what I hope will be Season Two.

EA does the easy job and ported over the console version to the PSP. Nothing too fancy, but still feels like a dumbed down Potter adventure.

Look past its sexy veneer and Shinovi Versus is a solid, well made brawler with panache. Come for the boobs, stay for the empowering battles against ninja hordes.

As a drama about two people falling in and out of love, the script is an amalgam of every relationship ever presented on television and in film, so it is easily relatable if rather trite. If you like abstract puzzles framed around a grounded narrative, then Maquette does offer some value but I don’t see it leaving any long-lasting impressions.

Mother Russia Bleeds feels like the creators wanted to make a side scrolling beat ‘em up for adults, but it ends up feeling like what a middle schooler would come up with if you asked him what their idea of a mature game would be; one that’s full of blood, sex, and drugs. While the combat is challenging and often satisfying, the lack of variety between the characters and a graphically messy multiplayer keeps Mother Russia Bleeds from being an exceptional game.

Defenders, unlike the previous titles, doesn’t do much to innovate or recreate the genre. Instead 11 Bit Studios decided to play it safe and gave us a basic, traditional tower defense game that is fun but doesn’t really do anything to set itself apart from an already flooded market.

Darkestville Castle is imaginative and well-written, but the obscurity of the puzzle solutions, unfriendly design choices, and presence of a potentially game breaking bug make it difficult to recommend. If you love retro adventure games and have a high tolerance for difficult puzzles, you might want to check it out. Just back up your save as you go.

This collection is better suited for newcomers who have no previous experience with (or attachment to) Konami's survival horror classic.

While the combination of frustratingly underdeveloped combat and a short length weigh the experience down, there’s definitely enough worth seeing here, at least from a visual and narrative standpoint.

Normally, a strategy RPG with solid gameplay, an interesting story, beautiful art and a strong soundtrack is one I'd be recommending without question and I really wish I could give Banner of the Maid that recommendation. The awful translation just manages to seep down and poison every aspect of the game though, at least a little bit. If you just want to focus on the battles and that's enough for you in this sort of title, you may find a lot to like. With the genre quickly becoming crowded on the Switch, though, there are simply better options for you to spend your time and money on.

It is the first game from this studio that I have enjoyed not just because I was intrigued by it, but because it executes its concepts well and puts forth an all-around solid package.

While its 8-bit action RPG fusion fulfills a baseline addictive quality, frequent missteps and repetitiousness pushed me too far away to ever get hooked.

A mostly visual remake, Destroy All Humans brings a dubious cult classic onto modern consoles and PC with most of the same issues it had to begin with. It’s a clear example of lost potential as the original game was never all that well regarded. Thoroughly reworking the gameplay could have vastly improved the game that was only passable in its time. As it is now, the remake doesn’t do enough to lift the title from mediocrity. Aside from updated visuals, the one new mission, and slightly tweaked gameplay, it’s a game that still doesn’t have much going for it besides the comedy factor. Though the remake is definitely the definitive way to play Destroy All Humans!, I still find it difficult to really recommend it.

As a whole, Sine Mora EX excellently interweaves the age-old time travel trope into both its complex paradoxical plot and unique time manipulation mechanics. And all seven levels are a spectacle, hosting beautiful environments and impressive gigantic bosses. The ability to slow down bullet barrages, combined with a fair checkpoint system, makes it more approachable than others in the genre. Regardless, most won’t get mileage outside of the main campaign, which ultimately makes this a hard sell for anyone but enthusiasts. And although the Nintendo Switch edition has that trademark portability, it’s tough to justify that higher price compared to other systems’ versions. Nonetheless, it’s an exceptional experience that will offer hardcore shoot ‘em up fans a great time.

It's very important to understand what Hydrophobia: Prophecy is; literally, the third version of the same game with major technical and creative modifications made based on user feedback. With this iteration of Hydrophobia being riddled with issues, I have to wonder about the quality of the initial release and am curious about whether or not Dark Energy Digital will continue to modify it in the future.

iNK Stories’ effort to create both an enthralling story and a factual window into history is admirable, and while it doesn’t quite stick the landing, it’s still an interesting game with plenty of historical information to paw through after you’ve completed it. The price tag is a bit too steep for a three-hour game, but history buffs and Telltale fans alike should see value in 1979 Revolution: Black Friday.

With four episodes left, and this episode ending with one hell of a mystery left to solve with a villain hot on their tales, I am looking forward to picking up with the Guardians to see where adventure takes them. Consider my interest also peaked for finding out how they eventually work Thanos back into the mix. Until then, we’re left with a wonderfully solid first chapter that leaves me with the hope that Telltale’s best is still to come.

Capcom's quirky shooter might raise some eyebrows, but the stylish aesthetics and unpredictable gameplay will win you over, if you give it a chance.

In the world obsessed with Souls-likes, Warriors Orochi 4 Ultimate is a great reminder that action games can be fast, frantic and fun, too. Hyperactive J-rock paces the heated action that is presented in a steady frame-rate throughout despite all things happening on screen. Responsive and effortless controls keep up the flow beautifully and I, for one, didn’t get tired of the featured gameplay that is a whole lot more forthcoming and easier to grasp than in individual titles in Samurai and Dynasty Warriors series. As a separate and quite pricey upgrade, the Ultimate edition doesn’t feel all that essential if you own Warriors Orochi 4 already. However, as a bundle to the newcomers, it’s a great entry point to the extravagant and action-packed franchise.

Taiko no Tetsujin Rhymic Adventure Pack, while not outstanding, is a solid entry to the series. Fans of the franchise will enjoy the free play mode as usual. The newcomers can go for the RPG Adventure mode if hardcore drumming to get the perfect S rank for every song is just too daunting for them.

Though it makes clear that nothing was truly decided in the Forrester’s quest for survival, both as a family and individually, there’s enough closure to the individual story lines to make the entire trip one worth taking.

Falcon Age is built on a great concept that doesn’t go very far. There isn’t enough meat on its bones to satiate an appetite for bird-based adventure gaming. VR is nonessential and if you really do want to play the game, I’d advise leaving the headset tucked away. I liked having the bird around as a partner and changing how it looks with a fun assortment of bandannas, hats, and toys. It’s also fun to watch it lift robots off the ground and giving me the opening needed to bash their heads in with my baton. The thrill wears out quickly, though, and the lack of depth made Ara’s home a place I struggled to care about. And that feels wrong.

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

NCAA Basketball 09 has the underlying element of what could be a huge step in the right direction, but the lack of depth ends up being the games great fault.

Its art style is unique but darkly opaque and as action/survival/roguelikes go, it doesn’t add much new to the genre. With wildly erratic difficulty spikes, the necessity for uninspired grinding and the inevitable and frequent loss of progress, Below is a niche game for a specific target audience that has enormous patience and determination.

It is not without some minor freshman bumps, but the overall package is one of the more compelling so far in 2011.

What would be more perfect to reach out to the youth with a video game? Except that it features dated visuals and ordinary gameplay features.

With little more than a bare-bones premise, no engaging characters and stripped-down, stylized environments, Taur feels a little bloodless and abstract and the central gameplay loop can grow repetitive. In the short term — that is, some of the more manageable, bite-size battles — Taur is fun and full of the familiar, addictive elements that define the genre. Taur is also beset by some balance and pacing issues that suck the momentum out of the campaign. The game’s visual design and implementation of the player-controlled Prime Cannon add enough novelty to the tower defense formula to make Taur worth checking out for fans of the genre.

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.

Pathologic 2 looks unlike anything on the market, and its genuinely surreal and emotionally twisted tale and graphics are at least unique, if not actually appealing. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but neither was Carmac McCarthy’s The Road. Miasma of poorly explained and confusing systems and unforgiving survival mechanics are more clearly a problem and they make Pathologic 2 nearly impossible to enjoy on any level, and certainly not fun.

Rainbow Moon is not a bad game, but it's not a particularly good one either. It has a few nice tweaks to circumvent some of the frustrations of JRPG's and tactics games, but it adds some new frustrations of its own.

While there's no denying that we need to be reminded that living in harmony with the natural world gives us strength, Fe's gameplay mechanics and moment-to-moment action are not always rewarding. Its emotional arc lacks the clear structure and coherent ending that some of its cousins -- like Journey or Ori -- have done better. Fe's world is aesthetically pretty but pretty frustrating to navigate, given the imprecision of its platforming and while its use of music --both in gameplay and as an underscore -- is unique and lovely, it isn't quite enough to carry the game for its handful of hours.

Players who want to complete the level and do so in the shortest amount of time will find a lot to love in this game and even more so in the game’s replay value. However, when the initial awe wears off, Shadow Blade: Reload comes across as a generic ninja-action game with an interesting art style, good controls and an otherwise underwhelming story.

It has simply been done too many times before, and the game seems content to be a comfortable -- in both a good and not-so-great way -- and immediately recognizable experience. Easy for me to say. I'm not sure how to make the storming of Normandy or the frigid Russian winters surprising again, especially in an RTS where the human drama takes a back seat to pushing around little units to solve tactical puzzles. For console gamers less affected by ennui, Sudden Strike 4 is approachable and not terribly obtuse and provides something that PC players have come to take for granted: a great looking, fun-to-play, well-made strategy game about one of history's most turbulent and strategically interesting periods.

It was a cool enough game in 2009 but a lot of time has passed and other games managed to do more with the open world genre. It serves as a nice nostalgia piece but even in its remastered state, the game feels like a relic.

I was captivated by the game’s charm and challenge to a degree I didn’t expect. I like how levels steadily introduce new challenges and problems to deal with that make getting the best scores a real endurance test but the difficulty does spike towards the end of the story to an almost unfair degree. If you really want to get the maximum number of stars in the game (and get a trophy for it) you’re going to need other people to tackle the complex and devious cabin designs in the late game and bonus levels. Also, having more people around to play with means more screaming and yelling while the captain cackles away in between bouts of shouting out for more plungers. How is that never not fun? This movie-based game, to my surprise, has a lot more going for it than initially expected.

Finding enjoyment in Unity requires a great deal of patience, more than anyone can afford. I want to like the game, and I do to some extent, however I cannot ignore that it’s broken. And there is no patch that can ever save Unity from its tarnished image.

I just can't get into the story here and the gameplay isn't exciting enough to hold my interest. I blame the dull characters and the repetitive hands-off approach to the battle system, respectively. There's a lot of individual things I like, but the game drops the ball on the most important parts of JRPG in my opinion, namely the story and the gameplay. I honestly can't recommend the game to anyone other than the most hardcore JRPG fanatics who are looking for their next fix. I suppose there is a reason it took ten years to get this game on PlayStation after all.

If your alright with renting the game, it might be a better idea given the games short length, otherwise this really is a pretty solid game that’s worth a look.

Retrovirus is a great adventure and it gives you some insight into what your computer could be dealing with each day you use it.

While Outer Worlds: Peril on Gorgon doesn’t introduce many new features to the game, it does offer more than enough for fans who are looking to venture back into this beautifully crafted world. The story leaves more to be desired, but still provides a solid and enjoyable experience that will certainly be a worth your time if you even remotely enjoyed the base game.

It really seems like it would have worked better as a middleware physics engine, because it certainly doesn’t work as a game.

Those without a Nintendo handheld system that want to know what the Fire Emblem noise is all about will find this to be a decent and competent, though not overly compelling, PlayStation analog.

Ultimately, Marooners doesn't have any staying power and almost no depth. But it's fun in the short term. This is a good game to whip out at a party or with a group of good friends once a year, but that's about it. If that's what you are looking for, then this game is right up there for you.

For as fun as the experience is, not being able to scale it back to something a little more manageable is a shame, but it's a game that gives a great experience if you're able to deal with the challenge.

It is not without some minor freshman bumps, but the overall package is one of the more compelling so far in 2011.

In the end, Dark Mirror is a good solid title that suffers from being a bit dated and missing some key features.

An average first person shooter on a console that is full and rich of these sorts of games. The game has some nice touches, like the map editor, but in the long run it's just not a good enough FPS to stand out against the rest of the Xbox library.

Graphically it is the best Xbox game to appear this year (along with Panzer Dragoon). In terms of gameplay its story line will have you laughing and its explosive set pieces will have you yearning for more. Its balanced combination of all out blasting and adventure objectives will keep you entertained from start until finish.

The HD collection brings the on-rails action to the PS3 with zombies and leeches and yeti looking things, oh my! The Umbrella Chronicles and Darkside Chronicles keep you entertained with huge worm looking enemies and zombies. Yes, more zombies. I've enjoyed the majority of the Resident Evil series and feel that this collection is a great addition to any gamer's backlog. It retains the dark, ominous mystery that Resident Evil encompasses in each game and only surrounds you with the story of good versus evil in a world covered in zombies.

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.

I would still love to see what this game would be if B.U.D.’s rag doll body and movements were replaced with traditional animation and controls. It would mitigate a lot of the game’s frustrating problems without losing what makes it a special experience.

The game’s biggest strength is how it observes life through its characters and narrative design. Too bad some promising opportunities are missed. I can’t go into details without spoiling the story but as a long-time fan of Asian horror, I was disappointed by how Tokyo Dark eventually goes to obsessive lengths to explain its mystery. The excessive pile-up of endings only manages to undermine the room for interpretations, which seemed so open in the beginning. Some things should be better left as mysteries. In the end, I was most content with the first ending I got; a non-nonsense and weary recollection. Nonetheless, I found myself returning to the seedy streets of Tokyo, replaying the same events time and again.

It isn’t a terrible game by a long stretch, and it is possible to like it if you don’t mind playing through what amounts to an interactive novel. It does have a few memorable moments.

Despite its shortcomings, Mr. Shifty is a fun adrenaline rush that tests your twitch reflexes and quick thinking. Each level has your heart pumping as you dodge bullets only to get hit by that one stray grenade. Death comes quickly, but respawns come even faster, and you will need them. While some levels can be frustrating due to difficulty spikes, you’ll get the hang of it eventually. And when you finally complete that one trouble spot, you’ll feel that rush of accomplishment. Mr. Shifty is a fun, competent action game that offers a brief, but great, rush of excitement that is only slightly marred by technical issues.

Effie has a lot going on, but without any real direction. It evokes vague senses of nostalgia from games with clear visions, but fails to do much with the inspirations it draws from. The open world’s visuals are somewhat of a treat synergized well with the impressive shield-surfing gameplay. Mechanically unfocused, the game is ultimately hindered by an overly ambitious approach to the design. Effie might be worth looking for those who are okay with a simple, shallow platforming experience.

The game works within its microverse but it has a tendency to get locked up in its gameplay loop. When nothing is happening apart from routinely harvesting ore, it takes persistence to keep the expedition going on. I can imagine a real space travel Genesis Alpha One portrays in its video game terms being rather uneventful. Heck, you wouldn’t even want anything unexpected happening but being safe and sound even at the risk of getting bored. So, as odd as it may sound, uneventfulness is the game’s biggest virtue. Otherwise, you’d be desperately running and gunning around corridors until you run out of ammunition and crew members and start your trek all over again.

The fourth in the series continues with what works, featuring standard turn-based RPG conventions, with a bit more twist and strategy in combat.

Konami's massively hip dancer comes out for the Cube, as Mario does the boogie to classic Nintendo tunes. A solid choice for music-hungry fans.

Fortified is certainly an enjoyable game to play. The lack of variety and somewhat cliche story isn’t necessarily going to grab you, but the lighthearted tone of the game coupled with its entertaining wave-based combat makes for an pretty solid title.

If you are a fan of the Speed Racer label then you will have a good reason to go check out Speed Racer: The Videogame.

There is a day-one patch that will go up right around the time of this review that will address some of the less polished elements I experienced. But it’s a game that more so than past versions feels like it needed more development time before release. It’s also a tough one to recommend because the changes between this year’s game and last feel minor. It’s still a very good game of football and I’m excited to see where the franchise goes on the next-gen consoles, but as the swan song for this generation, this version goes out with a very quiet release.

Deus Ex: The Fall is a very ambitious game that pays off in some significant ways but fails in some fairly key areas.

Man of Medan kicks off The Dark Pictures Anthology so elegantly and chillingly that you just can't get enough of that lovie-dovie stuff.

In the end, Archangel makes a good first impression, but the fact of the matter is this is a game you’d play at a Dave & Buster’s. The on-rail nature of gameplay makes it better suited to an experience rather than a video game. There’s no reason to play through it a second time, either. Nothing about the two to three-hour story, the characters, or the gameplay made me say, “Gosh, I really want to play this again!” As much as I wanted Archangel to be a first-person Zone of the Enders, I do have to be realistic. That sort of experience isn’t possible on the platform yet. Maybe if it came with a Steel Battalion-like control system, it’d be a lot more fun and interactive. But considering the limits of the Move controllers, what I want the game to be isn’t possible right now. And that’s a shame because Archangel has some promise, and I wish I could engage with it more than I am allowed to. A decent way to kill an afternoon, though you might want to wait for the price to drop below $40.

The Cave isn’t completely without merit, but it is unquestionably a subpar game in more than a few respects, and one of its developer’s weakest outings. It has a great look and an interesting setup, but it just loses too much of its potential to middling mechanics. I wouldn’t recommend spending your fifteen bucks on it.

The combat is fine enough, but the puzzles are the things I thought were the best parts of the game and the ones that really stand out as something I’d like to go back to. They were fun and engaging and by far the best part and if there was more focus on them, I’d be singing praises. But uninteresting lore and shrug-worthy combat separated those bits, and just left me longing for a version of this game I could enjoy more.

Given where Episode 2 leaves us, I am truly looking forward to see where A New Frontier goes. Javier is a charming character with a deep backstory, and they way his family is introduced throughout the past and present leads to an immediate investment in his future. Add in some shady actions on Clementine’s part, as well as the overwhelming desire to keep her around, and I feel that TWD is back on the right track. Telltale continues to impress.

The new driving physics are very enjoyable, the sense of speed is at best dizzying, real-time weather works to a great effect, and there is a lot of offline and online content (and progress between them is mutual). Dozens of tracks to race on come from all over the world, painstakingly recreated from real ones (along with some made-up ones) to maximize their authenticity. However, these positives are buried under excess rubble of inexcusably coarse presentation and flawed game design that leans too much on merciless grind instead of rewarding natural progress.