Relive those classic WWII naval battles with this sim, which provides overwhelming customization options with a dash of RTS and RPG elements.

There’s absolutely no variety, not even when the lurking horrors start to crawl in and the characters are taken into a dream world once in a while. They, too, play out painfully similar to everything else in the game. As a reviewer, I’m obliged to play games throughout so that I can give an objective view of them. But I have a hunch that if I had purchased Achtung! Cthulhu Tactics for my own pleasure, I would have played it only for a couple of missions and then moved onto something more exciting. When the Cthulhu mythos is left largely untapped in the tepid action, the game is yet another addition to the long list of unsatisfactory takes on the subject.

Thunder Wolves aims to embody the 80′s action flick and does so in a pretty fun manor. The gameplay is simple and enjoyable for the short time you’ll play, and the story feels appropriately campy. Enemies explode by the dozen and missiles fly left and right at all times.

Far from revolutionizing the genre, it falls victim to the same fault of "Dynasty Warriors" - repetitive gameplay.

Midway ports the Blitz on the 360, but doesn't feature anything new, apart from visual improvements here and there. Get it only if you didn't already.

As-is, it’s a fun diversion comparable to the many free internet game options that have been available for years. It’s not worth $10, but I’d recommend it if it ever dropped to $1 and you’re only looking to kill an afternoon.

It’s a shame that the combat is such a drag because it’s the main part of a game that is overflowing with life and excitement.

Life Is Strange: Before The Storm has its moments but on the whole, it just didn’t do enough to capture my attention the way Life Is Strange did. Though easily a tumultuous period in her life, Chloe wasn’t as interesting as she was in the original game. The whole back talk mechanic isn’t an adequate replacement for Max’s time travel ability because I feel the consequences weren’t nearly as substantial.

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.

The game has too many instances where things will be going great and you will be enjoying it and then you will be stuck having to get enough hero points to complete the chapter. The other big downside to the game is the fact that the enemies are more of an annoyance then a challenge.

The visuals are bright, and despite their overly rich nature, the screens are easy to read. The character graphics can be awkward though, and the voice acting is sadly pretty ho-hum, with only a few voice actors doing a bit too many characters for their skill range. Nevertheless, the numerous cut scenes enrich the experience. In the end, Lost Grimoires: Stolen Kingdom is not quite like your typical Artifex Mundi game, for better or worse. While the story is intriguing and mostly succeeds in its ambiguity, the game itself is a tad too simple.

It is not a bad experience, but it is probably not the one that should be at the top of your wish list.

Invisible Inc. is a game with a lot of hidden depth that is waiting to be explored and exploited; and while the story is severely lacking it’s still worth the $20 to checkout and run through a few times.

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 is a not terrible time and a pretty good game. While the story is nothing to write home about, and the gameplay is beginning to feel more than a little played out at this point, you know, definitively, if you want to play this game or not just based on the title. After 12 years, a LEGO game is a LEGO game is a LEGO game.

In the end, Crackdown 3 isn’t a bad game. It’s just... fine. It’s largely inoffensive, the combat is generally OK, the driving is harmlessly average. Graphically, the game looks alright and retains the finely cel-shaded look adopted by the 2005 game. It’s a fun enough to spend a couple hours with at any given time, be it hunting orbs or taking down Terra Nova facilities. I imagine it’d be even better with friends, being one of those games that’s fun to meet up and just goof around for a little bit. The thing is, though, Crackdown 3 feels stuck in 2005. Hero-based open world games, like Spider-Man, Just Cause, hell, even Skyrim and Grand Theft Auto, have either pushed the genre further in their own ways or made playing around in sandboxes fun, fast, and thrilling. Crackdown 3 isn’t bad, it just drives aggressively down the middle of the road.

The popular cyberpets community gets into the gaming scene with this typical action RPG. Decent offering, but plain to see it's meant for the younger gamers.

Doesn't do anything new or exciting, and this really translates into a rather lackluster performance.

Unless you are dying to check out The Life on NBA 09: The Inside you have better basketball choices this holiday season.

In the simplest terms, playing The Witcher 2 is a lot like attending an archaeological dig with nothing but your bare hands: you're sure to come up with something amazing, but you'll suffer a lot of unnecessary punishment and stress to attain it.

While UnderHero provides a fantastical divergent critique of overdone narrative tropes that plague both classic and modern RPGs, the boring character/level design and steady reliance on conventional mechanical tropes prevent it from being a wholly transformative, reimagining of the genre.

It builds a strong foundation on the gameplay front, offering up rewarding combat and simple skills, but doesn’t follow that with anything substantial, being content to let the standard end game grind and excellent-yet-stressful PVP try to cover all the questions its writing leaves you with.

The design of the monsters and the Innsmouthers are fantastic and the world building is creepy and fun. However, The Sinking City gets hamstrung by an overall chunkiness it doesn’t quite recover from. It’s hard to stay invested when combat is terrible and glitches and crashes ruin pacing and progression. This is a game demands a lot of patience and tolerance.

It could have been a good start to the series, but there are some really frustrating elements, and it baffles me how the developers looked at them and said, “yes, this is the product we want to release to the world”: the terrible semi-fixed camera that moves in an unpredictable manner as you move around, the boring gunfight segments, and the fact that, for a standalone episode, pretty much nothing actually happens.

Xenoraid isn’t bad, but it’s not good either. It didn’t feel like a complete waste of time, though. For the first hour or so, the game didn’t provide any kind of challenge, and I was left feeling a bit bored. The trouble is, even though the game gets better after a while, the game never really changes up its design, so it always seems like you’re doing the same boring things, even if it’s just a bit more challenging. Everything is much too repetitive and lacks substance. Once again, it’s just another indie title that you’ll forget you ever bought.

NBA Playgrounds does a solid job of filling the void left by the NBA Street and NBA Jam series. There is a deep roster of players, and the game's cartoonish visuals look great, but the bare-bones online play and frustrating gameplay mechanics sometimes make the game feel more like a chore rather than an enjoyable experience.

This squad-based shooter badly needed something extra to set it apart from the others, as it falls off the mark due to complicated controls and terrible AI.

It never completely captures the intensity or fun of previous Starfox titles and the strategy elements don’t offer enough depth to completely make up for it.

Pirate Pop Plus is really just a victim of changing expectations in the market – if it had come out on the original Game Boy, say, it would be an easy rec. Fun, high score challenge, and look at how much to unlock, just incredible! But now it just feels very shallow, and the $5 asking price starts to feel weirdly steep for a game that would feel so much more at home on a phone, the last bastion for these kinds of "boot em up quick at the doctors office!" types of games. If it comes out there and has an awesome high score tracking feature or something, it's easy to recommend, but now if you just want to grab something fun and don't mind spending the $5, you could do worse.

Those who can break through the complexity and achieve that “AHA!” moment will be the ones that get the most out of this robot simulation.

There is probably a reason that chess has withstood fundamental changes over the centuries, and that reason might be its near-perfect balance of offensive and defensive strategies and how it appeals to gamers at all levels of expertise. Still, there is an intimidation factor and a perception that beyond the basics, winning requires a lot of memorization and the ability to think many moves ahead. Super X Chess removes that particular barrier and although the Super X rules are not going to permanently revolutionize the game, they do serve to sweep the cobwebs off the dusty shelf of rote, memorized and uninspired play.

I can’t shake the feeling that Illusion is in fact and old, abandoned game that got finished in all silence. It could explain why it’s technically and mentally so old-fashioned. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make the game a timeless classic but a bundle of unanswered expectations. 20 bucks is a way too steep asking price for what Illusion has to offer. Pick it up from a digital sale if you insist.

Sky Force Anniversary is a polished and slick shoot 'em up but for a solo player it's more miss than a hit. It's really nothing special and there are more flashy games in the same genre available. If you have a friend to play the local co-op with the Sky Force Anniversary is more rewarding experience. Still I would have preferred the classic way of doing shooters instead of a grind festival which makes more sense in the mobile market due to the micro transactions easing up the way for the more impatient players.

The characters you meet are entertaining and visually gorgeous, with each having distinct personalities and all feel like a cohesive part of the world. The slow pace and vague directions to progress, however, make the story hard to experience in a satisfying manner. If you’re willing to overlook some tough gameplay elements, Smoke and Sacrifice’s heart beats strong with a gripping and enthralling story. Be warned, though, the barrier to entry could be a potential turnoff.

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.

Microsoft seeks to spice things up with this sequel to the surprise hit Party game. Although the game can be fun with friends, it is let down by the bland single player mode.

Lovingly assembled and enjoyable while it lasts, Retro/Grade is ultimately too meagre a package to be fully recommended. Rhythm game fans will get some mileage out of its solid gameplay and its unique wrapper helps the basic rhythm gameplay feel new, but unless you really fall in love with the presentation, it's tough to see anyone playing it more than a couple hours and essentially playing (and hearing) everything it truly has to offer long before the challenges end.

In a serious need of additional development, bug-fixes and testing, as well as ditching the misguided fixed camera, Eternity: The Last Unicorn plays like a medley of solid action-RPG mechanics and ideas without much depth or polish. The setting, characters and story are its saving grace but their charms are overshadowed by the game’s repetitive and sluggish combat and the annoying camera. Calling a game’s mechanics “classic” is no excuse for gameplay that is simply not very satisfying or fun.

What is left is a run-of-the-mill 2D sidescroller grafted to a superficial Assassin’s Creed theme. More than anything Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China makes me less interested in the rest of the new series. Give me a proper Assassin’s Creed game set in China instead.

Nintendo transitions the classic SNES hit Excitebike to the Wii, but lets us down with overly simplistic, shallow gameplay and barely decent graphics.

The sequel to the Empires branch of the famed tactical actioner actually adds some strategic elements to the mix, but sadly let down by severely dumbed down combat and enemy AI.

The ideas behind Conflict: Vietnam are there, the execution of the game just is not.

Girl With A Heart Of is a decent first game that, sadly, has a number of flaws preventing it from achieving greatness.

Make no mistake, if you enjoyed what you have played so far of Pillars of Eternity, then it will be worthwhile for you to finish off the saga by playing this expansion pack. It is more of what you loved in your previous experience with this game. With that said, you might be surprised by how much that disappoints you, or how just plain tired you are of it.

If you’ve ever played a Bomberman game, nothing will surprise you about this modest entry. The fast-paced multiplayer action remains on top of its game, provided you’re not playing with the laggy online mode. But it’s still a tough sell, considering we’ve seen this standard battle mode before, and done better in some cases. Unless this is your only means of playing old-school Bomberman, there are cheaper and more content-rich options on older consoles. More than anything, Super Bomberman R serves as a blip on Bomberman’s heart monitor. As a fan of the series, I’m excited that the little white bomber is back, but he deserves better than this

Despite moment’s of brilliance, it’s hard to recommend to an audience of any age, whether it be a fifty year old gaming aficionado or a five year old infant.

It's possible to enjoy Conan Exiles, primarily for its tie-in to the legendary character and his mythology, which is subtly reflected in the game world. At its core, Conan Exiles is another open world crafting and survival game: heavy on grinding, lonely for single players and frustrating for most in multiplayer. Overall, it feels like a product coming a little too late to an overcrowded table. As a genre, the realistic survival/building niche (Minecraft aside) is still opaque and in need of a streamlined, mass-appeal hit. Conan Exiles is not that game.

I wanted to love this game, I really did; the first stage showed so much promise but the lack of content and variety cemented this as an average game with a killer soundtrack and lofty aspirations.

Kinect Sports: Season Two is a mixed bag. A few of the sports were fun, while others were disappointing. Menu navigation has been greatly improved from the original and voice controls were a welcome feature, even if they didn't work perfectly. The game gets boring really fast, and there's nothing that will keep you coming back to play.

Azkend 2: The World Beneath has an interesting concept but executes it in a way that causes more stress than fun. Still, its a unique take on the match-3 genre, with a clever story mode and rich presentation helping it stand out among the pack. It’s worth a try for puzzle fans, but not every adventurer will appreciate this journey.

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.

While it’s alright in quick bursts, it gets tiring very quickly, and it won’t be too long before you find yourself wanting to go back to main series games and play something more fulfilling.

Squids Odyssey is very lengthy and may get repetitive, but for the times in between games or while watching TV it is the perfect fit.

The game really just does not manage to recapture the glory that was found in the original.

All in all these games are truly a blast from the past, and back in their day (1999 / 2000) were some of the best RPG outings you could find on the PC. Today though, I can't say that they are anything more than a nostalgic cash grab. There are no updates here and the amount of bugs I had to get through is just plain unacceptable. Don't get me wrong: Icewind Dale is still a fun dungeon-exploring D&D adventure and Planescape has one of gaming's best stories hands-down but even with them coming to modern consoles these games really show their age. Tread carefully!

Though later levels offer different and more challenging obstacles, it won’t take you long to settle in. I wish the practice of targeting and interacting with people was less reliant on the headset, but if that had been the case, there’d be no reason to make it a virtual reality enabled product (though to be truthful, it doesn’t need to be). If you’ve played any of Dakko Dakko’s previous games, you have a fairly good idea of what you’re getting into; a simple and straightforward game that bubbles with personality and is effective at passing the time.

Blackgate should be a good time for anyone willing to pick it up as long as you can look past some speed bumps.

Picking up where the cult horror movie left off, this budget title tries to thrill us with new ideas, but even with Bruce "Ash" Campbell lending a hand, it stays a budget title.

Put simply, Dead Space 1&2 are stories that have embedded themselves in my thoughts and kept me thinking for literal years after the fact, whereas Dead Space 3 is just a game. It’s a let-down, to be sure, but it’s not a total waste of time.

Apart from the name, this is not a pet simulator, but rather a collection of quirky minigames. It's fun for a while, but lacks variety and depth to take it further.

Catherine is a very unique game that is set back by it's own repetitiveness and annoying puzzles. After the fifteen hours it took me to complete the game, I was glad that I got to experience the narrative, but I never want to touch the game again for the game play. It's hard for me to recommend a game that I kept playing just to get to the next cut scene.

If you’re looking for a fun few hours of casual gameplay I can honestly recommend Nimble Quest without hesitation, just don’t expect to beat the game as fast as you think you will. Hitting that wall can be a major bummer.

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

Overall, Bad Bots was a great game to play.

While it may have its problems and feature lackluster content the games still hold up and are able provide an entertaining collection to fans of MK and other fighting games.

As a stand-alone title, there are plenty of puzzles to enjoy here, and the game is very user-friendly as well (not to mention an easy target for trophy hunters). If you enjoy the genre and those things are a plus for you, this can still be a title worth picking up.

If you're thinking of playing the hit series 'Lost' on the DS, you're sorely wrong, as the survival part here gets pretty boring very quickly.

While you're making your way through its main story on the default difficulty, Butcher is great. In addition to thoughtful, satisfying gameplay, the whole thing just gives off this impeccable sense of attitude. But when you try out the higher difficulties, its control layout becomes its Achilles' heel. If we look at the game as a whole, it's a combination of high quality and wasted potential. If we only include the stuff that's worth playing, there just isn't enough of it. Either way, Butcher is a middling experience bolstered somewhat by its sense of character.

“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.

A bit of a disappointment however, as it just doesn't provide any new or an original feel. Therefore the game feels a bit bland and doesn't have a new or fresh feel to it.

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.

While I enjoyed some stents with the game, its monotonous design would be more at home on a portable device given that play sessions would be shorter. That said, Loc is a completely serviceable puzzle game that lacks engagement.

Age of Enigma: The Secret of the Sixth Ghost is a decent game.

In addition to a spectacularly unlikable antihero protagonist, Devil’s Hunt has combat that sometimes feels like an afterthought and endless cutscenes that desperately need the help of better writers and designers. I liked its story, and a better executed Devil’s Hunt could give Devil May Cry or that other Polish novel-based game a run for its money.

If you're dying to get your hands on another point and click game, Hector works fine in a pinch, but you might want to find another (like Runaway: A Road Adventure or A Vampyre Story) or start dipping into the classics if you haven't already.

Sadly SOCOM Confrontation is a disappointment given the fact that it feels like an unfinished and rushed game. The gameplay is generally solid, but also unchanged from previous installments, but server issues have held it back from being playable for the most part.

During my play, I encountered a few dips in frame rate here and there. Aside from that, the game runs pretty well on the Switch, both docked and in a hand-held mode. The game also has extremely rough edges with PS1-era AI and uninspired level designs, which casual players will not easily forgive. When all is said and done, Aragami is a serviceable stealth game overall. Stealth/puzzle combo has its own merit and will appeal to hardcore stealth game fans for sure.

Fade to Silence is a true survival game that I want to like a lot more than I do. A passionate team has cooked up some tasty scraps in this frozen hell, but I’m forced to share the meal with irritating company. The ideas are great in theory, but too many elements end up in the realm of mediocrity. Nothing ruins the game, though, yet it is also prevented from being something more. The end result is a survival experience that’s simply enjoyable, but I can’t commend it beyond that.

The fighting system isn’t bad, it seems perfectly balanced, I just didn’t particular care for the way the game moved. If the movement had been more fluid, I think I would have really liked this game a lot.

NBA 08 for the PS2 may be the last time we see The Life on the PS2. Unfortunately Volume 3 just felt too familiar to the last two outings, and we're expecting much more for the third game in the franchise.

This new release -- cosmetically better but lacking the overhaul that would really help the game stand up to current titles -- doesn't go far enough. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a cynical cash-grab, but I am disappointed that it not only fails to make the original Titan Quest experience much better, it adds some additional flaws and strips away some of the potential for enjoyment.

Having Cassie's blindness as the defining game play mechanic results in a visually repetitive experience where again, one can appreciate the developer's sincerity in tackling a significant subject, but not necessarily enjoy the aesthetic results. Perception is not a long game but becomes repetitive early on. In the end, the gameplay implications of a character with a significant handicap are folded into an intriguing premise that is simply not executed very well.

Unfortunately, the game's uninspired characters and repetitive combat prevent it from capitalizing on its strengths. Throw in some other rough edges, from wonky UI design to dialogue quibbles, and Windscape solidifies itself not necessarily as a bad game, but as an average one, through and through. Die-hard Elder Scrolls fans may have some simple fun scouring Windscape's world for quests and bosses, but it's tough to imagine many others wishing to dive into Ida's unremarkable world.

Wasteland Angel won't blow anyone away and you'll likely just feel like you're just going through the motions on an autopilot and never really engaged in all the action and chaos that ensues. Its few flashes of fun are derived only from the frantic pace and the neat special weapons, but it's all bogged down a general lack of variety and it's over before you know it, resulting in a game that's average at best.

If you go into this game expecting horror and mind-blowing puzzles, you’ll be disappointed. However, the storyline and the artwork justifies the purpose of the game, especially if you actually understand the story *cough* unlike me *cough*. If anything, I’ll at least be picking up a Lovecraft book from my local library so I can fake it better next time.

It’s certainly not for everyone, but for those willing to look past the bumps and bruises, there is a decently fun time to be had with Gemini: Heroes Reborn.

Constant C are is a game that is too difficult for its own good. It has little to no room for error, especially near the end. Lacking a tutorial system forces the player to figure everything out on his or her own. It started off very fun with just the right level of challenge. As more is introduced it quickly became overwhelming.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II offers mildly engaging but ultimately underwhelming entertainment. Hardcore fans of the genre who simply can’t get enough of hacking and slashing through fantasy worlds will probably get their money’s worth, but the rest should wait for the game to appear under Games for Gold program like the first part.

There is, of course, nothing wrong with complexity and challenge in a game but Warsaw adds to the mix some capricious unpredicatability in its AI mechanics and design that can be frustrating, resulting in gameplay that is simply not on the winning side of the challenge/reward equation. Some streamlined systems and little more tolerance for varied playstyles and approaches would make Warsaw feel encouraging of creativity. If Warsaw’s intent was conveying the hopeless desperation that the city’s residents felt in 1944 was the goal, the title succeeds but that doesn’t necessarily make for an engaging game.

I like the game overall, but it tends to grow a bit tired after a few missions from the story.

If you are a gluten for punishment, like a challenge or have a lot of patience, then Bloodrayne Betrayal is worth picking. For the rest of us? Let Rayne and her game rest in peace…

Overall We Love Golf! turned out to be another middle of the road Wii title that this time actually made use of the systems controls, but forgot to put in the whole package.

Currently the game feels incredibly overpriced at $15 as it feels very much like a free, online game that’s been bulked out with additional levels and a couple of added in features.

Assuming one doesn’t fail too many missions, The Slater is a relatively short game with virtually no replay value as trying to get a better overall score isn’t much of an incentive to laboriously move through the same sequences again. Somewhere deep down I think that The Slater has a decent premise, but there is so much wrong with the execution I had a hard time finding it.

The computer AI is frustrating and the shooting mechanics are not the best of the bunch.

And that’s Fallout Shelter‘s big problem: the graphics are great, the coding is great, and the music is great. But working as a Vault-Tec Overseer feels too much like being stuck in middle management: it just gets tediously repetitive after a while.

In summary, I believe the game could’ve been more than just a little trip runner with the fanciness of a sci-fi setting; there’s so much hype you can produce from a werewolf stuck in a space station before it all is dispelled at the moment of giving the players control over their game.

The poor story mode and the absence of the online play really hurts the game's overall value.

This tale of the comical (and dead) knight starts off brilliantly, but the excitement tapers off when severely hampered by the nasty camera and repetitive action.