The command system is not perfect and can feel slightly convoluted to utilize at times, and the tedium of solving cryptic puzzle after puzzle may wear down the patience of most players, yet despite these shortcomings, Shadowgate still remains a stimulating adventure, for both veterans of the and newcomers to the series.

The action on the ice is fantastic. It looks great and plays even better. However even with the beauty on the ice there is a lack of substance within the game that makes NHL 15 feel like it needed another year before being released on the new consoles.

There’s fun to be had if you look for it, but if it’s a matter of choosing one group of tables over another, its certainly something I would take into account.

Unless you are a die-hard fan of the series, most of us can probably stay clear of this one.

The one thing that does however drag the game down is the poor computer AI, which at first can be funny but after a while just becomes a big annoyance.

This budget game serves up some basic and ordinary poker action, with decent Xbox Live support.

Nitrobike is a good idea, it does a lot of things right, but it isn't the final product I think Left Field Productions wanted it to be.

It’s not a great all-around experience but it gives you the tools to make some memorable moments.

Loot Rascals does a lot of things differently, but not necessarily better. It looks great and has a fun premise to it, molding together board games, card collecting, and dungeon crawling but the randomness of runs sucks some of the fun out of the game. Loot Rascals is easy to pick up and play and much like Nuclear Throne or Enter the Gungeon, it’s a great game for a quick run or two before bed. However, there is a real lack of progression throughout the game, making you feel like even if you spend hours with it you accomplish very little if you don’t beat the game. Sure, you might get to a new level, but once you die your progress is basically wiped out completely. Loot Rascals tries a lot of new things in its design and some of those things come across really well, but the lack of progression and roll-the-dice mentality make it somewhat frustrating to spend time in this otherwise pleasant and cheery world.

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.

The variety of puzzles and things you do helps break it up so you’re not just endlessly trying to combine items to win, and you never really feel lost about what your goal is, which is a big plus for an adventure game in my book. It’s in these more traditional parts that it’s a little too slow and simple, though. Unfortunately, this slower, simpler stuff is what takes up the bulk of the experience.

Party Hard 2 is a serviceable, yet mostly bland game with little going for it besides some of its music and the tense gameplay. Planning out killings without getting caught was the true highlight for me. The story lacks writing prowess and it’s further held back by the low budget production values. Overall, Party Hard 2 is a game I’d only recommend to those interested in some virtual mass murdering.

The classic hack and slasher makes a comeback on modern consoles and provides pretty decent gameplay, if only it featured much more.

Taking a break from the platform genre, Sonic goes racing ala Wipeout, with plenty of speed and more speed. Decent racer, albeit marred by a momentum-killing annoyance.

To me, Deep Sky Derelicts is a rare foil to the games of today. A title that hones in on creating exciting and rewarding gameplay systems is both difficult and rare. It’s the missing half to the atmospheric, but gameplay thin, Darkest Dungeon. That’s a real shame, too, because given the unique setting, there was so much space for creative expression. If you’re looking for another loot-based dungeon to crawl around in, there’s a solid game in here, but there’s just too many underwhelming things for me to get excited.

As much as I like the Bloodbowl tabletop, I've never felt that it translated well into video game form, and Dungeonbowl didn't change the way I feel.

There is fun to be had with Warriors Orochi 4, as I certainly found myself hooked in once I got going, yet I don’t recommend the game for the uninitiated. It failed to leave a strong lasting impression, and I lacked the emotional connection to the story concepts. If you’re a veteran of the franchise, you’ll find Koei Tecmo has made a solid entry to add to your library. If, like me, you’re still fresh-faced, wait for a sale or work your way towards it.

Suda51 is nothing if not subtle. His games always feel outrageous and over-the-top in ways that can be difficult to hold onto some measure of appeal. I love his stuff solely because I can never expect what he’s going to do. Travis Strikes Again was a huge disappointment because it doesn’t have the same high energy or memorable experiences of its predecessors. I do like all of the weird mixed media stuff going on but if you strip the presentation away, there isn’t anything left worth sticking around for.

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.

Hitman: Absolution does stand out from the ocean of gray and brown shooters that populate the market, but not in enough good ways to warrant a recommendation.

Röki pretends to be smarter - and more emotional - than it really is. As hard as it tries to impress and touch, it left me feeling as if I had eaten a plate of stale pickled herrings. Röki has gameplay and pacing issues but the biggest annoyance is that the lovable character you will play as has not been given any humanly worth beyond her obsessive mission. Maybe I take things too emotionally but overall, when reaching the unfortunately cliched ending after 14 hours of playing, I felt I could have spent that time better. While I enjoyed the game in parts and admired its enchanting look, it left a sour taste in my mouth.

Activision's blockbuster shooter gets on the Wii, and uses the console's controls for more precision. Pity it doesn't have anything else.

When viewed against the other two games in the series, Darksiders III is a disappointment. While I feel the gameplay is harder than it needs to be, I’m more concerned that the product seems half-broken in a lot of places. This is an upsetting follow-up to a great series and it deserves better.

The battles you encounter in both the single player and online modes are fun and can keep you entertained for a while. However, the gameplay became pretty repetitive after the first few fights.

Having introduced the revolutionary story-driven basketball title last year, Sony unfortunately takes a few steps back with an unpolished gameplay and severely dated visuals for its sequel.

Simply put, #killallzombies feels like half of a game.

Evoland is by no means a bad game but really just feels middling once you really get into it.

There is an ideal way to approach Space Hulk: Deathwing, which is with a trio of Warhammer 40K fans and pretty modest expectations. In that situation, blasting through the game and taking turns with the four distinct classes can be a lot of fun. As a solitary experience, the lack of engaging story and characters, class limitations, frustrating AI and various technical issues tip the scale to the negative.