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.

AO International Tennis is sadly not a great game of tennis. It can still be buggy (I’ve had it hard crash a couple of times), has really long load times, and just isn’t all that compelling. I put a ton of time into AO International Tennis and I can say that I never once found myself fully invested.

I really can't recommend Tiny Troopers for the PC. Even ignoring my own issues with the trooper design, I think the publisher's are asking a lot and not delivering enough for the $9.99 price tag. While the controls are tight and responsive, I think this title is one better left to the quick play opportunities of the less expensive mobile market.

The game has the mechanics down in the flying and running, but the combat and the game's progression just isn't up to par with where it needs to be.

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.

Limbo’s idea of a challenge is to lure you into false solutions until you happen upon the one that works, that is to say, if it works within the parameters of your limited movement. But the harsh truth is that trial and error is actually quite easy once you accept its inevitability. In fact, at that point it even manages to be minimally frustrating. The real issue is that it’s just so overwhelmingly dull, so mentally unstimulating, akin to floating in some kind of... limbo. Hm.

In the end, Dying: Reborn VR could have been a fairly okay product if it weren’t so harshly abridged. It’s a good enough VR experience, but without a coherent story to back it all up, it amounts to nothing more than a paid demo. If you're new to PlayStation VR, there are much better ways to spend your money and time.

It was a valiant effort by Dontnod, but it missed the mark. Graphically beautiful but mechanically messy, Twin Mirror is a failed attempt at a psychological thriller. The worst disappointment, however, is that the game made me want to visit Basswood, which...doesn’t exist.

Nostalgia is the sole reason I can fathom someone would want Dragon's Lair at this point and, admittedly, the Xbox Live Arcade version is as solid as a HD release as either the iOS or PSN release. Regardless, Dragon's Lair is a quest best remembered in kind aged memories rather than on your Xbox 360.

A hack and slash game should have been a decent choice for a newly launched console, but this one is made nearly unplayable by its frustrating camera system and shallow gameplay.

Sadly, about halfway through the lessons, the difficulty of completing the challenges spike, making the training far more aggravating then helpful. With this being the only other mode, the entire package feels feature light, even for a moderately priced downloadable offer.

Samurai Riot is a flawed take on the beat 'em up genre. While the game may supply a few fun nights of mindless gameplay, especially if conquered with a friend, its combat lacks the depth needed to truly engage the players, despite its interesting narrative and characters. Given beat 'em ups' storied history, there are far better games deserving your time.

The Trials component of this crossover came out swinging, with inventive level design and a host of enjoyable new mechanics, but Blood Dragon deserved better than this.

The cartoon might be a hit with the younger crowd, but the game disappoints with its unresponsive controls and lackluster action.

Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD fails to meet the same measure of fun that previous games in the series managed to accomplish.

Although the gameplay is sometimes too light for its own good, the relaxing nature of the experience, and the likable cast of idols makes the experience worth trying to some degree. Producing Perfection is such a unique title however, that most gamers will probably want to pass over this experience to something with a little more substance.

Dog Duty’s marketing makes it seem like a blast, but actually playing it is a sobering experience. It has its moments, and will surely be to someone’s taste, but the whole thing feels like wasted potential. It blends the tactics and action together in a way that dilute both halves, and what’s left is an experience that is too hollow to be a tactical, and too automated to have satisfying gameplay.

The combination of an energetic heroine exploring a vibrant world showed enough promise to make me eager for its debut. It’s both sad and frustrating to see the final product because I know it can be so much better. Travel is tedious, with environments so large as if to inspire awe but are a real slog to cross. Half-baked ideas, poor performance, and low reliability prevent it from reaching any heights and unless there’s some serious patchwork to be done, I can easily see this game being forgotten by the end of the year, if not sooner. Ary and the Secret of Seasons has its heart in the right place and displays flashes of greatness but nothing short of a major overhaul can fix its numerous and significant flaws.

Sony throws together some mini games and slaps the "spy" moniker in this lazy attempt to cash in on the holiday buying craze.

I truly believe that Beenox needs to re-look at how they develop their future Spider-Man titles because games like Edge of Time give me little reason to ever want to play another Spider-Man game again. Sure the game is competent, but worth recommending, not in the slightest.

Asura's Wrath is a title that's light on the undeniables, but foremost among those is that there's nothing else quite like it right now. That's not an entirely good thing, as Asura's exploits are likely best suited for other gameplay styles, or even other media.

What we have in the end is a game that charms you with how it looks and feels, but then does nothing to keep your attention. It shows you that it doesn't want to be generic; that it genuinely wants to be an entertaining and memorable experience. However, it's shallow, repetitive, and tedious- things that were probably meant to be obscured by its broken online mode. With its likable premise and art style, this one really makes you wish it were better than it is. There seems to be a gore-free gem in every genre. Super Dungeon Bros is not one of them.

Unfortunately, when all of the issues stack up—the snail's pace gameplay, the graveyard-quiet servers, the small player base, the not-very-good server connections, the flat and lifeless sound design, and the futility of trying to play a squad-based game when most people just want to go for kills—it makes it kind of hard to recommend Verdun on Xbox One.

The featured gameplay is too samey and numbing to hold excitement through longer spells of playing. Even in shorter sessions, you can’t help but wonder if you’re just wasting your time. The thing is, everything in the game, from visuals to the gameplay, is definitely B-grade stuff - except for the price tag.

Deadly Premonition succeeded because it was fascinating to watch the story unfold through a series of arcs that would eventually involve everyone in the town by the end of the game. For the sequel, many of its characters are little more than obstacles to overcome and when you do, you barely hear from them ever again unless the story calls for them to make an appearance out of convenience. When you get right down to it, A Blessing In Disguise’s attempt to recapture lightning in a bottle largely fumbles because of its severe banality and ho-hum drama.

If you are looking for a cheap way to spend a few hours with some friends, and want something light enough to tear through and easy enough to put down when you’ve had your fill, you might find some enjoyment here. Otherwise, I’d look elsewhere.

In the end I found the game to be fun in small doses, but the repetitive levels and grindy gameplay turned me off.

Alan Wake is at its best when it is tense yet manageable. Those moments when you know you have little ammo but can strategically take out a group of baddies with the right timing are absolutely incredible. Sadly those moments don't pop up often in American Nightmare and the story dies out pretty quickly which was the original game's saving grace. I can't speak for every fan of Alan Wake but it was the story and atmosphere that pulled me in like darkness did to Wake, without those being exciting the gun-play does little to hold my interest.