It would be a gamble to recommend it to most people, but for some who might find the concept intriguing and might find the elements I found frustrating simply a challenge, it might still be worth a look.

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.

Even with the talent of Patrick Stewart the game is just not playable in a way that would make for a fun and enticing experience.

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.

A sincere and genuine attempt to tell a story about the impact of depression, Anamorphine as a delivery vehicle for addressing mental illness is constantly undermined by its engine troubles.

It falls into the same traps that have plagued the genre for years. The game’s internal logic is hard to follow, the puzzles incorporate too much trial-and-error, and the plot is contrived and inconsistent. This is all combined with cheap-looking Flash visuals. The game isn’t a lost cause and its nostalgic playstyle may still appeal to the most hardcore graphic adventure fans. Otherwise, the crew of the Helmholtz Resonators are on to something: there are probably better things to do than solving the mystery of Woolley Mountain.

If you're ready to relive those golden days of spending your allowances at the arcades, be prepared to pay quite a premium for this average collection.

Even if the game’s challenge or the appeal of having a shiny new toy tempt you to acquire this game though, you are better off leaving it alone.

When you first take a peek at 2Dark, the name, the descriptions and whatnot, you get a sense that this game is just gonna be another generic survival horror game that takes itself way too seriously -- maybe with crafting elements sprinkled in there to further piss me off; No charm, no redeeming value, either a Silent Hill knockoff or a Slenderman knockoff. However you will soon realize that 2Dark is, and thank god for that, its own original thing with a different approach to horror. The story is deliberately cheesy. The game itself knows that the story's bland, is quickly brushed off and rarely mentioned ever again. You're a private detective with a murdered family who rescues children from evil clowns, serial killers and rest of the kitchen sink. It's okay, not too aggregating, a bit too edgy but mostly harmless.

Bitlogic: A Cyberpunk Arcade Adventure captures the feel of games from a bygone time, but it does so in a fashion that is almost entirely detrimental. The restrictions on aiming and movement makes combat unpleasant, and traversal is usually a matter of trial and error. Although the MSX version of the game, included in the package, has a fairly striking look, the updated graphics don't look nearly as inspired, and smaller details, like the lack of death animations for enemies or the protagonist, make the visual overhaul rather unconvincing. The more interesting enemy setups in the last few areas tease at undercurrents of potential that is never fully reached. There are many titles out there that utilize the archetypes of classic gaming to create challenging and rewarding gameplay loops, but Bitlogic is not one of them.

As good as the game could have been, you cannot manage to overlook the fact that the experience just isn't up to par with other basketball games that are out there right now.

It's a lot of work to get into politics, but it's also a lot to try and turn it into a simulation for us to play at home. I would never say this game is a perfect simulation of anything, but it does a great job of being a simple, accessible simulation game even for people who aren't really into that type of game.

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.

The classic Frogger series seeks to shine again, but instead cannot seem to get with the times, due to frustrating controls and stale gameplay ideas.

I would say if you are looking for a LEGO game on the go then you should probably just keep waiting until they decide to put forth a real effort. If you still want to check this game out then I can only warn you by saying it's only slightly better than their last attempt and can only hold up because of the source material.

The game heartily emphasizes family values, where the unifying factor is ultimately to love over good food. Those who enter the family from outside are as much uncles, aunts, and cousins as those who were born into it. Of course, the story is mushy, but these days when gritty games try their hardest to tear you into pieces, there’s a vacant lot for feel-good entertainment. In this context, it’s heartless to moan about some gameplay and design issues, like mostly uneventful driving parts or linear nature of family meetings where a failure is hardly an option. All these gripes are fully acceptable if you put your heart into the game. Road to Guangdong might not be the next must-buy hit but it has more humanity to share than most games out there put together.

This all may come across as overly harsh and a tad vindictive, but I really wanted to love this game. There's so many juicy elements in Valkyria Revolution that could have been molded into a truly wonderful experience, but all those pieces just never seemed to properly assemble. I appreciate that the designers tried something new with the combat, but trying to blend strategy RPG elements with a hack 'n' slash just didn't work in this case. If you're curious about the Valkyria franchise, my advice would be to pick up the HD remaster of the original Valkyria Chronicles. I can't speak for the two follow-up games released on the Vita, but I can say, with certainty, that Valkyria Revolution is not worth your time or money.

I think Jurassic Park is a game that can be skipped. A couple of great moments with the T-Rex cannot help this 6-8 hour long treacherous journey through Isla Nublar.

It's bound to happen sooner or later. Critical Hour serves up an uninspired gameplay and dull visuals, which had all the signs of a rushed title.

It’s a shame some of the weird recognition stuff gets in the way, but if you just want to solve some puzzles, it’s more than adequate, and if you can solve them fast enough, even the time trial modes are easily overcome.

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.

Insomnia: The Ark has an exceptionally cool premise and a very complex story to tell but the game that Mono Studio built to house its vision doesn’t always do a great job. It simply moves too slowly and lacks a central narrative drive. It’s burdened by combat that is both hardcore and limited, and by lots of smaller issues that add up to a bigger overall impression of messiness and missed opportunities.

Don’t bother with Nippon Marathon if you don’t a have company to play the game with or if saying “keep it real, keep it Nippon” makes you irritated. Everyone else, though, forget cheap production values and throw yourself broad-mindedly into the craziness of Nippon Marathon!

When it is all said and done LOTR: Conquest is a good game that fans of the series will enjoy.

Warfighter is uninspired, underdeveloped, and completely profligate with the solemn potential of its core concept.

All in all RocketBowl has a great idea of what a bowling game can do to appeal to someone who isn’t a big fan of the sport, but fails to use it at any level.

The only problem is it has to be fun, and Lost: Via Domus is just not.

It’s delightful that marginal games like Overpass are coming out that serve the need of a very niche market. What is not pleasing, though, is that the quality of the game doesn’t match its full-price tag. For all intent and purposes, Overpass should be a budget title that would excuse some of its issues. As it stands now, I can’t help but think that Overpass feels like playing a PS2 game on an emulator in HD resolution. Maybe some 15 years ago it could have been a cutting edge, but now ... not.