Hob has a lot of style, just not much heart. The game is far more than a walking simulator but its stripped-down approach to combat, loot and character development can leave the player unsatisfied. The visual elements can be striking and beautiful, and the platforming is generally mechanically sound, but Hob's progression feels aimless and ultimately disappointing. Despite the attractiveness of the world, there simply isn't enough story or emotional content to support the game's ten or so hours of play.

If you’re willing to put in the effort and learn what Total War: Rome 2 wants to teach you then you’ll find a game that is deeper, more robust, and more detailed than any strategy game that’s come before it.

Overall, WRC 8 screams mediocrity in every turn, something akin to a budget title, but still it’s sold for a full price. It’s not a bad game by any means but not that great either. At its best, WRC 8 can be nice enough to hop into now and then but nice isn’t enough when there’s a superior rally racing game available. As of writing, there are four rally events left in the world championship so there’s still room to get excited whether Ott Tänak can keep up his top form or will Sébastien Ogier make a late-season comeback and continue his winning streak. In video games, the competition is already over, though, as WRC 8 has to settle for a distant second place behind DiRT Rally 2.0.

This is not a perfect outing but dang is it a big improvement over last year’s outing and if your looking at this as a potential option I would say rent it first and make sure the style fits your needs as the game has plenty of content to take you outside of a rental period.

As a first episode, Done Running managed to hook me in with its quiet, character moments, allowing for a closer connection to a character I have watched grow from a child into a young woman. I know there’s a lot left to come, but if these moments are any indication of where this season is headed, I am quite sure that the combination of Clem and AJ will have me breaking down in a flood of tears at the end. While the action detracts from the overall experience, I can’t help but look forward to the end, and the hope, that maybe, there is a happy ending inside the world of The Walking Dead.

Overall, Cake Bash is a fun, simple game that the whole family will enjoy. The graphics are bright and colorful, and as someone who has a major sweet tooth this game made it really difficult to avoid raiding the cabinets for second dessert. If you’re hungry, don’t play this game; the detail in the frosting and cakes aren’t conducive to diet plans.

However weak the ending is, it was the journey that made the biggest impression on me. In that regard, the game is positively sublime.

Star Command is a very unique iOS experience that I hope to see a lot more of in the future. The biggest problem I have with this game compared to FTL is that you aren’t going to see a lot of variety in your play experiences because, unlike FTL, there is a full story here that takes about four hours to run through so you’re pretty much tied to the same path every time you play with very little branching.

By publishing the game three days before the launch of the PS4 without any hoopla, Sony has all but guaranteed that sales of this game will be abysmal. It really is a shame, because it is a game worthy of the top billing that an excellent first party game should get.

Unless you are craving another telekinesis type action game this one will be best as just a rental.

The Consequence is entertaining. It’s not an introspective, philosophical mindbender; it’s campy fun. It has its flaws, but in a game where Claude Debussy’s “Claire De Lune” is mixed with Inception, buckets of blood, and a Victorian loveseat/black cat combo that acts as your save point, I can’t help but enjoy it.

Between its story, flavorful presentation, and adequate point-and-click gameplay, there is a lot to like with this episode of Broken Age.

Command-based RPGs are becoming a thing of the past but SaGa: Scarlet Grace shows that there’s still life to them when they are made passionately and effectively. Backed up by likable characters and bright outlook, the game lives up to the legacy of the series that while very niche, has been bubbling under more big-named franchises, only waiting to make a creditable return to players’ awareness. SaGa: Scarlet Grace - Ambitions is worth recommending to anyone looking for an unstrained and lively JRPG. An old cliché “easy to pick up but hard to put down” holds very much true to it.

I actually liked playing Trover Saves The Universe despite the cheap laughs and sometime annoying cast of characters.

After playing through Lego Star Wars multiple times the one thing that holds this game back from being extremely fun is, first the length which could have been longer, and secondly the camera, which at times did get in the way.

All aspects of the game are refined and improved and the change from heavy shooter to more platforming gameplay is a welcomed and refreshing change.

Mafia Definitive Edition is a lovely redressing of a game I carry fond memories for and to experience it again in a comfortably playable fashion was a joy.

EA's arguably final Burnout on the PS2 sadly doesn't bring the best racing experience to the market, but feels like a washed down and cheap title.

I don’t think I’ve ever played a game like The Beginner’s Guide and I’m not sure any game will ever need to duplicate what it accomplished.

EA shows some love to the PS2 with arguably their last MVP Baseball title, which continues with the innovations set by the original, but sadly doesn't have anything fresh this time around.

For the asking price of $7.99, anyone would be hard pressed to find such a quality shmup within reach, especially one which seems to not only to celebrate, but actually relish in the difficult roots which birthed it. Naming itself a love letter to the ’90s, Syder Arcade is a great ride to a glorious, and well earned, death.

I enjoyed playing NeuroVoider, but it resembled the guilty pleasure of having fun with something so simple and mindless. The game has tons of options to customize your robot and it was fun to experiment various types of weapons, classes and skills in the early stages. However, the inequity of usefulness in weapon types forced me to hog only the strongest type of weapon available in later stages. It became a routine to hope for a strong and useful weapon to brute-force my way in several stages. The excitement of getting rare and powerful weapons replaced the excitement of actually playing the game. At this point, the game became tedious. Overall, NeuroVoider has both the charm and the silliness of generic shoot'em up games from the 8-bit era. It is, without a doubt, a great game to spend some time mindlessly playing couch co-op with your friends. Yet, this experience is short-lived and transient. Enjoy it while it lasts.

With 50 songs and multiple skill levels to test yourself in, there’s definitely a good bit here to dig into. I wish the game was a little more involved and the soundtrack was more memorable, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless and has enough charm to make it worth finishing.

From its title screens to its combat mechanics, The Surge 2 copy/pastes a great deal from the two-year-old original and while it moves the franchise into a more open and populated world, I was hoping for a more dramatic evolutionary leap. Like its Soulsborne models and its predecessor, The Surge 2 is a challenging game, made more so by an inconsistent frame rate and sometimes imprecise combat controls. It’s still a pleasantly familiar Souls-like experience but like The Surge, the sequel hasn’t quite discovered the alchemy that transmutes repetitive grinding into a satisfying feeling of mastery.

Ultimately, the Arctic Pack is the same kind of high quality content that we’ve come to expect from Frontier, and sets the stage for a series of geography-themed DLC. The sticking point for some players will be the cost. At $10, it could be argued that the number of animals and other goodies is a little thin. Planet Coaster had a habit of including free content updates in addition to, and often alongside, paid DLC and one hopes this will continue with Planet Zoo. The Arctic Pack is an excellent, if not especially generous, supplement to the base game.

Overall, this type of game is bursting with replayability and I found the actual gameplay to be quite fun. There’s a lot of options for customizing your units and the unit variety was great as well (especially when you start leveling up monsters and doing quests to get more items). I also really enjoyed the soundtrack and the absolutely amazing artwork (it’s just so gorgeous!). Sadly, the story and 3D graphics do leave a bit to be desired, but the game is still an easy recommend to strategy RPG fans. It' doesn’t quite stand up as tall as, say, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but if you’re looking for that next strategy title to scratch that itch you’ve been having, you should give Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia a go!

Edna & Harvey: The Breakout certainly has the DNA of old-fashioned graphic adventures. If you’re up for some funny and taxing adventuring, it will keep you occupied with the puzzles while the story and its delivery will amuse you. The 10th Anniversary Edition polishes the original sketchy look of the game to make it more approachable but it doesn’t lose the crazy heart that beats life to Edna’s odd world.

Though it’s a little rough around the edges, Minoria delivers an experience that is mechanically satisfying, yet thematically depressing. The combat has its flaws but was engaging enough to keep me going throughout. Clocking in at around five hours, Minoria is a game that’s short and sweet. The story is a solemn and sad affair that takes a harsh look into the problems of religious overreach. Overall, I’d recommend Minoria to Metroidvania fans willing to overlook the occasional blemish.