It’s smartly designed, and while I wish there were more modes, what’s there is definitely worth experiencing.

But other than those minor grievances, I found the overall experience to be a fun, unique experience that lends itself to a variety of play styles, giving it a good amount of replay value. With a little more polish, it could become a cult classic.

Dragon’s Crown doesn’t offer any much needed enrichment of its various genres, but it makes up for this by committing to its visual identity and the frenetic, empowering possibilities of its game design.

While on paper the changes seem incremental - and if we’re being honest, they are - DC Super-Villains feels like a big step up and a welcome evolution. I’m certainly feeling better this go round than I was at the end of the last, and am even planning some trips back in to clean up and collect what’s left to find. Plus, they got Mark Hamill back for The Joker. That alone means it can’t be all bad.

Although its multiplayer is a little underpowered, Doom Eternal’s challenging campaign is a reminder — as was its 2016 sibling — that old school mayhem fueled by adrenaline and alien guts still packs a wallop of fun. The game’s story is a bit too convoluted and portentous and its platforming is over-exacting sometimes to the point of momentum-halting frustration, but it’s hard not to recommend Doom Eternal to fans of shooters from any era.

Tiger continues to dominate the golf genre with the same fluid gameplay but with more modes, bigger selection of courses and a nice visual upgrade.

Overall, this particular port of Star Ocean is simultaneously the absolute best way to play the game today and a bit underwhelming at the same time. Only little has changed between First Departure and First Departure R, mainly portraits, audio choices and upscaling while the gameplay remains rather outdated. The port was literally made for more sales, but I’m still glad they brought this classic game to modern consoles and I had a bunch of fun playing it once again. Here’s hoping we see a Star Ocean: Second Story R in 2020!

Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash is unashamed fan service for sure, but more importantly it’s a damn good game. Fast-moving and smooth-controlling water tagging action is satisfying and addictive. It’s best played in short bursts, though, as long sessions in a one go can get a bit repetitive. However, there’s so much to play, so many plush girls to play with, and tons of things to unlock and choose from, that you’re most likely coming back to the game for a long time. A few words of warning: PBS is absolutely not for the humorless or uptight persons out there. If you can stand the heat - and take the game as it is - it's unadulterated fun.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing was a treat, and hopefully, we’ll be able to have more in the future.

Despite all my gripes with the game, I still can recommend Detective Gallo. It really starts to take flight as it goes on, and it has a greatly paced plot. The hard-boiled detective Gallo was a lot of fun to play as, and the surrounding cast and environments all blended well together. The typical difficulty of the genre does rear its head at times, but fairly linear progression makes it manageable. Detective Gallo is definitely a game that you’ll want in your lib-rooster-y.

There is no denying that NCAA Football 13 is a small step forward for the franchise, especially in comparison to the past few years. However where NCAA Football 13 continues to succeed is in bringing the action we love on Saturdays to life. If you bought last year's game there isn't a huge incentive to go out and pick this one up for full retail price, but if you're looking to get a fix of college football, NCAA Football 13 is an amazing game of football.

Buccaneer is a fun game made by a pair of very talented designers. The graphics are top notch and some of the best I have ever seen in an independent game.

NCAA Football 14 feels like a great culmination of all the NCAA Football titles this generation. The new engine fixes a lot of the weird problems that occurred in the past few games and allows the running game to take center stage.

To my surprise Touchmaster really did capture what a good compilation is made of.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest is an interesting mix of werewolf myths based on a role-playing codex and real-life eco-activism in the form of a low-key interactive story. There really was protests in Białowieża national forest in 2016 where the game draws its inspiration from. Usually, visual novels are a whole lot less involving as choices in them are often just superficial. Here, though, you must really go under Maia’s skin and talk and act like you would in her place. The game does not try to embrace the world but is a strictly controlled experience. Its prose is punctual and sufficiently descriptive and keeps pace with today’s important matters. The angle is strongly on the side of spirituality and nature, as well as accepting what really makes you. Aided by strong visual sense and deep but not preaching writing, Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest is a reminiscent of the fact that good gaming entertainment needs nothing more than an intriguing story and necessary means to convey it.

Even if you already bought the last-gen edition, the stunning visuals and accompanying glimpse into where this series is headed are worth the upgrade.

NBA 2K9 comes as another solid outing for 2K Sports, its not a huge leap forward like some of us would expect.

Axiom Verge is a great game that will scratch the itch for anyone scorned by Nintendo’s failure to give Samus a needed and deserved shot in the arm.

Nintendo needs to do something with this series to start making sure that it stays fresh. The core idea of a Mario platformer, side scrolling, on modern systems is perfectly sound, but they just came too many, too quickly. Lack of innovation might help tire us of a great idea, but even without being a new experience, there's still a lot to this game that entertains and offers a fun experience to anyone who tries it. The game may lack some innovation, but where it counts, in gameplay, it still delivers the experience you expect from a Mario game.

Was the story exciting and interesting enough to experience it several times? Yes and then some! It tells something that even after a few play-throughs, I was curled up in tension with heartbeat in my ears when I drove the story to previously unseen directions. Lastly, would I recommend Late Shift to hardcore gamers? Yes, because I'm such myself and I could see no reason why someone else would't get thrilled by it. And there you have it. Late Shift is a solid crime thriller where you don't have to just watch people making bad choices because you can make them yourself. Or even some good ones necessary to pull you through the night.

If you are in the mood to spend a weekend enjoying some graphic ultra-violence with your brain turned off, then Ryse: Son of Rome should make a nice addition to your library, especially if you can find it on a Steam sale.

Although it adds nothing unique and makes some visual concessions to fit the platform, Darksiders Warmastered Edition is a great way to revisit what is now considered a minor classic of the action-RPG genre. With fluid combat and a dramatic, if skeletal story, Darksiders has retained most of the fun-factor that made the game stand out way back in 2010. Playing the game on a big screen in 4K might be optimal, but Darksiders on the Switch is a decent alternative.

When I wrapped up the 7-8 hours of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy I was sort of blown away with how polished and enjoyable the experience was. At times, Uncharted 4 felt a little combat heavy for me, but The Lost Legacy feels like it does a better job of balancing traversal, combat, and puzzles. Although there were two chapters that comprised the open-world segment of The Lost Legacy that didn’t do it for me, the rest of the experience is so polished and so enjoyable that it more than made up for it. Not to mention that Nadine and Chloe are fantastic characters that make for a truly memorable Uncharted experience. Uncharted 1-4 may have been all about Nathan Drake, but this game proves without a doubt that Uncharted can live on without him.

NHL 19 has hockey coming out of its ears. There’s enough content here to last a good while or at least until NHL 20 finds its way on the shelves. Offering different levels of realism on a large scale, from controls to team management, there’s bound to be something for everyone.

What could be more satisfying than decapitating people and eating their brains? Stubbs sure knows how to have fun in this B-movie style zombie actioner.

Fluidity: Spin Cycle offers up hours of uncompromising puzzle fun. The only downside is a control scheme that isn't as comfortable and streamlined as the Wiimote.

The series kicked off with all of the right design decisions, but the sequel doesn't prosper in this regard. Perhaps it's unfair to focus so much on the negative aspects of a game that is still very much worth playing, but it really is good in spite of what is new, and not because of it. It's for this reason that although I can still wholeheartedly recommend the game for fans of Pillars of Eternity, I have come away from it with feelings that are decidedly mixed.

Nimble gameplay, luscious aesthetic values, wise storytelling and truly understanding the principles of its genre make Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan a breath of fresh air amidst Western games with often are marred by needless drudgery. Quite an achievement for a 2D side-scrolling action-RPG with a very modest price tag coming from an untapped territory in the world of gaming.