Perhaps I would have enjoyed 2064: Read Only Memories more if I hadn’t been spoiled by The Red Strings Club, another cyberpunk adventure I reviewed beforehand. It dealt pretty much with the same themes as 2064: Read Only Memories. But in comparison, it was tight, smart, emotional and really involving with its moral choices. There’s an attempt at social commentary here too, mostly regarding human rights (hybrids are the big debate in Neo-San Francisco), but most of the acute agenda is buried under tons of preaching, failing to connect emotionally. In the end, 2064: Read Only Memories plays its hand perhaps too safe. It should provoke when it preaches, and affect when it lectures. Read Only Memories… Indeed! Play With Memories would have been more involving.

This is a hardcore Japanese action game, through and through. Its rigid, uncompromising mission structure can be less than accommodating but nonetheless charming. It's difficult, rewarding, and satisfying in equal measure.

With a good company, God’s Trigger can still often feel more frustrating than fun but at least you have someone to share the experience instead of just slamming yourself.

I can't emphasize enough how much potential this game had on the Nintendo DS, but unfortunately none of this was put to use and we are left with a sub-par video game that I would only recommend at most as a rental.

It’s a real shame that I was disappointed by Little Hope because otherwise it’s an impressive piece of audiovisual excellence and I just love its genre. If you like Charlie Kaufman’s movies (which I don’t), you may perhaps appreciate the ending better than I did. It remains a mystery why Supermassive Games have degenerated their interactive storytelling formula by restricting players’ influence over events.

Sure, it might be starting to show its age a little in places, but Saints Row IV is still a great way to cut loose and enjoy the fun that unbridled chaos and a childish sense of humor can bring. And the extra content you get in the Re-Elected edition that just released on the Nintendo Switch means you can enjoy it for even longer as you play through everything Deep Silver threw at the swan song of the main Saints Row series.

Pawarumi might not change the face of videogaming or set a new trend, it’s just a damn good shoot ‘em up, just like they made them back in the day. If you’re an avid arcade game fan, make no mistake and add it to your library!

And that’s Fallout Shelter‘s big problem: the graphics are great, the coding is great, and the music is great. But working as a Vault-Tec Overseer feels too much like being stuck in middle management: it just gets tediously repetitive after a while.

Riddled Corpses EX might not leave a big footnote into the annals of video games but all the same it ranks among the most fun I have had with games this year.

As a design doc, a game that combines horror, sci-fi and Norse mythology sounds intriguing but in actually, Apsulov just seems uncertain of its identity. With too much clunky action for a narrative driven walking simulator, and not enough combat to excel as an action game, it’s a lot of bits and pieces that don’t quite connect. The game has some ideas floating around but they’re too often drowned in a sea of over-used cliches, tired gaming tropes and creative cul de sacs that lead nowhere in particular.

Clocking in at just over an hour and a half, Episode 3 has been the shortest on time, and yet still managed to bring the heat with some great scenes and set pieces. With as much as they have riding on their shoulders, the fact that Minecraft: Story Mode hasn’t turned into a heavy, Walking Dead-esque slog is a testament that you can still work through some deep subjects without needing to crush your audience beneath the heavy stone weight of dystopian reality. Minecraft and Telltale both continue to surprise me with this series, and I can’t wait to see how Jesse and Company deal with The Admin… eventually.

Loaded with problems, dullness, and annoyances, Pool Panic didn’t grip me anywhere in a way I expected it to. It has a good idea, and with some more interesting level ideas in place, the game would have been an easy recommendation. Instead it just feels wasted. It’s flat and wears out its welcome before you’re even close to done with the 100+ levels. The nuggets of greatness can still be found, but they’re just too few and far between to really keep up the excitement that the title suggests.

Cathedral lacks vision where it counts. The title is focused on appealing to the hardcore with its retro presentation and difficulty that borders on irritating. The visuals and audio are certainly reminiscent of titles from the past, however, they lack that special polish that would elevate them beyond the superficial way they ape how games looked and sounded back then. Level design lacked care in checkpoint placement and enemy locations as well as quality of life features, which stacked tedium upon tedium. Overall, I have trouble recommending Cathedral; though it certainly has a niche appeal, its faults made the experience less than satisfactory.

While Alwa’s Awakening nails the graphical look and chiptune sound of 80s platformers, it’s too anchored in the past for its own good. Some would say the platforming is too easy compared to those games, but it makes up for those easy spots with frustrating save rooms and making the player replay through the same few screens to get to the next point. Backtracking comes with the territory and while it’s expected in games like this, that doesn’t make it any less tedious. Overall, Alwa’s Awakening sticks to its inspirations for better or for worse, leading to a game that feels like an homage to the 8-bit era without bringing anything new to the table.

If you are a fan of One Piece, or a fan of Dynasty Warriors, you owe it to yourself to play this game. If you’re not a fan, play it anyway.

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

Anodyne 2: Return to Dust is a bit too long for its 12-ish hours running time, considering its simple gameplay both inside and out of dungeons. Reiterating the same ideas over and again works only for so far. Of course, all games can be called repetitive but it’s only highlighted by Anodyne 2’s pedestrian pace and too many dungeons. The game could have used tightening up its dramaturgy and gameplay to better hit home its heartfelt, timely message (of course, there’s a bad ending, too, that is really bleak). As it is now, the road towards the finale that is worth seeing goes on too long. However, for a two-person development team, Anodyne 2 is a true passion project of games of yesteryear. It’s targeted at people who experienced the exciting transition from 2D consoles to 3D games in the mid-90s and who long after those days when the new technology (that now looks charmingly aged) vowed an entire generation of gamers.

DOOM VFR sounds like a great idea but it doesn’t do enough to justify its existence. Take away the VR headset and it would be just as playable on a TV or computer monitor. It might have actually been better that way, because then I wouldn’t have gotten so uncomfortable. Control issues aside, this is a competent and solidly designed video game that means well enough even though it strips away the cool things that made DOOM great. Skyrim and maybe Fallout aside, not every Bethesda game has to be made into a VR version of itself.

If you’re expecting The Bard’s Tale IV to be an action-RPG on par with some recent blockbusters, you may be disappointed. This is not a cinematic experience with bleeding edge graphics and breathless action and combat. However, if you approach the game as a super-enhanced, classic dungeon crawler that both fits into the legacy and moves the needle on a well-respected, beloved franchise, then you will be pleased by its story, puzzles, nuanced combat, excellent music and varied environments.

The decision on this game comes down to the pros vs the cons, and whether you think you'd be happy to enjoy it as it is, or if you'd rather wait until some more updates. The load times and staggers can be mildly irritating and can amass during longer play sessions, but are by no means game-breaking or a reason entirely not to give it a go. Especially for those looking to play a little more casually, or in shorter bursts, or maybe aren't now accustomed to the world of SSD loading times, I still have to recommend this title as worth a go - just perhaps not necessarily the one to pick above the others.

Had they found a way to make the combat in the game more enjoyable this could have really been a force to be reckoned with.

The Amazing Spider-Man may not only go down as one of the best Spider-Man games but one of the better movie licensed games out there because it doesn't feel like a movie game. Beenox did a great job of taking a movie based gaming and fleshing it out into its own thing.

Call of Duty: Strike Team is an compelling experiment but held back by the touch controls. If this was made for a controller it could be more impressive. They packed a console-like game into Strike Team with leaderboards and challenge maps but it ultimately feels held back by its lackluster controls.

Overall, Blackwood Crossing is a mesmerizing tale, with fantastical visuals telling a story grounded in deep, human emotions. The game lasts about three hours, depending how quickly you can solve the puzzles. There is little replay value, aside from trophy hunting, as the story never deviates from its linear path. Due to the shoddy frame rate and very light puzzles, it’s best to go into this game expecting a well-told story, but not much more. If you can get past some awkwardness in controlling Scarlet, it’s worth boarding the train for this magical journey.

It's cool if you ever thought of playing a GTA-style game set in 80s' Mexico, but ultimately marred by the 'overdose' of bullet-time gameplay.

Put on your hats and boots, and groove to the beat - country style. Features same old karaoke gameplay, and nothing much else.

Dead Island is one of the most ambitious games I have seen in a long time and while I didn't have any high expectations for this game it managed to blow me away and provide hours of fun from start to finish.

Far Cry New Dawn may be a smaller game with a shorter shelf life by the series’ standards, but that still amounts to a meaty 20+ hour campaign. Much of that time is spent grinding for resources, but in spite of that, it’s engaging to make progress, upgrade the home base, and craft better gear. Although the game is technically a standalone expansion, newcomers will want to play Far Cry 5 first for a more fulfilling experience that properly introduces Hope County. In a similar vein, this direct sequel may not appeal to those who want to see something novel from the series. But for fans of the predecessor who were left wanting more resolution, a new dawn awaits you back in Hope County.