Jackbox Party Pack 2 suffers a bit from a lack of novelty when compared with similar mobile games, but it still manages to hold its own with a few fun sequels and a handful of decent, if not riotous, new additions.

It absolutely nails the mechanics for a city-builder and makes it super easy to jump in and build a great city.

Abyss is painted in the usual colorful and lively Artifex Mundi style. There are lots of narrative cut scenes, some of which look quite rough with pretty hilarious mouth movement, but they still enliven the events nicely. Sadly, I found the music quite irritating as it’s looping all too brief pieces. The story could have used a bit more focus as some elements were underused. For example, in the beginning a lot of emphasis was put on a mysterious girl showing herself now and again but eventually her part was hastily exposed and brushed to the side lines. All in all, Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden is a solid Artifex Mundi casual adventure, offering the familiar entertainment values you’d come to expect from the company. The original PC version of the game is five years old and Artifex Mundi has released a constant stream of colorful adventures ever since. I hope that they will gradually shift to porting their fresher titles for console players’ enjoyment.

The technical issues, obtuse game design, and low population really hurt Armored Core.

The Jak and Daxter HD Collection is a nice little piece of history coded onto a disc.

Sure, the game is tepid in some spots and the steep price and lack of any multiplayer options does sting a bit, but provided you haven't grown tired of this tried-and-true formula then Orcs Must Die can definitely provide some hours of silly, unrelenting fun.

This wonderful experience is cut too short. There are only eights dive to perform, each taking only about half an hour or less even if you spend your time exploring outside the mission objectives. Beyond Blue can be easily played through in one session and there is little replay value if you already explored everything in your first go. Of course, the game is labeled as a single-player narrative experience, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s insanely short. I would have liked it to last at least twice its current running time as it’s such a beautiful and soothing experience with an important environmental message. Still, Beyond Blue is worth a try for those who respect life instead of taking it in video games. Who knows, the next time when browsing through a store for a game to buy, you may go for something more peaceful and tranquil than the latest first-person shooter!

When the most critical bugs are eventually squashed (developers have promised a steady stream of patches) and the penalty for dying hopefully toned down a bit (or conversely, more resting points added to the world), Decay of Logos will rise up to its full promise. As it stands now, you have to answer the following questions. Do you want your game challenging? Do you want a game that doesn’t guide you by hand but trusts your own initiative? Do you want a brave elf heroine with floppy ears? If you answered “yes!” three times, Decay of Logos is absolutely for you, a high fantasy adventure that is as high on its stakes as on the reward you get from conquering its unlikely circumstances.

Necromunda: Underhive Wars is a lot like many other Warhammer video game adaptations. It has rugged charisma to it and I got really immersed in its customization tools, atmosphere, and mechanics but once again, the game lacks that final polish. Alongside the uneven implementation of gameplay ideas and dodgy AI, I experienced crashes and loads locking up, so the game is in a severe need of patching (luckily, exiting, and re-booting the game takes back to the latest autosave). If only one day we got a big-budget Warhammer game with appropriate finishing touches. Meanwhile, anyone seeking for a grittier and more personal and transparent XCOM-type could do a lot worse than give Necromunda: Underhive Wars a shot. It has many genre-firsts that should be applauded for.

Halo: Combat Evolved is a good overall package. Playing the campaign is like visiting with an awesome old friend that you haven't seen in a while. The multiplayer, though, is too barebones to feel like it's worth the $40 price tag. Couple that with the fact that the multiplayer doesn't quite emulate the feel of the original Halo and you're left with a game that is likely to disappoint many longtime fans.

As well designed as the game is though, its also very short. Only a few short hours in and the game will be over. With little in the way of replay value since you'll already know how to solve all the puzzles, there's not a ton of long term value here. While it lasted I really enjoyed The Room VR: A Dark Matter but it ultimately left me wanting more. More environments, more movement options, more story. For the right price, I definitely recommend experiencing it but what I'm really looking forward to is a follow-up, to see if a great start can be grown into a truly great game.

First and foremost, Morrowind is a captivating place to land and an interesting island to explore, rich with lore and content but hobbled by some dull writing and bland storytelling. Like the Elder Scrolls Online base game, Morrowind feels static, lacking imagination in its mechanics and design. Fans of the 2002 RPG will enjoy the visual upgrade to what is now a very old game and current players of Elder Scrolls Online will certainly appreciate the new content as well. Gamers who became disenchanted with formulaic MMOs will have their disappointments confirmed in Morrowind, and should probably set sail for Vvardenfell with modest expectations.

For me I really enjoyed Sega Rally Revo, but it was one of those games that would be great as a rental but in terms of seeing this as a game I would come back to in a long time and want to get back into it.

Standing tall above all else is a soundtrack that’s way better than I ever anticipated. It offers a collection of different genres, from light and breezy acoustic guitar tracks to boisterous and catchy as hell big band standards. The game’s boss encounters are a major detractor to the experience and I would have loved the option to skip them. The game would be much better for it, in my opinion. The VR nature of the game is pretty great, offering a control scheme that works perfectly for this style of platformer. By giving the player control over the environment instead of the player character, the amount of freedom you get from manipulating the world with two hands is substantial. Light Tracer wins you over with a sweet smile and cute demeanor but it hides a dark alter ego, one that has no qualms with putting you through a physical and emotional ringer.

The value of Lumines: Electronic Symphony is debatable. Players who gravitate toward long form puzzle challenges and high-score hunting will fall in love with its charms, as will fans of electronic music. It's unlike any other puzzler, and it's well worth every gamer's time to experience the symbiotic relationship that forms between player and game during a good run. Aside from that, however, this remains little more than a glossy refreshment of a game that appeared 7 years ago. It's a great design, to be sure, but in the end it's still just putting blocks together.

Awesomenauts isn't really a bad game. It's well built, holds promise for additional content and serves as a good primer to the MOBA genre. Unfortunately, the lack of players kills the product.

Taking cues from the hit series CSI, this adventure title demands strong patience and creativity to solve the missions. Definitely not for the weak hearted.

The latest in the DDR franchise debuts an online mode, and loads of the songs to get your groove on. Solid dancer, but perhaps not a must-have title.

For me, Madden NFL 18 is the first misstep for the series of this generation. The Longshot mode is technically well produced but its story is far from compelling. The rest of Madden NFL 18 feels like very small steps forward for a franchise that could use some big leaps.

I would still love to see what this game would be if B.U.D.’s rag doll body and movements were replaced with traditional animation and controls. It would mitigate a lot of the game’s frustrating problems without losing what makes it a special experience.

If Darkstation had a category for “best comeback game” I’d feel confident that AO Tennis 2 would win it for 2020 and we’re only a couple of weeks in. The improvements in this game over the last two years are absolutely incredible. This is a great game of tennis that has some rough around the edges that with time, patches, and future installments could make for quite the franchise. Had you told me that after the first game I would have laughed, but AO Tennis 2 is the real deal and I’m excited to see where the series goes from here.

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

In the end, Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds does not feature the seminal, tightly-crafted fighting mechanics of Street Fighter or the spectacular boss fights from Castle Crashers, but it does provide a handful of hours of side-scrolling, 2D-beat-em-up glee. In spite of a few crippling issues and ham-fisted mechanics, Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds still outweighs its flaws with a competent throwback look and feel, gratifying gameplay flow and a strong selection of modes that, all things considered, justifies the asking price of merely $10.

Lollipop Chainsaw is an average brawler made interesting and memorable by a slick, sickly sweet presentation. It does what it set out to do: tell a goofy zombie story starring a lollipop-loving cheerleader who dispatches her foes with cutesy gusto. The gameplay doesn't really do anything to set itself apart from other games of the genre and in some cases, it feels like Suda51 is dipping from his own well.

WWE All-Stars is a good game of arcade wrestling. The gameplay mechanics could use some tweaks to lean more towards an easy pick up and play style wresting game. With that being said if your growing tired of the Smackdown vs. Raw series or haven't played a wrestling game in the last five years, this would be a good place to start.

Namco improves upon their possibly last current-gen flight-sim with multiplayer support, but fails to add anything new to the formula.

While the finale itself nearly falls apart in the beginning, it does manage to save itself in the end, much like the team it stars. I would love to see Telltale continue with the Guardians, but the series highlights some deeper flaws, like pacing and the ability to make emotional moments matter. These are issues that have reared their heads in other games, but seem to stick out here given the nature of the story and its structure. Overall. Guardians of the Galaxy is a fun, if slightly shallow ride, and I don’t mind having spent the time I did with this team of misfits. Saving the galaxy is one thing, but keeping it safe and staying together at the same time is another.

It's another enjoyable often humorous romp through the Star Wars Universe that is sure to be a joy fans both young and the young at heart.