Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered feels like a series of contradictions. It’s a remake of a popular online shooter without the “popular online” part. Its gameplay is aggressive, defensive, fragile, and bombastic all at the same time, constantly pushing you forward but requiring you to hang back. Its story values twists and turns over characters or any sort of sensibility, making the twists and turns lack any sort of value. If you’re coming to Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered simply to revisit a fondly remembered campaign updated for 2020’s visual standards, then Beenox has delivered in spades. But it’s a hard sell for anyone new to the series.

Loot Rascals does a lot of things differently, but not necessarily better. It looks great and has a fun premise to it, molding together board games, card collecting, and dungeon crawling but the randomness of runs sucks some of the fun out of the game. Loot Rascals is easy to pick up and play and much like Nuclear Throne or Enter the Gungeon, it’s a great game for a quick run or two before bed. However, there is a real lack of progression throughout the game, making you feel like even if you spend hours with it you accomplish very little if you don’t beat the game. Sure, you might get to a new level, but once you die your progress is basically wiped out completely. Loot Rascals tries a lot of new things in its design and some of those things come across really well, but the lack of progression and roll-the-dice mentality make it somewhat frustrating to spend time in this otherwise pleasant and cheery world.

Lichtspeer: Double Speer Edition is proud of what it is and has every right to be. Though its constant spear-throwing gameplay borders on repetitive, the numerous enemies, entertaining arcade elements, and brutal difficulty deliver a much more fulfilling experience than you’d expect. The exclusive co-op mode adds to the fun even if it doesn’t add any substance for those who’ve already experienced this game on other systems. If you’re the kind of person that loves attempting perfect runs and reflex-based twitch gameplay, then Lichtspeer may satisfy that urge. But as the game outright warns you: Prepare to die. A lot.

Expectations are high for this sequel to the highly acclaimed ultra-realistic simulation shooter. Sadly it doesn't quite deliver, focussing instead on tiny changes to the overall formula.

Pinstripe is a game that has such promise at its start but fails to capitalize on what makes it special by its completion. The simplistic platforming and combat take away from the game’s excellent atmosphere and world building and instead give the game this odd mix of tension in cutscenes immediately followed by easy-to-beat levels. While the minister was in Hell, facing the fears of humanity, I never felt like I was there with him. While the art and atmosphere are worthy of all the praise in the world, the gameplay and storytelling hurt the game exponentially, leading to a short and forgettable experience.

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.

Automachef is a very pleasant game, and a lot of fun. I would highly recommend it if you're in the market for a short, easy to play game that will test your skills and brain power. Whether you're commuting, winding down after a long day in the office, or just looking for something new to play, Automachef will fit that bill.

In the end, NHL 2K8 is not a perfect game, as there are still room for improvements in the graphics department. However, as a package, the game excels, with solid gameplay, deep modes and everything you would want from a hockey game.

Although it may not be as complex or well rounded as many other platforming titles already on the market today, the game does a solid job.

It is so blatantly similar to Nintendo’s Zelda series in every possible way, I’m surprised the game didn’t catch much flak. Those without any personal connection to Zelda adventures will enjoy a solidly built adventure that just so happens to have an amazing soundtrack from maestros of the industry. This is the sort of game that’s perfect for people who, for one reason or another, completely missed the Zelda train and are looking for a chance to see what the fuss is about.

If you have been eagerly awaiting the continuation of the story from The Fall, then the next chapter of that story is easy to recommend. It doesn’t, however, have the same emotional impact as the first game, nor does it provide explanations that tie up all of its loose ends. The game’s subject matter is not entirely fresh, but its unique take on the ethics surrounding artificial intelligence at least keep it interesting.

The Sojourn is a beautiful game with numerous extremely clever puzzles but it has a hard time balancing its story and difficulty curve. I honestly wish I liked this game more than I did. It has a lot going for it, but if I hadn’t been reviewing it, I would not have made it to the end. Though seemingly inspired by some of the best games ever, The Sojourn falters in its ambition. On the other hand, if you like first-person puzzle games and want to stare at something incredibly pretty for a while, you could do a lot worse than The Sojourn.

It can be frustrating at times, but the light hearted humor and the solid gameplay will get you through some of its flaws.

It may sound like I am being extremely hard on this game, and in some ways I am because this is a franchise that has somewhat of a monopoly on the genre, and so if wrestling fans want to get their fix each year it has to be from this franchise, and I just feel the game didn't live up to its standards in this year's game.

Rocket Arena’s retro rocket romanticism aesthetics, playful music and cute and fun characters (super-freckled Rev being my favorite!) go a long way to make it easily approachable. However, despite the four main game modes, the nature of the gameplay feels limited. It’s easy to play and fun in short bursts, but that’s just it; in short bursts. Quite literally, too, as matches are over very quickly. I can’t imagine the game having the same lasting appeal as something like Overwatch with players devoting a long-term commitment to it. There’s a solid roadmap for the game with seasonal events, new free characters, and maps by each ranked season and cosmetics to be bought either with in-game currency or real money but I’m afraid it’s not enough. The game may grow outside but inside, the limited gameplay might prove too repetitive in the long run.

Very few times in the DS short history have we seen games actually use the touch screen to its advantage in the way that this game did.

Psychonauts Rhombus of Ruin has its feet firmly planted in foundation laid by the first game - as it should. Though it is trapped within a medium that is still trying to find steady feet, Rhombus at least has the heart and spirit of what made Psychonauts so enthralling. It's a fun and delectable morsel designed to satiate the palate until the second game comes out. While it does excite me for Psychonauts 2, it's only because I know that a console game will let Double Fine’s imagination soar much higher than the VR platform would let them.

The fact remains that there is still within Mass Effect: Andromeda an ambitious core and a vast amount of content, some of it very entertaining, if not the major leap forward or surprising change of direction that fans were hoping for. The first trilogy had its issues to be sure, but the games were beloved for their stories and characters. It's doubtful that players will keep returning to Andromeda. Aside from the tepid characters and rote story, its biggest failure is a lack of imagination. It somehow takes us to a whole new galaxy but makes us feel like we never left home.

I really hope to see Membrane revisited at some point with a greater focus on making satisfying puzzles and using the mechanics to their fullest extent. As it stands, though, there really isn't much to go on here. Membrane's got great aesthetics and all, but there's nothing to really back it up, and so you wind up going through the game without feeling much like engaging in it. There are fun levels sprinkled throughout, but for the most part, I found myself wondering what the point was, and never wound up finding an answer.

Episode 1 definitely sets things up well, and while the characters are a little weak so far, the quest itself is interesting enough I can’t wait to see what the next episode holds.

No Man’s Sky is a missed opportunity to do something truly epic, and while the final game, when measured moment by moment, showed glimpses of something more than merely ordinary, the final result, was far less than. Promises aside, there’s just not enough to this universe to make it worth exploring.

Does Grand Slam Tennis 2 compete with Top Spin 4? On the surface it does give the reigning king a run at it but manages to fall short. The career mode is limiting, the analog stick controls need refining, and the game itself doesn't have the depth that sports games have become accustom to in recent years. Although I enjoyed my time with Grand Slam Tennis 2 there is still plenty of room for improvement and my hope is that EA doesn't give up on the young series and comes back with an ace in its follow-up.

If you are looking for a fast paced game with lots of bells and whistles, A.D.I.O.S will not suit your needs. However, this game is very well executed. A.D.I.O.S teaches you the lesson of patience.

This success, and most of the game's terrific efforts, are unfortunately squandered by the game's failure to advance its story or give you any guidance on how best to navigate its challenges. Theoretically, you could replay through the game in an attempt to discover the best path for yourself, but chances are, you won't want to. The major events of every day are scripted, and there isn't enough that is enjoyable about the gameplay to make you want to repeat days any more than you have to. One playthrough is likely all that you'll want to get out of Beat Cop, and there is a good chance that it will leave you feeling unsatisfied and cheated. This game could have been great, and for the first week or so of the game I thought that I had stumbled onto a great little indie gem. As I progressed, however, the game's intriguing story disappeared, giving way to a pointless grind that ended abruptly and unsatisfyingly. Beat Cop takes the hopelessness simulator one step too far, and it is for this reason that it I cannot wholeheartedly recommend it.

Although the technology may not all be there in this package, it does provide us with a solid experience that many will have quite a bit of fun with.

Mech games are pretty scarce on the consoles, and this one fills the void nicely with plenty of customization options, fun multiplayer mode and spectacular visuals.

Squishies doesn’t hurt for content, sporting about a hundred levels and all the collectibles to grab on the way. I enjoyed the game the most when played for a short period of time and avoid burnout by playing for long stretches of time. Still, if you’re looking for some good, solid puzzle fun on the PlayStation VR, Squishies has a lot to offer. And the map editor is nearly worth the price of admission alone for its content creation and 3D art potential. It’s not going to blow the roof off the genre by any means, though it’s one of the better puzzle experiences on the platform.

Gauntlet: Slayer Edition is a passable action-RPG for those desperately looking for a dungeon crawler to play with friends but it doesn’t offer much in the way of replayability or unique concepts to really recommend past that.