Other than some incommodious bugs and a lackluster story, Project Warlock on PS4 is a stylistic gem, with an incredible soundtrack, that pays homage to its predecessors while providing an extremely high skill ceiling.

The beautiful game goes next-gen with stunning visuals, but sadly doesn't follow through with a less than solid gameplay and simplistic online play.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker is definitely one of the most faithful recreations of the D&D experience in digital form and those with patience, a love of numbers and a willingness to tolerate a bit of opacity and imbalance have much to look forward to. There’s something a bit overwhelming and unfriendly about the game’s mechanics and while Pathfinder’s faithful translation of D&D and city building elements are unique, a lot of the setting, story and characters are a bit too “standard CRPG.” There is room for improvement and growth through patches and content, and it will be interesting to watch Pathfinder: Kingmaker evolve.

As much as Smarty Pants wants to be the next big thing on the Wii, it sure could have been, but I just didn't feel the originality nor the fresh face that could have taken this game to the next level.

Ubisoft brings the Japanese RPG experience to the 360, but sadly doesn't dazzle us with truly next-gen visuals and revolutionary gameplay.

The game is not a bad outing by any standards, but it also just doesn't have the depth nor the sure fire power to hang with the other big boys that are already on the Xbox.

The latest Need for Speed release has its share of slip-ups, but it's mostly able to sideline them and deliver a fast, fun open world racing game very much like Criterion's classic Burnout Paradise.

With its feet firmly planted in Assassin’s Creed Origins’ new open world direction, The Hidden Ones should satiate those in need of traversing more geographically interesting locations, completing quests, looting tombs, hunting down bandits, and going after those bloody Romans. More of the same all around, so your mileage of enjoyment may vary.

Redout delivers fast-paced anti-gravity thrills on a variety of futuristic, winding tracks. Presentation in the Switch version isn’t ideal, and races aren’t always easy to follow. Career mode is the reason to pick this up, and it will consume most of your playtime, partly because there is disappointingly no local multiplayer and online is already a ghost town. With competition like the Switch launch game Fast RMX out, Redout may not hit first place despite its potential. But if you’re just looking to scratch that F-Zero or Wipeout itch, then it’s worth strapping in for the single-player.

A full-featured online mode and excellent variety of computer opponents.

Overall, while I really did enjoy the non-standard setting and story engine that drove Seven's gameplay, in the end it felt a little like a collection of promising elements, many of which were just a trifle undercooked. Setting aside the bugs, a poorly considered fast travel system (which spawns players in sometimes dangerous locations) and fairly tepid combat, what I most missed in Seven was any sense of personal identification or relationship with the main character. To me, this is at the heart of any successful RPG...the role-playing part, something almost entirely absent from Seven.

Overall, Game Dev Tycoon has taken over my weeknights and weekends with no hesitation on my part. If you liked Game Dev Story, The Sims or any others in the sim genre, this will keep your addiction going on for a while.

Brawl’s two aces are its price and, in this case, its platform. The game is a cheap buy on a system that makes local multiplayer easier and more practical than anything else on the market. Even on the dinky little Joy-Cons, it’s very accessible and easy to pick up on. Yes, lackluster singleplayer and the lack of online harm the game, but not as much as they would have in more typical circumstances. The multiplayer is genuinely fun, with a surprising longevity thanks to its more unique modes. If you’re looking for a solid party game and don’t mind dropping ten bucks and a bucket of blood, the Emporium is a good place to be.

Fortunately for me, I happened to be in just that frame of mind after playing through the amazing and absolutely brutal Cuphead. The last thing I wanted to do after that was play another stressful and nail-biting experience. So, HOB just so happened to scratch the opposite itch I was craving. Had I played it under a different mindset, it’s hard to tell what my reaction might have been. If you’re in that sort of mood, I think HOB might hit the spot. If not, well then, maybe HOB isn't the game for you. But if that is the case, I would encourage you to play it when you are feeling inquisitive.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a reverent and imperfect resurrection of an icon. This furry oddball creature could have been left in the past, but I'm pleased that he was revived for a new generation. I say this in full awareness of the fact that Vicarious Visions could have done more in the technical and gameplay departments. Here we have two great games, and one that could have been great if given the update it truly needed. They look stunning, too, but resolution, framerates, and load times are all at an average standard when at least one of the three should be better. And yet, whether you find yourself zooming down a desert highway, running from a gigantic bear, or just bouncing over a bridge of crates, you can't help but smile and know that, at the end of the day, Crash is still a whole lot of fun.

Event[0] is a short, flawed, fun and memorable experience.

Just Cause has always done, and still does, one thing very well, but it has long lost its novelty and desperately needs something - a reboot, a visual upgrade, a good story. Adding interface and systems complexity does nothing to make core experience more compelling or less familiar. Bugs and opaque mechanisms aside, fans who love the Just Cause games for their unadorned mayhem and destruction will find it once again, but it is hard to imagine anyone coming away excited for another sequel.

The Guitar Hero franchise has been one of great success over the years and it is a bit disappointing to see Warriors of Rock only manage to be a slight improvement over last years title.

There is a disconnect between Rad’s appealing world and character design, art direction and writing, and its frustratingly difficult gameplay. The world is fun to be in, with no lack of clever, imaginative touches but its combat can turn the experience sour. Gamers with grit and patience will discover a lot of layers, secrets and maybe even a little unexpected pathos but many will be turned away by the early game’s barriers.

1001 Spikes is far from a bad game, but a few too many spikes on each level leave it falling from grace.

This is not a game that will win any year-end awards but is worth at least checking out for those who have a yearning for more Captain America.

Best known for the revolutionary judgment ring combat system, this game continues with a well-paced story for a refreshingly different RPG.

Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst is an admirable attempt to make a niche concept work. Unfortunately, it so intently focuses on avoiding the pitfalls of the previous game that it stumbles into a hole of its own.

The randomized nature of the game does allow for new-ish experiences each time you play, though I wish the game took it further, such as making Freedom Town modular so that its camps, playground, open-air theater, and places of worship could be moved around and really shake things up. As it stands, The Church in the Darkness is a decent exploration of cults from the perspective of those participating in it.

The game is not just another Diablo clone either as NeocoreGames has woven enough depth of its own to the well-worn concept. The dark science fiction setting is also a refreshing departure to the sword and sorcery the genre usually sees. Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr is a good game and has makings of a great one too - if only its technical issues are eventually fixed.

Including additional equipment — like the Liebherr RL1300, for all you tall crane enthusiasts! — and several new DLC missions/jobs, the Gold Edition provides many hours of content for the patient player to invest some serious time in learning the systems.

EA plays it safe with their latest Harry Potter adventure, featuring the same smooth gameplay and visual flair we have come to expect from the franchise.

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.