Taiko no Tetsujin Rhymic Adventure Pack, while not outstanding, is a solid entry to the series. Fans of the franchise will enjoy the free play mode as usual. The newcomers can go for the RPG Adventure mode if hardcore drumming to get the perfect S rank for every song is just too daunting for them.

Stories Untold celebrates early adventure games with its narrative text format, telling a suspenseful story through limited visuals and thrilling narrative. It’s a compelling journey, and much of the excitement comes from one’s own imagination. It’s not a long game, but the tale kept me hooked. However, Stories Untold is not for everyone. Players not used to the text format may find the gameplay tedious or unintuitive, especially given how the Switch version handles command inputs. Players who enjoy the format may not appreciate the modernized escape game room sequences in later chapters, which stray away from the first episode’s traditional style. If this describes you, these stories are best left untold.

Beat Cop meets its quota by providing a few laughs and a fun experience that doesn’t overstay its welcome. The appropriate attention and care was given to the most important elements, but it doesn’t offer much else. The end result is a game with few lows, but similarly few standout moments to make it truly memorable.

Krater offers an interesting take on post-apocalyptic games and utilizes strategic maneuvers while engaged in combat, but it felt a bit dragged out and of course, I went a little click happy. Although the story was okay, I felt that the gameplay was repetitive and the point-and-click tactic was getting tired.

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 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.

Dreamfall Chapters isn’t for everybody, but it’s a must for anyone who’s played the previous games, specifically Dreamfall. The story picks up where that left off, while concluding the tale The Longest Journey began decades ago. Ironically, though the plot itself is about balance, the game has difficulties balancing its gameplay style. Although modern third-person adventuring and old-school logic puzzles are both implemented, neither is particularly impressive. Luckily, the overall plot is exciting and deep enough to warrant its 25+ hour runtime. As long as you’re okay with jumping into a story in progress, it’s a worthy journey to take and a compelling dream to fall into.

Aside from some minor visual glitches and pop-in and some finnicky platforming, A Knight’s Quest is not at a bad time but it’s not an experience that will stick with you, either. Its focus on humor instead of drama or pathos will be a selling point for players weary of self-important heroes and dark themes but on the flip side, humor is very subjective. From its title to its overall mechanics, A Knight’s Tale seems like a safely familiar variation on a popular but over-played theme, appealing for its recognizable form but less satisfying for its lack of creative ambition.

EA's string of great sports releases is broken this time as the 2006 edition just goes through the motions and doesn't bring anything new for gamers.

White Night offers an intriguing mystery and dialog ripped from the pages of a Mickey Spillane novel and I had a good time with it, frustrations aside. That said, $15 seems a bit much for a game you’re only going to play once.

I’m not sure the “rage game” genre is really a thing, but if it is, Rage in Peace deserves a place at the big people’s table. Although it has a narrative, lots of secrets and side-quests to discover and a colorful style that helps to balance its premise, Rage in Peace will primarily appeal to a very specific subset of action fans less concerned with strategy or character and more focused on achieving a fast and flawless command of the game’s patterns and obstacles. The game doesn’t aspire beyond that narrow goal, but it does its rage-inducing thing rather well.

It is easy to appreciate the effort and creativity that went into this title, but it is probably one that you will want to tackle in thirty or sixty minute spurts.

It's a lot of work to get into politics, but it's also a lot to try and turn it into a simulation for us to play at home. I would never say this game is a perfect simulation of anything, but it does a great job of being a simple, accessible simulation game even for people who aren't really into that type of game.

Check vs. Mate is a good game to check out if you enjoy playing combat/strategic style games that make you think and leave you upset when the computer beats you.

It's unfortunately easy to focus on what's lacking about Empyre, but the game's premise and setting are sufficiently original, and its combat is engaging enough to warrant a look. Perhaps given a larger team and a longer development process, some of the empty spaces could have been filled in. Some voice work, more attention to craft compelling characters, and a more nuanced and branching story in which the player could feel more important, would all help elevate the game to another level. If Empyre: Lords of the Sea was a novel, I'd say it was a promising first draft.

Tangle Tower is still worth exploring despite its issues, especially for those with access to Apple Arcade. At it's piecemeal $20 price tag, though, the game's flaws are less forgivable. If anything, Tangle Tower makes a compelling case for a long-running franchise starring Detective Grimoire and Sally. The foundation is there: sharp writing, beautiful presentation, phenomenal voice work, stellar music. With just a little more time in the oven, SFB's next game could be something truly special. For now, we'll just have to settle for "good."

If your alright with renting the game, it might be a better idea given the games short length, otherwise this really is a pretty solid game that’s worth a look.

With Mech games being a rare commodity these days, this mech sim provide decent action and customizations, albeit being repetitive in the long run.

Mystic Vale desperately needs a step-by-step, Hearthstone-level tutorial that assumes no prior knowledge of either the game or the genre, because a very attractive and interesting game is hidden behind a pretty steep wall. Additional modes and cards are coming but for now, Mystic Vale will be most attractive to fans of the physical game, who will find it faithful to the original and a lot of fun, especially with human opponents.

Violent, gory, and drenched in tension and madness, Outlast 2's biggest flaw is that it sticks to a couple of notes and repeats them incessantly. Being an impotent victim with little chance of fighting back is scary for a while but wearying through the length of a game. Outlast 2's heavy-handed commentary on the dangers of fundamentalism lacks subtlety or perspective and feels like low-hanging thematic fruit. Without a shred of humor or lightness, Outlast 2 doesn't seem to realize that horror is more effective when paired with normalcy and the pleasantly mundane.

Graceful Explosion Machine is a twitch-based shooter that is one part mentally stimulating and another part emotionally exhilarating. It’s not for everyone, though. You have to play through levels over and over again, trying to achieve combos and the best grades, to get the most out of this title. If you don’t dabble in score attack games, then you won’t enjoy the repetitive looping levels filled with the same enemies. A lack of bosses and endless mode leave something to be desired as well. But if you appreciate the fine art of racking up high scores, then this shoot ‘em up is a true gem.

As far as hidden object puzzle adventures go, Eventide: Slavic Fable is a quality product. Sure it won’t revolutionize its genre but it’s innocent and relaxing entertainment. Even hardcore gamers can found some solace in its soothing atmosphere. After all, some casual gaming now and then can’t hurt anyone or ruin reputation.

If you, like me, fire up the Oculus every so often to see what’s new, and are hankering for a new VR shooter, you’ll probably enjoy Experiment Gone Rogue, though it can’t compare to non-VR triple-A shooters. Developers continue to support the device and VR in general, and gameplay and mechanics inch forward towards the competition outside virtual reality. And of course, Repulse can’t be faulted for the Oculus’ limitations itself. It’s still heavy, awkwardly tethered and still not ready for mainstream.

In the end, Masochisia is not a very successful game no matter how unflinchingly or creatively it examines its subject matter.

Not A Hero: Super Snazzy Edition is a collection of interesting ideas that, while refreshing, deserved to be used more ambitiously.

Ashes of Ariandel offers a whole new bestiary of challenging creatures to murder, a beautiful, if haunting, world to explore, and a new story to figure out. Although the zone is built using a lot of familiar pieces, it evokes a rich sense of place. That’s the benefit of being separated from the rest of the game’s playable zones.

Marvel vs. Capcom Origins is an acceptable package. While Iron Galaxy did a decent job updating these games in terms of visuals and online play, they couldn't change the basic gameplay. One of the games included in this package is fun to play and the other is pretty poor. It's not the worst HD remake you could buy, but there are just too many other ones to make this a must buy.

Dazzles with its visuals, but ultimately falls short of being truly memorable due to its dragging plot and button-mashing combat.