In the end, there isn't a lot that can be said in the extreme about Rise of Insanity. It is competently executed, other than its shoddy translation. It doesn't look to redefine the first person horror genre and it doesn't shoot for the stars, but it has enough going for it with its story and its environments to make it worth a play through. It might not be an easy game to recommend at its full price, but if you are a fan of psychological horror and you would like to experience a slightly unique twist on it, then Rise of Insanity might be one worth checking out.

I would never argue that escapist entertainment such as videogames should not explore the dark reaches of the human psyche or behavior. Where My Lovely Daughter falls down for me is not the grim subject matter but the somewhat artless narrative and pacing and the repetitive gameplay loop that sustains the experience.

In the end, if you're looking for a mystery to get lost in (and like the old-school point-and-click adventure game genre), The Raven Remastered should rightly be on your radar. Despite the rather lazy ending, the journey there is still rather enjoyable and Constable Zellner is one protagonist I won't be forgetting any time soon.

The additional content may not be substantial enough to entice seasoned players, but it adds to the complete lore, so hardcore fans may find it still worthwhile. Not to mention that the game adds at least 10 hours to an existing 40-60 hour playtime. Newcomers and veterans who want to relive the excellent story, time-travel mechanics, and combat system will find Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology to be worth their… time.

Despite that restriction, I found myself pleasantly surprised by Shadow Bug. The slow start is a bother, but the game quickly wins you back when it removes the training wheels. The speed of the gameplay never got away from me, and even with the bosses throwing up major hurdles, taking them down feels like a huge accomplishment. This is one game that I can perform my recommend-jutsu on!

Ghost of a Tale is such a unique and captivating looking game that it deserves your attention for its aesthetics alone. Graphics don't make a game, of course, and happily, Ghost of a Tale has enough story and RPG gameplay to keep you entertained throughout. It's quite an achievement for a small team, and a reminder that not every indie game needs to be a blob of pixels in search of a retro niche.

Make no mistake, while Northgard might not have pages of tech trees and armies of clashing units, it has a fundamental gameplay loop that is never less than engaging and consistently challenging. Northgard is an RTS where neither the usual binary strategies of turtling or aggression are effective and where every victory feels especially sweet.

God of War is the perfect trifecta of innovative gameplay, gorgeous visuals and engrossing narrative. It’s a game that grabbed me from its opening moments and had me holding my breath for almost 30 hours...This is a beautiful game and one of the most engaging experiences I’ve ever had. Unlike previous God of War entries, this is one game that I will be thinking about for many, many years to come.

Frantics is a great entry for Playlink with impressive use of mobile devices for casual mini-games. The games are imaginative, amusing and easily accessible for everyone. If you are looking for a well-made game to casually spend time together with your friends, you cannot go wrong with Frantics.

As the final piece of DLC, The Curse of the Pharaohs rounds out an attractive and full-featured edition of a bold new direction for Assassin’s Creed. While I still miss the form and function of the older Assassin’s Creed games, I can’t deny that Origins and its DLC has made for a compelling adventure that offers a whole lot of value.

Alaska has a story to tell that could have been an interesting drama about a murder in an extremely isolated small town. It’s too bad that the whole affair is bogged down by slow movement speeds, generally unpleasant visuals, ineffective minigames, and bad writing. If you’re looking for a game that marries good storytelling and an interesting mystery with framed around mundane work made fun, play The Station instead. It’s best to leave Alaska on ice.

What started out as a promising sojourn into another world, where I could single-handedly take on a horde of Giants, ends up feeling much like the citizenry of Extinction, tired of fighting, tired of Giants, and tired of being there. There’s enough good here that the failures just hurt more. There’s fun movement when it works, fun puzzle-like combat, but despite its best efforts, there’s no portal big enough to save it from the weight of its own systems.

Detective Pikachu is not a typical Pokémon game. Anyone going into this adventure expecting the familiar formula is going to be sorely disappointed. But anyone looking for a new spin on a too-well-worn formula, or those looking to play a classic adventure game, will have a fun time. Is it the best adventure game? No. But it’s nice to see a classic formula revived with plenty of love and passion. And at the end of the day it is fun a game with a very unique perspective on the pokémon world. I dig it.

Considering that Assassin’s Creed as a series allows us to visit the past, Rogue Remastered ends up achieving the series’ purpose. It’s a romp through time, a showcase of some of the best that Assassin's Creed has to offer in both gameplay and story, and now visually matches its successors. While not everything about the game is perfect, I have no trouble recommending it, especially to someone that has not experienced it yet.

Owlboy is obviously a labor of love, and not some cold and calculated syndicate product. Altogether, it would have needed some outside help to do doctoring, especially to the latter half of the game. In the end, Owlboy is true to its inspiration: a retro-platformer both in good and in bad. It’s a shame that it couldn’t grow beyond that.

This new release -- cosmetically better but lacking the overhaul that would really help the game stand up to current titles -- doesn't go far enough. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a cynical cash-grab, but I am disappointed that it not only fails to make the original Titan Quest experience much better, it adds some additional flaws and strips away some of the potential for enjoyment.

No matter how seasoned hardcore adventure game veteran you think you are (like me), you have to admit that Artifex Mundi’s casual adventures are welcome break to daily activities. Even though their premises are often dark, their classic attitude of good eventually conquering evil can liven up the dreariest of days. There’s no trendy grey area of the contemporary fiction in Enigmatis 3 and once in a while, that’s only a good thing.

The jury is still out on whether or not Dream Diary exists as a faithful remake/adaptation of the original Yume Nikki, although research has led me to believe that it wasn’t well received by the community. So if you’re a fan of the original game, you might want to temper your expectations. For the rest of us, Kadokawa’s remake is a spooky adventure game that doesn’t break new ground but will take you to some strange and exotic places.

As a puzzle game, Slayaway Camp does the job, but isn't anything special – it's really saved by having such a fun look and idea to it. A puzzle game about being a Jason Voorhees type is just an awesome hook, and spotting more horror movie references has enough thrill to keep you going. The game may not have the meat to really get its hooks in you from a puzzle perspective, but this fun little love letter to slasher movies is definitely worth a look to gorehounds with a soft spot for the genre.

If you're already familiar with Payday 2 and are dying to play the game on the go with a group of equally excited friends, then Payday 2 on Switch will scratch that itch. For those unfamiliar with the Payday series looking to give it a whirl, you're better off sticking to the far cheaper (and feature complete) version of the game on PC. Meanwhile, everyone else should probably spend their money on something much newer and fresher than this.

For all of its faults, Battlezone: Combat Commander is fun, unique, and innovative. It could even stand the test of time if the developers had spent their energy updating the game mechanics rather than just the in-game graphics. Ultimately, it's a fun game that should have gotten a lot more love from the remaster than it did. For my part, I will continue to enjoy this old classic like I did when I was a kid, but I will always be disappointed that it isn't all it could be, nay, all that is should be.

Unlike many games that have big ambitions and big budgets, only to falter at the most fundamental level, Into the Breach under-promises and over-delivers. Its modest look and surface simplicity belie an addictive and really satisfying gameplay loop that is deep without being overly complicated and rewarding in perfect, bite size moments.

I was pleasantly surprised with how addicted I was to Island Time, as each death was a personal challenge to do better and last longer. It’s one of those games I keep thinking about when not playing, drawing mental ideas and strategies for item management and tactical seagull intercepts. Though it doesn’t offer the comforts and stress-free environment of my real world island adventures, Island Time still manages to be a whole lot of fun.

Although I appreciate what the Royal Pack has brought to the lore of Insomnia, its paltry additions may only appeal to the most hardcore fans who don’t mind replaying the definitive edition of a single chapter. If you’ve never played Final Fantasy XV, the Royal Edition or Windows Edition, both of which have all the DLC – including the character episodes and bonus content not present in the Royal Pack – is the way to go.

While the actual story felt like it was trying to drive me away from the action, Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2 kept me in by being a really stellar side-scroller. The shooting felt great, the environments were well-designed and chock full of enemies to beat, and the arenas were challenging without being cheap. Certainly not as sweet as its namesake overall, but you’d be crazy to turn down this cannoli without giving it a chance.

In the league of arcade racers, it still manages to hold onto its throne, despite improvements made to the online and the way the genre has progressed. These aspects hold it back a little, but as a driving game, there's still nothing that can quite match it, and I look forward to continuously revisiting the game now that it's out on new consoles.

I'm looking forward to what Colorfiction will make next. They are talented in crafting interesting worlds, but they aimed a little too low this time around. I can see where they were going with 0N 0W, but it just doesn’t seem ambitious enough. I recommend the game to those who are looking for a bizarre, desolate experience that lacks any narrative depth.

The skill system, leveling up, confrontations and the immunity/weakness system are all fantastic game design choices that really get you invested in the game. Pair those with superb writing and a beautiful location to explore, and this is one fantastic start to this episodic series. If you're a mystery hound like me that can appreciate these twists to the genre, I think you'll agree that Episode 2 can't come fast enough...