The degree to which you like Alone with You will depend largely upon how much emphasis you put on story versus gameplay. At times, the game feels a little bit too much like a walking simulator with 1993 graphics. A game like Alone with You that features survival so heavily as one of its major themes should make survival tough and satisfying, but the game does not offer that experience. On the other hand, success comes in abundance with the game’s setting, characters, and story. Whereas most “space disaster” games feature scary aliens, action, and explosions, Alone with You features realistic human tragedy. It is a unique approach to this genre of fiction that I have never experienced in video games. It is for this reason that this game can still be considered an overall success, despite its overly simplistic and deeply flawed gameplay.

Splasher is a great platformer and deserves to be played by any fan of the genre. If you enjoyed games like Super Meat Boy or Rayman Origins you’ll enjoy the frenetic pace of Splasher and the demanding controls. You have everything you need at your fingertips, you just need the dexterity to finish what you started. I appreciate what Splasher does with the four buttons because it’s opening up the genre and experimenting with what’s possible. Another platformer where you jump through levels would probably be dust in the wind but Splasher stands out because it takes a chance with its unique, if sometimes frustrating, controls.

Death Squared has been marketed as a puzzle game that anyone, from hardcore gamers to grandmas, could pick up and enjoy, and I think in that respect it succeeds. I see it being most worthwhile as a party game to be played with friends, where everyone can work together to solve these puzzles that are often times both intricate and exceedingly challenging. The concept behind Death Squared is sound, but with a startling lack of variety in its content, the satisfaction from solving these inventive puzzles only lasts so long.

Dragon Quest VIII is a fun RPG that will attract fans looking for that traditional experience. The game is on the lengthy side. The main story took me roughly 60 hours, and that number doesn’t include sidequest completion or the new postgame content. Either way, the game’s rich story and polished traditional battle system will keep RPG enthusiasts engaged throughout. This is one of the most accessible Dragon Quest titles, offering an epic story with fully-voiced cutscenes and likable characters. While the graphics and music may not be the most ideal, Square Enix makes up for it by removing random battles and improving quality-of-life. New characters, cutscenes, and sidequests may even entice veterans to journey on a second time. With all of its upgrades and additions, the 3DS port of Dragon Quest VIII is the definitive version of this classic RPG.

Stars in Shadow is a fun 4X title that makes for a great game for newcomers of the genre to dip their toes into. Likewise, rabid 4X lovers will find a familiar experience here that offers some new, interesting design choices along with a set of systems that are well-polished and well made. The fact that Stars in Shadow was made by a small team is all the more impressive when you look at how smooth it runs and the great deal of polish that went into this title. While it won’t set the standard for new and interesting 4X gameplay, Stars in Shadow offers a great 4X experience that is well balanced and a great deal of fun.

More often than not, the game is an exercise in frustration, which unfortunately characterizes The Flame in the Flood most accurately: a promising, interesting survival game that is ultimately left to drown in the waters of mediocrity by its own core mechanics.

I really wanted to like Rise & Shine. It’s one of the prettiest indie games I’ve played because of its beautiful and vibrant hand-drawn backgrounds, enemies and player characters. It’s also rife with fun, tongue-in-cheek references to the video games of yore. But that love quickly fades after spending hours and hours on a game that feels way harder than it needs to be. The demands and rigors of combat are unnecessarily stacked against the player, taking the form of frequent and cheap deaths. Love turns to fear, fear leads to anger, anger leads to pain, and pain leads to rage quitting and never wanting to play Rise & Shine ever again.

In the end, if you have enjoyed the wave of Kickstarter PC RPGs so far, then you will enjoy Torment: Tides of Numenera too. It will likely be a game that you want to finish, but it likely won’t be one that calls you back for a second or third journey.

Distilled way down to one-on-one medieval combat, For Honor is both instinctual and smart. It's bloody and entertainingly over-the-top, but much more than a button-masher. It's a game that repays thoughtful practice. It looks impressive, with believably gritty textures and tons of detail in the armor, weapons, and environment. It's a shame, then, that so much good will was squandered on the less appealing margins of the game, with pay-to-win systems, poor match making, and a throwaway single player campaign. With lots of time -- or cash -- to spare, playing For Honor is a rewarding action experience that doesn't feel like anything else on the market right now.

I enjoyed my time playing Beholder. Everything comes together well, and the initial experience is fun. It is missing that hook to keep me interested in playing for an extended period. That is the only complaint I have about Beholder. It will give you an enjoyable experience, even if it is for a short time. If you’re looking for a game that you can play for a couple days, Beholder fits that bill.

Imprint-X has style and that goes a long way in terms of making the game stand out. Without its look and without its music it really is just a simplistic game about clicking to solve puzzles. Solving the puzzles provides a sense of accomplishment at times but overall there is no greater purpose or reason to solve them other than the game wants you to. But with that bass beating along in the back maybe you don’t need a better reason than that. For an inexpensive, well-designed puzzle game you can certainly do worse than Imprint-X and it will definitely whittle away the hours without you even knowing.

Thanks to its outstanding writing, acting, cinematography and animation, Yakuza 0 tells an effective and surprisingly nuanced story of one man and his early journey through the complex world of organized crime. Although it marginalizes women to the role of cliche props and some of the dialogue -- in translation, at least -- rings a little hollow, Yakuza 0 is still a great introduction to both the series and its long-running characters. With an almost impossibly large number of things to do and combat that is brutal and entertaining throughout, Yakuza 0 has to rank as one of the most memorable and successful entries in the franchise.

Overall, Paul Cuisset's Subject 13 is challenging, but for the wrong reasons. There are perhaps a handful of very well-designed problems to solve, but most of the challenge comes from fighting the game's camera angle and infuriating controls. The easiest solution to those two problems would be a switch to first-person, as it is at the very beginning of the game. (I was actually rather disappointed when it switched from first-person to a fixed camera perspective.) Sure, the graphical fidelity might suffer a little bit from the closer perspective, but it would be so much easier to see and interact with the environment.

Tales of Berseria is an excellent game despite its flaws. The cast of characters shine in their own right and are easily some of the most memorable in the series and the combat additions coupled with the engaging plot makes this a game every JRPG fan should play.

Lara Croft Go is an excellently crafted and surprisingly lengthy puzzle game that loses nothing in the translation to the PS4. Anything you'd heard about how good, full-featured and fresh it was on mobile devices, continues to be the same now, and the addition of extra levels gives players even more to do. It'll be really cool to see if Square Enix does this concept with other franchises of theirs because the work they've done with the Go series has been excellent so far. If you're opposed to playing games on phones, then now's the perfect time to grab it and give it a try.

There are dozens of "Souls-like" games but Nioh is by far the most ambitious, polished and successful because it has taken Dark Souls' digital DNA and genuinely evolved it into something both recognizable and different. Nioh owes much to the spirit and mechanics of From's games but there is a lot of Diablo and Ninja Gaiden in there as well. It doesn't matter whether Nioh is derivative or wholly original, it just matters that the game is incredibly well made, challenging, complex and fun.

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.

From a technical standpoint, the game is a real darling and can compete with the best of them. And yet it’s that the game doesn’t really break away from any of the pre-existing molds that I believe hold it back from being the breakout hit of 2017. It feels almost too conventional. Whether it’s the Ubisoft style side missions, the Batman Arkham vision or the by the numbers storytelling. There’s nothing about Horizon Zero Dawn that breaks out into its own unique experience. I absolutely loved this game. I think it’s a fantastic adventure full of amazing experiences to be had and fully recommend it to anyone who owns a Playstation 4. And yet it does feel like the first game in a series that needs to discover its own unique identity to help it stand out amongst a vast array of open world games that it competes against.

There is an ideal way to approach Space Hulk: Deathwing, which is with a trio of Warhammer 40K fans and pretty modest expectations. In that situation, blasting through the game and taking turns with the four distinct classes can be a lot of fun. As a solitary experience, the lack of engaging story and characters, class limitations, frustrating AI and various technical issues tip the scale to the negative.

All in all, I enjoyed my time with Neon Chrome. It delivers the basics of why I like twin-stick shooters and adds its own mark with an emphasis on strategy and a cool cyberpunk theme. Granted, the game has a few shortcomings such as a non-existent story and sub-par graphics, as well as being rather short and having no online co-op, but if you're looking for something easy to pick up and play (especially with a friend) you could definitely do a lot worse!

Despite its early leaden pacing, Nights of Azure's story concept isn't bad. The two main characters, with their shy, budding romance and mutual dependence, have potential for an interesting arc. What surrounds them -- bland visuals, inconsistent design, sloppy localization and fast-paced but ultimately repetitive action -- makes it challenging to appreciate their relationship and story.

Epic Manager's conceit is refreshingly unexpected and, for the most part, its two genres manage to coexist pretty well. The game seems to own its absurd premise and leavens the experience with humor, bad puns and wordplay. There is a lot to do, although it's often not clear what to do, and I wish its core RPG elements were a bit more appealing. There are many games where dissimilar genres feel at odds, but Epic Manager manages to make a pretty convincing case for itself.

Shift DX takes one premise and remarkably makes it last for 200+ levels. Its healthy mix of spatial reasoning and platforming obstacles effectively tests your mind and reflexes. I’m convinced that this game stimulates a part of your brain that you rarely use, and it feels great. If you are even a casual fan of puzzle platformers, Shift DX will turn your world upside-down.

SpiritSphere has a lot going for it: dedication to the 8bit style, a fantastic soundtrack, novel gameplay, interesting characters, and a myriad of spheres and arenas. There was clearly a lot of work put into SpiritSphere to marry together two disparate genres and it shows. Unfortunately, when stacked up against other competitive games of this nature, SpiritSphere looks like a novel idea that is fun to play for a few hours but lacks the real competitive nature of faster, more hard-hitting games due to its self-imposed 8bit restrictions. While the idea is great and executed in a fun way, it’s hard to recommend SpiritSphere to anyone not interested in an interesting 8bit competitive game due to its lack of depth and competitive multiplayer.

Xenoraid isn’t bad, but it’s not good either. It didn’t feel like a complete waste of time, though. For the first hour or so, the game didn’t provide any kind of challenge, and I was left feeling a bit bored. The trouble is, even though the game gets better after a while, the game never really changes up its design, so it always seems like you’re doing the same boring things, even if it’s just a bit more challenging. Everything is much too repetitive and lacks substance. Once again, it’s just another indie title that you’ll forget you ever bought.

Despite my love for the series, Kingdom Hearts 2.8 is not without its faults, the most glaring being the high barrier of entry. As I said earlier, I cannot in good conscience recommend this game to folks unfamiliar with the series. However, if you don't care about story or you're a Kingdom Hearts vet, then have at it. Or as so many of the Kingdom Hearts armchair psychologists will tell you, "May your heart be your guiding key". What does that even mean?

Despite a handful of persistent flaws, Don’t Open the Doors is a charming, hilarious, and memorable experience that completely engrosses the player in its world of violence and absent-mindedness. With its satisfying gameplay and nonstop sense of humor, it does quite enough to be worth a spot in your library. It's not a masterpiece, but Don't Open the Doors is good old-fashioned breezy fun with a superb sense of humor that pushes it into greatness. Plus, it’s just cool to play something made out of clay.

Overall, Atelier Sophie is a mixed bag. This game serves as a good point of entry for newcomers due to the removal of the series’ notorious time limit, but fans may find the experience middling. While item alchemy is surprisingly fun, the elements surrounding it are not as engaging. The tedious gameplay loop may turn players off before the plot finally gets going. Much like the items synthesized in Sophie’s cauldron, the game excels most when everything comes together – rallying the townspeople to jointly make a gift for Plachta, forming a party of townsfolk equipped with handcrafted weapons and armor, and painstakingly creating amazing items to destroy the toughest foes. At its best, Atelier Sophie devotes itself to its alchemic theme, synthesizing a pleasant experience.