Saint Seiya isn't exactly a great game. It's a game that suffers from repetition, an awkward camera, and button bashing to beat generic enemies (bosses save this situation).

It should be noted that the idea of terrain deformation is a good one, and one that deserves to be expanded on, but this time around its implementation is significantly below par in execution. So much so, that I’d be hard-pressed to recommend the game to anyone - even as a rental.

Contrast is a curious, fair attempt at a puzzle platformer with some neat ideas that make it somewhat enjoyable, but is a slightly frustrating experience that in the end won’t be remembered for its gameplay, but more for its world, visuals and sound.

It’s not a great RPG – it’s too easy for starters – but I feel Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars is good enough that I can recommend this B-tier social linking, dungeon crawler to the diehard JRPG fans looking for a unique twist on the genre for their Vita.

Betrayer absolutely excels at offering a mysterious and atmospheric world to explore, which is supported with a fantastic monochromatic art direction and strong ambient sounds. It’s just a shame that the combat, AI and structure of the game can become monotonous; losing its magic that it hit you full on at the start of the game.

It’s such a shame that the game’s battle system wasn’t better thought out because it really lets down what could have been a great little game.

Between both handheld versions, the PSP one is the game that feels that it’s just a shrunken down version of the PC edition, just without the higher crisp graphics.

Astor: Blade of the Monolith has a certain charm and fun element to it, but the game’s simplistic combat and repetitive foes take away from the overall excitement. I would like there to be more reasons to use powers against foes, but the variety of enemies is not big enough to support this. Although it provides enjoyable moments, vibrant visuals, and an intriguing setting, it falls short of being truly remarkable or memorable, yet there is a game that can be enjoyed even if it does not leave a lasting impression.

WRC 3: FIA World Rally Championship is not going to set the fire alight in the world of racing games, but it does what it set out to do – supply fans of rally games with a solid rallying experience that is entertaining.

It’s still by no means a masterpiece. (As soon as you include imagery of people defecating on each other for pleasure the word ‘masterpiece’ must, of course, be immediately discarded), but it is a vastly improved experience over the original. Not only have there been significant upgrades made to the gameplay, it also delves much deeper into every aspect of the story: from the land of ecstasy, ‘Lusst’ghaa, its inhabitants, history, and eventual downfall; to the different cults, their leaders, beliefs and motivations.

If you just want to speed around tracks for a season, then fans will find entertainment here, but really, when it comes down to it, it’s probably best to wait for next year’s release where, hopefully, missing content is back to bring this great racing engine up to par with the quality of game modes that were once a feature of this franchise.

The Crew however lacks that indistinguishable something that other games sitting in the same genre have in spades, and without it my urge to play the game quickly dwindled to being almost nonexistent.

Fine for an hour at a time, but shouldn’t be treated as anything other than a lower alternative to better games doing the same thing.

Joining the roguelite genre is no easy thing to do, since the field is packed with high quality titles as is, and sadly, Katana Kami isn’t quite on par with the best in the business. That is not to say this game is bad, it supplies a decent attempt at the genre with some unique features of its own. Playing in short sessions works best for most fun with its with fast action that incorporates some decent combat mechanics and out of dungeon concepts that aren’t sadly capitalised to their fullest, nor can the randomised dungeon design keep the repetitiveness away from eventually creeping in. So in the end, there are some shortcomings – I still cannot get over the lack of supporting 1440p resolution – but Katana Kami: A Way of the Samurai Story does about a enough to warrant been a fair entry in the genre.

It’s worth it just to spend a little more time on Mars with some bombs and some high powered lasers, just don’t expect anything drastically new.

An absolute rotting putrid corpse of a videogame.

The original Force Unleashed shot for the stars, and fell short, but at least you could commend it for trying. Force Unleashed 2 feels sterile and barren in comparison, refusing to try for anything spectacular, and managing to reuse and recycle its few good ideas countless times over its short run.

Like many of the other VR experiences in this launch, Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live is an impressive technical showcase that opens the imagination for future VR games, but is currently bereft of meaningful content or replay value.

It’s poorly executed and ends up being a boring, generic title that can’t justify a place for itself in your DS collection.

Dead Island Riptide is a stop-gap extension to the franchise that is enjoyable in small doses, but disappointingly fails to address problems that plagued the original game.

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution isn’t the revolution it could have been, and even though it took some logical steps in the right direction to improve the one-vs.-one fights with new mechanics, the story, missing cinematic action and the new battle system feel like Revolution has taken the series one step forward, but two steps back.

RPGs are usually very long, and as many of us have grown up, we simply don’t have the time to play through them anymore, making Evoland an extraordinary journey through a much simpler time that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

In the end, MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune vs Zombies is a mediocre action game where its charm and variety rests squarely on its characters.

In all honesty I fail to see a reason for anyone buy something this. Even if you included the whole game as a mini-game in some other larger title it would still seem limited. It’s honestly a miracle that I wrote this much about a game that offers gamers so little in return.

Senran Kagura: Bon Appétit! is a game purely designed for its fans. If anyone was foolish enough to think that this spin-off may introduce any gameplay elements to draw in newcomers, think again.

Overall, even though the controls sometimes made me swear in frustration and the hackneyed narration made me laugh out loud, I am still, on the whole, pleased to have played The Descendants. It is worth trying out in a sale, and if you can cope with the shortcomings in design, the story is an entertaining five-episode arc.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is another classic FF game that featured a lot of revolutionary features for its time. Unlike other re-released FF games that aged like fine wine, however, Crystal Chronicles’ antiquated controls and half-step multiplayer additions don’t nearly stand the test of time, especially when there are so many games available that do loot-based dungeon-crawling far better and far more streamlined. For many modern gamers accustomed to the faster pace and tighter controls of said games, Crystal Chronicles may feel like an old relic that requires a hefty amount of patience. There’s no lack of charm in the visuals and character designs, and getting four synchronized party members together that can effortlessly chain spells together to unleash a powered-up super spell can lead to a decent time, but it also shows that some old games can be harder to revisit due to the rapidly-evolving technology surrounding videogames.

Anybody actually paying attention to the narrative will appreciate the gasp-inducing ending, and anybody under twelve will appreciate the abundance of inappropriate costumes that come included. For everyone else it’s a good, if not quite great platformer, that complements the main game while not exactly revolutionising it.

There’s nothing outright bad about Conglomerate 451. If you want a dungeon crawler with this specific motif and you’re okay with a less than stellar underlying game that for all intents and purposes gets the job done, this should fit that bill. It gets the atmosphere right and there’s plenty to do, and especially for the asking price, what’s on offer here is not unreasonable.

It’s actually quite good in multiplayer and if you enjoy setting records then the same can be said for the competition side of it.

Overall, SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy suffers the same problem that many of the most recent fighting games have: barebones content. The character selection is small, with more characters planned to be added via DLC, but the brief story mode and unsatisfying combat put a permanent hamper on the experience regardless of increased roster. There just isn’t much here in the way of fun or fanservice, and the Switch version runs at a shoddier framerate to add insult to injury. The fun little nods and imagery do not make up the overall price tag, and the neutered controls feel far more unconventional then streamlined. Everyone should just put their clothes back on and sober up, because the mood just isn’t there this time.

Ultimately, Slender: The Arrival retains the same experience as the previous versions, though it lacks the visual polish of the PC original.

Either way, Forced is still a cool game that I will always go back to when I’m craving a challenge with a couple of friends.

Give this game a miss, and get your EXP-grinding gums around Dungeon Siege 2.

It is unfortunate that Corpse Party: Blood Drive suffers from the technological leap to the Vita, as the new visual style and gameplay features are the best improvements seen in the series from a conceptual standpoint.

In all, it was a decent attempt at a new concept but didn’t quite ever make it further than that.

Crucially, if you stand back and think of what the series could be evolving into with current hardware then you can’t help but look at DW6 as a disappointment.

Despite finding one or two things fiddly and frustrating, How to Survive is a good game. I found the survival aspect addictive, challenging and most importantly, thrilling.

A steeping stone for the series, one that offers hope that EA can achieve better things in the future.

Dokuro features some crafty and creative puzzle designs to stump your brain and a dark presentation that is different, making it stand out in a packed fill genre, and is a fun game to spend time with, but it might be better to play the Vita version instead of this barebones PC edition.

But if you’re more discerning about your games and don’t give a crap about the film then you really should be looking elsewhere.

Strikeforce is a step in the right direction for the franchise. It’s the much needed change that the series was crying out for. It’s just shame the console version is a port of the PSP game.

I’m afraid that whilst The Deer God was boasted as “a breathtaking 3d pixel art game that will challenge your religion and your platforming skills”, the only thing that it really challenged was my patience. It did look pretty nice though.

If you want something quick to play on, then you could do worse than what Ignite has to offer. It's racing at its simplest, there is multiplayer, and for the price it might just be worth you checking out to see if it is your cup of tea.

Crucially, if you stand back and think of what the series could be evolving into with current hardware then you can’t help but look at DW6 as a disappointment.

Story Mode – Episode 2 ups the action and engages with its characters, making for a short but enjoyable hour; however, Telltale still struggles to give the player meaningful choices, balance tone, and create a unique story – though they’re well on their way.

Bleach: The 3rd Phantom is a solid Strategy RPG and fans will enjoy its 25 chapters.

As it stands, Zheros is a serviceable beat ’em up for people who enjoy those games, but never rises up to the challenge in being a staple of the genre, instead, it’s another return to the classic genre that doesn’t bring the potential or grab the essence of what made them so great.

At its best, it doesn't do anything but supply fun in multiplayer, but at its worse, it is a boring and generic with no redeeming qualities and is something I cannot recommend to anyone looking for a good action RPG on their Vita.

It’s actually quite good in multiplayer and if you enjoy setting records then the same can be said for the competition side of it.

Worms: Battle Islands is fun, but it's not long before it's relegated to the odd party game and the occasional commute.

It's a competent enough game but could have been so much more, if you fancy something like Prince of Persia though it's definitely worth a rental, and if you loved Tron and can't wait for the new film then you really have to give it a go, if only just for the story.

It's a competent enough game but could have been so much more, if you fancy something like Prince of Persia though it's definitely worth a rental, and if you loved Tron and can't wait for the new film then you really have to give it a go, if only just for the story.

In the end, htoL#NiQ is a beautiful and encouraged experiment marred by a frustrating difficulty and clunky controls (even if intentionally clunky). It will require a bit of patience and several hundred deaths, but those willing to commit themselves will appreciate the game’s haunting beauty the most.

Lost Planet 3 is a peculiar game. It’s a solid third-person shooter with an identity crisis. Some of the changes to the single player won’t go down so well with the fans – it’s missing some of the bits that gave Lost Planet its own personality.

It's a bummer that you have to put up with tedious combat to enjoy the platforming. Krome Studios should take on board this problem and solve it in the next episode of Blade Kitten. If they can get the combat sections right, they'll be on to a good old-school platforming game, and there aren't many of those any more.

At the end of the day, the bad points massively outweigh the good ones, and when the credits roll you’ll be left with a feeling that it all could have been so much better. The game also has absolutely no replay value whatsoever, and is consequently terrible value for money.

No thrills is quite a good description when speaking about V-Rally 4 overall. There is nothing exceptional or bad with the game, it’s just okay, a racing game that can be enjoyable, but has some irksome design choices and a lack of polish. It’s more surprising that the name returned in 2018, but it’s an uninspired sequel with an sterile career mode. At least the tracks featured are good, its visuals are decent enough – at times can set some lovely landscape shots – and the handling, once become accustom to it, is enough to bring some arcade racing fun to the table, if only the song selection was much better, because I am still having nightmares about “the weight of the world”.

The potential this title had is washed away by it being plagued with performance issues and a lack of variety in its level and mission design. When everything is working, I was having fun, even if it was a little shallow, but these issues cannot save the amusingly raw and brutal combat from being part of a game where the overall experience is repetitive and its cooperative play is cumbersome.

Would I recommend the game? Yes, I would. It is fun, fast, frantic, chaotic, rewarding when played in a group and infuriating. So pretty much all the ingredients for a good old-fashioned night in around the TV with some like-minded buddies. It's a shame online wasn't included and not as much effort was made in the game's menu presentation, but for such a low price point, it is definitely worth a purchase.

A good game with a satisfying conclusion to the MercurySteam saga that sadly falls short of its predecessor, thanks to the puzzling inclusion of unwanted stealth elements.

Bladestorm: Nightmare at its core is the same game that came out in 2007 with some slight alterations to the mechanics that bring in a little fun, but at the same time kill off the strategy that this game was going for.

If you’re willing to dive into its briny unforgiving depths and learn from it, then there is about as much here as there is to get from a turn-based strategy.

If you are looking for a refreshing tower defence title, then there is something in Prime World: Defenders you will enjoy. People who are more fussy with their choice of tower defence games might find this to be an ambitious title with problems.

Ninja Gaiden 3 has all of the telltale signs of a good game. Triple-A branding, fantastic dev team, worldwide support. Unfortunately, what could have been a fairly solid entry is plagued by backwards-innovation [No inventory? Japanese voice option?], absolutely mediocre and over-streamlined combat gameplay, and a predictable plot.

Fate/Extra is an intriguing game that features a brilliant story, solid characters and good art, but when it comes to the RPG aspects it's all a little uninspiring, and at times tedious and boring, with too much repetition in gameplay and design. If you like to play RPGs for the story and aren't worried about a basic battle system based around luck, then by all means check Fate/Extra out, you'll certainly get a well worth kick from its story, just don't expect to be blown away by its gameplay.

An intentionally janky experience that will make you laugh in amusement at its balls-to-the-wall randomness and moan in frustration at its awkward gameplay features. A fair attempt at bringing back the fun, no-nonsense action games of the PS2/PS3 era, but one that does not quite hit the same heights as those B-tier titles. A specific crowd who enjoys these less fluid action games will find something to like here, but maybe wait for a sale before taking that ride to crazy town.

With the rate in which this company pumps out titles, fans of Moe and/or RPGs might be better off waiting for the next Hyperdimension Neptunia, which is also hitting the PS4 this year.

Although a competent beat ‘em up, it lacks not only the accessibility but the depth of Street Fighter IV, the classic gameplay of Mark of the Wolves or Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and the hardcore technical side of Blazblue.

What is here is essentially a mini-game collection coated in a Kirby presentation. It’s a fun game, especially when you get four players together and can experience the game at its full potential, but Nintendo has been delivering amazing quality this year, even on the 3DS, but this is a chip in their fantastic release schedule. Kirby Battle Royale is lacking any will to innovate. It’s happy to be playing it safe and be a standard multiplayer game that will loose its replay value fast, and with the weak single player challenge that becomes repetitive before it ends, the game does not offer much to the huge 3DS library available other than being a average bag of multiplayer mayhem.

Sacred 3, as you can establish from this review, is a game that has moved away from its predecessor’s roots to become more of a brawler with light RPG elements.

I can clearly say I had fun with Onechanbara Z2: Chaos, because in the end, it just manages to bring shameless adult fun with a slap of fan service, but even though I liked my short time with the game, it clearly needs work on its issues to bring a Onechanbara game that is more than just a mediocre game with deep, stylish combat to butter up the overall package.

Breach simply doesn't match up to what is on offer in the videogame market today.

Despite all of the bloodshed and loss of soldiers you may become fond of (Major Noob and Private Pyle were two of my best), Tiny Troopers is a cute little war game that takes me back to my Hogs of War playing days, what with the patriotic music and funny comments.

The campaign does offer interesting and thrilling combat scenarios at times. The ones that get straight into the action are great, but other times it can be a little too much with its bullet madness, but then on the other side, sometimes missions pan out the pacing and this shows the weakness with the controls and lack of weight within the game’s physics. Story mode is over quickly, leaving the survival mode or a harder difficulty in the story mode to test your skills, but with a pocket-friendly price of £11.39, it does not bust the bank for people who fixate on game length. In the end, Nimbus Infinity is an enjoyable mecha game that does not offer any surprises, but even with its issues, is fun enough for fans to jump into Warspite and blow up some stuff while waiting for the next big mecha action game to drop.

Sadly, for me this game was a big disappointment, a bit of a wreck so to speak.

It may not be a must-have remaster such as other PS4 re-releases, but fans of the Vita version and especially newcomers should have no issue double-dipping on this latest port.

An impressive game on the one hand, but lacklustre on the other, There are some things to like about Fort Solis, but the actual interaction element can become a test of patience when walking around such a visually impressive mining facility becomes a slog.

I keep coming back to the voice acting but a big part of an RPG is the how the story is conveyed and this game falls flat on it’s face here making the story seem drab rather than the colour tale they have crafted. The environments are nice but overall nothing to write home about. The game looked good on paper but unfortunately it has too many pitfalls causing it to feel very lackluster.

In short, Lethal VR is a basic game concept that does exactly as advertised. It’s a quick arcade-style target range game with a lot of neat objectives and weapons to play around with. It’s just a shame that more time could not be given to the controls in order to better accommodate the PSVR’s hardware, as precision and comfort are absolutely instrumental for games like this. We’ve come far in the last few years, yet it seems target-based gaming has not evolved much since the Nintendo Wii’s remote-waggling days.

It ended up being a fun puzzler with an interesting twist, but bad gameplay implementations.

Spelunker HD has all the elements of a decent throwback renewed with high definition graphics.

Inversion might not be innovating in its field with the Gravlink mechanic, but get past the start of the game and you'll open up to a rather enjoyable and good enough shooter that fans of the genre should give a chance before writing it off as a poor man's Gears of War.

I won’t pretend that Sonic Forces is a disappointment – it telegraphed its kitchen sink approach to content a long time ago. Desperately trying to please every kind of Sonic fan, it is every bit the mishmash of half realised ideas vying for your attention that it seemed like it would be. I guess I just never expected that their attempts to hold that attention would be so feeble.

The game isn’t bad, it’s just not great, and I was expecting a little bit more than a generic western fantasy RPG with competent combat from the studio that brought us the tantalising Of Orcs and Men.

Tasomachi: Behind the Twilight sits in the middle of the landscape for 3D platforming. It is an achievement that one person managed to develop most of the game on their own, but that is not an element that should be taken into account when speaking of the quality. The gameplay is stripped back for simplicity, which is a double-edged sword for Tasomachi: Behind the Twilight. The challenge is never truly there, and the limited amount of challenge rooms means the game never gets the time to flesh out more intricate platforming designs, leaving it with a lack of variation. Still, when it was all coming together, I was enjoying the game, its lovely art style, its sort of tranquillity state when the music hits and the platforming is in full swing as it can be. It might not be a memorable platform game, but Tasomachi: Behind the Twilight is a fair starting block, a sort of alpha test that could be made into something much bigger, deeper and better in a sequel.

For a person who missed the era when the game was in its prime, Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded will feel like a relic creeping into the modern age and demonstrating to everyone how archaic the old times used to be.

This is definitely a return to form for for the franchise. It's not as good as the original game, and much as that was what I was hoping for, it's not a disappointment.

So, Dark Horizon isn’t a horrible game. It’s just not a very good one, either. While nothing about it is particularly offensive, it still absolutely fails to generate any interest in a genre that, in most people’s eyes, stagnated a long time ago.

Bugs ruin fun.

Regardless of its name, it's still clear to see Haze is a disappointing game based on a weak premise that has been half-heartedly realised.

As it stands, Sports Bar VR is more like a virtual hangout reminiscent of Playstation Home, a social gathering where few patrons indulged in any of the mini-games within and remained content to treat it as a console-based Second Life. It is perhaps for that reason that Sports Bar VR will turn into a cult favorite among early adopters, but for anyone hoping for even a semi-accurate recreation of competitive sports bar activities, they may consider sticking to the real smoke-filled hangouts until a more precise alternative is released.

Overall, “average” is the perfect descriptor for Akiba’s Beat. While there is nothing particularly bad about it, it does little to stand out among the most recent releases that truly revitalize the JRPG genre. It is both baffling and disheartening that the developers chose to rob the very things that made Akiba’s Trip stand out among the sea of Japanese games only to have it conform to a pale imitation of more polished JRPGs. If you haven’t done so already, consider passing over this game in favor of seeking out its more unique (and entertaining) predecessor for cheap.

If you are a fan of the Fable series and know a few friends who enjoy party-games, have at it. It's not the golden goose by any means, but, for what it is, this Fable will do.

In any case, if you don’t mind the sexual nature of the motivation mini-games and are looking for a JRPG that makes for a fun play in short burst and is a little different, then taking a peek at Criminal Girls: Invite Only might offer you a fairly enjoyable, if flawed, time.

Unless you are a die-hard on-rails shooter fan it's quite hard to recommend Yar's Revenge over some of the much more loved classics on Xbox Live, like the brilliant REZ. Yar's Revenge is the exact opposite of Mizugichi's masterpiece as it lacks the memorable moments and set pieces. This re-imagining of a classic isn't what it could have been.

Mugen Souls has interesting ideas, but they are badly implemented, causing the game to include too much unwanted junk.

I applaud UTV for bringing a very niche genre to the PlayStation 3, complete with generous Move support, but I find the title fizzles out too quickly, and hope that their next offering comes out of the PS3 kitchen less underdone.