Despite this game more than likely being in a niche category to most people, it ends up being one of the best selections on the 3DS, and with all the great stuff you can do in it, it deserves all its praise.

If more time was spent to slowly explain its gameplay, or better yet simplify it so that it doesn’t conflict with players who want to experience the story, it would have proved a much stronger recommendation.

If you are looking to invest in a current generation hunting game that offers fast, fluid combat and amazing monster designs, then Toukiden: Kiwami is a great recommendation for existing fans or newcomers to the genre.

I would go so far as to say that Rogue Legacy is the greatest Metroidvania game I have ever played. It may sound like an extremely controversial opinion, but as it stands, this definitely tops the list as far as I’m concerned.

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is a game so savage that it can be unpalatable to certain players. But for those who enjoy the thrill of overcoming difficult combat where a single mistake can be your undoing, I can’t think of a lot out there that’s better.

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.

This game may lean far more heavily on the Metroid homage than most, but it still manages to perfectly capture the tried-and-true gameplay elements of Nintendo’s classic while also incorporating several new ideas to let it stand out on its own, turning an homage to a retro classic into a modern classic that future titles will want to follow.

The final hour of episode 3 is its strongest, where the players are able to shape the character development in some really interesting ways that lead to either a satisfying catharsis or heartbreaking submission.

If Lego Dimensions is a real thing, and we’ve no 100% confirmation it is, then the house of Brick better get on with it otherwise Sick Bricks will have established itself as the go to brick based toys to life experience.

There is a lot to love about Cities: Skylines and it gets a lot right for fans of the genre who felt crushed by SimCity’s disappointing release.

Whilst Dontnod refuse to directly answer a bunch of the questions posed in the first episode, Episode Two succeeds at adding yet more wrinkles to what is quickly becoming a compelling story arc that will likely span all five episodes before delivering its answers.

The shorter length and arbitrary conditions of the final episode may not be as well thought-out as previous episodes, but as a combined whole it is a solid finish to a spin-off that successfully restored a lot of lost faith with the Resident Evil brand.

To summarize, Apotheon is a fairly good game, but I feel more could have been added, and certain aspects certainly could have been handled better than they were upon the game’s port to a console.

Its potential is crushed by the frustrating match ups with ghost AI and it’s back track laden puzzles through a roughly 5 hour long campaign consisting of only a handful of environments that, through the fault of only it’s spectacular art style, all look identical.

In the end, Assassin’s Creed Rogue feels like a multi-colored blanket stitched together by years of older materials.

Design choices made by the limited hardware this title originates from hinder the overall game, stopping it short of greatness, but this is still one Final Fantasy that RPG fans should find time for, as joining in education with Class Zero is a jolly experience.

Dante’s remastering demonstrates that no matter what colour your hair is, a great game remains a great game made better by the frame rate increase and all the extras that come included in the package.

Revelations 2 continues to steadily climb upwards in both quality and content, with episode 3 possibly being the longest experience yet. The decision to distribute the episodes weekly also prove that the Resident Evil series makes for a surprisingly good episodic series.

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.

Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires feels eerily similar to Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires with all the characters from Dynasty Warriors 8, so if you played that game, then you can probably skip this unimaginative release.

In the end, Hyperdevotion Noire is a spinoff that breaks from the gameplay norms of its predecessors, but not its overall sentiment: if you can stomach (or even embrace) the pandering amounts of moe and shower scenes, you will be treated to a fun and addicting RPG that does service to several tried-and-true gameplay mechanics while poking fun at several well-known franchises.

A few technical issues still remain, such as the unreliable stealth mechanic where enemies will arbitrarily sense a player’s presence even if they are properly concealed, and the AI-controlled character still has a habit of staying behind and/or failing to pull their weight during more heated skirmishes. Nevertheless, this latest episode has gone a long way to raise optimism over Capcom’s latest RE experiment.

Deathtrap is a game that, although it may sound cliche, is easy to pickup but very difficult to master.

It’s cute, charming, and lots of fun, with enough challenge to stand up on its own right among other platformers.

The gameplay is functional, carrying over much of the mechanics introduced in RE4 while adding enough restrictions that players don’t feel invincible, and the extra Raid Mode does away with the traditional time-trial focused Mercenaries and introduces a more interesting mission-based mode that features RPG-like skills and weapons unlocked through exp and currency.

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.

In the end, episode 2 is a more dialogue-heavy entry compared to the first, but it’s also a much stronger episode for it.

Someone once told me to not buy things for what you want them to be, but buy them for what they currently are. Based on that sound reasoning, I would recommend holding off on Life is Strange for a while, but keep an eye on how well future episodes are received.