The game's variety and length come across as nothing more than smoke and mirrors, the endless, grinding busywork that contributes nothing to the overall gameplay is inexcusably plentiful and mind-numbingly repetitive, and to top it all off, the game can't even compete in the visuals department and somehow looks worse than the original.

There are better games out there for far cheaper. Get the original Modern Combat or N.O.V.A, which cost less and provide far more entertainment with far less aggravation.

The combination of the roguelike and card genre seems like a match made in heaven and Slay the Spire uses that match to craft something amazing even while in Early Access. I do wonder why it took so long for someone to bring these two genres together in such a well-done manner but that matters not because it's here now and roguelike and card game fans are better off for it. [Early Access]

You can also wait and just pick up the Vergil DLC on current generation platforms. The choice is really up to you, but I'm happy with the change.

While Last of Us still has some of the same issues the original debuted with in 2013, the PS5 version (and likely the upcoming PC port, based on Sony's past efforts) is the best way to play it to date. [Review in Progress]

The smoothness of the 13 Sentinels Switch port extends to the handheld mode as well, which is how I spent most of my time with the game. That’s something of a rarity for me, but in this case, I wanted to spend every waking minute I could with the game, so that meant trucking it around with me wherever I went. While handheld mode does appear to run at a lower resolution than when playing with your Switch docked, it’s not really that much of a downgrade (if it even is one). I’m about 55% of the way through the game on Switch, and it’s truly impressive to see how well Vanillaware and Atlus optimized this game for the hardware.

As I geared up for this assessment I found myself playing the entire first act again without thinking.

If you're still active, these changes and another season will keep you going. It's that simple.

Given that these are single-player experiences first, it makes sense that there wouldn't be a focus on bringing in multiplayer.

A lot of us have been recommending this game for almost four years now, and with the slick visual upgrade, it's even easier to vouch for.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a platformer that needs to be experienced by as many people as possible.

There’s still some work to do, and I have a laundry list of things I want to see, but I have zero regrets about binging the whole thing over a single weekend. [Early Access Review]

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds biggest achievement might be in providing a solidly-built platform to expand outward from, a foundation that will support whatever other crazy ideas Bluehole and Brendan Greene can come up with. [Early Access Review]

If you’ve played the original, you know exactly what you’re getting here. If you haven’t—why haven’t you?! [Review in Progress]

I’m not convinced Core Keeper can match the quality and scope of its best-in-class inspirations, but it’s already worth a look in Early Access, and if the rest of the pieces fall into place leading up to the full launch, it’ll be fondly remembered. [Early Access Review]

If you've been craving more of the occult in Sims 4, it's a decent way to indulge that craving given that "Vampires" is one of the only substantial offerings in that department since 2015.

Again, loads are quick, the DualSense is up to the task (and feels great with the heavy emphasis on gunplay in Control), and the game itself runs extremely smooth: especially on performance mode.

The Witcher III is unquestionably one of the best games to come out within the last five years, and it's still impressive four years after its release. Yes, the Switch version sacrifices some of its beauty for the ability to take it on the go, but it's still a reasonably pretty game, well worth exploring for the deep gameplay, mature storytelling, and unique world. If you haven't yet experienced The Wild Hunt, then the Complete Edition on Switch is a great opportunity to check it out. [Impressions]

My advice? If you’ve got a partial PS4 save file ready to go, or even an endgame file that’s not at 100 percent completion, Death Stranding Director’s Cut is a wonderful way to tie up loose ends. Some of the additions are interesting distractions at best, while others are genuinely helpful tools that provide alternate plans of attack as a futuristic delivery man. The short but memorable line of new side-quests is essentially icing on top. Brand-new players, by all means. Tear into this poignant, artisanal, off-the-rails hiking video game, even if it’s slow at first. And don’t forget to smash that “like” button.

One of the first things I did was head over to the ocean and pee in it with a dedicated button.

There just isn't enough here to justify warranting a purchase of Definitive Edition. It's slightly worse than its prior counterparts (even forgoing the Wii U's gameplay twist with Murfy and not letting another Switch user connect and play in that particular way), and the only truly new feature is the ability to play a tournament mode in the Kung Foot soccer minigame.

Despite the fact that it's probably being developed for refrigerators at this point, Skyrim is a great choice to port to the Switch.

It takes more than graphics to make a game, and Final Fantasy XIII offers very little else other than eye candy. Ultimately, this latest addition to the Final Fantasy series is a pompous and masturbatory affair, created seemingly to promote the developer's ego first, and the player's enjoyment second.

Strong Bad Ep.5 is also the least linear of all the games in the series.

If you haven't played this series yet, now is a good time.

Strong Bad Ep.5 is also the least linear of all the games in the series.

If you’re looking for a solid RPG in a beautifully built world, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is certainly that. The combat is fluid and satisfying, and the world of Thedas is well-designed and fun to explore. The story has its drawbacks, but overall it’s still better than most. Whether it will live up to the prestigious storytelling of the previous Dragon Age games will very much depend on the RPG’s curtain call. [Review in Progress]

I hope every Resident Evil game from here on out has VR support, because it’s a great long term value add. At this point you kind of know that if you’re buying into an RE project, there’s something cool coming down the line. I can get behind that!

The best thing about Classic is that it will evolve, and you can join in at any point without too much fuss.

Although it does have some issues with text readability in handheld mode, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore otherwise represents a clear improvement over its Wii U counterpart. The ability to speed up Session combos makes the combat feel substantially faster in the game’s later stages, and the new content exclusive to the Switch release is a more than welcome addition to an already sizeable package. Despite my one issue with it, I can’t help but consider it the superior version of an already excellent game.

One of the things I like most so far is that almost nothing is simply a straight "upgrade" of another thing. Even the lowliest farmer finds use supplying the growing complexity and demands of an advancing society. [Review in progress]

More of this please, Konami.

I could watch Phoenix coyly and confidentially slap documents while presenting them in court all day.

Squall and his gang are welcome in my home anytime.

Condemned 2 is bad. It's got one or two fun mechanics, which it absolutely refuses to let the player enjoy for any significant length of time. The story sucks, the level design is even worse, and the graphics are grimy to the point of being ridiculous.

I had a blast going through the entire package again and will continue to bust it out when someone tells me they haven't played it yet.

If The Last Story is the Wii's swan song, it is a miserable dirge, full of regret and remorse.

If you believe you’re ready to take the plunge on a journey that just might end you, La-Mulana 2 is highly recommended. Just be sure to look out for false tablets…and don’t stand still too often…oh, definitely listen when the game tells you to stop reading.

As long as more companies like Panic Button figure out the secret sauce of how to distill 44.55GB (PS4) files into 21.8 GB (Switch) while keeping the gameplay intact, the Switch has a bright future ahead of it.

While Dauntless still has a lot to prove in terms of longevity, grabbing a few friends and going on a hunt is easy as hell given the free-to-play system and open platform concessions.

Those who don’t want to pay to try something that’s almost finished and/or planned as an eventual free-to-play game might want to wait for the final product in 2018. Those who are curious enough and willing to pay the price of admission now might want to bring a trusted buddy along for the ride since it’s one of those repetitive games that’s instantly better with familiar company. [Early Access]

Despite just offering a taste of what's to come with Vader Immortal, the first episode has me hooked and I want more.

Sonic Colors feels like a step right back into the same crap this series has drowned in for the past decade. If I had to pick a color for this game, it would be brown, for very obvious reasons.

It literally feels as if Techland studied the original Call of Juarez, identified all the things that made it feel fresh and interesting, and intentionally left them out of the sequel. What was once a franchise of weirdly intoxicating half-successes has been turned into a dull, unsatisfying, originality-devoid shell of its former self.

As much fun as it is to share with loved ones, Death Squared is considerably more difficult than Snipperclips, which didn't even have a failure state. Even though it has a "party mode," it's not a game I'd advise pairing with alcohol, since fine motor control is one of the first things to go when you're hammered. If you're persistent and willing to work together though, Death Squared is a good time, and definitely worth picking up on the Switch.

SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is a fine collective of games that helped define several genres, even if they weren't nearly as popular as their successors.

If you skipped out on the 3DS release entirely or haven't played Hyrule in any form yet, it's going to be a much more enticing prospect.

Building these toys back-to-back in a rush just doesn't seem like what it was made for. It's made for creativity, thinking on your own, and a million other things that you would have never have thought a video game console could do. My only worry is where I'm going to store all this cardboard, and if the games will continue to hold the interest of both myself and my son beyond the initial impact of how cool it is to make something like this.

If you enjoy the Ubisoft structure of games but have been overwhelmed by them lately, thankfully Outlaws avoids most of the pitfalls. I feel safe in recommending Star Wars Outlaws to anyone who is a Star Wars fan who is looking for a solid story in the beloved universe, with stealth-focused gameplay that allows you to truly live the life of a scoundrel on the Outer Rim. [Review in Progress]

This reboot takes itself too seriously -- every texture is spit-shined and gleaming, every animation wrought with care -- without the self-awareness to sacrifice technical sophistication for ease of use. FIFA Street is enjoyable only under the best circumstances, before the engine and the sheer density of barely distinguishable, locked-out moves take over.

Nothing about EVE is done poorly except for the fact that it isn't fun. If you like charts, reading directions, and being blown up for no reason, give EVE Online a try.

Why settle for this shallow, repetitive interactive adaptation?

If like me, you have a love of history, Attentat 1942 will be a treasure not only for a fresh perspective on a widely reported period of time but also for the amount of work that you can see the developers put into making sure their story fit within the confines of history. It won't be a joyous or happy ride but in the end, it makes for an enlightening experience that uses the medium of gaming to educate in ways that only it can.

Into the Hive isn’t the bigger and better follow-up that Paint it Red deserved. It’s only half of one, and what happened to that other half is a mystery of its own. All that was found was an empty shell and some bloodied remains. Not the way it deserved to go out.

The ironic thing is that the most pedestrian of stories can be convincing when coupled with intelligently applied interaction -- something Dear Esther stubbornly stands against. It's as if it wants to be a part of this wonderful medium of ours without asking itself why, which is exactly why you should seek it out and learn from its failures as a game enthusiast, critic, or developer.

Carefully consider your options before you dive in, but for those of you who are up to the challenge, it actually does work far better than you'd expect it to.

Even though Noby Noby Boy's shallow antics aren't fun or interesting enough to justify the lack of actual goals or structure, there's just too much new and quirky stuff here to not be deserving of its incredibly meager $5 asking price.

Avoid it. The few glimmers of enjoyable action simply aren't worth the hassle.

Surprising introductory puzzle aside, it does nothing to innovate and barely feels like its moving the plot along. Much as I enjoy this particular series, They Stole Max's Brain! -- nothing personal, Sam -- is for the dogs.

Despite my high expectations, Orwell continues to be a solid thriller and a very different gaming experience.

Action-wise, Devil May Cry still wipes the floor with most standard genre fare.

It's contemptuously pissed all over what Rocksteady accomplished with the previous Arkham games and shat out a soulless wreckage of a game. The only good in Origins comes from work already accomplished in previous games, with a whole lot of bad added in.

If FuturLab can continue adding creative levels, further flesh out the Career mode, and implement its planned multiplayer and "experimental" mechanics, PowerWash Simulator will be in a great place. As is, it's definitely good enough to recommend. Not so much "oddly satisfying" as it is "satisfying, period." [Early Access review]

The Switch version...lags way behind the others in nearly every conceivable way.

Castlevania: Requiem is a complicated thing. It's both a wonderful package of two incredible moments in Castlevania history and a bog-standard port.

Even at its best, the game feels like an idea gestating in real-time, like a sponge dinosaur filling up with water. So much of Headlander teases you with the idea of what could have been; a shame, because the game we actually got is kind of a bummer.

There may be an inkling of promise in its budding story, but for many I imagine it will be hard to read between the lines and even harder to consider it a worthy experience.

Eufloria is a frustrating experience because of how good it could have been and it's even more frustrating because criticism of the first version hasn't been properly addressed. It has some great, fresh mechanics and they mostly work, but it just isn't satisfying or engaging in the end.

Hopefully the game grows over time. I know Evolution Studios turned Driveclub into an enjoyable experience after a failed launch. Maybe Kunos Simulazioni can do the same for Assetto Corsa.

As much as Warp's presentation gives you the illusion that you are playing a charming game full of personality, a lot of the initial goodwill and attachment to the cute critter protagonist is slowly eroded by your actions and the problematic controls. In the end, all that is left at your disposal is a virtual representation of your imminent failure and repetitive demise.

I think the developer, Cheesemaster Games, had the passion and the vision to make Spirittea something special. And, to be fair, one person’s boredom is another’s relaxation. However, all the parts should have been better planned out before they were assembled. Instead of a bunch of complementary systems that build into a satisfying, captivating, and relaxing game, it’s just an inescapable tub of annoyances. After that experience, I really need to take it easy for a bit.

This is a disgrace and fans should let Gearbox know that it's very easy to perceive this as a lazy cash-grab.

If you are truly desperate for good puzzles and sumptuous art, then you could do worse than play A New Beginning, but I found it impossible to look past the many issues and really enjoy the few things it manages to do right.

So, is Prinny worth it? Perhaps if you're into this hard-to-be-hard sort of thing. You masochist. But for the rest of us, the game is going to be too much of a pain to really enjoy.

Army of Two has many good ideas but ultimately falls flat on its promise. It's got some fun moments of cooperativity, some clever mechanics, and an unusually badass multiplayer mode, but its horrible controls and vanilla campaign mode prevent Army of Two from being even an above-average game.

Enjoying Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt is about managing expectations, about knowing what you want out of Borderlands 2's constantly expanding menu -- its strong suits are the subtle twists on combat and enemy behavior, exploration, farming, and a hidden raid boss that costs almost 100 Eridium to spawn.

A lot of the issues are tech-related: crashes, geometry bugs, load times, and framerate can all be fixed with patches. As of now? The interesting puzzles and fantastic music are not worth suffering through the bugs, lackluster models, and mediocre combat and skills. If your interest is piqued here, wishlist it and come back at a later time; I have no doubt that this game will reach its potential, but it's just not even close right now.

Escape Plan never aims to be anything more than a showcase of the PlayStation Vita's touch controls, but said controls are so insensitive and poorly implemented that the best it can hope for is to be used as an example of what not to do when designing a Vita game.

Its gameplay mechanics are abysmal in almost every conceivable way. Its story is nonsensical at best, sacreligious at worst. Its entire running time is completely disrespectful to the player's intelligence, assuming that if the character models and locations change, the player won't realize he's getting into the exact same gun battles and fistfights he engaged in at the very start of the game. Looking at The Bourne Conspiracy as a list of bullet points, it is an undoubtedly awful game...But why, then, did I have fun with it?

If you enjoyed previous Labo kits with your family you'll probably like spending a weekend with this one, even if it won't be making the rounds and wowing Late Night audiences.

Spy Chameleon is a short game that feels too long. It's one good idea not fully realized and a reptilian mascot who deserves another shot.

Ultimately, this game is a very sub-par offering that has no real reason to exist. Everything that is good about Crackdown 2 is already in the original Crackdown, and many of the problems in Crackdown 2 are unique entirely to this installment. In essence, all Crackdown 2 does is take the original game and make it worse.

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One should have been about $15, five hours shorter, and released on the PlayStation Network. It's a game that does a disservice to the high pedigree of the Ratchet & Clank series and takes too far a departure from what made such an excellent series. It's sad to see these fantastic characters appear in a poorly structured, mediocre game, full of camera issues and silly bugs that add insult to injury.

It has its moments of truly feeling like a badass, but they do not make up for the frustration of everything in between.

In order to make a game with this subject matter really stand out, you have to put a new spin on it like we’ve never seen before. Unfortunately, Hindsight didn’t really manage to do that, either in its gameplay or its story. At the end of the day, story is what’s supposed to matter the most here, and if the writing were stronger, I’d be able to forgive Hindsight many more of its transgressions.

Wildlands is a bad fu.king game -- it completely fails at everything it aspires to be. It's a bad co-op game, it's a bad shooter, it's a bad open-world game, and the writing is terrible. At best, the game is boring. At worst, it's frustrating. I suppose the visuals are worthy of some praise, but you can just look at screenshots for free. I cannot recommend Ghost Recon Wildlands to anyone, unless you're directly related to someone on the development team. If that is the case, by all means, support your family! Everyone else: stay away.

Even the high-fidelity visuals are marred by an inconsistent framerate and terrible animations and transitions.

Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time is a weak adaptation of the series, but the action mechanics just aren't all there either; which drags down even further.

Like all Labo experiences the Vehicle Kit was fun to build, but once that's done and you've saturated the software, you're done.

Awful design, a counter-intuitive art style, and an obscenely cheap approach to difficulty makes BloodRayne: Betrayal a game that should be avoided by all but the most masochistic and deranged of gamers. The deep revulsion that this game inspires within me cannot accurately be described, but it is measured only by the intense, burning disappointment I feel as a fan of the series.

The game we've been presented with works against itself more often than it does not.

In a word, Cobalt is clunky. It has a lot of decent ideas, but it doesn't execute them very well.

Where it fails, however, is in trying to be superficially difficult through cheap enemies with aggravating attacks and the ability to instantly block all your moves until you level up enough to find the one attack that breaks their defenses.

Incomplete, glitchy, and visually degraded, Silent Hill HD Collection is Konami's greatest insult to the series.

There's a fascinating story here, but it's seemingly stretched out just to justify a price point comparable to That Dragon, Cancer, at the expense of quality.

So we've got a game that I don't enjoy from any angle (which sucks), but it's also dominating the cultural conversation right now (which is great). I'm torn on this one, honestly! See, I don't recommend Pokémon Go the video game. But I can't get enough of Pokémon Go the cultural artifact. It's a Videodrome-esque obsession, and I'm very disappointed in how excited I am to play my part. Long live the new flesh.

In retrospect, I like having this unique story to tell. However, I found little joy in actually playing it. Frustration, irritation, and boredom, sure. But little joy. I might have been better off playing the slots in my local, dilapidated amusement arcade. At least then there would have been a chance I could have won a few quid, and with my winnings, I could just have bought a book.

WWE 2K17 is a poor simulation of the WWE product, often because it seems ashamed of pro wrestling.