It's a shame that a good game is held back by incredibly boring design decisions. I think Greedfall is on the verge of greatness but falls short in too many areas to really go down as a must-play. It's absolutely an enjoyable romp, just one plagued by the thought of what could have been.

The Jackbox Party Pack 6 continues Jackbox's streak of funny, low-key party games without deviating much from their established formula. If you're looking for something fun to do with a group for a couple of hours, you can't go wrong with one of the Jackbox Party Packs. There aren't really any experimental games like Zeeple Dome from last year's collection, but there's plenty worth playing in this year's Pack.

I didn’t expect to have so much vitriol for Little Town Hero going into it, however, I found very little to like. Its 18-ish-hour runtime felt like an eternity as I slogged through battle after battle. I struggle to fathom who this game is designed for, but all I can recommend is to stay away lest you get dealt a bad hand.

Manifold Garden has a lot going for it, but above all else, it's simply pleasant – to look at, to listen to, and to play. It's the kind of game you can revisit every couple of years and be confident it'll hold up.

Manifold Garden has a lot going for it, but above all else, it's simply pleasant.

Given that a physical copy of the original MediEvil goes for roughly $30 these days, shelling out the same price for a PS4 remake is a steal.

Obsidian has out-Fallouted recent Fallout efforts.

Black is a little different from the Killer Queen I was used to. But it's still Killer Queen, and that makes it one of the best multiplayer games around.

Battle for Neighborville doesn't go out of its way to surpass expectations, but it's a silly, strange, joyful game – one I'm glad was greenlit.

A smart and slick reworking of a classic. Though 2019 sensibilities sometimes date its thin gameplay, modern characters, surprisingly varied combat, and a very welcome co-op mode breath new life into Taito's iconic title.

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]

Stela clearly wants to be as unnerving and fascinating as its contemporaries but the end product is merely an empty imitation. There is no element of surprise or wonder here, nothing to make players consider the game at a deeper level. Instead, it acts as a good reminder of the far superior titles that came before it.

While I had issues with Neo Cab, I will admit that it’s worth the fare. It perhaps didn’t set my world on fire, nor do I think it’s going to climb atop anyone’s list of favorite games this year, but it’s at least a nice ride while it lasts.

Various Daylife is easily the most niche game on a service that's generally targeting the casual audience. It can be cumbersome, it lacks polish in areas, and it feels underdeveloped. But, it can also find ways to squeeze out a small amount of enjoyment from time to time and as the world opens up, it finds a decent balance between adventuring into the field and the mindless work menus.

I'm trying to be a bit vague here when it comes to Inmost's narrative details to avoid spoilers, but don't cancel that Apple Arcade subscription just yet.

As a longtime fan of the series and as someone that honestly tried to give this a shot, I'm sorry to say that Breakpoint is a failure. I suppose the game can only get better from here, but it is not currently in a shape to even be considered finished.

It's not a perfect game, but John Wick Hex still lives up to its premise and creates a new blueprint for how to adapt a film property. Hopefully, it does well enough for a sequel because I'm dying to step back into the shoes of John Wick.

Sometimes it's okay to just unwind with a lower-stakes adventure, and that's where Concrete Genie comes in.

It just feels a little too similar to what we've seen before, especially since so many of the previous Dungeon Run style expansions have been completely free.

It looks good, it plays great, and its pick-up-and-play nature makes it the exact type of game I want to boot up on my lunch break. Now give me that zombies mode.

Indivisible is rich with character, personality and passion. But is hindered by technical problems, vacant maps, and pacing issues, which hold back its true potential. With a little tweaking, some of this could be reversed, allowing Lab Zero's delightful cast, deep combat, and dramatic storyline to shine through. The blemishes can be hard to ignore but Indivisible, like Ajna's new-found friends, still gets inside your head.

It's an easy recommendation for platform fans, but it's also just a plain fun time. It's not revolutionary or trailblazing, but it does what it needs to prove that Frozenbyte hasn't lost its touch. I wouldn't necessarily expect a Trine 5 or anything, but clearly, this series has some life left in it.

Ironically for a game about undead vampires, there's a strong pulse and beating heart at Code Vein's core.

Forsaken had a fantastic campaign that Shadowkeep doesn't quite match, but all of the enhancements for Year 3 of Destiny 2 help balance it all out.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair neatly captures the essence of Yooka-Laylee and reimagines it as a new type of game. It's a distillation and a simplification, but it's effective. Then, as its grand finale -- a necessary conclusion that looms over the whole game -- it turns uncharacteristically punitive. It's rewarding, that much is undeniable. But it also leaves you feeling like all those hours spent beekeeping never really prepared you for the final challenge. Those bees just afford more leeway over the course of a very long struggle. It's kind of a buzzkill.

Despite my disappointment with the first DLC (and possibly the structure of the entire season pass going forward if this model is replicated), Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 has a bright future ahead of it.

Is the Blair Witch game a good fit for a franchise many have mostly written off by now? As a fan of said series, I would say yes. It absolutely has its faults, with the poorly paced gameplay and story elements being the worst offenders, but the amazing set pieces and psychological horror do a great job of raising the heart rate of anyone willing to venture through the forest. Ultimately, there are a lot of interesting ideas here, but they simply don't come together like they needed to in order to make the best of them.

A quaint game and a splendid diversion from the rest of the Apple Arcade lineup. It's not the type of game people are going to subscribe to the service just to play, but it is a wonderful supplement to the more time-consuming titles available.

Sneaky Sasquatch was a pleasant surprise. It's not a game-changer by any means and I wish it was expanded upon a bit (maybe for a full console release), but it's a great family experience. Come into it with an open mind.

Sayonara Wild Hearts is what you'd get if Robyn ran the Grid from Tron. A stunning collection of music, action, heart, and radiant setpieces, it's easily one of the most inventive and unpredictable games of 2019. And it could have been one of the best too if only the developers had made the decision to present this album as a whole upfront rather than take players through it track by track.

I can handle a world full of chaos, where my actions create ripple effects and I have to figure out ways to get around the messes I cause. I can even handle inconsistent hazard movements and the not-quite-frequent-but-certainly-not-occasional feeble hit detection. But what I can't handle is character movement that feels as though the game is flipping a coin to see whether or not Frogger will end up where I want him to. And while that may not have stopped me from seeing Frogger in Toy Town through to the end, it certainly kept me from enjoying it.

Shinsekai: Into the Depths falters from time to time, but it more than makes up for its shortcomings with an original premise, immersive sound design, and expert worldbuilding. If you end up playing this game – and I strongly recommend that you do – just make sure to wear headphones.

It's among the most fun I've had on my phone in ages.

Hot Lava is generally fun to play but there's no rhyme or reason to most of the aesthetic choices. You really need to like first-person parkour going in and be open to the theme, but if you're ready to tick both of those boxes, give it a shot.

Mario Kart Tour is a blemish on the franchise it shares its name with. The genre-defining creativity found in past entries is completely absent here, replaced by a hollow experience that's simply coasting on the name and goodwill of the games that came before it. I can only hope this is Nintendo's mobile initiative hitting rock bottom, and that it's all uphill from here. Because I can't stand the thought of another one of my favorite series having its reputation dragged the mud in search of a quick buck.

Agent Intercept feels like a free-to-play game with timers without the option to turn them off. I hope this isn't a sign of what's to come for the Apple Arcade, because I'd love to be able to play arcade-like jaunts such as Agent Intercept unencumbered.

Maybe one day ILMxLAB can craft something even greater, but for now this will do.

Magic: The Gathering Arena is an absolutely brilliant recreation of Magic only held back by Wizards of the Coast's monetization strategy and some unfinished business. With more of an open mind toward new modes of play (plus ways to keep your old cards relevant) and a better client, this could be the definitive way to play the best card game in the world for the foreseeable future.

Spidersaurs is only worth a short afternoon as part of the Apple Arcade's festivities, but I actually wouldn't mind seeing this crew again in the slightest. With tighter control on the engine and more refined mechanics, this could end up being one of the stronger Contra sendups in recent memory, alongside of Blazing Chrome.

Luminous Avenger distills so much of what made the series pop in the first place that it's also worth investing in.

Exit the Gungeon is an interesting experiment and a clever way to keep the series going without copying what's already been done; but along the path to mobile, some crucial elements of the DNA of the franchise were lost. I'll still be following it through its post-launch journey, however, and Gungeon fanatics will find plenty of references to smile at.

Even with those quibbles, I adore this game. Grindstone's tactical color-matching conceit is one of the most satisfying puzzle game mechanics in recent memory. I'm hopelessly hooked, and I regret nothing.

It feels like a game created mainly to remind people that the franchise still exists, rather than actually satisfy those who'd deign to play it. Utawarerumono fans are better off waiting for Utawarerumono: Prelude ot the Fallen (a remake of the first game in the trilogy due out next year), while newcomers are advised to pick up Mask of Deception and Mask of Truth, or even just watch the anime instead.

Rayman Mini is yet another successful foray into the mobile arena for the series, and best of all, it isn't muddled by microtransactions. It's sad this isn't the norm, right? I can't stress enough how much cleaner the whole subseries is without IAP (in-app-purchases), to the point where it feels more in line with Rayman proper.

While Deck13 still has some work to do, The Surge 2 is a massive step up from its predecessor in just about every respect.

It's a shame because sometimes, even when I'm fighting the game, I'm enjoying myself.

It may be brief, but Untitled Goose Game is worth taking a gander at. With its clever puzzle structure, charming art direction, and a soundtrack rife with Gershwin influence, it's an absolutely grand way to spend an afternoon.

This is a Shantae fan's Shantae game, and just as it gets going, it abruptly ends. (Part I review)

Slight gripes with the new engine and the old source aside, this is still Link's Awakening: one of the best Zelda games to date.

Metro Exodus: The Two Colonels is light on action and heavy on narrative, but will please dedicated Metro fans with its gripping, even unnerving, lore. While its smart story succeeds in engaging the player dramatically, the lack of extended gameplay sequences may leave some feeling like they're watching an interactive movie, rather than playing a new chapter of an action-adventure title. A short journey, yes, but still a trip worth taking.

The Coalition has achieved a lot with Gears 5. The writing and action often rivals the best moments in the series, even surpassing its predecessors at times. The overall package is the most robust Gears has ever seen. But, the big structural alteration feels like an unequivocal misstep. Gears 5 is a rousing success, but it could've done without the needless change.

The sum total of my experience with Daemon X Machina is positive. The combat is amazing, the game is bright and colorful, the framerate mostly holds up in either docked or handheld mode, and the hangar is great to tinker around in, checking out all the different configurations of my mech. That's what I'm going to remember out of all of this, which is safe for me to say because most everything else in this game is pretty forgettable.

It didn't need to reinvent the wheel either; as Gearbox pretty much had the formula figured out the second time around.

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.

It didn't need to reinvent the wheel either; as Gearbox pretty much had the formula figured out the second time around.

Flight School Studio has created an exceptional world to explore in Creature in the Well. Its prodigious art direction is enticing, wooing players into a unique puzzle game that very much feels like a history lesson on the medium itself. It combines ideas and concepts found throughout gaming into a single, dynamic experience with a memorable antagonist eerily watching your every move. I absolutely love it, but I recognize there is room for improvement. With a bit more variety in design and a fine-tuned difficulty curve, it could have been one for the ages.

You can just tell the developers had a ball working on Iceborne – it shows. And it's infectious.

River City Girls succeeds in evolving both the Kunio-kun series and the brawler genre itself, offering entertaining gameplay, brilliant visuals, an amazing soundtrack and fun combat. While brawler fatigue, minor narrative flaws and a slim package threaten the experience, great characters, reverence for the lore and addictive co-op gameplay prevail, ensuring Kyoko and Misako keep throwing fists to the very last round.

Squall and his gang are welcome in my home anytime.

Catherine: Fully Body contains many of the blemishes from the original but doubles down on the amount of puzzles, which is a net gain.

It's a good chunk of content for an absolute steal of a price. The wackiness of grabbing your friends, flinging yourself around, making faces and noises, and just causing shenanigans all around doesn't really get old. Heave Ho is a much harder sell to anyone expecting to play it solo, but it's an absolute must-have for any local multiplayer get-together with friends.

I have no idea when the next "Dark Pictures universe" entry is coming, but I'll be waiting for it.

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

Faith serves a few important purposes within the Life is Strange 2 story. It shores up some loose ends from the brothers' past, it proves the lengths Sean is willing to go to in order to protect Daniel, and it gives Daniel further autonomy by letting him make his own decisions. It's an exciting chapter that leaves everyone worse for the wear. That's the cadence we've come to expect from Life is Strange, though.

Minoria is an uneven game that will serve as a rainy day Metroidvania if you can't get your fill.

Gunfire Games has some really good ideas that I hope to see employed more often in the future.

Control is a weird, enigmatic, perplexing masterpiece. It's also Remedy's most well-rounded work yet. Like Jesse levitating far off the ground, Control signifies Remedy is capable of ascending to great new heights.

In the first few hours, I was all over the place when it came to an assessment, as it can take some time to really turn it up.

This isn't a bad idea, but the game doesn't do much to justify its existence.

For everyone else, especially avid followers of character-driven art forms, these are performances you can really sink your teeth into.

I'm emotionally torn on Oninaki because there's so much to like here.

Age of Wonders: Planetfall is a large, ambitious strategy game that succeeds in many ways but falters ever so slightly in its grand scale. If you can grapple with the scope it's well worth the purchase and time, offering a great sandbox that could be played for hours on end. Newcomers to the genre might want to try one of the earlier Age of Wonders games before seeing if they should truly take the dive into this massive commitment. Those who do won't be disappointed.

Witcheye is an absolutely pleasant and pleasurable adventure and easily one of the best mobile games I've played all year. With tight controls and a headphone-worthy soundtrack, it's one I'm going to be returning to. Though I'll probably just stick to the boss rush mode going forward.

I've had a lot of fun with RAD, even though I can tell I've really only scratched the surface. Trying to work with suboptimal body modifications is pretty funny in and of itself, and discovering new mutations and lore has been intriguing. I don't think any studio other than Double Fine could have made the post-apocalypse this entertaining.

It's brutal, lightning-fast, and always putting fun before anything else.

I had my doubts going into Dicey Dungeons, despite the pedigree present. I was worried the core reliance on random dice rolls would create a frustrating experience for the player. And while I've had those moments, I always felt that I could look back and say "that's where I went wrong" and not "the random numbers just didn't work out in my favor!" That alone is an incredibly feat. Stack it on top of six incredibly unique character mechanics, episodes that force the exploration of alternate playstyles, and an expertly crafted aesthetic, and you have another absolute slam dunk from Terry Cavanagh.

I'm just not as smitten with Electronic Super Joy 2 as I was with the first. The free price tag makes this a lot more palatable, but I do believe more could have been done here. It's a little disappointing, but still a fun time that fans of the first are sure to get something out of. Just don't go in expecting anything dramatically different.

The sheer preposterousness of it all is not lost at pretty much any given moment, which is another source of solace.

The prologue is an amazing experience and the game itself, while drastically different, still kept my friends and I coming back. But it's not a good game. There are too many bugs and mishandled mechanics holding it back, in addition to a huge bait-and-switch on story and lore. I do think there is a lot of potential here, as The Blackout Club fills an empty void in the market, but dang it's just so disappointing in its current state.

Despite some unevenness, Forager is absolutely worth a look. If anyone ever asks me for a relaxing game that they can throw themselves into and become obsessed with for a week, this is my pick.

So unless you're in the mood to ruin your day and possibly take a few years off of your life, do yourself a favor and skip Turok: Escape from Lost Valley. Whatever the core concept was, it has not turned out well.

A Short Hike is far from perfect, but it absolutely is unique and worth your time. It's also super fucking rad, and I love it. Warts and all. If you’re looking for something different, and you don’t mind the price of admission, I think this is more than worth the price of entry. It may not be perfect, but life never is, and that’s fine and beautiful in its own way.

I urge you to pick The Messenger back up and give Picnic Panic a shot: if only for more sassy shopkeeper dialogue.

Kill la Kill: IF succeeds in translating its namesake's hyper-kinetic universe, wild action, and extreme characters into a fun experience, but is held back by lackluster side-content and flaws inherent to its own design. It's worth your time if you're already a franchise fan, but those yet to be ensnared by Life-Fibers should wait until this particular couture number moves to the reduced rail.

I would need to grow a few more hands to count how many times I had to stop playing Sky out of frustration. Whether it was the game not allowing me to move off a ledge or sending my character spiraling down the side of a mountain when all I did was slightly touch the digital joystick, the touch controls and often excruciating camera gut what should be an awe-inspiring vision of discovery. I absolutely believe Sky: Children of the Light is a game most everyone should experience because it is blissful, imaginative, and a sight to behold. I just think most everyone should wait for a console or PC release to do so.

While strategy is indubitably a large part of Fire Emblem's DNA, the vast majority of my enjoyment was found having lunch with classmates and getting to know them better.

Maybe I just expected too much, but I find myself missing the careful balance of story and gameplay that The New Order had down pat. Youngblood makes plenty of strides forward for this series, but it also takes some steps backward that end up hurting the overall package.

There's potential, but Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot ends before it can reach most of it.

Automachef is home to some mind-melting challenges, but if you're up to the task, you're eventually in for blissful breakthroughs. Just don't come in expecting to unwind after a long day at work.

If you wanted any real form of closure, it's not happening here. I was honestly shocked when the game ended. Not because of some amazing revelation that blew my mind, but just because The Council simply... ends. This is easily the shortest episode, yet it still feels like it drags at times. Now that is what I call an accomplishment.

Beyond that feeling of individuality, I'm just not sold on what Niantic has created here. There are small, annoying issues with storage, access to necessary potion ingredients, and the wild inconsistency of how well it rates my spell tracing, but the far bigger problem with Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is its inability to utilize the IP and the technology in a way that is not only engaging but also distinct from Niantic's other games. I have no doubt in my mind there is a great Harry Potter AR game out there. This just isn't it.

With the Marvel IP less muddled and the simplicity of this deal between Marvel and Nintendo, I'd love to see another with enhancements in tow.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Fate of Atlantis has been one of the more consistent DLC storylines in the history of the series.

But that toolkit is only half of the equation. The other half is a platform game with no quality control, no impetus for putting legitimate effort into your original designs, and no way to weed out poor content creators other than trusting that players will be able to discern the difference between a bad level and good level and rate them accordingly. Given how many positive messages I've seen attached to genuinely bad stages, I don't have much faith in the Mario Maker community right now and I question whether it'll get better down the line.

I'm conflicted. Cooperative titles like this are hard to find nowadays, especially with drop-in, drop-out co-op. There's no denying it's fun exploring with a friend and the game contains some genuinely clever challenges, especially during the boss fights. There's the seed of a great game here, and I'd genuinely like to see more like it. I really hope BonusXP gets the chance to use this engine to make something else: It's pretty good for a licensed product, but ultimately, that's all it is.

With Blazing Chrome you kind of get what you get: it's an hour and change shooter that pays extreme homage to the Contra series.

It's easy for me to say Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a good game because it'd be a lie for me to say otherwise. The groundwork laid by the first title is still sound, but it just didn't grab me the same way its predecessor did. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop playing anytime soon -- I still have my home island to complete -- but it does mean it's not going to get my undivided attention for weeks-on-end like the first game did.

The combat, too, can get a little confusing when a bunch of characters are on-screen. You'll end up hitting the wrong foe, which then allows your intended target to get some free hits on you. The abundance of techniques doesn't add much, either, as the basic punch and kick combos do fine against everyone. I know this isn't meant to be specifically a beat-'em-up, but the gameplay feels a little basic.