Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice isn't the worst Sonic game I've ever played. It isn't terrible. The platforming and sense of speed are here, though just not as fun as you might remember them. The whole affair is rather ugly -- which can't only be blamed on the 3DS, though it doesn't help -- and the game isn't exactly long at a few hours to complete, if that. Hardcore fans of the series will probably get some enjoyment out of this, but for the full price of $40, it is hard to recommend to anyone else.

In short, there are highs and lows to Death Star. With a few expansions down and only one left to go, I was expecting something greater. If not more from the headliner, Battle Station, than at least more mode compatibility with the new maps. There's no excuse. I came in thinking it'd be an easy sell -- and it probably still will be for some given its inherent nostalgia -- but I'm coming out of it feeling let down.

Although Tokyo Rumble plays great and I had lots of fun with it, the gameplay on display has been done better, and recently. Both Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Double Dragon Neon have online and local co-op play in addition to considerably better graphics and sound.

Destiny: Rise of Iron is a weird cookie. Bungie clearly put its live team in charge on this one, as there's nowhere near the amount of completely new-feeling stuff packed in as there was in Taken King -- and with so many people getting winded, a step that big was really needed. Yet, if I assess Destiny right now as a total package, with four expansions under its belt and hundreds of [good] tweaks and patches, it's easier to recommend.

At worst, it's like you’ve watched a great horror/thriller with a faulty remote by your side. And if you get over that, you’ll enjoy The Bunker. Well, as enjoyable as a post-nuclear holocaust story allows, anyway.

This mild sense of disappointment at Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness' production values can't obscure the fact that its most important component, its writing, succeeds, and largely captures what made the anime feel special. It may not exceed or even meet its source material's heights, but it does it justice, which is, considering Psycho-Pass' world, more than can be said for most cases.

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.

It's not the best game in its catalog, and the difficulty will be a turn-off for many, but Rive leaves its mark as one of the more challenging games of this generation. Gluttons for punishment will have no trouble eating it up, but others should satiate their appetite elsewhere.

The linchpin of these games is to develop a connection with the player. Along with that connection comes emotion. Dear Esther is simply too disconnected from itself to ever connect with me.

You still have your patented "safe" approach from Telltale with Batman: A Telltale Games Series: Children of Arkham, but its heart is in the right place.

It's a series that's consistently enjoyable on an every-other-year cycle. Playground Games' take on Australia falls right in line. It's not quite the leap that the franchise made from the original Horizon to Horizon 2, but it's not on cruise control, either. There's enough variation here -- from the feel of cars to the game modes to the radio stations -- that this is another excellent installment in an always-excellent series. And, since variation is a key reason for Horizon 3's success, well, Australia seems like it's probably the most perfectly appropriate setting.

Noitu Love: Devolution feels better than ever on the 3DS. It looks just as beautiful, even on the small screen, and plays right into the touchscreen's strength. The arcade nature of the game almost guarantees multiple playthroughs on harder difficulties and with new, completely unique characters.

This would have been a cash-in almost anywhere else, but here, Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse was shown the level of love and care most would give aggressively marketed new IPs. It's still no Nocturne, but it'll do.

Feral Rites ends up coming across as a budget Bloody Roar beat-'em-up that's not actually budget priced and clocks in around 10 hours. If it was multiplayer (another base issue with VR) and had a more encapsulating setting, I would be more on board with it. The cartoony, arcade brawler subgenre isn't as prevalent as it once was, and I saw flashes of classics like Fighting Force in this project that brought a fleeting smile to my face. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

World of Warcraft: Legion does the greatest job so far of really connecting players to its world. Unlike the past several expansions, I really want to be a part of this universe and see this story through until its end. This is the best WoW has been since Wrath.

More than anything, I think that’s a testament to what the Ocelot Society has accomplished with Event[0]. The developers built a fake world with a fake A.I. and here I am worried about hurting its feelings. There is something special about that, something more important that quibbling about playtime or the occasional hiccup. There are plenty of games out there that you can beat, speed-run, and master. There are very few you can talk to. Don’t sleep on the opportunity.

MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death isn't a bad game, it's half-assed. There are a couple of interesting ideas here that, applied to a competent dungeon crawler, could have made for something great. Instead, it's just passable. But I still had fun.

Nearly every Dragon Quest has added something unique to the gaming landscape as a whole, but Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past is one of the best of the lot. As an RPG, VII simply begs to be played, though not necessarily on 3DS if you can swing it (or dig it out of a box somewhere).

When Dead Rising 2: Off the Record functions properly, I have a blast with it. The story is nothing memorable, but the toybox that is Fortune City allows for all sorts of emergent storytelling that I'll remember for some time. I'm hoping that Frank's return in Dead Rising 4 fares better.

It's one of those games that pays back the time you invest into it at least double fold. Returning players won't find anything substantially new in this remaster aside from sharper image quality and better performance, but given the budget pricing here, that's a perfectly reasonable offer.

How much you enjoy Dead Rising hinges entirely on your acceptance of this principle. As someone who doesn't mind playing games over and over until I perfect them, I like the idea of adding some form of urgency, and feel like in most sessions I have ample time to meander without missing out on much. By that same token I also prefer the leniency of the sequels, and enjoy replaying them more often. It's a give and take, but Dead Rising is worth the squeeze and still holds up after all this time.

It's icky at times, but Madden 17 is definitely a step up. If you skipped a year, now is probably the time to come back around.

It might be a case of sky-high expectations, but this sequel doesn't live up to its sublime predecessor Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+. Still, I'm not so sure it ever could -- that game was damn near perfect, putting Bandai Namco in a tough spot when creating a follow-up. Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is worth playing for its frenetic new style and ruleset, but it's no replacement.

It's all a shame because ReCore shows so much promise in its opening hours. It's easy to envision a way in which all those ideas could manifest into something great. They don't, though. Instead, it's just a jumble of mechanics that never jell, gameplay that grows stale far too quick, and insulting design. System failure.

I'm so torn on Tahira: Echoes of the Astral Empire. It's easily one of the most mechanically sound entries into the genre I have played in quite some time, but it barely lets the players experiment with its mechanics. It feels like having some of the best tools on the market and no supplies to build anything with.

This game is comfort food, and it's a dish I won't mind having every single day.

The game is a unique blend of genres that I haven't seen attempted anywhere else, and it gets more right than it does wrong.

When compared to NHL 15, NHL 17 is miles ahead; when compared to NHL 16, it's incrementally better. That's the EA Sports way. There are some new features and improvements, but nothing mind-blowingly innovative. That's perfectly fine. There's a good hockey game at the core, and a lot of options on the periphery. That's all we ever wanted.

Capcom could just keep making these with different time periods in new regions and I'd keep playing them. As long as it employs a good writing crew and delivers satisfying scenarios, I'm in. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice, you made this aspiring lawyer's day.

The attention to detail is commendable too, like the mist coming from the ice or the "water" that's actually a caffeinated beverage. It plays well on just about every mode and has plenty of opportunities for wall-running finesse. Micro is a new favorite of mine, and although DLC isn't played at the pro level, I'd love to see some competitive matches with this map in tow.

Strike Vector EX is a small game with a lot of heart. While the campaign is sub-par and it doesn’t offer the depth or longevity or other titles, what’s there is fun, fast, and wild. Released at a discount price, this is definitely a game to rope one or two friends into buying with you so you can always have a wingman (or nemesis) on call on and seed some multiplayer action.

Regardless of its flaws I can recommend Hearthstone: One Night in Karazhan, and every other solo adventure to date for that matter. Even if Blizzard hasn't innovated as much as it has in the past with Medivh and friends, it's still one of the best card games on the market, and the miniature stories that each one entails manage to simultaneously capture the spirit of Warcraft in a patented lighthearted way.

Nuka-World is big and impressive and flashy, but just like any theme park, it’s all a facade. Peek behind the curtain and you can see the struts and wires that animate the mascots. In Nuka-World’s case, that’s a scaffolding made of bones and spent magazines. It’s up to you if that’s a park you feel like visiting.

God Eater 2: Rage Burst inadvertently feels less like a sequel to God Eater Resurrection than a very substantial expansion, becoming a refinement of what came "before" than a genuine step forward. While it's impossible to deny the mechanical improvements in the game, many players' enjoyment of it will largely hinge on how much more God Eater they wanted to play, or if this is the only one available to them.

A bloody and charming affair. It is Splatterhouse by way of David Fincher. I wanted more when it was done. Devolver Digital and Le Cartel studio have laid the groundwork for a stylish and brutal world. Whether you are a fan of beat em ups or just good old fashioned violence, this is sure to scratch that itch for you. I went into this thinking it would be like Hotline Miami but in a different genre.

Overall, The Final Station is a contemplative slice of sci-fi horror. It might not be utterly original - spot the shades of Snowpiercer, Evangelion, and That Insidious Beast if you get the chance - and it can be ever so slight, but it rattles along at steady pace, taking you on a reflective journey, all the way to a gut-punching end...It's well worth buying a ticket.

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.

Hue is a well-crafted, enjoyable experience. I don't usually like physics-based platformers, but the controls are simple and responsive enough that I never felt like a death was anyone's fault but my own. Its visuals are sparse but clean, and the puzzles gave my brain a workout. It's a little brief, clocking in at four to six hours, but that just means it doesn't overstay its welcome, and it left me wanting more.

This is hands-down the best music and rhythm game of the current generation of home consoles, though it isn't exactly a competitive genre these days.

It has light RPG elements, but it's still a hack-and-slash, and those of you who aren't down with Warriors games will probably get bored after several hours.

It’s a special thing when a game gifts you a superior experience without traditional or prescribed story mechanics, and from that perspective Obduction prevails completely.

Alone With You truly is special. The unassuming nature of its visuals didn’t prepare me for how impactful the narrative was going to be. It may not be the most involved of games, but it latches onto your heart and doesn’t let go. The game sticks with you well after the credits.

King of Fighters XIV falls somewhere between XII and XIII. It's not exactly bare-bones and the roster is mighty, but the gaudy presentation and by-the-book story is distracting, and takes away a lot of the uniqueness of the series.

If you've skipped over the last few Worms games but pine for the nostalgic feeling of ripping apart cute little critters across a gigantic map with precision bank shots, you'll be able to relive those memories here. Especially so if you love Armageddon, which this one is trying hard to emulate.

If Style Savvy: Fashion Forward is the franchise's last hurrah, it certainly doesn't go out on a low note as it has the best fashion and is filled to the brim with stuff to do. But readjusting to a real time clock means changing the way I enjoy this series, and without the addictive draw of a short day and night cycle, I don't see this game taking dozens of hours of my time as past entries have done.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided doesn't succeed in making me care about the plight of humans and augs, but it still pulled me into its compelling cloak-and-dagger world where people in capes can turn invisible and shoot balls of lightning out of their arm.

Its biggest problem? The three planets are different enough (ice, desert, and gas), but the missions within aren't.

Although Deus Ex GO may feel too straightforward, it's still in the top-tier of pick-up-and-play puzzle games. It may not feel thematically coherent to the standard previously set by Square Enix Montréal, but it's still worth your time.

As much as I enjoy the tone of Okhlos and its silly but well-informed take on Greek mythology, its repetitive format and simplistic gameplay hook aren't an engaging combination. I'd like to see every little goofy reference it has to offer, but the motivation to push through the grind just isn't there.

Grow Up suffers from all the downsides of not giving the player structure. It just feels like less of a problem here because the developer is wholly transparent about that fact. Grow Up is as Ubisoft as a Ubisoft game can get. It may be a lot of bloat, but at least the game's comfortable enough to carry it proudly.

Uno is a shining example of misleading marketing and a great argument for Xbox Live to adopt Steam's refund practices.

Where Bangkok mostly falters is the actual setting. It's less focused on Thailand and more on the "Himmapan luxury hotel," which doesn't really go far enough and frankly, isn't as luxurious as it claims.

It's tough to describe how amazing Inversus feels on paper, but once you pick it up for the first time you'll understand. The economy of bullets, sneaky homegrown tactics, a slight concession for solo players, and a robust multiplayer component with an array of maps? It's a no-brainer.

For all my complaints, Bound is an interesting beast. The way it incorporates its animation style has been rarely, if ever done so well. It's well worth experiencing in some fashion, just maybe not at full price.

It’s a game you can play for 20 hours and feel like you didn’t make any progress at all. That’s a type of punishment some gamers just can’t handle. For me, it’s a type of punishment I can’t get enough of.

Even if you haven't played the game yet and would be able to use these new utilities while completing the story, it's a bad sell. These DLC items make Just Cause 3 a brainless and straightforward snoozefest.

It tries so hard to ape the trappings of better horror games that it never stops to think about how to use them. Mercifully, CASE is staggeringly short.

I can’t recommend this to all but the most diehard of genre fans. Even then, the art style may be lost on people who aren’t old enough to remember MS-DOS or a ZX Spectrum. That seems to be the most unique feature of the game.

Blade Ballet can be a lot of fun in the right setting, but even then it won't set the world on fire.

It's a simple game, but it does exactly what it sets out to do and it has a cute, clean aesthetic that serves it well.

No Man's Sky isn't quite what I thought it would be. It's a fun sandbox game that's full of wonder, until it isn't. Unlike other similar titles, the magic fades over time, because 18 billion planets (sorry, 18 quintillion) don't matter if it feels like there's only truly 20 unique ones. I wouldn't recommend No Man's Sky if you don't like getting lost -- but for those of you who do, wander away.

While it looks astounding, it's at its best when it isn't trying to immerse the player with "gameplay" segments that only serve to take away from what it's trying to accomplish. If it were much cheaper, or at least longer, it would be a great way to demonstrate VR for someone uninitiated with it. As it stands, it's a lot of money for a paltry few broken moments. [Tested with HTC Vive]

An abrupt ending that doesn't have much of a climax and some moments of fist-clenching frustration keep Human: Fall Flat from the upper echelons of puzzle gaming, but it's still something I plan on going back to with friends.

Kentucky Route Zero Act IV is fu*king fantastic.

Personalities are becoming brighter and more vivid. I no longer felt like I was making my best guess as to what a character would say, but rather making important choices for what they should say. The player's role as a director starts to feel solidified and important.

Kill Strain has a lot of cool ideas, but many of them don't translate when mired by the sluggish pacing of each round. I think it definitely needs some further optimization, but the uneven fun factor between the Merc and Mutant camps may take longer to iron out.

I'm still not particularly impressed with Covert Ops' storytelling ability, but Mission Pack 2 contains concise objectives, maintains a strong sense of pacing throughout, and sports an impressive voice cast.

It's just a primitive action RPG that, in many ways, seems outmoded in this day and age.

It can be too harsh for its own good, and folks who are tired of roguelikes will struggle to embrace that part of the design, but it's still one of the better road-trip games I've played thanks to its cheerful personality, amusing writing, and all-around charm.

Batman: A Telltale Games Series: Realm of Shadows is a nice setup. It's not as strong as some of Telltale's other work, but it manages to honor the legacy of the series and throw in a few curveballs to keep things interesting (thank God there's no Joker yet).

I did enjoy being in the water, but I can't help but feel the beautiful visuals and music were jamming pictures of places and emotions in my face instead of earnestly telling a compelling story. There's an unshakeable air of falsity about Abzû. As a treat to the senses, however, it's hard to beat.

Perhaps Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII's most lasting achievement will be once again proving that strategy games can work on consoles. And though it doesn't quite make the case for console strategy ever really being as good as PC-based efforts, the game is worth trying for anyone who can let their historical curiosity overcome their need for visual and interface flair.

Grand Kingdom is unlike any other tactical-RPG on the market that I know of. For $40, you’re getting an adventure that can last you weeks if not months, though you may tire of it before you see everything it has to offer.

There's enough here to keep most people interested, so long as they have a steady stream of friends (or a roomate/significant other) to play with, whether it's a one-on-one duel or up to a four-player battle royale. All nine arenas feel different from one another, and though I'd like to see more (perhaps more wacky locations, like a moon level with low gravity settings), I do like them all.

Vault-Tec Workshop has comparatively modest aims. It isn't as wild as Contraptions, but offers more than Wasteland did. Creating a vault shelter might not be as flashy as taming Deathclaws or setting up factory lines to move scrap around, but the appeal is much more apparent and lasting.

This is the Police presents situations that aren’t deep enough to invoke social commentary, yet it still takes the opportunity to arbitrarily throw them out in the open. It’s missing key storytelling elements that allow for that kind of messaging, and in the mundane yet slur-sprinkled missions those ideas fall apart.

If you are at all a fan of puzzle games, play Tumblestone. Its intelligent spin on a simple mechanic forces players to plan ahead and think about the consequences of their actions. There is a veritable ton of single-player content, which unfortunately must be completed in order to unlock the rule-changing modifiers for use in the game’s arcade mode. It truly shines when playing with friends in the same room as you all shout expletives while simultaneously thinking that the winner must be a complete genius.

Ghostbusters does the bare minimum required, and it's apparent that this is a project that nobody cared about. It's ironic that a game so entrenched in specters and spooks is so completely lacking in spirit.

It’s quite the Jekyll and Hyde situation, one I can easily recommend to Compile Heart fans, but only endorse for non-fans on the stipulation they don’t listen to Tiara and Eryn.

There are no other games like Quadrilateral Cowboy, and it will likely stay that way. It’s a unique blend of computer science, puzzles, and beautiful storytelling that could only come from Blendo Games.

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.

Hawken has never been a terrible game, but it has never made a case for itself as anything more either. This console version puts up even less of a fight.

The base mechanic may conjure up thoughts of Mavis Beacon, but so much has been built onto that foundation, making Epistory - Typing Chronicles so much greater than just a typing game.

I didn't think I would have this much fun with a casual rail shooter that uses touch controls, but Gal*Gun: Double Peace kept me engaged and entertained with its uncompromisingly Japanese high school antics.

The smoothness of the console edition makes up for some of the Vita's control enhancements. It plays just like a lot of other shooters for previous consoles did sans NES Zapper, sans Super Scope -- missing that little extra something, but fun so long as the gameplay and interesting world is there.

Perhaps it took a move to the home consoles and a years-delayed retouch, but God Eater Resurrection shines as a less demanding, flashier alternative to the likes of Monster Hunter.

I actually quite like the adherence to nostalgia, as Square is only giving fans with they want after years of complaints that projects like Final Fantasy XIII strayed too far. But by the same token of goodwill, it plays it a little too safe in regards to its at times predictable story, and doesn't really do anything new that moves the genre forward in any way. Still, if old school is what you want, you'll get it.

It lacks staying power.

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.

Still, if you aren't keen on zombies (and many of you aren't, after nearly 10 years of it), you can probably stay away from Descent.

Without company, the initial dungeons begin to blend together a bit, and restarting isn't so much a pain from a pure skill-based roguelike standpoint, but a crisis of variety.

If you have a Kinect, you owe it to yourself to buy FRU.

It might not be the future of eSports, but it is the future of several fun, sweary, elbows-in-each-others-ribs nights with your friends.

If you've ever wanted to try your hand at Monster Hunter, start with Generations. The tutorial aspect isn't any better than normal, but it's much more likely to appeal to a wider audience with its breadth of customization options and content. If you've been champing at the bit for more great gameplay you already love, with lots of new things to discover, Generations doesn't disappoint there either.

It's disappointing to see this sold on Xbox One and PS4 (with a retail release!) as if it is completed game. It clearly is not. After some substantial updates, I'd potentially want to give it another chance, but as is I wouldn't want to spend another minute with it.

Simply put, we’re still looking for that definitive JoJo's game, because JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven isn’t it.

Ultimately, this is a low-cost horror game that does a lot of things well. However, the game would be better served if it were less mechanic-heavy, since the gameplay tends to detract from the tense themes created with the art, writing, and sound.

Despite its sparkling surface, Song of the Deep could use a bit more polish. That said, it hits more than it misses, and I can easily see myself coming back to its sprawling world every few years or so.