It might not be the most exciting game on offer, but it's definitely among the more robust. Its course creator is terrific for an indie title and the multiplayer is a pleasant experience indeed.

It sounds like a cash-in of the highest caliber, but the folks over at Supermassive managed to balance their IP and show restraint in a way that very few developers are capable of.

Dementium II is the best FPS game I've played on the DS to date, eliminating many of the interface problems that have plagued previous attempts at bringing the genre to Nintendo's handheld. It's not the most original of games, and as in fact quite formulaic both in terms of its mechanics and its horror premise, but it's good at what it does regardless.

If Harvestella is to be the first of a new franchise for Square Enix, I think this game gets it off on the right foot. Outside of combat and the disappointment of the much-hullabalooed Quietus season, this is a pretty good take on the farm sim/RPG genre with some excellently designed dungeons and characters worth caring about. It may be a bit too simple for some, but I will gladly accept simplicity if it’s wrapped around something as delightful as Harvestella.

Fans of the genre should already be accustomed to the repetition that comes along with mercilessly (and sometimes pointlessly) pounding thugs into the ground, stage after stage. Unbound Saga is no different, but it certainly does it well.

Sure, Dead Space Extraction tells a good story, but at its heart, it's still an on-rails shooter, warts and all. Fans of the genre, or of the Dead Space world in general, will definitely want to add this game to their permanent collection, but everybody else may want to go with a rental first.

Solid and definitely has an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.

Arc System Works have improved on their formula at its core, but failed to make the package more appealing.

Every time I boot up D3, whether it's for a new season or a new group of friends, I have the option to level up a new Necromancer, and that's going to be invaluable down the line for me.

With its incessant jiggly boobs, drab story, naughty baby-making imagery, and harem tropes-a-plenty, I'd get why some would steer clear of Conception II. But I'm here to recommend it.

Whether you want to casually roll through and blow up some insects on the easy setting, or wrack your brain to test your mettle with manual shooting and an insanely difficult campaign, BUGS vs. TANKS! offers a little something for everyone.

The Swindle is nowhere near an entirely negative experience. It's a festival of moments, of anecdotes filled with failures and smiles.

Miitopia is mostly the same on Switch, to a fault.

I played Secret Agent HD pretty flat out. I ate through the episodes hungrily until I hit the end. For all its flaws, it’s an easy game to get sucked into. The levels are just short enough that I fell into the “just one more level” trap. The inclusion of leaderboards, additional difficulties, and a level editor help extend the game’s lifespan and breathe new life into it.

Despite the fact that it's depth is mostly an illusion, Double Dragon for iOS is a well produced, fun little beat 'em up that might not give you the classic retro experience you remember, but does present some kickass brawling action. With multiple characters and Achievements to unlock, there's plenty of action to keep dedicated gamers interested.

After spending roughly 40 hours with the game, I can safely place it somewhere in the middle of Fallout 3 and New Vegas in terms of quality. A lot of the franchise's signature problems have carried over directly into Fallout 4, but all of its charms have come along for the ride as well. It manages to do a whole lot right, but the story drags at times, and glitches...glitches never change.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a delightful celebration of the Heroes in a Half-Shell. More importantly, it’s simply a helluva lot of fun to play. It breaks little in the way of new ground, remaining rooted in old-school cool, but it does offer wild, satisfying combat, packed out with personality and charm. For anyone who ever jumped off a schoolyard wall — tree branch in hand — shouting “Cowabunga!”, Shredder’s Revenge is absolutely worth shelling out for.

Phantom Abyss isn’t a perfect endless temple speedrunner, but for a dozen or so hours, it has a great hook.

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

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse under-delivers on a few aspects of the overall package, but the fact remains -- genie or not, Shantae is still very much relevant in the current market. Just keep in mind that at times it feels like an appetizer for the upcoming Half-Genie Hero, which sees the full return of Shantae's powers as well as a fully playable Risky Boots.

Between managing your troops, attacking with the ballista, and choosing when to cast spells or send in your champion, there's a lot of challenge present.

It's a run-and-gun title at heart, but it has arcade elements, vehicular portions, and some exploration elements peppered in to keep you constantly on your toes.

Despite some technical misgivings, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners honors the Walking Dead name: a rarity in the current climate.

If you can stomach the price tag and are dying to have an arcade classic on your Switch, Sega Ages Out Run is highly recommended. As far as I'm concerned, this is the benchmark that all future releases in this line have to live up to.

I can't guarantee Supercharged Robot Vulkaiser will blow you away, but I'm having a blast with it.

I just wished that Fatshark had tried to be as original in the gameplay as they have in the visual direction. At times, it just felt like I was playing a mod, and depending on how you look at it that’s either the biggest compliment or the absolute worst thing I could say about Vermintide.

The package doesn't reach the bar raised by Harmonix's first single-band outing.

Touch My Katamari looks and plays better than ever, has a hilarious new story, and new touchscreen controls give players additional ways to roll their own, but that all doesn't change the fact that this is basically the same game we've played so many times already.

Solid and definitely has an audience. There could be some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 revitalizes the old classics, if a bit differently. With visceral gameplay, beautiful graphics, and fantastic sound design, this pair of games is ready to join the modern era, despite its take on THPS 4.

From first blood to knockout this is an exceptional fighting game. I just wish the rest of it was held to that same standard.

Going into Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, you have to be prepared for an uncomfortable experience. The combat is a mire of frustration, and the controls really could have used some tender loving care. However, if you’re looking for some classic Japanese horror with a stack of cryptic narrative lore to dig through and you’re aware of what you might be in for, it’s definitely worth diving into.

Clustertruck just about gets everything right. The high price kind of puts me off, but the game makes up for it with creativity and the ability to share user content. Sadly, the campaign ends on such a downer that I was more frustrated than anything. At least the game was hilariously fun for 90% of it's duration.

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth plays it safe in a lot of ways, but for many of you out there, that's going to be perfectly fine. Just don't expect it to convert you if you're sworn off the formula.

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

In many ways Raiden has been left in the dust by its successors. The series that have survived have moved on and tried new things in an attempt to remain relevant, whereas MOSS is content on clinging to old-school sensibilities.

Despite being out for nearly a decade, The Sims 4: Lovestruck has rung me back in again, even after all these years. It’s refreshing to see the characters become more lifelike, in which gameplay takes a unique turn. So, I suppose I am going to do my Sims 4 binge. Maybe it’s high time for me to finally get that 100 Baby challenge done.

It may be short, but it is ever so sweet.

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.

So, here’s the deal: if you want a recreation of the Magic experience without having to fuss with booster packs or shuffling, or if you need a refresher on the M10 rules, Duels of the Planeswalkers should be a game to consider.

The cherished basic formula is still there and it’s as charming as ever. Most of the new content only adds to what is otherwise a fantastic experience, but the Ravel Abilities lack refinement, and ultimately, have no place in a game they were never meant to be in.

There are a few flashes of brilliance in the maps delivered in Havoc and Ascendance, but I'm hoping that John Malkovich and the crew won't have to carry so heavy a load for the next two add-ons.

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.

With better co-op, this could have been a truly great experience, but it's still highly enjoyable, and you can't demand much more than that.

I was pleasantly surprised by Battlerite in this crowded sea of arena/MOBA games, but once I learned that Stunlock Studios was at the helm it all made sense. This genre is in its DNA, and I hope this one catches on for a while as more than just an alternative to some of the bigger market leaders.

Fire Emblem Echoes could have been held back by its need to usher the second iteration back into the fold, but it still feels like a fresh new entry. It is weaker than the last few games, but those bars were set so high that I won't hold that against it.

Turnip Boy Robs a Bank is a fast-paced steal ’em up that wears its purposefully repetitive hook on its sleeve. There’s a genuine sense of discovery in these steel-reinforced walls, and it’s nice to see Snoozy Kazoo improving upon the art of the first game to create a more unified pixel aesthetic that extends from the gameplay to the character art during dialogue exchanges. It’s also dumb as hell, which appeals to me in the most primitive way possible.

If Far Cry 3 was the last game you really got into, or the modern Far Cry formula is your meaty open-world experience of choice that somehow never loses its potency, you’ll find a lot of comfort in Far Cry 6. Otherwise, get to it when you get to it, and try not to burn out.

Sonic Lost World can wildly swing from brilliant to horrific at the drop of a hat, but when one steps back and takes a look at the whole production, one sees far more to love than hate.

Although I had my share of frustrations with Spark 2 during my first playthrough, I'm sure repetition and better knowledge of level layouts would make for a much smoother second playthrough. Die-hard fans of the Sonic Adventure games are absolutely gonna have a blast looking for the fastest routes possible and it's still a solid experience overall. But, I just can't help feeling like it's a less polished experience compared to its 2D predecessor.

The Wolf Among Us: A Crooked Mile isn't as interesting as episode two, but the undeniable charm of the world and the characters is still ever present.

And yet, with Dead Island 2, Dambuster Studios has delivered a sequel that hugely improves upon the maligned original.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is worth checking out for PS3 owners who like hardcore action games and have never played the Xbox 360 version. The new additions, however, simply aren't worth replaying the game for if you have the original version, and the removal of the blood has done the game a significant disservice.

For many, tacking playable goons onto Superstar Saga won't be enough to revisit the world of Beanbean Kingdom mostly because the campaign is still the same uneven adventure it was before.

Although it can feel slow-going at times, Borderlands 3: Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck benefits from its lore-heavy framework and a clear focus on one major character.

That’s going to be subjective, though. Even if it’s not going to be renting space in my mind, Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider is a tight retro-inspired action game that I have very few gripes about. JoyMasher has already proven themselves with some solid titles, and Moonrider continues that trend. It doesn’t re-write the script for the games that inspired it, but it does a great job getting the mood across. If you enjoyed their previous titles, you can expect the same talent on display here. JoyMasher has stayed away from sequels so far, but if Moonrider got back on its bike, I’d happily scooch up behind it.

If what you miss most about games like Fallout is the act of rolling your character, exploring a space from that particular camera angle, allocating your AP in combat, or tweaking a build after several runs' worth of trial and error, you'll be in good hands with UnderRail. Otherwise, it may be more productive to simply play the older games again.

As a full package, Vaporum is pretty great. A well polished and challenging dungeon crawler set within an exciting world. Although the controls can sometimes be a bit of a pain for the console editions, we see so few games in this genre today that the minor headaches are worth struggling through.

Astro Bot Rescue Mission, like its titular hero, gets the job done.

Despite all its problems, it’s something that needs to be seen and celebrated. There’s a chance that you won’t even notice the problems I outlined, and this will be a big hit with you. You might not even notice the same issues that I do. I think Boltgun deserves its chance, and you should definitely give it one, even if you have no connection with the license.

t's a shame that 3D Dot Game Heroes does not have the lasting power required in order to be truly special. As it stands, this homage/plagiarism to/of The Legend of Zelda is an enjoyable little adventure that will give PS3 owners the retro fix they need. Unfortunately, and I hate to say it, 3D Dot Game Heroes may have benefited more from being half the length and coming out as a digital title.

StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops doesn't deliver anything that you haven't seen before, but it does it in an engaging way that sufficiently supplements the universe. If you aren't big on the massive time investment that a typical StarCraft campaign warrants, this is a nice little alternative.

It feels a little too much like a mobile game to stand out as a must-have title, but if you want an example of PS Vita controls done correctly, you won't find a better example than this. It doesn't hurt that you'll get some challenging -- if sometimes frustrating -- physics-based puzzles to boot.

None of Dark Souls II's DLC is particularly spectacular compared to what was already in the base game, but they are great companion pieces to the proper package.

Glare confidently puts something notably different within the confines of a strict, conventional genre. Though it lacks any glaring faults, I'm not sure it always works. It it interesting, though, and doesn't overstay its welcome.

Ultimately, there may not be all that much that's genuinely new about Rock of Ages 2, but the sheer solidity of what's on offer here affirms that ACE Team have hewn themselves a sequel that nobody asked for, yet will find handily enjoyable anyway.

As a casual fighting game fan, I am drawn to the type of experience Phantom Breaker: Omnia has going for it. It’s very low commitment, not the type of fighter where I feel I’m going to have to invest day after day to be able to land those epic combos and spectacular specials. That’s certainly an option for those who want to make a serious go at it, but I’d wager, like most other fighters that attempt to simplify the fighting game experience, this one will likely remain favored by a more easygoing audience than those who destined to stand atop the podium at EVO.

A solid game with a few frustrating flaws, which are not big or bad enough to topple my appreciation for what Recoil Games did here.

There's plenty of room for old school style FPS games like this in an ocean of looter shooters and games-as-a-service titles.

Armillo is a charming platformer that manages to do just enough to differentiate it from some of its predecessors. Although it didn't blow me away by any stretch of the imagination, it has a ton of content packed in it to the point where I'll be spending quite a while to find it all.

WUCHANG: Fallen Feathers feels like stepping into a soulslike time machine and a previous decade. Its sometimes-clunky combat and punishing mechanics are a callback to the genre's origins, and it feels like both a positive and a negative at times.

Online integration, what I think is the most fascinating new feature of the game.

Without a doubt, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a masterpiece of storytelling and fits magnificently into the Star Wars universe. Unfortunately, as a video game, the gameplay issues in The Force Unleashed are extremely noticeable and hinder a lot of the enjoyment that is derived from the narrative.

The final surprise the game offered was its at first vanilla, then definitively Vanilla Sky storyline.

I can't promise you a perfect horror FPS in Jericho, in fact I can promise you that it won't be, but somewhere between the dense oppression of its atmosphere, the unapologetically, almost decadently horrific nature of its production design, the satisfaction of its gameplay when it's firing on all cylinders, and some rather broken protagonist characters who I was surprised to grow rather attached to by the end despite the script not making the most of their backstories, I find myself unable to write it off.

Bravely Second is a missed opportunity in many ways. It's too similar to the original to woo a new crowd, and any risks it takes are narrative-centric and mostly fall flat.

Overall, it's a very solid title. Flawed, certainly, but a lot of fun to play if you don't mind a little repetitive combat and a story that feels a bit slow.

Expeditions: Viking has been as much of a trial as it has been an adventure. It desperately needed even another month in development to work out the kinks in its system, and even now (a monthish later), it has its share of problems. Despite that, it's damnably endearing. The story's morally gray, fantasy-free atmosphere is refreshing, with a great sense of humor. Add to this a visceral, varied, if somewhat unbalanced combat system, and the result is something I look forward to playing through again in the future... assuming it works.

By the end, you'll feel as if you cleverly solved this murder. In all actuality, you only watched the murder solve itself. That is The Invisible Hours' greatest theatrical feat.

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.

Despite a poor beginning and ending, I can't shake off the warm feeling Deponia left me with. It's a game with a big heart and some clever puzzles that recall a special time in the history of adventure games.

Mediocre multiplayer aside, Burn Zombie Burn is still a very fun to play and has an impressive amount of complexity for what it is. The zombies are charming, funny caricatures with outlandish behavior which are sure to bring a smile.

I really do love SlashDash, but only when playing with four people.

Praises and complaints aside, Heroes of Ruin does exactly what it wanted to do -- give 3DS users a solid hack n' slash RPG. While it flounders on the way to that simple goal, it's a goal that has been undoubtedly reached. Better may come along in the future, but right now, this does the trick.

On one hand, the online is absolutely broken and embarrassing. On the other, anytime I'm not dealing with that nonsense, I'm having fun with the game. Maybe in a couple of months, when I've min-maxed every Pokémon in the Dex and am just focusing on raids, I'll feel more antagonistic toward the game and its woeful online, but right now, when I'm doing literally anything else in it, I'm having a good time.

My biggest issue is that DLC is so blatantly being held back from the game that it's annoying. The base board that you play on has the artwork for the two factions from the Invaders from Afar expansion and it's like they aren't even trying to hide the fact that there is still more money left to be spent. I understand the need to charge for expansions but at least try to hide it next time.

It’s a refreshing change of pace from moody protagonists saving the world from unambiguously evil villains. While I like to poke fun at fashion issues like Ryza’s butt hungrily devouring her shorts, I had fun with Atelier Ryza. It’s not quite enough to get me to run out and pick up the rest of the series, but if I’m ever in the mood for some more anime crafting hijinks, I’ll probably give them a look.

A solid point-and-click adventure with a fresh twist, though it stumbles into many of the standard pitfalls for the genre. The story is largely respectable and interesting, while not at the top of the pile. If you’re a big fan of the genre or an old fan of Larry who wants to check in on him, you should absolutely give this game a go as close to release as you can. For everyone else, a fun time lies in wait, provided you can tolerate the infuriating puzzles.

Anyone who isn't a fan of the "Telltale interactive story" style will find nothing at all here to change their mind on the genre, but fans of previous games will find themselves thrown into yet another adventure filled with questionable loyalties, tense confrontations, morally-grey decisions and that ever-nagging thought that maybe, just maybe, you should have turned left instead of right.

It's a deeply flawed game, to be sure, wasting a wellspring of potential for no discernible reason, but one that should be played for being unafraid to show people at their weakest and most vicious. If the metric of a good game is that I keep coming back to it despite it's faults, Dragon Age II certainly qualifies.

Borderlands 3's first DLC is quirky and action-packed, but I was decidedly left wanting more.

In many basic ways, Armageddon is a superior game to Guerrilla. It makes strides in a number of key areas that are hard to ignore, including more polished visuals and a broader range of spectacular weapons and abilities. But ultimately, it manages to miss the mark when it comes to the core elements that made the open world game so great: freedom and ample opportunities to simply trash the game's world.

My biggest complaint is the length. I don’t know what I was expecting at this price point, but I completed the game in just under three hours.

And that’s kind of the bottom line: RoboDunk works quite well on a functional level. Its dunk-centric basketball is a quick, enjoyable snack. Its toy-like aesthetic and minimalistic stop-motion animation is effective. However, the framework just doesn’t support it quite right. Barring my (possible superficial) thoughts about robo-dunkers, the roguelite setup doesn’t provide a compelling experience. It’s a decent game to pick up and play, but it’s not the slam dunk it should be.

Life Goes On might not start with the most mindblowing hook, but the idea is solid and Infinite Monkeys develops it well. By constantly adding new tricks into its repertoire and not dragging itself out unnecessarily, it maintains a good quality throughout.

I’m a bit embarrassed I missed out on Little Orpheus when it hit Apple Arcade a year and a half ago. However, because of that blunder, my first excursion through the game was a memorable one because I played it on a screen and a piece of hardware that could truly do those visuals justice.

Meanwhile Wii Fit U's mini-games are fun, but still suffer from being single-player/non-simultaneous multiplayer and there just isn't that much new stuff.

Void Terrarium is tough, and it can be unforgiving with a lot of different systems to keep track of. But it's always a satisfying experience. It's not the greatest roguelike/Mystery Dungeon title I've played, but it might just have the most rewarding gameplay loop I've seen in the genre.

Although the occasional technical issue and odd mechanic put a damper on things, Aragami has its heart in the right place. It's strict adherence to stealth with no ifs, ands, or buts will turn some people off, but it'll speak to a lot of old-school fans who are sick of experiences that allow you to blast your way out of everything.