Ultimately, The Fancy Pants Adventures is a chill, stylish platformer that is both fulfilling and satisfying... when its touch controls aren't giving you the business. If you can get over that really, really, really obstinate roadblock, you'll be just dandy.

It's a fun game. Just don’t be surprised when a Quarterback Quiz pops up, or some assh.le keeps hitting pause every five minutes while you’re playing online.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel follows a lot of classic JRPG conventions, and as a result, it doesn't do a whole lot of things that haven't been done before, and better elsewhere. But the combat system still holds up, and the characters are charming enough to see the story through until the end.

"Inoffensive" is probably the word that best describes Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time from the perspective of a fan. It fits right in with its predecessors, offering a rather lengthy campaign and a fair quantity of optional content that's fun to play, though not particularly challenging most of the time.

Powerstar Golf isn't particularly special, but it'll win over the hearts of golf fans for sure. If all you're looking to do is whack a ball down a course on a next-gen system with the occasional bit of positive reinforcement, Powerstar is your huckleberry.

Nothing needs to be reassessed because nothing has been significantly changed. These are still two charming, well-polished platformers. There’s nothing mind-blowing about them, but I enjoy them for what they are and think more people should experience them. More effort could have been made in this collection, but the graphical clean-up is appreciated. I’m shrugging. You can’t see it, since this is a text review, but my shoulders are up.

I'm one of the few that dug Final Fantasy II (especially this remake), but even I have to admit that the balance and leveling system are pretty screwy, and kind of hold the game back.

Capcom Arcade Stadium is a nostalgic look at a time when stained space carpets and deafening cacophonies were all the rage, performing admirably in its role at offering classic thrills in portable form. The lack of online multiplayer is disappointing, and the package will never feel truly complete until certain titles break free from licensing limbo, but as a way to while away lazy afternoons or dull commutes, CAS is worth its weight in credits.

Mordecai and Rigby in 8-Bit Land feels a lot like one of my favorite DSi platformers no one played -- Pro Jumper: Guilty Gear Tangent. It pretty much knows what it is, and even if it doesn't offer up anything new for those who normally loathe platform games, it'll still placate fans of the genre. So while it feels a bit phoned in at times, fans of old-school gaming will no doubt get an afternoon of enjoyment out of it.

Overall, Tales of Arise – Beyond the Dawn is an expansion fit for the main game’s already fantastic base. Fans who enjoyed the original game will find themselves feeling the same way they did before. Fortunately, Beyond the Dawn ties it up with a simple yet effective bow. While it could’ve been neater, it delivers a worthwhile experience for big-time fans.

There are those who will pick up Scribblenauts and love it completely. However, I fear that there are those who will hate this game, because once you look past the brilliant gimmick and innocent charm, you see a rough game with bad controls and a sense that things just could have been done much better.

That's not to say Spacebase Startopia is a bad game, it's just something of a disappointment. At best, it feels like a remake that makes a few missteps. It's a forgery at worst. If you really want more Startopia but can't stand to look at its dated graphics, there's definitely something for you here. Otherwise, you're better off docking with a different donut.

While it could have exploited fans at every turn like EA tried to do with Dungeon Keeper, it's actually a nice little way to spend an afternoon while you wait for Fallout 4 to come out in November. Just don't expect anything particularly exciting, as it is slightly skewed towards enticing you to spend money on it -- lest you wait to enjoy it in short spurts.

Fishing Planet is a solid fishing simulator with plenty of depth and variety to its gameplay and mechanics that still make me want to come back for more. But the horrendous menu and UI on console, lackluster presentation, and occasional bugs and hiccups bog down the experience.

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.

If you haven't played a game in the series since the SNES however, Boston Lockdown is a decent starting point, and a perfect way to re-acclimate yourself to the genre with friends. If you prefer to fly solo, just go with Shadowrun Returns instead.

With the easy 30-hour campaign behind me, I’m having a great deal of fun with the post-game content. There are new maps to unlock, new classes to discover, and daily quests I can conquer.

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

If a quirky action game with RPG progression and relaxing agricultural activities seems like your kind of thing, trust your gut on this one.

I did enjoy my time in the wasteland, even if it doesn't offer up a whole lot that we haven't seen before.

Crypto-137 is hellbent on ensuring that humanity meets a terrible fate. By comparison, Destroy All Humans has met an enjoyable-enough-but-certainly-not-amazing fate. That's fine, but it's tough to not feel as though something truly great could've happened with some more creative license. If nothing else, this remake left me thinking that Destroy All Humans is still a viable property and that a brand new game might not be such a bad idea. But maybe that's because an extraterrestrial has control of my cortex.

It’s a fun time if you know what you’re getting into. It’s Date Night Bowling, and it does what it says on the box. There’s bowling and there’s dating. It’s a fun time if you can wrangle a partner, romantic or otherwise, but it doesn’t really have lasting appeal. A few times through, then you can take your balls elsewhere.

Ultimately, Gnosia is worth playing through to the end thanks to its strong narrative. The story goes in unexpected directions, and the revelations I learned along the way were compelling enough to push me past my frustrations. Make no mistake, I wanted to give up on this game multiple times. But every time I considered quitting, I'd start one last loop that would pull me right back in because all of the elements were in place for another bit of tasty narrative to reveal itself.

If roguelikes are your brand of fun, you'll probably like Izuna 2. For the rest, I'd still recommend trying it out, but be warned that this level of challenge isn't for everyone.

As the Wii version is pretty easy to find for around $10, it's hard to recommend this mixed bag of an update, knowing that the less buggy original is $30 cheaper.

A King's Tale: Final Fantasy XV isn't anything special, nor is it essential to understanding the main game you're buying into, so don't bust the doors down tonight trying to get a pre-order in. But at the same time, proponents of old school beat-'em-ups will enjoy a few hours of fun, which counts for something.

I can’t stop playing Pokemon Unite and chain-queuing games, but its foundational issues are going to drive some people away and need to be addressed.

Emily is Away Too is basically the first game expanded beyond a simple gimmick. It may not be the best piece of interactive fiction ever created, but quality-of-life changes to the original formula make the journey feel more personal for individual players. The multiple endings really seal the deal, meaning you’re in for heartbreak or everlasting love.

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens still feels limited in nature, but it's a better, more pointed effort than Marvel's Avengers, which was all over the place.

A very standard action game that won't excite masters of the genre, but it has more than enough charm to make up for its simplicity. It also certainly helps that it's an original story, so hardcore fans of the manga or show will want to get in on Red even at a discount just to experience more Straw Hat action.

If you've never played Championship Edition before and thus do not have DX to compare it to, it's a perfect way to re-acclimate yourself to the franchise, while you use Royale to spice up your next local gathering. Everyone else who lacks friends on-hand or has already played CE should wait for a sale, or pass this one up entirely.

The farther removed you are from the redneck culture, the more you'll enjoy the country music and voice overs. For me, they were absolutely hilarious. The icing on the cake is silly minigames where you'll shoot groundhogs that shake their asses at you. There's simple, fun arcade action to be had here. Don't let the redneck thing hold you back.

I would outright suggest that you avoid Tri Force Heroes if you plan on going at it alone. The good news is that the online portion works wonderfully, and with download play, you can get a local three-person game running up in no time. If you don't fit that criteria though, you can probably pass on Link's newest adventure.

There's no shortage of cool party games these days, and Knight Squad stands among them. It's not something I see myself returning to time and time again like some of its peers, but I got a kick out its accessible, action-packed multiplayer. If you're coming along for the ride, be sure to bring friends.

Suffers from being compared to other comical racing games like Mario Kart, and it is unlikely that you'll prefer it over those games. However, it manages to bring enough of its own flavor through its design to make it feel like a strong competitor.

Q.U.B.E. may not be the most original game. It has problems and leaves plenty of room for improvement. Regardless, it's a genuinely enjoyable experience that fans of first-person puzzlers should not miss out on.

By the time I finished Jazzpunk, I was both left wanting more of its crazy world and feeling slightly underwhelmed. Many of the jokes felt a bit too random for their own good, and the story kind of just ends with no real resolution.

Satisfying gameplay is the crux of the Tiger Woods franchise. All the new modes in the world wouldn't matter if it didn't feel so amazing to actually play. Luckily, Tiger Woods PGA 14 stays true to the core gameplay, and adds a very worthwhile mode with Legends of the Majors. All of the other new bells and whistles are either mediocre or long overdue.

The result of all this is a deep and well crafted premise in a somewhat shallow game. Blood Dragon is well made, and thoroughly entertaining to lovers of the eighties, but in many ways, it becomes a victim of its own success -- the core ideas are so fun, so lavishly crafted, one aches to see them in a game equal to their quality.

I'd happily recommend March of the Eagles based exclusively on the multiplayer, but if you prefer your gaming to be a solo venture, then it might not really offer quite as much.

Ultimately, while Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series: Under Pressure's array of choices doesn't quite feel as "consequential" as one might expect of the typical Telltale pitch, the new episode improves on the promise of the first outing's strengths in characterization, while still building up the main narrative into something a tad more engaging. Only the future will be able to show if these decisions will snowball properly, but the series now has me wanting to actually see that eventuality, which means it's done its job.

Saint Maker isn’t a new Perfect Gold for me. The two visual novels are different enough that they’re only barely comparable, but I just found it doesn’t demonstrate the same level of skill. Regardless of how the two titles stack up, I still very much enjoyed Saint Maker. Most of that admiration comes from how intricately stacked its themes and characters are. It has a lot to say, and it says it well....I’ll be continuing to keep my eye on Yangyang Mobile. I don’t have any specific expectations for what I want to see from them. I’m mostly just interested in where they go next.

It's not particularly ceremonious, but for a few bucks, it gets the job done for hardcore fans who happen to own a device capable of running it.

In light of the announcement for Call of Duty: Ghosts' dynamic maps, Vengeance really doesn't feel like enough to justify a purchase on its own, even if core fans will find themselves satisfied, and it's not a bad way to supplement the Season Pass.

Ancestors is a large, fussy, and at times uneven survival experience, but it's also deeply gratifying once you sink your teeth in.

Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China has the makings of a good 2D Prince of Persia re-awakening, but it lacks a lot of character both aesthetically and mechanically. Still, there's very little actually wrong with it if you're looking for another platformer to add to your pile.

Environmental Station Alpha didn't reinvent the wheel when it comes to Metroidvania games, but it certainly helped satisfy my appetite. The amount of secrets and post-game crypticness might be great for some, and it does extend the playtime quite a bit, but as a completionist I found it to be more legwork than I'd like. Call me crazy, but I don't like tons of cryptography in my games.

Adventures of Pip is an inoffensive platformer that doesn't do a whole lot wrong, but it won't stand out in your mind a few days after beating it.

If stripping VR is what Playful Corp needs to do to reach a bigger audience so be it, but a version with optional VR would have been ideal.

Although the game copies-and-pastes track sections into one another to make-up its large track roster, it's still 45 original tracks at the end of the day which will keep you guessing upcoming turns instead of memorizing them.

At its core, New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a Mushroom Kingdom coin -- shiny and addictive, but carrying no practical value whatsoever.

A solid game that definitely has an audience. Might lack replay value, could be too short or there are some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

If you get anything from this review, it’s that Rocket Knight Adventures is an underappreciated classic, and you should definitely play it. The two Sparkster games are more Sparkster, but more disposable and with a feeling of cynicism. Whether you wait for a sale is your decision. Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked Collection is fine, just play Rocket Knight Adventures already.

Despite the quality of the episode, one complaint does remain, and it's one that Guardians hasn't shaken the whole season so far. Mainly it comes down to tone, in which, unlike other Telltale games, there really does feel like a "right" way for things to end up at the end of Who Needs You.

Sure, Never Alone is far from perfect, but its highs are much more significant than its lows. Rarely is an experimental take flawless, and that's the case here. But, hopefully everyone involved can take what's on display with Never Alone, improve the formula next time, and continue to teach because it's a fascinating way to learn.

Series fans will find a lot to love here, with plenty of new challenges, though those new to the series may find themselves frustrated with touchy controls and unforgiving levels. If you really need to go super-fast at Vita's launch, this one could fit the bill. Otherwise, there are more accessible launch racers out there.

Things end a little too neatly wrapped. While I'm glad that there isn't some major cliffhanger that cheaply leads into Starcraft III (whenever that might be), everything concludes too nicely for the otherwise grimdark Starcraft universe.

Ruffy and the Riverside is an enjoyable experience that, despite featuring fascinating copy-paste mechanics and puzzles that gets your brain going, has a forgettable storyline. Nonetheless, it's a great choice if you're looking for a quick and cute adventure that feels like a blast to the past.

It's just so goddamn fun to play. Anything negative I might have to say about this game is overshadowed by just how addictive and entertaining it is. So it's not the hardcore shmup some people were hoping for -- so what?

Dandara has a firm foundation, but suffers from inherent design flaws and a lack of direction. Despite its imperfections, I mostly enjoyed my time with it. It treads a lot of familiar ground with its gameplay mechanics, but those were the portions of the game I found myself having the most fun with.

At a relatively low price of around $10, those who get their kicks out of zombie massacres will find that Zombie Apocalypse is a good time. But for those over the whole "zombie thing" it's unlikely Zombie Apocalypse will change your mind, despite Nihilistic's solid arcade framework.

NIS delivers the weird yet again with Penny-Punching Princess, a fun little arcade romp that just escapes the danger of staleness. Stretched a little too thin but a lot of people are going to be enjoying this one with a price drop.

Arc Rise Fantasia is the perfect RPG to play "between" RPGs. Something to pick up before the next big AAA experience hits and scratch an itch that one gets during the genre's common dry periods.

For as frustrating as failure can be, though, I still greatly enjoy this game and what it's going for. I want to stick it out. Headmaster seems to be flying under the radar as a launch-window PlayStation VR title, but it's one of the most novel experiences out there and decidedly worth trying.

When I first started up Duel of Champions and played through the tutorial, I never thought I'd be playing for the next four hours. I found myself becoming easily lost in the game, with my duels lasting over a half hour but only seeming like 10 minutes. It's a solid CCG for sure, and one that I don't mind being tied to at the moment.

Despite its flaws, Neverending Nightmares offers a striking and unforgettable horror experience, combined with an uncomfortably intimate look into the true torment of mental illness. However, its lack of content and uneven pacing prevent it from being the classic it feels like it could have been.

With a charming aesthetic, innovative mechanics, and action-packed gameplay, Darwin's Paradox is an ambitious little game with quite a lot of heart, much like its eight-armed hero. Unfortunately, that ambition sometimes outpaces its technical performance. But if you can look past occasional frame drops and stutters, you'll find a clever platformer swimming beneath the surface.

Despite this game’s flaws with repetitive combat and an awkward beginning to the story, I hope there’s a sequel on the way. The combat’s thrillingly fast-paced, and the storyline actually grabbed me during its final hours. If a sequel adds way more enemy variety and improves the MCU-like script, Immortals of Aveum 2 could be a hit.

Werewolves Within is a cool experiment wrapped into an above-average game. It's limited and laser-focused, but it's good at what it does. [Tested with Oculus Rift]

Aksys Games nailed the localization with Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and they've done it again with the excellent writing in Fate/EXTRA. Unfortunately, a sea of monotony and repetitiveness plagues the game's potential for being one of the PSP's elite RPG's.

Given more development time, this could have been the definitive entry in the series, but what we’re left with is good enough.

The Jackbox Party Pack 10 is a mixed bag. Two of the games are confusing, one is a welcomed return, and Time Jinx is the absolute star in this pack for being a creative trivia title. The format’s starting to get stale, unfortunately, and the novelty of connecting to the game with your phone has worn off.

I think the developers made the right call by branching out with planes and boats and going for a more approachable play-what-you-like format.

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.

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.

Serial Cleaner is a stealth game that nails its aesthetic, referential material (mildly related: there's an excellent Alien-themed bonus stage), and concept. It just doesn't nail the mechanics of being a stealth game. Developer iFun4all seemingly understands this judging by the copout way it implemented hiding spots. Serial Cleaner is neat, but it isn't always tidy.

Oniken isn't quite the magical pairing of nostalgia and great game design that Mega Man 9 was, but it comes close to scratching that same itch that few other games have done since. If you love 8-bit games and hate yourself, dying repeatedly within Oniken's six merciless levels brings its own form of joy that is rare in games these days.

It can be breathtaking at times, and it can also be pretty banausic, but the Musher's journey to her new home has enough beauty, adventure, and adorable dogs I just don't want to stop petting to make each trip worthwhile.

Venba is an exercise in brevity. I greatly enjoyed my peek into the lives of strangers who exposed me to a culture different than mine. I just wish I could have got a longer look at it.

It's not the most complex or expansive $1 game out there, but it's different and fun enough to give it a shot. More likely than not, you'll find yourself playing multiple games in a row just to improve your highscore.

Speaking strictly in terms of mechanics, calling Eat Lead mediocre would be excessive praise. But its charm, savvy writing and excellent humor shines in the face of all of its shortcomings and elevates it to a being a game that may not be worth owning but should certainly be played by anyone who can manage to plant their tongue firmly in cheek.

It's simple to get into, it looks good and at the end of the day it provides some incredibly good racing action. Purists will hate it, but those who just want to have a laugh without worrying about hardcore racing simulation will enjoy Fuel for what it is.

Finding the right groove and reaching a hypnotic state, that's 0rbitalis at its best.

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.

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.

It's like the developers only made this title to keep the license alive while they worked on the next "real" iteration of the series.

While Platinum has done a great job in terms of delivering a solid action romp, the jarring cutscenes and open-and-shut story leave little in terms of replay value. Avatar and Korra fans will likely rejoice at the fact that they're finally getting a decent game.

I actually found myself enjoying it slightly. Granted, not enough to play it for a very long stretch, but it's certainly eye-opening when compared to everything else available, and a title worth playing at least once just to see what everyone was going on about when the game debuted in 1996.

Outside of the sheer amount of minigames and modes on offer, there isn't a whole lot to unlock in Wii Party U -- what you see is basically what you get. In terms of replay value you'd be hard pressed to be entertained for more than a week by yourself, and with two players, you may get another week or two out of it.

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare does just enough to stay above the curve and somewhat make up for the appropriately soulless Ghosts. The zombies team did an incredible job with Spaceland, and the multiplayer still ticks all of the right boxes with an ample locomotion system that has since been surpassed by Titanfall. But if you were expecting anything totally new, including the non-inventive space campaign, look elsewhere.

In the end, how much you enjoy HotD:Overkill will have a lot more to do with how much you like horror/comedy movies, and a lot less to do with how much you like videogames.

I wish Astral Breakers had a more involved single player component and a smoother visual style, but for the most part, there's a serviceable core experience here. Just don't dive in alone.

Its uniqueness is its greatest asset; there isn't anything else quite like it out there, and it takes a different kind of thinking to get through.

Even during its most underwhelming moments Rime got a response out of me, and I'll remember it for years to come.

Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV is a chill-ass game that's meant to lure in a very specific type of player. Seeing random wildlife from Eos and interacting with the cast was fun, and I feel like the tension of seeing everything in first-person elevates the sometimes rote act of fishing. It's just silly enough to work for the select few that will meet all of the requirements to actually boot it up.

Even though I generally dig Outer Rim, I think it's a fairly tough sell as a standalone add-on given the current pricing. If you're way into the game, specifically the smaller modes, it has some of the better content in all of Battlefront. But otherwise, I'd stick with the free updates for now and wait to see how the three other packs in the season pass play out before committing to the full bundle.

It's inspired, but turgid. Brilliant, but flawed. Fun, but infuriating. Like the living dead itself, Dead Island is a contradiction from beginning to end. However, I feel you need to play it, because despite copying so much from infinitely smoother games, there's nothing quite like it on the market. That, itself, is yet another contradiction in the confused, conflicted, often completely beautiful mess that is Dead Island.

Fat Princess Adventures is an enjoyable distraction for hardcore fans of the hack-and-slash genre, but now I just want a proper new Princess game.