While Cris Tales offers a stirring adventure — packed full of wit and character — numerous mechanical shortcomings frequently put the brakes on its excitable spirit. A victim of unfulfilled ambition, Cris Tales doesn’t quite deliver on its clever premise or its chrono-combat. There’s no denying the passion and talent of the developers, however, manifested in stunning visuals and a wonderful cast. Cris Tales will definitely ostracize some players, but those with a little patience may see past its flaws to embrace its heartfelt homage to gaming’s bygone era.

Divekick! sits in perfect balance between the new wave of deconstructed fighting games like Nidhogg, and Samurai Gunn, and traditional fighters like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat.

Dangerous Driving is a marked improvement in basically every facet over Danger Zone 1 and 2. This is Three Fields firing on all cylinders and giving Burnout fans the experience they've been craving. While a few technical hiccups stop this from achieving greatness, you really shouldn't sleep on this if you're a fan of arcade racers. Dangerous Driving is the real deal and any Burnout fan would be crazy to skip it.

Is World War Z as good as Left 4 Dead? No. Is it fun despite that? Yes. There's few pleasures in gaming that can compare to swinging a thrumming chainsaw blade through a horde of ravenous undead, and World War Z delivers. And really, it's not like Valve makes games anymore.

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

Personally, I don't mind paying for Hyrule Warriors all over again with Legends. I got hundreds of hours of enjoyment out of the Wii U version, and being able to relive that is fine with me. But not everyone is as keen as I am, so if you're not a superfan already, it's a tough sell -- because really, this series deserves to be immortalized on a big screen.

Fans of the LEGO games should basically know what to expect, and Jurassic Park fans should be more than happy with the story, cutscenes, characters, and references. It captured all of my favorite Jurassic Park moments and added its own unique sense of humor into the mix, and that's essentially all I really wanted.

The Indigo Disk is more Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, for better or for worse. If you’re still deep into Generation IX, you’ll at least get mileage out of exploring the new areas and seeing the new Pokémon and TMs. But beyond that, The Indigo Disk neither offers a compelling challenge for longtime fans nor a chill grind for more casual fans. Players can at least take solace in that this second half of the DLC is generally better than the first. But for those frustrated by the rushed yearly cycle of Pokémon games, The Indigo Disk will only reaffirm your misgivings.

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

Jet Set Radio is still a fun title, but also a frustrating one. If you've never played the game before, you may be left wondering what all the hype was about. It may be a good game, but if it had been released for the first time today, many would see it as unfinished.

Warriors Orochi 3 is quite possibly my favorite Warriors game of the series. It's stuffed to the gills with content, featuring enough characters, stages, and unlockables to keep the hardcore fan enthralled for months.

It's by no means Windows 8's killer app, but provided you have access to a Windows 8 device, you could do much worse than Spartan Assault.

Which leads to the burning issue: outside of marketing it as its own product at retail (and making a ton of cash in the process), there's no reason why what truly defines Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (the music) couldn't have been offered as downloadable content.

DuckTales Remastered makes some minor missteps in the attempt to revive one of the greatest NES games of all time, but then again, the latter is a pretty tough act to follow. Mechanically, the game holds up great, and I had a smile on my face nearly the entire time. So long as you can overlook a few fundamental issues, old and new fans alike shouldn't miss re-experiencing this lovingly crafted classic.

The LEGO formula may be finally getting a bit stagnant, and the new additions, while cool, may be too little, too late. If the final section had been included at retail, I'm not sure my opinion would have swayed much more in either direction, but it certainly is noticeable in it's omission.

It's really difficult to give Moon Chronicles a strong appraisal one way or the other. It's far from a stellar experience, but isn't a bad one either. There just isn't anything here that hasn't been done better elsewhere, and I can't see anyone other than FPS-starved 3DS owners or hardcore fans of the original being too interested.

When I first started playing Road Not Taken, I was completely enamored by its premise, style, and world. Slowly, bit by bit, I became more annoyed and started having a little less fun as the levels progressed and as the game's initial intrigue wore off a little more.

It never instills any sense of wonder or accomplishment, and it often feels more like work than play. It's a very paint-by-numbers affair; for a puzzle game it doesn't actually require much thinking, only doing. It is a game that exists, and that's about as much as there is to say about it.

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.

It may not be as tight of a package or have enough variety in its quests, but the additional multiplayer components and new Yokai make this worth picking up.

Even with its flaws, I think many people will enjoy Earth's Dawn, but I don't expect it to be a hit or even a cult classic. If anything those starved for something similar to Odin's Sphere or an RPG-style beat 'em-up might get some enjoyment out of it, while most will find the repetition a bit too much.

Agatha Knife isn't a perfect game, and definitely won't appeal to all. But if you can stomach some of the monotony and awkwardness of gameplay, you'll be rewarded with a charming and quirky little title that's got a lot of heart. Just don't let it get cut out of you.

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

I found very little else to like about Button City. I think it’s narratively weak; a few sparks, but never a fire. The games held within are not just overly basic, but often not even fun. Even the quest design is an escort quest and a forced stealth section away from a broken controller. It makes me feel like the bad guy when I say these things to such a cute and innocent game. I absolutely wanted to love Button City, but it gave me no reason to give up another quarter.

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

Was that the goal of the developers? Probably not. It could, after all, be a problem with my brain worms and not with The Banished Vault at all. On the other hand, it’s such a deeply unfriendly title that marries simple concepts with a demand for particular skills. Putting myself aside, I don’t really see it connecting with a wide audience. I absolutely respect The Banished Vault for its unique approach and its wonderful choice of aesthetic. I just wish it wasn’t so aloof.

Putting this many roadblocks in Warcraft Rumble, after Blizzard has already stumbled enough, takes guts.

Clickolding really needed to nail its narrative to be a successful experiment, and it really doesn’t. It’s much too unfocused and far too superficial, never really drilling far into its subject matter. There were a lot of directions that could have been taken, and none of them were. That doesn’t mean that Clickolding doesn’t have value, but it’s not something that needs to be experienced. You could get the same pleasure from just watching.

When everything comes together, Castaway feels just substantial enough to recommend. Many will still find it too short, but it’s not all bad if your only real complaint is that you want more. I love projects like this, and it’s something I’d be keen to see more of in the future. You can really tell when a developer is channeling something they adore and doing their best to put their own spin on it and show everyone what they can do with a specific set of tools. If this proves successful, I really hope Vinet is afforded the opportunity to revisit the world, or at least one in the same vein. For now, though, at least I can rest easy knowing I got my dog back before it even had time to miss me.

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

As a piece of entertainment, Lollipop Chainsaw is something truly memorable -- shameless, camp, idiotic, and so very enchanting. As a game, it is a celebration of the arcade era, an era when games felt free to be outrageous without worrying about being taken seriously or making even the vaguest lick of sense.

I fully expected to like NEVES, as I enjoy most puzzle games, but I really am astounded at how much fun and contentment can come from something so very, very simple.

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

Tengami is a decent way to spend a soothing afternoon, but overall left me wanting more from what was there.

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

I came away from Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires extremely satisfied. The tactical elements outside of battle were well balanced as to be challenging while fair, and the combat carries over the best elements from the main game. It's a bit of a specific niche it's catering to -- fans of Dynasty Warriors combat and long-term strategy elements -- but if those two things are your jam, then Empires should have you hooked.

What it does differently, it squanders, like the psychological horror aspects that devolve into indifference and annoyance. Even Cthulhu is rendered an inert set piece. The game looks gorgeous. Sometimes the puzzles are great. Sometimes the atmosphere is impressive. Unfortunately, Magrunner fails to live up to the sum of its best parts.

Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session achieves its goal of being incredibly simplistic but wonderfully addictive.

Once players get over the shock of its mechanical departures, Super Meat Boy Forever offers a solid and relentless auto-running experience. But there's no denying that this long-awaited sequel doesn't deliver the impact nor addictive magnetism of its predecessor. Regardless, those willing to look past this initial disappointment will discover a satisfactory time-killer, strongly adhering to the great visuals, manic presentation, and twisted humor that is the franchise's trademark.

For as much as I loved Road Rash, it would be hard to go back to after playing Road Redemption. This feels like the worthy successor Road Rash has always deserved. It was a little gem of a series lost in time; the only thing missing is the corny FMV cutscenes.

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.

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.

Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.

There's not a lot of variety or extra content here, but these three very solid and deep fighting games alone are well worth the asking price.

Remember Me is a game that is, to be quite fair, thoroughly up its own arse, a game where simplicity is dressed in shallow complexity, and meaning is an illusion created by carefully constructed gibberish...Strangely, though, it's not bad. It's infuriatingly full of itself, but there's fun to be had through the density of the smugness.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is a mixed bag, with plenty of good things soured by a sprinkling of bad. While the majority of the game is enjoyable, there are certain aspects that simply should not have been allowed to enter the final product.

I wasn't too impressed by Burial at Sea Episode One, mostly because it just doesn't add a whole lot to the overall franchise outside of the last 30 seconds, and it's simply not compelling enough. While it's quite possible that Episode Two will tie everything together in a neat bow and blow us all away, Irrational Games has yet to make a legitimate case for a return to Rapture.

For all the complaints that can be leveled at Beyond -- and they can be leveled in feckless abundance -- the overwhelming problem with it is that it's just plain boring. Like a sociopath, Beyond: Two Souls knows how to act like it has a heart, while providing nothing of the emotional depth required to connect with an audience.

Like most Worms games, you'll need other people to play with or risk monotony. Enemy AI still isn't the sharpest tool in the shed even this far in the game, and they can take far too long between turns, leading to boredom.

For all its themes of rule-breaking anarchy, Watch Dogs: Legion toes the line as a formulaic, though ambitious, open-world adventure. While it boasts one of the most visually exciting and stunningly authentic locales in the genre's history, Watch Dogs: Legion's gameplay is mechanical, over-familiar, and repetitive, struggling to capture the exciting promise of a fist-pumping, system-smashing revolution.

Sadly, two remakes practically no one asked for, and two maps that do nothing to transcend the typical formula aren't enough to justify the price unless you're a hardcore zombies fanatic.

Nitroplus Blasterz is a fast, smooth, strategic, and generally enjoyable fighting game that has found a happy medium between accessibility and depth. Provided a decent-sized community builds around the game, this is a fighter I could see myself enjoying for a long time to come.

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

I admire the gusto with which Mundfish approached its debut game because it’s created one hell of a world to explore. But beyond its pristine setting and ass-kicking soundtrack, it’s largely forgettable. Maybe if the gameplay evolved beyond its basic beginnings or if the story was — I don’t know, good — I might be willing to give it another go. However, given how unlikely such a monumental change like that would be, Atomic Heart is destined to be a one-and-done type of experience.

Fans of the original Alice will find plenty of here to love, and will certainly want to return to Wonderland to work towards a satisfying narrative conclusion. For others, putting up with the game's monotonous design may prove to be a personal spiral into madness they may want to avoid.

Warriors All-Stars is good silly fun as the story never takes itself too seriously, nor do the cameos. But in the process a few huge staples we've come to expect have been stripped.

Unlike their successful big-screen debut, the narrative missteps in Tangled Up in Blue mean that players of the first episode won't immediately fall in love with this motley crew of ne'er-do-wells. Anyone that's already open to their cosmic antics will find a family that seems worth sticking with.

Despite a few issues with the controls, The Last Worker is a riveting 6-to-8-hour narrative experience. Sorting each box as a pseudo-employee is surprisingly entertaining, and the characters are endearing. There are also twists and turns in the storyline that will keep you gripped throughout this journey, at least until the endings start to play out. With the gorgeous visuals by Mick McMahon, fun gameplay, and meaningful script, I’d happily recommend The Last Worker. You just need to struggle through the awkward controls and some confusing game design.

Mario Golf: Super Rush is still a fairly solid golf experience, but it will need some of that aforementioned post-launch support to match up with previous sports spinoffs for me. It satisfies a craving for some arcade-style golf multiplayer, and I can see myself having some fun playing an 18-hole trek with friends online a few more times. I’m just hoping for some more reasons to keep me coming back.

The Ice Dragon caps off a year of fretting and worrying. Telltale's take on Game of Thrones has been spot-on in that regard. Now that it's over it's almost a relief, even with a bleak end.

There is nothing fundamentally wrong with The Gunk. It works from a technical standpoint and it isn’t the worst way you can spend about five hours of your time. But I just can’t muster up any sort of authentic excitement about it. If it were funnier or cleverer or more challenging, I could maybe start to see it as a title I could recommend. But as it is, the best I can do is pay it that slightly backhanded compliment of saying it’s perfect for Game Pass.

The story may be a tad lackluster, and the combat may be clunky as hell, but Vampyr does offer a compelling adventure for those looking for some blood-sucking fun.

As a cute little taster of the RAGE experience, Mutant Bash TV is certainly a good idea. The price point is perfect, and even tough the controls are annoying, it's worth picking up just to experience a terrific looking shooter set in a promisingly gruesome world.

While it has its problems here and there, many of which stem from the fact that it's produced by a small publisher, it is in fact a good point-and-click adventure at a very solid price.

If you're looking for the total package, Homefront doesn't even come close. Gamers wanting a fulfilling story-driven single-player campaign should take the next bus to Playing Half-Life 2 Again Town. But fans of competitive multiplayer should at least give Kaos' latest a look, even if it's unlikely to replace their shooter of choice.

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.

Taur has a wonderful central idea – it lets you tear up the place with a ridiculously powerful sci-fi cannon that's a joy to control – but the elements surrounding that core concept aren't as fleshed-out, refined, or engaging. It's the kind of game that leaves you wanting a sequel that can fire on all cylinders.

Pathologic 2 is a surrealist drama wrapped in a survival game's tattered clothes. It's frustrating and haunting all at once. It's also one of the most atmospheric games ever made.

If the game had an engaging story and actually felt more like a "game" than a procedural chore, I would have been committed to finishing it properly. Instead Rainbow Moon offers you the gameplay you love, with none of the charm or interest.

For a game that leans so hard into the feeling of discovery, Fe has shockingly little to say about anything. It has no clear goals or worthwhile revelations. The idea of mystery is more alluring than any of the actual mysteries in this forest. It's certainly pretty, and the platforming and light puzzle-solving are adequate enough. But Fe very obviously aims to evoke a certain emotional response, and it fails to evoke much of anything at all. That's nothing short of disappointing. Sometimes the trees are just trees.

Personal grievances aside, I think Lake succeeds in its aims, and that’s the important thing. It set out to be a slice of small-town life, and that’s what it is. I think there’s a rather narrow audience for that kind of thing, but it will be perfect for those who know what they’re getting into. If you think you’d be into a narrative about escaping the city life, then here it is. The writing is solid, the production values are decent for its asking price, so it’s worthwhile to check out of that’s your thing. As for me, I’m just eager to get back to the city.

Hopefully, some patches bring this remaster up to par, because it would be unforgivable to have Guerrilla fail a second time due to a rushed port.

As much as I loved Project X Zone, it's not for everyone. The story is incomprehensible. It can be pretty repetitive. And those lacking a strong attachment to Capcom, Namco Bandai, and Sega's iconic characters might want to stay away. That said, this is a love letter from Japan that just any RPG fan should seriously consider checking out.

The Sims 4 has room to grow, but right now you're better off continuing to play its predecessor. While certain features were axed in the name of progress, those features were a large reason why many have come to love the series in the first place.

Guitar Hero wrapped in a really good gimmick. Aerosmith is a fun and exciting band to the right people, but the core gameplay is too stale to really warrant anything more than an average score.

WET is successful in translating the feel of a b-movie to a videogame format, and it is what it sets out to be -- a fun, gore-soaked, action-packed good time. If you're on the prowl for the popcorn flick of gaming, look no further that WET.

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 slightly above par for a game in general and below it for Contra. Despite my complaints, I enjoyed swaths of the game when playing with Bill Rizer, but not enough to want to replay it endlessly. The Contra series has done much worse, but it’s also done much better. Contra: Operation Galuga manages only to be a run-and-shrug shooter.

I'm really glad that Infinity Ward decided to model their DLC packs after Treyarch, and include an additional story-related component on top of the standard maps. $14.99 seems like a high price to non-fans, but I've played enough of Extinction mode to fit in the length of a few major releases -- the other maps are basically a bonus.

It's still a neat little puzzler for sure, but it needs a bit more tweaking for me to wholly recommend it. If you've always been on the edge in terms of buying this game, this release should tip you, as it's the definitive version.

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

It completely misses its educational goal because of it's design, but remains an intriguing title for those that might feel they are smart enough to tackle the challenge Fate of the World throws at them.

A brilliant amalgamation of the puzzle game and the business management simulator, though it's not for the faint of heart.

If you played and loved the first game, you’ll still find something to love here, but it’s so buried under obtuse puzzles, terrible voice acting, and pointless combat sections that it’s really difficult to recommend this. The story is still pretty solid, but getting to it is a total pain in the ass.

Little Dragons Café is the type of game I walk away from feeling more hopeful in the world. Each chapter ends on such an earnest note that it raises my spirits. Sure, it doesn’t have the deepest mechanics, and it’s not the most polished title I’ll play this year. But it has a soul and a kind heart that uplifts the basic gameplay to a place that makes Little Dragons Café an easy recommendation to anyone looking for a soupcon of positivity in their life.

The game is far from perfect, but it's interesting, and I feel like I better understand the puzzle genre as a whole for having played it.

Scene It? Movie Night and the Mega Movies pack provide a fun movie trivia party experience that keeps the Scene It? gameplay intact in a downloadable slice. It might just be that cheap little game to keep the family occupied over the holidays, but you had better have some local friends to play it with.

If you enjoyed them then, you'll enjoy them now, but there's nothing to entice you to purchase them again beyond Trophy support or slightly smoother graphics if you already had the originals.

Pokemon Battle Trozei is fun while it lasts, but the lack of depth will ensure that it won't last long.

If the idea of setting up methodical, creative puzzles sounds like a good time, you'll love Deception IV. It's easily the most packed game in the series, and with its optional tutorials, it's even a great first stop for genre newcomers.

I gave Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered a fair chance to win me over, but I feel the same way I did when I played it back in 2011: underwhelmed. It’s just now, all these years later, I’m a lot better at analyzing its problems and communicating them. It doesn’t help that the remaster is barely a remaster at all. The buddy relationship between Johnson and Garcia as well as Garcia’s devotion to Paula have their charm, and the dick jokes do a lot of heavy lifting. However, it’s difficult to get over just how grey and humdrum the underworld is.

I would recommend anyone with a little bit of interest in the sport and a lot of patience check out EA Sports UFC. There is a fun game in here somewhere -- it's just behind a lot of barriers.

Quite a good show for a new studio. Tasteful presentation and a great sense of atmosphere manage to elevate it above the issues I had with the scope of the game.

Plus, that awesome soundtrack just can't be ignored!

Predators is a fun game, and with a more reliable combo system along with more maps, it could have been a great game. As it stands, Predators is still surprisingly good and well worth the considerably cheap asking price. Three bucks for some simple Predator-themed violence isn't too bad at all.

Uninspired puzzles and weak art might put some folk off, but they'd be missing out on a thoughtful, slow-burning tale that opens up into something poignant, even though it never stops being bleak.

While the combat may have some depth and the game is certainly tongue-in-cheek, it just doesn’t present enough new ideas to sustain itself. I think it’s worth a playthrough, but I don’t believe we’ll be talking about Mr. Shifty for years to come. Just as quickly as Shifty himself enters and leaves a room, so too does this game enter and exit your mind.

I really tried to enjoy Wuppo, but the technical issues and frustrating game design made it feel like such a chore. It’s a shame too because this could have been a great game otherwise. As it stands right now, however, the problems vastly outweigh the things that Wuppo does right.