I enjoyed my time with Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven, despite the fact that it felt a tad unfinished at times. The combat system is fast-paced, the cast is likable, and the animation style looks excellent on Nintendo's newest portable.

Less-discerning players with a tolerance for bad localizations, or maybe Matsue residents, will find a pleasant diversion in Root Letter, but for everyone else, it's difficult to recommend, especially at its current price tag.

I enjoyed my time with Treachery in Beatdown City, and despite a lack of overall polish, it does a good job of emulating beloved 8-bit fighters while maintaining its own ground as a modern brawler. I'm still left thinking about some of the unique strategic fighting elements, and as the fake PSA in the beginning of the game advises, winners don't always have to mash buttons to have a good time.

Tex Murphy might be alive in 2014 but he'll need to learn a few more tricks if he's to stay around for another adventure.

While I appreciate the perspective Game Dev Tycoon has given me on game development, from indie studios in debt to huge studios juggling multiple projects, it was never the game's sim elements that had me returning. It offers a pleasant walk down memory lane of past consoles and technology, but that's about it.

While a little frustrating if you’re not into tons of micro-management, Age of Empires II HD with the Workshop and updated multiplayer features is an excellent title. The brilliance of the game’s design is still there, you just might need to look past it’s age to see it.

All in all, I wish I could say that playing Where the Heart Leads was fun — I was really rooting for it, and hoping it would rise to the occasion. But, regardless of how long I held out, playing this game turned out to be a pretty miserable experience, and one I would have given up about an hour in if I didn’t want to finish it for this review. This game bit off more than it could chew, it seemed, and when you try to say too many things at once, you don’t end up saying anything at all.

A beautiful intro does not a great game make, and the full product is a disappointment to say the absolute least. Tequila clearly has a lot of talent and an ability to craft genuinely intimidating, memorable environments -- Deadlight demonstrates the wealth of inventiveness the studio possesses. Yet it feels squandered on lazy design in the second chapter and mistreatment of player trust in the third.

The cloying characters and banal story are just so incredibly vapid, and the respectable strategic gameplay just isn't enough to compensate for the myriad of drawbacks and stumbling blocks.

It's a refreshing and fun experience throughout that offers significant challenge with a ton of heart.

Battlezone: Combat Commander is a relic of its time. It’s clear this is a love letter to fans of the original, a nicer way to play a game plagued with some unfortunate problems back when it was released.

A lot of my driving fantasies were realized in this game. I found myself grinning the whole time, gripping the hell out of the controller, leaning into turns with my body, gritting my teeth as I mashed on the nitro button to boost past rivals. If you've ever found yourself daydreaming about whipping past slow cars on the highway, passing on the sidewalk, or bashing police cars off the road, you're going to love this game.

Gal*Gun Returns is a pretty decent remaster of a so-so game barring a few issues. I don't think anybody is going to walk away from it arguing it's the best in the series, but it's worthwhile for fans who've wanted to see where this franchise got its start. And if you're anything like me, it'll make you appreciate what's come after it all the more.

Managing the flaws might not have been a chore had the story been compelling, but this is where the game commits one of the worst sins an RPG can in my eyes: it’s just average, and often it feels forced.

Don't get me wrong, Arrival sits comfortably between Overlord and Lair of the Shadow Broker in terms of quality and I still want to play Mass Effect 3 badly, but I don't want play it that much more badly after having played Arrival.

If you’re looking for something new to scratch the anime RPG-brawler itch, Dusk Diver 2 most certainly is not something new. If you give me a year, I’ll probably have even forgotten the name. It’s a reasonably polished experience, but it takes no risks. It set its goals low and met all of them. That’s maybe the best-case scenario for this sort of game. Personally, I’d prefer an ambitious game with lots of jank than a solid game with little imagination, and Dusk Diver 2 sits firmly in the latter category.

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

I want to stress that Super Beat Sports isn't a bad game. It's well crafted, and it's nice to take a few minutes to play a song before going off and doing something entirely different. Rhythm game diehards can sink a lot of time into going for perfect (or near perfect, which is all the platinum medals require) on all of the different songs. But this isn't the mainstream must-play like Harmonix has had in its history. Heck, it isn't even a must-play for people who like quirky little rhythm games, because others have done it better in the past.

Like a lot of country music, The Last Ranger suffers from being repetitive and overly simplistic at times. Thankfully, it's very well performed, infectious, and packed with plenty of personality.

I’d still recommend checking this out solely for the absurdity of the whole affair. Genital Jousting is crude, for certain, but it showcases how imaginative and creative gaming can truly be. When I was a child, I never thought I’d have the fortune of playing as a flaccid dick in a game, but look where we are.

Even once I worked past the game's convoluted, tutorial-free systems and understood how to build a mech, I found myself in a constant state of despondency. I just can't get myself to care about the customization and persistent world when everything surrounding it so poorly designed and not the least bit fun. I mean, at least give me loot. Give me something!

Like the era it paints, Mafia III feels like a relic. It's dated, has obvious flaws, and doesn't hold up particularly well when compared to a lot of modern works.

Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends is a lot better than I expected it to be, but it still suffers from a lack of polish in the gameplay department. If you're a casual fighting game fan, really dig the franchise, and have some friends to play with though, you'll probably have an awesome time.

In the end, the game's biggest sin may be not embodying U.A.'s "Plus Ultra" spirit, and simply settling for being a decent, good-looking fighting game take on a popular anime franchise.

I went into Lapis X Labyrinth expecting a breezy dungeon crawler and that's exactly what NIS delivered.

If you don't mind waiting until late May, Arcade Cabinet represents a decent value for the discounted $29.99 asking price over the $45 you'd pay for the five packs. I'm certain I spent over $50 in quarters in playing these titles for this review, if you'd like to look at it that way.

Though not exactly fast-paced, it works best when decisions are made on-the-fly and risks are taken for monetary distractions. Overall, The Masterplan is not a bad game, just one that misses some tricks because of scaled back designs.

Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter is a great purchase for both fans of the series and newcomers. Those who have grown up on modern shooters may find the primitive design and simplistic objectives a bit jarring, but the purity of the gameplay simply has to be respected.

After playing over fifty hours of Evolution, I still certainly had my fair share of fun. The dinosaurs are absolutely the star of the show here and surprisingly enough, the controller support for Evolution is spot on and really intuitive. But if you're looking for a solid dinosaur-themed tycoon or business sim, then you might wanna keep looking.

Next Order isn’t without flaws, but it's exactly the kind of game the Digimon World series needed after a regional hiatus. While the unconventional combat and grind-heavy skill training aren’t likely to deter fans of the franchise, newcomers might find some of the game's quirks unwelcoming. As such, Digimon World: Next Order likely won’t appeal to everyone, but the game is something longtime fans of the series will have no problem dumping hours upon hours into.

Seeds of Memories has the all promise of a solid Harvest Moon title, but it fails to develop those features into anything substantial. Its forgettable storyline is somewhat redeemed by how well the actual farming side of things works, but that alone isn't enough to make it worthy of your time.

Haven Park certainly fits in with the current trend of wholesome games. It’s warm, it looks delectable, and you can make Flint say “Pew” every time you hit the A button. But like many of its ilk, that wholesomeness is a cover for an experience that is largely unengaging. Nothing here coalesces into a complete package or meets its full potential, leaving players with an assortment of good ideas in desperate need of some solid execution.

Tunche is a spirited jungle jaunt. A charming action-adventure that wears its Peruvian heritage with the utmost pride. While the marriage of roguelite to brawler is definitely a solid fit — particularly in multiplayer — it cannot be denied that the repetitious trappings of both genres are readily apparent, which will be enough to turn off some players. Those well-versed in the grind and willing to put in the effort, however, will be rewarded with a very agreeable bout of forest fisticuffs. Now, about that animated series...

Life Eater feels like an experiment that neither fizzled nor exploded. All the parts are there, but they don’t fit together quite right. Something is missing, and before that something was located, it was released into the wild as-is. Because it can’t find its effectiveness, the central concept that should be so compelling and disturbing is just kind of fluffy. If an apathetic detachment from ritual sacrifice was what Life Eater was aiming for, then it nailed it. Unfortunately.

Irem Collection Volume 2 is less than spectacular. If the games really appeal to you, then the collection doesn’t diminish them, but it also doesn’t elevate them. In terms of value, you could do worse, but it’s not an immediate recommendation. They’re your quarters, do what you want with them.

I wouldn't say its the best entry in the series with the excessive use of the break mechanic and the story does the game no favors, but the combination of flashy action and fan-service kept me satisfied throughout.

Overall, Exoprimal is a bit more interesting than I’d thought it be. It’s not anything to shout from the rooftops about, but it’s got a little more charm and more enjoyable combat than I was expecting. But that’s just day one. [Day One Impressions]

The changes in gameplay are refreshing and the challenge level which results from them make it a satisfying experience. It is not painfully difficult, just pleasantly so, and its running time of roughly three hours is long enough to be enjoyable without becoming monotonous.

I also have to stress that Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World isn’t a bad game. Some of the backtracking got annoying, but mostly it’s just monotonous. The mechanics are tight enough, I just can’t help but shrug at the final product. I’m always happy when an old title is given new life, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to end up loving it.

Fondly remembering The Simpsons Arcade is the caveat, though, as nostalgia is a key component to enjoyment. Objectively, by today's standards, The Simpsons Arcade is not very good. It's a brainless button-masher that is beaten through sheer attrition, and is so numbingly repetitive that one's thumb will feel arthritic despite the incredibly short length. To anybody playing this game for the first time, it's not going to be looked upon favorably in the least. However, Konami didn't release it for people new to the game.

It's very close tonally to the anime and really feels like a natural extension of the show inside and out. Just don't expect a whole lot in terms of gameplay variety.

Highly fun. Apart from some minor annoyances in the inventory system and difficulty balance, its challenge, sense of humor and deep customization options make for a great game with long legs and huge potential for future expansion with DLC. Old school shooter fans should take heed.

This makes it kind of hard to review a game like this because its effectiveness will vary from person to person, and I can’t speak to what you’ll feel. Maybe you’ll see yourself reflected in one or all of the games here. What I can say is that from an interactive standpoint, as well as a narrative one, I find Miniatures lacking. In comparison to other games that I would applaud for their contributions and approach to the art form, this wouldn’t be high on the list, but I wouldn’t throw it away wholesale, either.

Part of me wishes their effort was spent on a better game, but the other part is happy that I got to experience the absolute mess that is The Thing. I know it sounds weird to hear, “This is a mess; you should totally check it out,” but that’s what I’m saying. The Thing is a fascinating cluster of missteps, and a completely unconvincing facsimile of its source material. But it’s hard to look away when it turns itself inside out.

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

Ignore the taboos and give it a shot, especially if you’re looking for something a little different than a dungeon crawler or traditional role-playing game.

If this what Fatal Frame is now, I don't want it anymore.

The Legend of Legacy comes so close to be a compelling role-playing game, but it just doesn't do enough to earn the amount of patience it requires of players, let alone reward it.

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.

What could have been a messy title merely created to showcase the Unigine Engine has turned out to be a surprisingly polished and deep strategy game. Oil Rush isn't just a joy to behold in action, but manages to make an old genre feel fresh while looking the part.

If you’re a fan of the franchise or want to get in on some good, old-fashioned melee combat with undies and lady bits in between, Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus is a great place to start.

Forced Showdown is a game that left very little impact on me. I played it, it was a game, and I understood every part of it. The parts come together nicely, but aren't mechanically deep at all. Combat is simple, even with the card system at play, the structure is extremely repetitive, and everything else just falls in line around that.

The shift to third-person shooter is a novel idea, but soon becomes unbearable.

The game looks fantastic and has an excellent localization, but the lackluster and repetitive combat hold it back from being anything more than run-of-the-mill.

The foundation is great. The fundamentals are there. It doesn't take much imagination to see how this game could blossom into something magnificent. But so long as it's missing long-term depth and incentives to stick around past the first few weeks, Sea of Thieves will feel like a missed opportunity.

It bugged me that there was so much about this game that got it right, but it was ultimately too pulled down by super-linear level design for me to love it to the end.

Just enough obstacles exist to make that story feel as though it was earned, that the player participated in the telling, but conveying the story is the priority.

A mixed bag. Even though it makes good on rejuvenating the sniper rifle in videogames and giving players creative ways to fortify their location, it buries it all in one of the worst stealth games to come around in years. But, if you are the type of patient player that can look past a game's flaws, you may find an enjoyable Nazi testicle shooting gallery in V2.

It stays true to the original with its design philosophy and retention of some of the original assets, but it also brings modern conveniences to the forefront without all the pay to win or over-saturated downloadable content nonsense.

It's an antiquated shooter that's trying to hang with the new blood and failing at every turn. The fact that it's thoroughly broken serves only to rub salt in an already stinging wound.

Rarely has a game straddled the line between brilliant and dismal as much as Nier has, and rarely has it made for such a difficult review.

While the storyline may be a bit hokey and the voice-acting a bit childish, the fun that can be had with the gameplay and smooth easy motion controls just can't be denied. It's the best kind of fun: simple to play, but hard to master. It's a casual motion controlled game that actually works well, and offers up real satisfaction when that control pays off it high scores and massive destruction.

Anything it gets right or does adequately enough is countered by a pitfall or something lackluster. It's perfectly functional and seems to do what it wants to do, it's just a pity none of those things are particularly exceptional in any way.

I can understand the appeal of wanting to put any title on Nintendo’s massively popular console, but I’m surprised publisher Paradox Interactive didn’t attempt to make an original version of Cities for the Switch. That would have been far more preferable than whatever we’ve ended up with.

They've got their heads in the right place, and the start of something that could be really good, but they've still got a long way to go in the ways of storytelling, pacing and visuals before this gets up into the pantheon of must-play horror games.

KickBeat's polarizing soundtrack is perhaps its toughest sell, but if you can overcome it with an open mind and dig into Beat Your Music, there's a really solid rhythm game underneath it that'll have you tapping your feet (and your fingers) for quite some time.

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.

Some players will relish the challenge, but I just couldn't. Not in this game. Below puts its best foot forward in its early hours and then never stops losing steam. If the experience were somehow compressed into a tighter six- to eight-hour adventure, I'd confidently recommend it to a wide audience. As it stands, the game has a masterful command of ambience, but it comes with too many caveats.

The Betrayal tries to offer more variety than The Infamy did thanks to its high flying antics, but it never truly transcends those ideas on a base level. If it offered a full sandbox with ridiculous spirit powers, it could have made for a pretty amazing superhero sideshow.

As a lower-key alternative to the high-octane flying games in the VR space, How We Soar has found its niche, and it'll serve those players well. It strikes a good balance between letting you unwind and also making sure you're adequately challenged and engaged. The story doesn't quite do enough to draw you into the author's plight and keep you hooked, but the flying alone carries this game far.

There is so much heart and so many great ideas in Nefarious that I want to see it as a better game than it is. I want to be able to recommend it as a hidden gem in Steam’s massive collection of throwback indie titles. But I can’t. It’s a sloppy game that feels in many respects half-done. All the heart in the world can’t make up for something that just isn’t fun to play.

If you're looking for a new time waster, Fish Out of Water is a decent experience, despite its lack of depth. If you require something with a little more meat on its bones, feel free to wait, because in all likelihood, just like Jetpack Joyride, this will go free at some point given the fact that in-app-purchases are already featured.

It offers up a simple combat system that can easily be enjoyed in spurts, a captivating world, and a cheesy veneer that will have you laughing constantly at your ridiculous face in-game. But with the online requirement and microtransactions on top of the existing issues and premium price, it's a bit hard to recommend.

Taken as a whole, Outward practically screams "cult classic." Its consistent challenge, cumbersome combat, and co-op systems won't resonate with everyone. But for a particular type of player—ones that don't mind trading dozens of frustrating moments for open-ended experiences—Nine Dot Studios' RPG is sure to find a dedicated audience. Outward's aspirations are commendable, but just like its protagonist, the end result is just average.

While the ten-year-old inside of me would like to pretend that Turok: Dinosaur Hunter is perfect and the best shooter of all time, I have to admit it isn't and this version isn't anything special. If you're looking to relive a retro experience with slightly better draw distance, a solid 60fps framerate, and a far superior control system then by all means pick this up. If you're more accustomed to the modern day FPS, it's best to leave this one buried in the past.

White Day has some good scares and decent puzzles that you have to play hide-and-seek to reach, but it doesn't quite live up to its legends. In 2001, it was probably one of the scariest games in existence, and you can't fault it for not matching modern horror heights, but in any era the backtracking and waiting for the janitor to pass over and over isn't the greatest gameplay experience. Still, this will do the job if you can't wait til Halloween for a six- to eight-hour ride.

When Avengers isn't getting in the way of itself with its tacked-on campaign, it's a bit of silly arcade fun. If a lot of these concerns are answered via post-launch patches and the DLC characters are fun to play, there's plenty of room for improvement with Avengers. At launch, it's not going to wow everyone. Maybe Marvel wanted this out as soon as possible, but it could have used another delay.

The game just reeks of a lack of interest. The animation work is fine, and there aren't any bugs, but it feels like there's no care for the audience involved here.

What it comes down to is that Shadow Man Remastered is an excellent title that I enjoyed thoroughly. However, it is an excellent twenty-something-year-old title, and some people just can’t go back to that era. I get it. But for the rest of us, this is definitely a title worth pulling back from Deadside.

Assassin's Creed: Pirates is a very silly game, but it's a great distraction if you're left wanting more after Black Flag. With a host of content, tons of customization and fast-paced combat, there's hardly a dull moment in Pirates. The fact that there's no money-grubbing microtransactions to ruin the experience is the cherry on top.

While it sometimes loses focus, and at other time frustrates, Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time is an engaging, rewarding PSP SRPG. But, again, give it some time. There's a big world, a solid story with crazy plot twists, some great key battles and hours of gameplay to be found here. You'll just have to work through a couple of hours of dull and limited introductory play first.

It's a game that deserves to be played, however, and it's one that's a hilarious spectacle to watch too -- something that Arrowhead clearly realizes and is keen to exploit with its Twitch.tv integration.

After everything was said and done, I wanted a bit more variety -- not just in the form of more songs -- but in some new modes or even online multiplayer. The good news is the core formula is very solid, so if you're looking for a new puzzle battle game, this is it.

The majority of its levels are slow-paced and exploration-based, and there's something surprisingly cathartic about gradually lighting up the entirety of an area. It's just too bad that Brainy Studio wasn't comfortable enough to stick to TurnOn's strengths and had to turn to alternative sources for its energy.

Truth be told, you can get along fine with Shiness even if you skim through the text-heavy narrative. It's a serviceable story, but I found the lovely (albeit inconsistent) art direction, pleasant music, and engaging combat system to be the game's true motivating force.

House Flipper manages to scratch a specific itch, but it lacks long-term incentives and just generally feels like a missed opportunity. With more content, polish, interactivity, and customization, this could become a nice sleeper hit. It's serviceable as is, but it won't hold your attention for too long.

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is obviously in no position to take the platform fighter throne right now, but I think the teams at Ludosity and Fair Play Labs have created a very good blueprint for what could be a very great franchise. If Super Smash Bros. is a celebration of all things Nintendo, I don’t see why an All-Star Brawl 2 couldn’t be a celebration of all things Nickelodeon. I think it’s possible with the right amount of time and money, and I hope this game is successful enough to convince GameMill to invest in a sequel that could be truly spectacular.

It’s worth a look for being so effective at delivering its perspective. Death Noodle Delivery is sympathetic, but it has no answers for you. It may remind you that you’re not alone in your struggles, but rarely have I found that sentiment to be helpful. Instead, we can only be like Jimmy and hope that by continuing to put one foot in front of the other, we’ll eventually get somewhere better. At least there are noodles to comfort us in the meantime.

So, if you feel like getting a quick fix for a thriller, try out Apartment Story. It’s not the most gripping tale, but it does try something new with its unique stat management system. The game doesn’t take up too much of your time, making it perfect for a one-night playthrough.

For as much as I enjoyed Fate/Extella, I must admit that there simply isn't enough to keep most people interested in it. This is definitely one for the fans.

With 50+ characters from seasons 1-3 of the show in appearance, it feels like more than a love letter to fans. It's closer to an expertly blended Megazord of everything that makes the show great. If you are a huge fan of Adventure Time, and/or are a less experienced videogame player, feel free to tack two points on to the score.

It's a damn solid game, with bright and beautiful graphics, simple but fun gameplay and a significant wad of content.

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.

It's hard to predict how Crash Team Rumble ends up in six months, but I hope it's still around, and the team is able to just facilitate what is working without corporate meddling. Whether or not enough people feel like spending $30 minimum to stick around and find out is up in the air.

Mahjong Cub3d is simply mahjong in fully rotatable 3D. I can tell you that it's easy to get into and control, and that it seems to have this gravitational pull on me as a puzzle game fan. I've always liked mahjong, and this 3D twist on the classic formula makes it even more enjoyable and challenging.

A decent little shooter for fans of the franchise, but it's really not fun when played on its own, and the lack of online is a glaring limitation that's difficult to discount.

It's a competent racer that could have benefited from better race and track design to make the experience a bit more enjoyable. Bland tracks, similar variations on popular power-ups, and no real sense of accomplishment for unlocks makes for a very boring racer indeed, and the lack of development into the game's one truly fun mode is a crime.

Beneath the veneer, there isn’t much that makes Hotel Sowls shine. The plot, the characters, and the gameplay are all wax-paper thin. The game ticks away mechanically under its inspired art style. I’m actually taken aback by how soulless Hotel Sowls really turned out to be. I guess it just goes to show that you can’t judge a hotel by its chandelier.