It's still impressively open, but once you actually reach your objective marker, it morphs into a shallow experience with shaky writing. Mod support will naturally help grease the wheels a bit, but make sure you stick to Xbox One if you're going the console route and stay on the beaten side path.

Pinstripe isn't perfect, but it feels as if it nearly perfectly accomplishes what it sets out to do. It tells an emotional story with its own peculiar and disturbing flair. Like Dante seeking out Beatrice, Ted will walk through hell for Bo. That's something we can all empathize with on some level. That's what's worth fighting for.

While not all of the wild departures fire on all cylinders, XCOM: Chimera Squad's open-ended difficulty settings allow everyone to bend the strong combat groundwork to their will.

Most of my journey through the wonderful cardboard universe of Yoshi's Crafted World, littered with myriad ridiculous noises from Yoshi, was spent with a smile on my face.

While a bit shallow, it's an insane idea done really well. If nothing else, it's worth your cash just to see your fantasy animal match-ups go down. Really, you haven't lived until you've seen a pack of puppies take down an alligator.

Mordhau is a goofy yet realistic medieval combat game that caters to a ton of different players. Many will grind games in order to best perfect their skills with their favorite weapon. Then there's me, who literally runs around the battlefield playing a musical instrument that adds absolutely zero gameplay value to the team. That's the beauty of Mordhau -- the individual moments tend to outweigh any of the design flaws or technical glitches that are present.

Despite a couple odd inclusions, there was a lot of care given to making these experiences authentic, while at the same time giving players a lot of options that allow them to ruin that authenticity in favor of having a more enjoyable experience.

The game looks good and plays well, and I only encountered one minor glitch while I was playing.

My Memory of Us is a joy to play. It's a well-crafted game that is clearly made by a team equipped to tackle such a heavy subject matter. Even without directly showing any Nazi symbols, the story is heart-wrenching and manages to pay tribute to the sacrifice of those who fought against them.

Although the foundation for a great online twin-stick shooter has been laid with Secret Ponchos, it's going to need more content and a meatier core mode to really keep people interested -- until then, I think the game will struggle with keeping some of its community.

Night at the Gates of Hell is not the deepest or most creative horror game in the pack, but it is undeniably entertaining. It gives a strong impression that the developer had as much fun creating it as you will have playing it. Its campy and unsettling tone belies a game that just aims to please, and it is rather accurate when it comes to hitting that target.

This game was better than I thought it would be, and better than it perhaps should have been. With more refinement and redesigned (or eliminated) platforming, this could have been a classic in the beat 'em up genre, but as it stands, Splatterhouse is pretty damn good for what it is, and packs enough content to keep fans satisfied. Ridiculous gore, silly metal music, and endless amounts of brutal, nostalgic combat.

The Crystal Bearers gives me something the likes of which I've never played before, and in the end, I think it can stand proudly along side other risky, underappreciated Squaresoft classics like Brave Fencer Musashi and Tobal 2. Ask someone to buy it for you for Christmas/Hannukah/whatever, or pick it up used down the line. Just don't write it off as nothing special.

Driveclub is fast and easy to get into, nice to look at, and it has a lot going on in the background to keep you connected and competitive with your club members and other individuals. But that doesn't change the issues in the foreground. Its approachable and enjoyable racing is marred by AI cars that love to unfairly bash and crash on the single-player side. And bugs with the interface and the networking kept me from fully enjoying the multiplayer side.

Just be aware that, for all the absorbing and exciting things to be found in Gransys, there are almost as many disappointing and infuriating things to let you down. Just grit your teeth, fight through the pain, and the rewards are there.

There isn't a strong narrative that strings together this adventure, but the lack of one makes the whole experience a bit more beguiling.

Pocky & Rocky Reshrined is exactly as it promises: more Pocky & Rocky.

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

Rise of the Tomb Raider is better than its predecessor, but only because of its additions; it doesn't fix any of the things that were wrong with Tomb Raider (2013). The story is smoothed down, much of it hidden away in dull audio logs. It's not about "survival" as billed, given the ease of mowing down dozens of folks and plenty of resources. But finding tombs wherein to clamber about ancient Rube Goldberg machines, coupled with the gorgeous visual flair and diverse environments, make Rise's wilderness one worth exploring and elevate Tomb Raider's otherwise perfunctory take on the third-person action platformer.

That's all well and good, but a lot of the ideas pitched in Telepaint have been seen before, and several levels actually retread over the same material, seemingly to pad the experience. While that doesn't happen often, when it does, you'll notice it, and will likely feel the urge to take a break before diving back in. Since the price tag is only a few bucks, it makes that pill a little easier to swallow, especially when the fatigue sets in.

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.

Prototype has problems. Lots of problems. Luckily, it's also one of the most fun and thrilling games to have come out in a while. Its flaws stop the game from being considered superb, but it's such a blast and there is so much to play with that it remains a great title.

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.

If you like tilt controls, it's a fantastic little game that you can't go wrong with. If you don't, then stay the hell away from it.

With its tough-but-fair combat, timeless storybook visuals, and unique furry fantasy, Tails of Iron is one of the year’s most distinctive RPG experiences. The intentionally subdued pace and challenging nature will definitely test the impatient, but anyone looking for a knuckle-cracking slugger, powered by a tale of valor and vengeance, will find Odd Bug Studio’s sophomore effort washes down like a fine flask of Bug Juice. Rest well, Redgi, your friends have done your memory proud.

I found WildStar to be both a solid foundation of tried-and-true methods and an all-too familiar retread. If you've finally grown tired of WoW and want another hardcore MMO, this is it -- but everyone else may want to wait for a free trial period.

Disney Magical World 2 feels like an intro class into video gaming. There's a little bit of everything here, all of it aimed at younger, inexperienced gamers. For an old crust like me, it's easy to point out its flaws with the frame rate, inventory management, excess of load screens, and simplicity, but I don't think that will matter to younger players. And after helping plan a most wonderful party for the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood, it really didn't matter to me either.

Some restraint when it came to the length of the remake would have done wonders. But aside from the needless bloat and technical problems, there’s still a lot to like. Remaking Silent Hill 2 could have gone horribly wrong, and maybe this modernization won’t replace the original for some, but it’s at least a worthwhile new perspective.