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

I didn't think I would have this much fun with a casual rail shooter that uses touch controls, but Gal*Gun: Double Peace kept me engaged and entertained with its uncompromisingly Japanese high school antics.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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