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.