Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair neatly captures the essence of Yooka-Laylee and reimagines it as a new type of game. It's a distillation and a simplification, but it's effective. Then, as its grand finale -- a necessary conclusion that looms over the whole game -- it turns uncharacteristically punitive. It's rewarding, that much is undeniable. But it also leaves you feeling like all those hours spent beekeeping never really prepared you for the final challenge. Those bees just afford more leeway over the course of a very long struggle. It's kind of a buzzkill.

A short, dark trip through the nightmare of youth; growing up, discovering yourself, and existing among a society that rarely understands. Sure to be a divisive title, there are those who will find The Missing overpriced and melodramatic, while others will be taken by its surrealist story of undying friendship, ironically becoming an indelible memory to those who dare to experience it.

If it weren't for Warzone, Halo 5: Guardians would probably be somewhere on the lower end of the franchise's spectrum for me. It's still a fantastic and well-oiled machine, but the story falls flat, and the shift in gameplay mechanics result in the loss of some elements that made the series so unique in the first place. Still, if you're looking to shoot some dudes online, Guardians is your huckleberry.

Tales of Hearts R isn't going to shatter anyone's perceptions of the genre. But it isn't trying to do that either. It's a solid, traditional experience that should satisfy fans of classic JRPGs.

The Arena rounds out a varied package that, some looseness to the controls aside, manages to be fun in a few different ways.

Sega 3D Classics Collection is an uneven package, but nothing outside of Altered Beast is what I would consider a "bad game."

With the improved control, you can now feel like the blame is on the player when you lose, making this a much better game than the last. It's crazy addictive, too.

What it does to differentiate itself from previous entries in the series is mostly superficial, but Layton fans and puzzle lovers do not really need or want a great departure for the series. All we want is a puzzle-solving adventure, and Azran Legacy delivers a good one.

It's a lot easier to play through a imperfect game when you've got an army of demon penguins calling you "dood" to keep you company.

If you've got no ties to the themes 4PM is attempting to address, especially considering its short length, you might not find that it resonates as much as it could. However, if you're wanting to have a short and dramatic interactive story, 4PM is a mature and refreshing story.

Episode Five: Same Stitch is a worthy finale. It also has genuine replay value, given its two distinct acts and multiple climaxes. With the focus fixed squarely on its brilliant leads, the final episode makes for a taut, satisfying conclusion, even if I did arch an eyebrow at how my alleged "choices" for the past ten hours ultimately played out.

There’s plenty of potential fun to be had in Destroy All Humans 2, it’s just a bit of a mess. And being a fun mess in 2022 isn’t as forgivable as it was in 2006. Personally, I kept playing just to hear more of Cryptosporidium’s razor-sharp attacks on counter-culture, but I definitely would have preferred it if there was a better game supporting it. Meanwhile, I am fully behind giving early-3D games a fresh coat of paint while retaining what made that era special, even if the package is a bit covered in warts.

With more zones and less weighty in-app-purchases by way of an update, Dash could be one of the more enticing endless runners on the market. As it stands, you might find yourself picking this up, and running right past it after a fleeting sense of enjoyment.

Die-hard, devout rougelikes may feel the urge to gripe about the fact that you can reload from last save when you die (on Easy mode), but I think most gamers will be glad that this game is more player-friendly overall.

I’m merely lukewarm on Cultic’s first episode, which is to say that I liked it, but it didn’t get my thighs grinding. It’s a solid experience that helps prove the point that a solo-developer experience doesn’t have to mean that concessions have been made. It didn’t make me feel like I had to cut it any slack when comparing it to titles from larger developers, which is good because I wouldn’t anyway. Even if it’s not a massive win, I still think it belongs in the heavyweight category. And for its launch price, it’s a steal.

Thankfully, both Famicom Detective Club games stand on their own even thirty years after their initial release.

Iron Front isn't about winning or seeing who is better, it's about trying to recreate the WWII experience and it does a pretty decent job of accomplishing this. Despite being rather clunky and buggy, I have to recommend the game.

Though SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy is not the Gals Fighters 2 we may have been hoping for, it is a daft, fast and fun brawler. There is a serious question of longevity to be considered, and veteran players should consider the game's shallow simplicity before purchase. But in a group setting, especially among newcomers, SNK's sisterhood of sluggers will get the job done, looking fabulous while doing so.

The most open-minded adult will likely only find a few hours of amusement here. But for a child with an active imagination (and a soft spot for all things cute and fuzzy), Kinectimals goes a long way in making Kinect "a must have" this holiday.

While Elder Scrolls Online has improved through the release of Morrowind, it still isn't enough of a jump to warrant a resounding recommendation (the 4v4v4 PVP mode here still isn't enough to get me into ESO PVP). If you already own it and are coasting by on free-to-play fumes, you should still think about upgrading and exploring the pointed, more focused land of Vvardenfell.

An uncompromising game to get into, never once changing gears from its difficult plateau. It’s firm but mostly fair, where your failures are usually based around that one lapse into laziness. But when you play back your success, and see this 20-minute incremental strategy turn into 40 seconds of ferocious B-movie action, it’s a violent ballet that even John Woo would be proud of.

Hardcore simulation fans – the kind of people who build dedicated racing seats and set-ups for their games -- will likely walk away from this a little disappointed in that it's not exactly like driving one of these beasts in real life, but for everyone else, it's an absolute blast and a demanding challenge, all in the same game.

With the Marvel IP less muddled and the simplicity of this deal between Marvel and Nintendo, I'd love to see another with enhancements in tow.

Epic Mickey falls short of brilliance, but because it stands on such a strong concept, it doesn't always need brilliance to remain compelling.

Bladestorm: Nightmare isn't a Dynasty Warriors game, but it doesn't aim to be, and still ends up being good time when taken on its own merits.

Shadows of Rose was surprisingly tense, and lifts up the Winters' Expansion DLC as a whole.

AeternoBlade may not move the genre forward in any way, but it's a fun little game for action enthusiasts. It has a deep combat system, just the right amount of RPG elements, and an engaging enough narrative to keep things moving.

The main plot is average, lacking any real standout moments worth discussing. It exists as a vehicle to get players between gunfights or to the more entertaining optional missions. This won't go down in history as an example of exceptional DLC, but it does what it does well and it's worth the time to play through.