The Bureau: XCOM Declassified desperately wants to be liked, but by failing to satisfy in any direction, all it succeeds in being is a disappointment. It wants to be a strategy game without being a strategy game, it wants to be a shooter without being a shooter, and it wants to be XCOM without being XCOM. As such, it is nothing. It's an inconsequential waste of time that does nothing for anybody, and saying that makes me feel guilty because its cloying pleas to not be hated are worthy of pity.

PAYDAY 2 is undeniably rough and needs a couple of updates to fill in a few blanks, but the thrill of robbing banks, smashing jewel cases, and cooking meth is too great for the asking price not be returned to the player in spades.

Layton Brothers: Mystery Room is a fine companion to the main Layton series. Unless you really, really miss those Highlights brain teasers, that is.

All I really wanted was more Dishonored, but what I got was something that surpasses it. Intricate level design, nuanced worldbuilding, and gameplay that demands a thoughtful approach even when resulting in flashy, bloody violence -- The Brigmore Witches is setting the bar very high for future stealth romps.

What you're getting is basically more of that classic Plants vs. Zombie experience, with just enough tweaks to keep it interesting -- and that's more than enough for me.

The beautiful graphics, evocative soundtrack, selective but effective use of voice acting, excellent story, and occasional fart joke make Attack of the Friday Monsters worth keeping in your permanent collection.

Beyond the bugs and pesky purchases, Ultima Forever is actually a pretty solid touch RPG.

What I love most about IV is how it puts the player first -- absolutely every new feature and ability gifted to the player seems designed purely to make the game more convenient to enjoy, and more fun to play.

If you're up for tackling a long, sweet, silly retail-sized RPG for a fraction of the price, the Denpa Men are sure to please.

DuckTales Remastered makes some minor missteps in the attempt to revive one of the greatest NES games of all time, but then again, the latter is a pretty tough act to follow. Mechanically, the game holds up great, and I had a smile on my face nearly the entire time. So long as you can overlook a few fundamental issues, old and new fans alike shouldn't miss re-experiencing this lovingly crafted classic.

A prime example of a game being bigger than the sum of its parts. The RTS elements are a bit rough, but at least it's possible to control a dragon with a freaking jetpack to blow stuff up, while the boardgame-esque territory map requires players to think of the big picture.

Despite having a virtual d-pad and buttons, Mikey Hooks is a great addition to any platformer fan's portable library. Although I don't think it surpasses Hook Champ as an absolute must-buy, it's a really fun game in its own right, and a perfect example of a serviceable platform game on iOS.

Even if the game isn't particularly deep, Pivvot knows what it is and feels like a complete experience; there are no in-app purchases to be found here. You'll need to unlock extra modes the old-fashioned way: by trying over and over again until, just when you're ready to call it quits "forever," you finally overcome the challenge.

Despite the uneven feel, there's a solid foundation underneath Charlie Murder, and fans of beat 'em ups will find plenty to enjoy as they bash their way through hordes of the undead while listening to a pretty kickass soundtrack.

If you're in the mood for an interesting game based around electronic music though, you can do a whole lot worse than spending a few bucks on Double Fine's latest foray into the mobile market. Just don't expect a whole lot of depth, or a lasting impression.

With its weaker writing, less compelling action, and many moments where the game just drags its heels, Dream Team manages to retain a basic level of enjoyment that just comes natural to this series, while sadly representing a noticeable step down in quality.

That's precisely what makes Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons so endearing -- the undeniable contrast created by the highs and lows that come with the entire experience being driven by love. It's so strong that it even dwarfs the game's core mechanical flaws, making them feel trivial when they should sully the whole affair.

Although it has a high degree of visual charm and the controls actually work, there's something about the design of the stages that feels off and underwhelming.

Cloudberry Kingdom is a strong effort, but the lack of overall polish is impossible to overlook.

If you're looking for a lighthearted, challenging afternoon of fun, look no further than Kid Tripp. It not only offers up a charming world that feels familiar, yet different, but it also puts your platforming skills to the test with pixel-perfect touch controls.

In the hands of another developer (Infinity Blade's Chair Entertainment or Epic Games, perhaps?), The Drowning would have been something special. Without the energy mechanic and constant drip-fed weapon and item parts, I could easily see myself destroying an entire afternoon blasting apart zombies. But that's not what happened.

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.

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.

Teleglitch: Die More Edition expands upon the greatness of the original game in every way possible.

Dragon's Crown is quite literally a crowning achievement in the beat 'em up genre. Utilizing some of the best design concepts of the past 20 years, Vanillaware succeeds in creating a captivating world that you just can't help but experience over and over.

The Pikmin series does things that no other games do, and Pikmin 3 does those things better than ever before.

What we have here isn't just a great game, but the potential for even greater ones.

It's by no means Windows 8's killer app, but provided you have access to a Windows 8 device, you could do much worse than Spartan Assault.