The voice acting may be terrible, but Disgaea 2 makes up for that with incredibly solid game mechanics. Some of the mechanic interactions may be a bit obtuse, but there is something to be said for the amount of depth present here.

If you own a Vita and a PS4, and you absolutely must buy this game, get it on the more powerful console. The portable version doesn’t cut it, and even without the janky presentation, the game itself is bare bones as a strategy RPG. I have no doubt the Dynasty Warriors franchise would make a splendid SRPG, but this ain't it.

Dungeon Souls proudly wears its inspirations on its sleeve (and its Steam Store description), a mishmash of inspirations that takes a step backwards even as it steps forward. Yet, despite that, it still manages to create a tiny universe of its own, full of engaging heroes and tenacious foes. It's a fun title, but when you have so many standout games that you can combine them to create something like Dungeon Souls, it's hard not to recommend those instead.

Star Wars Pinball: Rogue One isn't a bad pinball game. It still has the same great level of detail we've come to expect from a Zen Pinball game, the same great physics, and plenty of great quotes and sound effects from Rogue One to bring out the movie's personality. But it never proves itself as anything exceptional. For a single-table pack, it just doesn't have the sizzle you'd hope for.

Impressive effort with a few noticeable problems holding it back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth most people's time and cash.

Sure, We Are Chicago forces you to witness a terrible event, but it does nothing to capitalize on the unique strengths of gaming. You can’t fruitlessly attempt to prevent the atrocity from happening or speak to anyone about the aftermath; you just go from point to point and listen to actors who sound completely detached from everything.

An interesting little package. You get a tense puzzle-focused escape room, a fun-as-heck action mode that I'm sure I'll be playing in the coming months, and a bastard-hard masochist-a-thon for those who want that. While I'm not a huge fan of Ethan Must Die, there'll be people out there who dig it, and those two tapes continue aspects of Resident Evil 7 that I'm hungry for.

What I do know is that right now, whenever I have a moment, I’m playing this game and I’m enjoying it immensely. Nintendo, Intelligent Systems, and DeNA have succeeded on two fronts here: not only have they crafted a mobile game that is fine in its own right, but they’ve also made one that absolutely makes me want to play the next proper entry in the Fire Emblem franchise.

An exercise in apathy, neither solid nor liquid. Not exactly bad, but not very good either. Just a bit "meh," really.

As usual the new zombie map feels like the main event, but Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare: Sabotage is a mostly successful injection of new stuff to do.

With its emphasis on challenging combat and light storytelling elements that are at times bordering on parody (in a good way), Nioh feels like a true successor to the Ninja Gaiden series and fills a nice void that Souls left behind.

Atelier Shallie Plus may close the curtains of the Dusk trilogy, but it is a good place to start for those new to the Atelier games and can even be a good way to ease into the series. The story doesn’t get overly serious while maintaining a lighter tone than your typical JRPG.

You need skill to win, but when someone can just spend as much money as they want on booster packs and leveling up their figures, skill may only be able to get you so far.

Tales of Berseria may not be the most ambitious or innovative game ever, but that's entirely okay. It may have a handful of issues, not least of which includes its forced backtracking, occasional reuse of dungeons and its uninspired puzzles. At the same time, its characters are often likeable and entertaining, its tale of revenge is intriguing, and its combat system is fast-paced and responsive. If you're already a fan of -- or are curious about getting into -- the Tales series, this is one to check out.

This game is a classic in every sense of the word, and I'm overjoyed that it's available for a new generation to get their hands on.

It's the best Yoshi game on the 3DS, and if you don't already own it on the Wii U, I would suggest picking it up.

That's the unpredictable allure to Candleman. Its obvious hook is in its unique mechanic, but that's not enough to carry it to the conclusion. Then, there's a Rudy-like emotional investment that takes over when everything stops revolving around gameplay. Fittingly, Candleman burns out prematurely. But, that doesn't mean that it stops shining.

Arc System Work's staunch dedication to the retro aesthetic for Double Dragon IV is admirable, but still falls short of the mark even when juxtaposed to several of the series' own entries. Punch and kicking dudes as Billy and Jimmy still works, but many elements of IV just feel a little too off-brand for my liking.

There is so much heart and so many great ideas in Nefarious that I want to see it as a better game than it is. I want to be able to recommend it as a hidden gem in Steam’s massive collection of throwback indie titles. But I can’t. It’s a sloppy game that feels in many respects half-done. All the heart in the world can’t make up for something that just isn’t fun to play.

The title lacks the series’ corny exchanges between the Rangers and the villains that we know and love. Instead, we’re hit with an underwhelming Web flash game that fails to capture the show’s spirit.

The Descendant is a wildly inconsistent adventure; reflective of the reasons why Telltale Games is seen in high regard, even on its worst days. At the same time, it's one of the better pretenders out there, thanks to the morally grey protagonists, daunting set-pieces, and odd gameplay subversions. Much like the sci-fi oddities found deep in Netflix, The Descendant has this rough B-movie charm going for it; flawed, but perfectly passable.

Resident Evil 7 went beyond my expectations, and I feel we have an instant classic here. I want to jump back in right now, and I have a feeling I'll be doing so for years to come.

While the new engine doesn't sport a consistent framerate and you can pretty much skip the Chi movie, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue is a healthy enough serving of what's to come in Fragmentary Passage, and bundles in one amazing core entry that everyone should play.

It features all of the best aspects of the series with very little of the negatives, making for a game that I’ll probably still be digging through by the time Kiwami releases over here.

For as much as I enjoyed Fate/Extella, I must admit that there simply isn't enough to keep most people interested in it. This is definitely one for the fans.

The graphics make you think the gameplay cake is real, but the cake is a lie. All you'll find are Flappy Birds, a dead Princess Peach, and Marcus Fenix. But hey, at least you can kill the Duck Hunt dog, so that has to count for something. Oh, and this is the Dark Souls of video game humor. Take that for what you will.

So even if you are left a little cold or annoyed by Afterbirth+ and its seemingly small pool of additions, the package does have something for everyone. New fans may need to look to mods to even make progress in the “story,” but older fans should be more than pleased with this final chapter of Isaac’s tale.

Oh, and it's still gorgeous, more so given that this was built from the ground up for the PS4. There's some pop-in but I've always been bigger on draw distances, especially with a game that puts such an emphasis on traversal like Gravity Rush 2 -- I love being able to see where I'm headed while boosting into the sky.