Overall, between the microtransactions and graphics balanced with the gameplay and storyline – I would argue that the game is pretty decent. I don’t get to have my own Pegasus or be trained by Phil the Centaur, but being a Paladin God who saves people is a pretty decent experience, even without the Muses to sing about my experiences.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 is a fun game that offers up more gameplay options than narrative depth. The competitive mode is the highlight of the release and gives you plenty of reasons to keep playing this sequel.

FBC: Firebreak is unlike anything Remedy Entertainment has made. While a team-based shooter would not be on everyone’s wishlist from the storied developer, it makes the best of Control‘s unique universe. Bizarre mission objectives and a friendly approach offer enough diversity to draw players in. But a troublesome onboarding process may negatively color the crucial first few hours for players. Should a community form around FBC: Firebreak, there’s a lot to enjoy and hopefully Remedy will continue to support the game in the coming months.

Croc – Legend of the Gobbos Remastered from developer Argonaut Games is a throwback to a simpler, more experimental 3D platformer time. The remastered game represents the old one nicely without going too far or destroying any of the original game’s essence. While some of the 90s gameplay concepts in Croc – Legend of the Gobbos Remastered are still stuck in the 90s, some elements are improved. This may not hit with new gamers but it’s undoubtedly going to please those raised during that 90s video game era.

If your goal is to start out with nothing and then wield magic and technology like a god, well that’s certainly possible. If your goal is to goof off with friends or have hopefully harmless interactions with others online, you can find it here. The point of PixARK is to be an engaging, entertaining, and evolving game. While it is often buried under less-than-intuitive console menus, the simple pleasures of PixARK aren’t far away.

Observer is a rather well done indie title with tons of style and appeal. Think Blade Runner‘s dystopian motif with Orwellian sensibilities and shades of Snatcher. Sign me up!

I don’t think it is crazy to say that Crash Team Racing is the best kart racing game. Unlike Mario Kart, players actually have to be skilled at playing the game to do well and progress, especially when playing against real people instead of computers. Nitro-Fueled is a wonderful remake of the classic game that we all know and love. The mechanics and courses are great. Combine that with a revamped Adventure mode and you have yourself a fantastic game. I wouldn’t say it’s a perfect game though due to its difficulty and pretty short story.

Loopmancer wants to be the new sleek, stylish roguelite on the block. Using a veneer of cyberpunk action and frenzied combat, the game often gets by on looks alone. In short bursts it possesses addictive combat that suddenly breaks down when strung together with rudimentary level design and unfulfilling rewards. The narrative has all the charm and trappings of movies so bad they’re good but even that is hindered with frequent breaks in pace. Loopmancer attempts to break out of its genre’s endless cycle but often finds itself shackled to avoidable flaws.

Clusterpuck 99 is a good deal if you are playing with a large group of people. It’s simple enough that anyone can pick up on it. There are a variety of maps to play from. The game seems very polished and is obvious that thought was put into it. The A.I. could be adjusted a little bit to resemble a actual human opponent more. I would not recommend this game if you are playing alone due to this.

Golden Tee Arcade Classics, from developer Digital Eclipse and publisher Atari, is a great trip down memory lane, but it feels and acts like it’s still in the 90s. The collection does enough to bring simple fun with uncomplicated physics and frustrating elements that modern golfing games bring to the table nowadays. The additional games included help to make the collection a bit more fun, as well as feel like it offers more than just golf.

Thunder Tier One is a good game. It has a decent amount of customization options, features a good tactical system that will entertain those looking for a tactical fix, and doesn’t really do anything groundbreaking or genre-changing for tactical shooters. It’s simply a good game with hopes for more content in the future.

In the end, House of Ashes doesn’t offer a new unique tale that I found with Little Hope or Man of Medan. I did enjoy my time playing through another The Dark Pictures Anthology tale, but it hasn’t left an impact on me as a player as Little Hope did. Choices often felt inconsequential, and few and far between. Character development for all of the characters outside of Salim was underwhelming and disappointing, even though the backdrop of the Iraq War in 2003 was ripe for compelling character development.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, developed by Capcom, brings good and stylish action to its gameplay, while incorporating strategy elements to slow it down. If you like a tactical side mixed with your action, then you’re going to love what this game offers. It felt a bit imbalanced for my taste, and I wanted more action to take the lead in this gameplay experience.

Road 96: Mile 0 is a smaller, different experience than Road 96. While the game’s story helps fill in some blanks and provide some context for Zoe’s journey in the first game, the gameplay style mash-up between branching narrative and linear/on-rails gameplay leaves the experience lacking just a bit.

Last Man Sitting from developer DoubleMoose Games and publisher Raw Fury is a fun and simple shooter with a ridiculous theme, as well as a bevy of customization and upgrade options. The gameplay is short and repetitive, but the price point helps justify it.

I cannot help but appreciate how Arcadegeddon hooked me into this really player-friendly loot shooter. The arcade-y elements are replayable, rewarding, and worth playing with friends. Arcadegeddon hits the spot as an MMO with roguelite elements with an awesome arcade aesthetic. But, I want more. Much more. If Arcadegeddon is to succeed in the MMO/roguelite space in the longer term, some of the advancement mechanics (such as preserving progress of longer runs) and lategame gameplay needs to be refined and expanded. I want additional modes like time trials that can easily and reliably completed in a single sitting. At the same time, I want some additional variety to make a three hour gauntlet exciting to reach. If you’re wanting a co-op loot shooter that’s easily picked up and played, look no further than Arcadegeddon. If you want something deeper, wait around a bit. Hopefully Arcadegeddon can hit that sweet spot, too.

Dead Island 2 often is nothing more than a game where players use ridiculously customized weapons to ravage zombies in increasingly gruesome ways. It’s comically satisfying how good it feels to tear through hordes of the undead–and it looks absurdly vile. It may not be a diamond forged over time, yet it’s hard to deny the fun to be had tearing it up in Hell-A. But does the idea of doing that hour after hour with small amount of variety sound appealing? If not then, Dead Island 2 won’t lure you in.

Overall, I’m torn about Everhood 2. Its rhythm-based battles are unlike any RPG I’ve played before. Its soundtrack is incredible. Walking through emptiness and seeing delayed payoffs from the worldbuilding side, though, makes the game feel less fun than it should be. I enjoyed Everhood 2, but I wish that I spent more time in the rhythm battles than exploring.

Pinball FX3 has scored another pinball hit with Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure. While it isn’t perfect, it still brings a good pinball experience to the Pinball FX3 family.

Knowledge is Power: Decades is a fun trivia game that, like its predecessor, wasn’t meant to be a longterm experience. It serves its purpose, brings some fun trivia (sometimes difficult trivia) to the forefront, and delivers a bit more variety when it comes to special moves in the game. It doesn’t try to change things too much from what made it work the first time around, so don’t expect something drastically different.

All in all, Aragami was an enjoyable twist to your classic stealth game. The gameplay was original, and the graphics and music were solid. I definitely had some minor issues with the game mechanics but nothing that would sway me from buying it. If I had to make a change in the game, I would suggest a more engaging story and a little more diversification when it comes to the enemies.

If you can deal with the randomness of enemy rolls and somewhat unbalanced gameplay resulting from that randomness, then you will find an entertaining and quick game with Legends of Kingdom Rush that does enough to keep your attention but isn’t meant for large bites of your time.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 feels like the hardest Sega has tried at coming up with a broadly appealing track and field collection since DecAthelete. The wide range of events and alternative control options create open accessibility while a handful of retro throwbacks and madcap minigames function as impressive novelties. Mario & Sonic’s limitations are still recognizable, but Tokyo 2020 feels like the farthest anyone can drag an Olympic videogame into the present.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is likely going to go down as one of the weaker entries in the franchise. Undoubtedly the quality fluctuates from player to player every year but key elements of Modern Warfare III don’t hold a candle to what most expect from a superb Call of Duty game. This is most apparent in the game’s lackluster campaign that injects far too much Warzone influence for its own good. Rather than a classic, bombastic narrative with diverse mission structure, we are left with an all too brief story that leaves players with little to latch onto outside of vaguely experimental open-ended combat. Zombies is as universally weird as ever but may actually be beneficial towards newcomers with its large map and mission-based approach. Thankfully Modern Warfare III‘s exceptional multiplayer feel and suite of popular maps, modes, and customization elevate this rough going. If Call of Duty needed a break, maybe this year should have been the one. But at 20 years old, the old chap still has life left in it.

To say that Trinity Fusion is missing the mark would be overlooking its other successes as a roguelite. It boasts fluid combat and platforming that keep its gameplay fresh. The weapon/spell management tied with the Amplification system creates a persistent set of variance that avoids becoming stale. My main two critiques of the game are that of its hazy progression system and its lack of a concrete pull that keeps players engaged for longer periods of time. I know that Angry Mob Games has additional content on the way, but waiting a smidgen longer may let Trinity Fusion hit its stride as a roguelite.

Overall, SNK Gals’ Fighters is good, even for a game from a failed system back in 2000. It is progressive in its gameplay design and a fun fighter for a two-button control scheme. It needed to be translated fully onto a Nintendo Switch screen, but it’s manageable with the screen options the game provides you.

Gundam Breaker 4 from developer Crafts & Meister has more depth in its customization than with story and entertainment. While the latter won’t grab you and keep you in the gaming experience, the former will certainly have you hooked on how far you can take your Gunpla’s design and customization. Gundam fans and mech model enthusiasts will adore this title more than gamers dying for a rich and full gaming experience based on the Gundam brand.

After spending several years on mobile devices, Growtopia is bringing its seemingly limitless worlds to consoles. In a game where everything grows on trees, young players will gobble the chance to punch and build while those looking for depth may come up short without searching for intricately crafted worlds.

Plants vs Zombies Replanted, from developer PopCap and publisher Electronic Arts, is still fun as hell to run through, and doubly so with co-op, mini-games, puzzles, and a new game+ built into it. It’s the complete package. My biggest issue is price point, as the main game from 2009 is a hard sell for me at $20.

Romancing SaGa 2 actually was quite fun. At the very least, it was nice to see an older game re-emerge on a next generation console and still be more fun than a hindrance. It certainly contains some classic structure, some unique gameplay, tough-as-nails enemies and some linear restriction to keep it all grounded back in 1993.

Merchants of Rosewall from developer Big Blue Sky Games is a complex take on shopkeeping simulators. It does well to combine storytelling, deep shopkeeping and crafting, and motivating goals to keep the player engaged. While the goals can be lofty and frustrating at times, the game is still fun to play.

Possessor(s) is many things: stylized, satisfying, occasionally frustrating, and short but sweet despite its large map. It’s a familiar yet solid gameplay loop with few frills, save for shirtless demon protagonists and neon stylizations.

Rust Console Edition is, simply, a console port of an 8-year-old PC survival game that has managed to stand the test of time. It may not perform as smoothly on console yet but the desperate fights for survival against hostile forces still remains.

All in all, Lego City Undercover is a good deal of fun that players from all ages will be able to enjoy. While the game is nothing challenging or revolutionary, it is nice to see a game as kid-friendly as Lego take tribute from a series that meant for adults. The overworld is large enough to where players will always have something new to discover while going after the criminals led by Red Fury. Undercover might be too easy of a challenge but that doesn’t take away from the overall wonderful experience players will have going through this delightful world.

Overall I was very happy with the game, as I honestly wasn’t expecting a whole lot from a developer who I had never heard of. Curve Digital has been around since 2005 but when I looked through their roster of games, I recognized not a single one. So cheers to them for this release, I very much look forward to see what they put out next after this success.

Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons is missing a little zest, something extra. When I dived back in after that first run, the fun and the warts and all were still there. Combat was a blast and my newly unlocked characters asked me to play the game in a different way and tackle its gauntlet of gangs in a different order. And much like the classic Double Dragon with its handful of stages, that’s eventually all that would become of it. Maybe the game needs permanent unlockable buffs, more levels, better ways to spend tokens, and more ways to tweak the difficulty. All games must run their course and, depending on who you are, Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons will be a long ride or a short one. Thankfully either imperfect journey is still fun.

MARVEL Cosmic Invasion is an excellent excuse to play a satisfying beat ’em up with friends. It covers a wide variety of content and characters spanning the decades of comics and other media. By pulling well-known heroes and a few oddballs, Tribute Games offers a unique feel for each member of the roster. While the levels and bosses offer Easter Eggs for everyone, it doesn’t make up for combat that may eventually grow a bit stale for players who don’t find thrills in dropping into matches from time to time.

Even if ROTT does not stand the test of time as well as other classics of its day, I’m still happy that Nightdive and New Blood released the Ludicrous Edition. While not without its shortcomings, and honestly these are the same shortcomings its always had, the game remains pretty unique, challenging, and fun more often than not. I love that all three original Campaigns are included, as well as a big brand new one, and that several nice options are included as well that give players a more customized and slightly modernized experience. All of this for a very reasonable MSRP of $20 make ROTT: Ludicrous Edition an easy recommend for anyone that enjoyed it some thirty years ago or those that want to take on an old school, hyper-violent, and challenging FPS.

Edens Zero from Konami does a wonderful job of representing the source material it was born from. It comes with a meaningful and engaging story with great characters that are well-developed, while presenting an easy-to-jump-into gameplay design that is fun to dive into without much fuss. The hiccups lie with the lack of frequent enemy encounters and the choice of how you can play the game.

Sons of Sparta‘s heart still beats true despite these issues. It embraces the retro aesthetic and even brings Bear McCreary back for a chiptune score. It uses the Greek backdrop to inspire nostalgia for the series’ roots, paying respect with a new visual style. For many it will be the combat and exploration that bring up the biggest points of contention, not the youthful take on Kratos. But Sons of Sparta proves that PlayStation franchises can be iterated on in experimental, exciting ways.

What’s most important is that, in most cases, A Hat in Time is more interested in looking around than staring backward. This is a challenging exercise for a 3D platformer, and yet A Hat in Time keeps its perspective balanced between careful devotion and sensible progression. Being responsive to your environment, as it turns out, makes it easier to see where you should be going.

Anyway, there is enough separation here with the usual blueprint for this genre to make 99Vidas worth a go. As gameplay goes, it’s easy to pick up and play, as well as stupid fun from beginning to end. 99Vidas makes me want to break open my old Streets of Rage game and have another go with it. It shows that games like that still have legs and can be exciting to play.

SNK vs. Capcom – SvC Chaos from developer Code Mystics is an SNK-slanted fighting affair that shows off more of SNK’s flavor than it does Capcom’s. If you can accept those terms, then you’re in for a brutal fighting game that doesn’t pull its punches, nor does it apologize for how many times it takes you down, but it does create some good challenges. This is the SNK way and it works more than it doesn’t.

All in all, Bloody Zombies was a very good game at its price point. The game has everything you look for in a beat-‘em-up. You open the game and can begin fighting zombies quickly. The game provides a fun, casual gaming experience for someone who wants to play for an hour, but offers enough features to keep you invested in the game if you’re looking for a more in-depth experience. I would recommend this game to all zombie slayers and anyone who likes a fun, simple, arcade-style fighting game.

Another amazing platformer is now on the Nintendo Switch. Spyro the Reignited Trilogy is a wonderful remake of the original games that will leave you wanting more. It is a lot easier than the originals, but that should not stop old fans and new fans from playing the game. Its a good game for the Switch, but I would recommend just getting it on PS4 or Xbox if you want the traditional Spyro experience.

Gang Beasts' madcap brawling creates a dynamic alliance between conflict and chaos. It also enables human responses like surprise, merriment, revenge, and screaming. Driving a wobbly creature to comically murder another flailing mess, as it turns out, is a pleasant and repeatable practice. If only three of your friends could always come along for the ride.

Nier: Automata did not succeed because of its combat, and yet the preposterously named 3C3C1D119440927 is pure combat served with gimmicky restrictions. In remains, however, fabulously weird, and while player's takeaway won't reach Automata's profundity, it's still without a conscious equal in its medium.

I would recommend Red Faction: Guerilla to anyone who likes sci-fi and third person free roaming. While it lacks an intuitive story line, the gameplay makes up for that by being original and engaging. I did, however get bored after playing for long periods of time so I recommend playing in spurts.

Overall, the two-volume set that honors the NAMCOT brand is worth a go, especially if you revel in 8-bit history. It’s a neat departure from the usual Museum releases, but there are certainly some forgettable titles amongst the bunch.

Overall, the two-volume set that honors the NAMCOT brand is worth a go, especially if you revel in 8-bit history. It’s a neat departure from the usual Museum releases, but there are certainly some forgettable titles amongst the bunch.

Type Knight is elegantly simple in its design and a fun distraction. It can run on any grade of PC, wisely confines itself to a small window size, loads instantly, has surprisingly good music and sense of atmosphere, and is all around well worth the low cost of admission of $4.

The HD version of Onimusha: Warlords is reminiscent of the wave of remasters that hit the PS3/360 era, which served as a passable way to introduce players to popular games from the previous generation. Rather than taking the route of the stellar Resident Evil HD Remaster, Capcom has put out a version of Onimusha that is easily accessible to a current audience and seems to act as a way to gauge player interest for the future of the franchise.

Wonder Boy in Monster Land’s nascent fusion of platforming and role-playing mechanics creates viable candidacy for M2’s meticulous talents. If the SEGA AGES line continues to explore the breadth of Sega’s catalog, games that inspired creators are just as valuable as games that empowered players. Wonder Boy in Monster Land is proud to be part of the former.

While MSH2 does not innovate, it does, other than some glitching and sketchy design decisions, provide another fun LEGO romp that’s best enjoyed in local co-op.

Aphelion treads familiar waters for anyone who has played an action adventure game in a post-Uncharted world. But its emotional and grounded narrative about the search for hope is potent enough to look past many shortcomings.

Fire Emblem Warriors is the scheduled consequence of Hyrule Warriors; a sword-friendly Nintendo treasure paired with Omega Force's quantitatively indisputable knack for mowing down thousands of bad guys in the pursuit of an even worse guy. Somehow, in spite of the presumed absence of inspiration, Fire Emblem Warriors remains engaging. It will always be fun to destroy perpetuating hoards with only a modest commitment from your mind.

If you’re new to fighting games or Naruto, this might not be the game for you. Being new to fighting games is already difficult as is, but then throw in a confusing story line and you might not be enjoying yourself. Start with the original game and work your way up. Jumping right in might not be the best idea. If you’re a Naruto fan or have played one of the previous games I would suggest picking this one up. Other than being short, this Naruto game follows suit with its predecessor and is sure to make any fan of the series very happy.

G-Darius HD is a fun trip down memory lane and reminds us that arcade games knew how to eat up your quarters. It will certainly frustrate common gamers out there, but for nostalgia-seeking suckers like myself, it was fun frustration.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me uses a piece of real history to deliver a B-movie-level horror show experience. The H.H. Holmes backdrop makes for a devilishly uncomfortable story experience, while the gameplay design falls in line with the DPA game series. The game does have some technical hiccups here and there, but it should satisfy those who enjoy the previous iterations of the series.

Akabaka made a fun dating simulator based on a crazy narrative with Sucker for Love: First Date. Much like in real life, as each date occurs the game gets better and better, but also like in real life, it is still flawed in some areas.

Overall, I really did enjoy Miitopia more than I thought I would. It has some good entertaining value to it, but it’s definitely, at least in my opinion, geared towards a younger crowd. Is that a bad thing? Nope, especially if your’e picking up a Nintendo 2DS XL for a first-time gamer. It might be a good way to start their budding video game careers.

Bubsy In: The Purrfect Collection from Limited Run Games and Atari is a solid trip down memory lane that features good add-ons and a worthy refurbished 3D version of Bubsy 3D. Now, that said, the collection might be tough for modern gamers to get into because of its difficulty and stiff controls, as the titles certainly belong in the ‘90s from whence they came. Ultimately, it’s a good collection for Bubsy fans and video game history enthusiasts.

STAR WARS: Dark Forces Remaster, from developers Nightdive Studios and LucasFilm Games, brings back a very 90s first-person shooter experience with new quality of life improvements. While the gameplay may not be to some players’ liking or up to modern-day standards, it successfully preserves what made this game good in the 90s.

INAYAH – Life After Gods from developer Exogenesis Studios is a fun and flawed metroidvania adventure. Its narrative is quite good and purposeful, the art is out of this world visually amazing, and the backend design is complicated, as it is motivating. The repetitiveness of enemies and level design drag the gameplay down a bit but for the most part the game still delivers a worthy adventure.

Forspoken is on the precipice of something great. Behind the funneled narrative beats and the obese, sprawling world is a game that simply wants players to engage with its every part. Past the eye-rolling dialog and self-serious narrative is a potentially interesting protagonist and universe that occasionally mesh well. Each puzzle piece of Forspoken is so close to fitting and so often I could see the picture clearly, especially when bounding across the seemingly boundless landscape, making the screen quiver and explode with Frey’s awe-inspiring magic. Perhaps in another place, in another time, Forspoken will speak to everyone.

Overall, thanks to some quick release patches that really made playing Divide more enjoyable, it’s a game I would recommend. It’s not without a few sticking points, but none of them are bad enough to wreck the experience, resulting instead in a cool experience, even if it’s one that’s best played one or two hours at a time.

There’s a lot to be seen in this game, as well as a lot of rewards to loot from dungeons and bosses, and I’m still continuing the adventure in hopes of bigger and better things. As it stands now, I think Trove is a solid game for kids, as well as up and coming MMO players. It’s a game that is a wonderful upgrade from the Minecraft world, but pushes players a bit further with gaming concepts and design that most of us have experienced for a good portion of our gaming lives. I’m sure that it will keep growing as a game and hopefully, audience willing, garnish new add-ons and design that push it into a more rewarding experience that will legitimize it as a go-to MMORPG for a wider audience.

Overall, ‘Speed Crew’ isn’t what you’d expect from a game around motorsports. It’s a simple concept and action, but allows for a lot of fun to share with your friends.

It’s a question I’m still struggling with. I liked playing Dancing in Moonlight. I unlocked everything in the game and earned a platinum trophy. I liked seeing these characters and hearing their voices again; it felt like hanging out with old friends. Like most human beings, I appreciate it when a low-key thing I enjoy specifically panders to me. It feels great to be seen. When I finished playing Dancing in Moonlight, however, I suspect it only exists to take my money.

Ragnarok is a beast of an expansion pack, and it gets more right than wrong. It’s not quite as polished or as impressive as the original and its expansion from so many years ago, but it’s still a valiant effort and a solid expansion to a great game. I have yet to complete it at the time of this writing, in part because of holidays and illness, but it’s inspiring to see a classic game get a sudden, big, expansion pack. For old player and new alike, Ragnarok is worth your attention.

Dancing in Starlight is a heedless trip back to the Persona buffet for seconds thirds fourths. You wanted more Persona 5? You got it. Chew the fat. Pretend the calories aren’t empty. Pray you won’t get sick. Somehow, despite the intemperance, I still feel fine.

Overall, Lacuna is an interesting adaptation on the traditional point-and-click gameplay design. Though my interest in the characters and story plateaued around the halfway point of the game, they are both pretty well thought out and your mileage/interest in them may fair better than mine. At $20, it’s worth a look for fans of sci-fi noir adventure games.

AK-xolotl is a difficult yet highly engaging roguelike that will make you fall in love with its charming woodland creatures while laughing at its absurd violence. Seeing my goofy little AK-xolotl with a giant gun made me grin from ear to ear. It’s the roguelike fever dream I’ve always wanted. Once it gets in the hands of players and additional content is added that can smooth out its presentation of information, I’m confident that folks will enjoy this game.

While most collections are products of profit and/or preservation, Collection of Mana advances the Western Mana canon with its surprise inclusion of Trials of Mana. This feels like a minor miracle and, despite the collection's austere packaging, sparks hope that Square-Enix may disentomb more of their perceived gems that never made the voyage westward.

At $8, Tank Troopers is priced fairly, but might have faired a lot better had online play been supported or if there were just a little bit more of a hook for solo play. Still, for a simple, short, and mostly fun game, you can do a lot worse than Tank Troopers.

The Artful Escape is a visual and audio masterpiece that creates a sincere narrative that gives hope to any struggling would-be artist that they will find their own voice at the end of a tough journey. As good as that message might be, the gameplay mechanics don’t nearly live up to the hype the rest of the game creates.

Century: Age of Ashes from Playwing is a good free-to-play game. It is gorgeous, easy to pick up and go, and has some competitive charm to it. The microtransactions and the thin amount of variety in the game might detour some from extending their time with dragon battling, but I think it’s certainly worth a look.

Haunted House from developer Orbit Studio and publisher Atari is a fantastic upgrade to the original 2600 game. The rogue-lite adventure is packed full of strategy with a properly grindy backbone that will encourage you to come back for more. The game also carries some faults which are small road bumps that you will occasionally feel on your journey. It is certainly worth a go, especially if you’re a fan of the original.

Kingdom Rush from Ironhide Game Studio is a casual and fun gameplay experience that doesn’t do too much to entertain but does enough to keep you coming back for more.

Jackbox Party Pack 10 is a step in the right direction for the series. What works is mostly new content with Fixy Text, Time Jinx, and Hypnotorious. The inclusion of Tee K.O.’d 2 is a firm reminder of why the first Tee K.O.’d is considered the best game in the Jackbox family, but also shows us that not much has changed with the sequel. As for the Dodo Re Mi game, it needs to get fixed on the backend side for it to be entertaining. The overall package is worth a look.

While this collection has about every iteration of Space Invaders that was popular back in its day, and in modern times, the concept of Space Invaders has grown old. For avid collectors out there, like yours truly, this is nice to see on a modern system and all in one game. For newbies looking to try out old video games, there may not be as much joy to be had.

The next-gen upgrades alone have added depth to much of the gigantic world of Los Santos, and it's...beautiful. Just beautiful. I can't figure out if it's because I'm a nostalgic ex-Los Angelino or because of Rockstar's success in continuously refining and polishing the environments. Either way, there are multiple reasons to praise the next-gen version of GTA V and GTA Online, but be warned that the new player experience is still much to be desired compared to other MMOs. If you own a PS5, you should definitely take advantage of trying out GTA Online before it becomes a premium game in a few months.

I did thoroughly enjoy the mixture of old school art that is quite simplified and defines an RPG generation long since gone, while still maintaining massive amount of details in environments and characters that make you understand it was built for the current generation systems. To boot, you get a very strong soundtrack that I could probably listen to on a daily basis. In short, presentation was excellent, though not completely forgiving of the difficulty.

Judgment swerves Yakuza's circuitous criminal conspiracies a few degrees off course before turning up at familiar intersections of violence, eccentricity, and drama. Novelties surrounding its private detective facade, however, breakdown into tests of patience instead of pragmatism. Judgment may be an honest amendment to Yakuza's doctrine but its most refined and exciting practices are also its most routine.

Nupixo has done a fine job with Detective Di, all things considered. Anyone that enjoys a good mystery story or point and click games would do well to make time for this one and hopefully we’ll see Nupixo continue to invest in the genre.

Papa’s Quiz is a game that tries different ways to spruce up the party game/quiz game genre, and it does a good job in most of its execution. It stumbles in the quiz question balance but excels in its creativity to personalize the experience for its players.

Evil Factory is a simple arcade shooter that doesn’t depend on much, including large amounts of time, that runs purely on patience, strategy and microtransactions. Oh, yes, and small hands.You need those to thoroughly enjoy it.

Overall, Konami Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection brings some classics home, while also reminding us how absolutely insane and brutal the arcade age was in its heyday.

Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection isn’t beyond redemption (one saving grace being that the game wasn’t steeped in the microtransaction controversy that accompanied the 2015 Star Wars: Battlefront release), and I think Aspyr realizes it, having announced a forthcoming patch to be delivered soon. This comes at a crucial moment for Aspyr, which lost out on the Knights of the Old Republic remake for Windows and PlayStation 5, and its parent company, Embracer, moving the project over to another studio. Aspyr, in turn, is under the gun to make Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection right, get the bug count down, and deliver the experience that was promised to an eager world of Star Wars fans. It wouldn’t be unheard of for a series of patches to make everything as it should be, but the uncomfortable question remains as to why this went out the door in the condition it was in the first place.

Instead of modernizing 1999’s Resident Evil 3, Capcom has remodeled 2019’s remake of Resident Evil 2. Dazzling production and clever level design are still effective fuel for the survival horror engine, but this reliance on familiar techniques dissolves any expectation of novelty and ambition. In Resident Evil 3, Jill is less the subject of a despairing escape and more the product of a regulated, orderly departure.

Frantics is a fun four-player party game that does its beset imitation of being a Mario Party lite. It’s engaging, fun, at times frustrating, but nonetheless a good addition to the PlayLink game family.

HEROish is a fun MOBA-deck-building adventure. While it does have quite a bit of mobile personality to it, including a short gameplay time, it is still entertaining in its simple strategy and action execution.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel was a surprising favorite of mine when it released on the Vita back in 2013. It was a pleasant surprise seeing it on PC, especially with all of the new voice acting they have added in. If you’re looking for a JRPG on the PC, this one is certainly an option, but it would not be my first.

Overall, the gameplay design of Torchlight III is fun and motivating, but it has some deeper flaws that need to be addressed. Players must have a balance of difficulty and challenge. Giving players too much advantage at the beginning and overpowering them will not benefit the longevity of the game. If you need proof, go look at Bungie’s Destiny 2, which is struggling to maintain challenging content, while believing that making players ‘grind’ for shoddy rewards is the right solution for the issue. Finding that balance of building up a character properly and delivering difficulty and challenging enemies along the way is what other action RPGs, like Diablo, classics. Echtra Games did a great job with the initial groundwork of Torchlight III’s gameplay design, but it needs a bit more balance in some backend areas.

Compared to the first DLC, Turf Wars is much more combat focused. Overall, I didn’t like it as much as the first DLC, not because combat isn’t fun, but it’s gotten quite repetitive and tedious. Still, I suspect part three, arriving next month, will strike a better balance overall, as it completes the City That Never Sleeps story arc.

Rifftrax – The Game is a short stint of ridiculous fun. It can be as hilarious as you make it, though it does fall short in some areas when the game has too much control of the content.

Throne and Liberty from developer NCSOFT and publisher Amazon Games is starting on the right note. The game offers a bevy of content, a fun and complicated backend, and enough motivation to keep exploring and grinding its lands. It does need better direction and connection with quests, as well as balanced PvP. As it stands, the start is good, and the future looks like it could be better.

Quotation forthcoming.