It's a shame that Sonic can't run fast enough to escape his past. Amidst segments that range from profoundly irritating to cautiously routine, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II features a handful of sequences that show a glimmer of hope, suggesting that if Sonic Team and Dimps were allowed to make a new 2D Sonic game without having to obey the demons of his past, we might have received a more clever and inventive episode. Instead, Episode II defaults to another run through familiar symbols and places, few of which seem to be as exhilarating as they were nearly twenty years ago.

Island Time VR is a survival game deprived of effective resources. Elements that should be in great supply—variability, actionable materials, and available real estate—are reduced to a minimum, instead depending on the novelty of virtual reality for sustenance. With PlayStation VR's incapacity for a proper room-scale experience, Island Time VR is left out to starve.

Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game from developer Weta Workshop and publisher Private Division isn’t going to redefine the way a Tolkien license is presented in games, nor is it going to add more depth to the cosy life simulator genre. It’s a simple gameplay experience that brings easy quests, limited yet fun exploration, and an addictive ingredient and meal crafting component.

Playing as Batgirl is not quite as interesting as I had hoped primarily due to a lazy hacking mechanic, but, A Matter of Family was still different, interesting, and fun enough to recommend to Arkham fans.

Overall, Detective Gallo is a great point and click game with little to dislike. It brings a solid story, some very likable and dislikable characters, and it does the point and click genre justice. The difficulty might be a bit too much for some, but the payoff is worth it.

J-Stars Victory Vs+ brings together some good fighting moments with popular Bandai Namco licenses, while offering up somewhat addictive, yet sporadic, gameplay flow. Improvements in environment variety, CPU artificial intelligence and visuals could help to make this a more memorable brawler in the future, as it falls short in these categories as it stands.

The Force Unleashed II isn't a bad game, it's just a disappointing one. There was a lot of hope and excitement for it prior to launch, but it really fell short. If you liked the original, you should play this, but frankly, a rental is probably all you need.

Deadpool's self aware narrative and seemingly impartial approach to combat boasts honest intentions but quickly fails in execution. Instead of a meta-commentary on game design or an innovative brawler Deadpool's content exhaust one liners and borrow mechanics from better games. The campaign’s final chapter is a statement of the game as whole; throwing everything together makes for an unpleasant lack of depth or detail.

Not unlike a poorly done Blu-ray release of a classic film, the Marvel Ultimate Alliance release on current-gen is just disappointing. The games are still great and fun, but this new release is off the mark in several major ways.

F1 Race Stars isn't a disaster by any means, but it certainly needs improvement. More importantly, it needs to take itself less seriously in some areas. There's still some fun to be had here, though.

Payday 3 suffers from a lack severe lack of refinement. Payday 2 was cooking for years. It makes little sense that Payday 3 suffered such significant problems. There was a blueprint in place that wasn’t followed and for what specific gain? A year from now this review will likely be completely irrelevant as I must believe Starbreeze will fix the game, add content to its current sparse pool, and make the experience better. But for players who purchased the game in its current state… Well that’s simply not good enough. Right now there is no quality of life. Not even a patch to fix the numerous glaring problems. Will players stick around or come back? Or will Payday 3 disappear to time like my words? Only time will tell.

Blackgate falls shy of greatness due to a few gameplay design flaws, but it's still an overall solid experience that Vita owners should investigate further.

Unless you’re simply dying for punishment, you’re unlikely to find anything to enjoy here.

For those that really enjoy the point and click genre, Perils of Man is worth a look, despite its flaws.

Traverser is keen to demonstrate that a submission to genre norms isn't an admission of exhausted objectives. Physics puzzles, light stealth, passable platforming, and a decent run of boss fights—it's all well covered ground, but Traverser's endearing characters and engaging fiction make it easy to pass through.

Delta Force from developer Team Jade is a wonderful free-to-play tactical shooter. It is driven by a massive 64-player online mode featuring gigantic and towering maps, while also containing some reprieve in its Operations mode that is more personal and linear. The game needs a bit more balance in its player selection at the moment, and a controller option, but as of right now it looks to be on the right track.

Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai contains some simple positives, especially when it comes to delivering a dramatic and fun anime series storyline. Sadly, the gameplay does not complement that storytelling and falls short in content size and portions. Even the inclusion of RPG elements, such as Bond Memories, can’t seem to lift the action and prop it up to a higher Dragon Quest level that most of us are used to seeing.

The effort was there, unlike other companies that buy movie properties, but the execution wasn't exact.

Need for Speed: Payback features the same fun arcadey racing from 2015’s entry, minus all of the heart and soul that game had. With a by-the-books story, and a downright frustrating system to upgrade your car, it’s hard to recommend Need for Speed: Payback.

Zombie Apocalypse plays out in a similar manner; it's good fun for a half hour, but then the game force feeds you the same content for whatever time you continue to invest in the game. Not exactly my idea of fun.

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.

Schrödinger's Cat and the Raiders of the Lost Quark is a fun platformer that has an interesting quark system in place to make puzzle solving unique and engaging. The game isn’t perfect by any means, but it’s good and unique enough in certain areas to warrant at least a look.

Overall, I like what Nintendo did with Game & Wario. It's a bit of a departure from the usual WarioWare design, but I think it certainly caters to a wider audience. Also, the diversity of gameplay actually expands the flavor of the series a bit. In addition to those things, this game also shows off some creative ways to use the Wii U gamepad, which might be a wonderful blueprint for future Nintendo titles and/or third party games from major publishers.

Overall, Catan on the Nintendo Switch is a treat. The inclusion of a large campaign helps to sell this game easily. The addition of strong AI makes the experience valuable and challenging. If the menu system could improve, then you’re looking at one of the best versions of the board game to ever grace a console.

There is a lot to like about Pixel Heart Studio’s Airoheart when it comes to harkening back to classic games that made us smile. It has some solid dungeon crawling, a big world to explore, and a fun story that truly does give a sweet kiss to the golden age of action-adventure RPGs. It just needed a bit more cleaning and tightening in some areas before it was released. I think the game can improve with patching, but as it stands now, it still feels like it needs a bit more finish to shine.

KSR is better and deeper than most motion controlled games that I have played, especially of the family/sports compilation variety. However, it's still light on content and just doesn't have a great deal of staying power or replay value you would hope for.

Either wait for a further price drop on the peripheral (from the current $30-$40 you can find it for on Amazon) or hope that Nintendo will bundle one with the one game that everyone is still looking forward to on the Wii: Zelda.

This makes for a great weekend rental, but it's hard to justify the retail price of $50 for the brevity and simplicity of this experience.

Overall, Oh…Sir!! The Insult Simulator is a dumb-fun experience for the cost of nearly nothing. Its wittiness and sizable options for insulting, as well as its online/offline modes, will keep you entertained for a while, but in short stints.

Captain America: Super Soldier is a fun game that proves that not all move tie-in games are automatically bad. Next Level Games put forth a commendable effort here and the result is a good game that I suggest checking out.

The developers also addressed many of the issues from the first game such as adding some small multiplayer support, and providing additional content after the game is finished. Still, it doesn't span the wide range of demographics as the handheld RPGs and this spin-off series is still best suited for a younger audience. And, the $49.99 price tag is just too much for a game such as this in my opinion.

Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns adds a good amount of kontent for MK1. Price concerns aside, the additions of Sektor, Cyrax, and Noob Saibot should be seen as a blessing for MK fans. It remains to be seen about the future of MK1’s story and the rest of the Guest Fighters coming soon, but this is a good step in the right direction for a larger-form kontent in year 2 of MK1.

Fort Solis is a conundrum, one I think I’m happy to have played just for the sake of experiencing a new take on the genre. The slow pace of the game outside its moderately engaging action scenes and snappy dialog can kill narrative momentum. The limited and rote gameplay mechanics are only minor breaks in the plodding walk speed of the main character. The technical excellence and masterful voice acting truly give Fort Solis a glimmer of promise in an otherwise conflicted game. Undoubtedly there is an audience for these pieces of entertainment but those who find themselves entertained by this particular approach may indeed be rare.

If you have the PlayStation Move, you need The Shoot. It's a great, fun addition to the genre and makes good use of the Move controller.

As a commemoration of style and simplicity, Spectra speaks in the dearth of speedy arcade racers. Regrettably, Spectra's ambition, like its appeal, doesn't stretch beyond austere representation.

If you can tolerate the rough patches in presentation and gameplay, you can find a bit of quirky, arcade style fun in Live 16.

The best part about the game? It's fun. While not as deep or as 'epic' as its peers, Dead To Rights: Retribution is a lot of fun from start to finish.

We Are The Dwarves is not the best RTS game out there, but its difficulty is addictive enough to suck any good PC gamer in for more than a few hours.

A great release for those who enjoy the Arkham games but haven't played Blackgate for whatever reason.

Firefall has potential, but it’s not quite there just yet. A little bit more restructuring and beefing up in some areas will help Firefall evolve, if Red 5 Studios can give more time and money to the project. Hopefully it keeps developing the title, as it does have potential.

An overall very well developed puzzle-platformer that can entertain -- or frustrate depending on your skills and patience -- for hours.

If you’re looking for a nostalgic way to get your Rogue Trooper Redux fix, then you might be better off looking at the PlayStation 4/Xbox One releases. The Nintendo Switch keeps up with them in terms of visuals and gameplay mechanics, but falls behind in controls and aiming. The controls simply don’t make the gameplay experience comfortable enough to enjoy the game.

Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage is so terrible that it can't even satisfy an established template.

While not perfect and not compelling in some areas, Star Wars: Trench Run brings the goods like no other iPhone app does. It's fun, it's quick and it's cheap.

By blending FPS and RTS mechanics, Disintegration carves out its own niche but despite a promising world and engaging multiplayer, the main action is often undercut by a generic campaign.

Overall, while I still have a lot of WKC2 ahead of me, and more online to partake in, WKC2 has done something for me that many JRPGs have not been able to: it's kept me playing and pleasantly entertained.

Overall, Mario & Sonic Rio 2016 Olympic Games feels like many of the event based games that came before it: full of events, but shallow in substance. The lack of an online multiplayer mode, and the inability to play as any Mario or Sonic character in any event makes this entry in the Mario & Sonic games a bore.

For Pac-Man and Galaga fans on the go, this is a nice release, but those looking for just Pac-Man Tilt or Galaga: 3D Impact, both cool games, they may want to catch this one on sale.

Assassin’s Creed III Remastered on the Nintendo Switch is impressive. It’s refined stealth tools and tactics mixed with additional gameplay design upgrades makes this a must-have for any AC fan dying to play something on the Switch that is guaranteed to occupy them for a long period of time.

Metal Mind has a lot of promise, don’t get me wrong, it just underdelivers on the charm and depth of its twin-shooter roguelite competitors. The glossing over of nuanced gameplay systems, emptiness of its hub, and vagueness of the universe leads me to believe that some additional refinement is needed to fully realize its potential. Once you figure out its systems, the core gameplay is fun and challenging.

The hype machine put a lot on the shoulders of Resistance: Burning Skies and the initial multiplayer snags didn't help matters. Still, I have enjoyed it and I think anyone who likes the series will too.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League owes nothing to anyone. It may feel like sandpaper for those expecting something completely different but it contains an expertly designed combat and movement system made by a team that knows how to make super heroes and now, super villains, play. An arguably inconsistent narrative and repetitive mission structure bog down an otherwise exciting, stylish, and humorous campaign. Thankfully, a wealth of player-friendly decisions spell hope for an engaging endgame that will maintain a community somewhere along the Elseworlds.

If you’re a fan of the series, you want to support the HD Remaster, but at the same time it’s had a rough go out of the gates that might give you pause. I’d recommend keeping an eye on this one and seeing what develops, but RTS fans should definitely make it a point to play this series if they haven’t yet.

Any Naruto or anyone just looking for a good button mashing brawler with RPG elements needs to take a strong look at Akatsuki Rising.

In and of itself, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity is a fun experience that big-time Pokemon fans (especially younger ones) should enjoy. As a first-time Mystery Dungeon player, I can also recommend the game to anyone who might be on the fence about jumping in and exploring some dungeons. Not everyone will enjoy it, mind you, because it’s not the Pokemon they know and love.

Charles Schulz probably never illustrated any happy Cloud Whales, but if he did they would probably look like Okabu's chief protagonists. With bright colors and a merry atmosphere flooding positivity and joy through every channel, it's hard to look away. This wouldn't matter much if Okabu's gameplay wasn't up to spec, but the subtle complexity behind the puzzles and variety of objectives serves the theme well - and makes Okabu's handful of technical gaffs all the more disappointing.

Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash is varied enough to keep every skill-level of player engaged throughout its 30+ worlds but isn’t as polished as one would hope.

In the end, Dark Void's final product didn't live up to the potential that it had going for it. It was a great concept with some cool moments, but those moments were far and few between the unfinished control scheme and other flaws that plagued the title.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is better than the first game, but it still needs work to perfect the gameplay mechanics that hinder it. At the end of the day, kids will love this game, but maybe not hardcore gamers.

Unknown 9: Awakening from developer Reflector Entertainment and publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment is a game more about what could have been rather than what turned out to be. With a better story that builds out the world, its characters, and more interesting enemies, the game would have been more of what it intended. It had the makings of a good fantasy/sci-fi action adventure but just didn’t make it there.

From Ashes plunks a relatively mundane mission but sweetens the deal with a provocative, highly interesting additional party member. Given the gravity of said party member, how this wasn't a part of Mass Effect 3 is mind blowing. Is From Ashes exploitive? Probably, but Mass Effect 3 as a whole stands to benefit from his presence and I regret completing the game without him.

Right now, Curved Space is a good game for those looking for an arcade shooter with leaderboard support that has a handful of new things to offer. If the action was dialed up and a few gameplay tweaks made it less exploitable, I may have wanted to stick around longer.

To the uninitiated, Soldiers' Soul is a bewildering amalgamation of expected clichés and probably not a fun thing to play. To Saint Seiya’s audience, however, Soldiers' Soul is an impressive rendition of a respected series augmented with a glut meaningful (albeit mostly salvaged) content. For better or worse, the latter group is all Soldiers' Soul has in mind.

An upgrade from the original, but sometimes for the wrong reason. The lack of local play is an odd decision, considering the original thrived on it, and especially when so much thought and execution was put into the online multiplayer aspect of the title this time around. The fighting system probably won’t win over most fans of the series or of the original 2004 title, but the charm of the original game is still intact through this edition’s exploration and treasure discovery. In the end, this game still contains some fun aspects of its original gaming intentions, but only if you can see through its faults.

The Executioner is short, but enjoyable. And at $5, it's worth playing on its own or as a fun way to wrap up your time The Evil Within.

NBA Live 15 is an improvement from the previous year. It contains better graphics, smoother gameplay and feels like a more complete experience when compared to NBA Live 14. That said, there is still some work to be done if it hopes to compete with the NBA 2K series. It isn’t quite to the 2K level, but it’s now officially on the right path.

Witch Strandings is an intriguing experiment that underdelivers on complexity but excels in atmospheric emulation and simple gameplay. I cannot help but want more from Witch Strandings, and I hope that Strange Scaffold continues to build on this experiment.

Damascus Gear is a solid portable mech combat game that quickly proved to be more fun and addictive than I was anticipating. It's not the most difficult or longest game you'll play on the Vita, but it's fun and satisfying, especially for $15.

Fans of the Monkey Ball series are sure to classify Step & Roll as a regressive leap, and newcomers won’t find much to appreciate, either. The balance board controls are simply too imprecise and illogical to play the foundation of a game wholly dependent upon precision.

Defiance is far from perfect. But it gets enough stuff right, that fans of action RPGs should find solace and have a really good time on this sci-fi excursion.

Everything looks great, plays well and feels like the NHL hockey I love. Even the tricky teammate AI can be addressed via settings tweaks. Where NHL 15 disappoints, however, is in the trimmed features and modes.

Chase is a very brief but also really enjoyable game that is worth picking up.

Bright Memory Infinite is an impressive feat for a lone developer, but even at $20 it’s not without some hesitation that I recommend it. I thought the game was fun and worth the less-than-three hours it took to get through, but I don’t see myself ever going back to play through it again. If you’re an avid fan of FPS action games and are willing to overlook some glaring issues (AI, repetitive textures and design, crashes, linear level design), BMI is worth checking out.

Skellboy’s strong points come from its writing and visual identity, not from its combat and gameplay. While there are certainly some unique mechanics to keep the game going, there isn’t much there to keep players invested. The game is enjoyable enough to get through the story alone, just don’t expect a deep gameplay loop within.

On its own, Mara in Summer is the perfect game if you have plenty of time and are not looking for a challenge. The main protagonist, Koa, is a very charming protagonist and the idea of sailing from Island to Island while meeting new residents and saving your own Island is a pretty neat concept. However, with stagnant characters, quality of life issues, and strange platforming issues, Summer in Mara feels like it's in desperate need for a quick tune up much like Koa’s boat!

Sonic: Lost World is yet another disappointment considering the premise and games it was pulling ideas from.

South Park: Snow Day is dumb fun best played with friends. While it walks solidly down the middle of the road in terms of it being a roguelite and a beat-em-up mashup, it falls short in offering deep variance and complexity to make things feel fresh and worth the replay. It’s funny as hell, though, so that is worth the first playthrough. Hopefully additional content is on the way to freshen things up.

Cost and access aside, having played both this remaster on PS4 Pro and the original on PC, there is not a clearly compelling reason for me to recommend jumping to the remaster. With some patching, perhaps this release could get a nanosuit-like boost in value, but as is, it’s too rough to earnestly recommend.

Warlocks 2: God Slayers is a tedious action-RPG that will certainly satisfy those who seek out a challenge on the Nintendo Switch. It’s not necessarily the first game of its genre that I would recommend for people who are interested in the genre, but it’s certainly not the last. The tedious button mappings on the JoyCons with the slow moment-to-moment gameplay makes it an action-RPG that’s fun to play in short bursts, but not for long periods of time.

Mars 2120 has the core of an entertaining, satisfying Metroidvania. Players obsessed with the genre will be able to encounter a number of exciting fights and setpieces that test all their upgrades and exploration chops. And while it doesn’t mind borrowing heavily from genre’s progenitor, a bit more polish is needed before it can come close to capturing those highs.

Pokédex 3D Pro is most certainly a Pokédex that is well done in terms of aesthetics and quality. However, it is of little help to the competitive community due to its lack of numbers and advanced searches and they will no doubt find more useful tools on the internet.

Aside from the obvious benefit of being able to play with your characters on the go, Skylanders Giants for 3DS provides very little to convince that it's worth the time and money. Its little triumphs are far overshadowed by its unfortunate oversights-to the extent that even hardcore fans will find it difficult to justify.

It's not without its flaws to be sure, some of which are patchable, but Murdered Soul Suspect offers an interesting mystery and enough other positives to make it well worth playing.

It needed a bit more challenge to put it in the same category as Double Dragon and Final Fight. Still, it does bring back some classic elements, and is impressive with the upgrade system. Definitely worth the $2.99, but not more than that.

PlayStation VR Worlds is intended to raise belief in its accompanying hardware. And it does; once for each of its five technical showpieces. Afterward that high is only reached through a vicarious transfer from newcomers, positioning VR Worlds' potential as a dramatic flash instead of an imposing statement.

Gaming has a long standing tradition of making what is (ostensibly) one person's job into another person's preferred means of escape and relaxation. BigFest's approach to multitasking your way into and out of resources isn't especially unique, but its application to the riotous music festival scene is a welcomed novelty.

Entwined will put your brain to work and force you to think with both hands at the same time. It will challenge you to do better and keep you going, while at the same time relaxing your senses. It’s not perfect, but it’s engaging enough to warrant the time, money and effort.

Yes, The Last of Us Part I for the PC has somewhat improved a little under two months in. Graphical stutters, framedrops, and other visual artifacts currently exist. If you’re able to look past those graphical shortcomings, The Last of Us Part I is a truly exceptional game. Consider waiting just a bit more before jumping into one of the best series from Sony and Naughty Dog to date.

For a video game based on a film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon does well. It's a good action title that can be enjoyed by adults and kids. It's simple, easy to use and fun, though it doesn't stand out in any areas when compared to great action titles. It is worth at least a look.

It’s a tough game that will challenge you, much like the actual card game, and will force you to think and strategize before jumping into the mix. It’s certainly made for a specific audience that enjoys mathematics and forward thinking.

Guilt Battle Arena is a fun game with a simple yet innovative combat system allowing everyone to enjoy it. While there is not much depth to the game, it will definitely be a fun one to break out at gatherings and rage at your friends with for a little while.

All in all, Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time features intriguing characters, a solid story, tons of dialogue and simplistic RPG mechanics. It was definitely made for a younger audience in mind, and at times seems to forget that the younger audience can take on a challenge. Much like its main character Akko, it is going to be great someday, but right now just needs a bit more balance and work.

An intriguing set but one that is downplayed significantly due to the controls. Your tolerance may vary though, so it's not a bad idea to rent this one to get the full experience for yourself before buying.

Steel Diver is a launch title that shows off some of the great features of the 3DS (gyroscope sensor and 3D) but leaves some of them out as well (including StreetPass, online play, and Play Coins). If I were looking to buy the game, I would have loved to have purchased this for around $15 from the 3DS online shop. However, at the current price of $39.99, this game has too few overall content to warrant a purchase at the price of a full-length game. If you're itching to check this game out, I would wait until it drops in price.

It's nice to see another American football game from an outlet besides EA, but NaturalMotion misses the mark with Backbreaker.

Overall, Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee is a classic game that might be stuck in 2001 visually, but still is fun to play thanks to the story and characters.

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is a beautiful game that is well crafted in some areas, especially in the menu and combat systems. Sadly, the game trips on its own inconsistent difficulty and poor or incomplete feel of the gameplay design.

You have to applaud Drawn to Life’s developers for at least attempting to push a unique concept. While it’s fun (initially) designing your playable character and various elements of the world around him, however, The Next Chapter’s novelty quickly fades.