Bottomline, it's still a good game, but it isn't quite great.

I suppose if you're tired of Majesty 1 and want some more of the same action pick up Majesty 2. It should give you hours worth of game play.

The concept of The Escapists—make friends, make enemies, make crazy tools, and escape from prison through any applicable deviancy—is easy to fall in love with. Reality, positioning The Escapists as a beautiful machine undermined by the gears assigned to power it, is more cruel.

Series fans may want to play it safe and rent Revolution first. For those who do not play UNS, Revolution is safe to skip.

For those who have played the original titles and for anyone who likes a straight-forward tactical RPG, VH: FoJ is worth a look.

Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is a textbook definition of a director's cut. Those enjoying it for the first time won't know the difference, those who disliked it won't care, and those who loved the original will be split down the middle in their appreciation of a reworked interpretation.

Street Fighter V is loaded with meaningful changes and improvements to its namesake's divine infrastructure. As a game—a full-priced package sold under the assumption of a finished product—Street Fighter V is destitute and disappointing. Its value and service will expand and evolve over time, though one has to question the wisdom and motive of releasing Street Fighter V in its present condition.

For all its positives, in the end, Smash Up is simply less and fewer in every way than Brawl. There are fewer levels (by half), fewer characters (by half), fewer collectible trophies (by an order of magnitude)… and the overall number of unlockables isn’t even in the same ballpark. It’s still a good game, and there’s no denying the appeal once you begin to perfect your technique, but comparison is inevitable under the circumstances.

A sort of diamond in the rough perhaps, in that Daedalic did a fine job with many aspects of Blackguards, yet a handful of problems, certainly some more crucial than others, and yet all patchable, keep the overall experience stunted.

Hunter x Hunter: Nen x Impact has several good ideas, but very little follow through in catering to diehard fighting game players, new players unfamiliar with the tag-fighter subgenre, or even folks unfamiliar with the franchise. It’s fun yet fluid fighter, don’t get me wrong; only time will tell if it reaches a more fulfilling state in the future.

The Darkness II is a fun romp for the brief duration that it lasts. Multiplayer is clever, but not enough to make up for the short, mediocre campaign. Definitely worth a serious look if you played and enjoyed the first Darkness game but note that a weekend rental might be all you need out of it.

Song of the Deep is a meandering lesson that not every reflection of Metroidvania has to be a grand odyssey. By that measure it's a serviceable decent into the great unknown with a handful of neat ideas. It's also too oblivious of its own limitations to leave a distinct impression in a crowded field.

The Testament of Sherlock Holmes offers a challenging, rigid adventure that emphasizes details and a slow pace. It's not without some significant flaws, but it's a compelling entry into the genre nonetheless.

This is all to say that Phantom Abyss falls somewhat short on achieving the goal of offering a challenging parkour adventure in a roguelite package. The whip and phantom gameplay involving other players’ trial and error are unique, but its clunkiness, difficulty, and disparate progression are worth a pause. I’m confident that additional polish and content are coming down the pipeline, but I need more from the current state of the game.

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.

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

Broken Pieces ultimately leaves an impression on the player. The setting and tone are undeniably intriguing and will spark the curiosity of willing players. Presenting a massively fascinating web of narratives, developer Elseware Games aimed high but definitely got a little lost in the weeds on delivering a satisfying conclusion. But the exploration and puzzle-heavy gameplay may begin to wear on players seeking more action than backtracking. Broken Pieces has its moments but never manages to capitalize on its initial promise.

Tesla Force is one of the few rogue-lite games I have ever played, and I also rarely play twin stick shooters. I found the experience a little chaffing at times, in how I had to restart a chapter of random stages after dying, but there is a lot of satisfaction derived from unlocking better and better weapons, abilities, and perks and laying waste to the monsters. Best played with a friend or three, Tesla Force is pretty cool and reasonably priced for the experience it offers overall.

The Detective Reaper Invites is an interesting game of logic and deduction. While it doesn’t go as deep as it could, there’s enough to give players a taste of deductive gameplay that will surely test one’s reasoning skills.

Rogue Warrior was a lot of fun even though it's got a lot of miscellaneous problems and shortcomings.

Overall, Shadow Warrior 3 was fun to play through, but I’m glad it ended relatively quickly because the gameplay loop is very repetitive. Flying Wild Hog has some great ideas here, but the lazy arena battle design and some (not all) lackluster level design needed to be more robust and creative. As it plays now, the gameplay is just paper thin like an arcade game — and I love arcades games, but those are short by design because they don’t have enough substance and breadth to hold the player’s interest for very long. All that said, I still enjoyed playing through Shadow Warrior 3 mostly, though I won’t be coming back for seconds. With due caution, I recommend it to anyone that enjoys the franchise or likes a raw run and gun FPS experience, and especially if you can play it on PSNow or GamePass.

Exploring the destructive psychosis of a plaintive individual is a noble, if not precarious, responsibility. The Park, however, can't decide if its manic behavior is either a means of identifying with its troubled protagonist or a symptom of its own decent into chaos.

With Red Faction: Armageddon I got the sense that Volition was really excited about creating a few segments and merely obliged their responsibility to fill in the gaps. There was nobility to be found in breaking the core design away from the success of Guerrilla, but the shift in dynamic ultimately irrelevant in the final product. Armageddon can be fun, but its linearity casts it alongside other (and better) games rather than a bold new direction for the series.

Most of what I have had to say about TLM2V has not been awesome as Emmett would say, but for the most part I still enjoyed my time with the game, especially when playing co-op. Keeping in mind the target audience and the price point of $40, the Lego Movie 2 Videogame presents a game worth considering for fans of the movie, Lego, or casual, family-friendly play.

Squirrel with a Gun is charming and a nutty idea at first glance. It’s better enjoyed in small bursts as to keep its small supply of silliness enjoyed to the fullest extent. If you’ve ever wanted to go nuts being a squirrel with a large arsenal of guns, this is the simulation for you.

Overall, Ben 10: Cosmic Destruction is a straight-forward, fun game.

Bodycount has its place, but for the full price and at this time of year, it's hard to recommend for purchase for any gamer who needs to pick and choose his way through this upcoming holiday gaming season. Ultimately, it manages to be fun enough to play in spite of a variety of key issues in the design and execution.

Certainly there is a lot more here than is immediately evident, but the fact remains that this expansion's approach of adding spice as opposed to entirely new entrees is unlikely to excite all but the most dedicated Sims fans.

The Hangman gets Cognition off to a promising start despite a few design and technical flaws. Genre aficionados should take note.

All things considered, at a $20 price point for a 4 or 5 hour experience, it’s hard not to recommend for someone looking for a pretty good story, average-ish VR gameplay that’s casually difficult (though sometimes a little frustrating), and solid presentation thanks to fine artwork and voice overs. If you’re in the market for an experience like that, Maskmaker is worth considering.

I can say that I had fun and I am looking forward to the complete game, but with some caution: I do hope and anticipate that FYQD will do a lot more to tighten up the experience on console as the cursor-driven menus are no fun, and this feels like a rushed port from its original platform (PC). Gameplay has got get more focused as well; I’m all for such an unusual mixture of enemies and cross-genre gameplay blends and inspirations, but it’s got to tie together somehow to make some sense and matter to the player. I don’t need a grand story, but I am hoping that the full game makes a lot more sense than this current offering which seems like someone brainstorming out loud, so to speak. All that to say, for $8, and with very limited new game+ options, you could do worse — but it might be just as well to wait until Bright Memory: Infinite launches in full next year.

Spirit Mancer is a wonderful first attempt by Sunny Syrup Studio to craft a unique game built on familiar mechanics and classic platformer moments. Behind its overly complex and stuffed systems, there’s a beautiful game possessing stellar art and a lot of heart. Those wanting a different kind of platformer will find a haven here. And hopefully these foundations will be put to use again in an equally robust, confident game.

We've seen this type of third-person action game before, and done better at times. Scourge: Outbreak does bring the action it promises, but also brings some flaws with it that hurt that action. Still, it's tough to argue what you get with the price it's being sold for, which is at a very affordable 800 MSP. Give this one a shot, but don't expect perfection.

If you enjoy NASCAR sims, Eutechnyx's latest is worth your consideration.

Razor's Edge doesn't fix all of Ninja Gaiden 3's problems, but it does make some significant improvements.

I was both impressed and discouraged with Sonic Free Riders. On one hand, it's a more interesting and deeper game than I expected with some great courses and gameplay elements. On the other hand, the darn controls are too finicky to make this a consistently enjoyable game.

This is a kids' game through and through. Ubisoft should be commended for its efforts, but the game should have been slightly deeper.

While the gameplay is similar to Hotline Miami, there are some positive differences that help make L.A. Cops interesting. It adds a few unique gameplay elements, such as isometric camera movement, but the game lacks in categories like speed, strong personality and a compelling narrative to drive it above a game like Hotline Miami.

The game controls like a first-person shooter should, which facilitates the combat process, of which, there is a lot. Unfortunately, there isn’t much in the way of exploration or gameplay variety. Players advance to the next blue dot and kill whatever enemies spawn.

inXile Entertainment had a clear vision with what it wanted to do with Hunted: The Demon's Forge. That vision came up short due to clunky controls, linear gameplay and a very frustrating single player experience. The game's core fun is based on co-op, but there are still some design flaws that hurt even that experience.

Whereas Lost in Nightmares offered a delicious modern take on the Resident Evil's past, Desperate Escape is content to serve up increasingly stale leftovers.

Even with the reduction in graphical fidelity and the controller shortcomings, I still found LoFVR compelling to replay after five years from having played the original. The story is pretty good, but moreover I really liked the ever-changing mansion and Twilight Zone weirdness of it all. That kind of atmosphere and design lend themselves well to VR play, and to that end the game is interesting on PSVR, despite its shortcomings. Plus, at only $20, LoFVR is relatively light on the wallet for a few hours of spooky VR.

Darkside Chronicles isn't a bad game; it's just a lazy one.

If you're looking for a licensed fishing game this season, well, you don't have a lot of choices. Fortunately though, Rapala Pro Bass Fishing does a nice job of giving gamers a pretty well rounded package here.

The eye-catching visuals and easy controls might draw anyone in, but if you are not in it for the grinding long-haul, you may want to get your puzzle fix elsewhere.

A welcomed addition to the PS3 library, but one that doesn't necessarily belong in your own collection. While Deception IV has some things going for it, the few cons are significant enough to keep this game out of the realm of greatness.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock had a lot of promise with an attempt at a more story driven Guitar Hero experience than before. However, even with a voice over narrative by the legendary Gene Simmons himself, the game still feels as unexciting to me as any of the recent music-simulation games on the market.

As the "thinking man's" action FPS, the AI and presentation fail it. I will commend Codemaster's for trying to mesh aspects of more tactical shooters with easier "pick up and play" accessible gameplay. But some points of this title just can't be ignored, like terrible friendly AI and basic animation omissions. The experience is much better online when you no longer have to babysit your CPU controlled teammates. And although the Fireteam Engagements can be really fun, it's hard to suggest buying this game at $60 to play four "side missions."

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.

There's nothing terribly wrong about CI Games' efforts to bring a solid FPS gameplay experience to the gamer. Everything you need to play this FPS is firmly intact. It's not perfect by any means, but it's not dreadful either. The main issue with Alien Rage is that it doesn't go out of its way to do anything exceptionally well for the first-person shooter genre. The potential to be great is right there at its door, but it chooses to ignore the knocking.

Tipping Stars is just about what you’d expect from a modern Mario vs. Donkey Kong title: unique, fun in short bursts, and inexpensive—but nevertheless, nothing terribly exciting.

Ultimately, if you're looking for a quick, pick up and play platformer, Ninjatown: Trees of Doom! is worth a look, especially at the $.99 price point.

Metal Slug XX is a textbook entry to the series. The familiar terrain is nice, but it may leave some unsatisfied.

Mario Tennis Open is, by definition, a regression of the series' splendid portable campaign. Lacking any sort of highly-acclaimed Career mode and bathed in an eventual sea of homogeny, it stales far too quickly for the good of its platform and price tag. This is Mario Tennis only in its most primitive and basic form.

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.

For Trophy hunters, this is an easy one to snap up a lot of those, if that’s your thing. For visual novel/crime fiction fans, especially/obviously of the Jake Hunter lineage, you’ve probably played worse and this is worth the effort. I would love to see a patch that streamlines the flow of the game, because lets face it, you’re playing it for the story, not the gameplay, so when the gameplay/controls/presentation get in the way of that, it’s an issue — and nearly one big enough to warrant taking a pass.

It's no surprise that the Vita release of Jak and Daxter Collection is noticeably inferior to its console counterpart. The problem is I'm referring to both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2 versions of each game. What the Jak and Daxter Collection gains in portability to loses in playability - a compromise that, even for games as objectively great as these three, is tough to reconcile.

If you're a child or are buying for your kid, they should enjoy the experience (though they will be expected to do a lot of reading). However, if you're an older Pokémon fan such as myself, don't expect an evolved gameplay format from what was seen in the original two Ranger games.

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.

If you are a passionate Bleach fan, then by all means you should check out Soul Resurreccion. Otherwise, proceed with caution; under the pretty graphics lies a repetitive experience that only Bleach fans will likely appreciate.

Blue Fire is an enjoyable experience when solely focusing on its platforming sections, but can otherwise be a slog. Combat is serviceable if not stale, and its upgrading system is more often than not a hassle. I can’t help but wonder that if Blue Fire leaned more heavily into its platforming gameplay, would it be a more enjoyable experience? Right now, Blue Fire attempts to be a game that it’s not and it shows. The Void challenge rooms are fun and are easily the best part of the game, but everything else is just decent at best.

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.

Destiny 2: Lightfall is disjointed in story, but pulls through with its gameplay. Something has to give with the former, as the story needs to be memorable and engaging, and this expansion simply didn’t get there in either category.

Foregone is a whirring pastiche of ideas that came to define the last decade of side-scrolling action games. There remains an artful satisfaction to cutting through hordes of exquisitely fashioned monsters across splendid vistas but, without a thought to call its own, Foregone’s performance will be consigned to oblivion the moment its player puts down their controller. It’s a beautiful, sterile wasteland.

Police Simulator: Patrol Officers from developer Aesir Interactive is a good game that delivers an accurate, though sometimes dull experience as a police officer. While the game could be a bit more exciting in some areas, the biggest issue with the gameplay is the hardware running it. The Nintendo Switch’s limitations in memory, graphics capabilities, and controls hamper what is otherwise a good game.

Ground Divers! is an interesting specimen, albeit one that looks much better than it ends up playing. On one hand, being a spectator and plotting out mining paths may be an adult’s dream of a nuanced Dig Dug. On the other hand, the grindiness of replaying levels and creating gacha-esque weapons with random perks can detract from a strategic experience. The world of Ground Divers! is a charming (but desolate) one, sure, but I want so much more from this game. Should you take the plunge and try your hand at Ground Divers!, I recommend playing in short bursts to avoid burning out on the grind.

Stray Gods – Orpheus from developer Summerfall Studios falls short of the original game Stray Gods. The DLC is a shorter game that contains a more compact and less meaningful narrative, while still featuring great music and wonderful gameplay elements like the original release. If you accept those terms, you might like Stray Gods – Orpheus.

Strobophagia’s visuals and decent music help to create an uncomfortable atmosphere. Sadly, that atmosphere is hurt by the simplistic and somewhat stale narrative gameplay that plays against what visual expectations were assumed.

Mechanic Battle is a fun, fast-paced game with lots of variety. There is a good amount of replayability, customizable cars, and engaging gameplay. The steering controls were confusing at first, but as you progress it becomes second nature. The visuals are good and the racetrack designs are unique. Overall, Mechanic Battle is a fun and fast-paced game with bright visuals and exciting car races.

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.

All in all, this game had great aesthetics and commentary, but it was entirely too repetitive. Every mission was pretty much the same, but increased in difficulty throughout the game. I would give this game a 6.5/10 rating, but it is also a cult favorite and I respect those who have love for this game.

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.

If you like MOBAs, anime, cel shading, fighting games, and things like that, you will probably get something out of the game. I, personally, enjoy almost anything with a competitive element to it. Add character creation and a beautiful presentation into the mix, and that was enough to make me feel like this is a worthwhile game.

The sum of the parts makes for a game that’s very much aimed at GI Joe fans, and that’s great. There are a lot of fan service games out there, most of which have no interest from me, but this one did. Between that nostalgia and innate interest, and recognizing very early on that this game is by far best played with a couch co-op buddy, GI Joe Operation Blackout is fun in spurts. I enjoyed the different feel to the characters and the story was entertaining as well. There’s a lot of pretty good elements to the game, but repetitive level design and gameplay, blah AI, and aiming woes taint the experience considerably — not necessarily to deal-breaker territory, but just proceed with caution.

If you’re a fan of the genre, appreciate fine artwork and want to experience a fairly interesting story, Trüberbrook is worth a look, just go in with expectations in check.

Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles is a solid first attempt at bringing this anime to a game format for current generation consoles. What SEGA and CyberConnect2 need to figure out is how to balance bringing the story into the next one while opening the world and trusting the player a bit more. I want to play and explore the anime, I don’t want to just watch it through my PlayStation 5. I have VUDU and HBO Max for the latter.

If you’re looking for an okay FPS sniping experience, SGW Contracts is not a bad choice, but it leaves a lot of room for growth.

Gangs of Sherwood may be inhibited by its own limitations but I can’t express how great of a time I had once it fully released and I could merely link up with a full group of players. It may not be a game that has a great deal of permanence in this busy season and packed year but it does deserve appreciation and respect for its tenacity. Such a unique setting and basic, engaging combat are luxuries we so often forget about.

Golden Force is a fun, retro, side-scrolling experience not for the faint of heart. Full of challenging battles and pixelated fun, this run-n-gun will keep you on your toes.

Overall, No Straight Roads is an epic adventure that hits all the right notes with its design, story, and deep gameplay design. Sadly, the coop mode is a complete disaster that needs more work.

Catan: Console Edition has some design issues but can be manageable when desperately looking for a CATAN fix on current generation consoles. It certainly needs some work in its default setup, speed options, and dice-rolling mechanics, but for the most part, it still does the trick.

The first five minutes of This is the Police will no doubt hook players into the world they’re about to step foot in. Unfortunately, the only way to progress through the story is to grind through the gameplay, which at times can slow the game to a screeching halt. This is upsetting due to the game’s fantastic storytelling. There will be people who will pass through the gameplay with ease and find enjoyment in it. However, in my case, it provided me with a negative experience. This is the Police is by no means a bad game, it just fails to hold up after the player starts the gaming sections. There will certainly be those who enjoy the gameplay and find it thought provoking, however, if a player wants something more involved, they might be disappointed.

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!

Defective Holiday seeks meaning from the isolated moments of its mundanity. The ideal traveler believes either witnessing or imagining extraordinary phenomenon can produce identical reverberations in their mind. This drifting opacity goes against the traditional idea of a relaxing getaway, but emerges as a scattershot method to capture surreal spaces between ordinary places. True to its name, Defective Holiday is a capricious but endearing vacation.

If From would have nailed the motion controls down, this would have been one of my favorite games of the year because it's so engaging and fresh. Unfortunately, dealing with the sketchy controls can be wildly frustrating.

Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle: Chomp Champs from Amber Studio and Bandai Namco Entertainment is light on the competitive entertainment that the game seemingly promises. While it does have spurts of fun and some solid customization options, it just doesn’t create enough competitive motivation to keep the game engaging or interesting.

A.I.L.A presents a number of intriguing concepts for the player to chew on and initially establishes its ability to circumvent expectations and genre tropes. But as the game continues, positive gains are lost in the swamp of repetitive mechanics. Springing from psychological to survival horror to something wholly unique would have been a welcome surprise but instead, A.I.L.A stumbles right as it begins to gain momentum. Though the overarching story has its moments, players will have to wade through the doldrums to get there.

RoboCop: Rogue City – Unfinished Business won’t disappoint fans of the 2023 shooter simply wanting more pulpy shootouts in a dystopian Detroit. And perhaps as a standalone experience and not a true sequel, Unfinished Business is passable. But a lack of fresh ideas and a safe setting lack the humanity found within the cold confines of RoboCop’s hardened steel.

Detroit: Become Human is evidence that breathtaking production isn't effective camouflage for anemic dialogue and abysmal writing. By co-opting famous racial prejudices and projecting all of them onto society's assimilation of androids, Detroit spoils its power to create convincing drama. The sense of agency and control over its story remains exciting, but archetypal plotting and cosmetic platitudes leave Detroit without much to say about anything.

Conan Chop Chop is a straightforward roguelite. While it may be shallow in some regards on the equipment and the worldbuilding front, the ability to play with friends can make this roguelite a worthwhile experience for those who want to introduce their friends to the genre. Yes, Conan is on the easier end of most roguelites, but this comes at the cost of a less-than-compelling single player experience. If you’re looking for a roguelite to ease you into the unforgiving nature of the roguelite gameplay loop of dying over and over again, then Conan Chop Chop won’t leave you frustrated.

Ultra Street Fighter II - The Final Challengers packs the punch of the 1991 original arcade release, and the inclusion of two new modes and all the SFII characters helps make the experience unique, but the price doesn’t justify the package. There’s just not enough here worth the asking price for the release.

Judging The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition on its entertainment value is easy – it’s perfect. It has an unbelievable story, compelling characters, solid gameplay, and a properly thought-through backend that shows the developers are all-in on delivering an unforgettable experience. On the next-generation upgrade side of this release, it’s just not complete. While the performance mode takes the experience up a notch with visuals and frame rate, the Ray Tracing mode is unplayable and incomplete. It hurts the experience more than it helps it.

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.

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.

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles has an earnest heart and an anxious mind. Brilliant landscapes and gorgeous vistas create a waking daydream while economic riddles and perfunctory direction recall the drag of reality. Yonder's strides, despite an admirable form, don't seem to take it anywhere.

Paint the Town Red (PTTR) is a decent action sandbox game that can appeal to multiple kinds of players. For those of you who wanted a gorier version of Minecraft, this game is for you! However, the controls/mechanics are difficult to deal with. The roguelike mode Beneath is an interesting step in the right direction, but it pales in comparison to other modes. If you want this game, it’s because you literally want to paint the town red in a sandbox environment, and paint the town red you shall.

Like the pearlescent shimmer across its desert surface, Vane is difficult to observe and define with precise clarity. Its world presents either an invitation to wonder or a provocation to explore and it’s often seized by the tension pulling it in opposing directions. Vane can be brilliant and subversive or confusing and frustrating and it’s impossible to separate its intentions from its misfortunes.

Destroy All Humans! 2: Reprobed is a fine remake of a largely unnoteworthy game. Amounting to what is ostensibly more of the same, fans of the original or even 2020’s remake will probably be able to extract some fun for a few hours. Everyone else should probably just check out or replay through the original Destroy All Humans! And its 2020 remake, as it’s by far the better experience.