Other than visual issues, I think the Blood Rage is brilliant in digital form. It’s tough, challenging, and it is a well-planned and sophisticated game to play in digital form. I think the developers translated the game perfectly from its table-top brethren, but there is room for improvement.

After Us from developer Piccolo is an interesting title. It tries to create a Journey-like inspiring adventure through gigantic worlds and simplistic controls. Most of what it does works well, especially with its narrative, though the mechanics from its gameplay design sometimes fight against story progression and player engagement. The game can create some frustration with the camera and controls but wins more than it loses.

Guard Duty, for me, came out of nowhere, but instantly became a fun, short experience that I tip my cap to. It doesn’t revolutionize the genre (was never intending to, nor does it need to), it won’t make you suddenly like point-and-clicks if you don’t already (you’re missing out!), and yes, there are many other games in this old genre that have done it better. Nevertheless; for only $10, you can’t really go wrong, and if it supports future endeavors by this studio, all the better.

When evaluating a rhythm game, I take into account its complexity, soundtrack/tracklist, and replayability. Invector: Rhythm Galaxy’s gameplay ever-so-slightly improves an already good gameplay loop for a rhythm title thanks to how well it blends rhythm beats with cruising through stellar futuristic landscapes. Its difficulty spikes inconsistently, needing some mild curation in onboarding players. Its tracklist that’s comprised of licensed music is fantastic, on the other hand, and should appeal to fans from multiple audiences. Is it replayable? Yes, but some may feel pressured by its arbitrary completion requirements in its campaign. Taken together, it’s a great entry in the genre, and hopefully Hello There Games continues to refine the series and cement its place as a modern rhythm series of must-play proportions.

Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate is a smaller, more intimate expansion compared to the usual Bungie annual release. It contains a smaller story that is more focused on new avenues to explore in the universe, while also featuring some hit/miss gameplay mechanics that work more than they don’t. It’s the right direction for the franchise and a spark of hope that better things are to come from a decade of world-building.

The best way to play a classic FPS that can still offer an engaging and fun experience for those willing to give it an honest chance.

A series as ritually re-imagined as Ys should have exhausted its creative energy several iterations ago, but Memories of Celceta corrects any suspicion of dilution or degradation. Falcom's commanding role in its production has lead to an aggressive and intuitive combat system and, along with an exploration-focused narrative, an adventure that simultaneously embraces and improves its namesake's legacy.

Swords and Soldiers II is a unique take on real-time strategy gameplay that permutes the established formulas equally as much as it simplifies them. The result is an accessible—yet satisfyingly challenging—game which feels just as frenzied as the typical RTS title, but which can be enjoyed in bite-sized portions.

As a game, Wattam is a scatterbrained assembly of goofball logic and cumbersome mechanics. As an experience, it's an earnest expression of love, affinity, and forgiveness shared by all of its moving pieces. The product is a game that elicits joy without the videogame-y demand for precooked gratification. Wattam feels like a birthday party where all of your friends actually show up.

Overall, Freedom Finger is an edgy side-scroller that has heart. It is led by raw rock music and visual design while toting a typical side-scrolling shooter underneath. It’s a good game that will definitely keep you challenged and amused.

Sine Mora’s doctrine of sincerity, authority, and respect aligns neatly with shoot ’em up’s interest in unconscious obliteration and strategic composure. EX brings welcomed extensions to Sine Mora, but a clean transfer to modern hardware is a prudent enough motive to justify a re-release. The oldest genre in gaming always has something new to learn.

Chinatown Detective Agency is a very good adventure game that mixes old-school concepts across several genres into a set of mysteries that are replayable. While it isn’t perfect due to its saving system and some minor mechanic issues, it offers up a fun experience in the long run.

The general clunkiness of the controls is honestly kind of disappointing to re-experience so many years later, but just as was the case all those years ago, DPO is still a heck of a fun time that out does itself in as far as the overall experience is better than the sum of the parts. That’s a cliche maybe, but it so fittingly applies here I can’t help but call upon it. Bottomline, if your only console option right now is a Switch, you can’t go wrong with DPO, just as long as you go in expecting a dated, but nonetheless very much worthwhile, experience. Otherwise, I’d highly recommend playing the Director’s Cut release from 2013 on the PS3.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando obviously has echoes of titles like Left 4 Dead and Back 4 Blood in it. As a cooperative horde shooter it doesn’t stray from the pack in a way that is too experimental to prevent casual fun. Despite the gritty and realistic aesthetic, the open-ended maps offer numerous engaging objectives meant to challenge groups of players. By combining familiar elements of character classes and tangible upgrades, Saber Interactive has borrowed from its best titles to create a cohesive power climb that is best with friends biting back with enough fangs that challenges are fresh and fun.

Weird West excels at presenting players with an engaging, interconnected world experienced by five vastly different characters. It’s a game where multiple decisions ripple through the narrative, resulting in outcomes both unexpected and practical. While its attention to detail may not result in varied gameplay, its portrayal of a deeply weird yet familiar version of the Wild West elevates this CRPG in interesting ways, making WolfEye Studios’ debut a noteworthy homage to its roots.

The good news is Daytona USA's port is actually better than you remember. The bad is, despite some inspired extras, it doesn't last that long.

It's tough, addictive, and offers a lot of content for the cost of admission. While not a traditional Hitman game, it's a smart entry into the franchise that I would encourage Vita owners especially to strongly consider.

Overall, Dragon Quest Heroes II is an upgrade over its predecessor. It’s packed with plenty of content, long action sequences and a healthy dose of role-playing elements to keep your interest firmly hooked. The balance between action and RPG helps make this more than just a Dragon Quest title with the beating heart of Dynasty Warriors. It’s a worthy sequel.

Apart from food, clothing, bills, medical care, transportation, art supplies, or a donation to a cause of your choice, I can't think of a much better way to spend $15 this month.

Blade & Soul is a great MMORPG experience. It’s big in scope, easy to pick up and play, and it’s fun as hell. It’s not perfect, but it has a solid formula to possibly achieve such a feat.

Don’t Stop, Girlypop! from developer Funny Fintan Softworks is a jewel in the crown of fast-paced shooters. It brings good level design, excellent boss design, and throws in fantastic music that helps push the gameplay along. While not everything works with the game, it’s still quite fun to run-and-gun with this one.

What the Dub? is a good party game. Playing with friends and family to dub over B-Movie film clips is short stints of amusement that you can come back to when you tire of the Jack Box experience. It’s cheap enough to justify and funny enough to enjoy.

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.

Polybius' tempestuous pace and kaleidoscopic assault indulge its urban legend while its principled operation betrays its sinister infamy. It's a spiraling supersonic tunnel shooter that only seems like it's bulldozing cognitive ability, and parsing its putative chaos tips its scale from pandemonium to precision. By allowing fury to give way to Zen, Polybius lives up to its legend.

Overall, No Code takes sci-fi survival horror in a different direction using clever gameplay design and a powerfully uneasy story to drive the experience. It’s not perfect for all gamers, but for those brave enough to stick with it, they will find some special.

Echoes of the Fallen is a gorgeous addition to Final Fantasy XVI’s main campaign. At most, it brings new vicious enemies that offer new levels of challenge to the player with motivating rewards waiting in the wings for those that take it on. While the story does add more intrigue to who the Fallen might have been before Clive was a gleam in his parents’ eyes, the DLC seems to be more focused on the game’s action and beauty rather than a deep storyline.

Although there isn’t much more to the 3DS version than there was to the original releases six months ago, Mega Man Legacy Collection nevertheless remains the definitive compilation of the NES originals, bolstered by wonderfully accurate emulation and a nifty host of nostalgic extras—not to mention a great value.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order borrows liberally from other titles and doesn't really bring anything dramatically new to the table, but that doesn't matter. It's a solid, faithful and incredibly fun adventure in the Star Wars universe, with a substantial playtime and plenty of extras to hunt down. It's a prequel and a computer game, so it can't deliver planet-imploding repercussions for the overall Stars Wars canon, but we'd happily hit lightspeed and join Cal and BD-1 on another adventure in a second. No Force push required.