Fighter Within has plenty of shortcomings, but more importantly, I'm having a lot of fun.

Certain Affinity took few risks in constructing a bare bones, workman like hack 'n slash and left experimentation to its pricing structure. Whether that was their call or Microsoft's isn't likely to be known, but it's definitely rendered Crimson Alliance an afterthought, or something to play if you've completely exhausted Torchlight and need something else in the console space.

Fairytale Fights isn't as bad as a lot of other outlets make it out to be, but it's got plenty of flaws. I like the premise and the idea of the game, but the execution is rough.

The presentation package of The Falconeer is quite good, especially on XSX, but that alone couldn’t overcome the struggles I was having with the experience otherwise. I appreciate the effort that went into making this, especially seeing as it was practically done by a one-man studio — but neither the lore or the gameplay really grabbed me and held my interest for long. I could see where more adept and/or forgiving players in this genre would have a better time than I did, though, so if the game sounds interesting to you, it’s worth keeping an eye on, especially given it costs less than half of some of the other launch games.

MathLand isn’t going to blow you away in any one aspect, but the sum of the parts makes for a quality educational game that deserves a nod of recognition if you’re in the market for this. At a scant 133MB in size and priced at $6, MathLand offers a fair value for the type of experience it offers.

Though I could extend this article with more information and thoughts, the bottomline is that this is the type of game you’re either into or you’re not. The genre is fairly niche and from the little I have played of it in the past and from what I have read this week, there’s nothing really new here other than the crossover with Doraemon. That’s cool and all, but is it enough to get players otherwise not enamored with the gameplay loop of these type of games to buy in? That’s something you’ll obviously have to answer for yourself, but for me, I found the game to be too boring and too tedious to spend a great deal of time with.

Moons of Madness suffers from itself in many ways. The story is a unique one that I really enjoy and like. It had me curious from the moment that I saw/read anything about it. Once in the world though, the game gets in front of itself and hurts the overall product. I found myself losing interest and intention with it. It suffers from this feeling of being too much like a puzzle game, and not enough like an adventure. I love a good story and the end of the day. Something that can keep me wrapped up is wonderful. With Moons of Madness, it just painted itself into a corner of putting too much in. It’s a great concept, just the execution and overall final product hinder the experience and make it lackluster and at times frustrating experience.

In effort to get to the bottomline seeing as this is the same game as it was five years ago, the Switch version of KHOLAT is essentially an ‘okay’ port of a ‘pretty good’ game. This was a more compelling experience five years ago. However, if you enjoy the genre, and can appreciate that it’s based on a real, tragic, mysterious event, it gives the game an intangible intrigue that might latch onto you. It’s pretty short, easy, and worth going through once, the question you might have to really consider is if it’s worth playing on the Switch, or if playing the graphically superior version on PC is a better route to take.

VR's viability hinges on making sensible objectives integral to the wonder implicit in its format. Robinson: The Journey understands this and makes visible strides to balance astonishment and curiosity. Too often, however, it gets tripped up by contrasting wandering ambition against capricious behavior. Ideas fight, rather than support, one another, ensuring Robinson's first steps are also its last.

Sunset survives as the antithesis of contemporary narrative construction, but lacks the confidence and vitality to thrive inside of its admirable periphery. It's all support with little regard for structure.

Some moderate updates to the gameplay (primarily with the new rules and roster changes), but if you're on any kind of budget or aren't in a rush to play, it's probably best to wait for next year when the series shifts to the current-gen.

Blood Stone makes for a good weekend rental, or an 'in between' title, but it doesn't offer a lot more than that.

htoL#NiQ's flaws are significant, and I experienced a lot of frustration in the process of grinding through it. It's hard to recommend to a general audience, but if you're into 2D platformers, especially ones with puzzles and unforgiving difficulty, htoL#NiQ is one to consider.

LocoCycle offers a simple fun arcade experience set against a wild and fairly humorous story. It's not going to pass any "next gen" Litmus test as far as graphics and gameplay goes, but it's enjoyable nonetheless.

Project X Zone had me excited when I saw the list of characters from 27 different franchises from Capcom, SEGA, and Namco Bandai and after I witnessed the epic trailers that surfaced before its release. Unfortunately, I wasn't as happy with the game as I'd hoped. With such a diverse cast of characters, personalities, and environments, it's a shame the gameplay feels so generic (both as a tactics RPG and as a miniature fighting game mimic).

Pokémon Rumble U isn't a bad game, but it doesn't have much to it as a complete package. It's a button mashing brawler with a bit of depth coming from the NFC figures that you can purchase (optional).

Dreadhalls is worth checking out. It's a quick and clear example of how VR can take what would be a pretty uninteresting concept and make it much more immersive and effective. [Tested with Rift]

The action is there and it's solid, but the package as a whole isn't enough to fully satisfy. The lack of story brings a hollow feel to this Resident Evil experience, as well as other small factors here and there. Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D delivers non-stop action, but it just can't bring enough substance in the gameplay to make the entire experience enjoyable.

DBZ for Kinect is far more likely to appeal to a young and enthusiastic audience as opposed to an average gamer, or one who is used to the depth of a typical DBZ game.

To fans of the series of flight combat, this is perfectly acceptable (and expected). Other might have wanted a game that bothered to fly somewhere, anywhere, they hadn't already been.

A quasi-interesting experiment that Move owners with an interest in electronic music might want to invest in.

Chapter 2 is a step back for The Raven, but it's a necessary hurdle to get to what will hopefully be a great closing act.

The audience for this game is clear: fans of the manga/anime, the first game, or maybe Dynasty Warriors should definitely check this out. I think those folks will be able to more easily overlook the game's flaws. For everyone else, you could do worse with your money and time, and if you do try it, give it a few hours to grow on you before you cast it aside.

I think passionate series fans, whether Budokai veterans or not, will appreciate the Collection, but they may also question why a more thorough and complete version wasn't released.

Much like Bossa Studios’ Surgeon Simulator, which is more about the complication of trying to perform surgery with individually assigned buttons for fingers, I Am Bread is lighter version of that same concept where it’s not quite as frustrating, but still nonetheless a chore to play through.

The Cave tries to reinvent something that didn't need reinvention. Whenever it yields a smile or a chuckle with its sadistic sense of light-hearted humor, it slips right back into drudgery by being devoid of meaningful traversal mechanics. The Cave is not a bad game, but it fails to execute on its initial promise by creating an unnecessary tug-of-war between outdated and stale puzzle-platforming and a delightfully twisted sense of humor.

Ultimately, DA is one of those games that just about goes tit-for-tat on pros and cons. With some patching, this game could really break through to another level of quality, but we’ll have to see what develops in that regard. I understand that Tuque has several things lined up for the next six months. They’re planning on new free DLC and a new expansion, Echoes of the Blood War, and that’s cool. However, I think they really need to take a hard look at the base game and make several major adjustments to it before worrying about DLC, because if the base game doesn’t get right, there might not be much of an audience to bring back in with DLC and expansions.

Toy Story Mania! is yet another mini game compilation on the Wii and though the midway style of games are enjoyable at times, the game is far too easy.