The Lonesome Guild isn’t a game I would really recommend to anyone, but it’s also one I can see a very specific type of player enjoying. Every aspect of the game is undercooked, such as barebones combat, a childish story that never reaches its potential, and a relationship system that feels shoved into the game just for the sake of it. In other words, there’s no standout reason to play through its 12-hour journey. However, it does have a cozy vibe to it that may appeal to players just looking for an easy game to pick up and play, and while they may find some fleeting joy in their adventure with these characters, I wouldn’t imagine them ever coming back to it. The Lonesome Guild isn't necessarily a bad game, it's just one that doesn't do anything particularly special or great to stand out from the crowd.

If you want a quick and easy, arcade-style way to play basketball with your friends, you should just go to your local arcade with a fistful of quarters and play NBA Jam. Trust me, even though you have to feed the cabinet money after each game, you’ll still feel less exploited.

From a creative standpoint, Agents of Mayhem is great. Its world stands on its own, looks good, and is hilariously written well… for the most part. Playing around with the agents’ special abilities can even be fun, but many missions felt repetitive and dull.

If you haven’t played this game, or series, since 2012 and want to experience a portable-friendly game in a genre not seen often on these kinds of consoles, the Nintendo Switch version of Sniper Elite V2 Remastered should be in your sights. Even though the game itself may be dated in a few areas and this port may technically be the worst current-gen version to pick up from a visual standpoint, the Switch port of Sniper Elite V2 Remastered is competently put together and stands out from the rest of the hybrid console’s third-party library.

If Destruction AllStars was entirely focused on the driving and crashing aspects, this review would be a hands-down recommendation. I just wish it didn’t come to a complete stop as often as it does when you lose control of the car. It does interesting things with the DualSense’s adaptive triggers and has a satisfying loop but comes to a screeching halt in other areas. Lucid Games has promised at least a year of new content for the game following its release, so hopefully, things will be fixed over time. Waiting for a fix, however, isn’t how I like to enjoy games. Luckily, Destruction AllStars is one of the free PS+ games for February, so with an online subscription and a PS5, I would recommend downloading it to give it a spin.

A massive breath of fresh air that also capitalizes on the nostalgia towards mid-2000s racing games.

Monster of the Deep: Final Fantasy XV has its own virtual reality quirks, but the game is much more than the sum of its parts. Monster of the Deep may be the first PlayStation VR game that I would recommend across the board to anyone with the hardware to play it. However, anyone who has played a good amount of Final Fantasy XV will get more out of the experience than others.

Disintegration falls short due to a generic campaign despite having some of my favorite multiplayer gameplay in recent memory.

Jurassic World Aftermath's VR heritage looms large in this Switch port. Sections that no doubt feel thrilling in the confined space of a VR headset feel repetitive and dull on a flat screen. As a result, Jurassic World Aftermath feels like a walking-sim with some survival horror sections. The lack of enemy variety, the overly simplistic puzzles, and some frustrating stealth sections prevent Aftermath from staking its claim as the apex predator of its genre.

Perhaps with a little Joy, We Happy Few could be more palatable to modern audiences.

Lost Soul Aside left a bitter aftertaste of hype seasoned with unmet expectations. It's one of the few RPGs that made me care less about its characters and story the more I played, due to its shoddy narrative and half-baked cutscenes. The gameplay is excellent, offering plenty of versatility for everyone and depth. The post-game challenges will undoubtedly please those wanting to test their hack and slash proficiency. That is, however, if they have the grit and tolerance to see the game through to the end.

Though it has fun gameplay and unique character classes, Torchlight III doesn't do much to progress the franchise to attract a new audience.

I can't deny that I liked my time spent playing Wreckreation. The high-octane action, the blistering speeds, and the open-world freedom all come together to offer a format that I adore. However, I can't in good conscience attribute much of this to this game, as it's about as blatant a copy I have ever seen, lifting Burnout Paradise's mechanics, UI, race types, and progression almost note for note. Yet, in many ways, the game fails to capture that same lightning in a bottle, with shoddy recreations of many aspects of its inspiration. The only unique thing this game has to offer lies within the creation and online functionality, but due to the lackluster and uninspired single-player core this game offers, I don't think these admittedly interesting features will be enough to get many potential fans behind the wheel.

Power Rangers: Battle for the Gird had a lot of potential as a fighting game, but it ends up squandering most of it with a lack of content.

While there may be plenty of things I’d like to change in Gal Metal, the core of the game is an unmistakably fun time. With so many heavy hitters on the market in 2018, sometimes you need to just sit down, unwind, and out-play alien invaders with electrified versions of classical music.

While it’s certainly not even close to being what we got with Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm, it’s still a fun and enjoyable game that surprised me quite a lot more than I expected it to.

As a fan of beat ’em ups, I did find a bit of enjoyment in the game at a basic level, but there is no reason for me to return to Raging Justice in the future over something like Streets of Rage 2. Raging Justice should provide some adequate indie beat ’em up fun for genre veterans, but it is not very memorable, and its appeal likely won’t ever be any broader than that.

Root Letter: Last Answer is a touching experience but not without faults.

The numerous pitfalls and issues in Godfall prevent the better aspects from shining through, leaving only a dull mess that isn't worth the hefty price tag.

Combat is easily the strongest part of Metal Max Xeno. It’s quite awesome seeing different developers take on the turn-based combat fans of the genre know and love, and modernize it in different ways.

Video games have come a long way in the past decade, but Monkey King: Hero Is Back didn’t get the memo.

Fans of the original will get their kicks while turning some aliens into exploding cows.

There’s value here, for sure, as a visceral stomp through a beloved fantasy world that offers the rare luxury of being entirely playable alongside a friend. It’s swift, slashy, and simple, but comparing it to other games of this era that have been ported to modern platforms – Okami, Resident Evil Remaster, and Silent Hills 3 and 4, to name a few – you’re paying double to quadruple the price. Buying it at this price point feels like it could set a precedent that shouldn’t be supported, tempting though it may be…

Kejora is an absolutely charming and ambitious indie platformer adventure that has all the necessary narrative bones for a visually compelling experience. In terms of story, it largely hits the mark. However, the shortfalls in its awkward gameplay, lackluster sound design, and noticeable UI blips stagger that experience to a degree, and it probably could have used more time in the oven on those fronts. Nevertheless, if you're a fan of hand-drawn animation in games, especially of the Ghibli variety, I would say to give it the chance it deserves.

The perfect example of one step forward, two steps back. While the world is more beautiful than any of its predecessors, it feels empty in much the same way that the game does. All of the systems seem to be their own worst enemy.

Override 2: Super Mech League can be a lot of fun at its best as a mech brawler, but is ultimately pretty light on content and depth as far as its characters and combat.

Quotation forthcoming.

The first 30 minutes of Calamity Angels hooked me. The tension system seemed like a great novelty for turn-based combat, and the contrasting character archetypes brought fun personalities. Unfortunately, the game spent the next 10 hours spinning its wheels, forgoing any gameplay development and turning its entire runtime into a mind-numbing loop. If Compile Heart had fully fleshed out its own innovations, Calamity Angels: Special Delivery could have been a compelling game, but as it stands, it is just a shallow and forgettable experience.