I like Vessel, but sometimes frustration sat side by side with amusement. The liquid physics on display are impressive, but when they get in the way of otherwise enjoyable gameplay, I'd prefer simplicity over a strict physics simulation. Nonetheless, Vessel has a remarkable style all its own, and your patience is rewarded with a delightful and lengthy adventure.

Despite those nitpicks and a couple frustrating late-game sections, Metro 2033's greatest success is the consistency of its pacing. You're constantly encountering new factions, discovering interesting new locations, or being tasked to do something you haven't done before.

Mario isn’t featured in this title, but Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker shares the same creative spark that so often fuels games bearing the Mario name.

To call Fire Emblem Echoes a step back for the series would probably be unfair. As a remake it works on a number of levels, showing off the series’ strange roots while also serving up an entertaining 30-hour epic fantasy. However, the brutal and dull difficulty and large amounts of necessary grinding left me feeling as frustrated as I was invested in Echoes’ offerings.

For those out there who got a DS because they wanted new experiences, I think that this cart is your chance. [Oct 2005, p.154]

Sure, the project has had its share of missteps, but it's also been full of powerful moments that surpass your average experience with a video game.

AlphaDream has come through again with Dream Team, an entry that lives up to the great reputation of a series that now spans three generations of Nintendo portables. It may be surprisingly long, but the dozens of hours of gameplay are filled with laughs, exciting battles, and plenty of charm.

Graphically, it's a masterpiece. [Jan 2006, p.136]

Vampire Crawlers elevates an otherwise simple but highly entertaining card game with sensations more reminiscent of a casino (or Vampire Survivors) or the blinding blue light of doomscrolling late at night to create a retro-inspired diversion that’s hard to put down. Its pull is less powerful with its dozen or so stages complete and behind me, but it’s clear that desire to return will never quite let up, lingering, waiting in the gothic wings for one more run.

Thankfully, the classic Lego gameplay dominates the main game, making Lego Batman 2 another goofy brick-building blast to play. [Aug 2012, p.110]

Multiplayer is an incredibly diverse experience, and offers something quite different from the big boys. [Dec 2003, p.182]

Packed with tons of nostalgia, unique weapons (including the suspiciously fanciful "Top Spin"), and more hardcore 2D shooting and platforming than you can shake an arm cannon at. [July 2004, p.111]

I never thought I'd find myself saying that I enjoy connectivity more than online play, but this just happens to be the case with Bustin' Out. [Jan 2004, p.140]

Even after the unlocks dry up, the challenge and camaraderie that Helldivers offers makes it hard not to attempt "just one more mission" with your friends, a proposition made all the more enticing by the inclusion of four-player couch co-op. I still don't know how the community-driven galactic campaign will shake out over the coming weeks, but contributing to the larger war effort is just one more welcome excuse to enlist.

Level-5 insists this is the end of Professor Layton taking top billing. The franchise will continue in unknown directions, but The Azran Legacy offers a worthwhile conclusion that adheres closely to the same formula that made Layton so beloved.

The intensity of the battles draws the players in, but the ability to improve your avatar...keeps you coming back for more. [July 2003, p.118]

During Episode 2, I was struck by a line about how connecting with people is important. In The Walking Dead, I’ve been doing just that, building alliances and becoming emotionally attached to characters.

While Gortys is a fun new addition to the cast, most of the episode feels stale. The action continues to shove annoying quicktime events down your throat, with more chase and combat sequences with no consequences – in fact, at this point I don't I feel like I've made a single significant choice in the series.

It can fill your mind with some of the sweetest combat you've ever had the pleasure of playing. [Dec 2002, p.137]

The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie is not your average game; near decades of world-building, character arcs, and detailed lore have led to this culmination. The franchise isn’t perfect, but this series is wholly one-of-a-kind. It is a monolith that should be recognized alongside icons like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts, and Persona. The details of the continent of Zemuria are unlike anything else I have experienced in gaming, and its cast now has several of my favorite characters in the medium. Reverie has the intimidating task of closing the page on three arcs that expanded across almost twenty years of characters and storytelling. Even if the narrative in this chapter falls short compared to past entries, it still stands above most other games in the genre. If Trails into Reverie is the last time we see most of these beloved characters, it serves as a terrific send-off.

Taken as a whole creation, the game is as great on PlayStation as it is on PC. [June 2015, p.88]

It's not a revolution, but it's an improvement. [Nov 2005, p.140]

Outside of the mission monotony, Sunset Overdrive is an immensely rewarding experience that has a look and style all its own and a great gameplay package to complement it.

It’s a great downloadable title, packed with hours of fun in a setting unlike anything else out there.

True Colors’ writing is so strong that it didn’t need a supernatural ability to tell this story. I laughed, I cried, and the things that stick with me are the moments where Alex is tested and comes into her own. And there’s something special in how True Colors gives you the power to decide her future and what her life needs, making for a memorable ending with a highlight reel of what you envision for the character. Due to all branching choice variations, you can probably get in a few different playthroughs, but the overall message never changes: Don’t give up. It may be a well-worn saying, but it means a lot in Alex Chen’s pained life.

The opening two episodes set the stage for the new adventure. They have everything you've come to expect from The Walking Dead: shocking deaths, intense betrayals, and split-second decisions to second-guess. Ties That Bind mostly focuses on familial bonds - the risks we take for the people we love and how far we're willing to go to put another's life above our own.

As someone who's waited years for a new SSX game, the frustration I discovered in EA Sports' latest snowboarder stings. Between the strong online infrastructure and the excellent controls, the foundation is here for the SSX reboot the franchise deserves. I can only hope that this team gets another chance to go for the gold and cuts out all of the unnecessary realistic flourishes next time.

The noticeable downgrade in graphical fidelity and occasional bugs aside, the console port of Crysis is still a blast to play. If you're tired of corridor shooters and are looking for a little more freedom on the battlefield, this is a worthwhile download.

The noticeable downgrade in graphical fidelity and occasional bugs aside, the console port of Crysis is still a blast to play. If you're tired of corridor shooters and are looking for a little more freedom on the battlefield, this is a worthwhile download.

Children of the Sun is a prime example of an experience born from a straightforward premise and then iterated for the right amount of time before it loses its charm. On occasion, the central mechanic can't keep up with itself – I missed more than a few finicky shots that should have landed, forcing a retry. But once you successfully execute a strategy and finish a level, the satisfaction is unmatched. You then seek to replicate the feeling during subsequent hunts, completely alienated from the messiness of your actions as you chase a higher score.

One of the most enjoyable sandboxes for players to experiment in this side of Grand Theft Auto. [Issue#204, p.86]

Power Tour is a solid title, but it's not as tight as Bjorn Borg's headband. [Dec 2005, p.190]

Rage's story and overworld design feel dated, but its heart-pounding gunplay is a nice change of pace in a market filled with "follow me" and pop-and-fire shooters. While light RPG elements are present, this is mainly a game for players who love challenging combat experiences.

Napoleon: Total War may not rewrite history, but its subtle gameplay refinements, tactical variety, and new multiplayer campaign do more than enough to offset the litany of legacy issues hindering this otherwise impressive strategy game.

Tabel Tennis is sheer, simple fun, and might well be the killer party game that Xbox 360 owners have been waiting for. [July 2006, p.107]

Despite an entire game being excised from the package, the MGS HD Collection still costs $40 on Vita – the same price as the PS3 and Xbox 360 version at most retailers. If you already own the title on PS3 and want to transfer your saves between devices to play Metal Gear on the go (and maybe earn some extra trophies), then maybe this trimmed-down version is worth considering. If you're not that kind of Metal Gear fan, then you don't need to waste another thought on this release.

Though some aspects of the games are dated now, the Jak games stand up as epic adventures. [Mar 2012, p.94]

If you’re not keen on learning by jumping into the fray and taking your lumps, Samurai Shodown likely won’t do much for you. But when there’s another player facing you down, Samurai Shodown’s bouts are a fantastic mix of fighting disciplines. It’s accessible, nuanced, and flashy, and the ways it asks you to bet big to win make matches as exciting as they are tense.

For those who eat, sleep, and live strategic defense design and implementation, Stronghold should be number one on your to-get list. [Jan 2002, p.94]

Where the entry really shines, though, is multiplayer. Two-person matches, eight-player tournaments, and two-player miniature golf rounds are all seconds away. Each plays fabulously and really uses the PSP hardware well. [July 2005, p.127]

While all these features give Homecourt the depth it needs, the real revelation here is something that's hard to describe in words: it just feels right. [Mar 2007, p.99]

For my part, Flux and its five forebears offer something totally unique within the video game world – a breath of fresh air that is especially welcome on a service like WiiWare. If you're ready for a challenge, give the game a try.

With a robust online mode, scattered borrowings from real-time strategy games, and that elusive indescribable fun factor, KUF is exactly the step-up that this genre needed. [Nov 2004, p.163]

The results are nothing short of astonishing. It's nice to see Springfield get the respect it deserves. [Oct 2003, p.134]

Hurtling down the tundra and concocting ridiculously large combo strings remain irresistible qualities, but the torturous design of the game makes you want to take the next flight off of this mountain. [Nov 2005, p.140]

Players who like getting explicit answers are likely going to feel let down by the Little Nightmares’ conclusion. Things aren’t spelled out for you in the end, but I wasn’t disappointed. If anything, its ambiguous nature made me want to play through it again and pick up smaller details that may have gone unnoticed. The specificity of some of the references – nooses, masks, and those shoes – points to a greater mystery that fans will probably be discussing long after release. Thanks to Little Nightmares' respectfully short length (I took my time and finished that second playthrough in a couple of hours), it’s a great game to show to friends who appreciate imaginative horror.

By affording you such command of a terrific catalogue of diverse hits and certifiable classics, Fuser allows you to aptly fulfill the DJ fantasy better than ever before, without the need for clunky peripherals you’ll only use for one game. Though I poured hours into the experience, I still feel like I have so many corners and interactions to explore within the library of available tracks. Fuser transcends musical genres to deliver a magical and intuitive music creation toolset within the framework of a game.

This remake might not be the AAA first-party killer app the 3DS needs, but it's a solid piece of nostalgia for longtime fans and an exceptionally strong shooter for newcomers to the series.

When I found myself shouting in relief and frenetically raising my fist in the air after a hard battle ends in my favor, I can’t deny the following fact: Darkest Dungeon II is a harsh but fantastic game whose white-knuckled battles and hazard-filled exploration will trap you for hours. If you’re willing to make the needed sacrifices, it’s a journey well worth taking.

With tons of hidden items to collect across the game’s five worlds, numerous minigames to unlock, and fantastic use of the multiple screens, Yoshi’s Island DS is an outstanding addition to the DS’s list of impressive platformers.

FTB’s saving grace is its multiplayer, the only real reason to play this game. A lot of the single player problems evaporate when you go online and sample any of the eight multiplayer modes FTB 2 has to offer.

Its gripping gameplay and the great Cold War-inspired storyline will have you hooked until the last Russkie is dead. [Oct 2003, p.113]

Khura’in is a compelling setting, and Spirit of Justice does a good job of building a world rich with history and lore. Learning about the culture and what led to its corrupt legal system is both fascinating and riveting. While Spirit of Justice brings little novelty to the series and relies on a familiar gameplay system, it nonetheless offers a story full of intrigue and puzzles that are satisfying to solve.

Gran Turismo 6 is the epitome of this series at its most base; it lacks any substantive new features, yet is more committed than ever to its original vision.

Though some of the modes don’t provide the deepest experiences, I enjoyed my time racing around in Dirt 5 thanks to a fun career mode and a community section bustling with potential. Whether you’re earning your spot among the superstars or creating a vehicular obstacle course of your dreams, Dirt 5 is worthy of a spot on the podium.

"Quotation Forthcoming"

My point is this: Kirby good. Me like. You buy. All happy. [Jan 2003, p.122]

The first Dishwasher game was one of the most action-packed, fast-paced games available on Xbox Live. Its sequel ups the ante in almost every way. The grim style is accompanied by some of the tightest 2D action around. While the challenge and dark subject matter could be a turn-off for some, most players will find a deep and rewarding action title that is more than worth a download.

Like a 20-year-old combatant, Sifu comes out of the gate strong. Its core combat feels excellent, and the moment-to-moment action looks better than most Hollywood blockbusters. Sadly, as you progress, the action begins to show its teeth and eventually becomes a tiresome grind. Sifu deserves props for its incredible sense of style and tone, but it is also a great example of why growing old isn't always fun.

If you liked the original Persona Q, Persona Q2 checks the same boxes while adding a few new wrinkles to the formula. As a Persona fan, it feels like the ultimate tribute to the last 13 years of the series, with nostalgic music and callbacks to previous events. When I wasn’t chuckling over a joke between the cast members, I was reveling in fusing new personas and finally besting a long, punishing boss battle. Persona Q2 is a worthy last hurrah for the 3DS, and helps the system go out on a high note.

Like any good extraction shooter, Marathon is a game about the choice and consequences inherent within a run. Yet, it's more than just that. Bungie's excellent audio design and gunplay, paired with increasingly complicated level design borrowing from over a decade of expertise designing Destiny raids coalesce into something special. Marathon is proof Bungie is still at the top of its game.

Borderlands 3 is a love letter to its fans and a celebration of the style of play it first popularized. Filled with characters from previous installments, and unapologetic in its silly humor and bombastic action, it’s an amusing ride that seems hesitant to innovate. If more of what you loved before is your chief desire, Gearbox has granted that wish through a game of impressive scope that charts some very safe territory.

This game serves its audience of hardcore fans well. However, at this point Patapon needs to take a cue from its titular characters and start the evolution ­process.

If you play this game the way you should – by slaughtering victims in the most foul of ways – it ends up being a non-stop highlight reel. The ranked boss battles are especially entertaining – think Mortal Kombat Fatalities with the budget of a Star Wars movie.

I can’t deny the allure of the formula Timespinner is aging, and if its pixelated font and damage numbers give you nostalgic shivers, don’t hesitate to give it a shot. It doesn’t escape its genre trappings, but its combat, late-game exploration, and interesting plot make for a strong foundation that hooked me long enough for it to all come together.

Does what a lot of titles fall well short of - delivering an engagning mix of styles to form a cohesive whole that spurs you on every step of the way. [Nov. 2003, p.152]

Final Fantasy XV is unlike any RPG or open-world experience I’ve played before. It succeeds and struggles in finding its unique stance, but a few problematic designs don’t hold it back from being a hell of a journey. Just days after playing it, I find myself reflecting on it fondly. The thoughts of that damn car are recessed and blanketed by Noctis’ journey and some of the stunning moments that unfolded within it. I wasn’t a fan of Final Fantasy XIII’s sequels, but I hope Square returns with another XV or a similarly designed sequel to iron out the rough spots. There’s a solid foundation here that begs to be explored further.

You will find yourself delving deeper into the seedy underbelly of amusement than you ever thought possible. [Dec 2004, p.188]

Ultimately, Puyo Puyo Tetris still includes the ability to play classic Tetris or Puyo Puyo to your heart's content, and that core gameplay remains as fun and absorbing as ever. While that's probably enough for most fans to justify the purchase, I wish the new flavors were more appetizing.

It's not Agent 47's best performance, but as always, he gets the job done.

It's brilliant, and I can't wait to see how the team expands on other areas of a sim's life, because now they have my rapt attention. [Apr 2005, p.139]

It's the kind of strategy game that I love; it lets you visualize and execute your best-laid plans, even if they can go down in flames. [Feb 2013, p.92]

Its stunning visual style, high concept story, and wildly open level design are like nothing else, even if too much repetition begins to frustrate in the later hours. It’s a game people will still be talking about five years from now.

The Show 14 is another pennant-winning effort for Sony San Diego that showcases improvements both on and off the field, and opens avenues of play to people looking to digest baseball in different ways.

Even with 60+ hours' worth of gameplay, some parts of Bravely Second's skeleton are still surprisingly bare.

This is a must play for strategy fans, and if you’ve always been curious about the genre but never jumped in, your opportunity is here.

When I finished Deus Ex, I was mostly content with the four hours I had plugged into it. I occasionally felt clever at solving a tricky puzzle, and I liked the visual presentation. However, it didn’t sink its hooks into me like Hitman Go – a game I still return to occasionally years later. I doubt I’ll ever play Deus Ex Go again, but it was fun while it lasted.

Plants vs. Zombies is a great game, but explore your options before committing to this version of it.

Terraria may not be accessible, but this sandbox is so deep that you might find yourself buried in self-appointed goals and chasing that carrot of upgradable gear into the early hours of the morning. The combat and controls could use more polish, but a nearly infinite well of items and randomly generated worlds make up for those faults. A lot of games try to hold your hand through a scripted experience, but Terraria makes a good argument for the merits of directionless creation.

I definitely had some fun with this game, but when I was having trouble calling pre-snap commands I couldn’t shake the feeling that for all this title’s individuality, I’d still rather play regular Madden.

While many of Vive’s launch applications are demos or betas, Audioshield is a solid and complete game, and its ability to read and create playable tracks from any piece of music provides effectively endless replay value. This is an early testament to the power of VR to create novel experiences in established genres, and music-game faithful should seek an opportunity to at least try out this new take on interactive music play. [Tested with Vive]

My only real gripe about the game is the insane load times, which is more a fault of the PSP than the actual game. [Feb 2006, p.113]

Visage creates a palpable playground for fans of horror to revel in, tapping into different flavors of fear to create an unsettling experience. All too often, genre titles fall back on repetitive jump scares and shock value, but Visage lets the house burn into your brain and leaves you questioning every decision to open a door or descend a staircase.

Even though Revenant Wings isn’t an outstanding title, it still manages to do something remarkable: It’s a playable and fun handheld RTS – and probably the first of its kind.

Soulcalibur V is the next-gen Soulcalibur that I've been wanting as a fan for years. At the same time, it's nothing if not more Soulcalibur. Now if Namco Bandai would release a DLC pack with the full Soul Calibur II roster, I could finally retire that disc.

Super Scribblenauts still stands head and shoulders above its puzzle brethren in terms of innovation and originality. The ability to tackle puzzles again to find new solutions, the addition of a puzzle creator, and special levels that focus on action-oriented play give Maxwell's adventure surprising longevity.

In some ways, Skyward Sword was the end of an era. It follows the pattern Nintendo established back in 1998 with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and it was the last game in the series before Nintendo reconceived the series with Breath of the Wild. In some ways, Skyward Sword perfects Ocarina's template, but that formula also feels well-worn and stuffed with unnecessary junk. Despite all the ways Nintendo updated this package, Skyward Sword remains far from my favorite entry in the series, but this is clearly the best way to play this blemished gem.

Certainly a great addition to the EQ universe, but falls short of the "Scars of Velious" expansion, which is still the best in the series simply because it offered so much content. [Jan 2003, p.118]

This game is going places its predecessors never went, but it's also unwilling to ditch a past that is just slowing it down. [Aug 2008, p.80]

I guess that this game doesn't bowl me over just because I felt like I was always going to finish a level in two (at the most three) attempts. Doing the math, that means a few hours of gameplay for most players. [June 2004, p.137]

The gameplay has evolved to a frightening degree, and exacting painful death upon your opponent is only the tip of the bloody iceberg...Deception is easily the most-accomplished fighter to date. [Oct 2004, p.120]

Wasteland 2 feels like a perfect execution of what inExile hoped to accomplish with this Kickstarter-fueled project, not only an excellent retro nod to the computer RPGs of decades ago, but a great RPG of today After a 26-year hiatus, this long-awaited sequel is a worthy successor to the CRPG throne.

Even in the face of some structural missteps, Muramasa is a visually stunning game that is entertaining in the heat of battle – though that heat eventually cools down due to short and shallow encounters. Without better pacing and a lot more depth, Muramasa isn’t fit to run with the top-tier action titles.

Despite its problems, Reckoning is a good game with a lot of stuff worth checking out. But even with all of the talent backing it, it's just on the edge of being something much greater than it is. For a game that's all about breaking out of the confines of fate, it's a shame that so much of the content feels stuck within such narrow conventions. [Mar 2012, p.88]

This year's title attempts to cover a lot of ground for the franchise, and the outcome is akin to a QB throwing for 400 yards and still not winning the game. A lot went right even if it wasn't a resounding victory. In the case of Madden 13, there is such a thing as a moral victory.

A good solid RTS slugfest with some interesting elements. Veterans of the genre should enjoy the variations on strategy that it brings, while the AI-controlled combat keeps gameplay accessible to newcomers to the genre. [Oct 2004, p.144]

This may be the only game that college fans need to care about, but College Hoops 2K needs to step up its game next year to avoid leaving the court with a towel over its head instead of a basketball net.

Whether you’re all on the same couch or meeting up online, Monaco offers a multiplayer experience unlike any other game on the market. The text-based story that unfolds between levels is great fun, especially once you begin to see the different perspectives on the tale that unlock as you play. Rule out impatient players and graphics snobs when picking your team, but everyone else should gear up for the big heist.