Final Fantasy IV was a game I thoroughly enjoyed as it brought back many fond memories I had of playing the game on the PSone and the DS. Not much has changed but for fans who have held out or sat on the fence about giving it a try, this game is the only FFIV game you'll need for good ol' Final Fantasy nostalgia.

Bound in Blood certainly isn’t without its flaws, but for fans of the genre I definitely suggest picking it up and giving it a try.

For now, though, I’d give Dying Light 2 a strong recommendation. You do need to put up with its first rough couple of hours before it really comes together, and it’s got some sore spots here and there, but it’s a solid, well-designed, surprisingly optimistic zombie game. I’ve enjoyed my time with it so far.

The weak artificial intelligence is beginning to show itself, particularly with Resistance's emphasis on conserving supplies and conserving personnel.

As I walk away from my review and Zeno Clash I’m left with the feeling that as an arcade game (albeit one with vastly superior graphics), something that you would chuck a few quarters at and play for a couple of hours and then not play again for several months, it would have been OK.

It's not easy, it's pretty funny, and you'll only rarely do the same thing twice. It's there to test a wide variety of skills, or to simply entertain those with short attention spans, and it succeeds at both.

If you’ve enjoyed other tactical strategy games, then you might want to take Soldiers for a spin -- its 28 mission should provide well over 50 hours of gameplay.

There is absolutely nothing to keep Shadows of the Damned in your system except for achievements; it's made to be played once, then fondly remembered, like the action movies it's based upon. It's still very much worth checking out, but it's impossible to give an unqualified recommendation.

The camera is the root of my problems with the game. Everything else adds up to a fun ride and a nice homage to the film. It isn't perfect, but it is an enjoyable game, and it even pushes the sandbox genre forward a bit by moving the focus away from just mayhem.

There’s more to the gameplay than may initially meet the eye, but there are a lot of annoying hiccups in the flow that make it more of a chore than a fun game to play at times – and hurt the experience as a whole quite a bit.

If you’re the kind of person who does not tend to play online, I can’t in good faith recommend this game – there’s just not enough meat here. However, the online crowd is going to appreciate all the new stuff, and if that’s you, then go for it.

It looks good, plays great, has an above average story, but never manages to be better than the game(s) that inspired it.

One of the best and most complete action games on the PSP. The decision to emphasize tactics pays off in spades thanks to an intuitive interface for controlling Captain Templar and the Tactical Command System, where you’ll get to occasionally command an AI teammate.

Multiplayer has within it the seeds for fine gameplay, but with some iffy design decisions, lacking a serious tutorial, no AI to play with, and few other people to play against, it turns what should have been the game’s best piece into its greatest disappointment.

Double Impact is a good package, featuring two of the greatest co-op arcade games of all time. Final Fight is really showing its age now, but it's been twenty years, so that may have been inevitable. Magic Sword has aged a great deal more gracefully, and of the two, it's the one that I've been going back to.

Despite some frustrating gameplay quirks, Motorstorm Apocalypse is a must-buy for series fanatics, and a must-play for newcomers because of its fast action, sharp controls, and incredible sound design.

Valiant Hearts’s low barrier of entry difficulty-wise makes it a perfect gateway game for those who don’t usually enjoy the genre. While the puzzles are simplistic, they’re also fun to solve and never get in the way of the interesting storyline going on.

It is engaging at times but it is not always forgiving both in difficulty level and features to make it a truly well-rounded product.

The Karma system, the skill training mode and the branching storylines offered promise for what could’ve established the new standard for action titles. Unfortunately, graphical glitches, fighting issues and a breakdown with the plotline feature tarnish the game from truly being stellar.

Over the top gameplay coupled with nicely timed humor and the inclusion of online play makes this a great way to pass the time during the summer. Now if they can expand on the idea and drop some of the realism, Slugfest could become a true classic in the sports gaming pantheon.

Peripheral issues aside, Taiko Drum Master is probably one of the first rhythm games in a while to actually provide some amount of creativity to the genre.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: the Game is a must-have for anyone who has ever loved beat 'em ups - especially River City Ransom.

Quantum Break is Remedy’s best game to date. It is their most-polished game so far and accomplishes every goal it sets out to from a narrative perspective.

The revamped battle system is a lot of fun and strikes a balance that is good for fans seeking a return to turn-based combat while also finding a way to appease those seeking faster action.

If it had free no-holds-barred multiplayer, UaW would be a very good game.

I wound up loving the downloadable version of Daytona USA. If you grew up playing it in its heyday, or enjoyed it as Sega Racing Classic recently, definitely give it a shot. For $10 on XBLA or $7 on PSN for a limited time, you'll be able to play one of the finest arcade racers whenever you want against anyone in the world.

Gas Powered Games chose to play it safe with this release, simplifying the game from previous entries in the series and, perhaps in the process, robbing it of any personality that the series once had.

On the whole, I really like B4B. I’d like to see the difficulty spikes addressed and some expanded PvP choices, both of which I think can and will be pretty easily added and fixed. I’m also hoping that more people start playing it, as most of the runs I’ve joined have at least one BOT in it and is often nothing but BOTs (and when I’m playing with nothing but BOTs, why do I have to wait for online server space to play it?). The BOTs are competent shooters, and use their player advantages pretty well, but have zero ability with regards to the additional level objectives – they won’t plant explosives or carry supplies, and they tend to hang near you, which is good from a survival perspective, but doesn’t help in finding weapon and healing caches. But for a team that plays well together, and I’m hoping to get my crew to move over from L4D, it’s a fine zombie run and gun.

A surprising twist to the horror genre. With extremely creative monsters, an unique setting and quite a bit of replayability, The Suffering provides a sense of where the survival horror game could be going within future titles.

Sid Meier’s Railroads! isn’t a game I’d recommend for strategy fans. Most of the things that made the Railroad Tycoon franchise fun and challenging were either removed or dumbed down here, and the result is a game that might appeal to casual gamers who like trains... or it might not.

While the microtransaction and digital distribution models are in their infancy and still need some time for the market to straighten them out, the actions taken by the likes of EA (for charging money for uniforms, stadiums, and cheats in their sports games, all which are usually free) and now the makers of Lumines cannot be tolerated.

Just like the first one, but there's more of it...It isn't going to win any new fans over to the genre, but it is very good at what it does.

You’re buying the Chronicles pack for Shadows Over Mystara, with Tower of Doom as a sort of optional curiosity. It’s a fun way to pass a couple of hours and the online play is generally solid (at least, it is on XBLA; I’ve heard nothing but bad things about the Steam version), so this would be a great pick for those of you who’re looking for a four-player party game.

It boasts plenty of game-time, because even when you finish there are always more collectables to go find... in the middle of driving games and, of course, you can always go back and fight people for the heck of it.

Broadening the racing arenas to include a complete city, the number of race types and vehicles significantly increases the number of things to do in the game. However, the quirks of the world map, lack of visual speed and other gameplay issues keep it from surpassing the original title.

The career mode and the concepts behind the single player game are definitely innovative, and are a solid addition to the racing genre. However, a somewhat tenuous connection between modes, a lackluster inclusion of a trick system and a limited number of tracks keeps Mototrax stuck at the gate for all but the most enthusiastic Motocross fans.

There isn’t anything new here, but the format works as well as ever, and the 30 campaign missions are good for over 60 hours of playing time.

Despite the lack of online play and the humdrum combat system, LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures is a lot fun to play.

The Karma system, the skill training mode and the branching storylines offered promise for what could’ve established the new standard for action titles. Unfortunately, graphical glitches, fighting issues and a breakdown with the plotline feature tarnish the game from truly being stellar.

Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite succeeds in some major ways. The gameplay is faster and more intense than ever before, even with a smaller roster. Aside from that, the story mode does what it needs to and manages to both tie events together while teaching players, in a fairly organic way, how to properly play the game. The graphics are definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, but deliver more that works where it counts even if some animation and character model work would have helped the overall presentation a bit. The soundtrack is probably the best in the series – it may not be as outwardly catchy, but it’s far better for the actual game and makes each battle seem important.

Does Dungeon Defenders stand out from the crowd? If I had to judge this game based solely on the action/tower defense/RPG gameplay, I would have to say no. None of those three features really shines and the whole isn't greater than the sum of its parts. However, the multiplayer component is done so well, with fluid matchmaking, well-balanced dungeons (for a group), and even the ability to hang out in a communal tavern between missions, it does present itself well as a great party game (either LAN or headset-over-internet). And at only fifteen dollars, it won't be too difficult to convince your friends to join in.

King of Fighters XIII is clearly SNK Playmore's attempt to make good on the disappointing KoF XII and succeeds wonderfully. The offline modes are plentiful and fun, while online is actually handled pretty well. It's lean on bells and whistles but delivers a pretty smooth experience.

There’s a lot of unrealized potential in Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. I don’t believe the developers were able to squeeze as much out of the open world island warfare concept as they could have.

Dead Nation is a long, somewhat overpriced co-op dungeon crawler, and within that extremely narrow niche, it's a good time. Do not play it alone, as its solo campaign is one of the single most frustrating games I've played this year.

The action is fun, but a couple of the vagaries of gameplay kill that. This is a case of an otherwise high-quality game being hindered by a few iffy additions that wreck the whole experience.

BLACK is the kind of gun opera you'd expect from director John Woo, starring Chow Yun Fat. It's explosive both in its technical presentation and gameplay, but it's a very short experience.

Taken as a whole, Stranglehold is a well-made, but short and shallow gaming experience that ends up being best suited for a rental and not worth its asking price for anyone expecting a game with a lot of depth to it.

Overall, Riders Republic is a fantastic game and the most addictive extreme sports game on the market outside of maybe the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2 remake. The variety of sports enables the experience to remain fresh, while those wanting a greater challenge can enjoy more events faster by stepping their game up and going for a more all-encompassing experience with more tricks and tougher difficulty. Cross-generation buyers will be in for a far better experience on the PS5 thanks to the SSD speeding things up and making for a much smoother experience, but the PS4 version is impressive given the tech. If it wasn’t for the SSD’s speed, the feeling of both versions’ races would be quite similar and you can’t go wrong with any version.

A superb Downloadable Content, that reminded us the great days of Knothole Island. Traitor's Keep takes our Hero to a number of very interesting new locations with many new quests to complete.

Overall, Prejudice is a vast improvement over the original with new modes to experience, polished controls and an even deeper customization system. If you're looking for a fun time alone or to share with some friends, for $15 you really can't go wrong here.

Quantum Conundrum, thin plot and kind of bland atmosphere aside, has some great puzzle action to it. For the bargain price of $15, it is well worth the price of admission.

Overall, I found Lost Horizon to be a pleasant experience. The game engine works well, the sights and sounds are fun to watch and listen to, and the dialogue is well-written and entertaining -- and while I found the puzzles in the game to be a little easy (Lost Horizon is one of the rare adventures where I never had to consult a walkthrough), that might or might not be a detraction depending on what you're looking for.

If only the battle portion were better and the management section more accommodating of large empires, Knights of Honor would give the "Total War" folks a serious run for their money.

The game lacks the necessary bells and whistles that contemporary gamers have come to expect from their digital entertainment but it’s hard not to like MR4’s simplistic, RPG style, monster fighting mechanics nonetheless.

The Karma system, the skill training mode and the branching storylines offered promise for what could’ve established the new standard for action titles. Unfortunately, graphical glitches, fighting issues and a breakdown with the plotline feature tarnish the game from truly being stellar.

A very accessible racing title that is easy to play from the start so fun is also a word that comes along for the ride. But in spite of the variety, I came away with the feeling that there was too much and then at the same time, too little of a game.

I will say that it is worth playing through once, if only to see the movies, and the multiplayer adds some more mileage to it. But as an entry into the C&C universe, it demonstrates a series well past its peak.

The more it gets patched, or the more its price drops, the more it will be worthwhile to check out.

By speeding up wall-running and slightly upping the pace, everything feels snappier and more responsive. Combat still feels weighty and gunfire has some oomph to it – especially if you have a solid audio setup.

Anyone who enjoys Monster Hunter, and even folks who don’t, will find a game that offers up a lot of fun both off and online.

Yet, even with newly included character classes, new gameplay features and a cleaner online system, the fact still remains that Return To Arms is a title with relatively few advancements within the formula.

While its engine handles combat well enough, the targeting crosshair was not made for human eyes. It'll lock onto somebody's chest effectively enough, but it's got a sense of humor. You'll often aim at a crate or barrel when you really want to be aiming at the chest of the guy who just stormed into the room.

All in all, the entire gameplay experience is a recommended one.

Metro 2033 has a lot going for it, but it has a cruel streak that I both dread and admire. It kept me playing to find out what happened next, but it was always a tug-of-war between my curiosity about the plot and my desire to keep getting brutalized by unforgiving game design.

Besides these minor quirks, SC2 is a deep and complex foray into the Star Trek universe. The sheer amount of acronyms for the different spaceships alone is a testament to that fact.

Excellent, moody and atmospheric, and at some points downright creepy.

A surprising twist to the horror genre. With extremely creative monsters, an unique setting and quite a bit of replayability, The Suffering provides a sense of where the survival horror game could be going within future titles.

Over the top gameplay coupled with nicely timed humor and the inclusion of online play makes this a great way to pass the time during the summer. Now if they can expand on the idea and drop some of the realism, Slugfest could become a true classic in the sports gaming pantheon.

Sniper Elite 4 doesn’t always hit its mark, but I still recommend it to virtual sharpshooters who prefer a more methodical approach to their shooters. The campaign is perfectly enjoyable solo, but adding a friend heightens the overall experience, as does raising the difficulty level to increase the intensity and really capture the essence of being a marksman. Sniper Elite 4 may be a “wait for sale” kind of title, but if you’re a fan of tactical shooters, you’ll want to keep this one in your sights. - See more at: http://www.game-over.com/content/2017/02/sniper-elite-4/#sthash.wpJqyL7D.dpuf

Overall, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered may very well be the best Need For Speed game on modern hardware. There’s something about the more focused menu-centric system in place here that makes it more fun to go back and forth between racing and police action, and the retooled graphics and sound do a lot to help make the game more intense than ever before. If you enjoyed the game the first time around, it’s better now and feels more modern than one would expect for something that isn’t a ground-up remake. For anyone who missed it, you can now enjoy a better-looking, better-sounding, and better-playing version of one of the best racing games of the past decade.

It's not bad, exactly, and a lot of people are going to have fun with it just by virtue of the fact that they get to play as an awesome Transformer. It's just not as good as it could be.

The first time a player receives an achievement for bashing a person's face in a certain way they will be hooked.

It pays homage to every facet of the franchise’s history with its gameplay, and the only way it could do more would be to include the past entries along with all of the older character designs as extras.

If you're looking for great, satisfying combat, look no further, but be ready and willing to wade through the story.

The lack of difficulty levels, imbalanced gameplay mechanics and lack of multiplayer support reduce this game from being much more than a rent for anyone other than the most hardcore flight fanatic.

I’d only recommend Risen to people who really enjoyed the Gothic series, or perhaps similarly flawed games like Two Worlds or Dungeon Lords.

While I really love the game and think it's an outstanding showcase for the Kinect technology, it's also very short - it'll take you maybe six hours to beat it on normal mode, and while there is a lot of additional content in the form of the in-game store and even a free live-action FMV DLC game, I would recommend waiting for a small price drop to about $25-$30 unless you fall in love with the demo. If you love that, then you'll definitely get $40 worth of value out of the entire package.

Weak multiplayer aside, Resurrection of Evil delivers what Doom fans have come to expect from the series: a gory, action-packed shooter. The presentation is stellar and despite being a little on the short side, the single-player campaign is a hellacious romp, and I mean that in a good way.

Although NFL Street 2 has managed to double the number of playable modes available for gamers, the large amount of recycled material and somewhat imbalanced or unnecessary tweaks make Street fail to live up to expectations.

It lacks that final polish games like Starcraft have received where each unit and race has been weighed against every other in terms of cost and utility. Nonetheless, it is a nicely crafted and presented RTS which leans towards the old-school mold.

It isn't all about power-sliding on every corner but RalliSport comes pretty close to simulating the actual feel of driving, when the human driver and the machine work as one. And that's exactly why its appeal is universal.

Controls aside, however, Outlaw Volleyball is a worthy improvement to the Outlaw series, and does an admirable job of presenting the sport of Volleyball in a light, adult-focused way.

You're treated to an interesting plot, fun, sandbox-style gameplay, and atmosphere thick enough to choke a horse. It's honestly one of the most fun titles out there, and occasionally so over-the-top as to be downright hilarious.

In the areas of visuals, features, mechanics, story, and such, it doesn't really do anything special. However, the tone of the game, and the sheer weight and dread that the player feels when trying to survive in this version of London is ZombiU's crowning achievement.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 is obviously geared towards serious golfers who appreciate the history of their favorite past time. Of course, these are the people who pre-ordered the game and are already playing it. But with the changes focused on golf’s illustrious history and gameplay changes favoring more elaborate shot shaping, one can make the argument that more casual gamers aren’t purchasing a wholly new experience this year.

The puzzles are still really easy, and they still only account for maybe 10% of the game’s playing time.

It’s hard to play through Monolith’s F.E.A.R. 2 and not get a feeling of déjà vu. Between F.E.A.R., Condemned, and their sequels, this is the fourth scary, first person game that they’ve given us in a row, and unfortunately the experiences aren’t getting any fresher.

Risk of Rain might appeal to gamers who thrill over the challenge set forth by games like Demon’s Souls or FTL: Faster Than Light, but the uninitiated will find Risk of Rain hard to approach.

You're treated to an interesting plot, fun, sandbox-style gameplay, and atmosphere thick enough to choke a horse. It's honestly one of the most fun titles out there, and occasionally so over-the-top as to be downright hilarious.

Tales of Graces f is one of the latest Japanese role-playing games filled with tons of nostalgia and charm for loyal fans of the series. It doesn't break any new ground, but it's certainly a welcome and refreshing change of pace from recent titles like Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Hyperdimension Neptunia MK2.

By far the game's greatest fault is the unit pathfinding. Units spend a lot of time jostling one another when trying to move even across open ground or water.

The sad fact is if you already played the main story of Splinter Cell, it'll only give you cause to lament on what this game could have been.

If Brute Force has one failing in terms of gameplay, it’s repetitive level design. The missions are fairly linear, and your squad is equipped with a radar that always tells you where you need to go.

Taken as a whole, Stranglehold is a well-made, but short and shallow gaming experience that ends up being best suited for a rental and not worth its asking price for anyone expecting a game with a lot of depth to it.

Despite the lack of online play and the humdrum combat system, LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures is a lot fun to play.

The only problem with Cleopatra pretty much remains the only problem with Pharoah. As near as I can tell, no change has been made to the way walkers wander around your city randomly dispensing services like so many civil-service tooth fairies.

Overall, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is an excellent diversion from most modern military shooters which take place, you know, on the ground.

For me, Full Throttle was one of my least favorite of the LucasArts adventures, being about half the length you’d expect from an adventure and using a setting that I didn’t really care about. So I’m mixed in my feelings here. If you’ve never played the original version of the game, then it’s worthwhile to try out the remastered version — just to see some adventure game history if for no other reason. But if you’ve played Full Throttle before, then the remastered version is more of an iffy proposition. There is some new stuff to see (and hear) but it’s basically just the same game, and you’ll have to decide if that’s worth $15 to you.