Everything in Survival Kids technically works and the co-op support, while not implemented nearly as well as it could have been, is still appreciated. But the game is mind-numbingly boring most of the time and, at a staggering $49.99, it's impossible to recommend it to early Switch 2 adopters. There are far better local co-op experiences on the console at launch, and money is much better spent on those games.

Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour is not an enjoyable experience in the least, but it does have a few redeeming qualities. The giant-sized versions of Switch 2 hardware looks cool, and there is more to do than expected. Someone that wants to get 100% will have to buy a couple of accessories and spend a decent chunk of time mastering the mini-games and taking all the quizzes. It's not exactly my idea of fun, but I suppose it's something to do while waiting for more exciting Switch 2 exclusives to land on the platform.

At its core, Captain Blood feels like a game that was meant to come out two decades ago. The gameplay harkens back to hack and slash titles of the past, and if it had come out then, it may have fit right in. However, in 2025, the title is extremely lacking. The core gameplay is repetitive, the audio mixing needs a lot of work, and the lack of polish holds this game back considerably. That being said, those looking for that old-school hack-and-slash experience may want to take Captain Blood for a spin as it delivers just that. Yet, for most players, this title does not offer much. It is still nice to see a game get out of development hell after all of these years, but it could have been so much stronger than it is.

There are no redeeming qualities to be found in Dollhouse: Behind the Broken Mirror. The game is a complete disaster in all categories. It's broken, ugly, not scary, and worst of all, not fun to play. The story is laughably bad, and the gameplay is a poor imitation of the Resident Evil games. Horror fans should avoid Dollhouse: Behind the Broken Mirror at all costs.

Mother Machine has a lot of personality and some genuinely good ideas that just aren't implemented well. It would be great to see what Maschinen-Mensch can do with more time and resources, but as it stands, Mother Machine feels more like a demo or proof of concept than a fully fledged game.

Even in early access, InZOI is a serious competitor to The Sims. It has the incredible potential to grow into something that one day even exceeds EA's long-running life sim franchise, with highly-detailed worlds and a lot of clever little details that give the game a certain "wow" factor that has been missing from its inspiration for some time. There is certainly still room for improvement, but it mostly lives up to the hype and, if InZOI's roadmap is any indication, the game is only going to get better from here.

Rogue Pinatas: VRmageddon is occasionally entertaining, and it's likely more fun to play with friends, but solo gamers aren't likely to get much value out of it. The game does have a great deal of content to unlock through achievements, new characters, and permanent upgrades, but the core gameplay isn't nearly compelling enough to keep players hooked. The idea of a Vampire Survivors-inspired first-person roguelike certainly has potential, but Rogue Pinatas: VRmageddon falls well short of hitting the mark.

I think if Rogue Incursion trimmed down its back-half, had a proper ending, and drastically reduced the xenomorph encounters so that they were more meaningful, it would be easier to recommend. But while I mostly enjoyed the first half of the game, the second half was a headache-inducing chore. Alien: Rogue Incursion successfully captures the Alien movie franchise atmosphere and there is a novelty to exploring this horrifying sci-fi universe in the virtual reality space, but its problems are way too big to ignore.

Regardless of these issues, the fact that Path of Exile 2 is already so polished has my hopes very high for the future. Even in its current early access state, it's undoubtedly one of the best ARPGs I've ever played, due to the unprecedented player power it offers, its detailed and immersive visuals, its satisfyingly challenging combat, its rewarding exploration and boss fights, and its thoroughly extensive and unbridled endgame. It's hard not to compare Path of Exile 2 to other, perhaps more prominent ARPGs like Diablo 4, but I would be remiss not to suggest that Path of Exile 2 has more than a fighting chance against the ARPG big shots currently out there. [Early Access Review]

Even though RetroRealms Arcade can be a fun action platformer at times and has amusing references for horror buffs, its pricing scheme makes it impossible to recommend.

Even though RetroRealms Arcade can be a fun action platformer at times and has amusing references for horror buffs, its pricing scheme makes it impossible to recommend.

Funko Fusion fumbles its interesting concept with bottom-of-the-barrel gameplay, and it's hard to see how co-op could make it any more tolerable. That being said, the game's latest balance update has made it at least a little better, and so perhaps future updates will make a bigger difference than expected.

Dustborn’s rhythm mini-game is just another way the game demonstrates how underdeveloped it all is. Its terribly paced narrative is married to an elementary view of authoritarianism and stars an irritating crew that never stops talking. Combat is woefully simplistic and lacks the necessary smooth controls. None of its systems fit together coherently, either, because they’re all underbaked in one way or another and, in some cases, plagued by glitches. It’s hard for Dustborn to fight the power when it’s too busy fighting with itself at every turn.

The 2024 Alone in the Dark is a deeply flawed game, but at least it's never boring. The first playthrough is fun despite its issues, mostly thanks to the campy story, and exploring Derceto is rewarding, even with the simplistic puzzles. The second playthrough is where it becomes apparent that there isn't much to the game. At best, it's an incredibly basic and generic survival-horror game that's stuck in the past, and at worst, it's buggy and doesn't justify its $60 price tag.

There is some hope that Bulletstorm VR will improve in time. People Can Fly and Incuvo have already indicated that updates are on the way, but the game will need some massive overhauls to even come close to being as good as the original. For now, anyone itching to replay Bulletstorm should stick with Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition.

With the promise of a Multiplayer component upon final release, the title may offer something for a particular subset of players to enjoy. But, as a single-player experience, Custom Mech Wars lacks the overall polish and gameplay elements to justify the time required by players who wish to experience the full breadth of its titular concept.

Ultimately, Mineko’s Night Market is a melding of boredom and frustration, and a lot of that frustration stems from the fact that the game could have been good. It had the graphics, music, story, and the makings of a gameplay loop that should have been thoroughly engaging. Instead, it just feels like nothing was pushed to its full potential, leaving both the game and the player wanting more.

With future updates, Payday 3 may even be a game that surpasses its predecessor, but it has a seriously long way to go.

Some of the problems in MythForce could be forgiven if the core loop stayed fresh and fun, but, sadly, it doesn't. And with services like Game Pass offering up several solid roguelikes, it's tough to justify the $29.99 price tag. Yet, the core idea of an 80s cartoon homage is a lot of fun, and a couple elements of the game succeed brilliantly. A project like this could only have been birthed out of passion, so hopefully MythForce has its day in the sun. The developer has stated it plans to support the game going forward, and further content has been hinted at. But in its current state, there's just not enough to recommend MythForce, both in terms of quantity and quality.

While there are some nuggets of gold within Star Trek: Resurgence's narrative, the game prioritizes tedious puzzles and clunky mechanics that break the sense of immersion that is crucial for this genre. The IP and some interesting characters are not enough to distract from the poor visuals, controls, and bugs that plague the majority of the experience.

There is no joy in Lord of the Rings: Gollum. It is a linear stealth platforming experience where none of its systems are designed to make either sneaking or platforming a smooth process, let alone a fun one. In fact, it is actually a frustrating game to play as a result of its issues. Assuming that Gollum’s myriad bugs one day get ironed out, nothing can really save it from its poorly executed gameplay core and baffling mission structure. Boring, clunky, and pointless, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum should have been cast into the fires of Mount Doom long ago. At least Gandalf’s hat looks neat.

Unless one is really desperate to unlock a bunch of easy achievements, there is no real reason to play Scars Above. It's like a video game rough draft. Some games have been accused of being half-baked, but Scars Above is like raw dough. It has some interesting concepts and weapons, but it never grows into anything resembling a full-fledged gaming experience. Its budget price of $40 is still asking way too much, even for the most diehard third-person shooter enthusiasts. Scars Above may mimic games like Returnal and Dark Souls, but it is highly unlikely to please fans of either game.

Atomic Heart's story, gameplay, and world design have promise, but the payoff is lacking across the board.

Too often early access games are barren shells of pushed-back promises, Knock on the Coffin Lid is already a great game and is constantly receiving updates. We look forward to a full release and a dark future filled with character, interesting storylines, and lots and lots of cards. [Early Access Provisional Score = 70]

Kukoos: Lost Pets has personality, some funny dialogue, and looks gorgeous, but can’t seem to find its footing as a new platformer with its myriad of issues. Its intended audience will enjoy how pretty it is and will definitely enjoy using the Kukoos’ pets to traverse the various areas, but the game's technical issues will chase everyone else away. Fighting through the crowded 3D platformer category, its graphics and local multiplayer will only be able to carry it so far, which is unfortunate since the Kukoos could be a breath of fresh air in a genre that can always use new faces.

McPixel 3 is mercifully short, clocking in at around three to five hours depending on how familiar one is with point-and-click adventures, but those few hours do drag. Some fun can be had finding the game's more clever solutions but overuse of low-effort jokes and nonexistent sound effects outside repetitive music make it difficult to recommend to most.

Finishing Scorn does not leave players with a sense of satisfaction; it's not scary and it's not fun. Most will be glad that it's over, and at least it's mercifully short. It only takes about five hours to beat Scorn, and our playthrough ended with us earning 11 out of 12 of the game's achievements. Scorn gives players absolutely no reason to return to it, and quite frankly, it doesn't offer much reason to play it even once.

Session: Skate Sim is a skate simulation that was very clearly designed with skaters in mind. From the extremely involved control scheme to the perfectly captured recreation of skate culture, the game seems like it was never intended to be a gateway for non-skaters to get into the sport. But the bugs, difficulty, general lack of fun, and incomplete state of the game make it difficult to recommend Session to its target audience as well. Some gamers may be able to break through the learning curve and appreciate the thoroughness put into creating such an involved skate sim, but at the end of the day, it's simply not fun.

As Dusk Falls has a strong start and players will find the game hard to put down for the first two chapters, like a great binge-worthy TV show. Unfortunately, its pacing issues become apparent by the end of Book 1, and it never recovers in Book 2.

Players experienced in this genre and fans of F-Zero will likely love Redout 2. It's appropriately challenging and adrenaline pumping. When players struggle with control there's little fun to be had.

While The Centennial Case has an interesting story to tell—and it's quite an enjoyable story at that—it's better told in a different medium. As a game, it struggles to balance the narrative with gameplay. Because it hands players the solutions, it then has to butcher reasonable logic or outright lie to prevent them from stampeding through each case. Had it just been a TV show, the red herrings could've been used as diversions that the protagonist cleverly dispels to find the truth. Instead, The Centennial Case feels like a TV show providing pop quizzes with only wrong answers.

There's a lot of work to be done to make Nintendo Switch Sports even half as fun as its predecessors, and as it stands now, it's a game that Switch owners can safely skip.

Smilegate itself has admitted that CrossfireX has major problems and seems committed to improving the game moving forward. The matchmaking has worked quite well in our time with the game so far, but the content, controls, and pretty much everything else needs a major facelift. As for the campaign, anyone that sees the Remedy Entertainment logo and thinks that is a testament to the quality of the single-player mode will be sorely disappointed.

Ultimately, Land of Screens may serve as a helpful reminder for a few players, but most people already know that it’s important to look up from their devices sometimes. As a non-developer, it’s difficult to see how Serenity Forge could have relayed its message in a more engaging manner, but there are developers who have successfully sneaked a societal call to action into their games. This is usually accomplished by focusing on gameplay first and sprinkling the message throughout for people to uncover themselves. Instead, Serenity Forge has made the entirety of Land of Screens about the message and only marginally concentrated on anything else. This has resulted in a flat experience that lacks the ability to inspire.

While the core gameplay of GTA Trilogy is truly incredible, the overall package feels rushed and haphazard. Those desperate for old school GTA on modern consoles should check the collection out, especifically if the promised Grand Theft Auto Trilogy fixes come through, but everyone else can safely skip it.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite has an interesting premise: co-op shooter set in the Alien universe where players must push their abilities, refine their build, and face a continuous onslaught of enemies. In reality, though, it’s a bug-filled slog that proves to be a one-trick pony.

Heaven Dust presents itself as a downgraded take on the Resident Evil franchise and that's exactly what it is. There are some fun puzzles and old-school Resident Evil fans may get a kick out of exploring the mansion and finding all the similarities between it and Capcom's franchise, but otherwise it's hard to come up with a reason why most survival-horror enthusiasts would want to play this.

Ultimately, with a few serious patches to Apex Legends, it seems the Switch version won't necessarily be a bad way to play the game. If it can at least get the technical aspects to a more operating level, it becomes an alternative option at least. However, based on what is shown at launch, it seems likely the port will probably always be the worst way to play Respawn Entertainment's popular BR.

In its current state, it's an incredibly engrossing experience and perhaps the first survival game of its kind to match Minecraft in pure fun factor. And if it's already this impressive in early access, one can only imagine how good it will be when it has its full release. [Early Access Provisional Score = 100]

Overall, Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood is a game with a great premise but it fails to hit the mark. Players will find themselves torn between the more enjoyable stealth gameplay and the more efficient open combat approach, all while clunky dialogue and distracting animations plague the cutscenes and interactions with other characters.

There are glimpses of brilliance in Blue Fire when completing Voids and making one's way through dungeons, but it's all overshadowed by technical issues and some frustrating design choices. Blue Fire lifts a lot from Dark Souls and Zelda, but is unlikely to appeal to diehard fans of either franchise.

With a lack of movement options, poor character animations, some truly terrible voice work, and dull gameplay, Ryte: The Eye of Atlantis is something VR enthusiasts should skip. There are far better VR puzzle games available that are more deserving of one's time.

Golden Force makes too many missteps to recommend it, especially on the Nintendo Switch. It's entirely possible that other versions of the game run better, as was the case with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night when it first released, but that remains to be seen. But even if the game ran perfectly, Golden Force would still be saddled with an unrewarding progression system and frustrating level design meant to bombard players with cheap deaths. Those looking for their retro gaming fix should look elsewhere.

While Bright Memory: Infinite may end up being a more well-rounded gameplay experience, Bright Memory in its current state is arguably the worst title in the Xbox Series X launch lineup and even though it's available at a budget price and only lasts a couple of hours, it's still difficult to recommend to anyone.

Monster Truck Championship's controls are the one thing that stands out from an otherwise repetitive and dull gameplay loop, thin content, and questionable game physics. Many monster truck fans may have been waiting for that "next good monster truck" game that manages to deliver on all fronts, and unfortunately this is not it.

Unfortunately, even getting through the game once can be a struggle, as 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is plagued by technical issues - at least when it comes to the Nintendo Switch version. The game crashed on numerous occasions during our time with it, and there was one stage in particular where enemies kept glitching off the screen and we were forced to restart to the level repeatedly.

Whether players are looking for mystery or a new horror game, there are better options out there. It's truly disappointing that such a unique concept produced such a lackluster end result, but This is the Zodiac Speaking falls apart on every level. Its awkward pacing, lackluster gameplay, and laughable dialogue only scratch the surface of its problems.

It seems that most of the game, though, is riddled with sloppily animated and questionably voice-acted cutscenes, and level design that doesn't play to the game's strengths. The good parts are too few and far between.

WWE 2K Battlegrounds has significantly less online and technical issues than most of the WWE 2K games, but it still struggles to shake off its identity as a small-scale, "budget" game. A lot of it feels rushed or lacks depth, and the result is a relatively barebones, repetitive wrestling game that loses its appeal in mere hours. That being said, those looking to use it as a multiplayer party game may find it to be a worthwhile investment after a price drop.

With so few 3D platformers released, some fans of the genre may still be tempted to give Skully a chance, and it's hard to blame them. However, the game is just a frustrating experience from start to finish, with very few redeeming qualities. Those looking for a new 3D platformer to play may be better off just keeping their fingers crossed that the next game in the genre lives up to expectations.

It's clear by its impressive visuals and polish that the developers truly put a lot of work into The Suicide of Rachel Foster. The game is mostly let down by plot, which robs the entire experience of any sense of tension, in turn making the game simply not effective as a horror experience.

Dawn of Fear is too broken in its current state to recommend it to anyone. Those desperate for an old-school survival-horror experience may want to hold out hope that other upcoming Resident Evil and Silent Hill-inspired games turn out to be a bit better because Dawn of Fear is a mess.

Someone looking for a playable, reliable turn-based tactics game will find one with The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics. It gets the job done, but does so in the most generic, unexciting way imaginable. It completely fails to take advantage of the Dark Crystal IP, and is simply not very fun to play.

It's a shame that Golem's gameplay falls so short because its graphics, music, and story are quite good. But even with these highlights, the issues with Golem's gameplay makes it impossible to recommend. Golem was once one of our most anticipated virtual reality games, but VR fans would be better off playing basically anything else.

The end result is disappointing and frustrating.

There's no reward for pushing through the tedium, and one's free time would be better spent with most any other game. That being said, Death Stranding's social systems really are brilliant, and hopefully we can see the concept expanded on in future games.

It's consistently dull and its new ideas fail to make it any more compelling than previous games in the series.

There is no reason to pick this game up when far better WWE 2K games are out there, and we don't recommend it to anyone, even someone that lives and breathes WWE.

While it's fun at first, The Blackout Club just doesn't have enough going for it to keep players engaged for longer than a couple of hours. The game becomes a boring, repetitive slog that gets less scary and more annoying the longer it's played

Strong post-launch support like this only really matters if the game itself is worth playing, and we can't really say that about Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3. At its best, the game is a mediocre brawler, and at its worst, it is an incoherent mess with a nightmare camera, frustrating battles, and ugly graphics. Anyone hoping for a return to form for the franchise will be disappointed, to say the least.

While the characters in The Sinking City may be more concerned with the murky waters flooding their homes, players will find themselves neck-deep in a flood of technical problems and puzzling game design choices. Anyone looking for a quality Lovecraftian horror game won’t find it here, which is disappointing as The Sinking City was one of the most exciting horror games showcased at E3 2019.

The game is a nightmare to play through, with an unlikable protagonist, a chugging frame rate, and a mountain of bugs. It’s completely and utterly broken, but even when it works (which is almost never), it amounts to nothing more than a below average hack-and-slash with some decent puzzles.

Call of Cthulhu wants to be scary. But instead of invoking a sense of fear in the player, Call of Cthulhu is almost relaxing to play, especially during the detective sequences, which is the exact opposite way a horror game should make players feel. Fans of the genre shouldn’t bother seeking it out for that reason alone, but for many other reasons, it’s not worth playing in general, horror fan or not.

A complete and utter disappointment, and not a good start for the Portkey Games label. The game fails to take player choice into account in any meaningful way, the gameplay is shallow, and its free-to-play model is designed to frustrate and bore players into buying microtransactions.

The game flatout fails to capture the Metal Gear spirit, and while it has some positive qualities, they aren’t enough to redeem it.

SkyKeepers is very much a flawed game, with a few pockets of gameplay that struggle to make up for the title’s shortcomings. Although there are signs of a good game underneath the surface, the lack of finesse on the graphical front and the level of frustration found within large chunks of gameplay makes it a tricky game to recommend.

Maybe if Nintendo opted to include it as a pack-in, it would have allowed users to appreciate the half-hearted nature of its lackluster design.

Unfortunately for WayForward, there’s no rescuing this PC remake of LIT from becoming another faceless title in an ever-growing pile of cheap Steam games, and no reason for gamers not to simply download the free mobile version of the game instead of this seemingly pointless PC port.

Good-nature intentions aside, however, We Are Chicago stumbles when it comes to presenting a polished and ultimately memorable gameplay experience, failing to capitalize on the depth of its poignant subject material.

MilitAnt‘s poorly implemented targeting system combined with its weak visual presentation and mediocre platforming squander its interesting premise.

This slog of a game fails to innovate or entertain for long on any level. Truly, this is one of the biggest wastes of potential in gaming.

Homefront: The Revolution is a mediocre FPS that squanders an intriguing concept, but worst of all the game is not fun to play and overwrought with repetition.

Back in 1995 is a game that aims to make gamers feel like it was 1995 again, and while it succeeds in garnering a retro aesthetic, it falls far short everywhere else.

There are some things to like about Party Hard, but overall, the game feels like a half-baked experience that doesn’t evolve beyond its basic premise.

Horror-themed FPS Chasing Dead suffers from a lack of all-round polish, resulting in sluggish and sometimes confusing gameplay and awkward graphical issues.

Suppressive Fire Games releases Blood Alloy: Reborn after a failed Kickstarter campaign, but problems with basic gameplay elements severely hinder a title that had potential.

Since the first time through Dinocide can be fairly boring with only a couple of boss battles to break up the repetition, it makes replaying the game an undesirable prospect.

Players will never be tested by the game’s combat, but instead by the awkward camera and just how long their patience proves to last. Although there are moments of quality, the title does little to prove its worth against other games of the same ilk.

Cibele is much more of an interactive movie than it is a game, but neither the plot nor gameplay engage on enough of a level to make the short title – which we finished in an hour – worth the $7 price it comes with.

Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a disappointing Wii U exclusive horror story that is more likely to put players to sleep than it is to scare them.

Fans of previous games will likely see it as a slap in the face.

Back to Bed is the worst kind of game: one that flirts with some good ideas, but never commits to doing anything with them. The core apple-dropping mechanic gets old fast, and while the graphics look great, they’d be better served in a different, more interesting game.

When the context and controversy of Hatred is stripped away, players are left with an off-putting and boring shooter, offering little but a sense of unease and repetitive gameplay.

The story, the visuals, and most importantly the gameplay all feel like the first step in a long process towards developing a fully realized game. However, rather than continue to iterate on ideas like wind pushing the player back, using heat to create light and melt ice, or even just basic traversal, the game shipped as is.

Anyone desperate to play this type of game on console will be pleased with the results. Beyond that, it’s difficult to wholeheartedly recommend Infinity Runner — but it’s certainly not without its merits.

While Dead Synchronicity could have been something great, it misses the mark with depressing, difficult gameplay that will make any player feel hard pressed to stick around for at least five or six hours.

If you like the moodiness, art, and adorable lynx babies, Shelter 2 might be worth a purchase if it’s on sale, but don’t expect much.