It's still one of my favorite games this year, but the flaws keep me from recommending it to everyone; this is a game for those who love the genre, and want an old-school tactical RPG challenge.

Sid Meier's Starships is a short and sweet companion game to Civilization: Beyond Earth that doesn't overstay its welcome.

Rather than repetition, Superliminal wants to keep you guessing until the very end. It might not be for someone who is brand new to the genre, but veterans will spend a memorable afternoon trying to wake up from this hard day’s night.

Those areas where Tetris Effect drops the ball doesn’t completely negate how good the classic puzzler still is at dropping blocks.

For what it’s worth, this is still a good game, and the exclusive addition of the children survivors makes it a more compelling experience at that. But really, if you can play the PC edition instead, it’s easy to sacrifice all those kids for a much smoother experience.

Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion is a fun, albeit short, romp through the games of yesterday that can be rushed through in a few hours. But it ultimately stands as a game with tons of untapped potential. I could dream up what I would like to have seen with Oswald, with minor characters, the unlocking of other abilities, and different powers, from what's been done in Power of Illusion. Sadly, this is just going to be another slightly-above-average, retro-embracing title that blends into the pack.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole is still a polished RPG that die-hard fans of the animated series will love. However, while its combat system has been greatly improved, its failure to provide the same belly laughs as The Stick of Truth, the lack of variety in its locations and its mundane puzzle-solving make for a disappointing follow-up.

It's bringing back some of the old and combining it with the action sequences current gamers are accustomed to. As I mentioned in the first episode's review, it's disjointed and yet somehow manages to work.

It may occasionally feel like a relic, but like the members of the Strange Brigade have shown, sometimes that’s just what you’re looking for.

Apart from its nuanced storytelling, Indivisible is a brilliant vertical slice of a more fully featured game that doesn’t exist.

Grid is an enjoyable racing game that fails to do anything great. There’s a decent amount of content, but nothing to truly ride write home about. The career mode is relatively phoned in without any unique elements and can become a grind due to the game’s progression system. Returning fans will remember why they enjoyed the series, but they will also realize why it hasn’t been missed all that much in the past five years without an entry.

Oddworld: Soulstorm took Oddworld Inhabitants over two decades to fully realize so it’s disappointing that it came out in the state that it did. Numerous bugs are just one part of the problem as its lack of a quicksave and unwieldy controls cause a lot of easily avoidable irritation. Solving its one-of-a-kind sneaky puzzles can be fairly gratifying at times and its impeccably animated cutscenes are nothing short of amazing, but this is a mixed batch of Soulstorm brew that deserved more time in the production factory.

Sniper Elite III is like working from home for me. Although I enjoy the tasks and executing them, I feel like there are ways to make doing them more rewarding and engaging.

Though nothing is over-the-top incredible about each piece individually, it all links together in a way that only Resident Evil games somehow can manage—maybe not everything on the sampler platter is as tasty as the next, but altogether it's pretty darn good.

Technical hiccups and a few narrative shortcomings hold it back a bit but its honest look at the Iranian Revolution is unflinching, educational, engrossing, and hopefully inspirational for those trying to make games capable of enabling cultural empathy in its players.

Turf Wars is a minor step backwards because of the high bar set by the main game and the prior episode.

The unresponsive controls, sub-par optimization and frustrating, extraneous gameplay elements shackle The Last Guardian to the past, while the emotional story and awe-inspiring imagery beg to be unleashed. It succeeds on the strength of its imagination alone, with no help from any other aspect.

Players who can withstand repetition and enjoy ridiculous 1000+ hit combos will likely appreciate the experience Samurai Warriors 4 provides.

Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom is a game that is built on extremities. Its weaknesses are extremely flawed, but its strengths are profoundly great. The story and characters are woefully brought down by such uneven pacing, which is unfortunate given the relevant commentary that is sprinkled throughout.

A Way Out may not be the perfect local multiplayer game, and though Hazelight made the excellent decision to allow two online players to play the game using only one copy, it lacked the replayability required to inspire me to complete it with another friend after I'd finished my first playthrough.

Despite the glaring exclusion of other NES favorites, the no-mercy difficulty, and some bland challenges, NES Remix will resonate positively with any NES fan who welcomes a taste of the past and the feeling of satisfaction you get from the mastery retro games require to win.

It's an enjoyable, cheap that tastes great, but doesn’t fill the stomach for very long and leaves you longing for more substantial fare.

When all is said and done, Unit 13 fills a void but not completely. It proves that shooters can be done well on a mobile device, and it proves that Zipper is the third-person shooter crutch that Sony can lean on whenever it needs a title to show other developers that it can be done.

I think Rain, with its simple design and story, is best for families to play together or gamers looking for a relaxing weekend jaunt. It is for the most part quite lovely, but it lacks both the narrative and visual punches that could have ascended it to more worldly appeal and acclaim.

Assassin's Creed fans who enjoyed Black Flag will likely enjoy Rogue as long as they're up for more naval adventures.

TASTEE: Lethal Tactics may not be the most welcoming strategy game around, but once you manage to crawl your way over the seemingly insurmountable hurdle it initially places in front of you, there’s a great sense of satisfaction when you finally start racking up those victories.

PixelJunk 4am is a wonderfully stimulating experiment, but it's not for everyone.

Heroes of Ruin is an excellent game if you're looking to take your Diablo addiction on the road with you. It's deep, replayable, and the online is instantly accessible.

Despite the mundane plot, there’s plenty to do and distract yourself with within the game world and any fan of the Mad Max franchise will definitely get the Mad Max experience they want from this game.

I'm pleased with Call of Duty WW2, but the rough launch and average campaign marred what could have been an unparalleled addition to the Call of Duty franchise. As good as multiplayer is, I have to dock points for missing features and instability.

Life Is Strange 2 Episode 1 is a decent introduction this new season. It stumbles and succeeds in the same areas as its predecessor, but those stumbles are a bit less severe and those victories are a tad more successful. Those heartfelt scenes and solid setup give the upcoming episodes a good foundation to stand on even if the dialogue sometimes tries its best to sabotage that goodwill.

Like a hero with an arm tied behind their back, Overwatch on the Switch still puts up a good fight. But this scaled-down port makes it a little easier to question whether or not the world needs more hamstrung heroes like this or not.

Still, if you're not really one for MMOs or you won't have the time to level up a character, please move along. The Force is strong with this one, but not so strong that you should throw away your console and invest in a beefy PC.

Summoner 2 is to the original Summoner what a case of shower grout is to a clogged drainpipe full of hair.

Whatever the notable flaws in the PS3 version, they obviously weren’t enough to keep us from playing several times on each of the difficulty levels (although some of those brutal ‘Deity’-level solo games ended pretty damned quickly).

But take heart, horror-inclined gamers. Any random two minutes of Ties that Bind’s blood-soaked gameplay is likely to give your parents, stuffy friends or sensitive authority figures of your choice the dribbling shiznits, and pretty much all the first game’s good stuff has remained intact.

Lost Planet 2 is filled with too much mediocrity to be a great game, but it is decent, and odds are that if you like third-person shooters, you'll at the very least enjoy the multiplayer modes. Just don't expect this to be the phenomenal game changer.

A deep, hard strategy game that offers tons in the way of customization and length.

But for players of a more old-school bent who like to steep themselves in the story and the character interaction, Sakura Wars is an unusual Neopolitan ice-cream serving of animé presentation, quirky Japanese-brand interpersonal humor, and a little old-fashioned mech-butt kicking for good measure.

Ignore the RPG part and you might trade in the game after two hours; ignore the third-person shooter part and you might replay the game three times over. In short, it needs a sequel to get everything right. Look beyond its obvious faults and Alpha Protocol isn't frustratingly bad, but frustratingly good; that is, if you care to look that hard.

If you're not into the whole arcade style of play where zealously gunning for high scores (that can't be shared) is the whole point, $40 is far too steep of an asking price.

An impressive, invigorating romp and a seemingly unfinished, unpolished rush job. At its core, this is a surprisingly limited game. However, it's still loads of fun if you look past its shortcomings.

As amazing as the free-running portions are (that is, really f...ing amazing), the lackluster combat, the bland story, and the embarrassing length just out-weighs them all.

Pitting 2K's college game against EA's is a close call, but ultimately I suppose that this game's better price and A.I. give it the edge. Someone needs to fire the coach before it's guaranteed a tourney berth, though.

The cheeseball presentation doesn’t really do the series justice, but Anthology rocks at delivering Metal Slug games. The arcade-faithful translation should delight fans and purists, putting up a good time and a lot of laughs for you and a friend.

Wii Sports Resort fits into the rotation of party games, but it has the breezy weakness of being lost in the shuffle.

I am simply amazed at how cowardly these creatures become when close to death.

Really the big reason to check out 360 FFXI is to play a decent MMO on your big honking TV for the reasonable $13 a month. Just know there are no HDTV advantages to speak of.

Its fast and furious action is a nice distraction for the itchy trigger finger. But once that itch is scratched, there's not much action left.

Revives some of the excitement Everquest used to have, and the personal dungeons address some of the most pressing annoyances of current online RPGs. On the other hand, the Lost Dungeons are another step towards nerfing the game to death.

If you haven't experienced the original Resident Evil, now is your chance to embrace a classic. Gamers who have played it before, however, won't find quite enough extra here to justify paying for the privilege of doing it all over again.

A fairly impressive beast. It might not be smart, polished or new, but it's wonderfully violent, varied and bloody. Plus, it's proof that two heads are better than one.

With a great style taken directly from the pages of a deranged art student's sketchbook and fun if occasionally frustrating action to boot, this little alien proves that you don't need a big, fancy ship to invade a home console.

It's a solid adventure (easily dusting "Azurik"), but greatly limited by its monotonous gameplay.

It's the kind of game where it becomes good if you don't stop and think about its lack of polish at every turn. But really, it's an enjoyable romp through zombie land, as long as you have friends to back you up.

It's the kind of game where it becomes good if you don't stop and think about its lack of polish at every turn. But really, it's an enjoyable romp through zombie land, as long as you have friends to back you up.

You'll be finished with the main game by the time breakfast is over, although it’s a helluva ride. The lack of satisfactory length or significant replay value hurts what is otherwise an impressive, stylish action romp through ancient Japan, leading to a game not quite worth its weight in yen.

This Le Mans is more like coming down from a caffeine binge than the exciting beginning, especially when there are fresher drugs, err… games, like "GT3" just waiting to be played.

Without a completely robust online mode and a decent but not remarkable improvement in graphics, Tekken 6 doesn’t take full advantage of being on the Xbox 360 and PS3. Both the Scenario Campaign and the final boss encourage players to dumb down their game with cheap moves in what should be a technical fighter. But otherwise, Tekken 6 still retains the same high-quality fighting engine, with an incredible and distinct character roster, that fans expect from the series, and collecting items in Scenario Campaign can be addicting.

If you foolishly cut your regular Xbox from your living room lineup, this game will do; it’s better than Madden, anyway. But this is still the least impressive NCAA Football game to date, and a rare fumble from EA’s dominant team.

While the game looks better than "Half-Life" did before the 1.1.0.6 patch, the engine does nothing new or revolutionary and comes off as fairly dated. Don't expect any amazing solar effects or vast open areas with incredible viewing distances.

Nothing to get excited over.

Id love to say this was a GREAT GAME!! but i just cant i like it but after awhile its to repetitive to really appreciate.

The gameplay is addictive, the movements you make are fun, and getting animated with friends will be endlessly entertaining. Just know that if you've already experienced Halfbrick's juicy karate simulator on another platform, you won't find anything new. That is, of course, aside from the multiplayer (slap-fighting) fruit slicing.

If I were Bob Dylan, I might ask, “How many versions of this game must we suffer, before we get something really new? “.

If you can stand the combat, the rewards abound on the other side of this looking glass.

Great style and shambling zombie hordes make for some terrific undead moments, but it's a shame there are only a few of them in the game.

Succeeds on two fronts: lightweight volleyball action and lighthearted digital chick eye-candy.

On the whole, it's a great-looking game with an impressive amount of territory to explore, and it's largely free of the suffocating pomposity that seems part and parcel of so many Japanese-influenced RPGs.

But taken purely as a game, this one could use some radiation treatment.

Although it’s fairly short and none too pretty, Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters crams in a lot of content to tide over the fans without PS3s.

A zombie could have a hundred flailing tentacles and a cool set of giant spider legs, but without a mouth, it just hasn’t got any bite.

Good for a weird shot of fun, or a fun shot of weird, or maybe both. It’s the kind of game that should have been available on your palm pilot five years ago (hell, it would still be a good palm pilot game).

Tenchu's disjointed mission structure, temperamental camera and disappointing enemy AI will leave new gamers looking for something a bit more polished and sophisticated.

While certainly not the most inspired of concepts, it’s still quite fun to explore, experiment and integrate the game’s additions into your Sims’ world even after the novelty of its spells wears off.

If Guitar Hero is your game, this is really a love song to you. Let's just hope it isn't the swan song.

Unfortunately, the limited replay (showing "highlights" rather than the entire race) is the only time you'll be able to have an outside perspective.

Taking a cult hit and squeezing it into a more conventional mold was a bad choice, but still, Valkyrie Profile 2: SIlmeria is worthy of a third entry, which will hopefully be something along the lines of Valkyie Profile 3: Lenneth 2, call me crazy.

Even as Chocobo Tales devours your children's attention, it successfully delivers at least 10 hours of safe and shareable gameplay for gamers of every feather.

If Guitar Hero is your game, this is really a love song to you. Let's just hope it isn't the swan song.

Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is a hell of a tale, even if by day it masquerades as a mediocre adventure game. If you have a strong memory and a high threshold for aimless exploration, this is a case worth solving.

It’s not particularly innovative, it doesn’t have ground breaking graphics, but it does what it’s meant to do and is a fun way to spend a little time.

Neither multiplayer scheme makes or breaks the game because the single-player is better than both of them, offering a fast-paced, good-looking first-person fragfest for either system.

There's not a great deal here that you haven't played before - like, last year - and we can't help but feel that this particular dungeon-crawl epic needs more updating and fewer characters. A little more, shall we say, mutation?

If you were mainly hungering for more Crysis-esque gameplay, Warhead will do you just fine. But if you were expecting to get a more significant story, some resolution to the previous game, or a major innovation in gameplay or graphics, you will be sorely disappointed.

Unless you're emotionally invested in the series and the characters, this particular spin-off isn't anything to get too terribly excited about.

If you’re the type who typically sits around playing video games as a solo endeavor, expect about eight or ten hours of arguably novel gameplay… and not a lot more. If you’re willing and able to drag friends into the online hostilities that are Fracture, you’ll get considerably more reward out of running up that hill.

What was once an intricate, tactical action game has effectively been dumbed down to appeal to a wider audience, and the technical issues and inconsistent A.I. leave the fun relatively AWOL for the hardcore Ghost Recon vets.

It seems content simply toying with features found in other first-person shooters and doesn’t really go the distance with any of them. The result is a decent if predictable shooter saved by a beefy online component. It might be inspired, but that doesn’t make it inspirational.

It certainly isn’t a game you can just turn on and enjoy any time, but if you plan on throwing many shindigs, make sure and invite Rayman Raving Rabbids.

The handicapped shooting elements, the inconsequential mini-games, and the lack of connection between them will probably turn off diehard shooter fans. It’s not the biggest game, nor the most technical, but it is original—absurd and effective despite its faults.

While Zone of the Enders is very arcadey and lacks the depth that will lead to much replayability, it does offer some very good and nicely-rendered mech mayhem.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance indulges those of use with itchy button mashing fingers by giving us the opportunity to smack around a myriad of bad guys with our favorite superheroes.

Exile is just an exercise that lacks the energy to make anyone ebullient. But that isn’t to say it’s not damn pretty.

Good, classic gameplay makes up for what it lacks in originality and its few flaws are relatively minor, resulting in one of Capcom’s better ideas.

Kirby Super Star Ultra is a solid title that could have been just a little fresher while still keeping Kirby rad. If only the little cream puff could run up onto some baddies that were a little more hardcore, his abilities might finally outshine his amazing super-cuteness.

Then again, weak audio is a small price to pay for some high-quality motorcycle racing goodness, and if that were the only price you had to pay, this game would be a must-have for the 360. It’s not, though; MotoGP 06 costs $60 but suffers from some hitches that weren’t present in MotoGP 3, a mostly identical but far less expensive game. Still, MotoGP 06 is a cool new bike for your Xbox 360, and an even better used one.

Alas, you can expect more of the same, except for a substantially increased difficulty. New Blood is still a load of fun, but it also comes with a load of aggravation.