It’s good to see Nintendo keep trying new things to refresh an aging title, and taking advantage of the unique opportunities the DS offers. But by putting a little bit more thought into the music and graphics, they could have made a pretty good game, instead of one that is merely okay.

A fun and interesting use of the DS, and with enough practice and patience, can “astound and delight friends and family”, at least until the next Harry Potter movie comes out.

The deluge of branching paths and chilling atmosphere combine well enough with its brief yet keen story that invites players to repeatedly run through it. But an abundance of cheap jump scares, semi-frequent slowdown, and initially goofy cast members mean that it pales in comparison to Until Dawn; the studio’s magnum opus that all of its titles will forever be compared to.

A decent, little game that's a bit too decent and way too little. It's good for a laugh or two, but it fails to capture the fast-paced fun factor of previous Mario sports titles.

Invizimals really wants to be Pokémon, but takes away everything that was great about it.

With three episodes left, Telltale is considering Episode 5 a sort of bridge between the end of the Witherstorm finale and post-season tales. While I’m looking forward to Episode 6 more than I was before, Order Up! greatly benefits from being self-contained.

Although the special modes tire after a few dozen serves and the modes are a little shallow, despite the constant stream of unlockables, Mario and friends are still a blast to play with and letting your Mii join in on the fun is a natural evolution for the roster. As a package, Mario Tennis Open isn't a killer app, but it's another must-have title for 3DS owners.

Hiding in the shadows and taking out each opponent like a ninja, albeit a non-lethal one, is satisfying. But Thief shows one too many unrefined edges, occasionally catching itself unable to resolve the issue combining classic design with modern production.

While it is certainly one of the most accessible RTS games I've ever played, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition does feel too outdated for newcomers. Unintelligent AI, monotony, and unbalanced gameplay hold it back from competing with modern strategy games out right now.

A weird and unique freak of nature amongst the mundane shooters and RPGs with their played out themes of morality, but it's trying too hard to be clever.

A gorgeous remake of a cherished game adaptation. With tons of unlockables spread across levels with tons of variety, it doesn’t rely on its namesake alone to carry it. While SpongeBob fans will undoubtedly be happy to play through a game that retains the show’s sense of humor and colorful animation, its solid platforming and the freedom it provides players with to explore its diverse levels make it one of the better remakes we’ve seen.

Battleborn could have easily been a soulless copycat of Borderlands or just another MOBA, but this is one fusion game that has its own identity and lays the solid groundwork for much more to come.

Mysterious Dungeon is the anti-Zelda doppleganger, cute and unthreatening in its top-down stylings, but as potentially punishing and old-school as lurking demons come. Once again, the question is begged: Do you feel lucky?

Unfortunately, it's getting old and this Xbox version offers little new. It goes for broke, but ends up breaking the formula with some graphical slowdown that seriously detracts from the craziness.

Order of the Pheonix is all about homework and chores, and feels harder to take in than a whole book - those are poor marks for a video game.

The game mechanics, voice acting, and enemy designs are all wonderfully polished. But if people could live on polish alone, there’d be gourmet restaurants serving linoleum and fingernails. A game should first and foremost be enjoyable. G-Force’s downfall is in its repetitive puzzle design, bland visuals, and antiquated 3D technology.

No, it won’t replace "Final Fantasy XII" or "Twilight Princess," but for some role-playing on the go, Magical Starsign isn’t a bad choice. Just don’t tell your friends.

Worth a look. Even if you are not a fan of the period or prefer more traditional RTS games, you will probably find that the challenges offered by the diverse campaigns will suck in more of your time than you expected.

A mediocre port of what can already be considered an old but classic Dreamcast game.

You would probably get a greater sense of being underwater by watching "The Little Mermaid."

The controls on the Kinect are solid, and the multitude of game modes turn this downloadable title into exactly what it was on your smart device: a fun, somewhat addictive time-waster. And frankly, there's not a darn thing wrong with just some good, old-fashioned pointless fun from time to time.

Ghost Recon Wildlands is a co-op shooter unlike any I've played before. It's a tactical shooter that doesn't throw tactics out the window as soon as you're discovered. Though much better played with friends, Wildlands is still a must-have for anyone who loves the tactical shooting genre. Even at the most basic level, there's simply so much to do in Wildlands because they've so carefully populated their open world with enough to do that you won't feel like you're simply walking over massive areas to get to the sporadic points of action.

Still, Murasaki Baby does a great job of introducing a steady climb towards multitasking where inputs on both rear and front touch panels require delicate planning.

A decent, if forgettable, RPG romp through familiar lands, with familiar faces, for familiar goals. Its surprisingly thoughtful and intelligent battle system mostly makes up for its weak character customization, lackluster graphics and overly linear world.

$50 for 30 songs actually feels more like $50 for ten to twelve decent tracks—not a good deal in any decade. Like, totally bogus, dude.

Improved graphics, more cars, and several new modes are among the upgrades that Destruction Derby Raw has to offer.

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.

Save yourself the tedium and dust off your old copy of SimCity2000 if you still have a machine that can run it.

It's also certainly worth a buy if you're into Dr. Mario multiplayer, where it can be played locally or online with a ranking system.

Wet is definitely enjoyable for those of us who like our action games with plenty of hack and extra slash, but like most of these titles, it’s not going to break the mold.

Disappointingly, The Conduit offers no incentive to convince current FPS gamers to put down Halo or Call of Duty, and it presents no easy transition into the genre for those who’ve never played an FPS game before.

A misguided effort to streamline the experience and create gameplay where realism comes before responsiveness.

This game will really only make Castlevania devotees truly happy. If the original came out today, it would be quickly persecuted for how dated it looks and plays.

Xtreme Sports offers pretty graphics and varied gameplay, but the individual events are simply too limited for this to have a long shelf life. However, the new events really sets XS apart from other sports titles.

Well, I have good news! This game doesn't suck! But I also have bad news. It's not that much better.

Rather than being all about sports, Sports Champions 2 takes the intense competition found in these six sports and turns them into a party game. Taking pointers from other party games, Sports Champions 2 puts you and up to three others (four total) against each other, tournament-style.

For better or worse, Fate/EXTELLA embodies everything that makes an anime game different from the ordinary crowd, including characters that speak only in exposition, fan service that creeps you out, and gameplay that is more about watching cool stuff happen than actually being fun. Owners of the PlayStation versions need not double dip. If, however, you feel your Nintendo needs a little more anime, this can be the figurative microwave mozzarella sticks before dinner that you're looking for.

I said it last year, "Every console launch will have a Tony Hawk game," and while Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam isn’t the biggest or best, it’s still a decent ride.

In short, if you're looking for a hardcore Ninja Gaiden experience from Ninja Gaiden 3, complete with ridiculous bloodletting and a very challenging difficulty, this Wii U version is your game. However, the inconsistent difficulty and poor camera hamper the experience, somewhat.

What we’re presented with is a patchwork, yet not entirely unworkable mishmash of NBA clichés, as spliced with a series of fun but ultimately insubstantial mini-games and fan-service bonuses.

I had a good time with Star Fox Zero, but it feels like a game whose design is built on contradictions; the desire to have the new targeting control, but with the classic Arwing gameplay keeps both from being entirely functional. It prizes arcade-style progression, but lacks modern concessions for console titles, like adequate checkpoints or multiple difficulty levels.

No amount of zen can keep a player from dying so many times and feeling so helpless that they punch through a poster for a band they actually like. If you appreciate an abusive relationship however, this is the way to go.

Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends is best suited for newcomers to the franchise. If you keep your expectations reasonable before you jump in, then you can easily enjoy yourself.

Despite its flaws, there’s nothing Magna Carta 2 does bad enough to keep me from playing. If you want to see what a JRPG from the olden days would be like if you gave it a modern overhaul, MC2 will form your responsum.

While it's not up to the standards that Square-Enix have set in the past for the genre, Paon and Nintendo have a solid RPG on their hands.

To both its credit and its detriment, the gameplay remains almost wholly unchanged from the original. Luckily, Journey of Dreams also shares with its predecessor some beautiful art design and a stunning musical score that save it from mediocrity.

NBA Ballers: Phenom might mark a change from its predecessor with a new story mode and faux third-person exploration, but it ultimately tries too much and does too little. Compared to EA’s more complex series, this is one street baller you’ll want to leave on the curb.

Arguably the best Jurassic Park-themed game to date, and a must-buy for fans of the films.

While they’ve done a good job of giving you many reasons to replay those levels for higher scores and more unlockables, replaying these levels many times over will barely bring the game’s total length to more than a few hours. This bumbling groundhog should have seen its shadow much sooner and ushered in a much longer springtime full of rail-shooting joy.

It would have worked better had the game allowed you to switch from any of these game styles at will. I think that was the original idea, but sadly it all turns out overly scripted and directed.

Cryostasis manages to be more of a psychological trip than most games in the past five years, and it’s fantastic to play through. If you’ve found yourself disappointed with the style of horror games in the past few years, give it a try – you will not be disappointed.

There is a time and a place for decisive tactics aimed solely at victory, though Minimum hopes to draw a line in the sand. Then, it hopes to add a few 90 degree angles and complete a box. Then, it asks you to put a bullet through that box guy’s head. It’s up to you whether you decide to follow through with that or try the flaming swords.

The idea of an open-ended, multi-squad, strategic, cooperative shooter is incredible, and during those short bursts when Red River comes together-especially when playing with friends-there are few games like it. But there are so many issues, both large and small, that you'll have to overlook a lot of flaws in order to enjoy it.

I’d like to get past my seeming bias for the Old Days, but every mistake and death reminds me of some comfortable feature from yesterday’s Sonics that didn’t make it into Sonic and the Secret Rings. Sonic is just too fast for his own good.

The numerous gameplay features like vulcosuits, spritnite, and artifacts come together to create an enjoyable and complex turn-based system that promotes strategy. Here's hoping that Tokyo RPG Factory's next project takes that gameplay design and applies it to a heartfelt story that doesn't feel like it was assembled on a conveyor belt.

The whole package is so bland, boring, and unremarkable (and tedious - moving those guys around so you feel like you have a team that can win!) that it's similar to PB&J on white bread. Bad analogy? Well, it's just as imaginative as Blue Dragon Plus, so it fits.

Oninaki tackles the theme of death brilliantly thanks to some poignant scenes and a willingness to go where most games won’t. That thorough exploration of death ties into every aspect of the game from its hack and slash gameplay to the ending choice that will leave players reflecting upon the journey they just went on. It isn’t often that a game truly succeeds as art, but every part of Oninaki goes back into its core motif and that’s why it is an essential action RPG.

You would never know there had been a two-year break between iterations in the series. MotoGP 09/10 looks even more rushed and inattentive to overall design than its immediate predecessor.

A few hours in and several crewmates later, I'd heard its handful of songs on repeat and I wanted to throw myself overboard as a result. This is representative of the full Sea of Thieves experience right now, where that initial excitement is eventually replaced with a longing for it to present anything new for the player to enjoy.

The sound is forgettable (which I nearly did), the graphics are sub-par, yet the gameplay is simple...and I like it.

The bad enemy AI, poor enemy variety and extreme linearity makes it hard to want to play any of the levels more than once. In the case of the Banner levels, you won't want to play them at all.

While the concept is good and the presentation is at times outstanding, the core gameplay isn't strong enough to separate it from the swarms of mediocre kart racers that have come before it.

Although there's no small amount of ambition on display, It's readily apparent that limited production values and adherence to tried-and-true methods cause Order of War to fall short of its target.

Though Foul Play can become repetitive and the story would have been bettered by voice-acting, its stylized gameplay is entertaining, memorable, and conceptually well-designed for a 1200 MSP title. Its ability to juggle all of its concepts into a cohesive beat-'em-up that lasts at least full weekend is to the credit of the indie developer Mediatonic. I take my hat off, good sir.

Building a Label isn’t deep, but it’s fun and silly, the engine makes for some nail biting fights, everything looks great, and the musically-timed catastrophes are worth the price of admission alone.

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.

While Ghosthunter sets up a freaky scene, it never does much to distinguish itself from your average action game. There are no big scares and only mildly interesting action.

Real Boxing’s biggest sin is that it’s just too boring. In fact, it’s not even that real. The game isn’t actually simulationist at all. It’s far more arcade-y than anything else. It’s a lot like a fighting game, except each character has the exact same moveset with slight differences to their strength and HP. This combined with the lack of game modes and customization options, makes the game fall short of other Vita titles.

Final Fantasy IV: The After Years is an unnecessary game through and through, as it continues a story that was already well-thought out and closed off years ago.

Unfortunately, its style tends to outweigh its substance, leading to a fairly bland first-person shooter set in a very interesting universe. It breaks the routine, but that doesn't make it a killer.

Oni manages to compensate for dull graphics, empty interiors, lengthy load times and unfriendly saves with intense action and impressive enemy AI. The game is fun, challenging, worth the frustration and is a splendid addition to your PS2 collection.

A solid mission pack, adding a whole new team element. Team organization is something that is evolving in online multiplayer gaming, and it's nice to see Quake join the fray.

I would only recommend this game to someone who would like to try out an adventure game without too much challenge, or who really likes the artifact-chasing, save-the-world type of adventure. For the more experienced adventurer, I would recommend that you pass this one up.

It surprises with its cool references and attention to detail, but loses a lot of luster in attempting to appeal to a wee audience.

It's free, it's pretty, and it's got hot, busty vampire chicks. If any of those things interest you, Forsaken World is worth checking out.

It’s far from the must-own that it could have been with some further refinement. The middling story mode wastes a really solid concept, and the best events lack the structure that could make them appealing to play for hours rather than just a few minutes. It’s a fun party game to whip out at social gatherings, which is what it was designed to be after all, but it could have been so much more.

It may not be the most open ended theme park on the planet, but it’s full of different ways to have fun, and that’s what matters most. Buy the ticket, and take the ride.

It ain’t a keeper. The online game is more disappointing than comet-induced extinction, and there is no reason to play the single campaign twice.

Overall, Zero HD is a pleasant surprise after the underwhelming Resident Evil HD Remastered last year.

For the things that Conan gets right - big breasted naked lasses, blood and guts - it gets two things wrong - the use of magic, the god-awful voice acting. Otherwise, this is just another entry in the burgeoning God of War genre, neither offering anything in the way of innovation nor testing the limits of next-gen graphics.

Many people first caught glimpse of I Am Alive four years ago and I can't say four years was worth the wait. It's not that this is a bad game-that's hardly the case, as it's worth buying simply if you like the post-apocalyptic genre. The survival and intimidation/combat tactics are both the best and worst elements of the game, a love/hate relationship that can sway either way depending on the type of player you are. Running gameplay is short, but as a downloadable content only, this game at 15 bucks doesn't hurt.

Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, World of Warplanes is lacking the features to keep players coming back for more. With only one game mode, early adopters of the game will have to wait for a little while until Wargaming begins supporting it with more content. That said, it’s an inevitability that this will happen, and at its core WoWP is a very fun, addictive game,that is destined to carve itself out an ardent fanbase.

Overall, what we have here is your standard mixed bag.

A solid addition to the Armored Core series with its bevy of cool new options and upgrades, but it still only caters to those well-versed in the esoteric world of AC geekdom.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite sits squarely in the middle of other Alien games. There’s certainly worse out there, but there is also much better. It’s an uninspired struggle through a tired gameplay loop that just happens to be slathered in Alien slime and plays like one of the older Gear of Wars.

The overall quality of Alice: Madness Returns is high, despite it feeling rushed. The qualities that made American McGee's Alice so enjoyable-the gory hack-'n'-slash combat, the gorgeous design, the rich dialogue, the menacing mood-are present and abundant.

It masks a lot of complexity in front of you without much of having a real impact, and the vague passes it makes at being a more complete baseball simulation are laughable at best.

It’s a nice adventure to play through, and the choices added to the final episode add replay value I wasn’t expecting.

An interesting experiment that almost works as a video game. If you’re a grizzled Nicktoons fan willing to look past a pile of gameplay flaws, you might find that there’s a good time to be had with this good doctor. If you’re looking for your next roguelike addiction, you may want to wait for the next contender.

It’s silly, fast and kind of fun, but it also features murky graphics and very little play value. So if you’re looking for a game that makes you feel like Weird Al in a muscle suit, or just want to see how well the Wii handles first person shooting, give this unintentional comedy a rental.

Everything about it makes sense, and it’s a better game at the end of the day due to the added polish. However, it’s not nearly good enough to get recommended with the games it’s now competing with and has lost much of its original appeal along the way.

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.

The new graphics are less distinct than the old 2D ones. It's just plain harder to see things like weapons and smaller creatures.

Ultimately one of those games whose cinemas are more interesting than the actual gameplay and from a gamer's standpoint, that's never a good thing. If I want to watch a movie, I'll watch a movie - but I came to play.

If you've stuck it out this long, then you're going to want to join the revolution, as it's definitely a good way to say goodbye to Pandora and the Borderlands-verse... at least for now.

Enjoyable in the briefest of playtime. While the overall concept turns Burnout's Crash mode into an addictive, destructive puzzle game, the graphics and sound will have you reaching for your console's power button.

Still, I think of how The Devil Inside essentially is a film with no third act. By the same token, ACC: China never really lets the itself soar. Everything feels deliberately muted. And that leads Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China being ultimately just as forgettable as The Devil Inside.

It had an excitingly original concept but failed to take full advantage of its possibilities. I suppose time will tell if Crash of the Titans is the stepping stone for a proper comeback, or if it’s just another cut in the bandicoot’s constant bloodletting.