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.

I think ILCA did an excellent job on recreating the originals, but Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl aren’t great remakes. My gold standard for a game remake is Resident Evil 2. It brought almost every aspect of the original into a modern framework, improved upon it, and added new content. In contrast, these games got a (very) slight graphical upgrade and some quality of life changes. With how closely they follow the originals, these games are more recreations than remakes.

Fans of the previous expansions will find it worthwhile for the new maps tha thave breathed new life into the multiplayer. Single-player fans will have plenty of content to distract themselves. It’s a standalone game, too, so folks that haven’t bought into the series to date will have plenty to enjoy.

Overall, the experience of playing The Flame in The Flood is more frustrating than nerve-wracking. I get that survival games won't be easy, but their systems should feel balanced, not bullshit. And the nodal method of traveling down river can feel futile in its own way. There's a big, bad wolf between me and any desire to play this further.

But all those bells and whistles take a back-seat to solid fundamentals and a commitment to comedy, making God Hand only the best beat-em-up game released for the PS2.

They simply don’t make games like this anymore. But Yooka-Laylee isn’t just that one that “takes us back”; it fondly remembers the good-old days with a modern flare.

That inFamous: First Light echoes the main game’s themes of siblings and what it means to lose family struck me deeply, especially as brotherhood has taken on different meanings for me over the years.

A surprisingly solid game. The numerous missions are hard, but not impossible.

A relatively fresh, stylish new variation on the sneaking man's shooter, and goodness, is it fun.

A good import of a mediocre board game, Lights, Camera, Action! is worth a look for fans of the original game or others who are looking for a new game night experience.

It's slow. It's low scoring. And it's difficult to pick up. In that, it's likely a soccer fan's dream.

While My Time At Portia does stretch a bit too far into the realm of realism, it also offers an accessible entry point into this style of gaming. It’s constantly surprising how much fun it is to sit down, turn on a podcast, and farm for hours.

Another major annoyance is the save system. You can only save at designated statues, and there are only two or three per level.

All in all, I found myself jumping for joy after a hard fought goal more often than I found myself wanting to headbutt my 360 out of frustration like Zinedine Zidane.

Mario Strikers: Battle League’s core gameplay is fun, but it’s just not enough to justify the incredibly slim package offered. There’s little to do for online players and even less for those looking for a fun offline single-player game, with it for Mario sports games in general. Nintendo fans were hoping for a hat trick here for the third entry in the Mario Strikers series, but were instead left with an own goal.

Ultimately, Kinect Sports is a rough launch title that's all about the novelty of Kinect.

Reminds me of Sony's own "The Getaway" - a game rich in atmosphere with gameplay that doesn't keep up.

It's still a great weekend rental, but even the Jawas wouldn't be able to do much with it when you're through.

If you can overlook the fact that the developers don't love Godzilla as much as you do, then you can easily spend several enjoyable hours with Godzilla:DAMM.

Sure, Beautiful Katamari is a little short on new ideas and online play has yet to prove itself. But the game is still blindingly bright, and a bargain at $40.

Right now, it’s bigger than life, feels good while you're enjoying it, but is somewhat disappointingly hollow.

While the "Mega Man Anniversary Collection" contained more meat, there's simply a ton of robots to blast, dozens of armor capsules to grab, and really no good reason not to let ol' Blue back in your life once again.

Drawn To Life features some excellent sound and music.

A solid fighting game with some cool looking features. But unless you’re willing to dedicate a significant chunk of your life to understanding and mastering it, you’re likely to get bored fairly quickly.

It's true that the plot is a mess and a few odd quirks keep Anarchy Reigns from being a polished AAA release, but despite that, there are tons of freaks to beat up, plenty of online combatants to choose from, and balanced gameplay that doesn't take itself too seriously.

IO Interactive deserves credit for going in such a different direction from their usual shooter fare. Alas, the result is a beautiful game without a soul. Like a piece of gum, everything great about Mini Ninjas can be experienced in the first few minutes. After that, its sweetness is just a quickly fading memory.

Digimon Story: Hacker's Memory is the more refined version of Cyber Sleuth with an engaging new story. For some, this could be a deterrence as not much as changed at all. The graphics, locations, and gameplay are exactly the same, but the same core gameplay hook is there with some much-needed improvements.

I spend so much time criticizing this game only because the core mechanics are so good.