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.

It isn't amazing, but it's a competent effort and certainly one of the better LotR games to come along. Isn't it about time that the smaller characters, bland as they are, got their due?

At best, I would say this is a game that you can thoroughly ... tolerate.

It's blatantly obvious that this game isn't quite finished... While it does have its moments and diehard Matrix fans will drool over the extra videos, this game receives the blue pill.

Ultimately, your enjoyment of Metal Wolf Chaos XD will come down to how much you are willing to stick with some archaic design choices in order to see more of the ridiculous story and the few levels that do hold up. And because of its dated foundation, Metal Wolf Chaos needed a remake instead of a remaster.

If there’s never another arcade-style hoops title for Switch, then Playgrounds certainly meets my bare-minimum needs. It could have been so much more though, and as such I’m hoping Saber Interactive comes back with a fleshed-out second attempt (maybe another sport?) sometime down the road. In the meantime, Playgrounds delivers the outrageous exhibitions you’re looking for - just don’t expect it to provide much else.

But really, there’s no point to my taking Wii Music seriously as a game since Nintendo obviously doesn’t. If the game sells well, it probably has more to due with Nintendo’s tremendously effective marketing skills rather than anything inherent to Wii Music as a game. Even five-year-olds need some stimulation and sense of achievement. Wii Music provides neither.

If you're in the mood for a solid 2D brawler that will keep you and your friends entertained for hours on end, I strongly recommend you give this game a look. Sacred Citadel takes the genre in an exciting direction forward, proving that older genres still have a place in the industry. Seriously, check this one out. You won't be disappointed.

The first couple of hours of ReCore were almost downright magical. The story had me on its hook, the gameplay was fun, Mack was adorable and so much fun to use in combat, and I admit that the environment initially took my breath away. A few hours later, everything fell stale. The gameplay gave way to typical dungeon-platforming formulas. Even the beauty of the characters and environment appeared to diminish, as though the game was slowly rolling back to the PlayStation 2 era.

Gun usage would have made it a closer match to the arcades, and more levels would have made me feel much better about it on Day 2.

It's passably fun and offers cool ideas for the future, but in a world packed with incredibly addictive fighters, that's damning with faint praise.

Rather than complement the film with some sort of stand alone side story, it opts for arcade gameplay sans interesting plot, depth, or really anything beyond just blasting and whacking.

The bottom line is that I play games to have fun. While I found the handling and tracks fun, I have no desire to play a game whose difficulty curve turns it into a second job because it demands near-perfection from the outset. Chances are, if this game is for you, you've already bought it.

Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond certainly isn't the best side-scrolling shooter around, but it tries its best to make up for that fact with self-deprecating humor and plentiful gaming references.

It’s as if someone played Mark of the Ninja and thought “we can make a worse version of this.” Just take away the depth of combat, the freedom of choice, and any semblance of longevity, and voila. That’ll be $15.

Spider-Man 3 features the series’ worst combat yet.

A time machine that only goes backwards to the age when a glut of no-name shooters clogged the shelves.

It feels a bit like kicking a puppy because many of the pop-in, lag, and graphical issues may be fixed with a promised update, but until then, I can only review what I have right now, not the game that might be. The only reason you should buy this game is for the headset pack-in. It’s everything SOCOM: Confrontation is not: pretty, functional, and fun.

Given how much repetition is in the game, one would think it was much longer than its six to eight hour length. The lack of any kind of multiplayer hurts it further. And the final stake to the heart is the appallingly abrupt and inconclusive ending.

If you're looking for something to relax and just have fun with, Scrap Metal is your game.

So the world looks great, the people look awful, the factions aren’t paying any attention, the wolves are murderous, the combat atrocious, and the music fantastic. It’s as if a team of good programmers, and a team of evil programmers worked on different parts of the game and then their efforts were combined at the last minute and jammed in a box.

Like any other episode, you can coast through this and learn absolutely nothing, but it would be a waste of a fascinatingly rich narrative not to pursue the audio logs and television sets.

The easy playability, decent graphics and dumb violence are perfect for the young, inexperienced and generally immature gamer. However, the lack of multiple paths, weapon variety and useful shortcuts keep it from satisfying basic kart racing requirements.

Helix accomplishes a lot in appealing to Western gamers while still sticking to the themes Front Mission has established through its 15-year history.

Your competition is dead serious, the hazards are all fatal, and your only resource is the X button. While Blazin’ Trails manages to cover a lot of different terrain, its shoddy gameplay prevents it from handling any of it well.

The story isn't there, the gameplay is very boring, the graphics aren't good and the control will leave you craving for the blood of a programmer.

Probably because when compared to the likes of World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour, even Hello Kitty: Poker Party would look like gold. Stacked is better than that fictitious mess, I think, and might be worth a rental if you'd like to see some decent poker-sim A.I.

One of those games you play with a non-gamer. You know, those weirdos who sit for hours in front of the TV and passively watch what's being broadcast. We've just got to help those missing links evolve a little.