Sure, I wasn't always comfortable playing Saints Row IV these past few days with guests in my home. But work is work, and even though I'd talk to them about Journey and the like to explain my work as a video games critic, a serious part of me was secretly enjoying every last bit of silliness and bad taste Saints Row IV had to offer. And there's a massive amount of that in the game, which is as fun as it is completely and utterly stupid.

Games capable of forging such a connection with a player aren't legion, and those who literally transform the player himself into that very same connection, even more. Brothers manages to do both, and without ever doing too much, is able in a very short playtime to evoke the sadness of grief, the joy of the discovery of the outside world, the transmission between the generations, the coming of adulthood, and much more, all brilliantly weaved into the gameplay itself. Quite an accomplishment.

A true game, with a base gameplay that gets more and more complex as we play, with subtle touches and ruleset changes. But it's so much more as well : a deep dive in a terrifying dystopia, brilliantly crafted, that will put your life into perspective and awaken your political consciousness with both violence and humor.

A joyful melting-pot of different gameplay elements, for a fantasy-filled, delirious version of "The Love Boat". But Dragon Commander's pacing isn't really well balanced, and real time sequences lack finesse. Play it in short bursts and if you plan on taking it online, you'd better have assiduous friends at hand.

A nice idea, and fair production values, but the global result still is too "straightforward" and brutal, lacking some real strategy elements, and being repetitive. It is funnier in multiplayer, and very affordable, still, so one may give it a look.

King Art manages to install an atmosphere and story that will capture the attention of Agatha Christie styled novels. But they will still have to make do with a less-than perfect interface, and some bugs. More importantly, one will have to trust while waiting for the second and third episodes to be released... and given the price of the lot, maybe it's best to wait for them to come out.

Crafty didn't finish its remake of Realms of Arkania. Crafty Studios still sells it on Steam. Crafty Studios deserved to be flamed.

A nice first dice roll for Harebrained Schemes, but not a critical one. Shadowrun Returns boasts a solid-enough tactical gameplay, but doesn't use it fully enough on this first campaign. You won't feel threatened in combat, and the story is very linear - at least it's a good one. The atmosphere and the fantastic Shadowrun universe are its biggest strengths, so let's hope the community and Harebrained will enrich the game as much as it is worthy to be.

Using an existing - mediocre- title to do a total conversion for adapting a - pretty bad - movie? Well, why not, but don't count on us to play it.

Deus Ex The Fall is a rather nice attempt at pushing a Deus Ex experience on touch devices; it works, but not flawlessly. With a less than stellar level design, some annoying bugs, and limited branching, The Fall seems to make the most of less than ideal devices, but do not think for a minute that it can go on par with the real thing on a full-fledged console or PC. Still very nice to play, though, as a point of entry to the series or a quick fix until a real sequel to Human Revolution.

Fruits take some time to grow, like ideas need some time to sprout. Hence Pikmin 3 shows that patience and planning are not only the key to gardening, but also the secret to cultivating new ways of doing it, in an amusing and artful manner.

A rather nice beat'em all with impressive combos and interesting Boss fights. But you'll have to overlook an important amount of technical issues to enjoy it. Or wait for a patch.

Charming, accessible, yet of unforgiving (but not frustrating) challenge, Rogue Legacy is first and foremost of great fun. This blend of rogue-like with permadeath and Metroidvania gameplay is refreshing and well-balanced, and even though it may appear repetitive, it's an addictive game.

Although this adventure around Pi'illo Island feels like a recurring nightmare, Luigi's super powers are imaginative enough to transform this journey into a daydream, without feeling drowsy.

Civilization V keeps getting deeper and refined gameplay with Brave New World ; diplomacy, commerce, tourism, and culture in general are the main focuses of this new extension, and the introduction of the Nations Congress all boost the middle and end game with an enhanced appeal, even though the start of a game remains ever-critical to future success.

Quotation forthcoming.

Quotation forthcoming.

Probably one of the best platforms to enjoy the addictive and singular Hotline Miami. It plays very well thanks to the dual sticks, the touche screen adds targeting options, and the crisp screen of the Vita allows for a perfect rendering of this flashy, pixelated universe. Seeing as it is crossbuy as well (PS3/Vita), it's a no-brainer.

A pain in the ass to play, no real AI, too distant checkpoints, ancient production values, terrible art direction... If vampires are supposed to be cool thanks to recent popular movies and TV Shows, it doesn't show in Dark.

Mario is missing but that doesn't necessarily makes Super Luigi U a bad game. On the contrary, his absence makes some room for Luigi so that he can express a surprisingly hardened personality through diabolically designed levels.

At last, a version of Duels of the Planeswalker that offers free deck crafting with its Sealed Deck mode! That's a hell of a progression for the series, even though it's still far from perfect, since the Sealed Deck mode only offers a handful of different cards and the other pre-constructed decks are far from ambitious or originally conceived.

Company of Heroes 2 doesn't really reinvent its own formula; but it clearly enriches it with several new layers of micro-management. It's a hell of a rich RTS game, but one that doesn't really take care of newcomers; if you were a fan of the original, you'll probably love this sequel, if you're new to the series, well, brace yourself, you'll have to learn the hard way.

High Moon expertly captured the spirit of this crazy character; unfortunately, Deadpool, as a game, isn't nearly as fun as its jokes.

Quotation forthcoming.

This Vita port of the HD Compilation is nicely done, even though the games themselves and their shortcomings remain the same: some camera issues, rigid PS2-era controls, and the like. Still a new way to enjoy 3 classics on the go.

With a cryptic business model, one would prefer the web-based F2P version of Akaneiro, if only it wasn't so dull and forcibly repetitive.

You have but two options : wait for an indie to craft a modernized version, as rich and enticing as The King of Dragon Pass is, or overlook the dated production values of the original in order to enjoy it right here, right now. Sure, this Sim/RPG game isn't for the faint of heart... you need to be a potential king in order to survive it. But here's all the fun.

Even more than the title the expression comes from, Game & Wario suffers from the "Nintendo Land" syndrome : few mini-games, and fewer that are actually really fun. Its main appeal is the best console version of a Pictionary you'll find to date.