Salt and Sanctuary is a good 2D conversion of the Souls formula, but its experimental nature invites more than a few flaws. If you don’t mind difficult-to-see graphics and sometimes cheap combat, then you’ll happily come back for more.

Little Nightmares II is just a worse game than the original. Everything they added to the system feels clunky at best and unfair at worst. It’s a shame because this same story, with its same environments, same levels, same enemies, and same music and sound would have been infinitely better if they kept the mechanics from the original.

Castle Crashers Remastered keeps the game relevant to Xbox again and comfortably keeps a void in the systems library filled.

As a long-time fan of the Xeno series, I found Xenoblade Chronicles 2 to be a disappointment. A little balance testing, some reduced system bloat, and a little more effort in presentation could have made it an RPG to remember. If you played Xenoblade Chronicles 2 with a cheat device or walkthrough it would probably improve the experience, because you could bypass all the boring grinding and rough difficulty spikes. As it is now, the game is kind of a mess. An addicting mess, yes, but still a mess.

While it may be geared more towards hyper-competitive players with extra cash to burn, there’s still a lot to enjoy in EarthCore for even casual CCG fans. You may have to put up with some turbulence as you learn the ropes but the game’s seemingly simple yet addictingly fun premise is well worth the effort.

Octogeddon doesn’t have the same charm or polish as Plants VS Zombies, but it’s a refreshing new take on the bullet hell genre. The concept is zany and feels like a thin veil laid over simplistic game mechanics in the vein of Divekick, but the excellent animated cutscenes bring coherence to it all. Ultimately, Octogeddon is a good time-waster, but not much more.

Pro Evolution Soccer 19 is a fun one to play. Unfortunately, I’m already thinking of ways Konami can improve it for next year’s version (I’ll still be playing PES 19 though!).

You have to commend Severed for using the Vita's touchscreen heavily for its gameplay. And while that use of the system works and is mostly enjoyable, it's not always entertaining.

As a Danganronpa fan, I liked Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, but I hesitate to call it a must-play. It’s a great puzzle game to keep you busy while you wait for the next Phoenix Wright or Professor Layton, but you won’t walk away from this one happy. What did you expect from a series obsessed with despair?

This is an instance of a fantastic game’s incredible potential being wasted on a mismanaged port. If you can grab it on a Steam sale and haven’t played it before, it might be worth a look, but as it stands you might as well wait for the inevitable release of the latest version on home consoles.

Borderlands 3 is more Borderlands and not much else. It doesn’t innovate. It doesn’t push the looter shooter genre forward. It doesn’t say anything profound with its plot. It plays it 100% safe by nearly copying its predecessors. That might be enough for some people, but it’s not enough to stand out against other contemporary looter shooters.

Despite a tendency to force the player to work through a number of repetitive activities Dragon's Dogma delivers innovative, action-packed boss fights and the occasional twist in the story to keep things interesting. Graphically Dragon's Dogma isn't doing anything special, but for a game originally developed on the previous generation of consoles it delivers a satisfying gameplay experience on the PC.

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reboot is certainly not the first game that has disappointed me at launch, and hopefully it will join the list of games I was initially disappointed with but grew to love thanks to their respective developers’ continued devotion and care. I know it’s not the safest of bets given the Call of Duty franchise’s annualized rollout, but I honestly want to see Modern Warfare continue to flourish as much as I’m sure the folks at Infinity Ward do.

Rime is definitely not a game for everyone, but it does teach a lesson that everyone should be able to appreciate if given the chance. The literal act of playing the game is rife with minor frustrations and short bouts of boredom, but as a sum of its parts it’s a memorable journey I won’t soon forget.

Pokémon Let’s Go has a lot of great innovations that would be welcome in other Pokémon games, but the experience is just too simplified to hold my interest. I’d wager that most long-time Pokémon fans will feel the same.

Skylanders Imaginations is built for the long haul with great replay value, which may be one more reason for the series to take a year off.

Pokémon Let’s Go has a lot of great innovations that would be welcome in other Pokémon games, but the experience is just too simplified to hold my interest. I’d wager that most long-time Pokémon fans will feel the same.

The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 is a decent return to a genre that's starting to emerge from the woodwork of other games on the market, but it's not quite a shining example. There's a question in regards to its pacing and execution in some spots, as well as some puzzles that can take time to resolve. That said, those that do get into the game will be rewarded with a worthy presentation and plenty of chuckles. If you're a fan of the genre, it's worth a look. But don't expect this Book to be absorbed so easily.

Despite a strong connection between the choice-oriented gameplay and the script’s themes of free will and liberation, DBH’s exploration of these themes is ankle deep.

Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a fine example of how to iterate and improve upon a tried-and-true game genre wth its take on a modernized turn-based RPG. It’s far from perfect, but the combat system alone is engaging enough to warrant a recommendation for any fan of old-school JRPG-style adventures.

I had a great deal of fun playing this game, and it saddens me that I can't give it a better score. However, I just cannot imagine justifying the $39.99 price tag of WarioWare Gold for the few hours of gameplay it has to offer. The story mode is about how Wario slaps together a bunch of games in the hopes to make a quick buck off the gaming industry, and I'm sorry to say this might be a case of art imitating life.

Heavy Rain is a game best left to your memory. It makes a good case study for seeing how cinematic adventure games have evolved over time, but it just doesn’t have the quality of newer games in the genre.

Melty Blood: Actress Again Current Code feels like a game that came out five years too late. It’s fun and interesting to play for a while, but French Bread has better games that you can play right now for a similar price.

Although Transference is an interesting narrative horror game, it struggles to carve out a space as a VR game and a traditional title. The story is undeniably something worth experiencing, but the gameplay is lackluster enough that more often than not it serves as a barrier to experiencing what Transference does best.

Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour doesn't enhance the titular protagonist's classic FPS ride in any massive ways. That said, it's a whole lot of fun, and it's perfect for people who want to revisit the game and for those who are fans of old school shooters.

The Pathless is a gorgeous, exhilarating and frenetic game which unfortunately often stumbles in its own tracks.

There’s a decent amount of content in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue, but it doesn’t explain much for newcomers playing their first Kingdom Hearts game on the PS4. In addition, Back Cover will feel like a waste of time to some, and Birth by Sleep will feel too short. Dream Drop Distance translates fairly well, but alone it’s not worth the price of admission. As a bundle, the entire package offers a decent value and a great lead-in to Kingdom Hearts III.

Frozen Synapse 2's tactical core remains solid and fascinating, but the lack of a sufficiently detailed tutorial makes learning the new depths of the game a frustrating experience.

Pokken Tournament is a solid game for Poké-fanatics and a decent enough game for casual fighting game fans. I’d recommend it if you need a Poké-fix before Pokémon Sun and Moon come out, but if you are looking for a new fighting game, stick to Street Fighter V.

Budget Cuts is a fun VR game that creates an interesting, engaging world that’s worth exploring, but only if Neat Corporations can iron out the bugs that mar an otherwise fun experience.

Paper Mario: Color Splash could have been so much more than it was, but its attachment to Sticker Star’s failed mechanics holds it back.

I desperately wanted to enjoy Artifact, but it currently stands as a monument to the flaws of early CCG design. It’s random, it’s expensive, and it does a horrible job of teaching players both basic gameplay and high-level strategy.

If the number one thing you want from a game is a good scare, Outlast 2 is a big success. If you're looking for deep gameplay or replay value though, you'll have to look elsewhere.

Had Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition addressed the real problems from the original game, while also keeping some of the high-profile additions, it could've really been something. Instead, it feels like a repackaging that doesn't quite have its heart in the right place.

While Fae Farm removes a lot of friction from the farming sim formula, it doesn’t add much to it.

Mario Tennis Aces doesn’t quite excel in all of the ways that it could have, but the core mechanics and multiplayer action are so good, it’s still worth diving in for some quality Mario Tennis action.

Ether One presents a spellbinding take on memory loss and what really goes on inside a person's head, but tedious voice acting, the pacing of certain puzzles, and the lack of guidance when some players need it the most may leave some folks just as confused as the poor woman who's going through all its torment.

Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book isn't going to win any awards for best RPG of the year, but it's still a good time and gives you a couple dozen hours of enjoyable playtime.

Despite my frustrations with its shortcomings, I want to see where The Council leads me, and if it manages to deliver a narrative payoff in spite of itself.

If you are going to buy Concrete Genie buy it for the novelty. You’ll probably enjoy painting the town with glorious neon landscapes, but there’s just not much more to it than that.

There’s no doubt that some Jet Set Radio fans hungry for more will enjoy Bomb Rush Cyberfunk. I’ve been waiting for this series’ return in spirit along with the rest of them, but in the end, it did little more than inspire nostalgia for the original, gorgeous though it may be.

Is NBA Live 19 worth the money? Yes, indeed. There is a lot to do and no matter the skill level, there’s fun to be had. The upgrade to the WNBA and character creation is a giant step forward in widening EA’s audience and The One is strong enough to warrant its own title. With enough practice, anyone can be the baller they want.

Nova-111 is a humorous and quirky quest that rivals the sheer charm presented in the PixelJunk games. It's not the most varied adventure, but it's fun nonetheless, and it makes a great portable companion if you go with the Vita version.

The experience is heavily bogged down by a clunky overworld and purely disruptive gamification of an otherwise pleasant collection of stories.

If you are a die-hard Kingdom Hearts fan that loves the music and needs to play every game, then yeah, this game is for you. However, it just feels sloppy for a full-priced game. There are better rhythm games out there, and better Kingdom Hearts games out there, so unless you really need a combination of the two, you can safely pass this one up.

Ultratron won't gain a following like some of the better twin-stick shooters out there, mainly due to its lack of diversity and modes. Still, Puppy Games and Curve Studios did do something great with the concept, and if you don't mind a game that's a bit old-school, Ultratron will do you good.

Phantom Doctrine has a lot of competition in the broader turn-based strategy genre and its unique Cold War-era setting isn’t quite enough to really set it apart when all the cards are down. While the setting is great and fresh, the generally lackluster gameplay and mismatch of mechanics hold it back from feeling as clean as it should. Its best moments seem to happen almost completely at random or by accident instead of by design.

It seems like Ripstone could've done more with Extreme Exorcism's gameplay, as it seems kind of one-note, in spite of the "ghosts doing what you do" idea. Regardless, it's definitely fun at times, and makes for a good multiplayer romp, provided you have players that have no trouble concentrating.

This was a hard game to score because I really wanted to love it more than I did. The unique storytelling format and intense musical score carry what is an otherwise perplexing narrative that tries very hard to be profound but ends up feeling a bit muddled.

A lot of Silent Hope’s problems stem from under the hood tuning, and I can see another swing at this idea landing a much cleaner hit.

Mercenaries 5 needed six more months of testing and refinement before seeing the light of day. The game’s mech combat is great for enthusiasts of the genre, but the lack of polish may leave newcomers cold. I recommend it for hardcore fans, but casual players may want to wait for the bugs to be ironed out.

It feels like neither game really shines as intended.

In the end, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is just OK, and that’s about the saddest thing you can say about a franchise that used to be the king of first-person shooters.

The Surge is a satisfying sci-fi RPG that pleasantly surprises in more ways than it disappoints. Fans of Dark Souls-style titles will find a lot to like here and the unique combat system keeps it from feeling like a rip-off. It’s just a shame that the narrative and world building isn’t stronger.

SpellForce 3 is an amazing effort that falls short of its goal due to crippling bugs and some questionable game design choices. However, the development team appears to be committed to their game and is resolving bugs and balancing issues almost every day. By the time you finish reading this review, SpellForce 3 may be the game I was expecting when I bought it. Despite that, I spent over 60 hours playing the campaign, and I can’t say that I didn’t have a good time.

Turmoil plays like a casual game, but as you go along you quickly see that a lot of thought was put into it by people who really like to make games. I found it exciting and fun and just hard enough to keep me interested. If you like games that force you to put some effort in to them, I highly recommend getting it off Steam.

Unfortunately lacks the originality it so desperately needs to really stand out from the pack. Even though the art style is striking and bold, combined with an inventive cultural focus, the gameplay and overall design weigh it down to be little more than a passable action adventure title.

This just isn’t the grand revival of the Sakura Wars franchise I was hoping for, and I’m sure that most other longtime fans will feel the same. As for newbies, there’s some enjoyment here, but it just doesn’t measure up to other major releases on the market right now.

As far as Dead Rising games go, Dead Rising 4 may be dumbed down, but it’s still dumb fun.

Earth Defense Force 2 isn't a great game, it's merely a serviceable third-person shooter where the goal is to kill giant insects. If that sounds at all appealing to you, then you're probably the right audience for this game.

Mass Effect: Andromeda manages to feel both overloaded with content and spread too thin. There are great battles to be won, puzzles to solve, and satisfying social interactions, but they're hidden behind layers of presentation problems and tedious travel times.

Mothergunship might not have been made with my specific gaming tastes in mind. But when a game tries so hard to tell me how to play and, worse, punishes me so harshly when I fail, I just can’t for the life of me imagine that any sort of gamer could find long-term enjoyment out of what it offers.

It wouldn’t be totally fair to call Need for Speed Heat a bad game, but given the exciting high-speed material it’s defined by, it is a disappointingly boring one. Small blessings like the lack of over-aggressive microtransactions and an incredibly in-depth car customization suite can’t make up for gameplay and progression loops which, at best, feel routine and archaic, and at worst frustrating and obtuse. It’s understandable that publisher Electronic Arts would want to recapture the glory of Need for Speed’s heyday, but all Need for Speed Heat proves is that maybe the series just needs to rest for a while.

At the end of the day, Rune Factory 3 Special is a fine game, and its only crime is how closely it sits to games that use it as a stepping stone. If you love the “cozy” genre and are looking for some farming action, but only have the budget for one game, it’s hard to recommend this. But if you’re more of a fan of Story of Seasons and/or Rune Factory as a series, there’s absolutely room for Rune Factory 3 Special on the shelf.

With a little more elbow grease and a lot more consideration for the hardware at hand, State of Decay: Survival Edition could've found a strong second life on the Xbox One. Instead, it feels like it was rushed in several corners, and despite its stacked content, it doesn't quite live up to its potential.

ECHO tries new and interesting things, but doesn't always succeed. The gameplay and visuals wear thin over time, but some players will appreciate the game for its originality.

Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission was a fun distraction that let me see what Gohan would look like if he could go Super Saiyan 4, but once the novelty wore off I went back to other, better looking, and better playing card games and Dragon Ball games.

So, even though the gameplay loop can be a lot of fun, I worry about the longevity of this game's lifespan. With only three maps (that are all kind of similar) and the possibility of not getting much new content due to licensing issues between all of the other films in the franchise, the game might not be around for a long time. Let’s hope that isn’t the case.

It's too flawed to fully recommend, although if you know a few friends that don't mind casting spells at mindless monsters, it'll cast its spell on you.

A fun, pick-up-and-play brawler that’s perfect if you’re looking to play a more engaging brawler on the go. However, its lack of ancillary features and focus on linear grinding make it quite obvious that EA only wants those who pay real money to have any long-term enjoyment.

Dystoria is one of those games that you just know may go on to achieve cult status. It's certainly not without merit, but it stumbles a bit in its execution of an otherwise promising concept. If we ever get a sequel — and I hope we do — that game could be something truly special.

More work could've been done to make Payday 2: Crimewave Edition the ultimate value for fans of the series – especially when it came to making the AI perform up to snuff. Still, the abundant amount of content, combined with strong multiplayer options, make it a heist worth trying with the right squad of goons.

Days Gone seems like a classic case of a game that grew too big for its own good. The production values are excellent and it packs some tense gameplay and emotional stories, but the poor pacing, tedious open world, and padded length significantly drag it down overall.

Portal Knights feels like a natural evolution of the procedural block building and exploration genre. It packs in lots of RPG elements, exciting adventure, and addictive multiplayer that layers on top of the existing world creation mechanics popularized by Minecraft.

Crazy Machines 3 delivers on the machines and delivers on the crazy, and although it isn't for everyone there's a select group that'll love and cherish it despite its quirks. Unfortunately, it’s missing a hook, and has just enough quirks in the core gameplay that makes it frustrating for anyone outside that group. And a lot of cool ideas are held back by a few frustrating gameplay mechanics that need to be ironed out before Crazy Machines 4.

Let me get something out of the way right now: The Sinking City is a noir detective game, not a psychological horror game or a survival horror game. The trailers give you serious Silent Hill / Eternal Darkness vibes, with a side of Resident Evil 4, and while this game visually refers to the horror game history of the last twenty years, it’s doing its own thing.

Maneater is a game that could have been good but was too obsessed with forcing players to interact with its low points to make its high points shine.

It's hard to recommend Blues and Bullets Episode 1 because it feels like two games in one. The first half feels tedious, confusing and poorly paced, but then the second really shows the promise that A Crowd of Monsters has put into the game. If Episode 2 can really keep up the momentum that the second half of Episode 1 had, we're in for a treat. Otherwise, this is one cold case you probably shouldn't open again.

Vampyr would’ve been far better as Jonathan Reid’s Point and Click Tale of Moral Adversity than what we got, which was essentially Jonathan Reid’s Mashy Exercise in Combat Frustration Sparsely Sprinkled With Plot. Games do not need combat sequences if those sequences do not serve the game’s themes and story.

Although the game boils down to a walking sim with a puzzle component, the unique setting and mechanics make it worth a playthrough.

Whether you really wanted it this way or not, Age of Empires: Definitive Edition is about as pure of a remaster as you’re ever going to find. The visuals and sound are all upgraded for a modern era without changing the heart of the game. However, with the vastly superior Age of Empires II HD already in existence with five years of community built up around it, there is little reason to recommend this game unless you’re just dying to play extremely early era civilizations.

Star Fox Zero tries and fails to blend the nostalgic feel of StarFox 64 with new controls. While the game can be enjoyable and comes with some exciting moments, it is muddled down by unwieldy controls and bland level design.

Oninaki feels hollow. It’s dark but has no message. It’s complex but has no need for that complexity. It builds an interesting world and never does much with it. It’s a game filled with great ideas that just go nowhere. Unfortunately, that is par for the course for Tokyo RPG Factory games.

Sea of Thieves has glimmers of promise and is gorgeous to look at, but single player play is virtually worthless, and the repetitive nature of the quests and empty world leave the game feeling incomplete and overpriced as of now.

Okhlos is based on a simple concept with an even simpler gameplay mechanic that may very well be better suited for mobile devices, but that doesn’t stop it from being hilarious, dumb fun when it’s clicking.

State of Decay 2 feels like it’s trying too hard to force the player to do too much. There’s no way for the player to really control the way they absorb the experience and more than a few of the mechanics break the careful relationship the rest of the game tries to foster. Overall, it’s the kind of game that you want to love, but that needs a lot of work.

Longtime players won’t find much to enjoy in this barely changed version of last year’s entry.

Star Wars Battlefront II has solid core gameplay and offers a wide variety of content to enjoy, but at the moment it's hard to look past the loot crate issues in order to appreciate what the game does well.

While Battleborn didn’t gel as well with my gaming sensibilities as much as I’d hoped it would, even I can’t deny that the game has a lot to offer to the right sort of gamer. If you’re itching for a new Borderlands-esque experience which is all but guaranteed to keep you occupied over the long term, Battleborn will certainly scratch that itch. If, however, you never cared for the Borderlands style of humor, and you’re more of a solo-minded gamer, you might want to look elsewhere for your next shooter fix.

Killing Floor: Incursion is a VR game that’s so close to being good that it’s upsetting how bad it actually is. There are moments when Incursion feels like the future of VR horror, but then you drop your gun for the 10th time while slowly moonwalking backwards away from a Fleshpounder and you want to scream in frustration and panic because the whole thing just feels like it doesn’t work. If you’re a die-hard fan of the Killing Floor franchise and happen to own an Oculus Rift, Incursion might be worth picking up for a steep discount, but if you’re on the HTC Vive we highly recommend you avoid this game until Tripwire gives it some TLC.

Project Cars 3 would’ve been more successful if it was called something else. It leaves far too many important features on the table for hardcore racers, with an AI that’s too buggy and weird for new players. It feels rushed and could use some serious patches.

What started as a fantastic idea ended up as a pile of wasted potential.

While Kromaia Omega can't quite live up to the classic space shooters of old, nor the crazy visual splendor of offerings like Child of Eden and Rez, it's certainly not a bad experience. There's just a lot you have to get used to here, like the navigation system and the somewhat lacking audio. Once you do, though, you'll find yourself happily taking flight for a few hours, alone or with a friend. I just wish it had a little more content to complete the room, man (and, yes, Big Lebowski reference, felt like it).

One of the harder-to-obtain Resident Evil titles is finally widely available. If you like Resident Evil it's worth playing, but don't expect something on par with the series' other older titles.

Job Simulator is a little on the expensive side for a game that doesn't offer a great deal of long-term challenge, but it's a great purchase for those new to VR or who want a fun and funny game to use to introduce VR to their friends or family.

Rocket Arena shows that there’s more to multiplayer shooters than just military sims and battle royale games. Unfortunately, the unappealing progression rewards and lack of engaging content limit its potential.

While Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends won't replace Smash Bros. in terms of addiction and fun, it's a solid alternative for those that don't have a Nintendo console on hand. It has its issues, but it also packs a punch with its four-player match-ups, and makes for a good time for family and friends alike. Dibs on Po!

Shining Resonance Refrain feels like a filler game. If you’ve been aching for a 3D action-RPG to sink some time into now that we’re entering the summer months that are often a lull in the game industry then this totally fits the bill, but it’ll do very little to surprise you.