For all its quaint charms, Tesla Effect is held back by all of the flaws that killed its genre in the first place.

It may seem crazy to ask players to pay a subscription fee in the growing field of free-to-play MMOs, but if you ask me, WildStar is worth the price of entry.

To be clear, I wasn't expecting a complete game from D4—the episodic model guarantees a certain amount of waiting around on the part of the consumer—but this doesn't even feel like a complete episode.

I may not be ready to write an in-depth technical analysis on every inch of the Walking Dead board, but it strikes me as a well-designed table that knows its subject inside and out, and it gives fans of Lee, Clementine, and the rest a whole new context within which to play.

In its current state, Destiny feels unfinished and unfocused, but I imagine that things will be looking quite different in a year's time.

However, in the end, I felt that much of what made Risen 2 such a charming adventure was missing from Risen 3—it has fewer flaws overall, but the ambition has diminished as well. As a result, it's simply less interesting, and the return trip isn't as enjoyable as the previous journey.

Mario Kart 8 is pretty great in many ways, but undoubtedly moreso with a collection of friends to play with, or when facing off against other players online.

As much as I loved the bulk of the game, by the end I was burning out, and burning out fast. Despite that, I'm glad that some studios are still willing to show an almost insane level of ambition in realizing the games they want to make without compromise, even if it does lead to a few dire moments here and there.

Warriors Orochi 3 isn't likely to change anyone's mind about Omega Force's flagship series, but it's undoubtedly a fan-pleaser of the highest caliber, and an excellent entry point for those who might be curious about the Warriors series.

The core game certainly shows promise in its distinctive style and its solid procedural generation engine, and players partial to fighting games may gel with the combat more than I did. However, the difficulty spikes make the campaign more frustrating than rewarding, and the shoddy optimization on Xbox 360 nearly drives it into "unplayable" territory.

With its high-quality ballistic modelling and gruesome death scenes, Sniper Elite 3 offers exactly what fans of the series demand, but still comes nowhere near living up to its potential.

In fact, I was this close to simply quitting the series and not coming back, but Clementine & co. definitely recaptured some of the original Walking Dead magic before the final credits rolled, and I was grateful for that.

That Rogue Legacy got a lousy port is particularly damning, because the game is otherwise perfectly suited to the handheld, with an average round lasting no more than ten minutes but with depth encouraging much longer sessions if possible.

It's a must-play for Visual Novel fans, and those who enjoyed the first year of the deadliest high school ever will find that the return trip is even better.

I'm really glad I decided to take on Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited despite the steep, steep learning curve and the "fend for yourself" approach. I'm guessing that its audience will likely be fervent series fans and very few newcomers (like me!) but it has a lot to offer to any fan of SRPGs.

While it can be completed in less than six hours, it perfectly explores themes and concepts that triple-A titles still have difficulty grasping: gray morality, a poignant, thought-provoking storyline, and appealing gameplay that isn't based on killing everything in sight.

With a bit of restraint and more focus on the types of relational challenges that it does well, Metrico would have been an easy recommend to fans of the fringe. In its current state, it's an aggravating equation that produces unhappy results.

I support sci-fi that does more than ask people to shoot aliens with futuristic guns, but there's just not enough coherence in The Swapper to put up with the split between the intriguing premise and the contrivances that surround it.

Ultra was a great time over a weekend (especially trading off between rounds with my kids) and I'm sure that players who've stayed current with Street Fighter have already purchased it and sussed out the new tweaks and systems, but as someone who popped in to see how things are going, I quickly popped back out and wished the series well

While it might not be better than some of the classics of its genre, Gaucamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition still offers a plump pinata that delivers plenty of candy for players willing to break it open.

There are no puzzles, no secret rooms, no open exploration of any kind, and the game wants players to do this with ten unique characters, leveling them each to 99. Battle Princess of Arcadias is so monotonous that I kept playing it out of inertia rather than because of enjoyment, but I kept hoping for more of the magic from its first five minutes. Sadly, that magic never appeared.

Although I'm not satisfied with its economics and it still needs polish, I freely admit that Destiny of Spirits remains strangely compelling, and putting together a roster of fantasy creatures holds appeal.

When the game lets its main character race through the world, bounding across chasms and flinging himself here and there with the grapple, it is really wonderful. That happens all too rarely, however, and instead the game breeds repeated frustration brought on by the difficulty of figuring out where the protagonist should grapple, why he can't, or what to do about it.

Unfortunately, its current form, Z-Run seems like the early access or beta version of something that needs at least another six months in the oven.

My gut feeling is that a player could easily skip the past events and get just as much value out of Amid The Ruins— maybe more.

When reduced to a puzzle to be solved rather than a world to be experienced, the emotional impact of Gods Will Be Watching evaporates, leaving the sense that it wasn't interesting enough to justify the amount of work that went into making or playing it.

I'm not going to offer any theories as to whether this whole thing should be legally actionable, but setting potential plagiarism aside, Abyss is a high-quality hidden object game more than enough content to keep anyone entertained.

Thanks to the quality in both concept and function, this is one of the finest first-person-shooters I've ever played, and the best iteration of one of gaming's most storied franchises.

Shovel Knight's greatest feat is disguising itself as "old school" when it's design philosophy couldn't be any further from it. While at first glance it may seem like just another 8-bit homage, the quality and polish make it so much more. Rather than a spirited look at the past, Shovel Knight instead reminds us just how far game design has come

Those issues aside, I have nothing but appreciation for Murdered: Soul Suspect. It's fresh, it's different, it doesn't adhere to genre conventions, and it's an experience all its own.

Lifeless Planet is a world well worth exploring.

I completed Entwined in about 90 minutes, and I was bored with it halfway through.

For everyone else, Go! Go! Nippon doesn’t go far enough in any one direction to be recommended as anything more than a pleasant diversion for a few hours.

I enjoyed playing Sixty Second Shooter Prime well enough, but the fundamental unfairness of the design keeps it from being a great example of the genre.

Although the sadistically-steep challenge will crush anyone expecting a simple platformer, players who press on into the meatgrinder that is 1001 Spikes will find a top-tier production worthy of respect despite the fact that it makes absolutely no allowances for anything less than perfection.

Despite the story-dulling pauses and my previously-mentioned concerns with technical production and the diminishing presence of gameplay content besides QTEs, The Wolf Among Us has been an excellent series that I've enjoyed very much.

Now in its third iteration, State of Decay is demonstrating a steady improvement that would be the envy of most titles. Each new add-on has made the game's world more interesting and added fascinating gameplay developments.

Any way it's sliced, Super TIME Force is an excellent effort from an excellent developer, and a bullet-rich, chuckle-worthy feather in Capy's cap. Well done.

It's easy to recommend this compilation to anyone looking for JRPG gaming on the go, and this pair of games is poised to steal my free time all over again—and I'm perfectly willing to let it.

Nothing could have realistically lived up to the immense level of hype that Ubisoft stirred up for this game, and while I value strong narratives and envelope-pushing technological advancements, I place just as much importance in the ability to enjoy the gameplay that's being offered to me. Watch Dogs is one of the more exciting sandbox games of the last few years, and if this is to become Ubisoft's next big franchise, I'm excited to see where they take it.

With adorable characters having wacky adventures in space, Mugen Souls Z's charm and the solid writing kept me motivated to zip through the storyline, and the fights are still a thrill... It's just too bad that the deadly-dull non-combat sections and the ending-ruining bug keep me from recommending the game wholeheartedly.

Luftrausers is a great pick-up-and-play game in the short term, with most sessions providing a few minutes of entertainment before culminating in a bloody ship-shattering climax.

Secrets of Raetikon is thoroughly unenjoyable to play, and the secret itself is a miserable discovery.

Monster Monpiece has a few flaws in its design and an underwhelming story mode which caused me to slip into five individual comas during the ludicrously long endgame sequence, but it also provides some thoroughly excellent card battles, especially when taken online against others with a similarly-balanced skillset and deck.

I have no idea how something this bad came from team capable of creating something so good, but the magnitude with which Drakengard 3 fails is impressive.

While there's room to improve, The Wolf Among Us has remained stylish and enjoyable since the beginning, and I'm eager to see how it all ends.

In its current state, it's a relic with a coat of paint on top, and it's not likely to keep anyone's attention for very long.

Despite the issues outlined above, I've been enjoying my time with Mind Zero, and would recommend it to fans of Persona open to a different take on combat, while being accepting of something that's not as heavy on story.

While Strike Suit Zero has a solid core, it needs more development time and enrichment in nearly every aspect apart from the combat mechanics. Players looking for a megadose of space shooting will find it, but those craving a well-rounded package offering more than just dogfighting should look elsewhere.

For players who'd be interested in a truly dark fantasy world and don't mind pushing through roughness to enjoy top-quality writing, worldbuilding and characterization, Of Orcs And Men is an overlooked gem waiting to be discovered.

There's nothing deeply wrong with The Last Tinker: City of Colors. It's playable, and in places quite enjoyable, but it's so pedestrian in its approach that it's a disappointment.

As with other NIS America games, I'm certain there's a strategy roadmap to increased success and battle progress, but I've yet to discover it. In its stead lies careful plodding through dungeons in hopes of surviving just one more battle...

I can't work up the energy to actively dislike the LEGO games so long as they're this innocuous and harmless, and spanning just over a dozen levels, LEGO The Hobbit doesn't waste too much of the player's time. But, with all of the most fitting licenses having been used up already, the LEGO spoof series is losing its relevance, and it's not a particularly good time anymore, either.

Although The Amazing Spider-man 2 isn't a catastrophic disaster by any means, there's also absolutely nothing to recommend it.

Ultimately, Daylight does manage to produce a few frightening scenarios thanks to the impressive audio, but it's a shame the story, gameplay, and environments aren't as well developed as the sound. The bones of something more chilling (and satisfying) are here, but there just isn't enough meat on them.

The sense of humor that informs the UI too rarely penetrates to the actual level design. Because of this, and the comparative ease of its puzzles, Life Goes On feels like a trifle, nicely made and modestly amusing but forgotten more quickly than it's finished.

While I wasn't the biggest Bastion fan, Supergiant had definitely stepped things up with Transistor. Deep, stylish, fulfilling and concise, Transistor can easily be described in terms used for music rather than games—And like a great song, it stays in one's head long after the credits roll.

Escape Goat 2 is a solidly-designed, sharp-looking title with no shortage of replayability thanks to its nefarious tower of challenging puzzles.

I was ready to forgive a couple of rough episodes as long as things got rolling by the midpoint, but with only two installments left, it seems unlikely that The Walking Dead, Season Two will be able to muster anything that season one didn't already do better.

Hardcore Trials fans have probably already bought and completed this game, but for others who may be curious and haven't jumped in yet, I'd recommend either of the others before this one.

For those who appreciate tightly-focused experiences from out on the fringe, it's highly recommended.

Boobs aside, Senran Kagura Burst feels a bit mediocre—it's not a bad beat-'em-up, but it's not one of the best.

With a variety of interesting characters and well-balanced gameplay, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare should have been a perfect entry-level team-based FPS, letting younger and more casual audiences learn about the fun of meeting others online and shooting them in the face. Sadly, the frustrating unlock system puts a damper on that, and it never manages to make players feel rewarded for playing.

After putting my time in with Bound By Flame, I'm left with the sense that the Spiders team has badly overreached. There are some superb ideas on display here, but none feel like they even begin to tap their full potential, and the experience overall feels rushed and incomplete.

The lack of meaningful puzzles and memorable characters make it pale in comparison to her Sierra adventures, and when put next to Telltale or Daedalic's offerings, it comes off as even more outdated.

However, I don't really think Tycoon really wants to be more than ‘a glimpse' at video game production, and any attempt to comment on the industry from this dull, monotonous experience fails to hit its mark.

With the art design of its monsters, its staggering amount of content, and battles of a scope that would make some RTSs envious, EDF2025 is a masterful game, almost flawless in its execution.

It seems impossible that a game featuring multi-partner dating and demon-battling with an army of combat children could somehow be boring, but there it is.

Although I can't say it's a must-play for Lord of Shadow 2 fans, Alucard is cool, he's classy, and I want more of him in a leading role. Until then, Revelations is two or three more hours of quality content for an underrated title, and the cleverness of its core idea was definitely worth the price of admission.

This is definitely a title that fans of MMOs and Final Fantasy should give a shot, just not on the Playstation 3.

Some of the puzzle design is solid enough that I could easily have pictured Full Bore working as a more linear game. As it is, it's dull and frustratingly misguided, and there are too many low-budget indie puzzlers in the market for one like this to stand out.

As a whole, Adam's Venture Chronicles is a flawed game that appears capable of so much more.

Aside from a few minor quibbles (I can jump across streets and hop over entire buildings, but a knee-high window ledge is insanely finicky to get past?) Titanfall is undoubtedly a great game which does an exceptional job of breathing new life into an increasingly-stale genre.

The multiplayer's locked in, but there's an incredible potential for more.

That aside, I think it's fair to say that A Crooked Mile is a more substantial chunk of content than Smoke & Mirrors was, and I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing what happens next.

It's got a lovely fresh coat of paint, but underneath that Bravely Default is the same old thing.

It's a shame that Strider eventually grinds down into such life-sapping monotony because it starts off reasonably strong. The controls are sharp and responsive, and cutting enemies in half while dashing around at lightning speed feels damn good.

The core of the Walking Dead experience depends on the writers making a connection with the player, and for me right now, that's just not there. Without that, I'm just going through the motions without much worry over the consequences.

It's a game that asks too much of the player and offers too little in return.

With its sometimes-impenetrable alchemy system, limited foes, and unfocused story, Atelier Ayesha feels rough at times, though it remains an extremely playable jRPG.

As a title that miraculously manages to be accessible to newcomers, challenging to veterans, rewarding to explorers, detail-rich for the lore-lovers, and able to be completed by the dedicated, Dark Souls 2 is an intriguing, well-designed title that should not be missed.

This entry is a huge accomplishment which makes the argument that the Metal Gear series isn't just still relevant in the world of modern open-world action games, but that it has the chance to be at the forefront of them.

Although it may not sound like high praise to say that The Wolf Among Us: Smoke & Mirrors is holding steady with the status quo, it's so stylish and enjoyable that I'm quite content to get more of the same.

Grabbing this title is a no-brainer for the show's legions of devotees.

While it's impossible for any game to convey the experience of the Vietnam War to players, Air Conflict: Vietnam's senses-dulling mediocrity manages to express just how pointless and destructive the entire endeavor was.

It's not perfect, but the flaws are so minor that I can't help but grade this the same as I did Meruru—a JRPG experience that anyone with even the most passing interest in the genre owes it to themselves to play.

It's just too bad the developers didn't offer even the smallest figleaf of a storyline; to anyone who isn't already desperate for the near-ultimate DBZ experience that the game offers, all of this must look like an ungodly confusing mess.

Like its name vaguely suggests, Skydive: Proximity Flight doesn't quite hit its mark.

Atelier Meruru is brilliant, and only a coal-hearted misanthrope could fail to be utterly charmed by it. This entry cements my opinion that the Atelier Series may well be the best-kept secret in the entire JRPG genre.

It's charming and well-polished, but players craving challenge might be disappointed. On the other hand, people wanting to relax with something that doesn't require a huge investment of time or effort should consider joining Mickey on his newest mousecapade.

I enjoyed Lords of Shadow 2 far, far more than I ever expected to, and have no hesitation recommending it to anyone looking for dynamic third-person action, environmental exploration, or an intriguing new spin on the Castlevania mythos.

It might sound strange to say after outlining my dissatisfaction with it, but Toukiden is still the strongest of the Monster Hunter clones available stateside, and would make a solid entry point for players interested in trying the genre. On the other hand, it's an obvious clone which can't match Capcom's quality.

Ironically enough for a game which centers around the concept of genetic ancestry, however, it continually lets itself down by refusing to break away from its own tired and worn-out heritage,

Its thin characters and unconvincing narrative aside, the game maintains a sense of inertia, pounding action, and a balance between solid gunplay, distracting puzzles, and satisfying environmental traversal.

Despite its quasi-anonymous, unknown status, AquaPazza is a surprisingly accomplished 2D brawler with a great mix of proficient fighting and fanservice. It’s more than worthy of consideration.

Despite these minor hiccups, Tower of Guns almost perfectly achieves what it sets out to do. The tower can be run quickly, but the array of weapon and perk choices, combined with the randomness of the drops, the bosses, and the levels themselves, produces an enormous variety that ensures running it almost never gets old.

Fightback is as straightforward as its name, and equally dull.

With its charming art style, accessible gameplay, and just-on-the-right-side-of-frustrating puzzles, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is the perfect game for younger players hoping to try out the Xbox One.