If the Mega Man X Legacy Collection were just one package, it would come recommended for any fan of action platformers. However, being split into two separate purchases makes a full recommendation slightly complicated. Part one contains four amazing games which should be enjoyed by even casual MMX fans. Part two contains four games that can only be recommended to the most hardcore fans of the series. Prospective customers should figure out where they are on the Mega Man spectrum and act accordingly.

However, when not scratching my head over the wheezy story or gritting my teeth as I retraced my steps from the central castle to the local encampment for the thousandth time, Dragon's Dogma came alive with grand-scale role-playing that I won't soon forget. In between the missteps and oddness, there is an awful lot of awesome on display, and that's a hard sandwich to resist, condiments or not.

I enjoyed my time climbing this peak, though. It offers three characters with unique abilities that made the climb feel different for each one, and while it doesn’t break a lot of new ground in the genre, Insurmountable is a welcome addition to the other roguelikes in my library.

Despite my problems with the combat and supreme frustration at failing to find the true ending, I remain impressed by Batbarian. The characters are winning, the puzzles are brilliantly constructed, and it looks fantastic. While I can wish that the developers had done a little more to make the secrets a little more accessible, I can’t criticize their craftsmanship.

This is still a very good game, and the volumes of supplemental material have kept me form lowering the score any farther than I have, but it has too many flaws to overlook. Critical flaws that keep it from being anywhere near the perfect game that many were hoping for, and continue to expect from Kojima.

Even with no major changes and some minor issues, Picross S is a satisfactory, affordable puzzle game. Not much else needs to be said.

Near the beginning of Red’s adventure, Everhood asks the player if they wish to know the “absolute truth,” which could aid them in their journey, but also hinder their understanding of reality. The player is asked again at the game’s conclusion. I said no both times, but I think Everhood’s message is there are no absolute truths. It’s up to the player to decide what is right, wrong, and what their purpose is, and in doing so, Everhood provides a one-of-a-kind experience.

Cloudbase Prime is light, funny, accessible, and does a great job of offering puzzles in the sweet spot of obliqueness where players might be stumped for a little while, but then feel very clever for having solved them. It’s a pity that the over-represented and underwhelming combat is such a focus, as it keeps this title from reaching the heights it might have otherwise managed.

As surprising as it is given how unappealing the package initially looks, Marvel vs Capcom Infinite is a decent brawler when all’s said and done. It may look borderline repulsive in spots, have a subpar soundtrack and be sporting a less interesting roster than previous iterations (and no, there’s still no sign of Sheva Alomar or Regina from Dino Crisis) but the fights are enjoyably high-octane affairs with solid mechanics, and as cliché as it might sound, that’s really what it’s all about at the end of the day.

In summation, nirvanA Initiative‘s a good time. It does get a little long in the tooth during certain sequences and the pacing’s not as tight as it should be, but it’s a well-written and amusing murder mystery that should scratch the itch of any Visual Novel fan in the market for solving some of the craziest homicides in videogames.

Despite the dated graphics, Criminal Girls: Invite Only manages to impress as an entirely competent retro dungeon crawler. It does run out of steam before the end with some amazingly pointless backtracking and a storyline that devolves into a typical harem snoozefest, but the overall experience? Still worth it, overall.

Although players expecting a new cast of characters to interact with and another vast stretch of territory to explore may be disappointed, I found this focused revamp to be a welcome change of pace and a very interesting addition to a game already brimming with quality content.

Re:Turn is a great little gem that easily slots into any horror fan’s collection. The art and atmosphere alone are enough to warrant a look, and the story plays with some interesting themes of love, jealousy, and privilege. As someone who doesn’t normally go for horror games, this one’s hard to pass up.

Scourgebringer will be manna from heaven for players craving a fluid, smooth roguelite with hair-raising action. While I wasn’t crazy about graphics and the relative lack of freedom in building my character, I kept coming back because of how it all came together when I found a good groove. With a more distinct art style and some tweaks to the controls, this could have been a real classic.

Both Grandia and Grandia II are absolutely dynamite JRPGs that deserve to be remembered for their great stories and outstanding combat. They’re quite traditional so they won’t change the minds of those who don’t care for the genre, but any fans looking to play some exceptional examples from the heyday of JRPGs should absolutely pick this compilation up. While the ports aren’t perfect and Grandia III isn’t here, it’s still the best combination of affordability and quality these two titles have ever received.

Despite the controls and the graphics, Inspector Waffles is all about memorable characters, a solid narrative and well-designed, logical adventure puzzles which manage to strike a rare balance in difficulty. Sit down in front of the tv with a glass of warm milk and enjoy this purrrfectly comforting adventure.

Grading yearly releases is tricky. Axis Footbal 2020 has made some great strides compared to last year’s title, and it’s much easier to recommend this year’s installment. The franchise mode is just about perfect and should only require minor tinkering in order to keep fans happy, but the on-field play and presentation definitely need to be addressed if this series is going to ever be considered a contender to the Madden throne.

The combat may be janky and the puzzles are nothing special, but anyone looking for a truly satisfying horror story need look no further. If nothing else, it knows how to end in a great way, and that in itself is worth a lot.

The uneven storytelling is a shame, because if Amnesia: Rebirth had a narrative as unsettling as its play loop, it might be an all-time great. Frictional’s ability to generate tension and moment-to-moment fear is unparalleled, and SOMA showed that an equally powerful story is within their abilities. Unfortunately, Rebirth doesn’t reach those heights, though it remains a tremendously effective vehicle for scares.

While earlier installments had more interesting interaction between the characters, Rise of the Pirate God ends the series on a high note, gameplay-wise.

Dragon is Dead is a solid hack-and-slash roguelite elevated by the attractive pixel-art presentation and a plethora of options for customization. Players willing to invest in its dearth of systems will be rewarded with a hero all their own.

Out of the Park Baseball 14, like it predecessors, does exactly what it sets out to do-it provides the hardcore fan with the most detailed front office sim experience possible.

A fine package, full of screaming weaponry and loads of options for players who live for this sort of thing, but I doubt that anyone who's not already into the big-caliber/big tits run-and-gun culture will find much to bring them into the fold.

For those that let themselves be enveloped by the desolate peaks of Mundaun, it will be an unforgettable experience. On the other hand, anyone expecting more active gameplay might end up feeling a bit disappointed. Personally? Mundaun is my jam. I’ve been to mountain villages similar to the one here and I’ve actually felt similar sensations and vague feelings of disquiet — the devs have absolutely tapped into that terrible loneliness and parlayed it into a solid and enjoyable horror adventure, ideal for anyone on the hunt for something different.

When it’s on, Arms is a blast, and it feels like no other fighter on the market today. That traditional Nintendo charm is all over this thing too, from the sharp presentation to the terrific character designs and instantly hummable theme song. This first endeavor leaves plenty of room for improvement, but I’d love to see Arms become a mainstay on the Switch.

The strength of the game's opening sequences and some of the bosses really stuck with me, but some of the later levels just felt kind of...bleh. As far as being the show-stopper that blows the rest of the series away, it falls short.

While it may lack Nintendo’s trademark polish in some areas, Redout: Space Assault is still a good title that delivers several hours of flying and fighting, and the Star Fox nostalgia older players will certainly experience is a bonus.

For extremely high-end PC gamers who don't have the console in question, this is a great chance to try out a special game. Everyone else should just stick to the original version.