While it's not as glitzy and gadgety as the titles on the consoles, it's one hell of a portable title that will bring back fond memories for anyone who grew up with the 8 and 16-bit era baseball titles.

I really like what Strike Vector EX does — the ships look great, it feels good to fly around in the world (when not hovering, anyway) and dogfighting games aren’t as common as they used to be. The developers are onto something good here, and I hope Ragequit continues on this track — maybe a sequel with a bigger focus on the campaign next time?

Brief quibbles and a general lack of emotional heft due to a largely absent plot only slightly mar an otherwise beautiful and consistently surprising mind-bender of a platformer. The developers also were kind enough to include a level editing tool, but it’s hard to imagine Youropa players creating content as clever as what frecle ApS spent the last decade-plus fine-tuning.

While I can’t say much about Batman as a series yet, what I can say is that I enjoyed my two hours as both Bruce and Batman. It’s a solid beginning for the caped crusader.

Overall, NHL 22 is a solid next-gen effort for the series, and points to bigger things to come. While longtime fans may be tired of the samey gameplay, there’s enough reason here to believe that EA has plans for the near future. Let’s hope they’re less about novelty modes and more about deeper presentation overhauls and a richer singleplayer experience.

There's no shame at all in putting out a solid effort like this. The only "bad" thing that could be said about it is that it's not revolutionary.

The game is ultimately too stripped-down and simplistic to warrant a higher score; a more engaging surface world, compelling storyline and ambitious gameplay would have driven the final tally up considerably.

In spite of its issues and a lack of ambition, Alwa’s Legacy is a solid, predictable experience. The platforming feels precise, exploring is enjoyable and it feels rewarding when using skills that can help navigate dungeons and defeat a deadly boss. For fans of metroidvanias or Zelda, it’s worth taking a look — just don’t expect the unexpected.

Help Will Come Tomorrow is rich with nuance and content, and it often doesn’t end well, but those looking for a survival game with focus on dialogue or those wanting to get a taste of an interesting period of Russian history should check into it with no hesitation.

As a graphic adventure and 3D puzzle game, The Assembly is a success. As a VR interpretation of the same, it’s fantastic. The world is easy to explore, and interesting enough to make that exploration a pleasure. While it might be a little pricey for such a limited experience, it’s a solid adventure title that had me enthralled and left me wanting more. The Assembly may be an outwardly sterile place, but it’s filled with enough human intrigue to warrant the trip.

It may not look fantastic and certain mechanics shouldn't have been resurrected along with the rest of the game, but Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded succeeds at being a brief bit of naughty fun—and since it never aimed any higher, that definitely counts as a win.

While they're certainly a strange pair, I'm glad Zen combined these two tables into a single five-dollar package. While I quite probably would have paid three dollars for CastleStorm, I doubt I ever would have taken a chance on a complete unknown for the same price. Maybe their plan was to convince people to throw a little extra money at a dud by attaching it to something with brand recognition, but in the end, the unknown was the real gem.

Local multiplayer lacks the narrative trappings of the campaigns, but serves as a solid extension of the core gameplay. Online multiplayer, however, is where Strikers Edge falters. After several attempts to evaluate it, I was never successfully matched against an opponent. So, for six-eyed folks in search of a frenetic couch co-op game, look no further. Strikers Edge is an underdog to root for. The rest of us might be better off renting Dodgeball instead.

Cruis’n Blast is great at what it does. However, there’s not much here beyond straightforward, arcade racing. While this was generally great for me, how much mileage someone will get out of it depends on how much they enjoy this relatively simple genre.

Factotum 90’s brevity and evenly-paced momentum ensure that Noel and Barbara do not wear out their welcome, though part of me wishes they would have stayed longer. Just as I was beginning to warm up, Factotum 90 ends and there’s little reason to crabwalk through the ship again the campaign ends. I suppose desiring more of a game can (and should) be read as a compliment, but for a title that takes place in a futuristic ship adrift in the vastness of space, opportunities seem missed. Factotum 90 joyously breezes by, but leaves little to chew on.

Williams Volume 5 is a welcome addition to Pinball FX3 that contains two great tables, and one decent one, and all three can be had for less than it costs for a night at the local pinball arcade.

Gunworld 2 is a pleasure to play, and a retro experience in all the best ways. Unlike Double Dragon 4, which preserved the worst parts of that franchise, Gunworld has looked at Zelda 2 and the Mega Man series, carefully decided which parts still feel worthwhile and will work best together, and transformed them into a new experience that captures the 8-bit feel without being beholden to its limitations.

Coffee Talk might not be for everyone and the lack of overt gameplay will likely give some players pause – as it did with me — but my time in this faux-Seattle café was well-spent, and I genuinely hope that the cast returns for a sequel.

LUNA The Shadow Dust’s amazingly-integrated package of wordless storytelling, clear gameplay and unique visual style would be even more powerful if not for the clichéd finale. Even so, it’s a wonderful experience well worth anyone’s time.

Although it needs a few tweaks here and there (like a way to quickly reorganize when every Kefling is employed, or some kind of shortcut when transferring goods from one shop to another) it was great to be able to sit back and relax with something without fear of being picked off by snipers or a constant need to manage my supply of health packs.

It’s tough to shake the feeling that Ninja Gaiden 4 parallels Yakumo himself. Extremely competent in its own right, but overshadowed and outmatched by a legend it doesn’t manage to live up to. It’s crazy that the first mainline series entry in over a decade is somehow only the third best Ninja Gaiden title to come out this year… but that’s how it is.

I've never had an interest in MMORPGs until now, and since this game has released, I've got a full-fledged addiction (witnessed by my 14 full days of playtime since the PlayStation 2 launch last month).

Playing Finny the Fish & the Seven Waters was about as close as I come to relaxed reverie with a controller in my hand these days, and I'm glad that Natsume took a risk (and will likely take a loss) by bringing such a refreshingly quirky niche game to break up the monotony of infinite WWII recreations, look-alike FPSs, and customizable racing games currently boring the hell out of me.

Cathedral is tailor-made for players lusting after a serious 8-bit old school-experience with a minimum of modern bells and whistles. It’ll surely test one’s reflexes and nerves, but with just a few tweaks to the design and some marginal improvements, this could have been a real classic.

Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion is a game I really wish I was more skilled at. I appreciate all the various aspects of gameplay and the depth that the combination of those aspects provides. Still, as my fellow critic Kristin Taylor might say, I was far too enamored with the construction of my newfangled Titan to react quickly enough to the raiders destroying my infrastructure. While it's a long, long way from being up my alley, it at least makes for a good spectator sport.

Mages of Mystralia is a pretty, polished experience bolstered by an excellent spin on combat. The world is bright and cheerful, the exploration of the land is rewarding, and the spell system is great. Chalk up another success story for the Canadian Media Fund and one for Borealys Games.

While Lair of the Leviathan is still my favorite chapter so far, The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood still has plenty of everything about the Tales of Monkey Island series that I like: quality writing, loveable characters, and challenging puzzles.