With all the things Styx bumbles, the game really shouldn’t work, but somehow everything still managed to click for me. The stalking, the scheming, and managing the successful execution of strategies are all gratifying. Styx: Shards of Darkness is far from perfect and can’t compete with the triple-A titles already crowding 2017, but it is a great B-tier budget title, and underneath that warty skin, there’s the sort of heart that’s often lacking in its more polished peers.

I press on with Heavy Bullets because its luminescent vision sculpts that chaos from noise into a signal, and creates a deconstruction and resurrection of an idealized game that I'll never get to play, but never get tired of chasing.

In terms of puzzles alone Flood of Light is acceptable, but everything else drags it down. The audiovisual experience is one-note, and the story is unsatisfying even when it can be clearly understood. As an experience overall, Flood of Light ends up being merely mediocre.

Simulacra remains compelling throughout, and the engaging, inventive mystery kept the story buoyant and compelled me to see it through.

Potential frustration aside, I enjoyed my time with Forced, and there’s nothing else quite like it on the market. Slightly tighter mechanics and a more solid feel to the combat would have been nice, but as a whole it definitely comes recommended —just be ready for the air to turn blue from time to time when it comes to multiplayer.

Overall, I can look past the grind of obtaining new cars thanks to everything else Hot Wheels Unleashed does. I loved its commitment to the memory of racing around my bedroom floor, and for those looking for an accessible arcade-style racer full of personality and flair, look no further.

In the end, Outcast doesn’t want to get in the way of the player having a good time. From the moment I first climbed to the top of a ridiculously enormous tree with my starting double-jump before plummeting to the bottom only to discover that there’s no fall damage, it was clear that Outcast is an experience designed to enjoyed, first and foremost.

Dream Daddy‘s dads are likable and charming, and the storylines that play out are engaging. But for me, DD succeeded not because of its deft handling of romantic love, but on the strength of its portrayal of a healthy relationship between parent and child. And, Internetty as it is, DD represents the best of the Internet — its existence is a gentle, implicit reproach of Trump and those like him who would seek to ‘other’ the vulnerable of our society and stoke the flames of the culture wars. In contrast, DD imagines a world where being queer isn’t even a topic of conversation — its queer characters just are.

Blood Bowl 2 captures everything that makes the board game great and makes it available to those not willing to shell out a hundred dollars on miniatures. The passion the developers have for their game is clear to see, and the result proves that their love was not misplaced—it's easy to see that Blood Bowl 2 is one of the greatest board game translations ever.

The difficulty of Double Kick Heroes can be offputting and the story, while amusing, was no great shakes. That said, there was just something about it that made me want to rock on. Whether it’s worth a purchase is a matter of taste, but anyone with Game Pass should give it a try.

I give them double credit for doing it on the Wii—to attempt something that so clearly stands out from the piles of waggle-tastic, brightly-colored shovelware was a bold move, indeed. Although Deadly Creatures might not be entirely successful, I would call it a success. Rat

I enjoyed my time with this blend of warring states Japan, three kingdoms China, and mythological fighters colliding with each other. The character roster and amount of magic flair is deep (even if the combat itself is simple) and Warriors Orochi 4 scratches a very specific itch with its over-the-top action — but not everyone has that same itch. But for those that do, it’s more of the same that fans love.

As it stands, They Are Billions on PS4 is a title whose strong RTS fundamentals and brilliant premise are undercut by the complete failure to respect someone’s time or offer any reason to keep coming back once the novelty of the first few hours has worn off.

Fall of Porcupine offers a wrenching, often inspiring story about the vital importance of reaching out to the vulnerable and doing everything possible to make their lives better. It’s a rough ride emotionally, but absolutely worth the trip.

I was really hoping that Tiger 08 would satisfy my desire to have a polished and refined golfing experience that uses the Wii remote. With its frustrating and inconsistent gameplay, however, Tiger 08 is (much as I hate to say it) way under par.

I can’t say much more about this little gem without running the risk of spoiling something, and since there’s absolutely no fat on these bones, giving even a little away would be a crime. However, what I can say is that this small, unassuming indie is a masterclass in tight, focused design and it delivers a wonderfully layered experience. Funny, scary, clever, and eerie in equal measure, The Count Lucanor is an absolute delight… Whether Hans finds his happily ever after nor not, this modern fairy tale is one that’s worth experiencing.

There's something truly cathartic about blasting hordes of zombies, and that just never gets old. Zombies may not get any respect, but they sure do make great gun fodder.

I said that this is a perfect match of developer and IP, and that’s not an exaggeration. The Yakuza Studio has not only produced the best Fist of the North Star game ever, but also one of their best overall. This is a setting more raw and gloriously over-the-top than their usual, but they never tamp down the humanistic streak that defines the entire series. Wipe away the blood and guts, and underneath is a beautiful story about the importance of working together, and how selflessness is the ultimate virtue.

Nostalgia cheerfully opts to evoke our memories of other RPG experiences, most notably Final Fantasy X and Skies of Arcadia, but because it lacks the coherence and originality of its predecessors it never develops an identity of its own.

While Megaton Rainfall doesn’t have the most impressive graphics, it still manages to impress with the sheer audaciousness of its scope, and at its best, it feels more like a true superhero experience than any game I’ve ever played. Two of its nine missions may be frustrating slogs, but that isn’t such a bad ratio when the other seven are stellar simulations.

It’s a shame that such lovely art is paired with monotonous environments, a rudimentary story, and subpar combat and crafting elements. My advice? Smoke something else.

Although some may be put off by the ease with which the game can be completed, I didn't see that as a negative at all. Games of this sort tend to lean towards being esoteric and frustrating as a means of delivering challenge, and in this genre, I'd much rather play something that invites me in and makes me smile rather than something that has me running to the Internet for an FAQ.

Rogue Aces is a true accomplishment, a game that updates a formula from the very earliest days of home computing and makes it feel vital and engaging. While it may not be easy, it’s accessible to all levels of players, and goes to prove that there’s seemingly no classic genre of videogame that a few roguelike elements can’t improve.

Is it more difficult to play than it should be? Absolutely. Did the developers make it more annoying than the 20-year-old games which inspired it? Indeed. However, it still manages to be a charming experience for fans of this content because the care the developers put in is so patently obvious via fantastic locations, a solid story, and a final boss fight that doesn’t try the player’s patience. The developers clearly wanted to bring back retro survival horror in a way that people could enjoy, and while they don’t entirely succeed, it’s good more often than it isn’t — and that’s more than I can say about the glut of Resident Evil and Silent Hill clones out there.

While some might look at EDF5 and point out the recycled levels and long-established gameplay mechanics, I see developers devoted to delivering the best possible version of a concept, and an unwillingness to settle for merely improving the graphics each console generation. This is a series that truly gets better with each iteration, and as such, this is the best EDF game yet.

Ultra Despair Girls could've been a dynamite ten-hour experience. Unfortunately, it clocks in at about twice that length and runs out of gas long before credits roll. However, spending time with Komaru and Toko remains worthwhile despite the filler and late-game sluggishness, and this genre-switch is definitely a must-play for series fans.

Under all the questionable choices, cut content and overall lack of value, Dead or Alive 6 is still a decent fighter. That said, many of the problems are hard to look past, and it feels like a bare-bones effort given the amount of recycled content on display. With an inferior roster, dull stage design and the hard reset on purchased content from anyone who was crazy enough to buy into the exorbitant amounts of DLC released during DOA 5‘s lifespan, it’s hard to recommend Dead or Alive 6 as it currently stands.

I'm quite happy to see that ACE Team has finally clicked all of their elements into place, and if there's a better homage to 50's schlock than The Deadly Tower Of Monsters, I have no idea what it could possibly be. For fans of the material or the era, this is a big win from start to finish.