Mighty Fight Federation wears its ’80s influences on its sleeves and enters a ganere that’s already crowded with competitors, but that’s fine — it delivers on the core fighting, and its simple, straightforward approach prioritizes pure enjoyment rather than technical skill, and in my view, it’s better for it.

Without the insane sense of humor and quality retro styling, I probably wouldn’t give it a moment’s thought. But, it does have those qualities, and uses them to excellent effect, even while the gameplay is disappointingly pedestrian. It has some neat quirks, amusing throwbacks and charm aplenty, but overall it’s nothing to brainwash a princess over.

The developers have built themselves a Martian base that would be a pleasure to live and work in — it’s just a shame they couldn’t craft a game that was as enjoyable as their setting.

While the narrative falls utterly flat, Ereban: Shadow Legacy remains a good point of entry into the stealth genre, encouraging players to take things patiently and strategically while also giving them a unique adventure that lets them — quite literally — blend into the shadows. It’s worth a try for this, if nothing else!

It's just about the perfect casual game, just right for people who are looking to kill ten or fifteen minutes at a time dodging dinosaurs and snacking on flies.

With its clever story and well-written characters, Exist Archive deserves a lot of credit. The 2D platforming felt like a breath of fresh air, and the combat’s nuances are deep enough to be worth investing some time in, despite some excessive grinding. Best of all, it clearly flags the points at which its various endings branch off from one another, giving curious players a chance to save their game and make a clear decision about what course they want to pursue.There’s a story worth experiencing here, even if there isn’t quite enough game to support it.

Iron Rain is a completely different animal than its predecessors, so it’s almost unfair to compare them. This one never aspires to offer epic action, so how can I criticize it for failing to deliver? Its goal is to offer a more grounded, focused take on the concept, and while I’ll admit that I missed seeing fleets of alien ships being blasted out of the sky by satellite weaponry, the new enemies can’t be ignored. Iron Rain won’t make it to the top of a best-of EDF list, but as a discrete experience, it’s pretty great.

All in all, Heartworm is a fascinating look at memories, trauma, and our experiences in dealing with both. The limited combat options meant that the disempowerment of needing to avoid combat when possible helped to serve the feeling of unease. Unfortunately, there are some issues that bring down the experience as a whole, and I wish they would have been fixed before release. Even so, Sam’s quest for meaning in the face of anguish is a relatable one, and that’s where this adventure truly shines.

While the game starts off on the right foot with a dark tale of schoolgirls, slaughter, and restless spirits, it immediately trips over the other foot with a range of directorial issues an overall lack of focus.

The lack of difficulty and lack of evolution in the gameplay mechanics are an issue, but they don’t diminish the overall appeal of Out of Line, though they do hold it back from being something truly special. I savored exploring San’s forsaken habitat and eagerly awaited what lied around the next corner. The gameplay can’t match the lofty bar set by the presentation, but Out of Line remains a visual and atmospheric triumph.

#DRIVE is by no means a revolution as far as endless-runner games go, but its simple premise and addictive collection aspect delivers an enjoyable experience. While many big developers and publishers might not feel now is the time to venture back into making explosive arcade racers, I’m happy this one did.

It’s a huge problem when the narrative of a narrative adventure fails to come together in a satisfying way, yet I struggle to write State of Mind off completely when its style is so striking, its world so rich, its ideas so fascinating. The game reportedly had a long development cycle, so it’s possible that Ganteföhr simply ran out of the time or resources necessary to properly finish telling this story, but even if the questions here are infinitely more interesting than the answers, I’m glad that someone is asking them.

It was entertaining, but it didn't provide much challenge or mystery—it was just more of what I'd already been doing, plus robots.

The Centennial Case is an engaging FMV murder mystery with a unique vibe, thrilling confrontations, and a main protagonist who I’ll treasure because of her sincerity and undying determination to find the truth. I also felt much for Eiji, whose reserved (yet goofy) presence got me to care about his aspirations. Unfortunately, the lackluster characterizations of side characters and a corrupted save file due to the game’s instability on mobile mean that I can’t wholeheartedly recommend it.

While I’m enjoying Miasma Chronicles, I don’t think it’s one I’m going to stick with. There are too many moments where the deck feels stacked against me in combat, and there aren’t many ways to get on par with the difficulty curve, let alone get ahead of it. The developers get very close to something great here, but there’s something off in their formula and it’s just not clicking in a way that feels satisfying.

A game made by fans for fans, and the amount of love and dedication shown to the source material is palpable. The game looks great, sounds great, and the animation is silky-smooth. While the "what if" scenarios may pique the interest of fans, it will likely disappoint anyone looking for a deeper, richer experience.

InuYasha may not be able to compete with the big boys of the fighting genre, but fans of quirky anime games or those looking for a budget fighter won't be disappointed.

The critic in me tells me this series needs to innovate, but as a gamer I'm once again completely satisfied by the experience. Defying conventional wisdom, Dynasty Warriors is unique in that the gameplay achieves a near perfect harmonious balanced and change would only upset that.

While some might pine for the older, stiffer and more difficult Hitman games, the HD Trilogy makes a strong argument that each iteration was a step towards something truly great.

I want to like Keylocker more. The world is beautiful, the atmosphere of cyber-Saturn is great, and I have found parts of the story to be genuinely moving. However, those things just aren’t enough to make up for its grindy, repetitive and punishing combat, and ultimately, this is a hard one to recommend to anyone besides the most hardcore RPG players.

In light of this incomplete content, the fact that it’s being be sold without this information up front feels disingenuous, and prevents me from being able to recommend it to anyone. Dead Synchronicity is dead on arrival.

Some players may love the queer, nostalgic coming-of-age tale that Lost Records is trying to tell. However, even as someone in the target demographic, I found that the structure, choices and consequences fell flat. I loved the characters and their interactions with each other, but the rest was shallow at best and confusing at worst. Lost Records is still an enjoyable experience, but those interested in the material should go into it with tempered expectations.

I hate to be critical of something clearly inspired by someone’s personal journey and their hard-won life lessons, but simply sharing such things does not equate to a compelling experience. With a lack of focus, unconvincing voicework and gameplay that runs out of steam halfway through an already-brief running time, Sea of Solitude is like sitting through a few hours of a stranger’s therapy session — it certainly means a lot to someone, but I walked away unaffected.

That Shelter is not a particularly convincing simulation of being a badger is no real sin—I doubt many people want to play a game about eating earthworms all day. The game's real failure is that it's not an emotionally compelling representation of parenthood. It convincingly shows that the cubs need their mother, but fails to convey the possibility that they can ever not need her.

It’s tremendously disappointing, and hopefully either Aspyr can do something about it in the future, or ardent fans will come to rescue and save this title from a fate worse than death.

For anyone but die-hard fans of the franchise or genre, these two games just aren't worth the price of one.

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.

You're one of the most satisfying, worthwhile, and excellent platformers I've ever met. Time spent with you was challenging but never frustrating, beautiful but never, ever shallow, and utterly captivating for every moment we were together.