Overall The Banner Saga's an enjoyable product, just one that lets itself down in several key ways. It's almost where it needs to be, but these niggling issues prevent it from reaching its full potential. That said, it's a damn fine-looking game with quality writing at a reasonable price, and still comes fairly recommended for anyone looking to flee for their lives in a harsh and unforgiving environment.

I have absolutely no idea what caused Knack to be the kind of game that is, because it just doesn't make any sense. Whether it's the case of being a a vanity project that went unchecked or just another could-have-been that lost its way while rushing to meet the PS4's launch date, the bottom line is that it's a misguided title too simple for adults and too difficult for children.

Strength of the Sword falls short of what it could have been, though it does come close (at times) to achieving its lofty goals. Tighter controls, a balanced approach to item use and a more restrained use of cinematic effects would go a long way towards getting it where it needs to be. It's just not quite there yet.

In attempting to juggle so many balls at once, it simply loses control and bats them all over the place in a crazed, lurching frenzy as it tries to stop the whole thing from falling apart.

Crimson Dragon is clumsy, frustrating and often downright hideous. I realize that the Xbox One's launch lineup was pretty underwhelming, but even those new owners desperate for software to play on it should keep Crimson Dragon low on their lists.

With Conviction, the Splinter Cell series seemed to be veering off course, but Blacklist thankfully grabs the wheel and gets it back on track.

Xcom: Enemy Within is a decent expansion to a slightly flawed original.

Not only is Dead Rising 3 a must-play for anyone who's ever enjoyed a zombie game, it accomplishes a task I would have thought impossible six months ago - it's a launch title that makes buying an XBONE worth the money.

For children who are fans of Mysterious Cities of Gold, it’s likely a serviceable companion piece. For everybody else out there, this game isn’t worth the time.

With top-tier writing and characterization, Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory does its series proud.

It’s a shame Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness is a direct sequel. Despite niggling issues and a lackluster story compared to the original, it’s the most forgiving Disgaea to date. I woudn’t say it welcomes new players, but it streamlines things that took a long time without good reason and, in general, is the easiest Disgaea to play.

Even if multiplayer wasn't buggy, Battlefield 4 would still only be a barely passable installment in all respects besides the snazzy graphics. EA and DICE played it safe by providing the same thing they did the last time around, with another phoned-in campaign and only minor alterations to the online.

Knock-Knock could have been amazing; with a slightly different outcome on that early night, and if the mystery gets its hooks in before the mechanics start souring the experience, it could have been a tense nail-biter. As it happened, I got fed up with Knock-Knock long before its secrets surfaced, and I was happier to break the game than to continue playing along.

After completing the campaign and getting in what multiplayer I could, I walked away from CastleStorm feeling satisfied and impressed in nearly every respect.

I certainly appreciate what Deadfall Adventures was going for and I'm always open to adventuring on a less-than-AAA scale, but the over-reliance on shooting and the abysmal voice acting knock this afternoon-matinee romp down a few pegs.

Arguably, the racing genre doesn't create classics anymore. Publishers merely try to make the least offensive version of their franchise for that year. Owing to this truth, NFSR succeeds at not being offensive. Sure, it's just bumper cars at its core. Just cats chasing mice. But sometimes that's enough.

Gamers looking for a sizable chunk of new content to burn through should probably steer clear since it’s over in the blink of an eye, but fans of the Saints experience can look forward to something that’s totally bizarre, yet still completely in line with the smart new slant of the series. Also, there are dinosaurs.

There's enough new content in Mindgames to keep it from feeling like a shakedown, but it would have been nice if the devs had addressed The Pit’s flaws without forcing a new purchase.

This is a game that could have badly used more polish. Still, it does many things I like, and if Zootfly brings this hero back for another colorful adventure, I'd be willing to give him a second chance.

For players like me who felt that City went astray, Origins is definitely worthy of attention… Just make sure it’s fully patched before starting

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.

If Ryse were a longer game full of interesting foes that deserved to be brutally chopped to pieces, it could have been great. Instead, it has to settle for being almost there.

The best twin-stick shooters made up for their lack of 3D by adding personality, gameplay variety, and over-the-top ludicrousness. Narco Terror decided to add the third dimension, but then left out anything that might make someone want to play. An interesting choice, but not a worthwhile one.

Scribblenauts Unmasked has a mildly diverting quest mode, but everything else about it is so sloppily constructed as to be borderline unplayable.

As a fan of the series and also as a father who's always looking for quality games for his kids to get into, Skylanders: Swap Force is easy to recommend. It looks great, it plays great, it's appropriate for all ages, and it's a genuine improvement on what the series has delivered in the past.

The difficulty, along with an unimpressive combination of uninspired aesthetics, unnecessarily long load times, and a generic feel, make the game, as its title suggests, a disappointingly alien experience.

Even though it has little to do with real chemistry, Sokobond poses some interesting challenges. It's not especially memorable, but it will supply a few hours of solid puzzling.

With an interesting main storyline, creative enemies, and fundamentally solid gameplay, it's too bad that that Arcania: The Complete Tale's technical flaws prevent it from being a must-play. There aren't enough decent action-RPG hybrids for console players as it is, and Arcania isn't going to do much to fix that.