Adding HD resolution, voice acting and proper localization does not change the fact that Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster is a product of its time. Be prepared for outdated level design, high random encounter rates and grinding battles in a relentless fashion in an otherwise dark, grim and moody post-apocalyptic Tokyo filled with demons, that engulfs a “catch ’em all” premise of pokemons in need of exorcism and plays like your everyday turn-based jrpg in a dungeon crawling structure.

The first Onimusha is a classic game, no doubt about that, but this edition, unlike Resident Evil 2, is not a remake but the original version with slight upgrades and enhances that are not capable of hiding the fact that the first adventure of Samanosuke has aged poorly.

It may have the prospects to become a great MMO racer, but at the moment The Crew is not able to deliver ever a fragment of what Reflections promised it would offer with this racer.

Ideal for a younger audience who will not mind the extremely easy and quite repetitive gameplay.

You could very well take any review of the previous Contracts game, paste it in the sequel and read a completely accurate description of Contracts 2. It’s hard to notice any improvement or differentiation of the formula between those two games, other than an understanding that you are taking part in different missions, albeit in a very familiar setting.

It's a "3D Angry Birds", no doubt about that, but it can be fun, especially if you invite your friends over to your house for some party play.

The update in the graphics and the co-op mode are truly welcomed additions and the gameplay is as addictive as ever. On the downside, The Escapists 2 gives the impression of a big expansion rather than a new game as it often creates a feeling of been here, done that.

Immortal: Unchained aimed a bit too high. Although its combat system is quite unique in the “soulsborne” genre, and there is an admirable variety of weapons to experiment with, it nevertheless falters in too many of its parts. In many occasions enemy attacks and environmental hazards are designed in such ways to unfairly kill us, bosses are lackluster, the overall design feels quite plain and the last third of the game just drags on forever. It worth saying though that its high challenge and the fact that its technically devoid of serious issues may just put it in the vicinity of “guilty pleasures”.

A decent "movie tie-in" that goes beyond the movies and offers lots of content in an interesting adventure. On the downside it feels more like a mobile game with lack of voice overs, poor presentation and a top-down camera that keeps our dragon mostly on the ground.

A linear 3rd person shooter with some violent and satisfying hack 'n slash mechanics, but with problematic pacing due to the empty "corridors" that you have to run through until you meet the next "arena" filled with Orks.

Unfortunately, Payday 3 is not the sequel that fans of the series where expecting. Its content is lacking but, more importantly, the shooting is weak and the AI is especially problematic.

A decent addition to the "hack 'n slash/ action RPG" genre that you will truly enjoy if you have some company over Xbox Live.

The time has come for Codemasters to try some groundbreaking changes and finally move this franchise to the next generation.

The writing in this first episode is nowhere near as good as the one in the original game. Thus what we get is a rather bland introduction to the prequel that just creates a hope for a better narrative in the future.

Breakpoint mixes different mechanics and concepts, but never manages to implement them in a meaningful way. The main story is better than Wildlands' and John Bernthal gives an excellent performance as the main villain. Unfortunately, the over the top micro-transactions and the never-ending list of bugs overshadows the fact that it can be a fun co-op game despite its shortcomings.

Creative Assembly shows serious signs of fatigue in this new iteration of Total War. This new sequel lacks any kind of ambition or innovations, with its limited content impacting its replayability and the subpar A.I. leaving a lot to be desired. Pharaoh ends up being one of the more weak entries of the series.

This specific genre will continue to be missed even though the Director's Cut of Strike Suit Zero is a nice little game that can offer some hours of intense space combat gameplay.

A strange kind of game that simulates -through the use of Kinect- the famous TV Show by the same name. Ideal only for spending some fun for a few minutes with your friends.

Everdark is an honest indie addition to the horror genre. While it doesn’t compete with big-budget productions, it delivers a brutal, nostalgic experience through well-crafted gameplay and effectively implemented survival horror elements. It’s on the shorter side and has some technical issues, but overall, fans of the genre will appreciate what it offers.

Bringing a “Disney Princess” art style to a horror-inspired game is certainly an intriguing idea, and Bye Sweet Carole almost pulls it off thanks to its convincing aesthetic and well-written mystery. However, its puzzles are often overly simplistic and seem to be included mainly to extend the longevity of the game artificially, while the character controls aren’t as smooth as they could be.

Earthfall doesn't try in the slightest to differentiate itself from Left 4 Dead, feeling in the end like a "fan-made" mode. There is fun to be had when played with friends, just devoid of anything we haven't seen before (done better).

Anyone expecting a faithful transition of the God of War franchise into 2D will be sorely disappointed by Sons of Sparta. It lacks the raw violence of those games and the weight behind their attacks. Ultimately, it feels like a very typical metroidvania that struggles to stand out in such a highly competitive genre.

Dolmen’s saving grace comes from its well-crafted gameplay, with some interesting ideas, that provides a decent combat experience. Be that as it may the utterly generic sci-fi design in all its aspects ultimately drags down the experience.

Vampire: The Masquerade -Swansong is a narrative-driven RPG that is faithful to the original “World of Darkness” cosmos. It is very engaging, with some brilliant ideas, especially in the dialog challenges, but fails, somehow short, due to its half-baked role-playing system that “punishes” the player’s character build decisions.

Unfortunately the adaptive A.I., which learns from our actions, is more of a gimmick than a true innovation. On top of that the basic stealth mechanics and the beautiful yet repetitive setting of the Palace can’t help but make us feel exhausted even in the somewhat short length of the game.

Although PixelJunk Sidescroller is a decent, "retro" shoot'em up, the flawed checkpoint system and the "cheap deaths" have a significant negative impact on the overall experience.

Sniper Elite 5 offers a very specific treat to choose from. Everything it does, does it adequately and consistently. There are problems such as the poor AI, the low variety in the gameplay and rough graphics, but the whole package is decent.

V-Rally 4 offers a classic rally experience that has its origins in the early 00s. However, the career mode isn't well designed and Kylotonn made a wrong decision by choosing to include many types of racing categories instead of focusing solely on perfecting rallying.

In its day Rogue Trooper was a solid and enjoyable third person shooter that was quite faithful to the original content of the comics. The same goes for this edition -of course- but in 2017, even in its “remastered” state, it looks dated and left behind by almost every other game in the genre.

Gunbrella definitely includes a unique gameplay tool and presents charming pixel-art aesthetic. Unfortunately, its storytelling, though not bad per se, constantly pauses the action to a frustrating degree. Moreover, the level design leaves a lot to be desired, which is a shame considering that the eponymous weapon is a joy to use.

Α hasty job with tons of work but little inspiration. Battles are scripted and confusingly superficial, Lara is a troubled child with killer instincts, and Jonah is the Maori magician who always finds another way, where Lara tries for hours and hours practicing her Tomb Raider skills. Don’t leave your child with a stepparent.

The impressive selection of different mechas and a solid gameplay base are just not enough to make this game stand out when you consider its severe lack of solo material, the loss of the splitscreen mode and the low budget simplicity of its design and its localization, or lack thereof.

More of a "create your content" rather than a "create your content and play" game. Granted, it's entertaining, but it is obvious that ModNation for Vita is a rushed product.

This is a very basic collection of some very good 8bit games, but with no museum unlockables, no effort to offer anything more that the most basic package and rudely broken in two parts so that it can generate more revenue. The Museum series from Namco needs to grow up and start treating its customers with more care and respect, otherwise few people will consider revisiting this museum.

This is a very basic collection of some very good 8bit games, but with no museum unlockables, no effort to offer anything more that the most basic package and rudely broken in two parts so that it can generate more revenue. The Museum series from Namco needs to grow up and start treating its customers with more care and respect, otherwise few people will consider revisiting this museum.

With Atlas Fallen, Deck13 tries to expand their audience by trying their luck to the open world genre. Unfortunately, it's in no position to offer anything truly memorable, ending up as an amalgamation of derivative design, gameplay, traversal etc.

Fort Solis is a tedious and slow-burning experience without a real payoff for all the mystery it builds up. Devoid of any set pieces or story development worthy of any kind of discussion its only high point is the inclusion of highly talented actors.

Despite its good intentions, Beyond the Ice Palace 2 ultimately feels derivative. It fails to evolve beyond the 30-minute mark, resulting in a repetitive experience. On top of that, traversal issues and excruciatingly distant checkpoints make it an often frustrating journey.

It’s a sweet trip down to memory lane with some of the best games of the NES era, but we can never shake the feeling that this collection should have gotten the “Duck Tales Remastered” treatment instead of an emulated HD re-release.

Despite its charming gothic aesthetic reminiscent of Bloodborne, The Last Faith, unfortunately, lacks depth in terms of combat and falls short in its platforming aspects.

This is probably the biggest production Kinect has seen so far (although that fact doesn't make it a good game). There are many modes that Star Wars fans (and mostly kids) will definitely enjoy, but you just keep getting a feeling that everything that happens on your screen is almost automated.

Darkspore is a fun and simplistic online hack-n-slash game, with a 4 player co-op mode and an addictive "chain" loot system. Spore's character creation system is also present, but with 100 different creatures to choose from, the PvP has many balance issues. The PvE mode is certainly more fun, but many players will get bored very soon from the endless grinding and repetition.

Marvel's iconic character makes a decent entry in videogames. There was potential here, but as with most movie tie-ins, the result looks rushed and unpolished.

Although Omega Force tried to refresh the series with open world elements in this new entry, unfortunately they did not manage to change their mindset, as the changes are accompanied by all the unpleasant features we are familiar with.

Marvel's iconic character makes a decent entry in videogames. There was potential here, but as with most movie tie-ins, the result looks rushed and unpolished.

An honest effort to replicate FTL in an environment inspired by Mad Max that is dragged down by several bugs, low variety of missions, and extremely dated visuals.

A decent but flawed experience that nevertheless shows the potential that the indie team behind it has for future projects.

Future Unfolding has a bold idea behind it, and creatively it is impressive that this game was made from a three-person team. Unfortunately some decisions didn’t quite work in the big picture and there won’t be many hours in the game before the player will stop enjoying the journey and start feeling trapped in a mirror room.

An interesting 2D shooter with a few intriguing boss battles and an art style very similar to the Pixel Junk series. On the other hand, it feels very repetitive and some puzzles are just trying to "buy time" for the campaign.

Unfortunately, the first downloadable content for Assassinʼs Creed Brotherhood adds nothing really new and is offering a superficial plot and mission objectives that we have already seen. A couple of good platforming missions, along with the new and quite exciting Assassinate multiplayer mode, just aren't enough to justify the price tag of this DLC.

A game that combines Monopoly, Hotel (the board game) and characters from Nintendo and Square in a unique and obscure way. Although not bad, it can only be recommended to a specific and small audience.

As exciting as it may be to watch the story of Gabe and Lexine after their escape from Ishimura, the extremely short length of their new adventure, along with the overuse of areas we've already seen in Dead Space 2, canʼt help but create a strong feeling of disappointment.

An interesting premise with quite good artistic value that is hindered by its extremely high difficulty.

Siren's Rest functions as a brief epilogue to Still Wakes the Deep, a short story of sorts, with the interesting twist of being set entirely underwater. Fans of the original will no doubt enjoy returning to Beira D, but it ultimately offers little new in terms of lore or character development.

Even if you disregard the substandard graphics, the glitches, the stuttering, the poor performance and the terrible controlling through a “modernized” disastrous movement system, it is difficult to disregard that the plot carries no substance at all, with no connection to the past, no goal real pushing you forward and no ending. Syberia ended 13 years ago and this new sequel, while it carries some moments of magic, is too poorly executed to stand next to the large name it carries.

You can’t really say that Soap Dodgem is a bad game, but its lack of ambition for something bigger makes it bend more to the “killing time” category rather than "play for fun".

A quite decent sniping and stealth game is hidden behind the completely needless open world approach, the extremely long loading times and the atrocious story.

Stunt Flyer is a short arcade shoot-'em-up with dated visuals, repetitive gameplay, and little to make it stand out in the genre. Still, in its simplicity, it might offer a few hours of light fun, though the experience is likely to be forgotten just as quickly.

We really wanted to enjoy Steel Rats (and there were moments when it showed its true potential), but ultimately it’s marred by derivative combat and the occasional erratic behaviour of the bike, especially in jumping sequences, leading to some unfair deaths.

Even though what we get here is a rich and well crafted simulation of farming life, the technical issues along with some repetition make Pure Farming 18 suitable only for fans of the genre.

Fade to Silence succeeds in presenting a believable heavy winter setting, with pretty snow and effects that accompany it, but it’s hampered down by predictable and limited crafting recipes, derivative combat system and a very repetitive exploration cycle.

Robot Entertainment successfully combines tower defence mechanics with some action, but the repetition of the levels and the long waves of enemies make it rather tiring.

Pro Basketball 2019 is a game that delivers a great management system, where your actions have consequences, and with a "Historical mode" that will certainly please the hardcore fans of the sport. Too bad that there is no kind of a 3D match mode and the available championships are too few.

After the release of Skyrim VR we were expecting something similar for Doom. Unfortunately what we got is a quite short spin-off that showcases the perks of VR, but fails to deliver the overall superb experience of the original (2016) Doom.

Even though the Definitive Edition is a beautiful reimagining of a classic and definite RTS it doesn’t go the extra step to modernize the gameplay or at least fix several issues existing in the 1997 version. The nostalgia factor can drive the experience so much before remembering ultimately the several limitations of this old pioneer.

Effie draws inspiration from action/platformers of the past, ands in that respect it is in a position to deliver some enjoyable afternoon sessions. But that's about it. The combat is rather boring, the story mediocre and it never tries to do something new.

At first glance Fallout VR impresses with its huge scale and sheer mass, and it does very well in the action/ shooting/ movement field, but it never manages to captivate a seasoned VR user due to its lack of actual virtual reality gameplay implementations and unintuitive and uncomfortable Pip-Boy controls. A game aspiring to lead the VR-gaming sector should be made for VR from the scratch.

TT Isle of Man is quite a niche racing game. Although it should be a must buy for the motorbikes aficionados it should also be mentioned that it’s hardcore difficulty level and limited content could discourage the less enthusiasts.

Unfortunately, EA Sports WRC is not one of Codemasters' best moments. On one hand the driving model is excellent and the variety of racing tracks is quite good but on the other hand it's a step back in terms of visuals while also its career mode could be described, generously, as derivative.

Ankama Play managed to create a colorful setting, filled with wonderfully designed characters. Unfortunately, the lack of information concerning this setting, along with the repetitive nature of the gameplay mechanics, lower Islands of Wakfu's overall value.

The Crew 2 is a better game than its predecessor, but still -4 years later- manages to fall flat on exactly the same areas. Yet again we have a shining example of a game that will be complete in a few months from now, with many vital updates like the PvP Multiplayer missing - essentially the games' endgame. The writing is awful with a constant "How do you do, fellow kids" vibe that misinterprets what's "cool", but the game is at its best when it lets the player loose on the massive United States “Best-Of” map instead of confining him in boring tracks.

Watch Dogs: Legion is presented as Ubisoft’s grandest and most compelling adventure ever, but ends up failing to deliver what has been promised. Despite the additional development time, it lost the chance to deliver a new type of experience that includes the much-advertised Operators Recruitment.

Fun as it may be using the Swiss knife-like grappling hook, the same can’t be said for the extremely repetitious nature of the missions. Unfortunately, the Just Cause series seems to have stagnated from ideas after its second entry and a myriad of explosions (albeit exciting for a bit) cannot alleviate that feeling.

If you were expecting a unique experience, equal to that of the PlayStation era games, you will be very disappointed. On the other hand, as a plain third person shooter, The 3rd Birthday is capable of delivering some quality gaming hours.

A game that could have been lots of things. It could have been a tribute to a great franchise that is about to celebrate its 10th anniversary. It could have been a place of reference for active multiplayer gaming that offers pure fun. Instead, it is a collection of mini-games that can be compared to a trip down the memory lane – an opportunity to relive good gaming moments, which is marked by lack of elements that can give this title its proper place into the Mario Party fandom.

The new version of Mafia 2 is more polished, cleaner and more detailed than ever before, but the problems with the plot, mission development, character development, driving and gunplay are still present. Ultimately, players who still own the original (now dubbed "classic") version of the game on Steam, had better stick to it.

With its enjoyable battle system and great co-op mode, 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is a decent tribute to kung-fu movies of the 70s.

Even though at this point many of the tragic problems the game had at its release have been addressed, WWE 2K20 is a shadow of the former games of the series, and only capable of delivering some fun only to the most avid fans of the franchise.

The Occultist is largely focused on building a series of atmospheric, Lovecraftian-inspired stages, and it succeeds in delivering a visually engaging aesthetic. The experience is supported by simple yet satisfying environmental puzzles. However, its storytelling feels bland, the voice acting is subpar in many cases, and the stalker-type enemies should have been removed entirely.

Atelier Dusk Trilogy -and generally the Atelier series- mostly relates to an audience that does not seek a major challenge or important stories and plots with memorable characters, since the only thing it offers is an experience that thrives through harvest and crafting.

Although the idea behind In My Shadow is an intriguing one and the messages that it tries to convey to the players are important, it lacks in the delivery of said messages as well as in its overall technical and aesthetic departments.

Ground Zero offers a generous amount of content, with large maps and plenty of replay value. However, it often leans toward quantity over quality. While the level design is solid, movement feels clunky and oddly favors tank controls over modern ones. On top of that, its puzzles, enemies, and setting play things too safe, relying heavily on nostalgia.

No doubt about it, it's better without Kinect.

The idea behind Salary Man Escape is interesting and the puzzles are well crafted, but the graphical design of the game is bland and boring and the music awful. But, overall, it’s a decent puzzle game that will keep you squeezing your mind for a few hours.

The mentality behind the development of Serious Sam 4 is summed up in the saying of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. It adheres to this saying so much that it forgets that this logic could very well fall in the trap of “diminishing returns”. Unfortunately, that is the case with the fourth instalment that seems to be nothing less than a rehash of the previous instalments, just with the obligatory but a bit unsatisfactory revamp of the graphics engine.

Dakar Desert Rally strives for something more but that is not enough. The lack of routes with interesting design and variety make it a boring racer, while this indecision about whether it wants to be serious or not, is an issue that in the future Saber Interactive should see through a different perspective.

Even though its gameplay design looks somehow dated, Xenoverse is a tribute that the "ultra fan" of Dragon Ball will surely appreciate.

Tennis World Tour 2 offers rich content and lots of licensed athletes; however, the game has a steep learning curve that, along with its technical issues, make it suitable strictly for fans of the genre.

The decline of NBA 2K games continues. It is still a good basketball game overall, but some changes, like the new shot system along with severe A.I. problems cause some serious problems to the experience.

Deathbound's unique gameplay inclusion of controlling multiple characters certainly helps it to stand out in the overcrowded soulslike genre. However, despite the well-thought implementation of this mechanic, the game is held back by baffling gameplay decisions, unremarkable level design and forgetable boss encounters, preventing it from rising above mediocrity.

In a fantastic and enjoyable reconstruction of the Late Classic Era of Greece, Ubisoft Quebec feeds the gamer’s hunger with tons and tons of gameplay material with no real substance and no real relation to the spirit of the Assassin’s Creed series. Worst of all, side missions and map cleaning gameplay is baptized Main Mission material in an effortless attempt to make justice of the mmo-like mechanics of the game. This is a dead end for the series and this kind of gameplay design.

An addictive puzzle game which will offer some enjoyable hours. On the downside, the time limit pressure and the fact that it's overpriced may influence your decision on buying it or not.

Some degree of multiplayer fun is guaranteed, but the lack of any real depth "condemns" Mario Sports Mix as a simplistic and ephemeral experience. Mario sits on his throne for thirty years now, and it's certainly not due to games like this.

For better or worse, the first DLC of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle feels like side content, more like something cut from the main game than a true expansion. While it offers a few well-made puzzles, the lack of set pieces and a lackluster story drag it down.

After the step-up Piranha Bytes had with Risen 2, this one feels like going backwards to a time where bugs, glitches and many other issues were a norm for the developer.

Inayah is a prime example of a game lost in an oversaturated genre. Charming visuals alone are no longer enough to stand out among the myriad of Metroidvanias. While it boasts stylish comic-inspired art and a passable combat system, Inayah ultimately offers little beyond the genre’s most basic staples, without making any real effort to create its own identity.

With a very low price tag and an addictive structure, you can surely overlook its flaws and have a good time with this tactical RPG from Interbellum.

This new Atelier title is unlikely to win over any newcomers to the long-running series. With a lack of challenge, dated visuals, and a surprising absence of meaningful alchemy mechanics, it stands as one of the weakest entries in the franchise.