Obviously, that means that I can’t call this a bad game because it isn’t. It’s objectively a good sort of game. But it’s not a game that really lit me on fire in any way. I almost feel like part of me would have preferred a more flawed title in some ways, something that felt like it was reaching a little more in an area other than just raw presentation…But some of this might just be me being cantankerous. I can’t say Olija is all that great, but it’s definitely a solid game that aimed at what it wanted to be and hit it squarely. It’s unlikely to be anyone’s favorite game, but it is – at least – doing its own thing with no small degree of confidence.

Much like the original, I found myself having a great time with Ryza 2. As I mentioned back then, if this is the direction the Atelier series is moving in, you can count me in as a fan from this point. While the question remains if Gust will stick with this formula when they eventually move away from titles staring Ryza, I personally hope they continue to revise and refine this model. If Ryza 1 caught my interest, then Ryza 2 definitely has my attention.

If you’re looking for a fun trip to Toronto, this game is as solid now as it was back in 2010. Just be sure to get a few friends together for maximum enjoyment.

Ocean’s Heart is a love letter to its genre, and I feel like it’s one that does it justice. I really enjoyed this game and all it had to offer. The main story, as well as the side-quests, keep you interested and immersed in the world you’re exploring, the visuals are full of color and charm, and the gameplay, while basic, is elevated by constant puzzle-solving and exploration, making it harder to get bored. If you have it in you to ignore the clunky controls (which I did) then you will find a lot to enjoy about this game.

Tadpole Treble Encore is certainly what I would call “content dense.” It’s not a long game by any stretch – one of the unlockables is a mode where you go through the whole game in one life with no saving – but it delivers a lot in the time that it has. Every level is determined to knock it out of the park, presenting something fresh and new before dipping out to make way for the next level. If you like precision dodging to avoid obstacles or strong soundtracks, you really need to pick this up.

The lack of any story or narrative means that, well, to a certain extent the game is shallow. It’s got a lot going on in play, but not a lot to draw you back in or anything of the sort. Also, it’s a competitive game, and that means playing with certain other people can turn things into a cesspool because some folks just cannot handle competition even in a chill game. Your mileage will vary. But none of that is to change the fact that this is a very supremely relaxing game. If you have the right people around you, or are just in the mood for something relaxing? This is an excellent option. Just relax. Settle down for the game. Don’t worry about people who are going to make this into a big to-do or anything of the sort, just… let it wash over you. Sit on the couch. Close your eyes for a bit, there’s no timer. Ooh, look, a red-tailed hawk! It’s a beautiful bird and it catches cards for more victory points. This is a fun game.

If you’re looking for a centralized platform to play these games, the bulk of the titles offered here are fun enough to keep you engaged for quick bouts of alien-blasting action. Would I go out and grab this at full price? No, probably not. But having two solid offerings out of three at a sale price? It’s work a look. Just don’t get your hopes up for multiplayer.

I really think of all the ways to adapt Animal Farm, this is definitely one of the best ways. Actually making the decisions and watching corrupt leadership undermine them, or being the one to justify sacrificing the “lesser” people for the “greater good,” really emphasizes how easily selfishness ruins a perfectly good dream. It’s not terribly long, but there is plenty of replay value in trying for various routes and endings and it’s relatively cheap.

As a big fan of the original and of Tetris in general, it really pains me to give Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 this score. I really want it to be higher, but the persistence of the sensitivity problem had me throwing down my controller and cursing in rage too much to not be a factor. If you aren’t a serious Tetris or Puyo Puyo veteran, this probably won’t matter to you and you absolutely can have a blast. But if you are, there’s a good chance you’ll experience some frustration alongside the fun. It’s still worth playing, but the issues are too significant to ignore.

Unto the End just wants to punish the player. It feels like it went too far off the deep end of “purposefully difficult game” and ended up in kaizo territory. The challenge here isn’t fun, it’s just annoying.

I, AI really doesn’t push any boundaries or try anything new at all. It’s a budget title and I can cut it some slack for that. But I feel like the only people who could enjoy this are those that spent hours upon hours playing Space Invaders, Galaga, or R-Type back in the 80s, whom might get enough of a nostalgia trip from this to go play those games again. Anyone else will be reaching for the deck of cards pretty quickly.

Chronos: Before the Ashes is a more casual take on the Souls-like formula. It has the weighty action and focus on learning enemy patterns to punish, but at eight hours to beat it’s relatively short and is lacking depth in many of its systems. At $30 and with an easier learning curve this is a good starter for anyone who hasn’t played this style of game, but veteran players may find the experience underwhelming. That said, I still had fun, and if you’re a fan of Remnant: From the Ashes you’ll likely appreciate this look into how everything began.

Unfortunately, I’m sorry to say that Morbid: The Seven Acolytes still wound up hitting that same point of not quite hooking me in. It never made me sit up in delight and just start playing for the sheer fun of it. Not that it’s supposed to be fun, since you’re wandering into a broken hellish locale that’s supposed to be unfriendly with every step. But I consider the fact that my impulses responded that way as a good thing. Whatever quality prevents these games from quite resonating with me was there and present here, and there’s a lot to like here. The game looks eerily and disgustingly beautiful, weaves a compelling environment, and plays sharply and responsively. So I might be a bit more reluctant to go wade back in, but if you like yourself some Souls-like action and fancy something novel, you should definitely give this a shot. And if you like buckets of blood and body horror, you might get a kick out of it too.

It just doesn’t seem they put as much love and detail into the gameplay as they did the character writing and world building. In the end, while not a must play, Haven is still worth a glance if you’re looking for a feel-good experience.

If you’re already a fan of the Dirt franchise, there’s little to take issue with here – jump right in. If you’re a racing fan who’s new to the series, though, I can definitely say Dirt 5 is worth a look.

REKT is a game that has some potential, but ultimately suffers from being very light on content while seemingly missing every chance to realize that potential. If you like the idea of playing a slimmed-down version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater meets Rocket League with cars instead of skateboards, you can certainly get some enjoyment out of this. But I think that’s a pretty niche audience for a game in today’s market.

The story is engaging and filled with noir goodness, the gameplay added to the feeling I was a memory hacking detective, and the visuals felt straight out of one of my favorite 80s movies. But the absolutely relentless and aggressive lights and patterns that invade the game a few hours in made it a hard game to finish. Because of this I still recommend it, but with a large and bold asterisk.

Alas, poor Strobophagia. You look really good. You have some promise. But you are, at the end of the day, just lacking the meat you really need to be worth an unqualified recommendation. I don’t really dislike this game, on a whole. While it’s a wispy sort of thing, it’s clear that the developers had ambitions, and you can see the places at the corners where the ambition starts to creep in and almost promise to elevate the proceedings. It’s just that each time that happens, all you get is that hint, that idea faintly expressed until you just sigh and go about your business. So the score I’m giving this game is on the high end of that same number… but ultimately, it’s a game I can’t really recommend to a lot of people. For all the neat ideas at play and the interesting visuals, it never quite has enough meat on its bones. There’s just not enough to rave about here.

No More Heroes is still a game worth playing in 2020. While it may sport mature content, the attitude throughout is anything but. It’s a game full of flash and fun, and seeing it and Desperate Struggle drop on the Switch before III‘s launch is the perfect excuse to get yourself acquainted with Travis Touchdown for the first time, or all over again. Years later, it’s still a bloody good romp worth a good slash with the added benefit of portable play. Head on down to Santa Destroy, you’ll leave happy.

The biggest mark against Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is that this is a game which requires you to love it in its entirety. You cannot play this game solely as a farming simulator or solely as a platforming action game; you have to be willing to fumble through the rice farming as you do the platforming you’re much better at. Or maybe fumble through platforming to get back to that hardcore rice farming sim you wanted, to be fair. I don’t know your life. But the whole thing is presented with such care, patient attention to detail, and downright love that it’s impossible not to enjoy the heck out of this game. It’s the sort of game that I highly recommend to people who may naturally only be inclined to one side or the other of this particular melange, because you might find yourself enjoying it more than you expected. Sit back, relax, and let the game soak over you. Take a breath. Plant the rice. Watch the water. Don’t ruin it.

If the game can be accused of anything, it might be that it plays things a little too safe… but even that feels a little disingenuous. Yes, it’s more of an evolution than a revolution, but it’s easy to forget that the series slowly embraced “action RPG” in its path from being a pure stealth-based series. This is definitely the most hack-and-slash-y of the titles yet, but it feels natural, and it does still feel like it deserves to be called Assassin’s Creed. So… yeah, this game is darn good, and if you’ve liked prior installments you’ll almost certainly like this one. Darn it, I really like it. Oh no, I get to really enjoy this viking game. Quelle horreur.

Overall, Clea goes for an unsettling style of horror and, at least for me, completely fails. The atmosphere never really “lands,” enemies are more frustrating than frightening, and I really just struggled to find the desire to even play this game.

While I wouldn’t list Fallen Angel as my game of the year, it’s definitely entertaining while it lasts. It’s hard to enough to be satisfying, has a fantastic variety of areas, and the combat is fast and snappy. There’s a few flaws here and there, namely in a few minor bugs and the combat stagnating partway through, but it’s definitely worth the asking price.

Overall, Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty is an older title that holds up well…for the most part. I did enjoy the majority of the time I spent with it, slowly working my way through puzzles and taking in the wild environments. However, things really do kind of fall apart whenever the action gets any faster than a brisk walk. The jumping controls in particular are a nuisance, creating sequences that nearly made me quit in frustration. If you’ve been interested in taking this classic franchise for a spin, New ‘n’ Tasty seems to be the best way to do it. Just be prepared for some of that old-school clunkiness.

Overall, Disc Room is a simple game at its core. It almost feels like it could be a web-based Flash game at times. Between the steady challenge and constant addition of new quirks and twists, though, the game becomes more than a simple time waster. Disc Room is short and sweet, with an interesting aesthetic and some intriguing character building. Unfortunately the latter is hidden in menus, so there’s a chance not all players will get to see what is, in my opinion, one of the best parts of the game. As a quick glimpse into a new kind of madness, this is a game worth a look. Just don’t lose your mind on the way.

At the end of the day I just can’t really recommend Tears of Avia to anyone else. Not being terrible is not the same as actually being good, and while I understand that this was made with love, it is ultimately a love that has little to nothing to add to the genre aside from being more of it.

If you’re really desperate to get inside a virtual aircraft and experience passenger flight again, I’m not going to stop you. But even with Bacronym accurately depicting what happens on any given flight, the appeal is going to be limited. I’m really hoping that additional content is coming for this game. Mostly because this is a passing curiosity at best, and a nose-pickingly boring experience at worst. Wait for a sale if it piques your interest, but avoid it otherwise.

Everything about 9 Monkeys of Shaolin is above board (except maybe the title). While it doesn’t bear the name of some famous franchise, everything about it possesses high quality and I definitely had a good time playing it. This game is a solid pick-up for beat-’em-up fans, particularly if you can find a friend to play with. Give it a play, and unleash your inner monk.