Knights Contract is simply a solid adventure game with many flaws, an awkward charm, and often pure fun.

Although it suffers from a few problems and annoyances, overall Divine Divinity is an expansive and quite enjoyable RPG.

The Order of the Phoenix is the best Harry Potter game to date and the first one that’s a real treat for fans of the books and movies.

While Magic 2012 can be entertaining for those who play online, it really serves more as an expanded training program for anyone who has thought about delving into the real game.

Its simple qualities make it easy to pick up and play, but also hurt its long term charm. It won't appeal to all gamers, especially those who prefer action games., but many will find it a fun diversion when gaming on the go.

Space Marine may not have convinced me to buy thousands of dollars worth of pewter figurines or tabletop maps, but it did provide some serious, bloody fun.

A better than average RPG. Woo-hoo…

College Hoops 2K7 does a great job of capturing the atmosphere of college basketball, and there’s a lot of game in there for the NCAA basketball fan.

A little better than your average shooter and worth checking out for the unique Offensive Cover System.

Red Faction: Armageddon can be a really fun game. The online and extra modes may not be all that great, and the repetitive nature of the fighting doesn't do the title any favors, but there is still a solid game here. Smashing and rebuilding stuff is great fun, and a lot of times it can make up for some of the flaws. Red Faction: Armageddon is clearly a game for fans of the series, and/or someone looking for a good, solid action game. It is the best thing since sliced bread? Nah. But it does bring a lot to the table and may or my not be a worth edition to your collection, depending on your tastes.

A nice platformer with good style and funny moments. Unfortunately, the camera and lock-on problems are no laughing matter.

It doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously, yet it provides some good gaming.

MX vs. ATV: Reflex introduces two new concepts that, while not totally fleshed out, do help make this one of the better off-road racers.

GoldenEye 007: Reloaded won't rewrite any FPS history books, but it will entertain each and every gamer smart enough to give it a shot.

Asteroids on 'roids - a fun combination of empire builder/tactical shooter with reasonable replayability.

A fine golf game but there's little “next-gen” going on here.

MK fans will rate Shaolin Monks a fatality – others will find it surprisingly fun in short doses.

Need for Speed Rivals is a fun race and chase driving game.

SingStar Legends is probably the best party disc entry in the series.

Battle for Neighborville's goofy, cartoonish world makes it a shooter appropriate for younger gamers, but don't dismiss it as a kids' game. The gameplay will please most shooter fans, and it's good to have an option that doesn't take itself too seriously and in which the players are focused on having a fun time. It's a great change of pace for when you want a more laid-back but still fun shooter experience.

True to the Capcom business model, this sequel doesn't fly far from the first game. It's fun to kill thousands of undead, again, but it's very inspiring this time around.

Lumines Plus is for those who enjoy a puzzle game with a pulse.

Scurge: Hive can be a little frustrating at times, but the overall experience is enjoyable. If you’re in need of some more Metroid style action on your DS, then Scurge: Hive is a good choice to scratch that itch.

Dead Space: Extraction takes us back to the events that transpired before Isaac and his team landed aboard the USG Ishimura and it gives Dead Space fans plenty of backstory to make the overall Dead Space storyline feel whole again.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine may not bring much originality to the third-person shooter, but what it does it does in a fun way and better than many.

For the most part, only hardcore fans will enjoy Dead or Alive 6, but it's an overall worthy sequel to get your DOA fix satisfied.

If you don’t mind the fact that the game costs more than a book of crossword puzzles that you can pick up at a newsstand, you’ll find yourself enjoying this electronic version of the New York Times’ signature puzzle.

Call of Cthulhu is such a dark game that if you turned off the lights while playing it, you might get sucked into the void.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered is a compact title with a lot going for it. The game is arguably a runner-up for the best Call of Duty story and the enhanced visuals punctuate every jaw-dropping sequence. Overall, this is a powerhouse blockbuster worth the return to duty.

Gran Turismo does a good job of bringing the core GT experience to the PSP, but racing fans are sure to be disappointed by the fact that the races are limited to four cars.

All in all, this is a nice little collection of portable games from the aughts. The gameplay isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy, or don’t mind the occasional, interactive fiction/visual novel game, you’ll enjoy your time with Apollo Justice.

Overall, if you enjoy Dynasty Warriors 8 and you want the console version that runs the smoothest, be sure to check out the Switch version. Even with the slight flaws it carries, the Switch version is the ultimate version of DW8 for me.

If you have a soft spot for classic platform games, de Blob 2 is definitely worth a look. But although it's fun and filled with personality, it's also short and easy.

Myst IV will push your puzzle-solving skills to the limit.

War gamers without an uncompromising bias towards turn-based play and real-time strategy fans looking for a more realistic depiction of battlefield strategy and tactics should definitely give the game a look.

Condemned 2 is still a unique horror game with some nice enhancements but fans of the first game may not enjoy the new story direction.

One of the most thought-provoking stories you'll see in a horror game.

Awakenings is a competent expansion to Origins, but the price of admission is just a little too high given its length and the high quality set by Origins that it can't quite reach.

If you weren't a fan of the first Attack on Titan game, then there is nothing that will change your mind with this sequel but those that did like the first game will like the second game even more from a gameplay perspective.

Legend of Dungeon is Rogue-like adventure at its best, with a side of humor to put a smile on any gamers face.

Sonic 4 is a return to the 2-D style of Sonic gameplay with redone stages from older games and an overall compilation of gameplay from Sonics 1-3.

Overall, I do recommend this game to fans of old-school RE games. You’ll have the most fun with this game. The cheap deaths do get in the way, but you can overcome them with enough knowledge of the game. You Will Die Here Tonight is definitely a game that you have to get the feel for to truly enjoy it, but once you do, it is quite a fun time. The game clocks in at around 3 hours total, but it is an overall fun experience and quite impressive for an indie game.

A charming and unique game, but oh so easy.

If you're a fan of the Attack on Titan manga or anime you really owe it to yourself to give this game a try. It really captures the feel of the anime series very well and the gameplay is very addicting.

Every Extend Extra is a bit too difficult and fast-paced to appeal to everyone. However, it is quirky and enjoyable enough to attract a legion of diehard fans. If you’re looking for a little more twitch and pressure in your puzzle games, then be sure to check it out.

Okinawa Rush is definitely worth a try for fans of 90’s and early 2000’s arcade games. It has a very arcadey setup and is quite satisfying to play through. Harder difficulty will give you a level timer that you’ll have to constantly add to by defeating enemies – sort of like a survival mode. With only having five levels, the game is very short (only takes around 2 hours to complete), but it has a lot of replay value in its difficulties. It also has its own in-game achievements on the Switch and many of the achievements are VERY challenging!

Fireteam Bravo 3 manages to be fun in spite of a decided lack of challenge.

Overall, Sonic & SEGA All-Star Racing is a fun little game. It's no Forza, but it is entertaining. If you're looking for a fun little racer, and especially if you're a fan of SEGA's games, then you'll enjoy your time with it.

If you love pouring over sports stats and the strategy that goes into building a winning basketball program, you'll find Tournament Dreams to be both fascinating and addicting.

If you're not a fan of strategy games, then there's nothing particularly different or compelling about the gameplay in Commanders to change your mind about the genre. For the rest of you, it does do a nice job of serving up some fun albeit straightforward strategy gameplay.

The load time in the XSX version is lightning fast in single player. I don’t even get the chance to read but about three words of the loading screen descriptions before it switches to the next area. The graphics are equal to the PC version – I compared the two and didn’t see any noticeable differences. The only real flaw with this release is that it doesn’t include the Sunbreaker expansion. It does mention in-game that the Sunbreaker expansion will be coming soon however! If you have yet to experience Monster Hunter Rise, then be sure to try it out on Xbox or PlayStation now since it’s just as good as the PC version overall.

A strategic simulation of modern naval warfare whose following is smaller than it deserves.

Overall, Versus is a good step in the right direction for a Resident Evil deathmatch-type mode.

If you’re looking for an ultra-realistic and brutally difficult driving experience on your PC, then you should take GTR for a spin.

If you are looking for a fun western-themed shooter to escape the monotony of Nazis, aliens, zombies, and Nazi-alien-zombies, then Bound in Blood is without a doubt a rental if you can play the console version.

Carbon plays a lot like the past versions, so chances are you already know if you like it or not.

A compelling story steeped in Japanese folklore is enough to overcome the repetitive battles.

If you're looking for a new chapter in the Portal saga, Bridge Constructor Portal won't give you that. There's a little of that trademark GLaDOS dark humor before each level, but the game is really a sequence of puzzles rather than a contiguous story. I didn't mind that, though, I enjoyed the challenge of the puzzles (and to be honest, it was also fun watching everything collapse in spectacular fashion as a convoy was trying to get safely across) and it's always a treat to listen to GLaDOS, voiced as in the Portal games by Ellen McLain. You don't have to be a Portal fan to enjoy the game, just a fan of physics-based puzzle games. And if you are a Portal fan, while the game isn't exactly Portal 3, it's nice to be able to make a brief return to Aperture Industries anyway.

Overall, this game is very much like the first game. The main thing Dragon’s Dogma 2 has going for it are its visuals. It has slight improvements here and there and some additions, but overall, the gameplay is nearly exactly the same as the first game. This isn’t bad at all though, considering the first game was so good. If you like the first game, you’re going to love this game, but if you don’t care for the first game, this one will not change your mind. Capcom played it safe with this game, which is really fine with me – it’s better to not change what isn’t broken. I do have some of the same complaints with this game that I did with the first game, but they are overall still minor (see the minuses below). If Capcom would give this game a 60 fps option, that would please me the most.

Just like DMC3, DMC4 now has its own special edition version, only this time we get more extra characters to play.

If you enjoy roguelike games such as Prey's "Mooncrash", you'll most likely really enjoy The Persistence, but if you're not a fan of that style of gameplay this game most likely won't change your mind. It's highly addicting, but it can get frustrating with the continuous deaths you'll most likely suffer.

Overall Amnesia Collection is a fantastic collection of horror games that is a must have for horror fans, especially those that prefer terror raised through overall atmosphere rather than in-your-face scares. If you've played SOMA and enjoyed the overall gameplay in it, you'll most likely find something to enjoy in this collection as well since all of these games basically play the same.

Overall, this DLC is fantastic. At such a little cost, you get quite a bit. The new characters are worth the asking price alone. I’m not a huge fan of survival modes, but this one can get addicting with all the helpful power-ups. The boss characters are very fun to mess around with as well.

Dragon Quest Heroes isn't the best game of the holiday season, but it sure manages to carve out a nice niche for itself.

If you have a nostalgic love of Crash, then this game collection will certainly bring back a lot of memories. There were plenty of "hey, I remember this level" moments for me as I played. Like me, though, you might not remember the controls being quite like this, especially since you'll find that you've evolved along with platform games over the past twenty years. If you've never played a Crash game before, then you may find the level design constricted, the basic enemy movements somewhat simplistic, and the controls too unforgiving. The developers have done a really good job of bringing the game's visuals up to date while retaining all of the game's original charm and humor, but platform games have simply evolved over the past twenty years, and even though the game has a modern look its gameplay is strictly old school.

Overall, I had fun with Van Helsing and it provides a lot of gameplay for a title that can be had for under $20. If Diablo style games aren't your thing, you'll want to give it a pass, but otherwise it's worth adding to your game library.

A worthy nod to the original.

The game suffers from a few minor problems, but this is not going to keep a fan of Frictional Games from enjoying it. Sadly, Rebirth has no replay value other than enjoying the story again. It does have three endings, which you can see all the endings from the final save point. Fans of The Dark Descent will most likely enjoy this release just as much since it continues the story from that game and it still feels very much like an Amnesia game.

The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors is a solid enhancement to its original arcade counterpart and SNES port.

If you like JRPGs, make sure you try out Monster Hunter Stories and its sequel. Both games are fantastic. I actually enjoy the Monster Hunter Stories games more than the traditional Monster Hunter games since I favor turn-based RPG over action RPG. You can’t go wrong with either this game or its sequel. If you like one, you’ll like the other just as much. I do feel the first game has the better characters and the second game has the overall better gameplay. They both come out as being even to me.

After playing the first game, it is noticeable that the characters seem more lively and full of charm in the first game when compared to the sequel. The characters in the sequel are still really good, but I just favor the original game’s characters. With the sequel now being on PS5 and Steam, it is highly noticeable that the game doesn’t have slowdown during town sequences. The Switch version struggled to maintain a consistent framerate while in towns, but the PS5 version has no problem with slowdown in those areas. If you missed out on Monster Hunter Stories 2 for Switch, definitely give this game a try on PS5 or Steam. You can’t go wrong with either the first game or its sequel. Both games are just as good as the other one and have their highs and lows. For me, both of them come out as being equally good. It’s hard to recommend one over the other.

Overall MotoGP 24 is a really good motorcycle racing game. I don’t know how it compares to the rest of the series, but I hear many other gamers commending it. Just like all racers, it has a learning curve, so you’ll be crashing a lot at the start, but once you get over that hurdle, the game is quite satisfying. It’s often hard to find a racer that controls just as good as it looks, but MotoGP 24 is definitely one of them.

Dragon Age: Origins fans will be happy enough with Awakening just for the extra time it gives them with their Grey Wardens.

While NHL 2K8 has evolved over last year's version of the game, the changes really are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The new control scheme doesn't seem to add enough to the game to justify the need to relearn the controls.

Earned in Blood is for those who enjoyed Road to Hill 30 but wished it was more challenging. You got your wish.

This game feels just like you’re playing through the anime series at a more rapid pace. Besides Dragonball Fighter Z, it’s the first game I’ve seen to capture the feel of the series so very well and with a good bit of quality. Dragonball Z: Kakarot is a great companion piece to the old DBZ series. Whether you’re new to the series, are watching it right now or have seen it back in the past (like me) then there is something here to enjoy for you. Fans will get the most of the game, but newcomers will get introduced to the series rather well.

Ilomilo is enjoyable enough, but it's not the kind of puzzle game that you'll find yourself obsessing over.

If you’re a fan of Dragonball Z, you owe it to yourself to try out Dragonball Z Kakarot in whatever form you can experience it in. There is truly no wrong way to go when it comes to this game. The Switch version is certainly a value with the extra DLC that it comes packed with. As usual, the Switch version also has the advantage of being portable. The game looks great whether in portable form or on an HDTV. Dragonball Z Kakarot is the ultimate companion piece to have while watching the DBZ anime series so don’t miss out on this game!

A lot of personality and a core built on a classic family game make Risk: Factions fun for anyone with a soft spot for the original board game.

Overall, I do truly enjoy Withering Rooms, mainly for its presentation. The combat feels lackluster, but you do get plenty of help in the form of items and other collectibles that you find that help out during combat. The game seems like it is a constant learning experience, which is great! Even with the combat flaw, I still really like this game however. It’s not completely perfect, but it sure is one very unique horror game. This game should be tried by all horror fans at least once. Just because you’re a horror fan doesn’t mean you’re going to instantly like it, but I’m sure you’ll be able to enjoy it for its atmosphere and overall look once you get adjusted to it.

Overall, Cronos: The New Dawn is a fantastic survival horror that should be played by fans of RE4 and Dead Space. I was very impressed with the Silent Hill 2 remake and feel that SH2 remake is a better game than Cronos, but Cronos impresses me more since it’s an original franchise that Bloober didn’t have source material on. It would be awesome to see this as the start of the a new franchise for Bloober. Cronos definitely is a game that I’d like to see a sequel to down the road. Good job on this Bloober!

Next-gen football with great graphics that seem to have come at the expense of gameplay options found in current-gen versions of the game.

Buzz! The Mega Quiz might not be the best thing for hosting a trivia tournament, but it can be a lot of fun with a group of friends at parties or family gatherings.

If you can put up with the constant level repetition you will find yourself with a great game. A definite sleeper if there ever was one.

Resident Evil Chronicles HD Collection has a full summary of all the older Resident Evil titles with on-rails shooter gameplay, but you need a PS Move to get the most out of it.

Fortix is recommendable to anyone who enjoys a good arcade-style challenge, even if you've never heard of Qix.

All of the problems can easily be patched. The game is not plagued with bugs, but they can ruin the experience for the moment. It’s still amazing how solid the game is overall. Right now, there is no ranked mode. You are paired with other players that are around your current player level however, which is good for balance. This is definitely a game that every Texas Chain Saw Massacre fan should try out. If you’re a fan of Dead by Daylight or Friday the 13th definitely give this game a try. It more closely resembles Friday the 13th, but it plays much better. It’s so very addicting and overall balanced!

If you want a good single player fighter with a bit of competition in online play for the My Hero manga series, you'll probably enjoy My Hero One's Justice quite a bit. The game is filled with unlockables in just about every mode so you'll have to really grind in order to get them all. There are a total of 20 characters in the roster, which includes one hidden character that is unlocked by beating story mode. Even if you're not a fan of My Hero and enjoy Power Stone gameplay like I did, you'll probably find something to enjoy in One's Justice.

And make no mistake – this is an impressive game from a lot of standpoints. It may have suffered a bit from the lack of hype leading up to its release and some not bad, but not exactly great gunplay, but C.O.P. is one of those games that people will still find themselves gushing about years from now.

While hard-core RPG gamers may scoff at the game’s hack and slash approach, it plays well for those looking for an action-RPG that works well as a portable game.

These are two very fantastic games that need to be played by action fans. Bayonetta is the star of the show with its flawless execution and Vanquish is a damn good game, but its slowdown in its cutscenes keep it from being a flawless upgrade. Either way, this collection is a great representation of the best that Platinum Games has developed. If you want to see their best work, then look no further!

A great workout tool for those serious about fitness.

Heavenly Sword is an engaging game experience where, even if you don’t love the gameplay, you will enjoy a movie quality experience.

Given my limited knowledge of Digimon, I was not expecting to enjoy Digimon Story: Time Stranger all that much but it really surprised me. The game has a good story and it’s just overall a good turn-based RPG. The game is quite long and it has a lot Digimon to filter through if you’re going for adding them all to your list. If you like RPGs such as SMT, be sure to give this game a try. Even if you don’t know anything about Digimon, you can easily pick this game up and enjoy it like I did.

Soulstrorm delivers two new factions that are great additions to the Dawn of War conflict.

It’s much easier to do some of the crazier tricks here where you don’t have to worry about some other psycho rider knocking you off of your ride!

That's pretty much all there is to the game, building up your power-generating resources, purchasing a special item, and then seeing where the story takes you next. Sometimes a little gameplay element is added in, such as trying to drop probes on a specific spot on a planet from orbit, but for the most part the game will just run itself with occasional input from you. If this sounds like it may be boring to you, you're probably right and should avoid SPACEPLAN. On the other hand, if you're willing to spend a few dollars on a game that's a bit unusual, you may find yourself enjoying the experience.

Overall if you’ve played a Dark Picture Anthology game, you know what to expect with House of Ashes. They seem to all play around the same but have different stories and gameplay circumstances. Whether the story is good or not, or characters are interesting or boring is all left up to opinion for the most part. One thing is for sure though – if you’re a horror fan, you really need to get into this series, because it has some great stories to tell and some nice moments of horror to share. House of Ashes is my personal favorite of the Dark Pictures games so far and it definitely rivals Until Dawn. It’s hard to say it’s better than Until Dawn, because they both have their ups and downs, but it’s definitely a contender.