Faithful to the manga, but lacks the modes of other Dynasty Warriors games.

In the penultimate addition to the Dark Souls series (the next DLC will be the last, and thus, the end of the series ' sure.. sure it will be'), we see From Software's usually brilliance peeking through, but the Painted World of Ariandal, while worthy of the Dark Souls name, just isn't their best work. I don't doubt for a second that the final DLC will knock the series out of the park in legendary fashion, but this first Dark Souls III expansion feels a little lost in the blizzard.

An interesting world and great atmosphere can't save repetitive gameplay made even more tedious by a terrible camera system.

At best, Haze is a solid, but flawed game that most people would enjoy to the fullest during a rental, rather than an all out sixty-dollar purchase.

I'll summarize this way: If you're a Harry Potter geek then this is a must have. If you're just a gaming geek then you may want to pass.

Yes, Rainbow Moon is a flawed SRPG, but I know that a number a serious genre fans will absolutely fall in love.

Overall, I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the game and liked its 16-bit JRPG meets Clue aesthetics. However, the story, and particularly the dialog just don't live up to the game's interesting premise.

NFL Head Coach brings football sims into the 21st Century, but it still won’t appeal to many people beyond hardcore sports sims fans.

Middle of the road RTS fare. Strategy gamers might enjoy the game's novel setting, but its quirks and shortcomings may prove to be frustrating.

Although the game can be found on home consoles, it’s really a better fit for the phone and Switch platforms that it also appears on. It was fun at first to treat the game as a sort of gaming digestif, enjoyed after an evening of shooting things in other games to wind down peacefully before bed. However, the inventory bloat and crafting complexity quickly began eating into the relaxation time as more and more time was spent sorting through quests, recipes, and inventory to figure out which items you needed to collect that night. Soon, relaxing with Cozy Grove simply becomes too much work.

If building a real estate empire were this easy, we’d all be bored millionaires by now.

Fans of the TV series and casual gamers would do well to give Double or Nothing a try, but it probably won’t appeal to seasoned gamers.

Strictly for the King of Fighters enthusiast or old school 2D fight fans.

Hot Shots Tennis is a lot like Hot Shots Golf, except not nearly as much fun.

Just Cause 4 has some enjoyable moments when you're playing around with the grappling hook to create explosive mayhem or experiencing the weather events, but the problem is that outside of this there's a lot of repetition and hamstrung gameplay that make the game feel like a grind.

The quarter crunching classic that has basically remained the same throughout the years finally changes just a Wii bit, but still not enough to draw in any new fans.

Battlestations: Pacific is not perfect and will not appeal to everyone. Those with the patience to put up with the game's frustrating and annoying aspects, though, will find that there's some exciting action to be had with this diamond in the rough.

It's good to see the return of some old favorites from previous Guitar Hero games, but this whole thing should really have been released online as downloadable tracks.

All these years later, I always figured if Ryu Hayabusa died, it would be at the hands of a truly evil foe or rival ninja. I never thought he'd meet his end at the hands of a broken camera and an inefficient, amateurish and lazy programming team. For shame.

Trackmania is really about track design more than racing, so the multiplayer games won't be able to hold your interest for too long.

Sonic Unleashed is a decent Sonic game for someone that can overlook the slower Night stages. The Werehog missions aren't all the way bad but when played several times in a row, they tend to become repetitive and unwelcome.

Bayonetta is a bizarre game that some will love, but many will hate.

Like the One Ring, Conquest is beautiful to behold and highly tempting, but it comes with some big hidden flaws.

Exile's End starts out as a promising Metroid-style game with nods to older cinematic action games, but eventually turns into an overall mediocre experience.

I expected more of Halo 2 on Vista, and I suspect that you’ll feel the same way too.

Trek to Yomi’s opening chapter really builds expectation for what will follow, but what does follow doesn’t live up to that promise. It’s a gorgeous game to watch, but the gameplay simply falls short of matching the quality of the visuals.

Best enjoyed as a party game when you can gather a few friends together. The lack of depth, repetitive nature, and missing online feature of the game hamper its long-term appeal.

Homefront makes a big splash in the multiplayer field; leaves everything else out to dry.

It's a shame that the battles can so often be frustrating in the game, because everything else about it is enjoyable. The hand-drawn artwork is fantastic, the video game references enjoyable, and the story a lot of fun. However, unless you have a high tolerance for frustration it's doubtful that the game's positives will be enough to drive you to play it all the way through.

Even though the racing can be enjoyable, MX vs. ATV Untamed suffers from a decided lack of variety.

There are some good ideas here, but the game is more frustrating than frightening.

An idea that sounds better on paper, which isn't good for a comic book inspired game.

Not all board games can be improved by virtualization, but there's some fun to be had in this game collection.

If Metro 2033's post-apocalyptic world intrigues you, then just read the book while taking breaks from some other shooter that's actually fun to play

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is a racer that comes up just short of being respectable.

It doesn’t succeed in making you feel like you are a part of the game’s world, but rather that you are involved in a tedious and repetitive exercise over which you have very shaky control.

If you love the show, then you'll probably enjoy the game. Other gamers will probably find it too simple and too short.

Diplomacy is best left to fans of the board game looking for a little nostalgic fun. Those who enjoy juggling multiple competing proposals while under the clock are also encouraged to apply.

Diehard Law & Order fans will find Justice is Served to be a great way to spend a little time with some of their favorite characters from the series. If you’re not in that category then the game will have a tough time challenging you and holding your interest.

Shrek the Third is best left to diehard Shrek fans or 360 gamers looking to pad their Gamer Scores.

There's nothing that The Old Clockmaker's Riddle does really wrong, the match-3 gameplay is a proven formula and it's competently implemented here. However, the game doesn't add anything that's really different to distinguish itself from all of the other match-3 games available. You may as well just stick with Bejeweled.

The Awakened will only appeal to those intrepid adventure gamers used to a healthy dose of frustration in their gameplay.

There's some addicting gameplay to be found in Squad Command, particularly for Warhammer 40,000 fans, but you've got to be willing to put up with the game's flaws and annoyances.

Long on conversation and short on mental challenge.

GripShift includes a decent amount of gameplay for an Xbox Live Arcade title, but it just isn't compelling enough to motivate you to play through the entire game.

Eragon will appeal more to those with dreams of dragon riding than those simply looking for a good action game.

I’d say that it would make an excellent tool for training young strategic thinkers, but for some reason there’s an inordinate amount of cursing in the game’s campaign game and I can see some parents taking an issue with this when it comes to their own young gamers.

Alpha Prime does a great job of being average.

In spite of the short length, repetition, and glitches, Regeneration does provide enjoyment to Evil Dead fans. The voice acting by Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi's brother Ted is excellent and the game packs in a surprisingly large amount of dialog between Ash and Sam.

The evolved game is fun in small doses and more so in multiplayer, but the archaic classic mode is a game that should be left to rest in peace.

How much you enjoy Buu’s Fury will depend entirely on how much you enjoy Dragon Ball Z. Although too easy a game, it is still an enjoyable RPG through the DBZ storyline for big fans.

Overall EA Playground can be fun for younger gamers, but it's not going to win them over like a new version of Pokemon would. It's basically a rainy day diversion when the weather keeps the kids off of the real playground.

Streets of LA potential is sabotaged by poor control and some repetitive gameplay aspects.

Viking had its moments and bordered on enjoyable at times, but these enjoyable moments were interspersed with too much tedium.

Shadowrun is one of those games that you want to like, but that ends up disappointing you in the end.

Some tweaks to the gameplay and a better weapon system would go a long way towards helping this ambitious title achieve greatness.

NBA 07 is best for those looking for a more simple and arcade like basketball game or for those who are looking for a bit more from their sports games than just playing franchise mode all of the time.

In the AI department, Dark Planet is consistently inconsistent.

You can't judge a comic book by its cover. XIII looks stylish but plays bland.

If you seek out this kind of game, it will not be perfect, but it's at least a decent way to waste time and has some rewarding goals for playing.

Its innovative concepts and creepy atmosphere are hampered by slow and tedious trial and error gameplay.

CivCity: Rome fails to capture the glory of Rome or of the Civilization series of games.

Not bad, but no need to play it twice.

Theme park simming light, and best left to those who can't get enough of dinosaurs.

I'd recommend renting the game, playing for a few hours until you compete the Gluttony circle, and then turning it in at that point since you'll have experience the best the game has to offer by then, Going any further should be left to masochists, gluttons for punishment, and game reviewers.

It can be enjoyable enough in short doses, but you may not find yourself motivated to stick with the game until the end, especially when you factor in the inevitable frustrations caused by the game's mission design.

Lords of EverQuest has too many problems to be enjoyed by anyone except EverQuest fanatics taking a break from roleplaying.

JAM Live Music Arcade works better as a toy for jammers than an arcade game.

Attack on Pearl Harbor has its moments, but it will have trouble holding your interest all the way through the campaigns.

Defenders of Ardania is a good try at combining a couple of genres but it's a bit slow and confusing.

Looks good, but needs to play better.

Romancing SaGa has areas that may prove to be interesting in the future, but the lack of a story and uninteresting characters prove too much to overcome.

Gauntlet fans will be disappointed and the game won’t win any new converts to Gauntlet fandom.

If you’re looking for a WWII shooter for your PSP, then Call of Duty is not a bad choice as long as you don’t expect it to match the excitement of the other games in the series.

Constantly losing the ball in cascading explosions of color and then having almost no time to react when the ball drops out of the fog of sparks can lead to a lot of aggravation, and this may in turn lead some gamers to start punching the real bricks in their walls.

There’s just too much of a time commitment, too repetitive and slow advancement to recommend the game to anyone other than those who really, really want to be a part of a game that supports a clan war system.

If you’re really into fighters, then you may want to rent the game to check out the novel betting feature, but expect to be disappointed by the game’s relatively simple fight engine. However, overall The Con just doesn’t have enough going for it to suck you in for the long term.

The unevenness of the campaign and awkward interface may prove to be too frustrating for some players. The skirmish mode can be enjoyable, though.

A quick-playing "war gaming lite" game for the grognard crowd.

Youngblood starts off great, but fails to keep that momentum going. The level-locked missions and daily grind required to level-up and advance just don't work with a Wolfenstein game, especially since it lacks all of the social and gear upgrade aspects of the online shooters it is trying to emulate. This also makes the game stretch out it its already thin story to the point where you'll barely notice it's there. Youngblood is a rare misfire for the Wolfenstein series, and you won't miss much if you sit this one out.

Band of Bugs is not a bad game in and of itself, but its appeal is limited by its simplicity.

An interactive Honk Kong action movie with too much movie and not enough interaction.

Galaga fans won't recognize the game, shmup fans will find it too easy.

Ninety-Nine Nights looks fantastic, but it’s not much more than a pretty face.

I enjoy going online and taking on other players, but for me playing Sunday’s games during the week leading up to them, and replaying games to change their disappointing real-world outcomes, has always been a big part of the enjoyment of the game. Running the same handful of plays over and over again just takes a lot of the fun out of that. Madden NFL 21 feels like it's more interested in running out the clock than it is in going for the extra yard.

Majesty 2's charms will wear off a few missions into the campaign, and then once the feelings of repetition and frustration set in you'll have little motivation to keep going. Track down the demo and give it a play or two and you'll probably have your fill of the game.

NBA Live 07 is a step backward for the franchise.

Need for Speed has gone legit, and in doing so has lost most of its excitement.

Despite Bell and Bones and the occasional bug, Whateverland does have its charms - the game’s setting is certainly unique. There are some interesting characters inhabiting Whateverland and some of the puzzles are fun to work through, but that’s not consistent throughout the game. The burglary path puzzles can be rather frustrating at times. Point-and-clickers will probably be more forgiving of the game’s rough patches given the dearth of games in this genre these days, but others may not find the motivation to press on through to the end.

Madden NFL 23 is another incremental update in a franchise known for putting out incremental updates. Updated rosters, a few minor additions to existing game modes, and a couple of gameplay tweaks – you know the drill. The presentation is still thoroughly dull and even the soundtrack feels tired. The gameplay engine is in need of more than an incremental update, though. The “if it’s in the game, it’s in the game” game still feels more like you’re playing a Madden game than a simulation of an NFL game. With the passing of its namesake, perhaps it’s finally time to build a new game, one that NFL fans can really get excited about.

I found DOOM VFR to be more of a novelty than top-tier shooter experience and if you were hoping for a true FPS experience in VR, then you'll probably be disappointed. The movement is awkward enough that you're always aware of it and so it detracts from the action. It will probably be more appealing to those who have played DOOM before as it will fully immerse you in world that you're familiar with, but even in that case you'll probably wish that you could move without thinking about it while shooting demons.

While PUBG delivers the core gameplay of the battle royale genre, it doesn't manage to do it with the sophistication of competing battle royale games on the PS4. It looks and plays like an alpha build of a game that's focusing on getting the basics worked out without worrying about optimization or graphical polish. It's also a threadbare offering, giving you a single game mode while games like Black Ops 4 and Battlefield V give you a whole lot more game modes beyond their battle royale modes. PUBG may have come first to the genre on other platforms, but its PS4 debut feels like a game that the world has long ago passed by.

If only the Wii controls were as precise an instrument as maracas...

Speaking of flying on Saphira, that wasn't nearly as much fun as I thought it would have been and never gave me the idea or feeling of power that must go along with being on such a beast. I really would have liked to see more down with the flying and for better control while flying.

Frantix will make you more frantic about the controls than the gameplay.

Downhill Jam is not a bad game per se, it’s just that there’s not enough in here to make up for everything that’s been taken out of the normal Tony Hawk game.

Avencast manages to be derivative and innovative at the same time, and the result leaves the game somewhere on the lower side of average.

Suicide Squad could have been a much better game if it simply stuck to being a story-focused game with support for four-player co-op. The need to shoehorn repetitive grind missions into the game so that they could be recycled endlessly for live-service content obviously distracted from the development of a richer story and environment. The focus on weapons to support the kind of gear grind that keeps some players compelled to keep playing live-service games took the focus off of the characters, and making each one truly unique to play. I wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel, one without live-service aspirations and a focus giving each character a unique play experience, but after the disappointment that is Kill the Justice League, I think it will be a while before we see another Suicide Squad game.