I am rooting for Dying Light's success, even as I shake my head at its avoidable foibles. I understand it, I get it, and so I find pleasure in it even as it disappoints me, even when I land between a fence and a rocky cliff and get stuck there, even when I don't grab a ledge or pole after a jump for reasons that I can't quite understand.

John Wick Hex has turn-based gameplay at a pace you’ve likely not experienced before, and it intricately balances its systems to give you a sense of being an expert hitman while also making it feel earned. It’s a slick and well-oiled game that succeeds in giving you a new, engrossing way to experience John Wick and its signature brand of chaotic action.

It's best to consider 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil as a less serious, more accessible accompaniment to the main FIFA series. Focused more on giving you a good time than on advancing the quest for realism in sports games, this is a football game that's perfect for fans who are looking for a way to pass the hours between World Cup matches this summer.

From its odd mechanics to its captivating presentation, Headlander's parallels to Metroid bubble under the surface; it's the game's fresh qualities that grab your attention and make it one of the most delightful takes on the well-worn formula in years.

After a strong start, A New Frontier ends on a slightly weak note with From the Gallows.

Dead or Alive 5 is a deceptive game. The subtleties of its solid fighting mechanics are easy to miss under all the flashy visual effects layered on top. It is a game new players can pick up and enjoy without feeling overwhelmed by too many options, while still offering complexity to those who know where to look. It's a dynamic fighter that can be enjoyed by players of all skill types.

Tokyo Jungle's great concept and good sense of humor end up being little more than lipstick on a pig.

The supernatural collides with reality under the guise of radical religion in a way that feels too cliche, but spending more time with Sean and his confidants remains a delight. Whether you're heading into the final episode in much the same place you were at the beginning--or under the chilling implications of a certain late game choice--watching Daniel wrap his arms around Sean in either circumstance exemplifies what makes the series work so well. Your Sean can be kind or standoffish, thieving or righteous, but your actions don't change the love and adoration between the Diaz brothers--and that love is still the heart and soul of Life Is Strange 2.

There's a real raw, visceral satisfaction to Infected, which is undermined by a short, single-minded story mode and an ambitious but inherently flawed multiplayer game.

Game-crushing bugs overshadow the turn-based tactical goodness Eador: Masters of the Broken World offers.

Overly basic combat and puzzles keep Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken from taking flight.

It's got a great premise and an ambitious design, but the game is mired by its repetitive and often frustrating combat, ill-fated design decisions, and forgettable characters and story.

The sequel has a style and methodology that are similar to the original. However, a far more engaging storyline and a less-intensive reliance on the player's knowledge of legal procedures definitely makes Double or Nothing a better game.

Takes a refreshing approach in that rather than taking out the challenge entirely, it tries to ease players through the frustrating aspects of virtual flight so that they can experience the rewards themselves. It's successful in most ways.

If you're looking for an intense shooter experience, Darkwatch will not disappoint, offering crisp gameplay, an excellent presentation, and a varied campaign.

While on the surface Nemesis offers features we've seen many times before in the genre, such as hero characters and a lack of base-building, it also includes a clever logistics model and better-than-average artificial intelligence to help it stand apart from the numerous RTS clones on the market.

After a seven-year absence, the Caesar series returns with a slightly flawed but very engrossing game about ancient city building.

Once you're used to floating diagonally and hopping ledges toward loftier areas, the game becomes quite fun.

Very different from the shooters or puzzle games that you're used to playing, it's also quite entertaining.

An all-around solid game with some spectacular visuals and fun multiplayer modes.

It's a bare-bones product that's a missed opportunity, offering no compelling reasons to make it recommendable over the PC version, except to someone with an Xbox Live account and a completely outdated PC.

Had the feel of the weapons been a little better, and had the campaign been more consistently intense, Finest Hour could have been a much better game.

The game isn't without its charms in the moment, but when its inspirations are so readily available, it doesn't really have much to offer against the real deal.

Despite a solid combat system and a decent presentation, this latest Castlevania is cursed with extremely monotonous levels that prevent it from being an engaging action adventure game.

A Nest of Vipers ends on a heart-shattering note and the promise of an explosive finale. Thing are getting lively, and with quickened pacing to match the action, it's hard not to end this episode without your brain spinning in anticipation. With most prominent character arcs at their highest peaks, it's a perfect penultimate episode.

This is a substantial package that's propped up by exciting gameplay that puts the onus squarely on attacking football. There are moments of frustration on defense when the balance doesn't feel quite right, but then you'll go down the other end and score a Puskás Award contender that makes you forget why you were mad in the first place.

So even if bawdy caricatures of rednecks and dominatrices don't sound immediately appealing to you, Outlaw Golf 2 offers a tight, challenging game of golf with some unique gameplay ideas, and it comes at a price that makes it a terrific value.

There are better, more fluid games out there for the serious fighter, and there are more accessible ones for those interested in a bit of silliness. In attempting to mix the two, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale merely ends up being competent at both and the master of neither.

PQ2 builds on the good foundation of the original and addresses many of its weaknesses, offering a bigger, better puzzle experience.

If you're going to remake a game known for its tacky humor, this is the way to do it. The crassness is here, but it's merely seasoning in a colorful old-school first-person shooter that allows excitement to build organically from the way its systems interact.

This sequel goes light on the role playing but still presents a compelling puzzle experience that's as enjoyable and addictive as the original.

The Swords of Ditto is nothing short of a light-hearted good time. Despite a few bumps getting in the way of progress and some misgivings about the forced time limit per playthrough, it’s still a joy to slash through enemies and collect items while humming the game’s ear-tickling soundtrack.

Realm of Shadows establishes a compelling Bruce Wayne narrative and is an exciting start to the series.

DDR Universe offers the standard sorts of changes and upgrades you'd expect from this nearly decade-old series.

If you stripped away the sluggish combat and hollow questing, you’d be left with the most gorgeous fantasy hiking simulator this side of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

In Andamiro's Pump It Up: Exceed, the first US home edition of a popular Korean dancing series, we're finally presented with a good alternative to DDR.

ARMA III is a beast. It occasionally flails and moans, but once you learn how to balance yourself upon it, it gives you a marvelous, turbulent, and memorable ride.

If you enjoyed the original Galaga, or are a classic shooter fan, then you'll love this true sequel to one of the greatest arcade shooters of yesteryear.

Tak 3 certainly has some adorable moments, but they're overshadowed by a frustrating design and sloppy gameplay mechanics.

They Bleed Pixels is a problematic but highly replayable platformer/beat-'em-up combo enhanced by a Lovecraftian vibe.

Darwin's Paradox is short but densely packed with variety. Revolving around an octopus is a stroke of brilliance on the part of developer ZDT Studio, since it gives you a wide array of traversal options and abilities that extend naturally from what any child knows about the marine animal. Those options make the whole adventure move briskly as you rotate between different types of puzzle and platforming challenges without ever lingering on one for too long. It's a strong debut for Darwin and for ZDT, and I hope we see more from both of them.

This clever puzzle game has plenty of variety and makes great use of the PlayStation Move.

The prince's high-flying adventure is marred by camera issues and weak combat, but the excellent platforming is still loads of fun.

Getting to the center of the storm that is The Red Solstice isn't easy. A less-than-stellar tutorial and initial overload of information combined with a handful of quirks and bugs make it a game you have to stick with for a little while before you can fully appreciate its depth.

The Missing Heir and The Girl Who Stands Behind, while mechanically similar, offer pretty different takes on the detective game. Do you want to slowly unravel the conspiracy behind a powerful woman's death in a quiet village? Or, would you rather chase down a murderer in a high-octane, spooky thrill ride? The former is better executed, but both are worthwhile opportunities to dust off your magnifying glass.

Minecraft Dungeons is missing conspicuous parts of what gave the namesake its identity--most noticeably, breaking through walls to explore underground caverns and using the found materials to craft. But because it's such a successful departure from its predecessor, Dungeons shows how flexible the franchise has become. Rather than shift our expectations of what games can be, it's banking on its own popularity to introduce younger players to a classic genre and serves as a short-but-sweet treat for looter vets. It scratches the dungeon-crawler itch with a sense of goofy charm and expands what Minecraft can be.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 is an improvement on last year's game, but this is a series that desperately needs a complete overhaul.

The single-player campaign is dense, exciting, and only three-and-a-half hours long.

Neverwinter's combat is very good, but not quite good enough to carry the thin game built around it.

There are plenty of weighty decisions, risky maneuvers, and impactful events to consider. But they often take place in repetitive playthroughs in galaxies that don't always differentiate themselves from the next. Master of Orion shows signs of brilliance, but it's bogged down by boredom, and sometimes, the allure of the stars wanes too much to beckon us onward.

While the expansion doesn't drastically change the core elements, its additions to the gameplay make Cossacks much more enjoyable by opening up more strategic options.

If you want subtlety and complexity, Delta Force probably isn't for you, but if you want to mow down terrorists using the latest firearms in a variety of colorful settings, then this is your game.

Dreslough and his team at Sports Mogul have made wholesale changes to the design, adding much-needed depth to key areas like player personality, contract negotiations, and historical replay. It feels like this once-great series is finally reaching its potential.

There are a total of 22 missions, each with multiple goals, but most can be easily bested in one or two tries, save for the final mission.

Completely spoiled by a few major problems, the worst of which makes it possible to get by opponents using only one button.

The game could've benefited from a greater number of arenas, a more diverse variety of scoobees, and more gameplay modes.

The game suffers from a number of problems that even the most ardent fans of the series will have a hard time overlooking, not the least of which are repetitive missions, sluggish controls, and empty levels.

The sheer number of available teams, modes, and bonuses is absolutely staggering.

While it would be technically correct to call NFL Fever 2004 the best in the series, it still doesn't have the quality or quantity of features, the rock-solid gameplay, or high level of polish shown by its competitors.

If Quake is a game experience you don't want to miss, and if a Nintendo is all you have, then Quake 64 is your ticket.

While pure innovation may not be king in the Mario Party world, Hudson's dedication to solid, addictive puzzle gaming that makes for a wholly enjoyable multiplayer experience is apparent.

Though I wish that Jaws of Hakkon was less bloated, and though I miss the cinematic flair of the rest of Dragon Age: Inquisition, I know that in a month I'll have forgotten these quibbles. Instead, I'll remember my time spent in Frostback Basin fondly. I'll remember the sharp wit of Svarah Sun-Hair, the leader of the local Avvar clan.

The faltering plot twist doesn't detract from the overall experience. The Missing is smaller and more mechanically conventional than Deadly Premonition or D4, but its components remain focused on distinctly a Swery game: a dark, idiosyncratic experience that tells a deeply personal story that's as confronting as it is sincere.

Delivers a good balance of tactical decision making and up-close action that will be most appealing to existing fans of Koei's other beat-'em-up works, but it's simple recipe for mass warfare can create an armchair general out of anyone.

This game brings Bomberman to the PSP with plenty of enjoyable, challenging single-player levels, as well as the fun and frantic multiplayer battles the series is known for.

The Lost Lords offers no respite from the anguish of Iron from Ice, and keeps the energy and intrigue up in surprising ways.

The moments where Outriders is taking daring swings at mixing disparate elements are when it's at its best. The game is surprisingly deft at combining things that shouldn't work together: Its story is often funny but similarly severe; its combat requires you to take cover and to charge; its abilities make you phenomenally powerful but prone to overestimating yourself. If you can find the balance in Outriders, People Can Fly's RPG-shooter finds ways to combine well-worn video game ideas into something new and fun. Especially when you're accompanied by friends and put the time in to really understand the game's systems, Outriders rewards you with epic battle moments and a sprawling scope. It left me wanting to continue venturing out into the wilds of Enoch to see what I might find there--and to smash whatever it was with seismic earthquake magic.

Scrapland is still pretty good overall, but there's definitely a level of potential here that just doesn't ever quite get realized.

An action-packed story mode and plenty of extras make Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice a worthy sequel to one of the PSP's more innovative action games.

When viewed through that lens, Valiant Hearts: Coming Home is a success story. It tells an emotionally resonant story through multiple episodes, each with simple gameplay mechanics and a difficulty level that's welcoming to many players. That being said, seasoned video game veterans will notice the lack of substance in gameplay, even if they're moved by the story being told.

With its longer-than-normal game list and attention to detail, this is one of the better versions of Namco Museum to be released.

Thanks to significantly improved gameplay, NBA Live 08 is a good, solid basketball game.

Yggdra Union is more fun to say than it is to play.

Ultimate Ninja 2 still values style over substance, but a bigger cast of fighters and a better-realized story mode will certainly make it a hit with Naruto fans.

Fundamentally, One Piece Odyssey isn't a bad RPG, just a very generic one that strives to do little more than tick off all the checkboxes of what players expect from the genre: side quests, crafting, cooking, fan-service, and so on. Attaching the One Piece license to it results in expectations that are only partially met: While the Straw Hats are as delightful as ever to be around, the story they've found themselves stuck in is not. Ultimately, the greatest sin of One Piece Odyssey is wasted potential, something it shares with many of the other video game adaptations of the franchise.

FlatOut 2 seems a little too slick for its own good in spots, but it still manages to provide plenty of destructive racing fun.

Rapidly tapping buttons is still exhausting, but tight controls and a bunch of unlockables make this a worthy update.

Medal of Honor Heroes 2 for the Wii combines solid online play, sharp controls, and fast-placed gameplay into one of the best first-person shooters for the Wii.

Mafia: The Old Country is at its best when things slow down, letting you take in all the sights and sounds of Sicily. Like previous Mafia games, it nails the look and feel of its real-world counterpart by investing heavily in the details. Unfortunately, generic gameplay and dated mission design hold Mafia: The Old Country back, making it feel like a relic of the early 2010s.

A grim storyline, challenging puzzles, and atmospheric visuals make The Testament of Sherlock Holmes one of the legendary sleuth's greatest adventures.

Silly costumes are not enough to cover for repetitive gameplay in this formulaic platformer.

Doesn't have the gameplay or variety to back up its graphical prowess, and the whole experience ends up feeling pretty shallow.

It's uneven, yes, but there's undoubtedly more good than bad, and there are poignant scenes, tense moments and breathtaking images that will resonate long after the end credits have rolled.

There's very little that's truly new in Tiger Woods 07, but it's still a good game.

Whether you're big or small, there's a lot to like about these little ninjas and their lengthy journey.

There's a lot of potential in the ideas seeded in New Dawn, but there isn't enough room for many of them to breathe and feel fully realized.

While it definitely has a certain sense of style to it, the game itself misses its mark, and the total package isn't one that will hold the interest of most first-person shooter players.

It's not the evolution the title leads you to believe, but this fitness product is a good first step at using Kinect as an exercise tool.

The 40th Day has the same shallow appeal as a summer blockbuster. It provides brash, satisfying action when you're in the mood for something loud and fun.

As much as I enjoyed my online time with Killzone: Shadow Fall--and as much as I will enjoy lots more time with it, unlocking perks that allow me to personalize my weapons--I missed Killzone 3's jump pack, which brought a nifty nimbleness to the battlegrounds. I missed it in Shadow Fall's disappointing single-player campaign, too, which sorely needed a shot of adrenaline.

If you're violently allergic to puzzle games, Life Goes On won't miraculously cure you. But as long as you're open to the idea of having your mind engaged more than your trigger finger, this melon-twister's wicked personality alone might be enough to pull you into its death grip.

If you can forgive Red Dead Revolver for its hubris, you'll find a game with some great style and enough fun moments to justify the rough edges.

DTR doesn't have a lot of exciting new features, and the lack of substantial multiplayer support is disappointing. But the game is nearly as much fun as its predecessor.

Even though Sanity's multiplayer game is forgettable, the single-player experience is polished and contains enough unique ideas, surprises, and solid gameplay to warrant a recommendation - assuming you can stand dealing with long loading times.

A professional product from the ground up, boasting a solid interface and a wide breadth of duties to keep virtual general managers busy from opening tip-off to summertime free agency.

This World War II stealth sequel is extremely hard, but if you're the patient type, it's also rewarding.

A brief yet satisfying action game that faithfully captures the look and feel of a typical James Bond movie.

While the game does a lot of things right, severe technical issues surface at almost every turn and really drag down the game's high points, leaving behind a game with tons of untapped potential.