Even though the plot devolves into a trope-filled sludge pool by the end, I don’t feel like Scarlet Nexus was a waste of time. Yes, the excitement of combat begins to taper off towards the end of Scarlet Nexus’s twenty-odd-hour runtime--and the areas in the final stretch of the game feel overly long--but I had a good deal of fun mixing up my SAS abilities, crushing enemies in my Brain Field, and watching my team have a video game tournament at our base to settle an argument over living space boundaries. It might not be a new pinnacle of action-game storytelling, but Scarlet Nexus is still plenty of fun in the right places.

Strange in that it straddles the line between traditional DLC and a stand-alone game. While it's not a direct continuation of the original's story, fans of the first game may find some value in reading through as many manuscript pages as possible, though the lack of any real answers may also be frustrating. On the flip side, those new to the franchise might feel lost, thanks to the surprising absence of any backstory or exposition.

If you've already played Framed 1 and 2 on mobile there's not much reason to come back, but if you haven't these are the best versions of the unique and enduring puzzle games.

A light and enjoyable sim for those who don't want to have to invest hundreds of hours learning a much more detailed, complex simulation.

Most of what Concrete Genie has to offer is fun and beautiful in a sort of childlike way. The game is not particularly difficult, and overcoming a puzzle or combat scenario isn't always satisfying. But it's ultimately still an endearing experience throughout. There's plenty of enjoyment to be found just from the act of exploring, and little hidden secrets along the way help make it worthwhile; I just wish Concrete Genie had more adventure waiting for me.

Despite some turbulence, this download provides a distilled slice of jetpack-fueled fun.

Of Orcs and Men's few design issues don't prevent it from being a fun, table-turning take on the age-old conflict.

While it's a definite improvement on Activision's last Call of Duty game for consoles, Big Red One still doesn't do quite enough to distinguish itself from numerous other World War II first-person shooters.

Despite being one-note on a gameplay level, Fe's world, with its lush environments and wistful score, compels you to explore. Establishing fleeting connections with the creatures around you is both charming and a little sad, and learning the truth about the enemy machines is even more tragic. By the end, the most important thing you've learned is how to connect with nature, not just by singing with animals but by understanding the world around you.

Super Motherload somehow makes alienation feel like a warm embrace.

Fallout: New Vegas - Honest Hearts is a conventional but enjoyable addition to the series.

Even though it's not quite up to prevailing standards, Speedball 2100 still packs quite a bit of wallop.

RoboBlitz is easily the most ambitious game released for the Xbox Live Arcade so far, and it's an impressive 3D platformer in its own right.

Dead Rising 4 maintains the series' tradition of superficial yet entertaining mayhem by adapting ideas from every previous iteration.

Despite some turbulence, this download provides a distilled slice of jetpack-fueled fun.

Even though the plot devolves into a trope-filled sludge pool by the end, I don’t feel like Scarlet Nexus was a waste of time. Yes, the excitement of combat begins to taper off towards the end of Scarlet Nexus’s twenty-odd-hour runtime--and the areas in the final stretch of the game feel overly long--but I had a good deal of fun mixing up my SAS abilities, crushing enemies in my Brain Field, and watching my team have a video game tournament at our base to settle an argument over living space boundaries. It might not be a new pinnacle of action-game storytelling, but Scarlet Nexus is still plenty of fun in the right places.

Sure, its similarities to the competition are undeniable, but Omega Force has crafted a Monster Hunter clone that generally stands on its own. While it could have felt like a shameless rip-off with a few half-baked features grafted on for good measure, Toukiden manages to organically weave its defining elements--purification and mitama--into the genre's comfortably familiar fabric.

A disturbing story and traditional puzzles put a coda on the Still Life adventure series.

What's most impressive about Hyperspace Delivery Boy is just how fun it is...It won't appeal to everyone, but anyone who has a soft spot for classic games will doubtlessly enjoy it.

Isn't the most authentic or the most extravagant baseball game available, but it does fill a niche for casual fans who just want to dive in and play a quick game of hardball.

Double Fine Happy Action Theater's imaginative scenarios make for unstructured, lighthearted fun.

Luminous Arc 2 is formulaic but charming, a solid strategy RPG that hooks you in with warriors of might and magic.

If you're able to accept the awkward dungeon layouts and Draconian pacing, you'll be richly rewarded, but if you're unable to accept these quirks, you should approach with caution.

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.

NASCAR 09 isn't a tremendous step forward for the series, but it's a solid effort.

WWE All Stars pumps up the action and the stars of professional wrestling, delivering an entertaining experience in spite of its limitations.

Because it's so short, and the puzzles never get particularly fiendish, Semblance is an enjoyable but light experience. This isn't necessarily a bad thing--it's a relaxed game, a good one to clear over a few sessions in bed or on the train if you're playing on Switch--but it also means that it doesn't feel like the game realizes its full conceptual potential.

R-Type Dimensions is a faithful albeit somewhat pricey update of the coin-op classic with few surprises.

Time of Defiance isn't all there right now, but it'll be interesting to see what Nicely Crafted Entertainment does with this promising game design in the coming months.

More than anything, Constance is a beautiful game. Its hand-drawn art style makes for one of the prettiest games I've seen all year, and the platforming gauntlets it puts you through make those sights more rewarding. While its narrative elements fall short and a chase sequence proves more annoying than challenging, the overall experience is a rewarding platformer with entertaining boss battles. Not a bad choice if you're looking for a way to take out your frustrations on several manifestations of burnout.

Forget about flight-sim physics and just enjoy this dumbed-down take on air combat over the Pacific in World War II.

While it needs a little refinement, The Swords of Ditto is sure to delight, whether played on your own or with a friend.

Multiplayer aside, Dustforce remains a delightful platformer that is both soothing and stressful.

WWE All Stars pumps up the action and the stars of professional wrestling, delivering an entertaining experience in spite of its limitations.

Even if the treasure-hunting gameplay underpinning the narrative progression doesn't evolve beyond its simple beginnings, it's hard not to be entranced by I Am Dead's colorful characters and engaging tales and come away from your getaway to Shelmerston with a smile on your face.

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.

NHL 2K8 is a generally fun hockey game, though its new control scheme is a step backward for the series.

The gameplay might not be anything special, but The Simpsons Game delivers more than enough laughs to make it worth a look.

Etrian Odyssey Untold 2 has some flaws, certainly--the additions to the formula make it more accessible but don't ultimately enhance the game. On the other hand, it looks great, it retains the traditional Etrian Odyssey experience in Classic mode, and you still feel empowered after defeating a challenging FOE with only a sliver of health to your name.

In Katrielle Layton's London, it's a season of golden leaves, stiff breezes, and sun that provides light but less warmth. It's the perfect atmosphere for a game that provides such quaint joys for hours on end, cackling at its next pun, zippy one-liner, or absurd new scenario while putting creaky parts of the brain to good use. Sometimes the breeze is a bit too cold, or there's rain, or, oh, you know, the solution to a logic problem you've been staring at for 45 minutes might be “air” and you hate everything for a few minutes, but it doesn't last, and the next pleasant moment is never too far away.

It's not the best brawler around, but this memorable adventure has style to spare.

There's a lot of fun to be had in Escape Academy, especially if you have a friend willing to tackle its challenges with you. Much like real-world escape rooms, the levels of Escape Academy don't lend themselves very well to solo play or replayability, but, in the same vein, those inspirations have created a challenging puzzle game that's fulfilling to complete. The narrative isn't much to write home about, but the virtual escape rooms more than makeup for that, delivering a game that encapsulates why escape rooms are some of the most fun you can have with friends.

Wii Fit will help you work up a sweat, but it's not as smooth and fun a workout as you'd probably like.

Those expecting to play around with the physics of an open video game world will find themselves lamenting the lack of control and additional objectives after a short period of time, and those wanting nothing more than to find out where the narrative goes will be discouraged by how frustrating the gameplay can occasionally be. The essence of The Magic Circle is somewhere in between.

Modern Combat: Domination is a good multiplayer shooter at a great budget price.

Despite its imperfect transition to Switch, Sushi Striker is one of the more enjoyable puzzle games in the console's library. With a substantial campaign that's propped up by clever mechanics and a charmingly ludicrous story, the game offers a wealth of single- and multiplayer content to dive into. The controls suffer a bit in the move to Switch, and the campaign is stretched out for too long, but the fast-paced puzzle-matching gameplay offers a surprising amount of depth and is a real treat.

As brief as it is, Darq does offer well-designed puzzles that are incredibly satisfying to solve on your first playthrough, each one building upon the last in intelligent ways. Darq never fully stumbles into frustration, even if it is tripped up slightly by underwhelming stealth sections. But its gloomy atmosphere and exceptional sound design enrapture you in its dreary world of dreams. Darq is full of great ideas that contribute to a tight and brief package, but it’s hard not to want for more once it’s done.

If you're in that target demographic, then these otherwise rote activities become a little more engaging. My nine-year-old son was my primary partner in this review (occasionally joined by his four-year-old sister, who just really wanted to fly that plane), and from his perspective, the gentle pace and steady exploration afforded by Adventure Mode was immensely appealing.

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.

Cool power-ups and a lot of charm make TNT Racers a bunch of shallow fun.

It's an intelligent, difficult game with a high barrier of entry, and without patience, you might not see how great it can be. But once you see the layers hidden beneath the surface, Tastee Lethal Tactics becomes an intricate game of cutthroat poker. It just takes a bit of frustration to buy in.

Playing Alice: Madness Returns isn't as exciting as looking at it, but you'll still enjoy getting lost in this twisted fantasy adventure.

This huge, time trial-based driving game is let down by budget production values and frustrating difficulty spikes.

An enjoyable role-playing game with the scent of a classic, if not the essence.

Older audiences probably won't be engaged by it, but Ty 2 should be easily appreciated by juvenile platformer fans.

It stumbles with certain game modes and its effort to appeal to kids with a poorly integrated story is ham-fisted at best, but Boom Blox is still a good game. Most of the hundreds of puzzles are fun to play alone, and it's also entertaining to taunt friends during their turn as they try to keep a tower from collapsing.

What seems at first glance like a fairly standard genre game, Toukiden 2 ultimately offers an interesting setting, imaginative creature designs, story- and exploration-driven gameplay, and unique combat elements. While its flaws are obvious, it’s not hard to forgive them when you’re in the heat of battle, chopping off a hellish spider-demon’s legs one by one and watching its life force disappear with every slash, shot, and punch.

Surge is far from perfect, but none of its problems are deal breakers. They're minor bumps that come from an otherwise inventive, exciting new entry in a packed sub-genre. It bucks the trend towards creative bankruptcy, adopting some fresh ideas and layering those together with aesthetics, tone, and play to create an inspired adventure.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D plays a great game of football but feels bare when it comes to features and game modes.

It's promising that EA is listening to its community. FIFA 19 is much more responsive on the pitch than last year, and the company continues to evolve FUT to keep it fresh. However, the lack of progress in Career Mode and Pro Clubs is sorely inadequate. Thankfully, The Journey's continued entertainment, FUT's long-lasting nature, and some inventive new Kick Off modes mean I'll likely still be playing FIFA 19 by the time next year's game rolls around.

The unpredictable human element is both an asset and a liability, and the technical problems that have plagued it are far too significant to be ignored. But when it clicks, as it often does, there's nothing quite like GTA Online.

NHL 17 is a great game of hockey, but unlike last year, there isn't a standout mode or feature that makes this game substantially better than its predecessor.

It's promising that EA is listening to its community. FIFA 19 is much more responsive on the pitch than last year, and the company continues to evolve FUT to keep it fresh. However, the lack of progress in Career Mode and Pro Clubs is sorely inadequate. Thankfully, The Journey's continued entertainment, FUT's long-lasting nature, and some inventive new Kick Off modes mean I'll likely still be playing FIFA 19 by the time next year's game rolls around.

Crash Team Rumble demonstrates developer Toys For Bob's continued understanding of the Crash series by looking, sounding, and feeling like a Crash game even as the finer details are so new and unfamiliar for the team. The sports-like aspect of each match is delivered very well, offering more depth than initially meets the eye. A slew of strategies can result in victory, and cohesive teamplay is the fast track to success, making every victory feel earned and so much more rewarding. The game's matchmaking and metagame aspects leave a lot to be desired, but the hope is these can be fixed in time, so long as the buy-in doesn't scare away any potential for a thriving community.

Though the additions and adjustments to the standard Worms experience aren't game changing, the playful violence and light strategy still hold up.

It's difficult not to enjoy the rhythmic nature of Ghostrunner 2's finely-tuned blend of parkour and action, and it's also impossible to ignore some of the ways this sequel tries, but fails, to expand on its predecessor in terms of scope. It's disappointing that in most regards the increased ambition detracts from what makes Ghostrunner so captivating in the first place, taking time away from the expertly designed combat arenas and satisfying platforming gauntlets and using it instead to explore a barren, empty world with no novel ways to traverse it. Ghostrunner 2's narrative also fails to provide a compelling stopgap to ease the transition between these two distinct phases of the game, but when this sequel does course-correct back to what made it so popular to begin with, it provides an enthralling action experience. Ghostrunner 2 pulls back just in time before getting too close to the sun to remain an entertaining sophomore entry in the series that hopefully won't end here.

Despite a lot of bugs and some off-putting quirks, Magicka is still a good action role-playing game.

This role-playing sequel's big world and seemingly countless quests make it easy to overlook its wrinkles.

Pokemon Legends: Z-A is a fitting end to the Switch 1-era Pokemon games. Like Legends: Arceus and Scarlet and Violet, it takes some surprising risks, but it looks rough doing so. Game Freak's decision to overhaul the battle mechanics for the first time since Pokemon's inception is admirable, and it ultimately paid off. But after five 3D Pokemon games, it's frustrating how far behind Pokemon is when it comes to its presentation. It feels like the last piece missing to really bring Pokemon into the future.

It rides off a lot of what NHL 16 did, and the new additions don't add anything crucial to the experience. It's still a lot of fun to trade players in Franchise, build a formidable roster in Hockey Ultimate Team, and actually play matches, but if you were hoping NHL 17 would be a significant step forward for the series, you're out of luck.

Retro/Grade succeeds at bringing a fresh take to the rhythm genre and filling it with sensory pleasures, but a lack of music means it outstays its welcome sooner rather than later.

As a spin-off, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands doesn't reinvent the Borderlands wheel with its shift towards fantasy that bears a chaotic-neutral alignment. Instead, it explores familiar territory that repeats the best and worst of the Borderlands formula and it doesn't venture out of its comfort zone. That makes for a game that is packed with solid first-person shooter action and a competent multiclass system for creating an interesting Fatemaker. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands retreads the same mechanical and narrative ground as Borderlands 3, ultimately creating a chapter in the franchise that's fun but forgettable.

Perhaps the next true frontier is the search for a procedural generation system that can create something more ostentatious, something that can surprise…something not so visible derived from an underlying system of ones and zeroes. But then, maybe it's there in Elite: Dangerous, in its way, and the problem is that I need to learn to start being more impressed by LaGrange points.

This railroad-inspired board game offers subtle strategy and an easy learning curve for less than the price of a real train ticket.

Fallout: New Vegas - Honest Hearts is a conventional but enjoyable addition to the series.

Ultimately, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a solid competitive platform fighter, but it's lacking in several key elements. If you've got a group of buddies that enjoy competitive Smash and have a lot of love for Nickelodeon's catalog of cartoon characters, you'll find All-Star Brawl quite satisfying. But if you're looking for substantial single-player experiences or a fun mess-around party fighter you can play casually with friends and family, you're going to run back to the warm embrace of Nintendo's juggernaut very quickly.

Fortunately, though, that main attraction is delightful. Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe feels like a very complete package thanks to a remastered platformer campaign, substantial new Magolor epilogue, and smart new additions like the Mecha ability and Helper Magolor mode. It might be a little simple for some tastes, but it's grand fun to get lost in such a sweet little adventure regardless.

On some level, Point Blank DS really is an interesting experiment on Namco's behalf, but frankly, Point Blank was more interesting when it was a light-gun game.

It's a pleasant start, packed with individual events but featuring little in the way of narrative propulsion. When I reached the end of this episode, I wanted more. I'm hoping that, like most outstanding Minecraft creations, Minecraft: Story Mode just needs a little more time to build.

The campaign is Back 4 Blood's main draw, but you really need a group of friends to enjoy it to its fullest. As a spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead, it ticks almost all of the right boxes. The modern additions add to the game's variety and ensure that each run is unique, while the moment-to-moment gunplay is intense and incredibly gratifying. The overwhelming frequency of the special infected, and their disappointing blandness, is a downer, and the lack of some quality-of-life features makes playing with strangers more frustrating than it should be, especially when you're penalized for playing alone. The landscape of cooperative shooters has changed a lot in the past 12 years and Back 4 Blood might not live up to the heights of Left 4 Dead at its peak. Nevertheless, Turtle Rock's return to the genre it created is still excellent fun, provided you have others to share in the zombie-bashing.

You need to understand and revel in a bonus level that involves nothing more than destroying a car in order to fully grasp why this DLC is special.

With solid presentation, combat, and customization, LBX: Little Battler’s eXperience is a satisfying game that is more involved than it seems. It’s not without its faults, including unwieldy, sometimes tedious design, but to write it off as just another kid’s RPG would do it a massive disservice. Level-5 has created an action-RPG that--even with its faults--is still an entertaining offering.

If you own Batman: Arkham City but prefer confronting thugs within the context of the game's story to doing so in the Riddler's Revenge challenges, the Nightwing Bundle Pack (which costs $7.00) probably won't make these isolated challenges more enticing. However, if you do enjoy these scenarios, Dick Grayson's unique abilities and the different medal challenges that go along with them make suiting up as Nightwing a fresh and enjoyable new way to take out bad guys and stake a claim to the leaderboards.

Continue's commentary on mortality, existence, and what is truly important in our lives will persist long after you put the game away. It is a pity the actual game supporting this evaluation isn't as rich as the subject matter it addresses.

Web of Shadows takes Spider-Man into new territory with an enjoyable action adventure romp that's over too soon.

Banishers' strengths lie in its storytelling and characters. These aspects--along with its combat--can't quite match the caliber of its genre-defining contemporaries, but Don't Nod differentiates Banishers from the pack by implementing the studio's signature brand of choice and consequence. It's easy to become enraptured by Antea and Red's story; shaping their relationship and who they are as a couple makes for a compelling experience. That still doesn't mean I can wholly recommend Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, but those looking for a dark, story-driven tale of love and sacrifice won't be disappointed.

This role-playing sequel's big world and seemingly countless quests make it easy to overlook its wrinkles.

Illusion Island has a lot going for it: It looks great, controls wonderfully, is packed with charm and character, offers enjoyable exploration, and features a memorable multiplayer experience. If you're a big fan of the genre, you'll get a kick seeing little references to other all-time classics, too. However, the slow start and the blase boss battles put a bit of a damper on the whole thing, especially if you plan on going on this trip solo. It's well worth playing provided you can get over the initial hump, and even better if you've got a younger family member to share the journey with. It may fall short of being an all-time gem, but Illusion Island's still earned its place in the Disney Vault of Gaming Goodness.

Evil Genius 2 is an intricate game of spinning plates and building, building, building to make the numbers go up smoothly, which manages to capture the spirit of its Bond villain simulator conceit. Though its management gameplay creates momentary frustrations, the tight rapport among all the different elements of the Genius' organization make for a challenging, long-term management puzzle that requires you to both move quickly and take your time. Plus, you can use a giant magnet to drag your enemies into a flamethrower, which is pretty damn whimsical. You know, in an evil way.

Driftmoon is much like a classic fairytale story, overflowing with charisma and heart. The game takes a modest approach in its systems, but shines with clever writing and memorable characters. Whatever flavor of RPG you enjoy, Driftmoon is a delectable treat, particularly if you tend to shy away from the genre's typically complex gourmet meals.

Ethereal is a satisfyingly challenging and unique puzzle game that serves as a delightful way to spend an afternoon.

Despite its problems, Nidhogg 2 is spectacular, engrossing, funny, tragic, and dramatic in equal measure, and it will no doubt become another party game staple. Nidhogg 2 sacrifices simplicity for more options, and it doesn't prove to be a good trade. But when the underlying action is this good, I'll put up with the odd unwelcome dagger.

Despite its problems, Nidhogg 2 is spectacular, engrossing, funny, tragic, and dramatic in equal measure, and it will no doubt become another party game staple. Nidhogg 2 sacrifices simplicity for more options, and it doesn't prove to be a good trade. But when the underlying action is this good, I'll put up with the odd unwelcome dagger.

NBA Live 19 is a capable and competent basketball game that offers a multitude of different ways to play and numerous reasons to keep coming back. Its impressive attention to detail complements the strong foundation set by its presentation and gameplay. However, the AI logic and animation problems are impossible to ignore given they're at the heart of the experience the entire game is based on. These issues, combined with a lackluster franchise mode and a push towards microtransactions, detract from what is an otherwise solid basketball game.

The PC version of GRAW 2 is custom-built for the platform, and it's so difficult that it appears to have been custom-built for masochists, as well.

This modest add-on to a great game is aimed at players who fancy some multiplayer competition.

A good grasp of tactics along with smart, challenging missions outshine Galactic Assault's impenetrable storyline and elementary design.

As long as you aren't thirsty for a deep tactical foray into the great unknown, Attack of the Earthlings is a competent (and occasionally great) jab at the corporate world, and the ludicrous lengths that people will go to in order to make a buck.