Rogue Trooper is at times a very exciting and enjoyable shooter, which makes it all the more disappointing that it's over so soon.

The story has at least a couple of fine twists, and Kain is as memorable of a main character as they come.

Although the game is ostensibly about an expedition to the moon, it plays more like a static series of logic puzzles no different from those you can find in dozens of magazines on every newsstand.

Unfortunate technical problems bring down what is otherwise the freshest new take on a console Sims game yet.

The combat is fun and the references are clever, but this incredibly short downloadable add-on lacks character.

Thanks to its rock-solid execution, Thrillville delivers an enjoyable batch of minigames in a lighthearted theme park environment.

Strong storytelling and sheer novelty make guiding Heinrich and his pals around the dark forests of old-time Deutschland enthralling...even if you do miss the magic missiles and elves every so often.

Despite its rewarding exploration and intriguing story, Death's Gambit is consistently held back by its combat, which lacks the responsiveness you need when fighting enemies that can kill you in seconds.

For what it is, MM is a solid title, but the terseness of the game and the limited graphics and sound make evident that it could have been so much more, transcending the decent game it is now to become a truly excellent one.

It's not about outmatching cunning opponents or solving complex puzzles. It's a game that scratches an itch that is so base and so primal that you can't help but smile as you eviscerate your saccharine enemies only to gorge yourself on their bloody entrails.

Dungeon Siege III is a fun but unambitious dungeon crawler that fails to live up to the games that came before it.

Like the other kits, the Labo VR Kit does so many great things outside of its more standard game experiences, and it's really about what you do with the technology.

This rim-rocking arcade classic returns, and though it's pretty shallow, it's still an awful lot of fun.

With little notable improvement to the formula and steps backward in several key areas, SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008 is a big disappointment.

There’s a forethought and shrewdness required to be successful here that gives it a very different feel than any other battle royale title that’s out there at the moment, and the ancient Chinese aesthetic is a dazzling one. If nothing else, it’s enough to want to see what the game looks and feels like in the months to come.

The game's wide-open levels actually encourage players to explore, giving the series a fresh feel compared to past games and other World War II shooters. Unfortunately, a very brief campaign and no online multiplayer means the fun doesn't last long.

Super Collapse 3 is a solid puzzler with seven unique game types and a lengthy quest mode.

There's not an awful lot of game here, but flOw still makes for an attractive and soothing showpiece.

May not be the deepest game in terms of overall features, but it still has enough inherent playability to warrant the attention of both veteran and casual game players alike.

The new expansion pack features some new zoo animals, new exhibit types, and the entire Dinosaur Digs expansion, but nothing else.

Outbreak doesn't really live up to its potential, but it's a pretty good game for members of its already-established audience.

Anarchy Online's technical performance has improved since it was released year ago, but it's still a rather complex game that may prove intimidating for newcomers.

The PlayStation's slickest racer yet, with its mix of realistic locales, superior graphics, and fast cars.

The games are certainly strong enough to stand on their gameplay alone.

The objective-based system works well within this particular environment, the storyline--though incredibly mediocre--is successful in what it sets out to do, and the trick system is easy to get into.

A very playable vehicular combat game, and its water gimmick, along with several other elements, works to differentiate it somewhat from the rest.

The modes available in IndyCar Series are all pretty shallow, which not only detracts from the overall experience, but also significantly reduces its replay value.

While not as exciting or enduring as Nintendo's last puzzle game, "The New Tetris," Dr. Mario is a legitimate and satisfying puzzle game that is executed rather nicely in this four-player-focused package.

Although Sacred 2: Fallen Angel doesn't break any new ground, it does impressive work freshening up an old formula.

Avalon Code offers unique mechanics but ultimately fails to come together well.

Unfortunately, Sentinel often undermines one of its biggest strengths by taking those captivating puzzles and turning them into extremely repetitive busywork.

Starfighter looks great and has a good story, though not all its missions are engaging, and they start to feel repetitive as the game goes on. The game doesn't last that long, either.

The ride's a little rough at times, but Retro City Rampage's blend of open-world action and 8-bit style is goofy, novel fun.

You'll probably dig on the game's unique concept, but when it comes to playing Pac-Pix, that concept gets old real fast.

Lips' wireless mics and excellent song selection make for an evening's worth of entertainment, but it has little to offer solo players.

Digimon World DS is a solid, if unremarkable monster battle game, which pretty much means it's the best Digimon game ever made.

Fluid combat and great art lift this Force-powered sequel above its flaws.

The controls, interfaces, artificial intelligence, graphics, audio, and pretty much everything else in this latest game are mostly unchanged from the previous one. That's not a complete negative, since last year's game delivered some great football, but you may be disappointed if you were hoping to see significant upgrades to this year's model.

For the most part, the DLC's structure has you alternating between brawls, stealth encounters, crime scene analysis, and environmental traversal in a way that keeps the pace moving. It doesn't finish strong, but Cold, Cold Heart is still a satisfying sliver of Arkham storytelling.

This is a strange and wonderful game, one that's equally comfortable exploring the nuances of human interaction as it is sending you through space on a flying piece of poo. Such experiences are rare in games. Then again, there's nothing commonplace about Doki-Doki Universe.

Dyed-in-the-wool simmers will appreciate the game's stats-focused gameplay, as well as its comprehensive online mode, but anyone who's accustomed to the wealth of play animations and broadcast-style nuances found in other games will find this one a snoozer by comparison.

Great cooperative play and solid action save the latest Ace Combat game from its lackluster campaign.

Rhombus of Ruin adopts a smart approach to VR and executes it with humor and confidence. But it could have been longer and deeper, more challenging and surprising. Like the story, the gameplay is superficially enjoyable but barely has time to develop, and because you’ll know all the puzzle solutions by the end, the campaign doesn’t offer much replay value.

Through the Darkest of Times paints what feels like an accurate portrait of life in Nazi Germany. Cherry-picking major events, like the Reichstag Fire or the opening ceremony of the Olympics, it convincingly places you at the scene, putting you in the shoes of a regular German trying to come to grips with how one person--or even five people--can respond in the presence of evil. It depicts everyday life, and everyday people, both those seduced by ideology and those finding the strength to rally against it. I'm not sure it offers any answers--indeed, I suspect my frustrations with futility were intentional. One person alone can't change the world. But that's no reason not to fight for it.

It comes with a few annoyances, but Gods Eater Burst's monster hunting is enjoyable enough to differentiate itself from the crowd.

The game can't escape its shortcomings, but patient explorers can still find a few stars shining in the darkness.

Doesn't do much to mark the occasion, but it still offers the same esoteric war strategy experience that keeps dedicated fans coming back time and time again.

If you ever cared about the arcade version of Paperboy, you'll get some nostalgic excitement from this emulation of the original.

Gnarly deaths and cute aliens make for a fun combo in this challenging action game.

Heaven's Vault excels in creating a well-constructed, branching narrative, but expect long sections of it to feel like a slog.

Improvements over the PSP game make the Wii version of Root of Evil a competent, stylish platformer.

Little Nightmares 3 is faithful to the series under its new leading studio at Supermassive Games. The team, already a well-respected name in horror, carries Tarsier's torch well, though it sometimes feels too deferential to the past games, failing to raise the bar both in puzzle and monster design. This is a good sequel that I'm glad to have made the time for, but if there's to be another trip into this world of tiny terrors, it'll first need a refill of nightmare fuel.

It lacks any measure of challenge, playing out more like a shooting gallery in spots than a proper action game. And above all else, it simply lacks that spark--that thrilling feeling that wasn't just one key part of "Everything or Nothing," but rather, was the entire essence of what made that game so enjoyable.

We leave The Walking Dead on a Telltale firmly willing to make mechanical and tonal risks, nearly all of which pay off well in this episode, hinting towards a bright future we may never get to see.

What it may lack in scope, The Order of Giants makes up for with some of the best and most inventive puzzles in the game. It's disappointing that we didn't get another expansive environment to explore, but this is still an engaging mini-adventure that's rich in lore and quintessentially Indy. Those playing The Great Circle for the first time might appreciate the detour a lot more, but putting on that wide-brimmed fedora again still feels great (if only I could get John Williams' theme music out of my head).

Rogue Trooper is at times a very exciting and enjoyable shooter, which makes it all the more disappointing that it's over so soon.

Insomniac Games has a storied history that includes many beloved games and franchises, and with Edge of Nowhere, that legacy grows stronger.

This is a fun version of the beloved game of quick sketches and crazy guesses, provided you've got the hang of drawing with your tablet peripheral.

Technical issues aside, Gotham City Impostors is a consistently thrilling experience that's easy to recommend.

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

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.

Pilotwings Resort is fun while it lasts, but it fails to reach the same heights as its predecessors.

Fruit Ninja Kinect is sweet, but it doesn't last long, and you'll soon want something a lot more substantial.

More than the sum of its parts, and its effective combination of three genres makes for an adventure that can be enthralling despite its many problems.

Ultimately, unless the historical Chinese context interests you, you'll find that Fate of the Dragon is just another real-time strategy game with a few original features, but with nothing really outstanding to recommend it.

Offering a polished mix of strong graphics and solid gameplay, Chamber of Secrets is a marked improvement over its predecessor.

It's the occasional appearance of something different--the alternate solutions, the flashback through another's eyes--that makes most of Post Mortem seem dull and typical in comparison.

While a solid offering that represents its respective license quite well, Looney Tunes Racing isn't the genre-busting piece of software that a last-generation game is supposed to be.

If you can overlook the cheap AI, you'll probably enjoy Test Drive.

Sure, there are more extras you can unlock, such as the original arcade Spy Hunter and more DVD goodies, but these features don't compensate for the game's muddled presentation.

A lot more frustrating than fun.

Flow has adapted well to the PS4 ecosystem and holds up remarkably well, though it is neither as serene as Flower or as touching as Journey.

Shadows of Rose might be the most notable part of the Winters' Expansion, but it's The Mercenaries that provides the most bang for your buck. Rose's tale is an uneven and brief continuation of the Winters family story. It successfully makes familiar locations feel fresh again but doesn't do quite enough with Rose's powers to elevate its action or make the experience feel worthwhile. The switch back to a third-person perspective is noteworthy, and its inclusion as an optional way to play Resident Evil Village is a boon for those thinking of replaying the game. The new additions to The Mercenaries make the Winters' Expansion worth it, though, and while Shadows of Rose has its moments, it doesn't pack enough engaging material into its short timeframe to wholly recommend returning to the eponymous village.

Frequently frustrating combat and an annoying central character prevent The 3rd Birthday from making the most of its unusual mechanics.

The PlayStation action adventure classic makes an unlikely appearance on the Nintendo DS, complete with some surprising new twists and all the gory scares that made the original so memorable.

No Man's Sky is immediately a massive game with impressive seamless transitions from ground to space, and it will entertain your inner collector for a while. The more you get to know it, the more you recognize its faults, and it's easy to fall so deep into the act of exploring and trading that your focus narrows to those aspects alone. If, however, you consider everything it has to offer and listen to what Atlas has to say, No Man's Sky becomes more than a collection of slightly different worlds in a seemingly never-ending galaxy--it becomes an examination of the meaning of life in a way that's more valuable than all the gold or starships in its virtual galaxy.

Ar tonelico is built on a solid role-playing foundation, but the lengthy character exchanges and lack of any challenge take a lot of the fun out of the game.

Luckily, the shooting wins out over the moralizing and helps make Men of Valor one of the few games to successfully tackle the Vietnam War.

Good visuals and accessible controls can't mask Grand Slam Tennis 2's weak career mode.

MLB 2K7 is a decent game, but it's painfully obvious how little effort the developer put into improving this year's game over last year's.

It's a shame My Hero One's Justice's Story mode doesn't do a good job introducing the world of My Hero Academia, with several important narrative beats either missing or revealed through subtitles while you're busy trying to fight. The offline modes against AI don't do much for the game either. However, One's Justice's combat is both accessible and enjoyable. When two players face off--either online or off--the game captures the adrenaline-pumping feeling of My Hero Academia's most notable fights. Pulling off moves from the manga/anime and outsmarting an opponent with devastating combos feels rewarding, and that's enough to keep the player coming back to the game for more.

EyeToy: AntiGrav is definitely outside Harmonix's comfort zone of mostly music-driven gaming, though it's an honest effort at something interesting and accessible. However, the daring design outstrips the technology that drives it.

This unique mech combat sim looks great in action, but gets most of its mileage out of its persistent online campaign, which can be very fun for dedicated players.

In spite of these kinks in its layout, Ecco provides a consistently smooth experience; you'll honestly feel like a deft aquatic mammal and experience the liberating, exciting things that compose a dolphin's everyday life.

Detective Pikachu is a simple game. There's not much variety to the way you solve cases; the story follows a standard detective formula, and as long as you're thorough, you won't have too much trouble connecting the dots. But it's full of heart, and its silly characters and intentionally campy tone are what make it fun.

Once the glitz and glamour fade and you dive a little deeper into this game, the cracks begin to show. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle is packed with style, but simply lacks the substance to back it up.

Birth of America's challenging artificial intelligence and historical authenticity will please grizzled wargamers, but it doesn't do quite enough to broaden the genre's appeal to newcomers.

If the heavy focus on trial and error doesn't rattle you, Stuntman: Ignition can be some explosive fun.

The Munchables provides a unique and wacky adventure that's fun for a few hours. Ultimately though, its repetitive gameplay and lack of challenge make it feel more like a slightly disappointing appetizer than a satisfying main course.

While Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 for Xbox 360 is missing many of the features that round out the game on current-gen platforms and the PC, what remains is a challenging, enjoyable game of golf that, in some ways, exceeds the more fleshed-out versions.

Asura's Wrath isn't much of a game, but its over-the-top, anime-style story makes it easier to overlook its shortcomings.

Your enjoyment depends on your willingness to cast aside memories of Rollercoaster Tycoon and its freedoms in favor of Screamride's aggressive xtreme attitude and unique mix of construction and destruction.

The Force Unleashed's action can be incredible, though it too often strays from what it does best.

Even dinosaurs, ninjas, and Vikings can't really elevate this real-time strategy game above its generic roots.

Corralling livestock is a fun new way to solve puzzles, but some agitating quirks will push the impatient away.

Miitopia winds up being little more than a great character creator attached to an overly simple game that, while charming in its visuals and dialogue, is a mostly passive experience. Watching you recreate your favorite fictional character ships in-game or fighting Evil Guy Fieri has some brief appeal, but once those initial chuckles fade, Miitopia is disappointingly shallow. I’m sure there’s a great RPG yet to be made where you can team up with Mr. T, Goku, and Troy McClure to battle evil, but Miitopia is not that game.

The overall solid game design barely avoids being overshadowed by unexceptional production values.

Those who do not have an interest in the minutiae of the sport of kings will likely find the gameplay to be dry and overly statistics-focused. Still, if you're looking for a change of pace in your racing game, there is certainly nothing else on the market quite like it.