Web of Shadows is a fast-paced, soaring superhero adventure that delivers just about everything a Spider-Man game should.

Wreckateer's merry destruction is backed up by enjoyable score-chasing and good Kinect controls.

A fun, engaging little game, and it will have you running quick cash laps for longer than you'd like to admit--for the purpose of netting the next neat little power-up.

While leaving the quick save feature out may seem like a slight oversight, the reality is that it changes the game into a frustrating exercise in trial and error.

The story is lifeless, and the circa-2001 graphics and audio just don't cut it anymore.

The developers have done a commendable job both of translating mouse-and-keyboard controls to the Xbox's stock controller and of not sacrificing the finer points of Commandos 2's extremely challenging gameplay.

The boxing mechanics, while occasionally enjoyable, become practically automatic after a couple of trips through the career mode. And while the career mode itself is cool, it could have benefited from more in the way of story.

An action game with appealing and simple gameplay but with flat characters and no connective tissue.

Actually works shockingly well and pans out to be an engaging, if simplistic, skateboarding experience with some legitimately amusing gags and great presentational aspects.

This add-on is a flawed but refreshing way to revisit Renaissance Italy.

WWE 2K18's in-ring combat is fundamentally flawed, and will be as divisive as it often is. Yet there's no denying the inherent joy derived from performing your favorite Superstar's signature moves.

Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure is a lovely remake of a niche PlayStation classic, but it still lacks broad appeal.

MTX Mototrax offers a respectable challenge and fun, satisfying racing in one relatively cheap package.

Hyperballoid HD's brick breaking is competent but far from compelling, and most of its levels are a grind to get through.

Even with a few PC issues and a less-than-perfect Switch port, Cities: Skylines remains the best city-builder on the market right now. The game's presentation is stodgy, but it is all but guaranteed to provide you many hours of carefully crafting cities, laying out zoning, and establishing districts for specifics residential and industrial uses…all free from real-world mayoral headaches like 6 a.m. phone calls griping about snowplowing. Right now, there is no better way to take a peek at life as a mayor without filing your papers to run for office in the real world.

This Himalayan horror adventure will send chills up your spine, even though the controls are as cursed as the titular mountain.

It doesn't present an original game design nor is it a particularly compelling experience.

The game is a competent squad-based shooter that offers a fun cooperative mode and an artificial intelligence that is at times quite impressive and at other times completely boneheaded.

KickBeat is a plucky new contender in the rhythm gaming arena, with punishing difficulty and pumping industrial beats.

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

Chronicles' passive pacing is a shame, because the pieces, combat notwithstanding, are mostly strong. Furthermore, the exquisite environments craft a setting that makes me eager to see the two upcoming sequels--Chronicles: India, and Chronicles: Russia--in action.

Below's extreme demands for patience and tolerance remain right through to the game's mysterious ending. But despite its assured aesthetic and the initial pleasures of discovery, Below will eventually turn into a slog for all but the most committed of players.

Scratches is dull, ugly, a bit short, and a perfect example of exactly why traditional adventure games have fallen out of favor.

Given its cookie-cutter narrative, polarizing leveling system, and late-game repetition, ACE doesn't address all the issues that plagued players the first time around. If it didn't satisfy your monster-fighting fix back in 2012, there's probably not enough here to draw you back to the battlefield. However, if you're a Ragnarok vet ready for more, or a new recruit looking to hunt some big game of the not-of-this-realm variety, then you'll want to start sharpening that oversize sword.

The seminal rhythm game makes its PSP debut with a chunk of new content, but the gameplay hasn't quite withstood the test of time.

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

Welsh spooks, ancient myths, and subtle scares abound in this stylish point-and-click adventure.

This multiplayer-only shooter does absolutely nothing with the Shadowrun name, and its unique strengths are offset by a lack of variety.

It's a shallow, crude pleasure, but the delightful disorder that's just around every corner is strong enough to overshadow an otherwise forgettable experience.

Like the fireworks that occasionally ignite throughout select races, Gravel's attempts at excitement don't quite dazzle.

The missions themselves are fairly long, and you might grow weary of having to use the same set of units toward the end of the game.

The rather simple fighting system in DBZ Budokai is really the key factor that's going to keep it from appealing to many people outside of the DBZ fan base.

It's the sort of game that will carve out a space on your hard drive and stay there while other, newer games come and go. X is not for everyone, but it'll almost certainly become a classic for fans of more slowly paced, economics-intensive space simulations.

[Its] somewhat generic nature, dark visuals, and repetitious missions may deter the casual flight jockey.

It still takes the same exciting type of "no rules" approach that the previous games have taken, but RedCard resembles the actual sport of soccer far more than, say, a two-on-two basketball game represents actual NBA play.

The fighting is fun, but the presentation problems do get in the way just enough to become an issue.

While UFO: Aftershock improves on its predecessor in some ways, there's just far too much wrong with this copy of the classic X-COM alien-hunting strategy series to recommend it.

Don your big yellow hat and venture into burning buildings in this engaging firefighting simulation.

It's not as shocking as you'd expect, but Manhunt 2 still satisfies your primal instincts.

My overall impression after 25 hours is that Marvel's Avengers is a fun but flawed game with a lot of good ideas. It still feels as though the story campaign and the live-game missions are pretty divorced from one another, and I miss the moments when it was just me using my skills to take down a tough boss, rather than just watching as Taskmaster or Abomination get absolutely mobbed by me and three other superheroes. But there's a lot of depth in the combat Marvel's Avengers offers as you unlock more and more of a character's skill tree, and especially when you get a decent team that works together, there are quite a few opportunities to feel super.

World Championship Poker 2's offline play is the best you'll find amid this year's competition, and the online play is still pretty engaging.

Looney Tunes: Cartoon Conductor is light on challenge and heavy on cartoon mayhem.

Combat feels good enough, but there's not much to it, and little to strive for.

The umpteenth remake of Final Fantasy I is pretty to look at, but the gameplay is showing its age.

My World, My Way needs more than a charming exterior to sweep you off your feet.

This isn't exactly the most overachieving action game around, but it's not a bad showcase of what the PSP can do, and it's generally entertaining for as long as it lasts.

A good expansion to the original game. It's true that the new missions feel like ones you've already played before, and it's also true that major micromanagement and AI problems--again--rear their ugly heads.

Beneath numerous flaws there's a decent basketball game in March Madness 07, but you've got to dig too deep to find it.

Yes, MX vs. ATV Untamed is more of the same. But at least it's a lot more.

The concept of The Longest Five Minutes is undeniably intriguing, and its retro-styled visuals, quirky personalities and dialogue, and moments of inspired, emotional storytelling give it a lot of inherent charm. But charm can only go so far to make up for a game’s flaws, and far too often, The Longest Five Minutes falls victim to stereotypical old-school JRPG drudgery like endless random encounters and annoying dungeons--the exact sort of thing it wants to deconstruct. Though its ambition is admirable, it ultimately doesn’t live up to the promise of its clever premise.

Late-game loot progression, legendary gems, and Elder Rift runs all matter if you're planning to play Diablo Immortal for a long time and invest in its incoming seasons and paragon progression. And you might be tempted to stick around, given how enjoyable the core campaign is. It's a classic Diablo experience, letting you gleefully watch all your stats increase as hordes of monsters melt in front of you. The power trip it enables sits up there with some of the best the series has to offer, which makes the sudden halt in pace jarring and off-putting. But it's still one that you can enjoy without needing to dive into the mess of menus and lists asking you to tap a button to claim a myriad of rewards day in and day out, given you're comfortable with not being able to power through it all in just a handful of sittings.

Nearly a carbon copy of High Heat 2002 in the way it looks and plays, and its only serious addition to the series is an array of bugs.

An action game with appealing and simple gameplay but with flat characters and no connective tissue.

The game's poor graphical performance really gets in the way of the game's cool trick system, and the end result is undeniably tarnished.

It's very short, so even novice adventure gamers won't have much trouble finishing it in a few sessions.

When push comes to shove, the majority of people who are interested in what MySims has to offer should probably get Animal Crossing: Wild World instead.

It's simple, yet deep; goofy, yet realistic. By straddling these contradictions, MLB Power Pros 2008 manages to appeal to casual and hardcore players alike. It doesn't step far from its predecessor's shadow, but that doesn't prevent it from shining.

The latest addition to the Codename Panzers lineup is too straightforward and simplistic.

Maximum Remix jacks up the engine and slides a smattering of new levels and challenges in, but the ugly graphical glitches and continuingly laughable physics overshadow any of the other improvements made to the game.

The injection of Pokémon characters and aspects hasn't done anything to improve ChunSoft's oft-copied dungeon hack.

One of the better billiards outings released for consoles in quite a long time.

Mystical Ninja will be digital culture shock to the uninitiated. Mystical Ninja is a solid, quirky, and entirely rehashed title that holds its own well against the horde of painful Mario clones.

Operation Flashpoint: Red River features realistic and challenging missions but is often hampered by poor AI and other frustrations.

Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time weaves a complex and captivating tale, but the combat doesn't pull its weight.

Sometimes, simple is better. Maintaining focus on frantic space battles that move quickly and wrap up before you have time to regret what you're playing would have made Strike Suit Zero: Director's Cut more energetic and compelling.

Magical Beat, while cleverly designed and audiovisually charming, feels stripped down. The game lacks the sorts of options and modes that help elevate a standard puzzle game to the level of cherished time-killer and competitive classic.

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.

Smashing other robots and transforming into different vehicles is generally fun, but the game is short and the missions are often uninspiring.

ZooCube requires quick thinking and patience, and those who are up to the challenge will derive quite a bit of satisfaction from this solid new effort.

The tennis is merely average, but the challenges and minigames in Sega Superstars Tennis are creatively done and a lot of fun.

Blazing Angels' very straightforward campaign and barren online play don't add up to make a particularly engaging air combat game.

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.

An action adventure game that absolutely permeates with potential, but Galleon just didn't come together as a fully cohesive or entertaining experience.

Authentic puzzles and ancient atmosphere make Riddle of the Tomb a cut above the average point-and-click adventure.

Much of Call of Cthulhu is a perfectly competent adventure game built on firm, if uninspired, point-and-click traditions.

What starts out as a simple but entertaining aerial jaunt quickly becomes monotonous and shallow, making it hard to justify its price tag.

This expansive arcade racer may be ambitious, but it doesn't nail all of the basics.

Poor controls and superfluous features hurt what is otherwise an enjoyable SimCity game.

It's the kind of game Ashton Kutcher would laugh at in Dude Where's My Car, which means it's not the kind of game that has anything of merit to say in 2019.

Project 8 makes some odd control changes that will stick out to longtime fans of this skateboarding series, but the core game is still fairly good.

Kill Team's dual-stick shooting action has an old-fashioned arcade appeal, but it's too simple to stand out from the crowd.

Dinosaur Digs isn't nearly as visually or audibly rewarding as it could have been.

Smash Cars isn't going to appeal to everyone, but its easy-to-pick-up style of play, often absurdly amusing level design, and budget price tag make it a worthwhile purchase or rental for any RC or kart racing fan.

While the game is marred by some graphical and gameplay issues, it still crafts an intriguing and engaging set of "episodes" that will please fans--as well as survival horror aficionados--with the taste of some good, old-fashioned alien conspiracy.

As a nostalgia piece, this new iteration is a great 3D representation of the classic NBA Jam experience, but when compared with recent arcade basketball offerings, like the "NBA Street" series, it doesn't quite measure up.

An almost total lack of innovation makes the game seem pretty dated when compared with other games on the market.

The open-ended design is a breath of fresh air, while the overall presentation lives up to the movie's skewed style and humor.

The lack of gameplay options also hurts Tennis Masters Series 2003, despite the fact that, fundamentally, it's a fairly sound game.

It attempts to deliver some simulation-styled thrills, but the driving physics and options simply aren't up to snuff when compared to other, better games. On the other side, the addition of brake assist turns the game into an overly simplified affair that reduces the gameplay to holding down the gas pedal and steering.

The game itself isn't terrible, but unless you are absolutely aching to exercise the online capabilities of your Dreamcast, there is really no reason to pick up this game.

Innocent Life is a watered-down Harvest Moon game without the series' trademark depth and charm.

While State of Emergency's arcadelike objectives and somewhat simplistic fighting system can make it feel a little shallow, the game's technical strengths, satisfying displays of comically overblown violence, and budget price make it worth a look.

Shenmue III has its moments. It delivers on the promise of creating interesting and engaging new environments for Ryo and friends to explore and play around in. Yet, I can't help but think that the game's dogged determination to retain the same "feel" of its Dreamcast ancestors at any cost hurts it immensely. The creative team seems determined to not move anything forward substantially when it comes to Shenmue--including the story, which ends on yet another unfinished cliffhanger. Shenmue III is certainly an interesting game thrown out of time, but that doesn't mean that it's always enjoyable to play.

Aside from including some half-baked touch-screen features, Harvest Moon DS does nothing to set itself apart from previous games in the series.

A fun and accessible tennis game with some playful gameplay touches, but it's hampered by a dully sophomoric sense of humor.

The most glaring omission in Worms Forts: Under Siege! is some genuine enthusiasm.

Simply, Ride 2 doesn't make a convincing case for more motorcycle games to be produced. Yes, it is a genre that is underrepresented in comparison to its car-based siblings, but the level of expected quality across racing games as a whole is so high that anything other than an outstanding release is impossible to recommend.

Though Mafia III's campaign contains quite a few memorable moments like that bayou shootout, they're buried under a pile of repetitive filler missions and underserved by dated gameplay, which adds little to the standard sandbox shooter formula we've seen in dozens of other games. And worse still, the game suffers technical blemishes from start to finish.