Star Ocean: First Departure's updated presentation fails to disguise its shallow gameplay or limited appeal.

Mercury Hg is cheaper, safer and more fun than playing with real volatile chemicals, though the experience is short lived and simple.

Fire Emblem Warriors doesn’t radically change the formula of the two-decade-old Warriors franchise, nor is it concerned with attempting to do so. At best, it's a decent vehicle for Fire Emblem's characters, a chance to flex their muscles in a new venue without the limitations of turn-based combat holding their abilities back.

Sensible puzzles and an adventurous story make Destination: Treasure Island a treat for all ages.

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.

Despite all these issues, however, Potion Permit is one of my favorite games I've played this year as well as one of the best life sims in recent history, which is a massive testament to just how high its highs are. Coming to the game's end was bittersweet because of how much I adored my time in Moonbury--how much I was enamored of the art, gameplay, characters, world, and writing as a whole. More than anything, I long for a Potion Permit series. I believe it has the potential to proudly stand next to games like Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, and Story of Seasons and, if it addresses some of its most glaring issues, could push the genre forward in meaningful ways.

Sam & Max's third episode feels shorter than the previous two, and at least part of that is due to so many of the environments being recycled from previous episodes.

For all that The Hulk misses on, like the repetitive level designs and the clumsy stealth action sequences, the game gets enough of it right to tip the scales in its favor.

Bon Voyage is a worthwhile expansion that makes plenty of neat little additions to The Sims 2.

DDR Disney Mix was designed as a game for kids. Most of the game's stages are quite easy, though there is a harder setting that will bring the game up to a moderate level of difficulty for fans of the series.

A surprisingly competent port. Unfortunately, it's a port of a game that most fighting game fans consider to be completely obsolete.

The inclusion of a battery save feature makes this game infinitely more enjoyable, however, and the twofold increase in car selection isn't too shabby either.

An excellent graphical showpiece...[but] a general lack of gameplay depth, drab physics, and annoying mission design all get in the way of what could have been a fantastic, action-packed driving game.

With a number of real-world tracks, well-designed fantasy courses, and a couple of exclusive features, this edition of MX 2002 delivers everything that the PS2 version had to offer--and a little bit more.

Some of the games featured just don't play the way they should, marring an otherwise stellar compilation. If you have any interest in classic gaming, this collection is worth a look, provided you can get used to its quirks.

There are too many different playable characters and too many unique gameplay elements that just don't gel. And though the story is well told, there's just not enough focus on Red.

Syndicate's cooperative play is undeniably thrilling. Too bad the single-player campaign doesn't reach the same heights.

The lack of light gun support drags down Operation Wolf, but with games like Elevator Action and Bubble Bobble on board, Taito Legends offers good classic arcade action at a budget price.

With its simple, turn-based battles, storybook universe, and saccharine characters, Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana feels like a throwback to the glory days of the SNES role-playing games--which is the best thing that can be said for a game like this.

Even though the wingman mechanics and canyon races don't quite pan out, it's still a stylish and enjoyable street racer.

Even if The Ascent was fully functional and balanced in a way where building up a character to become the ultimate Indent warrior felt great, there's the fact that so much of the game is designed to feel like servitude. As you climb the superstructure housing all of Veles, you serve a progression of masters, and the payoff for the game's central mystery--where did the mysterious group running Veles suddenly run off to?--isn't nearly enough to offset the hopeless grind. Your bosses insult you when you go on your task, ignore you when you've done well, and provide no rewards for success. For so much of the play time, The Ascent feels like, well, an uphill battle.

SSX Blur has its moments, both joyful and frustrating, but it winds up being a solid entry in the SSX series.

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

Unfortunately, this new presentation isn't fully realized, leading to awkward camera angles and needlessly confusing gameplay.

There are moments when it's more frustrating than fun--being lost, after all, is rarely a pleasant experience--but even then it's hard not to appreciate how far the developers have taken such a simple idea. If these monsters want heart, this game is full of it.

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.