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.

The Dark Pictures, as a broad project, feels like it's at a crossroads with Directive 8020. With plans to do several more installments, I feel like the inherent flaws are giving way to diminishing returns. I've said before that I'd take a new one of these games every year, forever, and I still feel that way, but I think I've hit my limit on forgiving some of the series' increasingly obvious hang-ups. The conscious rejection of Supermassive's past cinematic flair confuses me, while the shoddy voice work creates a barrier between the game's intent and its execution.

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.

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.

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.