Jett: The Far Shore is at its best when you're speeding through the air and provided with the agency to figure out how to reach your destination, not slowly hovering around a space and having someone hold your hand through every step of a puzzle. Regular occurrences of the latter drag down the whole experience, and the overall narrative--though intriguingly set-up--ultimately ends in an unfulfilling way, with protagonist Mei feeling too detached from the story and the themes it's trying to explore.

Because Greedfall is so cavalier about its colonialist themes, and because it plays it safe by sticking so closely to the template of open-world RPGs, it doesn't really feel revelatory in any way. Instead, it's content to be just another digital playground--just another world filled with magic, riches, secrets, and monsters for players to shoot and loot at will. I did have fun when I got lost in its familiar RPG loop, but its lack of nuance or innovation prevents it from being truly remarkable.

The latest entry in Capcom's ambitious role-playing series sets out to hunt monsters, but only manages to shoot itself in the foot.

An undeveloped plot, derivative gameplay, idiotic enemies, and boring presentation.

Shattered Haven's inert levels and unwillingness to let you naturally learn obscure its more brilliant moments.

NFL Tour would have made a great arcade game, but as a console game, it's simply too shallow to hold your interest for long.

It's fun to jump in for a few games and rack up points through extravagant slam dunks with your favorite players from the past and present. However, the novelty of arcade-style basketball wears thin quickly in NBA 2K Playgrounds 2.

Some busted mechanics and picky controls will make you think twice before bringing these Ghostbusters on the road.

It provides absolutely nothing that hasn't been seen and done countless times before and done better at that. Unless you're absolutely rapt with morbid curiosity about how Malice ultimately turned out, your time and money are definitely best spent elsewhere.

Tiny Brains might look adorable, but its short length and lack of imaginative puzzles will turn your wide grin into a questioning smirk.

Alien: Rogue Incursion is perhaps a decent Alien game on some VR platforms, but if you're playing it on Quest 3, that should be because it's your only option and you really want to play it for yourself, much like playing an otherwise gorgeous game on the Switch because you prefer some of its unique features over visual fidelity. Even with better visuals on other headsets, Rogue Incursion would still suffer, given its lackluster monster encounters. The VR tools at your disposal are fun, albeit not novel, but more than anything, the game is best enjoyed on the merits of its story. If you're not willing or able to mod Alien: Isolation to play it in VR, then this is the de facto best Alien VR game available, but that doesn't exactly make it a good one.

Unresponsive controls and confusing level design make Rad Spencer's latest adventure an exercise in frustration.

Unfortunately, stellar visuals alone do not make a great game, and ATV Quad Power Racing comes up short in every other possible category.

Soldner does feature some neat innovations...Unfortunately, though, these original elements can't compensate for Soldner's fundamental stability, control, and gameplay problems.

Unresponsive controls and confusing level design make Rad Spencer's latest adventure an exercise in frustration.

Released years after either of its predecessors, in turn borrows elements from both games but combines them in a way that, quite simply, isn't very fun at all.

The game is meant to be played cooperatively, but while connection issues remain, you're likely to muddle through on your own. It's difficult to recommend any game that you endure rather than enjoy, even one this unique.

A forgettable experience, pushing players through the same three minigames over and over again, without ever capturing the thrill of being a wizard. The story lacks focus and is difficult to follow, giving players only the faintest motivation to continue on before it finally ends on an emotionless, anticlimactic note. The Half-Blood Prince squanders its impressive license; you're better off reading the book again.

Sonic and his rivals' latest adventure is rarely fun, often frustrating, and entirely forgettable.

But like its story of fashion and surface appeal, there’s not much depth here, and the facade fades with time. Tri Force Heroes offers us the means to work together, but not enough reason to do so.

Loads of bugs make this remake of the first Serious Sam a serious disappointment.

Twitchy controls and poor presentation eclipse what little fun there is to be had with this middling billiards game.

Dreary and dated.

On the Nintendo DS, Justice League Heroes is a halfhearted beat-'em-up game that does very little to make you feel as if you're controlling your favorite comic book characters.

The only thing devilish about this overblown "Breakout" clone is its crummy collision detection.

Flaky motion controls and an irritating cast of characters suck most of the fun out of this lackluster boarding game.

There are lots of other puzzling decisions. Why no minimap? Why have a tether skill for field movement and puzzles that require summoning Einherjar when they're so rare and arbitrarily placed? Why do I have to replay a whole ungodly long chapter if I missed a Verdant blossom I want to collect? But ultimately, they're minor annoyances compared to the main problem: Valkyrie Elysium is a mostly technically competent game weighed down by the dullness of its story, setting, and strategy. There are glimmers of fun in the combat and some of the dialogue--the rare mid-level Einherjar banter is always welcome--but it's not enough to overcome stifling mediocrity. Valkyrie Elysium is a mere pretender to the glory of this series' past endeavors.

A game that you will have no desire whatsoever to play in your free time, but as soon as you have something important to do, it will become the most interesting thing imaginable.