The Assembly feels like a small part of a bigger, much more engaging game. It's a good foundation for a world full of mystery, but it ends just as it starts to get interesting. A game that fully explores the dystopian facility, its history, and the state of the outside world is something I'd be interested in. However, as it is, The Assembly is hard to recommend.

An unapologetic homage to beloved Japanese RPGs that plays well but takes few risks.

In many ways, Brigador is the modern, indie progeny of classic mecha games like Armored Core. It's rough around the edges, and doesn't do much with its story or its tutorials, but distills the gluttony of the 90s action genre into an impassioned, indulgent package.

Ghostbusters has rare moments when it doesn't feel like an utter waste of time. But it's mostly a bizarre slog through mostly empty, overly cumbersome levels full of extreme repetition. Even for devoted fans of the films and four-player co-op shooters, Ghostbusters is a disappointment.

This is the B-list version of a big budget RPG. It’s almost inspiring how plucky Spiders is in its execution of The Technomancer. It's clearly trying to emulate the range of worlds and playstyles of games like The Witcher 3 and Dragon Age in a sci-fi setting, but isn't quite up to the task. It’s buggy, flawed, and, frankly, kind of cheap. This is absolutely a SyFy Channel-grade RPG, with all that implies.

Pokemon Go’s strengths can’t hide the fact that its initial iteration is a buggy mess on all levels, from server and potential security issues to invisible trainers.

With its distinctively clean retro stylings and deceptively simple set up, Videoball may blindside you with the pace and depth of its gameplay. It's reminiscent of arcade classics, and is easily one of the best multiplayer experiences of the year.

With its distinctively clean retro stylings and deceptively simple set up, Videoball may blindside you with the pace and depth of its gameplay. It's reminiscent of arcade classics, and is easily one of the best multiplayer experiences of the year.

Breached has a spark, but it ultimately fades before catching fire.

Monster Hunter Generations still feels like a niche, punishing game that bears more in common with Dark Souls than an adventure game you'd typically find on 3DS. But that punishment never feels arbitrary.

Furi lures you in with a cool lead character and a powerful soundtrack--qualities that are easy to appreciate--but its the journey to become a better fighter that defines the experience.

Still, Song of the Deep's mix of combat, puzzle-solving, and exploration generally lands somewhere around "fine," even if it waivers between aggravating and enjoyable in the process. And although the game tests your patience more often than your skill, its engrossing world and excellent story keep the experience afloat through it all.

7 Days to Die on console is a terrible port of a game which otherwise shows real promise on PC, where it currently languishes in Early Access. In its current state on consoles, the game is technically playable, but that's the best that can be said of it.

Developer Nilo Studios says it wants this to be the start of a series of experiences reminiscent of the X-Files or the Twilight Zone. Unfortunately, there’s so little pay off in Asemblance that it’s difficult to muster much excitement for its future.

Even with a couple of quibbles, it’s hard to deny the quality of 7th Dragon III taken as a whole. It’s challenging without being frustrating, unique in both its visual and character class design, and remains an engaging romp from chapter one to the finale.

As mind-numbing and soul-draining as the game (and customer service in general) tend to be, any game whose ultimate lesson turns out to be, just maybe, be better to each other, is an experience worth having.

Even though it's repetitive and occasionally frustrating, Space Run Galaxy is a great way to, as Deep Purple puts it, “go space truckin’ round the stars.” Tactical depth, a wide range of choices when it comes to customizing your ships, and a liberal dose of frantic action during cargo runs--not to mention a good sense of humor and attractively cartoony visuals--combines to deliver an experience that isn't easy to master, but one that's worth the extra effort.

Ultimately, Duskers is about allowing yourself to believe that you're really sitting on a rickety old space ship, with only drones for friends. You're alone, but not without hope. You may not conquer the universe, but you'll eventually learn how to survive it.

Dead by Daylight executes the concept of a competitive horror game well, but only to a point.

It may stumble too many times with its dialogue, fail to find much substance in its characters, and lack any impressive presentation. But it uses that fragmented structure to keep you guessing, and engaged, right up to its numerous depressing, hopeful, gruesome endings.

Those who do pick up Underground will also find a new way to play. The core mechanics and bullet sponge enemies haven't changed, but the option to engage in short bursts of customizable, cooperative gameplay provides a hugely welcome alternative to simply replaying story missions or struggling through the Dark Zone.

It's a disappointing game with a lot of missed potential, and it doesn't convey a good story or the rewarding feeling of surviving against the elements.

Its systems are either unreliable or illogical, and as a result, it feels almost impossible to get a foothold. The first time an enemy kills you when they should have been dead, you may shrug it off. When it happens the dozenth time, you'll probably wonder why you're playing Umbrella Corps at all. There's ultimately no good excuse.

This is a beautiful, haunting, and memorable game, a worthy follow-up to Limbo. Its puzzles, although rarely difficult, are engaging complements to the story. The real achievement of this game, though, is the way that it crafts its narrative: detailed environments convey the bizarre world that you travel through; introspective moments are filled with minimalist sound design and just the barest touches of music; and the things you must do to complete your journey force you to confront the realities of humanity, freedom, and existence.

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness' payoff was not worth the time I put into it. The story feels bloated and empty, with no worthwhile emotional payoff in character development or narrative. Combat and its subsequent upgrade systems are genuinely fun, but the overall experience is held back from being great by issues elsewhere.

These Lego games are confectionaries now, little candies that don't have a huge amount of substance but are enjoyable nonetheless. Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens doesn't really take you to a new galaxy far, far away, but it's still a pleasant journey.

After a few dozen hours the semi-ludicrous story and systems set in front of you feel so comfortable together that this mashup of developer Atlus' most popular franchise and Intelligent Systems' beloved strategy RPG seems like it was destined to be.

Whatever mad genius decided to smash the two series together should be commended: the mix is mostly a successful one, and where it fails, it’s at least failure in favor of trying something new.