The Falconeer boasts an intriguing story and a hauntingly beautiful setting, but is hampered by repetitive missions in an empty open world.

While there’s plenty we’d like to see fleshed out (especially the skimpy single-player modes and badly out-of-date rosters), it’s a more-than-welcome effort that does right by the DS platform.

If you dig that sort of thing, Heroes 2 offers plenty of challenge, level variety and enough Nazi shooting to satisfy anyone who can deal with the controls of an FPS on a PSP. And if you don't like them, this isn't going to be the game that converts you.

An atmospheric, challenging shooter unlike anything else out there, but it's definitely not for everyone – the odd controls and punishing difficulty will no doubt turn off many casual fans. If you love a short but intense thrill ride and/or carefully perfecting your high-score game, however, you'll find a lot to love in Guwange.

Also somewhat disappointing are the newly added multiplayer features, which are held up by clever level design and strong game modes, but smacked down by uninteresting gameplay. It sounds great in theory, but in practice it turns out there's nothing less fun than being beat up by someone as powerful as Kratos.

Adding good new ideas to the formula, but unable to implement them without diluting the overall experience, Hotline Miami 2 isn’t a disaster, but certainly lacks the original’s fiery vitality.

Hardwood Spades is cheap, cute, competitive and worth the cash if you like team-based card games in the least.

This is one of those games you either love or hate. We're perfectly happy with the story, graphics and simple gameplay Labyrinth offers, especially since there's nothing else like it on the DS, but casuals will probably downright despise the game.

FIFA 14 requires more patience than most of its predecessors, and even when your patience is rewarded, it often feels like it's flattering to deceive. Slow and stodgy in midfield but dynamic and physical at either end of the pitch, it's possible that some might think this the best FIFA ever--but you'd be splitting hairs, not defences.

It might be brief, but Octodad is definitely worth checking out for anyone interested in a charming, hilarious experience. Also, you get to play as an octopus, which... you know, is pretty awesome.

While its story, characters and conversations are interesting and fun to play around with, Alpha's third-person shooting – which makes up the bulk of the game – is not. It's a far cry from terrible, but we'd been led to expect much more.

The biggest disappointment, and the feature most DS-ownin' FIFA fans have been waiting for, is a lack of online support so you cannot compete online or update the already outdated roster. There is a multiplayer mode which allows up to four gamers - two per team - to play locally, though it requires multiple cards.

Elden Ring Nightreign is a surprisingly well-executed roguelike that melds well with the core of Elden Ring and even builds on it with a refreshingly rapid pace and spectacular new bosses. It's also excellent with friends, making for a superb co-op experience, but limited matchmaking options and mixed bosses mean it can be as frustrating as it is fun.

The game offers plenty to do and an impressive breadth of characters and skills to master, but some polish in certain areas could really help make it a game you’d want to pay to play. If you’re looking for a new MMO or a game with Diablo-like replayability, play Marvel Heroes first and pay for it later (if you want, that is.)

The stripped down interface makes unit management much more immediate, and the nuanced gameplay, thanks to range of choices at hand, is simple to learn and satisfying to master. The campaign is on the monotonous side, but the engaging multiplayer mode, which lets you compete with players on any other Microsoft device, ensures that you'll always have someone to play against.

Splatoon is a brilliant and unique shooter sorely lacking in maps and modes, and it desperately needs a refill.

An inconsistently enjoyable experience. Its world provides an interesting glimpse into a could-be future, and the Memory Remix puzzles and Pressen system help offset its extreme linearity and stiff combat. There are enough good ideas here to keep you playing from start to finish, but Remember Me's rougher edges mean it'll fade from your memory far sooner than you might like.

Even if you have to suffer through some Nightmare portions that act as a roadblock to thrills, it’s at least worth a rental to see somebody take the Wii in a new – or at least "re-imagined" – direction.

Yes, Innocent Life succeeds in going in a new direction for the Harvest Moon series, but isn’t as compelling nor entertaining as the best games of the franchise. It’s also not a recommended introduction for folks who haven’t played one before.

One of the series’ better outings as of late. The fighting engine, while not the deepest or the most technical out there, is solid, and the whole presentation drips with style. On top of that, you can get the game in exchange for a mere likeness of Andrew Jackson.

Our biggest beef with Volume 2 is the lack of online play (the Japanese version offered it, but cost more). Also, the absence of any sort of bonus content feels like a glaring omission.

Quite playable, even with these weaknesses - A sub-par Ratchet & Clank game is still better than almost any other platform actioner out there - it's just that we expect more out of this series.

FIFA Street serves as a terrific appetizer and dessert when served with a standard FIFA 12 meal, with its bite-sized chunks and freewheeling vibe juxtaposed nicely against its simulation cousin's oh-so-serious mentality.

Season's ability to tell small human stories is admirable amidst its calming gameplay, even if it doesn't fully explore its big talking points.

As long as you can get past the graphical hiccups, this XBLA title will pull you in like a hungry undead cannibal. If you've been looking for a game that will drop you into a deep, zombie-infested world full of all the tough choices and exploding heads you'd expect from the genre, State of Decay most definitely provides.

Just don't expect to slip into the gameplay as easily as you might have done with Resident Evil 4 HD. Code: Veronica X may provide many hours of zombie-killing fun, but they're difficult hours, and playing it requires accustoming yourself to the gameplay norms of an increasingly distant era.

Nintendo saved the industry with games like this, so we’re sad to say the latest lacks the imaginative spark found in past entries. Easily the weakest of the 2D Marios, but even the worst Mario is better than most other.

As with most Wii games, it really glistens with more than one player. If you're willing to commit to Boogie, mind, body and sooooul, it's a goddamned blast, channeling the same enthusiastic participation we all had last year when firing up Wii Sports first time. But then it's all over too quickly, and too easily.