Despite how accurate it looks and feels for the time period, it still ends up being little more than a 3D cardboard cut-out most of the time. Also, while the detective aspect is pretty well realized, all of the action sequences I was involved in felt far too planned out, and eliminating any sort of random element from them makes them a little too sterile for my taste.

It's the bugs, the lousy camera, ... and absolute necessity to adjust all of the gameplay sliders to find that decent game that shoots the overall score way down.

That doesn't mean the online play is perfect. In fact, many people have reported matchmaking issues and assorted glitches. Matchmaking shouldn't be a problem when playing with friends via invites (on either PSN or XBL), but when playing random players it's a mixed bag.

Although Dark Age doesn't innovate much, it's the best and most viable MMORPG out there right now.

I can only strongly recommend this to a particular group of people. Fans of horror, fans of relentless shooters, and those who have a fantastic PC. The rest of the crowd will leave underwhelmed.

That doesn't mean the online play is perfect. In fact, many people have reported matchmaking issues and assorted glitches. Matchmaking shouldn't be a problem when playing with friends via invites (on either PSN or XBL), but when playing random players it's a mixed bag.

I personally could have done without the majority of the hovercar and weapon-based missions, but overall the game works well, looks and sounds fantastic, and provides many hours of mostly enjoyable gaming.

While some of the gameplay concepts feel familiar, the theme, writing and setting really wraps it up well and makes it worthy of spending some free time with.

It's the bugs, the lousy camera, the lack of online leagues for Xbox and absolute necessity to adjust all of the gameplay sliders to find that decent game that shoots the overall score way down.

All in all, this Tomb Raider reboot isn’t perfect. But it is a step in the right direction for the series, and again marks the most fun I’ve had with a Tomb Raider title in a while. It’s got enough of that AAA polish to make it a contender, but I feel that the series is going to need some fresh ideas if it really wants to compete with the big hitters.

The new modes are weak, there is no online play, and with only 3 new characters, the game will begin to feel too similar after a few short hours of game play.

Playing over a LAN without the headaches associated with internet play can be a blast, either in head to head, teamplay, or grouping against those vicious computer opponents.

A solid first effort and actually makes me look forward to a sequel. I really hope they can mess around with the control scheme a bit next time to allow for more versatility in your trick making so you can be more creative on the pavement.

I don't feel like enough effort went into this to improve upon the flaws of the original, and something needs to be done with career mode to make it a little more exciting and enticing in my opinion.

I found it to be a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none. Because of this, you’re left having your attention continually and equally divided, forcing you to pour in tons of hours just to start feeling invested in the world.

X-2 comes off as a flashy expansion pack, and not the full fledged sequel promised. The mission-based approach will work for some, but to me, it comes off as a cheap excuse to skimp out on a proper narrative.

The end result is a Dead or Alive game that's arguably deeper, dizzyingly beautiful and a blast to play online when the damn thing isn't just locking up.

Speaking of the A.I., this is where my biggest gripe with the game lies...The control is overall a bit slippery at times, even when using a 4WD car with a high Handling rating. That is a bad combo usually, and drove me crazy on several opportunities.

In terms of sheer pace, NFL 2k2 and Madden are truly apples and oranges when it comes to game speed. I frankly feel that NFL 2k2 plays too fast.

The length is less to blame than the overall design as an RPG, where players will notice things such as a striking contrast between pacing when considering how strong the story is. Stick of Truth’s main concern ultimately lies in its ability to match a good game to a really entertaining premise, which is a far more alienating factor than whether people like your show.

I have no doubt that some people are absolutely going to love Jusant – but it’s definitely not for me. If you’re a fan of climbing, you’ll find plenty to love here, but I found it all too frustrating to ever get lost in the game.

There's no doubt that plenty of fun is to be had; it's simply that much of it is hindered by poor design choices.

Hopefully, for those that bought Halo: TMCC a permanent fix comes along sooner than later, or you can get some enjoyment out of the single-player experience for the time being. But it’s certainly not fair to wait for the product your purchased to work, and because of that, I want to be sure that my review score for this retail product reflects that.

As fun as it starts out to be, it gets old rather quickly. Fortunately or unfortunately, the game is extremely short, and on its easiest mode can be completed in about an hour.

It is funny, but the fact that it is so big makes large portions of the game seem like a boring chore.

It is funny, but the fact that it is so big makes large portions of the game seem like a boring chore.

A solid first effort and actually makes me look forward to a sequel. I really hope they can mess around with the control scheme a bit next time to allow for more versatility in your trick making so you can be more creative on the pavement.

When Lonely Mountains: Downhill works, it works pretty well. It’s far from perfect, but if you want a game that captures the zen of cycling, it mostly does a decent job of that.

Somewhat of a mixed bag - the game has frenetic shooting action and decent control, but it's mediocre mission design and short length make keep it from the greatness of such predecessors like "Tie Fighter" and "Rogue Squadron."

Still a high-quality brawler after all these years. Just don’t expect much that's new.

I don't feel like enough effort went into this to improve upon the flaws of the original, and something needs to be done with career mode to make it a little more exciting and enticing in my opinion.

It'll be compelling to people who loved the world of the original Steins;Gate and are desperate for more. If you don't have that background, then Steins;Gate 0 will seem mostly incomprehensible to you. It makes the occasional half-hearted stab at explaining what you're reading, but for the most part, this story is all about moving things forward. Not only that, it does so through the kind of massive info dumps that tend to typify some visual novels — and your mileage will undoubtedly vary in terms of how much you like that sort of thing.

I feel the humor falls a little flat, and while I found plenty of stuff to laugh at with Costume Quest, the adventures of a little matryoshka doll named Charlie hasn't done much for me.

It’s unfortunate that Nintendo didn’t release an all-new side scrolling Mario game.

Frictional Games are an ambitious bunch who hopefully continue to learn lessons about storytelling and when to leave behind the crutch of a past success. Their strong suit may have been in horror at some point, but sometimes moving forward means leaving something behind. In the case of SOMA, they've traversed far into the future without leaving the past where it lies.

If you have ever praised the sun, or if you have any fear of the old blood, Nioh is an absolute must play. A fantastic and deep combat system, coupled with great boss design and a difficult yet fair effort/reward loop put Nioh right up there with its not so distant brothers in Dark Souls and Bloodborne. If I were to assign a score to the game, simply for its content it would absolutely be a solid “A”. Unfortunately, even though it is the Complete Edition, this is not necessarily the superior version of the game. If you only play games on PC, this game is still a no-brainer to pick up, but if you’re like me and have consoles as well as a computer, I think the PS4 may still be the place to play Nioh.

It’s this lack of real replay and major feeling of linearity that I feel many will be turned off sooner than later.

Mot without fault, but at the same time not without progress.

For all it's technical wizardry, a game is only as good as its gameplay, and that portion of Jak 3 just doesn't measure up.

Like many games before this one, moving from 2D into 3D can be a tricky proposition. For every successful endeavor there are countless failures. Luckily, Picross 3D manages to come into its own as a fun puzzle game, even if it shares very few game play traits with its older brother.

At the very least, LocoRoco proves that there is nothing quite like rolling a giant fatty--err, I mean, it proves that there is still room for innovation in a very traditional genre (side-scroller) even if it's on a more conventional platform.

The control with mouse and keyboard is far superior to the clunky Xbox controller, and Gearbox is already rolling out patches to deal with the framerate issues. As an experience, Halo is something to behold - on the right system, you can pull this game out and slap around your Xbox-owning friends with higher resolutions and better controls. As a game, however, it starts strong and fizzles like a wet firework towards the end.

Without the option of full scrimmages, I wonder how long the game will stay fresh in the minds of gamers after about 30 games or so.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted takes Underground’s control scheme and slaps it into the Hot Pursuit series, which in the end, does not work.

It’s a good enough game this year, like it was a good enough game last year, like it was a good enough game in 2018, like I’m sure it’ll be a good enough game in 2021 on the PS5. But considering that MLB The Show was once the gold-standard for sports games, simply being good enough seems like a lot of wasted potential.

In comparison to Bastion, Transistor feels rigid. As its own game, it tells a tightly controlled story with an experimental battle system. While the combat works, it contradicts the idea of thoughtful approach with gameplay that threatens to undermine anything over basic combinations.

One very beautiful, but very difficult, flight simulator. Real life physics are tough, even with a slider bar that allows a bit of control.

A fantastic port on the GBA, but the controls hold it back from being a great title on the system.

Theoretically Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine is a great game. In actuality, your mileage may vary.

Even a forgettable version of MLB The Show still delivers a best-in-class baseball experience. It makes it hard to recommend if you picked up the last few years’ editions, but if you’ve taken a year or two off, it might be time to jump back in.

The game is here in its entirety and feels good to play both with Joy-cons and especially the Switch Pro Controller. Framerate seemed mostly consistent with a few dips that didn’t affect my experience, so the performance is pretty successful. Some new functionality includes gesturing with motion controls and the use of amiibos. Both of these are nice to have, but of all the tweaks and any custom Switch additions I still can’t believe the menu buttons are like they are. Otherwise the base game was the real prize and for better or worse is here as promised.

I feel the humor falls a little flat, and while I found plenty of stuff to laugh at with Costume Quest, the adventures of a little matryoshka doll named Charlie hasn't done much for me.

The audio on the PS3 version lags behind the video, making songs very hard to play on higher difficulties. You're either forced to block out the music and sight read the notes or manually change the lag to account for the audio making it more difficult to sight read the notes.

It can be funny and disturbing while being challenging and clever. It's just too bad more care wasn't taken in making it available on a new platform.

I managed to have quite a it of fun with Ms. Splosion Man, despite her pushing me away and at times downright annoying me.

The animations are far from being fluid, and the PS2 version of High Heat suffers from some severe slow downs during gameplay.

NBA Ballers may feel a slight sting when it comes to longevity. Sure, the career mode has plenty of game play involved, especially when maxing out your player and his crib. But where do you go from there?

Even with 73 episodes and online play, the $30 price tag still seems a little steep especially with how the game is structured and the relative lack of customization or options. Fans may want to check it out though.

If you can get past some of MVP’s fielding glitches, and appreciate this offensive driven baseball title, then you will be in for a delightful surprise this season.

Another concern I have for this series, is besides the new songs, outfits, duet modes, and a few new characters, the game is virtually the same as the previous two. With too little additions each time around, I begin to wonder where my 40 bucks is going.

All in all, this isn’t a bad collection of two fun titles from last-gen, but it hardly feels like a must-have upgrade for anyone that’s played through both Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel already.

The gameplay and story aren’t completely original and short. The game does look great and the soundtrack is extraordinary.

The animations are disappointing. Shooting someone should offer some satisfaction, but in SOCOM the dead man just slumps over.

Feels more like Crazy Taxi 1.5 than a full sequel. The same basic, addictive formula is present, but for some reason it just doesn't feel as exciting or challenging as the original.

CoD3 is a game that is slightly repetitive if not lackluster in its single player - the first level is insanely awesome though.

There are good ideas, and occasionally very good execution, but on the whole none of it feels like it ever clicks into a coherent, must-play whole.

What can’t be fixed are the statistical glitches that really keep the game from being fun. Things such as shortstops getting saves, games not counting, etc. are commonplace. There is nothing more frustrating than having a good baseball game with a terrible stat bug.

To be fair, part of the reason it feels like MLB The Show 23 is treading water is that, for so many years, it was far and away the best sports game available. When you nail a sport so accurately, all that’s left is the sort of tinkering around the edges that MLB The Show 23 does here. But unless you have a burning need to play as Satchel Paige – and who could blame you if you do? – it makes it really difficult to see why you’d want to pick it up rather than just sticking with MLB The Show 22.

Depending on expectations, Dragon Age: The Veilguard can provide an enjoyable action RPG experience. If you’re seeking a worthy successor to Dragon Age: Origins or even Inquisition in companions or plot, it doubtless falls short, feeling more comfortably bland than outright terrible. The combat may be worth the price of admission if you’re keen on real-time action without too much thought for your companions beyond choosing which targets to detonate. Similarly, the visuals can be gorgeous, backed by incredible music, even as the facial animations, odd image quality, and voice acting can feel uneven. It’s nowhere near BioWare’s best, especially in the storytelling department, but after all its past failures and uncertainty, there are certainly far worse alternatives than “good enough.”

Even with 73 episodes and online play, the $30 price tag still seems a little steep especially with how the game is structured and the relative lack of customization or options. Fans may want to check it out though.

If there’s one thing that could have taken this from alright to great, the game could have treated its mechanic as an actual puzzle instead of a gimmick. More Zelda-style instrument playing than Moonwalker-inspired song and dance.

A title that seems to be suffering from a bit of an identity crisis this year. Unlike last year’s version, which was fully dedicated to being smash-mouth hockey fun, the tone in Hitz 20-03 is more serious and less consistent in its approach.

There is more freedom in career choices, less intense caretaking, plus a few console specific features. But the gameplay is old hat for previous console players.

With more polish and character balancing, Midway could have crafted one of the best pick up and play fighters in existence – but combo timing issues hurt the overall score and that’s a shame.

I can’t in good faith recommend KINGDOM HEARTS -HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX- for a full price purchase given how they perform, even if you’re a fan. I played the Kingdom Hearts franchise on PS4, so I was ecstatic to be able to play them on my preferred platform, but other than the third entry and Fragmentary Passage, it just doesn’t seem to be easily done. I’d highly recommend a sale and having some patience if you want to dive into them, because they’re not for the faint of heart. It’s a damn shame, but I guess not every port’s gonna be a good one.

Of course, if you just want more Portal, that might make The Entropy Centre enough for you. It’s not much more than that, but it also sticks so closely to the formula that it doesn’t do anything crazy that would make you dislike the game, either. It’s a well-worn path at this point, and The Entropy Centre never once strays from it.

What can't be fixed are the statistical glitches that really keep the game from being fun. Things such as shortstops getting saves, games not counting, etc. are commonplace. There is nothing more frustrating than having a good baseball game with a terrible stat bug.

Despite subpar performance, a strange lack of identity, and the PR disaster Borderlands 4 has been garnering online, it really is a fun game with an engaging story full of fun and interesting characters. The negatives around the game really do weigh on it, of course, but when you can really sink your teeth into the meat and potatoes, Borderlands 4 is genuinely one of the most fun, if not the most fun, entry in the series so far. The guns feel amazing, the game hasn’t compromised its art style (just the world feel), the Vault Hunters feel fantastic, and the writing is great, but I’ll be damned if those issues don’t weigh down on it. It’s definitely a great game, but with everything else surrounding it, it’s a tough sell for a lot of people to be sure. If you’re just looking for a good looter shooter to play though, Borderlands 4 is a great one, assuming it runs as intended.

Toy Soldiers: Cold War feels just a tad bit hollow to me as a game.

There is more freedom in career choices, less intense caretaking, plus a few console specific features. But the gameplay is old hat for previous console players.

If there was one major criticism I'd give the game, it's that the stealth aspect is almost completely debunked by the AI's ability to single you out of dense jungle.

Rage starts to wear out its welcome about 3 to 4 hours in. That's the point where it started to feel like the promise of an open world shooter was more of an illusion than reality.

There is more freedom in career choices, less intense caretaking, plus a few console specific features. But the gameplay is old hat for previous console players.

The whole 16-bit SNES thing may be a little overdone these days, but Terraria captures the vibe of that era so perfectly that it's almost impossible to not love its aesthetic. A pleasing aesthetic, however, does not a great game make. You need to have compelling gameplay as well, and — while I can certainly see where some people may disagree with me on this — Terraria just doesn't have that.

At the end of the day, your mileage with Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO will vary. I found myself bored as often as I was excited and frustrated as often as I was exhilarated. For fans who simply want to relive the glory of their childhood with Budokai Tenkaichi, there might be enough here to draw them in. For folks looking for a continuation of the depth that FighterZ added or the beat-em-up fun of a Kakarot or Xenoverse style game, I do not see Sparking! ZERO scratching that itch for you.

If the mundane enemies that populate the world brought a little more challenge to the table, and if the basic environmental kills consisted of more than just impaling or beating someone to death, then I would have had much more interest in the title than just the boss fights and Bloodbath events.

Firaxis' ambition may be great, but their inspiration seems to be left behind on our home planet. We've gone maybe out to Mars in this one, and it's a shame that Civilization's foray into the future is one that reminds us only of how inspired things were in the past. I'd love to see something more inventive in a full release, but maybe that will appear in a less fiscally-demanding expansion at some point.

There are better platforms to have this on, sure, but if you're looking to try the game out for the first time there's nothing wrong with choosing this as your platform of choice.

The gameplay and modes are identical to the PS2 version in every way I can think to evaluate them. The minigames are completely worthless, but they don’t really get in the way of the actual game so I’m going to pretend like they don’t exist and treat the game as if it was an exact PS2 port.

In a lot of ways, Swords & Soldiers is like any other satisfying RTS game... just bite-sized.

Visually, the game is crisp, but looks to me like a glorified flash game.

If you are not an absolute die hard fan, even the incredible 6 hour campaign is not enough to justify a full $60 purchase. If you’re ok with buying now and getting the rest of the game later though, the content at launch is worth playing.

If you can get past some of MVP’s fielding glitches, and appreciate this offensive driven baseball title, then you will be in for a delightful surprise this season.

A shorter experience keeps Death of the Outsider from reaching the same level of success that Dishonored 2 had, but the experience here is one definitely worth it. This is far more than simple DLC, it is a self contained albeit short game. My experience on PC was fantastic, running on max settings with no issue at all. Death of the Outsider feels like the first thing that Arkane made with the PC in mind, not an afterthought.

The Suikoden series has its good games and bad, but Suikoden 1 and 2 are my two favorites in the series. For those looking to scratch the itch of a classic JRPG, these games will do it. I hope that other companies take notes, as they kept the core game play and didn’t make any major changes to the battle system — I’m looking at you Final Fantasy VII Remake. The Suikoden 1 and 2 HD Remaster isn’t perfect though, and Konami should have made a few more quality of life improvements, specifically to the inventory system. The story to both games is there in all of its glory, the second game’s story especially. Overall, Suikoden I&II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars is a solid update to some classically good JRPGs!

I'll also go out on a limb and say this is probably the easiest of the Telltale titles I've played to date. For me, that's a good thing.

With more polish and character balancing, Midway could have crafted one of the best pick up and play fighters in existence – but combo timing issues hurt the overall score and that's a shame.

It's with a sigh of unfufilled expectations and through clenched teeth that I say Def Jam Vendetta is the best US wrestler this generation.