Between odd design choices, forced motion control and a number of questionable mini-games, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz doesn't exactly live up to the series' standards. However, some of the mini-games are pretty cool, if a bit shallow.

What we really wanted, and thought we were getting with Fistful of Cake, was Fat Princess on the PSP with no changes and maybe some extra content. What we were given was a lobotomized version of the original game that saves face in most regards, but disappoints in places that turned out to be a big deal.

It's not going to win many awards for gameplay, but it should be cute enough to keep a smile on your face, and for that reason, platforming fans should definitely give it a whirl.

By no means is Omensight a bad game. If you’re into the story and the lore, in fact, I can see being able to overlook the action and the camera — neither is great, but nor are they the worst things ever. Personally, I’m not going to stay awake at night wondering how to uncover a few pieces of the story I may have missed, but there are certainly worse games you could agonize over.

There's a bit of a high learning curve to get over in order to find much enjoyment or excitement in the game, although fans of the genre or sport in particular will likely not mind at all.

Overall though, these complaints are relatively minor. I certainly enjoyed the core experience of playing I Am Setsuna, and think that the developers at Tokyo RPG Factory did a pretty solid job of emulating the classic Square RPG archetype.

Thankfully it all boils down to a great, hour eating, and life sucking game that you won’t put down for some time. If you love to draw, Magic Pengel shouldn’t be missed.

Some hits and misses, but for 20 dollars, you get more than your money's worth here. Especially since they are all arcade emulations, and not ports from other systems or consoles.

Reasonable people can disagree on whether and how heavily to weigh its off-screen issues. What’s less open to debate, however, is how much this game is weighed down by wonky controls and an even wonkier camera. There are other, much better 3D platformers out there, and they’re much more deserving of our time and your money.

Dennation had a hit. It was dumb, it was violent, it was addictive. What it wasn’t, was mean. It wasn’t punishing. It wasn’t gross. By trying to go further, and bigger, and better, Dennation spoiled a winning recipe

What will keep you playing isn't the gameplay, or even the story, exactly, but just wanting to figure out what the hell is going on. Let it take you with it and you won't be sorry.

While I expect The Sky Crawlers to be largely ignored by gamers, it's not going to disappoint those curious enough to check it out, by any means.

At the very least, you have to rent this one just to experience the 50’s B-movie hilarity.

There’s a great game somewhere inside Penny’s Big Breakaway, and it’s entirely possible we’ll see it one day, but right now, it’s just not there yet.

If you like endless death served up with a generous helping of moody Victorian horror, then Sunless Sea: Zubmariner Edition should definitely be on your radar. If that doesn’t grab you from its description, however, be warned that you’re probably not going to find the game itself any easier to pick up.

It could have been a little bit longer, and it could have been executed a lot more thoroughly. Even so, Genji is a great ride.

Overall, I did enjoy the game, I'm just a little miffed that it seems to be lacking in overall content.

I had a lot of fun with Arkham Origins, I thought the multiplayer mode was interesting, and I definitely think it’s worth checking out, once some of the more serious bugs are addressed.

No robot voices aside, I did quite enjoy my time with Berzerk: Recharged. it may be modernized and made a bit easier with its powerup system, but it does retain that classic arcade feel by having no goal in mind, other than getting a higher score from the last game you played. It’s definitely one of the better Recharged versions of these classic games and players of all skill levels can have a lot of fun. Try this out if your curious, or if you are a fan of the original.

Murder on the Orient Express is proof that even if you mess around the edges of a classic murder mystery, as long as the core remains – and it does here – you can’t help but make a worthwhile game.

For $19.99 it’s a pretty good value and I think those that enjoyed Brain Age will surely like Academy. If I had to give a nod to one or the other I’d still go with Brain Age since it was the original brain game and it has built-in incentives for daily play.

Of course, there's a huge difference between "not as good as Portal 2" and "not worth playing", not least because there's a good argument to be made that Portal 2 is the best game ever. Failing to live up to perfection is only failure in a very broad sense of the term, and The Turing Test hardly counts as a bad game. It won't make you forget that elephant-sized game in the corner of the room by any means, but if you're still wishing that, one way or another, GLaDOS and Chell could return, this probably counts as the closest you're going to get.

HAWX was definitely a fun shooter, and while it's not something that I would see appealing to every FPS/third-person shooter fan out there, it's certainly worth checking out.

My only real complaint against the game is that it doesn't seem to be a huge improvement over the original Legions title.

While this may be something a few people may not like, rather opting for a more scripted mission structure, "Klingon Academy" does one thing I think more games should make us do; use our brains.

A potentially brilliant RTS title sadly damaged by a lack of polish, TA: Kingdoms is still a hugely entertaining experience if you have the hardware (and the patience) for it.

Overall, Supernatural feels like a fun expansion to the core Sims 3 experience, and something that's worth checking out even if you're not super vested in the series, like me. It's a far enough departure from the norm that I found it to be a lot of fun to toy around with.

As criticisms go, “it was too addictive and I finished it in a few hours” isn’t exactly the worst thing you can say about a game. In fact, as someone who prefers quality over quantity, I’d much rather leave a game wanting much, much more — which was exactly the case with One Line Coloring. There are much worse ways to spend part of an afternoon.

It’s a thoroughly average 3D platformer that doesn’t do enough, good or bad, to be worth praising or condeming.

Capsized is a really well balanced run and gun game that can be fun and challenging for many players.

It’s a cozy game that doesn’t assume that being adorable is a substitute for being engaging. Hopefully more games of this ilk can learn from it, because all things considered, it’s nice having games like Mail Time around.

Obviously, not every game is going to be to everyone’s tastes. But, for the second year in a row, Jackbox Party Pack 10 delivers a set of games where everyone is bound like at least one of the games on offer – certainly a far cry from earlier editions where you knew that an entry would have at least one dud.It’s an outstanding collection from top to bottom, and it shows that as the Jackbox series enters its second decade, it’s as strong as ever.

If you want a good looking game that plays well against other people online, MLB 2k7 is great. There is room for improvement, but it gets most of the top priorities right. If you want a solid franchise simulation, well, maybe next year.

That they've come out with something that plays to their strengths so well is an impressive achievement, and if you have any love for horror games whatsoever, you owe it to yourself to play Layers of Fear.

I don't think it expands much on the genre though, so if you've grown bored of twin stick shooters, this game will do little for you.

It’s too pretentious too ignore, too unforgiving to be intuitive, and too flawed to be truly realistic.

While not really bringing anything too revolutionary to the table, the Ridge Racer 6 package is very close to being flawless.

Even with touchy controls and a cheesy story and even cheesier puns, I enjoyed playing this game.

The WWE Universe stuff is pretty cool, but outside of that, this really feels like a title that's gone back to the well one too many times at this point.

It's just frustrating from beginning to end.

The Swindle is impossibly hard, to the point that only masochists need apply.

ChromaGun is undeniably fun for what it is. If you want more Portal in your life — and who doesn’t? — then it will give you precisely that. But at the same time, it constantly gives off a feeling akin to watching a cover band plod its way through a classic song. It may feature a lot of the same notes, but in the end, it’s all just a pale imitation.

For that matter, I don’t know that I’d quibble too hard with anyone who looked at the damsel-in-distress and the obnoxious characters, shrugged, and wanted to play anyway. The game practically asks the question, What if Danganronpa were a romance novel? — and if you’ve ever wanted to see how that plays out, Collar x Malice offers an intriguing answer.

Atelier Lydie & Suelle fits right in with the franchise’s tendency towards quiet, solid competence — and, it should be added, it looks much better than it ever has on the Vita. Personally, though, it has me certain that wherever the series goes next, I’m only going to follow it if I can play it on a handheld.

Poppy Playtime Chapter 5 is just fine, but “just fine” is only going to continue to carry this series for so long. Some substantial changes need to be made in the development of Chapter 6 if Mob Entertainment wants to have any hope of propelling Poppy Playtime into the future.

All-in-all, these re-releases are the best ways to experience the Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen games. The censor inclusion is mostly whatever, and you do have to buy each language separately as a unique game, but you do get the upcoming support for Pokémon Home, access to legendary and mythical Pokémon not available anymore in the original games, and a significantly larger screen than the 2” screen of a Game Boy Advance to play the games on. Whether you’re a longtime fan looking to relive that nostalgia from when you were younger, a newer fan looking to experience the classics, or someone who’s just now looking into playing Pokémon for the first time, these ports are a great option.

I imagine there will be a group that will love the game regardless, but this one didn't do it for me. However, the game has great visuals, a solid soundtrack, and controls just fine, so if you want to check it out, don't let my pessimism put you off, just keep in mind that it's not as new and fresh as I was hoping it would be.

If you're not hung up on PvP and crafting, and prefer to engage in quests over exploration, there's a good chance this game will definitely appeal to you.

Where Zelda is all about combat and the story, Yonder is a much more relaxing experience. It wants you to simply settle into the rhythms of living on the island of Gemea — and it’s a testament to how good it is that, given half a chance, it’ll have no problem sucking you in.

Some hits and misses, but for 20 dollars, you get more than your money's worth here. Especially since they are all arcade emulations, and not ports from other systems or consoles.

Of course with all the features already being touted about for Rock Band 3 this year it's hard to think of Warriors of Rock as a really progressive entry into the genre, but I think there's enough fun to be had with the on disc content to make it worth a look for everyone that already generally enjoys these types of games.

So while Back 4 Blood isn’t quite a slam dunk when it comes to other co-op shooters on the market, it’s still a pretty fun zombie killing time that will be easy for people to pick up and play but may take some time to get acquainted with maps, objectives, and what can often feel like a steep difficulty curve. I’m sure there are multiple things that can be ironed out as the development team focuses on bugs, servers, and difficulty balancing, but out of the gate it’s a fun enough experience for sure, and worth checking out. Also worth noting that this is a Game Pass title, making it sort of a no-brainer if you’re on an Xbox platform.

Since it’s not really an action game, and since it depends so heavily on graphics and control to even get anything out of it, I’d recommend the PC version over the PS2 or the Xbox.

A tremendous translation of the home console versions.

All in all, Dying Light is a lot of fun, thanks entirely to the way it handles movement and city exploration.

It’s certainly fun to move so quickly, and with a few tweaks I feel like this could have been a great game, but as it stands, it’s not quite all there.

Overall I found Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed to be a lot of fun, and certainly one of the better asymmetrical multiplayer games out there. It’s clear that Illfonic has started to eke out a nice niche for themselves with this type of game, and if you’ve enjoyed their previous efforts, you’ll likely have a lot of fun with this too. My only real complaint comes from the cosmetics, in that I’d like to see an even greater variety of clothing unlocks, and more outlandish options to boot considering the Ghostbusters comedic roots. Maybe we’ll get there through DLC, but the variations on the Ghostbuster jumpsuits and accessories feel a little plain out of the gate. Still, it’s a fun take on what a Ghostbuster video game can be, and the little nods to prior films, including the most recent one, will certainly appeal to franchise fans.

If this is the first beat’em up you’ve picked up in a while, I’m sure you’ll have a great time. Although I have to admit for me, having played other beat’em ups prior to Scott Pilgrim EX, it feels like it leans on its IP a little too much and doesn’t really do anything that innovative. That said, if a buddy called me up to help them in their run, I will have no qualms with showing up with my fully powered crew to flex on the robots, vegans and demons that are besieging my friends. To tie back to my opening statement, perhaps it’s time for me to take a breather from beat’em ups, however I will be the first in line if there is a second chance to pick up the premium editions of this title…simply because I need to put it next to the premium editions of the first game.

Journey to the Savage Planet is a frustrating game. Not because it’s that hard (it’s not, at least not intentionally), and not because it’s broken (at least not too much). No, it’s frustrating because it’s so close to being a good game, and you can see the tweaks that would have made it a good game…but absent those tweaks, it all just feels like a giant missed opportunity.

Without either online play or game sharing, Power Stone Collection has trouble living up to its roots or potential.

Payday 2 is a game that I really enjoy when it’s working right, which is definitely more often than not at this point.

While the game is beautiful, and the story mode is a lot more engaging and interesting than that presented in "Spider-Man 2," some of the lackluster combat options and changes to web-slinging keep it from being amazing.

I definitely feel like Generations is worth checking out, not only for the hardcore Naruto fans but for fighting game fans in general. It's a really beautiful looking game, with a fun but easy to understand fighting system, and offers up a lot of variety with its roster. It's surely not the deepest fighting system out there, and certainly isn't the most balanced, but I'm having a lot of fun with the game regardless. If you're on the fence then at least give it a rental, but I have no problem suggesting you buy the game, as I definitely think it's worth the asking price.

This game is, to me, nothing more than a sad attempt to cash in on the nominal successes of the first game.

Basically, don't pick up Wolfenstein for the multiplayer, especially if you're hoping for some type of Return to Castle Wolfenstein experience out of it. It's fun, and worth checking out, but hardly competitive or well polished. Instead, you'll be buying this game primarily for the single player experience, which isn't without it's own set of faults, but still manages to be fun despite that.

You will not find much of a challenge, or even a particularly long adventure as far as RPGs are concerned. What you will find is a game that will make you lose track of time, as you will be too engulfed in the experience.

Warp Shift is only long enough to fill part of an afternoon, but as far as I’m concerned, at least you’d be squeezing a few hours of fun into that short time frame.

The absence of licensed songs and the lack of modes are just too big of issues for me to give Amplitude a full recommendation. If you haven’t played Amplitude before you might want to wait for a sale before you check it out or consider moving on to Rock Band 4.

To quote some great song titles when suggesting Army of Two: The 40th Day, all I can say is that "One is the loneliest number", and "It's takes two, baby."

It feels like a comfort food RPG for Shin Megami fans, one that you’ll likely enjoy while waiting for the next big thing, but not one that’s going to come close to dominating that #1 RPG spot on most lists for the year. It doesn’t take a lot of chances, and instead just tends to lean into the elements that people already enjoy from other Shin Megami games. As such, it’s not going to really bump the Devil Summoner subseries to new heights, and I suspect it’ll be a while before we see another entry in this particular series, but overall Soul Hackers 2 is a solid bit of fun, and easy to suggest to anyone that has any sort of affinity for these games.

The story has to be taken with a healthy helping of salt; it's unintentionally tongue and cheek. You could skip the cinematics and be no worse off - something I've never recommended before.

The horrible online mode and the somewhat high price tag (1600 MSP, $15 PSN) are speed bumps that might put off some gamers, but, if you do decide to take the plunge and download this one, you will like most of what you get.

With incredible visuals and a literal ton of vehicles and courses, Gran Turismo PSP is definitely an amazing accomplishment for a portable title.

All in all, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is pretty enjoyable, but definitely lacking on content at launch. There’s a really good launching point presented at the moment and I expect the long term lifespan of Darktide will be great. There are a few small bugs to work out, but nothing I encountered that was unforgivable. I don’t think there’s much you haven’t seen here before, other than maybe the setting, but it’s fun nonetheless.

It's one of the few games where the hype is well deserved, and I'm really curious to see what the ACE team does for the next endeavor.

Does Princess Peach: Showtime! reach the level of, say, Super Mario Bros. Wonder? Probably not. But it’s certainly on par with any of the solo Luigi or Yoshi outings we’ve had. Here’s hoping that we don’t have to wait another two decades for Peach to get another starring role, because this one is well worth your time.

One of those games that will be remembered years down the road for anyone who plays this fine title.

There’s more of everything that you’ve come to expect from the series, but nothing revolutionary.

I’ve always enjoyed the series’ simple, yet addicting premise, and hopefully you will to. That, my friends, is the only true recommendation I can give.

If you always wanted to get your feet wet with a sim, either flight or combat, "AeroWings 2" should be one of your first choices.

That J-Stars Victory Vs+ delivers its rampant destruction in a way that goes down so smoothly, even for newcomers to the genre/universe…well, that's more than enough to make it worth picking up, as far as I'm concerned.

Mind you, it’s no Fibbage, Survive the Internet, or Tee KO. And that’s why Jackbox Party Pack 5 isn’t quite on par with its predecessors. It’s a solid party game, to be sure, and if you’ve played Packs 2, 3, and 4 as much as I have you’ll be welcoming the new game options, but it’s not quite essential. Then again, “solid Jackbox party game” is still better than pretty much any other party game you could come up with — and for that reason, Jackbox Party Pack 5 is still a worthy addition to the Jackbox canon.

It surprised me by its visual quality, and how much fun I had with the combat.

Soul Hackers may as well be a new game, considering its incredibly limited release. At this rate, it's almost worth playing just to enjoy a blast from the past that you never had, but also to promote the localization of such titles; this one an ambitious experiment in party management, hinged on the consequences of the relationships with your party rather than the benefits alone. I'd find it hard not to recommend to anyone interested in an RPG with a twist, with the caveat that it may be a tough egg to crack at the start.

Comic Jumper is a game that's better watched than actually played. The humor is there, the concept is there, but the execution is sorely lacking.

Omega Force has once again taken a popular license and made it fun and accessible to gamers who may not familiar with a series such as this.

The challenge is tough too. You'll be hard pressed to make it though the movie mode on normal difficulty without a good number of continues.

Titan Souls is a tough game, but it's also one that's both simple and fun.

If you're a Vita completist like me, of course, it's well worth the investment, since it's enjoyable enough to be worthwhile, but otherwise, I'd suggest proceeding with no small degree of caution.

It seems more like an anachronism from 10, 15, or even 20 years ago than like a game that's rooted in the present day, but seeing as there aren't a whole lot of other games like this coming out now (and, as Natural Doctrine shows, those that are coming out are nothing to write home about), it makes it easy to say that God Wars: Future Past is worth checking out if you've got an itch for tactical RPGs.

It’s clearly a game worth investigating if you’re fond of farming sims that ask you to keep lots of plates spinning at any given moment. But truthfully, it doesn’t do anything for me.

Cursed to Golf is designed to challenge you, frustrate you, and punish you – and even if real golf does that, this game takes it to a whole other level. If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t usually give sports games a second glance but loves difficulty ramped up to an insane degree, this should be the one sports game you make an exception for.

Fatal Frame has made me realize the company is definitely capable of producing fresh gameplay experiences that have the ability to thrill, chill and generally scare the bejeebus out of us.

Very entertaining, very playable, and very pretty...it just does not feel very next gen when the meat of the game is concerned.

It falls a bit short in terms of features and replay when compared to other similar-style games, but it makes up for some of that with atmosphere and story.

I certainly found Shadow Warrior to be a really fun throwback to not only the original game, but ‘90’s FPS titles in general.

The Quarry is a fantastic time but personally it’s a tough sell at $70 retail. I don’t see many replaying more than a couple times, and that’s really if you have connected enough with the story to go through again. The game could use some quality-of-life improvements like a scene skip once you complete the game, and overall this is a game for fans of this genre and those looking to have a unique experience that isn’t gameplay driven.

All together, Star Ocean: The First Departure is a great remake of a title that we've never had released here, and it's a welcome addition to anyone's PSP RPG library.