I wouldn’t say that A Summer with the Shiba Inu is too complicated to understand by any means, but it’s definitely not as lighthearted and silly as you might expect from a game where dogs dress and act like people. But complexity isn’t a bad thing, and neither is A Summer with the Shiba Inu. It may sound like a joke at first, but if you’re a fan of visual novels, you’ll find that it’s far better than it has any right to be.

TDU2 is an incredible toy box full of racing, exploring, car collection and the lifestyle of the fast and famous. But the rough start has probably made the rest of the game's experience a lot less than it could have been.

The game play is simple if not addictive and will provide hours upon hours of game play fun, even if each game will last you anywhere from 5 to 10 min a piece.

Doesn’t stray from the original. Here is classic 16-bit action at its best, but it’s nothing new to scream about.

With only two modes to pick from in Just Dance 4, there really isn't much to rave about, and if you own any previous games in the series, there may not be enough new content to warrant a purchase. If you are new to the Just Dance franchise however, it seems like a good jumping off point to try something new. I know I had some fun with it, and I'm pretty sure anyone else who tries it will have fun too.

It will definitely make you think — but only while you’re playing it. Once you put it down, it’s not likely to stay in your memory, which makes it hard to write about — and to recommend.

With over 20 massive levels in which you destroy, search, escort, hostage rescue, defend, create diversions, ambush, and much more, you will have fun finding new ways to infiltrate the Kewletts each time around.

Does Blood Money come close to the series’ later standards in the World Of Assassination trilogy? Definitely not. But as a standalone murder simulator, it’s definitely got its charms.

Wild ARMs 4 seems to be the complete opposite of the standard RPG, as it's the gameplay, not the story, which kept me playing.

NHL 24 remains a pretty solid game if all you’re after is an in-depth hockey game that can be enjoyed no matter your skill level. It may not be worth upgrading if you have last year’s game, but if you’ve taken a couple of years off from the franchise, now might be a good time to jump back in.

The game is fun whether you are playing in small doses or a long sit-down marathon as there is plenty to do, see, and kill along the way. The best part of it all is that it retails for under 30 bucks! That is like a dollar an hour considering that's about how long it will take to find and do everything.

A few technical details set the PlayStation 3 iteration of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance just a notch below the 360 version, most notably in regards to online multiplayer.

The game definitely does not attempt to take itself seriously, and I personally found most of it hilarious... The one real problem I have with the game is the camera.

While it's hard to say that Bubble Bobble in any form has any sort of competitive advantage in this day and age, there's a certain something that makes it wildly addictive.

Whether you enjoy the story and characters is very subjective and will probably drive how much time you're willing to put into the game. For most with a sense of humor and a thirst for destruction, A&D is well worth the time.

All in all, Medal of Honor: Warfighter is a nice surprise after last year's let down of sorts, and it's nice to see the direction that the studio is going for by blending realism that is inspired by true events but keeping game play mild enough that casual fans won't feel too overwhelmed.

Sixty Words is a decent choice if you’re a fan of word searches and you want something different. It won’t take you more than a few hours to finish every puzzle, but during that time, it’ll serve as a pleasant enough diversion.

Despite all of this positive criticism, Lost Odyssey's biggest strength lies in the game's ability to keep you engaged while lasting over 40 hours (admittedly, I tried giving up a number of times, but was pulled right back in).

Players who don’t necessarily care whether they can play the game with others, but who are eager to try out all kinds of different scenarios at different difficulty levels, and who want to be able to play the game solo wherever they may go. From that perspective, Catan has a lot to offer. There are about two dozen different scenarios here in the single-player campaign, which should keep most people occupied for a decent amount of time. And once you’ve gotten through all those, you can also build their own scenarios, which seems like a pretty decent amount of value, as these things go.

Unfortunately, due to the hardware requirements of the title it might not be an option to some of those out there with an interest in playing it.

Child of Light doesn’t always fire on all cylinders, but it will do enough to hold your attention from beginning to end.

If you want my advice, keep the idea, change the time line, okay?

Though while showing some nuances, the game is still old news for the ones who've gone onto the next generation systems.

Pro Street provides tons of race variations such as grip class, time attack, sector shootout, drift races, ¼ mile drag, ½ mile drag, wheelie competition, top speed runs, and speed challenges. The career mode does a nice job mixing up these race variations to help the game from growing stale too quickly.

No, it feels, as I said, like Oxenfree’s writers had written themselves into a corner, and figured a mostly unexplained offscreen resolution was the only way to get out of it. If you’re able to overlook that and focus on the first 95% or so that’s highly satisfying, you should still go for it, since the journey up to that point is extremely well-done, but if you want any sort of closure, be aware before you go into it that this game’s ending is going to drive you nuts.

Given how nice the game looks and how well it’s put-together, there’s a very solid argument to be made that Disney Illusion Island is the perfect way to get kids of all ages hooked on this genre. It may be a well-worn genre, and Disney Illusion Island won’t win any awards for originality, but on the whole, this is a pretty polished game.

While the console versions of Tony Hawk's Underground 2 may be a better game than the original Underground, you can't help but feel that the game is something you've already played before.

The game is engaging, fun, and even offers a two player versus mode to provide for a bit of longevity.

While I don't feel DA2 has changed my expectations of RPGs, I had a blast playing it, which doesn't often happen with sequels released within the same hardware generation.

What you see is exactly what you get, in all its retro-y, pixelated, brightly-coloured glory. At around $5, you’ll get what you pay for, as long as you’re paying for a solidly unspectacular platformer that does its thing with a minimum of fuss.

Ms. Germinator may be an improvement, but it's not that much of an improvement. Pick it up if you're new to the series, but otherwise, you might want to just keep on playing the first game, and hold off for the seemingly inevitable Super Germinator.

The eventual reveal was shocking and will leave it for the readers to play and discover on their own. I can’t wait to play more.

It’s difficult to speak in detail about the story simply due to the amount of spoilers and the overall length of it. Some people value their game prices based on length alone and for those players, The Bunker isn’t for you. This is a game that has value beyond gameplay time. If you want a game with an interesting story, with some good twists, and can appreciate a game that uses live action as the base, I would recommend checking it out.

Megaton Rainfall is the kind of superhero game I’ve always wanted to play, and even if it’s not perfect, it’s still an interesting step in the right direction for the genre as a whole.

Overall I had a fun ten or so hours uncovering the “truth”, the DLC’s final encounter was an adequate challenge that had me at the edge of my seat. Although what slightly mars my experience was the several Unreal Engine crashes I experienced during gameplay and one of these crashes actually created a soft lock which I cannot recover because of my reliance on the game’s auto save system. So while my Truth Quest Progress will never reach 100%, I can only hope other players will not have completion slip from their grasp. At the price of $14.99, Maneater: Truth Quest is a good extension to the Maneater experience and for those inclined…it’s out there.

While I don't feel DA2 has changed my expectations of RPGs, I had a blast playing it, which doesn't often happen with sequels released within the same hardware generation.

The game is fun and plays incredible precise. With the great sense of speed, and total chaotic action that surrounds you, your heart will be racing after the missions have completed.

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.

Like I said, there are all kinds of really terrible games lingering around the outskirts of the eShop, trying to sucker you in with low prices before they instantly reveal their awfulness. Toree 3D may look like it belongs with those other bottom feeders, but if you give it a chance, you’ll probably be surprised and kind of impressed by what you find.

There is a new 55 mission storyline that is exclusive to the game and gives Naruto fans a whole new reason to make this a must have title.

This is a fun little romp that captures the feeling of the old school arcade game, while adding some features that keep the game from feeling too dated.

Brainless shooters are one thing, but with an interesting storyline and the world of John Woo controllable in the palm of your hands, action fans should flock around this one as it offers much “bang” for the buck.

If you own a Kinect, I definitely feel like Fable: The Journey is worth checking out. It works extremely well as a unique, core experience, and considering those experiences are few and far between on Kinect, I think that's saying something. And if you're a Fable fan, you'll definitely find some enjoyment over the setting, characters, and lore offered up here. It's nice to get a Kinect game that actually works every once in a while, and Fable: The Journey certainly works quite well.

If you combine certain elements of Hitman: Blood Money (that is, the sandbox nature of the levels) with certain elements of Hitman: Absolution (specifically, the better-looking graphics), you’ll wind up with something closely approximating the current games. Taken on their own, however, you get a pair of fun-but-flawed experiences. While they’re still worth checking out if you’ve exhausted both Hitman and Hitman 2, considering that you can pick up either of those games for a lower price than Hitman HD Enhanced Collection, you’ll need to decide for yourself just how badly you need more Agent 47 in your life.

The bottom line is that Super Kiwi 64 is an enjoyable 3D platformer that brings its influences to mind without ever feeling like it’s just a copy-paste of older, better games. Add in a pretty decent price, and it makes Super Kiwi 64 difficult to resist.

So I'd venture to say that SEGA has managed to deliver a really fun, fairly precise Olympic experience this year, and if you have any sort of interest in the Olympic Games, you should probably check this out. It's definitely one of the better Olympic or Track and Field style games I've played in recent memory (outside of the mascot stuff), and is well worth your time.

Slayaway Camp will force you to choose between performance and play in a way that most other games won’t. If you can abide performance issues — again, lots and lots and lots of performance issues — the gameplay here might be strong enough to make up for it. But those issues are serious and occur with enough frequency that I wouldn’t blame anyone for not thinking this game is worth all those headaches.

This is a fun little romp that captures the feeling of the old school arcade game, while adding some features that keep the game from feeling too dated.

Not a bad portable racer by any means, but there has been better. I'd suggest this one more for the younger crowd, due to the simplified controls if for no other reason.

This game tries to as accurately as possible replicate the feeling of being left for dead on an island. This means no tutorial whatsoever, so make sure you read those instructions before diving into this blue.

If you have any love for any of the old Genesis games or the system itself, $30 is a very fair price for Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection. In fact, if you look hard enough, you can find it for a little less, which comes out to be like 65 cents a game. Quite the deal.

Ultimately, it’s kind of a short game (around 20 levels or so, and it can be beaten in under 3 hours) that doesn’t do anything that revolutionary. But even so, it offers a nice tweak on the tower defense formula that will get your blood pumping. If you’re a fan of tower defense games, what more do you need?

I did have to fiddle with patches, drivers, and tweaking the nVidia control panel. A lesser machine may also not give you visuals as good as out of the box 720p on the 360 or PS3.

LEGO Incredibles gives a fresh coat to the cookie cutter LEGO genre and has all the charm you would expect from a Pixar property. If you’re a Pixar and LEGO fan this is an INCREDIBLE release (sorry…not sorry) and you should definitely check it out.

Since this is technically a rehash of a game from 2009, the retail version can be had for a relatively low price of $40, with the downloadable upgrade (if you have another version of SF4 in your library) setting you back only $15. If you are deciding between download or retail, it basically all comes down to if you want the 100 costumes found on the disc, or if you have enough HDD space for the upgrade.

Sure, you need to mute it to really get into it, but once you do that, you should find that Conarium offers an enjoyably creepy experience.

It’s still not a complex game, obviously. And you’re still likely to eventually get bored by its relative simplicity. But it’s a mark of how enjoyable Bit Orchard is that you’ll almost inevitably find yourself getting sucked right back in.

For better and for worse, it captures the feeling of what it's like to be sitting around a table, rolling dice and moving your token around a board. It's a pretty no-frills simulation, all things considered, but if that's what you're after, this will do the trick.

There’s one major drawback that prevents Fear the Timeloop from being a great game: for some reason, the developers cheaped out when it came to voice actors. Whoever they got to voice the sheriff main character sounds like he couldn’t care less what he’s saying, and he’s in a rush to finish his work as quickly as possible. Every time the cop opens his mouth, you lose all immersion in the game, as he’s unable to sound remotely afraid or panicky about what’s happening. And that’s a real shame, because Fear The Timeloop otherwise is a very good game. It may not be my preferred genre, but I can tell when a game knocks it out of the park – and if it weren’t for its one glaring drawback, I think it would be safe to say that Fear The Timeloop did just that.

The simple fact is that games like Bejeweled are available in far more convenient places than the Xbox.

For the most part, though, Just Cause pulls players along with a promise of bigger and badder weaponry.

I'd absolutely suggest Gripshift to you 360 owners out there, based purely on the strength of the challenge mode gameplay. I still find myself going back to it time and again for random maps, and if you're a fan of achievements it'll take you quite a bit of time to actually "complete".

Gamers who seek a racer that offers speed thrills will not find what they desire in ExciteBike 64.

Without the franchise problem, NHL 2k9 would be recommendation with no qualifications.

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.

For the younger girls out there that are used to playing trash games like Care Bears, Barbie, or the countless movie knock-off games, this game will be a Godsend.

The story isn’t terrible, to be fair, but as I said, it’s built around a girl escorting her mostly useless little brother through peril after peril. Even after he gains a few more abilities later in the game, it still doesn’t make for the most compelling gameplay. On a similar note, you’ll really need to enjoy skulking in the shadows and running for your life if you want to get the most out of the game — which, to be completely honest, I just don’t.

While you can’t always judge a game by its screenshots, in this case you can: Panic Porcupine absolutely could’ve been released on the Genesis, and no one would’ve batted an eye.

I wouldn’t say it’s a case of style over substance, since there’s really quite a bit of substance here to sink your teeth into, but it nonetheless feels like the game needs a few tweaks here and there in order to live up to its ample potential.

Actually, if trance/techno really bothers you, you won't like Rez HD. You just won't. In fact, it may even come across as annoying. If that's the case, you probably won't be able to play it enough to get into it, which means the whole experience will fall apart before you even get the chance to enjoy it. A real shame too, because for the rest of us, Rez HD is frickin' awesome.

Skate 3 is the best skateboarding game at this time. It is still fun, intuitive, and there is plenty to do and see. Toss in multiplayer fun for a group and you have yourself enough satisfaction to last you 'til the next incarnation of the series shows its face...probably a year from now.

And if you were hoping that Watch Dogs on the Wii U had resolved the game's fundamental problems, again, you'll be disappointed. If, however, you haven't played it yet, and you want to experience the game without sky-high expectations and a ridiculous amount of ad-driven hype, then now might be the time to dip your toe in the water.

Field Commander does exactly what it set out to accomplish; provide a solid, portable, turn-based military strategy title.

It's basic, but it's also super-addictive, so if you don't mind a walk back in time, it might be worth checking out.

TimeShift does some interesting things with the idea of using time control. It's a little familiar to anyone who's played games with bullet time, like Max Payne, but it's original enough to not be called a copycat. But it's not challenging unless you decide to make it so, and the puzzle portions of the game are just silly.

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.

Really, it’s just worth playing if you want a love letter to late 2000s action games – or, I guess, if you want a time capsule from the same era that never saw the light of day due to a confluence of crazy factors. Either way, if that applies to your very specific gaming interests (and, weirdly, it does mine), then Captain Blood is a game you need to play.

Honestly, it kind of pains me to give Trailblazers a bad score. From a purely aesthetic perspective, it’s got a lot going for it. But, unfortunately, there’s a difference between a game that looks nice and a game that plays well, and Trailblazers just never figures out how to bridge that divide.

It's not a great introductory RPG, and like I mentioned earlier, even among RPG fans it's only going to appeal to a small group. However, if you enjoyed titles like Etrian Odyssey, I think you should absolutely give The Dark Spire a try, it's definitely taken from the same vein, and while it's a bit more archaic in design than EO, it's well worth playing.

As a cinematic experience, it's interesting, but as a game — which, really, is the level that matters — it's just not as engaging as it needs to be.

It would be nice if there was more content (and you have to be okay with a little straying from the source material), but as it stands, the game is a chaotic – if all-too-brief – good time.

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.

A departure from the revival of the series, "NFS: High Stakes," but in no way is it a disappointment.

Even with a few flaws and missteps, Chariot is still a very enjoyable platform title that is most welcome in a day and age where they are virtually nonexistent — unless you are a Wii U owner.

I personally like "Psi Ops" better as it was faster paced, had a more realistic look, and easier to control. Some gamers may like Second Sight for its open ended-ness and better-written dialog.

The big reason to upgrade to this year's version would easily be the online career mode, but otherwise there isn't a whole ton that was really changed, besides polish. All in all, it is still the best F1 game to date and does out do F1 2010.

The atmosphere is really what pushes Condemned to the upper tier of launch games. While the melee combat can get a little repetitive, it’s the fear of the unknown that drives you through the game.

The Gex Trilogy is a faithful adaptation of three fun games from a company with a storied history as Crystal Dynamics was involved in games like Legacy of Kain and Tomb Raider. It can take some getting used to, but Limited Run Games are dedicated to keeping the original experience as close as possible to the original. And although we did get a nice improvement with the ability to reverse time, there are still some improvements I would like to have seen in these games such as that full free roaming camera, but I do understand them wanting to keep to the original experience as much as possible.

Either way, Sleeping Dogs is still a lot of fun, but the when it comes to throwing hard-earned money at 4th quarter releases, I can’t suggest putting this port at the top of your must-have lists.

Personally, I don't have any place for a game like this on my shelf when I already have the whole Tony Hawk dynasty. Would I recommend it to my friends that have kids? Surely.

I enjoy playing the game daily since it keeps a chart of my progress. Does the game make me any smarter? I doubt it, but the bottom line is I’m having fun.

If it seems like I have more negative things to say about Phantom Doctrine, that’s mainly because it’s such an easy game to characterize. As I said, it’s basically Cold War X-COM, and it pulls that off relatively well. Not so well that it’ll make anyone forget X-COM, but if you need something similar, this game will do in a pinch.

If you’ve ever wanted to play a JRPG but don’t know where to begin, Rainbow Skies serves as a pretty thorough intro. (And, of course, if you’re already into JRPGs and you need something to sink your next couple of weeks into, it’ll more than serve that function, too.)

As it is now, online play is virtually useless to me, which certainly negates a lot of the multiplayer fun on my side. Hopefully this will either improve, or be ironed out for the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros.

Ultimately, Wolfenstein: The New Order is at once a triumph of storytelling while a failure of story structure.

You can get away with a lot if you've got a sense of humour, and if there's one thing that Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 has, it's a sense of humour. Admittedly, it's a sense of humour that will appeal only to a very specific subset of the gaming population, but if you are one of those people, your game of the year isn't just here, it's available to take with you everywhere.

WWE 2K26 gameplay is top notch and matches play out better than they ever have from entrances, commentary, presentation and the matches themselves are all improved. It’s a shame that the Ringside Pass brings down the overall product and locks too much behind it. Despite the items being on the free tier it takes way too much grinding to unlock wrestlers that were available from the beginning in last year’s entry. Even purchasing the more expensive deluxe versions does not give you any instant unlocks to the Ringside Pass, it all just screams money grab. Unfortunately, I have to recommend sticking with WWE 2K25 at this point until more updates are provided by 2K unless you’re a die-hard CM Punk fan. In closing, Larry Forever!

Obviously, your feelings on Dariusburst Chronicle Saviours will differ from mine greatly if you're more favourably inclined towards shmups in general. If you like the prospect of getting a few thousand shots at refining your shmup abilities without the hassle of changing games, then this is absolutely the game for you. It's visually appealing, the controls are intuitive, and it's pretty well-made overall. Non-shmup fans, however, will probably find the experience much less worthwhile.