While I can’t wholeheartedly suggest Legend of Mana to everyone, I would say it’s worth a look if you’re willing to sink time into understanding the mechanics of the game and don’t mind a little aimless exploration. Or, if you’re like me and already knew what to expect going in, you can have a little peace of mind that Square Enix and M2 did a really solid job of bringing Legend of Mana back to life on modern hardware.

The game is about 40 hours long if you want to fully complete the side quests. If you’re looking for a charming new action RPG to explore, I would recommend Sand Land — even with some of the game’s hollow aspects, there is much fun here. The Akira Toriyama story is worth the price of admission alone, and you won’t want to miss an opportunity to play in his sandbox.

Its virtuous moments are too far and few between, and the technical flaws string it up as a marionette imposter of some other more formidable franchise it wishes it could be.

That said, I don't want to dissuade anyone from getting Toukiden. It's obviously not the most original game the Vita has to offer, but it's still done incredibly well — no small feat when you consider that even if the genre may be overdone, the two similar games that have come to the PS Vita in North America before it (Soul Sacrifice and Ragnarok Odyssey) both whiffed in their own unique ways.

In The Escapists' defense, I guess, there are plenty of people for whom "being insanely hard" is a pretty attractive value proposition. And for those people, there should be more than enough here to love. For anyone else, though, this will just offer dull, endless drudgery, and that's precisely as fun as it sounds.

In the end, the fun, fast gameplay and incredibly cheap $5/400 MSP price makes this a must have. Don't even try the demo here, just download it, you will not regret it.

This chapter, and the last chapter for that matter, have felt pretty polished overall on PC, which certainly helps. I won't argue that the engine being used here is getting a little dated, and the overall mechanics of the series are starting to wear a little thin, but the story and characters introduced within A New Frontier still make it worth checking out. "Thicker than Water" is another solid chapter in the series, and helps propel the game towards what I'm sure will be a bummer of a conclusion in the near future.

If you haven’t played Lego Marvel Super Heroes, I would advise you to pick that up first unless you’re a fanatic about the Marvel films. Either way suit up for some of Lego’s mightiest heroes.

This isn't just an upgrade my friends, it's the real deal.

Zoocube isn’t quite as timeless as Tetris, but puzzle fans are sure to find themselves huddled in front of their GBAs for hours trying to make it to the next area.

Holds it own as a fun, easy to pick up soccer title.

"Diddy Kong Racing 2" it is not, but for many gamers out there, that might very well be a good thing.

Death End re;Quest is the sort of thing that Hyperdimension Neptunia would have skewered mercilessly — and, for the most part, that skewering would have been deserved.

Overall, this is definitely a welcome addition to the PS4 library. Street Fighter V is still a ways off from release, so if you need some excellent Street Fighter action on your PS4 right now, then I can highly recommend downloading this.

In my personal opinion, This is the Police has a good concept and a well-made story that is ruined to some degree by pointless choices that ruin immersion and rather repetitive gameplay. It looks and sounds nice, but that doesn’t make for a full feeling experience. At the very least, give the game a look and maybe you’ll have a different experience than I, as I think there is a good baseline running behind it that some people could catch on to.

It's a good selection of songs from the previous games, and it's a great way to reacquainted with a few old favorites.

Touchmaster isn’t going to win any visual or technical achievements, but it is addicting enough to merit the 30 dollar price tag, and then some.

Aragami is a pretty game with a few missteps that could have really made the game great. The shadow manipulation is really fun, and the puzzles to try and figure out how to get through each stage without being seen is very challenging. But the game really misses steps when they could have included combat, instead of just stealth kills.

Unit 13 is a solid final game for the company and is a unique experience as compared to the rest of the existing PS Vita library. It should more than satisfy most long-time fans of the SOCOM series as well as those who are fans of tactical military shooters.

This overall sense of quality, its accessibility to all levels of player, and the simple, visceral thrill of using a were-lion to maul a bunny rabbit in an abandoned museum, transforms BR3 an animal that is more than just the sum of its parts.

You'll see a lot of poor passes (regardless of your quarterback choice), poor tackling (even for a computer-controlled player), hot and cold A.I. and many, many wide open receivers dropping balls. This is probably the most frustrating aspect of NCAA 2k3.

A cautious step in a new direction for Midway - pushing the series forward while still staying within sight of what gives Blitz its appeal is a tight line to walk, and for the most part, it hasn't turned out as well with NFL Blitz Pro as it did with "NHL Hitz Pro."

A platformer that delivers the goods.

The only real disappointment I can point out is that it’s obvious that Microsoft chose to focus on online this year, more so than features.

It’s disappointing to see it visibly tail off the way it does when it started out so promisingly.

Hardcore players will breeze through this in no time, while novice players looking to get into the genre will find a decent, yet not overbearing, challenge with good controls, and solid gameplay. A worthy effort from the folks at G.Rev.

Basically, that closing chapter is compelling enough to raise the final evaluation of Fragments of Him a letter grade, if not two…but it's still probably not enough to make it a game worth checking out.

If you’re looking for a solidly-made puzzle game, you could do a lot worse than checking out Swim Out. It’s got more than enough content to keep you entertained for a good amount of time, and it’s relaxing enough that you can pick it up and play whenever you want without feeling like you’re going to get sucked in and lose a day. There are definitely better games out there, but, for any puzzle aficionado, Swim Out is worth a look.

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.

While there’s plenty of variation to be found in the level layouts, you still can’t shake the feeling that you’re doing the same level over and over again. It doesn’t help matters much that the checkpoints in some of these levels are few and far between, and you die pretty quickly, so it’s not uncommon to do the same segments more than a dozen times before you finally get the timing and the pattern down right. But that may appeal to some (or even many) people! I mean, Pac-Man is one of the most addictive, beloved games of all time, so if you’re going to copy from anywhere, it offers a pretty good template — even if Cyber Protocol isn’t a one-to-one comparison.

Will you like it? Obviously, that depends on how much you like Soulsborne games. Even if you do, however, I’d tread carefully before committing to Ashen. It’s got some charms, but also some pretty big drawbacks, and I’m not sure the former is enough to make up for the latter.

All in all, Trek to Yomi is a pretty solid game if a little short. I won’t fault a game for being single-digit hours long, as long as it delivers a good story; Trek to Yomi certainly did. As mentioned prior, the additional story path options potentially take the game up to a good probably 10 hours, assuming all are approximately the same. The challenge offered by completing the game on higher difficulties can also invite a challenge to squeeze a few more hours out, and the combat is fun enough to welcome a playthrough just for difficulties sake.

Wasted potential.

Whereas the developer's previous game, Demon Gaze, went pretty heavy on the fan service, Stranger of Sword City is a tale about death and the afterlife, and it has a sombre art style to match.

I can’t recommend God Eater 3 to everyone, you’ve got to be able to put up with a certain amount of dry exposition, lackluster VA line reading, a whole host of menus, and some obtuse crafting mechanics. But if you think you can either get past that or aren’t opposed to diving in and reading up on mechanics via in-game tutorials or through other resources, there’s a decent-to-great game here. Obviously if you already enjoy God Eater as a series, then I’d say God Eater 3 is a no-brainer for you. But for everyone else, if you have the option to try before you buy, I’d do that first, just to see if God Eater is a series you’ll enjoy.

Sure, it is more of a great game, but for only a couple of hours maximum of game play it hardly seems an appropriate price point.

Narnia makes for a decent adventure title on both systems, but it fails to do anything new or astounding. The game is also on the short and easy side, even with some of the unlockable extras.

Overall, I enjoyed what I played of One Piece: Unlimited World Red, certainly more than any One Piece title I’ve played prior to this. It’s not a top-tier action title, but it throws enough content at the player to keep you busy, and does so in a way that feels fun and engaging.

As it is today, Driveclub is a still a pretty darn compelling package for racing game fans, and an enjoyable and addictive racing experience for PS4 owners. It's worth taking for a test drive at the very least.

Ty's game play is simple to pick up and play, while it merits enough challenge to make even veteran platform junkies scratch their heads for a bit.

The battles here are repetitive and uninspired. Again, depending on your feelings towards the series’ other games, you may think that’s nothing new, but here it just feels much more noticeably bland. It never connects. MMOs and faux-MMOs are ripe for parody, which you’d think would make them ideal targets for Hyperdimension Neptunia’s brand of game-centric humour, but as Cyberdimension Neptunia shows, it’s apparently harder than it looks.

It was the game's storyline and characters that captured me versus the suspense this time around, but that didn't make the game any less enjoyable for me.

The first-person action/adventure title does a decent job of fist fights and immersing the player in a mysterious plot. But some of the first person aspects will leave you as frustrated as the protagonist.

I wouldn’t call Moonscars a must play game, but I can appreciate that it tries to do a couple of new things with a sub-genre of Souls-like games that has become increasingly popular over the past few years. I think there are better examples of 2D Souls games out there, but Moonscars doesn’t overstay its welcome and the combat/exploration is fun enough that I found myself willing to overlook most of the other issues. I wish the magic/special abilities were more useful, as it would be nice to switch up combat encounters a bit more, but it’s perfectly serviceable as is. So if you’re in the mood for another attempt at a 2D Souls-like, Moonscars might just be the game for you.

Personally, I enjoy the idea and most of the execution, but it doesn't live up to the previous titles (except maybe Rock the 80's), and it still has a way to go before it completely impresses me.

I definitely think the game is worth checking out, provided the online issues get fixed quickly enough.

10tons have shown time and again that they know how to make sci-fi-inflected twin-stick shooters, and Tesla vs Lovecraft doesn’t suggest they’re losing their touch. But it also doesn’t do anything particularly noteworthy, either, which makes it hard to be too enthusiastic about the game.

Even though it may have been lost in the PS Vita launch mix, Escape Plan is very much a game worth checking out. It's dark, it's funny, it has some head-scratching puzzles and it finds some unique ways to use the Vita's touch and motion control capabilities.

I really dug NHL 22, the new engine, the tried and true smooth gameplay, it hit all the check boxes for me. I do wish they had a new mode or two since I last played the series two years ago and that $10 next gen “fee” can be a tough pill to swallow for fans that pick up the release every year, but it still gets my recommended seal of approval. EA survives the power play, but I don’t know if they can handle another one (another hockey pun, sorry).

It gives me a warm fuzzy to go back and play games like these, but like any other classic games, it just can't hold my attention.

Unless you played Hotline Miami and wished it featured more people shooting you dead from offscreen where you couldn’t even see them, you’re better off passing on The Hong Kong Massacre, because style is really all this game has to offer.

It’s a more inventive take than you usually see for licensed anime titles, and smartly evolves past the standard, overwrought storyline retreads typically used.

While the music and visuals are still up to the standards of Q Entertainment, the game has undergone a severe downgrade with the new control scheme.

RPGolf Legends is actually quite impressive, when you think about it. The developers didn’t just have to create a fun RPG, they also had to make a solid golf game. They succeeded in both, and made one heck of a game in the process.

The biggest drawback to NHL 2k8 is the new controls. Even if you want to grow into them, it’s not worth it. Fortunately, you can turn them off and get on with your day, so there’s not much downside. 2k8 still plays a smooth, exciting and fun game of hockey.

The colorful visuals, well-paced gameplay and smart dialog came as a bit of a shock. Even more surprising was the part where I kept playing, not because I had to review it, but because I wanted to.

I am highly impressed with Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas, it is a very enjoyable game built in the spirit of one of the greatest puzzle adventure franchises ever built. An added bonus here is the musical styling. From start to finish, the music stands out and sets itself above other games in this genre.

Of course the real draw of Daytona is the fast and engrossing game play, and never before has shaving seconds off your time ever meant more. Every missed turn, hit wall or jerk off AI opponent who screws up will come into play and it is up to you and your reflexes to overcome it all. The controls remain tight and learning each track is crucial to your success.

Again, it's not that X3 is a bad game, or that it isn't fun - it just isn't done. Though this sort of thing isn't anything new to the PC gaming world, X3 takes it to a ridiculous degree. If developer Enlight ever resolves the problems with X3, it could be one of the best space simulators to hit the market in years.

All we have is a decently average first person shooter amidst an entire crowd of decently average first person shooters.

If there had been more secrets, perhaps some power-ups like the Mario games, and more variety to the action the game would have scored much higher. As it is, Wario World delivers on the action, but falls short when it comes to actual substance.

The idea underlying The Invisible Hours is really cool, and it’s not hard to see how more could be done with it in the right hands. Unfortunately, that’s just not the case here.

This is the Rock Band game that all the family can easily enjoy. If you’ve been struggling finding a music game that you won’t have to monitor the song list, Lego Rock Band will put your mind at ease.

FFT4HoL revives an old-school design with a new aesthetic, but which misguided aspects of that design come along with it will divide the line between appealing and off-putting to players.

Grandia II still stands out as a fantastic RPG...[though] the graphics took a punch in the teeth in the translation.

In the end, Rogue Trooper is a technically solid game. It’s intuitive, looks and plays great…but it’s really not all that compelling.

It took the stressful stat management that made Lost in Blue ulcer inducing and turned it into a funky, fun, “Lost” kind of experience.

In the end, what traditionally wins over a crowd of prodigious puzzle solvers is the gameplay and Space Bust-A-Move just doesn't deliver. Even with local and online multiplayer, the game does not give me the addictive, time sucking experience I look for in a puzzle game.

Sure, it is more of a great game, but for only a couple of hours maximum of game play it hardly seems an appropriate price point.

I'd like to think that I tried to like Senran Kagura Estival Versus. It's not my cup of tea, but I'd like to think I have an open enough mind that I can still see the good in games that I wouldn't usually like. In this case, though, I just don't get it, since there are so many other better options out there — definitely in terms of video games, and I have to assume the same goes for the bouncing anime schoolgirl boobs, too.

Overall this isn't the best Ace Combat experience, but it's a passable bit of portable fun.

The best way to enjoy this collection is with low expectations. Expect to play the originals, just a little prettier. I say this because, even with the updated textures and character models.

If you’re thinking of revisiting Onimusha or just curious to try it for the first time then it’s a solid recommendation as a short and action-packed classic game with some good replay value after your first run. This just goes to show that a port in the right hands means it’s a good time to revisit older series that might now be forgotten.

Sable clearly has its share of flaws, but it makes a pretty good argument for style mattering more than substance.

Anyone who's played Treasure's previous games knows that they're one of the best at what they do. Mischief Makers, while maybe not their best effort, is certainly proof of this. If you're a Treasure fan, or an N64 owner that's sick of Doom clones, Mischief Makers is the game for you.

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.

Still, while Battle Fantasia's mechanics seem to work well enough, it's also a little barebones for today's fighting market.

The games' poor communication system and load times keep it from being a more workable online experience. But its unnerving combination of comradery and isolation is sociable, scary fun.

Recaptures what made gaming so magical when we were younger, simple gameplay combined with very addictive game concepts.

Dark Summit won't rock your socks off, but it looks good, plays good and has plenty to keep gamers heading down the slopes again and again.

Unfortunately the controls take a turn for the worse when an enemy's missile, rocket, or whatever hits you. For some reason, no matter how heavy or light your boat may be, no matter how heavily equipped it may be with weaponry and armor, your boat will unrealistically catapult into the air.

Dr. Mario is too little too late and definitely isn’t what the doctor ordered.

Admittedly, AER might have been a little more enjoyable if she’d had some clear purpose for flying around her world, or if the sights surrounding her were a little more breathtaking. I mean, they’re certainly not ugly, and there are points where you might even say that AER is stylish. But there’s nothing breathtaking, and if you go in hoping for that, you’ll be letdown. But if you go in looking for a game that won’t push you too hard, that’s perfect for when you just want to shut your brain off and float, then it’s hard to think of anything better. AER’s successes are somewhat modest, but that’s really all that they need to be to make it a game worth considering.

Still, there’s definitely things that work in Drifting Lands, and I’d love to see this idea refined a bit more down the road. I think a lot of the ARPG mechanics are solid right out of the gate, but I wish the shoot-em up side of the game was just a little flashier, more diverse, and overall just more enjoyable to play. I’d still recommend checking out Drifting Lands however, it’s a neat concept and there’s enough here that you’ll easily squeeze some enjoyment out of the components that work.

If you are looking for a good DS title to fit the bill until the next big thing hits store shelves, then Pac-Pix isn’t the worst decision you could make, providing you know what you are buying in the first place.

This is a great party game for when you have friends over, reminiscent of Super Smash Brothers Melee and other arena type games.

While I do think the mission structure can be a bit dull, I found myself pretty entertained to the end. The inclusion of co-op is a huge plus for me though, as with most games I found everything here to be better when I knew there was another person playing through the same events with me.

The lack of a battery backup is irritating beyond belief, but not enough to keep me from recommending Rampage Puzzle Attack. The license is not the reason to play this game folks, but the fun gameplay definitely is.

While I doubt that anyone will be classifying Mass Effect Andromeda as their favorite entry in the series, I’ve still enjoyed what I’ve played for the most part. Ideally, patches can iron out some of the rough spots, but if you’re planning on getting this day one, well, you’re bound to encounter an issue or two based on my week or so with the game. But if you’re willing to overcome some technical problems, and get past the somewhat boring opening hours of the game, I think you’ll get some enjoyment out of this return to the Mass Effect universe.

There is so much detail to Romance of the Three Kingdoms X that it has to be seen to be understood. It's a very deep, involved gaming experience that can absorb hours before you know it.

The biggest problem I have with the game is the same thing that should have given it some replayability; making it through the obstacles isn't often very hard, but getting the required points doesn't always happen your first go through. Instead of getting addicted in that, 'oh man, I was so close' type of way, I just got slightly annoyed and bored.

Like the films lately, the series is getting a bit stale no matter who dons the Bond moniker.

In the end, Rogue Trooper is a technically solid game. It's intuitive, looks and plays great…but it's really not all that compelling.

Overall, Gotham City Impostors retains what works with modern multiplayer games, while offering enough unique flare to allow it to stand out of the crowd.

All in all if you are a fan of the show, past or present, you must pick this one up. You know who you are, especially if you've bought all the DVD's, saw the movie opening weekend, or even did the Simpsonizeme campaign online to make yourself a Simpsons character, this game has you written all over it.

So far so good for Minecraft: Story Mode, even if I’m just slightly underwhelmed by the story elements.

Fun for all ages, but it's a bit shallow in the feature department.

It's a perfect time waster that doesn't take much in the way of set-up to get into, and the Kinect functionality is really spot on.