Between the noir aesthetic, the sense of humour, and the plot, Pato Box has a lot going for it. If it had nailed that one last little bit of the boxing being fun, it would’ve been perfect. As it stands, it’ll have to settle for being an enjoyable but flawed bit of weirdness.

It’s an interesting, tension-filled take on puzzle games, and that’s true however many people are playing it with you.

With the increase in quality seen from the first game to the second, I had very high hopes for Darksiders III, unfortunately it just was not able to really reach the potential it was set up for.

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.

In the name of fairness, it should also be noted that Halloween Forever works like it’s supposed to. That may not sound like much, but given how many of those other wannabe-retro games have horrible controls — which, obviously, just add to the frustration level in games as hard as this one — it’s always nice to find one that doesn’t artificially increase the difficulty with floaty jumps or imprecise running. Is that enough to make Halloween Forever worth checking out? Probably not, unless you’ve got a thing for retro-platformers and a thing for Halloween. But if, for some reason, you were to compare this to every single other game of its ilk, Halloween Forever would definitely fall in the upper half of the list.

Mutant Football League is a nice alternative for those that are put off by the Madden juggernaut. Dynasty Edition adds some minor features, but it’s an affordable package which can easily appeal to fair-weather as well as lapsed football game fans. Digital Dreams delivered on their crowdfunding campaign and then some. Now who do I have to speak with to get a Mutant Hockey League?

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.

Once you get beyond the early levels, the game is more than willing to let you do your thing, and that’s when you can’t help but be drawn in to its colourful word. There’s no way of telling whether we’ll ever get a third instalment in the franchise, but if we don’t, then de Blob 2 is a delightful high note for the series to end on (and, as a sidenote, it’s great to see the proper sequel finally arrive on a Nintendo system, after Nintendo owners were stuck with a significantly different version last time around).

To the game’s credit, the reason why there was such a delay in getting this review out was because I was more focused playing and unlocking cards than I was writing about the title. I am actually so enthralled that I have neglected other mobile titles I keep up with on the regular. With its gorgeous art (except for the Kingpin…who looks too brutish), large variety of cards, and lacking in a stamina system in most of their play modes, it won’t be hard to drain the battery of phone. I look forward to what’s to come from this title and I certainly hope newer cards will incorporate marvel’s first family and merry mutants. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to go find my portable battery.

It’s a quick, fun experience that you can get through in just a few hours. If that’s not enough to make you grab a friend and enjoy, I don’t know what is.

It’s serious if they want it to be serious, but it’s also incredibly silly if you’re in the mood for that. Which ever way you choose to play it, though, it’s consistently fun, and that makes Hitman 2 well worth checking out.

Déraciné is a VR experience that will not take to long to finish, but will leave a lasting impression. Its one of those games that you can play through multiple times to see if there are other ways to complete a task or see if there are other things to interact with you missed before. I’m hoping that more can be added with DLC in the future, as I can see so much potential to expand this world. Clocking in at just under 4 hours, it may put off some players with its overall length and presentation, but if you want to experience an extremely unique VR game for the PSVR, then I can highly recommend Déraciné. There is nothing quite like it available.

The Reignited Trilogy comes in at exactly the right time and hits all the right notes. Spyro is just as accessible and fun for newcomers as he is for veterans, with updated visuals, audio and gameplay allowing everyone to really have a blast with these classic games. Whether you played Spyro 20 years ago and fell in love or just saw his mischievous face on the cover art and were intrigued, the Spyro Reignited Trilogy is for you.

I’m certainly impressed on both the visual and audio front, and the VR component is just icing on an already delicious cake. [A+]

Everything about Go Vacation seems like it’s trying to import the hottest gaming trends of 2006 into today. If you still feel nostalgia for that era, then check it out, but if you’d rather that motion controls and the like stayed firmly in the past, then you’ll probably want to steer clear.

Heavy Fire: Red Shadow is just not good. It tries to be a decent game, but just fails on every level. The inclusion of VR just adds hope that it will at least be fun for a little while, but it turns out just being more of a headache. I figured VR was included to generate some interest in what is essentially a bargain bin title. It’s very basic but there is just no fun to be found here. I cannot recommend even trying this one out, even to experience the VR mode, as it just doesn’t deliver any kind of lasting appeal.

Beneath its sophomoric sense of humour lies a game that wants nothing more than to crush your spirit, and giving the insane balancing issues, it’s kind of hard to see why you’d let it.

In better hands, from better storytellers and more accomplished developers, I have no doubt that Anamorphine could have been something interesting. The core idea, as I said, is promising. But when you botch everything around it so thoroughly, then — as we see here — the end result is something that no one should have to endure.

Overall if you’re looking for more Spider-Man, The Heist is a great beginning to the DLC storyline that will continue over the next two months. It’s critical that you know that you are playing DLC one of three when you play The Heist because it leaves you with a bit of a cliffhanger and it’s not a self contained story, as some might have expected. With the arrival of Red Dead Redemption 2, it’s going to be tough to escape the old west to finish out this story, but Spidey’s latest leaves you wondering where they will go next and what trouble New York is in for.

It doesn’t do anything incredibly well, and the things it does poorly are so minor that it’s hard to get very worked up. If you want a short, easy shmup it’ll do, but otherwise, you can probably skip it.

LEGO DC Super-Villains shows that sometimes it is good to be bad. Of course it doesn’t break the LEGO genre mold, but I’m fairly certain everyone who is reading this or buying this game, knows what they’re in for. While you have to push through the same tired mechanics, the game’s story and stellar voice acting will have you wanting more. Just remember to look out for the Joker and the villains of the night!

I’m inclined to give it all the benefit of the doubt in the world, and to say that it’s still worth checking out if you’re a basketball fan. I’m all for competition, and that competition is undeniably shrinking the gap between NBA Live and NBA 2K. But the reality is, as far as this game has come, it still has a ways to go before it can be considered a true equal.

Seriously, I can’t recall ever seeing the game hitch up or slow down, whether docked or undocked, which is a huge plus.

At this point it’s fair to say the HD port of Shenmue I & II is in better shape than its release and would now be considered acceptable to play. Save data transfer and cutscenes were a big problem, and major bugs seem to be patched out. Both games are here in all their glory and probably the best way to spend your time with Ryo as he follows his journey. Veterans will be happy with the ability to play on modern platforms and newcomers finally have a chance to experience what Shenmue has to offer while Yu Suzuki is hard at work on Shenmue 3.

In terms of a great bargain it’s hard to get better than a game like Valkyria Chronicles and the quality of this port on the Switch means it’s a must-buy for anyone curious about the series or considering adding it to their Switch library. And the only thing that makes an SRPG better is the portability of having it around to make dull moments like bus rides and family events breeze on by.

Everything plays smoothly, loads quickly, and I appreciate the sense of progression you get from playing these tables within the shell of Pinball FX3. All the little experience gains and unlocks add to the experience, but aren’t necessary to pay attention to if you’re just coming at this for the pure pinball experience. I’d wholeheartedly say that the license is in good hands with Zen Studios, and look forward to future table releases down the road.

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.

By whatever standard you want to apply, Red Dead Redemption II doesn’t just build on the accomplishments of its already impressive predecessor, it eclipses them. Much like the first Red Dead Redemption was unquestionably one of the high-water marks of the last generation, Red Dead Redemption II will be remembered as one of the most impressive achievements of this one.