Mario Party Star Rush gets rid of a few bad ideas from the previous games in the series, but it just doesn’t have the staying power to keep players come back for more week after week.

Mario Party 10 introduces some great new uses for the Wii U GamePad and makes smart use of the Amiibo figurines, but unfortunately its main mode is still bogged down with bad ideas from Mario Party 9. If you ignore the main mode and explore everything else the game has to offer there is definitely fun to be had here, but it doesn’t live up to the series’ colorful, deceptively deep gameplay history.

It’s indifference that takes me out of Bandle Tale. I couldn’t get into the world building, I couldn’t get behind the constant back and forth running that quests have me doing. I never felt like I found my stride. The mini games - especially the cooking - was fun, something that would be excellent to play with a friend. But this single player crafting sim is too cute for its own good. Unlocking new abilities was fun, but the new abilities never felt game-changing, just another new chore to add to the rotation. If you are into League of Legends and want something that feels like a celebration of the cute characters of that game, Bandle Tale might satisfy you in the short term. But as the game spans upwards of 40 hours, I struggled to maintain interest.

Gun Showdown could have been a disastrous port of a so-so action game, but it ends up being a surprisingly solid game full of fun missions, crazy firefights and some cool extra goodies.

Ultimately it's not a bad game, I kept playing and I enjoyed myself. I just question whether it really should have been made. The open world is beautiful but it doesn't set the stage for a Tom Clancy adventure, and this Tom Clancy game is too repetitive to carry an open world on it's own. The gunplay itself when you do engage is solid, and there is plenty of weapons and customization options of that armament to tailor to your own style. Its weakest moments come in between missions, as traversing the landscape by anything other than a helicopter becomes a burden. However if you have a helo, taking in the Bolivian sunset and you swoop down skimming the surface of a river is reminiscent of a modern day Apocalypse Now. That is a tremendous little moment of satisfaction, but it doesn't carry a whole game.

PGA Tour 2K23 is a perfectly fine golf sim that manages to neither impress nor disappoint. It’s unlikely that you’ll hate it, but it’s likely that you’ll be left wanting more out of it. If you’ve played a golf sim in the last decade this one will feel very familiar to you, for better or worse.

While not perfect, if you’re looking for some Dr. Mario on the go, Miracle Cure is still worth a shot.

In the end, traversing through the labyrinth of memories in The Gap has left me with a sense of both fulfillment and intrigue. Despite the disarray of Joshua’s world and mind, there was joy in piecing together the fragments of his existence. Most interactions served as a breadcrumb leading me deeper into the intricacies of Joshua's life, his struggles, and the mysterious forces at play beyond his control. The experience, though at times bewildering, was immersive, drawing me into its web. Perhaps one day, when the memories of this journey have faded, I'll return to unravel the mystery again. Until then, The Gap remains an echo in the corridors of my thoughts.

Combing rooms for items and gadgets can only get you so far when it comes to actual engagement with both the story and gameplay of Lucid Dream, rather than evolving the genre, like the now-defunct Telltale Games did with its one-off hit The Walking Dead, all this title has done is highlight the so-called Adventure Genre's repetitive flaws in an effort to bask in the imagined fun of the past.

Dark Souls makes me sad and I don't mean because of its grueling difficulty.. Don't get me wrong, the game itself is an awesome experience but there are some serious, yet simple, roadblocks to overcome in order to enjoy it on the PC and quite frankly, that is unacceptable in today's day and age. PC gamers deserve better than this and this experience could easily have been much, much better.

Tetris Forever is a pretty slick package. You learn a lot that you didn't know, and it's cool to know that Tetris will definitely be around if all other games were to go by the wayside. With so many ways to play it, and so many systems, I would've loved to see more of a variation, or versions of Tetris. "Play Tetris, My Friends" is the quote in the opening by Mr. Pajitnov himself. I would, but there's so much Bombtriss blocking the way.

Croixleur Sigma seems to run out of steam right when you start to get the hang of the gameplay. The presentation is top notch, but there's not much below the surface.

This game really should have been a digital only release for $10-$15 dollars at the most. If you played Under Defeat back on the Dreamcast or even in arcades and want to play it again in its full HD glory then go right ahead but personally for anyone else I would suggest waiting till the price comes down because its pretty expensive for what you are actually getting.

Sir Hans Capon’s DLC could’ve been chopped up and interwoven into the vanilla game’s numerous subplots, but it was much more fun, this way, taking it in as a whole. It’s a romantic comedy with a bloody start, but that’s medieval Europe for you. I was only disappointed the DLC starts off with a mission structure that's a little too tried-and-true for Kingdom Come.

In summary, if you like GalCiv3, you will like this expansion. The primary problem with it is simply the lack of new material.

Double Cross is a pretty good platformer with an interesting story and stage mechanics, but the game itself feels a tad too easy and short. The ability customization is a nice concept, but the game itself is already easy enough to where the abilities just make the game easier. The investigation mechanic basically just moves the plot along and has no real bearing on the gameplay and is more like a linear puzzle than anything else where you’ll eventually stumble upon the solution instead of having to actually think and deduce anything to proceed. Still, Double Cross is an interesting game, but one you might want to wait for to go on sale.

Gust has some pretty good ideas with the Servan system, and the gameplay is pretty smooth once you get yourself properly kitted out, but Nights of Azure has a few boring aspects that really make it a chore to play.

Despite Turning Point having a potentially good story it does nothing else than introduce the player to new levels filled with enemies that do not grow in intelligence or difficulty.

Maquette has a great puzzle mechanic as its central hook, though it sometimes struggles with obtuse implementation and fussy controls. Nonetheless, the narrative arc of the young relationship at the center of the game is well worth a bit of frustration to experience. Some lovely visuals and music make playing Maquette that much more rewarding.

Get Even works hard to tell a gripping story with themes of memory, mild horror, and psychological terror -- but there’s something missing from Get Even at almost every turn. The kind of polish the game lacks is comprehensive, affecting the game’s narrative, playability, level design, sound design, AI, and more, while still providing an enjoyable gaming experience. This is because Get Even is an intriguing psychological-thriller on clunky FPS rails -- a rich, detailed story muddied by its own interest in being something else.

Anthem is a competent looter-shooter. It is not an overwhelming, hallelujah-inducing entry into BioWare's storied history, but it's fine. I doubt I'll engage with the game past unlocking the final javelin, even though there is that tease at the end of further content.

Killer Is Dead is some great concepts marred by flawed executions. If Suda51 and company do a sequel, hopefully they can spend a bit more time working on story exposition.

Five Dates is a solid entry in the FMV game genre, offering an interesting take on dating during the pandemic. While there is nothing revolutionary here, the way the game plays with expectations and subverts players impressions is interesting enough to give it a shot. Fans of the genre will likely enjoy this one.

Crashlands smooths the desperate edge off of open world survival crafting, and turns it into a laid-back experience that works best in short, pick-up-and-play sessions. That said I personally found the game’s persistent random humor to be pretty irritating.

While the formula works, it's starting to get a little stale so while I fully expect to see a Guitar Hero IV I hope the developer takes the game and add something truly new to the series. I just got really frustrated with the PlayStation 3 version however and while the score is a little lower to reflect that, the game's just a patch or two away from being fun and worth your money.

There is a lot I enjoyed with Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes. When I’m winning, I like the gameplay loop. The art is fantastic, and looks great when I play in hand held mode. Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes starts out as a welcoming game. After a few battles, I begin to see the cracks. Enemy heroes I play against are two, sometimes three, levels ahead of me, something that is not easy to overcome. The random drops of units on my side don’t feel equal to the ones my AI enemy gets. I feel like I’m always on the defensive during the campaign. But the multiplier is excellent, pass-and-play is exactly what I want in a game like this.

This short, sweet detective game is exactly that—short and sweet. With the ability to allow hints or turn hints off, you can increase the difficulty if you're a super sleuth, or keep it easy if you're looking to veg out. The cast of characters is vibrant, and the jokes are plentiful. Follow Detective Eugene McQuackin and find some not-so-hidden clues to help quack the case.

Bound By Flame was almost made to be divisive. If you love gameplay above all else, then this will be an enjoyable experience for you. But if you're more of a story-driven gamer, then it would be wise to steer clear of this particular title.