Overall I recommend Homefront with some caveats- the multiplayer could use some balancing (which they've announced with a new patch at the time of this review). The single player was disappointing in that it ended when it did- it was like showing up at a party and not even getting to kick off your shoes before it's over.

The game plays great, and while it might be tough, never to the point where it feels cheap or frustrating. Instead, the sports play too similarly to each other and there isn't any challenge to winning the tournaments in each cup.

The price is right, the games are fun, and the whole family being able to get in on the action together has to be a good thing.

A poor manual, combined with a small move list for each character really puts this game at the rental level. They did manage to capture the series quite well in the game, but they did so at the expense of gameplay.

As much as I wanted to like it, I couldn’t recommend NBA ’07 to any of you out there, especially if you’re interested in actually playing basketball.

If you like a little bit of puzzle in your shooter and have a high patience level, then be on the lookout for Bangai-O Spirits.

The lack of any real bonus levels or new content, and the overall simple difficulty of the game really hampered my enjoyment of it. Also, by the time I really got going in the game, it was nearly over.

Ultimately I can only recommend Dissidia 012 if you really liked the first Dissidia. If that's the case then you should think about selling or trading in the original game, since Dissidia 012 is essentially the same game, only with a new story mode and a character assist mechanic thrown in.

By making the incomprehensible decision to change almost every aspect of the series’ classic gameplay, then serving it up in a lackluster campaign, the developers managed to alienate old fans and new fans alike.

The online concept seems very good, the actual play just needs to be refined when talking about such things as network lag and the sort. Things can get very frustrating very fast with the delay in action after pressing a button.

Bottom line is this: If you’ve never played Peggle before, add 15 points to that score and buy this immediately. If you’re like me and have already played it to death, be warned that there’s nothing new to see here and you may just want to move right along to something different.

It’s not a bad distraction for a little while, but the frustration of the game can be hard to overcome.

Neopets could have been a fun game that introduces younger players to the action RPG genre. Instead, the game becomes boring because of balancing issues.

The first part of this series has made me hungry for more. I will be waiting for the second and third parts, as the anticipation was effectively built up in this introduction.

It's a fun and very atmospheric game, but with so much repetition throughout it can real old real quick. But then, all movies like this are more of the same so where's the surprise?

For all of its shortcomings, its flaws, and its failures, I still enjoyed my time with Deadlight. I wanted to find out what happened to Randall and his family. I was driven, compelled to finish, and I would still recommend that it be played. Fans of side-scrolling platformers, and zombie games in general, will find an original, if imperfect, experience here. And while the price is a bit steep for the content, I think there's a great game to be found in here.

I just can’t help but feel that this sandbox has plenty of toys in it, but they just aren’t as much fun to play with as they could be.

All in all, this is a decent port of the PC version, if only they hadn’t ported the blemishes as well.

The game hits its stride far too early, and then never really hits it again after that.

I enjoyed The Legend of Kage 2 despite its flaws. I was willing to overlook its deficiencies, and it was an entertaining diversion.

For an attempt at creating a worthwhile recreational experience, it's an otherwise fun game rendered boring by constant loading screens.

Both the stealth and shooting elements of this game are largely broken, leaving only the story elements and features I mentioned above to hold it all together. Perplexed, I’ll have to say that if I’m only left with the excellent story and ambiance, I think I’ll just buy the book instead.

A racing game should be fun and exciting and give me a sense of accomplishment when I complete a level. If I want a sense of relief that I'll never have to play any given mission again, I'll fire up SRS.

The game is not that difficult, and the only thing you can really unlock is a few extra teams. The game is a little better if you can play it with someone else, but you will become quickly bored with it.

But this game is an epic fail start to finish. It's storyline is terrible, the graphics are mediocre at best, the voice acting ranges from bad to worse (with Oldman the lone actor who must have used his imagination while recording his lines), the Wii's native controls aren't exactly cut out for this kind of rapid action, there's little to no reason given as to why to play the game (which isn't very fun), and the in-game cut scenes are terrible.

While a bit surface level at times, the cooperative experience of busting ghosts always brought a smile to my face. Whether you’re priming the proton pack or spooking civilians, fans of Ghostbusters will find a lot to love. However, fans of existing asymmetrical experiences may struggle to look beyond the simplicity.

If you enjoy grinding numbers, goofy anime antics, and over-the-top style, Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance will give you hundreds of hours of replayability. If you don’t like the idea of spending hours and hours replaying levels and building up characters, then you might want to look somewhere else.

Just Dance 2021 is a solid entry in the franchise, though it might get stale next year if things don’t change. However, its improved performance and bombastically entertaining song list will still get you on the dance floor this time around.

Zumba: Burn it Up! will appeal to the hardcore fans of the workout program and for those who want to do some serious cardio. While it’s not going to win points for its lack of killer top tracks or limited modes, it’s a great time for those serious about their exercise goals.

It's not perfect, but if your kids find this on the rack at your local game store and are interested in some deep introspection about their place in the world, you could certainly do much worse.

Filament offers around 300 puzzles ranging from easy to extremely challenging, with some being mind-boggling. With a variety of puzzle mechanics used, gameplay is kept from getting repetitive. Investigating the happenings of the crew is interesting, although the ending is potentially vague and confusing.

Another Fisherman’s Tale is a charming, unique, and well-crafted puzzle game with creative set pieces and a heartfelt story, but unfortunately is let down by an unwieldy control scheme and a short three-to-four-hour long campaign. Still, the story of Bob and his adventures is worth diving into for its sheer creativity and uniqueness.

While not the strongest entry so far, episode three still manages to feel like it takes the narrative forward with a powerful revelation and climax. Learning the history of some of the first belt settlers was fascinating, however a lack of decision-making opportunities bogs down the gameplay loop. While it may not be the middle act I was hoping for, Telltale certainly still has its hooks in me with Drummer’s story.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins represents a commendable yet contradictory effort to rejuvenate the series. In balancing familiar elements with new features to create a refreshing experience, it loses sight of what made the originals fun and fails to improve on what made them monotonous.

Dead or Alive 6 is a good addition to the fighting game scene, although it doesn't stand out from the crowd. The story is okay, but probably resonates better with longtime fans. The combat is fluid, action-packed, and plenty of fun regardless.

Marble It Up! Ultra applies the theory of controlled chaos to platformer design. It doles out exciting moments and frustrations in relatively equal measure thanks to the ambiguous nature of its marble physics. This unique juxtaposition often proves likable even if it can occasionally be hard to love.

Sebastien Loeb Rally EVO is a solid racing game that offers a mostly basic racing experience with a few unique twists.

Rune Factory 3 Special is a reminder of why the series is so near and dear to my heart, but also less of a remaster and closer to a port with a few upgrades sprinkled on top. The visuals are much cleaner and higher resolution. The new dub is good, but you can barely hear it over the chiptune music. This is still a great game, but with less than the bare minimum of quality of life added.

Get Even is a respectable first-person shooter, sure. But despite finishing the game eager to start a second playthrough to experience the story with new perspective, the lack of player choice was a considerable disappointment. I felt duped for hunting down every piece of evidence during my time with Cole Black, because it didn’t influence the truth that ultimately emerged. This omission reduces Get Even from an imaginative game to a passable one that made me feel I was watching a thriller film more than playing a game.

Russian Subway Dogs is an incredibly unique arcade-style title that excels in short bursts. With a wonderfully zany presentation and great mission diversity, there is little else like this game. Its score-chasing, shawarma-munching action is diluted somewhat by its stunted game flow and superfluous unlockables, but neither flaw results in Russian Subway Dogs being anything short of good.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure has a lot going for it, but even more holding it back. The story and characters are mostly fantastic, but the game does so much to get in the way of enjoying it both through dialogue and gameplay it becomes hard to recommend to those not already invested in the world.

Just like Gollum, I'm a bit split. The Lord of the Rings: Gollum features a great story that adds to the lore, along with a terrific stealth system, but it misses the mark in other areas. A finicky and redundant platforming system, mixed with a dialogue system that lacks bite makes for a combination that drags the rest down. Gollum is always so close to The Ring, but ever so far.

Destroy All Humans 2 Reprobed is a beautifully done remake of a cult classic that fans are sure to enjoy. There are some bugs and glitches that still need to be ironed out and the boss battles are more exhausting than truly challenging. But, praise be to Arkvoodle.

If you have friends, Ark: Survival Evolved is a fun survival game, with options such as PvP or PvE servers to make every player happy. If you primarily play alone, however, this game will require a heavy set of grinding and repetition, turning off any players hoping to just get a taste of some dinosaur action.

Freak Tower is a polished and fun tower game that has some unique and bizarre extras. The game plays how it should and feels very well put together. It can be rewarding if you are willing to play it over a long period of time in short spurts, but the slow pacing and pay to win feel hold it back from being something great.

A stellar interpretation of Bruce Wayne and Gotham can’t hide that Batman is one of Telltale’s biggest technical messes yet.

Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 is an excellent fighting game with an amazing pool of characters and finely-tuned gameplay. Its original release in 2011 is a critical and commercial darling still enjoyed by fans and pros around the world, but there isn’t enough new content or technical upgrades in this edition to justify a purchase for anyone that isn’t already a devoted fan.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge feels like it’s designed from an Ninja Turtles arcade beat ‘em up template, which strips it of creativity and originality and makes it feel predictable and familiar. But the fluid combat continually sucks me back in, even though that also suffers from combat designs that should’ve been left in the past.

Himno is a relaxing 2D platformer where death only comes from falling. The levels are dark and ruin-like, yet emit tranquility and beauty as well. It's best played in short bursts, but if you just want to turn off your brain and relax, here's your chance.

It’s not going to set the gaming world on fire, but Puzzle Puppers is a nice little game to work your grey matter on the Switch. It helps that its puppies are adorable.

Argonus and the Gods of Stone is an ambitious game that recreates a world that is rich with lore and beauty. Playing a game that is narratively driven and offers a different style of gameplay is refreshing and necessary in a world where sequels and copycats are too frequent. The story and musical score are top notch as it helps set the mood for a game that you’re a part of. The performance and the way you interact with objects in the world are the biggest dilemmas to overcome in this title.

Session: Skate Sim is the most authentic skateboarding experience you can get from a video game. Though you will fall down (a lot) and may get frustrated, you will undoubtedly leave this experience with a greater appreciation for skating and the culture that surrounds it.

Operation Eagle adds new pieces to the board but has trouble justifying their existence outside of a challenging new campaign.

For 15 nights you'll need to hold back the darkness or embrace it as the sole lifeline of those on the sea. Even if the scares aren't that high, Static Dread still manages to tell the eldritch story it wants to in a reasonably fun way.

Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online is the MMO experience you’ve been dreaming of for Neptune and her friends, though it does come with a lot of shortcomings. The game does a novel job of producing a quick paced action JRPG that looks and feels incredibly like an MMORPG in almost every way, down to a text chat box. There are some issues with combat and that drags the experience down. Despite that, the game provides a fun and basic online mission mode, and provides a lot of fun and fast paced action in a pretty package.

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 introduces some great fighting mechanics, overhauled systems from previous iterations, and smoother and more rewarding gameplay to the franchise. While it doesn’t do anything new to uplift the Musou genre of games, it’s a good game to pick up and beat the crap out of pirates as Luffy tries to become the king of the pirates.

3000th Duel is an amazing action-adventure game that pulls out all the stops to give us the experience of nostalgic gameplay with current videogame nuances. With a rich world to explore, visuals and audio hints that make you believe that the world is constantly evolving, and boss battles that shake you to the core, this is a must on the Switch.

The Callisto Protocol is a unique and often good game which is hindered by its own ambition. The fighting system is sure to be hit and miss with audiences, and the difficulty coupled with the slow movement and weapon swapping will surely turn a few people off. Despite this, Protocol builds a unique world that would benefit from further entries diving more into its backstory and is brought to life with incredibly detailed graphics, fantastic sound design, and gorgeous lighting. The Callisto Protocol may not be the survival horror game many had hoped for, but it does successfully carve out its own niche.

Dungeon of the Endless is a challenging and rewarding game that allows you to learn and grow with it. The more time you put in, the more enjoyment you will find.

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk, like its source material, isn’t for everyone, but underneath its many flaws lies a solid core combat system and a great campaign mode that does a good job adapting the long-running manga to fit the Dynasty Warriors structure.

Apex Construct provides some excellent exploration and exposition in a compelling and beautifully bizarre world. While there is a fully-baked experience here, the engaging story and compelling gameplay is marred by PSVR’s limited control scheme. It represents a step forward for the platform, and for storytelling, but a bit of polishing or patching would bring the controls to heel.

While offering a lot more varied content from previous installments, Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach is unfortunately riddled with a myriad of technical and design issues. As a result, it’s a title I can only recommend to hardcore series fans and survival horror fanatics after most of its issues have been fixed.

TMNT: Mutants Unleashed has the makings of a good game for those able to sift through the grime of the early hours, but ultimately attempts to do too much, while never mastering any of its ideas. It is not the beat ‘em up we’ve come to expect from the turtles, but is a serviceable light RPG with an in-depth, though not complex, story, a robust ability tree to unlock, tons of collectibles, and a unique ally system which rewards players who are willing to invest in helping the Turtles’ friends succeed. Despite my initial hesitation and the abysmal camera, I found myself giving in to the game’s eternally optimistic story and characters, and that was enough to compel me to complete the nearly 15-hour adventure.

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU rests on a solid foundation, yet prioritizes its narrative at the expense of its game design. Rather than allowing its gameplay and narrative to support each other, it discards some of the medium’s unique strengths for a competent if bland experience that fails to give full weight to its subject matter.

Mighty Fight Federation is a wild and wacky 3D arena fighter with more complexities than its subgenre normally has. While this unfortunately causes it to lose its identity and muddle its gameplay, the free-for-all fighting mode and wonderful music is worth the asking price.

If you don’t have these games yet, this is a perfectly sensible way to get them, but, really, you should make sure you have online access to enjoy them to the fullest.

At $17.99 on Steam at the time of writing, it’s hard to beat up The Academy: The First Riddle too much. It’s a lot of fun, it’s value priced, and the developers are actively engaged with the community and prepping patches for much of the things I’ve mentioned. Could it be better at launch? Certainly. Does it deliver a compelling stack of puzzles that’ll have you scratching your brain for hours? Absolutely. We have to give credit to Pine Studios for trying something new, even if they might have gotten a C on that “Debugging” class.

Flock has a lot going for it. It’s a unique action-puzzle title in a genre filled with too many uninspired Bejeweled clones.

I wasn’t expecting much going into this port, but was pleasantly surprised with it. On PS5 at least, the loading screens aren’t unbearable, it looks and runs great, and while annoying. the compressed audio isn’t the worst thing in the world. If you’re looking to play this on an actual PS4 or PS4 Pro, however, steer clear as it is significantly more compromised with lengthy load times and an inability to reach the 60 fps target.

Toy Odyssey is marred with some old-school platforming woes that should not be featured in a 2017 release, but this Metroid-style nighttime toy adventure also provides lots of fun and plays fine enough to be worth the frustration. Lots of difficult platforming challenges and fighting await you in this dark and spooky title, if you can get past the random generation issues and unfair pitfalls.

There is plenty to forgive Primordia for, but if you can get past the issues and lose yourself in the game there’s a rich and emotional story waiting for you. I’m a bit of a robot nut myself and despite all of my nitpicks about the game I found myself deeply affected by the ending.

Lords of the Fallen serves as a solid entry point to those toeing the waters of the Souls franchise, but simplified systems, a shallow story and forgettable bosses keep this game from dethroning the greats.

Pinball FX 3 is a decent step forward for Zen Studios’ long appreciated pinball series. There are some fun new single player modes that provide multiple challenges, some competitive modes, and plenty of practice options. The game also provides some direct competition and tournament style online options, though they aren’t much different in practice that the single player games. Overall, this is a nice update for the game and makes it much more diverse and interesting to explore, and the backwards compatibility means you have no real reason not to update and enjoy.

Bleeding Edge is a solid hero brawler that currently lacks content badly. While the foundations of this hack-and-slash arena brawler are strong and the roster of misfit circus rejects is absolutely stellar, there aren’t enough reasons to play beyond the first few hours. Still, every match of Bleeding Edge I’ve played has been enjoyable and fiercely competitive, and if they can retain their player base I’ll happily return to Ninja Theory’s latest chaotic playground.

If you’re looking for a simplistic zen-like experience in a game, look no further than flOw.

Conrad Stevenson’s Paranormal P.I. immerses players in New Eidolon’s numerous haunted locations and history. Although hunting ghosts can be tedious, the game always excels with its ghost stories and they always finish in a satisfying manner. However, if you just glanced at the Steam page and thought it looked like Phasmaphobia, then you’re going in with the wrong expectation. It’ll be like expecting milk and getting orange juice.

Danger Scavenger is a neat cyberpunk roguelike with some fun gunplay. Upgrading along the way feels great, especially when you become a powerhouse. The downside is that with how much you truly need to complete to finish a run, the roguelike aspect really hurts. You get punished more than you should, so be ready for plenty of hard fights and death.

A fun, yet difficult survival game that fans of Don’t Starve, and the like, will most certainly enjoy. It takes a chance in telling the story of war from a rarely seen civilian angle, but ultimately doesn’t deliver an engaging narrative. The addition of children doesn’t add much to the original 2014 release besides a few new items to craft. And the potential for a great and addictive survival experience is hindered by a wonky combat system.

While the leveling system can make matches frequently feel unfair, LEGO Star Wars Battles is still a greatly enjoyable tower defense game with charm in spades.

While Sonic Origins Plus’ additions feel like they should have been in the base game, Amy is a delight to play as. She’ll have you playing these four excellent games in new ways, despite some odd design decisions. Unfortunately, the selection of Game Gear games have not aged well and are marred by some terrible sound emulation.

If you’re a fan of more esoteric storytelling and indie point-and-clicks, I think Centum would be really up your alley. While there are slow points in the narrative and rather simplistic gameplay, the game as a whole is still positive, even if I was left with more questions than I had answers to.

With four playable factions, excellent writing, and a compelling setting, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin delivers a solid RTS, albeit one that takes little risk. A handful of bugs and design choices may hamper the fun, but it hits stride when it lets you be powerful and unrestrained.

Hellmut: The Badass From Hell is an interesting rogue-like shooter where you can transform into various deadly creatures. The gameplay is engaging but doesn't get too difficult and doesn't take long to complete a run. Having multiple forms is fascinating and very helpful in the long run.

Summerset in Elder Scrolls Online offers an all new area, but not much is new for long-term players of the game. The aesthetic of the isles has long been available in the core game, and while the additions of jewelry crafting, collectables, the Psijic Order, and the Cloudrest trial are all nice there just isn’t anything that rises to the level of bringing back old dormant players nor introducing new ones. Dedicated players and those who play competitively will need to have this, however.

There are a lot of small things to nitpick about Neverwinter, but the overall experience is something more than worthy of its exceedingly fair price point.

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate combines the series’ trademark combat and exploration and tosses them into a sidescrolling platformer with surprisingly pleasant results.

For serious gamers, you can use this title as a great gateway for the younger ones in your life to get a taste of great games like "R-type" and "Gradius."

Wargroove has the confidence to stick to simple, familiar gameplay with a few twists, rather than try to wow you with its novelty. While its charming graphics might make it look cute, it offers a vicious challenge that gets a bit uneven at times. If you get into its slower pace and high difficulty, it also offers plenty of alternate game modes and custom campaign creation tools to extend the fun.

Sword Art Online: Lost Song, while polished in some areas and definitely a great buy for a fan of the anime, is only mediocre in it’s own right.

All's Justice delivers on the fundamentals for a great fanservice game. However, in some places it asks a bit too much from fans while failing to deliver what we'd expect by this point in the series.

The Stretchers may not be the deepest experience, but its creativity comes through in spades, giving you a great challenge to experience with a friend. Its solo mode doesn’t function well, the game is overall fairly short, and the controls are not always reliable, but the game manages to pack so much into its runtime that you may not find yourself caring.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind is a fun, albeit relatively bare bones, experience which gets by more on its nostalgic charm and great presentation, than it does on being anything more than a competent beat ‘em up. The addition of on-rails levels and first-person fights are welcomed, and the variety of levels and the added time disrupter elements keep the game fresh for its short run time, but lack of combat moves and frustrating Megazord boss fights keep Rita’s Rewind from ever reaching the lofty heights it aims for.

The Crew Motorfest continues the franchise’s legacy of delivering a fun and exhilarating racing experience set in a visually stunning open world. It’s packed full of cars, customization, and content, which is sure to cater to both casual gamers and harcore racing enthusiasts alike. However, it does suffer from some poor design choices and repetitive grindy gameplay that keeps it from achieving the heights of its inspirations.

The Sims 4 Dine Out is a great game pack that doesn’t offer a lot outside of running restaurants, but it does that extremely well and can be a great deal of fun. Don’t expect much outside of that, but the way it incorporates content from the original game and other expansions, it truly adds dimensions to business ownership, and a great new element to the game overall.

While it definitely shows its age visually, De Blob’s Switch version is still a wonderful time for those that have been fans of the game or to newcomers of the quirky platformer. Its wonderful sandbox style and marvelous soundtrack will make for a good experience if you can overlook some of the presentation issues within.

If roguelikes are your cup of tea, you probably won’t find much gripe with Lost Castle. Seeing all the characters you could possibly be is enjoyable, and working through your skill tree feels rewarding, but the grind and repetition of much of the gameplay make you question whether it’s worth the hours.

Overall, Bloomtown: A Different Story is like a carefree summer vacation. It’s a fun ride with its quirky characters, cozy blended with spooky vibes, and some thoughtful moments that have the foundation for a great game. The gorgeous visuals paint the world beautifully and its demons are original and striking to see in battle. However, this game lacks the depth and voice to stand out in its genre, especially with how closely it uses Persona as an inspiration.

The story and setting are what Gunslinger excels in. Locations are varied yet believable, every actor sounds like they belong in a western, and some sound effects sound straight out of an old film. While the plot isn’t too deep, the characters are simplistic, and the level design and game mechanics feel at odds with each other, the narration and bits of historical accuracy are enough to keep you playing to the end.