While multiplayer is a blast, the AI in single player mode (which you must be good at in order to unlock everything) is very unforgiving, allowing a single major screw-up at best before you have no chance at finishing in the standings.

Lost Soul Aside is a flawed but occasionally brilliant action game that represents both the potential and the pitfalls of passion-driven game development. What Yang Bing and his team at Ultizero Games have accomplished is nothing short of extraordinary, because the core combat system genuinely delivers the kind of stylish, skill-based action that genre fans crave. However, another year of development to smooth out the rough edges might have allowed this game to live up to its sky-high expectations.

Bon Appétit is one part rhythm game, one part cooking, and endless amounts of grimy sexuality. The more time you spend with it, the more likely it is you’ll come away feeling dirty and depressed. If you want to both enjoy a game and look at boobs, there are plenty of better titles out there.

Metagal tries to be a Mega Man homage, but instead comes off as a semi-decent clone with very few original elements. The ability to play as different characters later on is a neat twist, but it doesn’t make up for the lack of sound design polish, inconsistent difficulty spikes, and the lackluster choice in specials weapons. For the asking price of $5, however, Metagal may be looking into for scratching a micro-sized Mega-itch.

Overall, Perish is a game that achieves conceptual brilliance and incorporates it down to the finest detail in many areas. Unfortunately, it stumbles when it comes to the execution. Some poor gameplay decisions hold it back, notably enemy design and spawn rates. It’s entirely possible that with future updates, the game will heal its scars, but for now, they run deep, blemishing the gameplay; yet, the aesthetics remain immaculate.

Overall, Firewall Ultra has great gameplay elements working in its favor, but a lack of content and shameful grind and monetization systems make this a hard one to recommend at this point in time. Maybe after a few updates it’ll be ready to go, but for now it’s time for First Contact to grab another mag and get to work.

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

Maybe in a few months with enough user-generated and downloadable content, Buzz! QW might be worth looking at. As is, however, it is nothing more than a completely lackluster, dull, and boring trivia game.

A non-intuitive interface, some gameplay issues on the ice and little replay value.

World’s End Club is an excellent story with some abysmal platforming tying it together. While story sections greatly outnumber gameplay sections, these stand out as a sore spot that may put off some players.

It’s a shame that Bientôt l’été is a game that is almost certain to be forgotten as the broken mess that it is. I really thought this game had some great concepts, but the unworkable controls and awful matchmaking destroy any chance it had. If you can find it on sale cheap—we’re talking under 5 bucks—and you really like the French New Wave, you might be interested. Otherwise, I’d definitely pass.

Self-referential, acerbic, psychotic, and just balls-out fun, the game not only breaks the the fourth wall, it absolutely destroys it, giving us the best written Marvel game to date.

Slitterhead is the perfect definition of a game that doesn’t know what it wants to be. It falters in both the action combat category as well as the horror genre, resulting in a middling experience overall.

The WWE 2K series has experienced a very rough transition to the “next generation” of consoles. After two straight years of solid releases in WWE 13 and 2K14, Yukes has hit a wall.

Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid has some near-perfect online play and tag-team mechanics, but is held back by some disappointing story modes and an egregious lack of content. Dedicated Power Rangers fans and fighting game enthusiasts will find a lot to love, but for everyone else, wait until the free update for more characters and content in the future.

Being able to jump into the game, and back out, without losing any progress or exit to the main menu makes this especially family friendly.

Unfortunately, the game really didn't stick with me, and the wrestling itself just felt stilted.

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."

Perseus Mandate needs to be the last installment in this tired franchise because the thrill is gone.

Rory McIlroy’s PGA Tour will disappoint some, as it does not hit the levels of insanity teased during its E3 2014 trailer. But the improvements found within the gameplay mechanics help produce one of the best golfing experiences in years.

Vigor is clunky and brutal. There is no satisfying single-player to fall back on, so every game session feels like a strain. It’s a shame because the ideas are sound, and it could be great, but the poor mechanics torpedo any competitive urge you have going into it. Vigor’s gunplay needs to improve drastically before it can start to accrue a real audience of passionate players.

Gal Metal is a weird rhythm game that unfortunately doesn’t live up to the hype that its premise promises. It’s worth checking out if you want some metal in your Switch diet, but other than that, you can probably skip it.

Those looking for a truck driving sim will find a decent simulation here that doesn't really add anything new to the genre but doesn't significantly detract from it either. Those who are expecting a game that brings truck driving sims into the mainstream, however, will likely find themselves falling asleep at the wheel.

There's something here for you guys who like the general approach of solving problems with a whole lot of sword-swinging, experience upgrades and looting – but the gameplay gets a bit worn the longer you play. So is the story enough of a draw to push this into the buy column for you? How about the prospect of having a game experience you and your friends can share? If neither of these things would push you from the undecided column to the must-buy column, approach this one with a bit more trepidation.

While the spells themselves are of limited value with the PS2 controller, the game is really quite good.

It is time to move into the Next Generation of hardware with both feet and create a new title from the ground up with new concepts and new gameplay elements.

After looking at all the evidence, I must say I almost enjoyed The Sinking City. There is a solid game here buried under technical problems and tedium. The interesting characters and quirky protagonist were almost enough to keep me interested, but sloppy combat and plentiful walking eventually wore me down. This is a paranormal call I recommend walking away from.

The lack of magic and trap cards hinders the early portion of the game. Those who are patient enough to get through the introductory duels are in for some challenging duels.

Into the Stars is a creative and unique game which nevertheless manages to disappoint. The combination of complicated gameplay with a distinct lack of direction means that only the truly determined will likely get far with the title – but it just isn’t interesting enough to warrant the investment from most.

Hellbound is a fun shooter that’s got all the hallmarks of what made the 90s FPS genre so great. Unfortunately, just like the 90s games before it, it’s pretty dated in both optimization and graphics. There’s a large number of bugs and game-breaking glitches to be experienced, all of which tarnish what is otherwise an incredible experience.

Pattern is a unique game about exploring the mysterious lands around you and learning about the creator's mindset. The visuals are a wonder to look at, especially coupled with the peaceful atmosphere. Unfortunately, there's not much else to do and the appeal wears off after about an hour or so.

While Ashwalkers has an interesting art style and atmosphere, it does little to capitalize on its survival mechanics, choice based narrative, and is far too easy for what it wants to be. While Ashwalkers may be worth a single playthrough, there’s not much to motivate repeat visits to this wasteland.

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.

Pretty much a button mashing game. The good part of this game is that there are lots of things you can do.

Graphically, Godfall is an absolute triumph while also delivering fun pickup and play combat that will appeal to a more casual crowd. With up to three in multiplayer, or a very viable solo implementation, the game is a fun but repetitive romp through a faux-Arthurian world. While there are some technical hurdles to patch, there’s a lot of fun to be had here. Now let’s just hope we get to someday see the rest!

This is the kind of game that you can play with your kids and not be bored to death. It is light co-op arcade fun that delivers on its promise.

In short, Tales of the Shire is a genuinely exceptional game. It is a cozy Hobbit life sim with unique characters, a quaint art style and gameplay mechanics that feel engaging, fun and sometimes surprisingly intricate. An absolute treat for all who partake, whether diehard fans of Tolkien or the cozy genre, or those with even a passing knowledge of either.

Underneath a 'kiddy' looking facade lurks a game of amazing depth.

The Crew is a game filled with missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential.

Broken Roads is a solid effort that falls short of capitalizing on its central mechanics. While it takes some ambitious steps, it doesn’t realize them in execution. Community engagement suggests patches will address the big rocks soon, but know that it’s a moving target thus far.

This was a very good creation. The art was breathtaking, and the music was just as good. A simple story and a simple platformer were made so much deeper and complex, just by the little choices the producers made.

Earthfall is a cooperative FPS with a few interesting ideas that it fails to deliver on. Built on a poor foundation of unsatisfying combat and repetitive mission structure, every aspect of the game is mediocre at best. With some serious retooling, its light building mechanic could be an interesting twist, but there’s little reason to play Earthfall in its current state with so many better examples of the genre already out there.

These are one of those times when games are simply made to capitalize on the license of an intellectual property. Though there is a lot of potential in the story for the gameplay and mechanics to flesh out, it never does. There are moments when you believe there’s something special to experience, but then you’re constantly loading into areas, slowed to a snail’s pace, and burdened with unnecessary banter.

After waiting and waiting and waiting, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's brilliant movement mechanics can't save an unfortunately short campaign that "ends" relying on the game being live-service to add story as they go through the different seasons. While playing as each of the Suicide Squad feels unique to each character, the reveal of Joker coming to the game in Spring with more playable characters on the way, I'd say wait for a deal because it's not worth $70 in its current state.

Gameplay is horrible.

It’s hard to justify recommending Stardrive over Galactic Civilizations 2, Sins of a Solar Empire: Trinity, or AI War: Fleet Command when those games offer more content for less money. If you’re a big fan of space-themed 4X games, and find it on sale, I’d say you should pick it up. But everybody else is better off leaving this one for the space-bears.

I hope that EA goes back to this idea again eventually. If they do, they need to allow the player to actually CREATE things, fix the menus, and also allow for a little more open-ended gameplay. If they do, I would love to recommend it. Until then, it's worth a rental for the curious and not worth much else for those who aren't interested.

A fun adventure with two of the best characters from Far Cry 5, Lost on Mars is a quick jaunt to the Red Planet with more hits than misses.

Perception’s unique echolocation gameplay hook is enough to sustain the game for its 4-5-hour run, but I was saddened that The Deep End Games didn’t explore this mechanic any more than it did. Had it, Perception’s shallow plot and characters might have found some redemption. Ultimately, Perception is more carnival than amusement park – cheap thrills than top shelf. If you like horror games, you’ll like Perception, but you’ve probably already experienced a bunch of horror titles scarier than this one.

Beautiful graphics and scenery, but Ryse’s combat fails to reach the level expected of modern brawlers. Worth a playthrough for action fans, but little lasting appeal outside showing off your rig’s technical chops.

Spy Fiction is a mess. Beyond cheesy. Beyond embarrassing. Aggravating cutscenes and dialogue pull you right out of the story, while subpar controls and visuals sour the game experience.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a title that almost works.

One Strike lets you take control of six different warriors as you fight to determine who is the deadliest. The simplistic yet tense gameplay will keep you on your toes. The small roster and limited variety to the modes are fun in bursts, but not for extended periods of time. That being said, One Strike is a fun fighter to pick up and play at a low cost.

There are several ideas at work which are cool in concept, such as the hand-to-hand combat moves, but the overall effect is not very entertaining.

Fans of Ratchet and Clank who do not own a PSP will be the only ones who will definitely want to check this game out. But keep in mind, it's a short game, coming in at around 8 hours tops. So this may be a rental only if you have to play this game.

With some excellent improvements to car control, customization, and cinematic moments, Need for Speed Payback delivers on the promise of a better racing game. That said, it occasionally has a few engine knocks with chunky dialogue and invisible walls barring your path in the vast open world they’ve created. It’s a good step for the series, and it should provide a good foundation for Ghost’s next time behind the wheel.

Praey for the Gods is another showcase of what a small team can accomplish when a far larger team won’t. While the controls can be occasionally floaty, the pure enjoyment of tackling these puzzle monsters is an absolute joy. Don’t sleep on this one – it’s worth your time.

Reynatis is close to a master at one trade, with its unique and refreshing combat system. But there’s too many other pieces that drag the overall presentation down, especially with its outdated graphics, poor Switch performance, awkward camera angles, and high price tag. However, even through all its minor to glaring flaws, and believe me there are many, it's an adventure I find myself looking fondly back on the things it does well.

A fun game at its core but can’t decide if it’s an arcade racer broken up with commercials, or a commercial broken up by an arcade racer.

Wanted: Dead has truly been an experience. Combat takes center stage, though the fun of hacking and slashing away at lesser enemies is soon overshadowed by getting pummeled into oblivion during boss fights. Some aspects of the game could use some ironing out, but, otherwise, it’s a fun enough experience to pass the time and wrack up achievements & trophies.

If you find the game on sale for $2 or $3, it might be worth a go, but the problem is that even at that low price there are better, more ambitious games you can play; games that move the industry into the future instead of slavishly trying to recreate the past.

MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptune VS Zombies may not be the best game in the Neptunia series, but it is certainly the quickest paced and most action packed of any title.

With a proper DM, Sword Coast Legends feels every bit like the pen and paper game come to life. On the other hand, running modules or playing through the 40-hour single player game makes it feel like more of a standard fare dungeon crawler than a Dungeons & Dragons game.

There are plenty of problems (collision detection, button mashing gameplay, few openings in boss battles and when they're there you can only do 3 strikes) that far outweigh the good (the simple concept of the boss battles is pure Star Wars fandom heaven) for this game to stand up to better action games out there.

Legends of Ethernal sports a lovely art style and surprisingly grim story, but unfortunately the main mechanics, clunky combat, and frustrating gameplay design make this a tale of mediocre myths rather than one that soars.

If you've got a Kinect gathering dust, you need to get it plugged back in. While Fable: The Journey has its fair share of issues, it is certainly one of the best non-dance games for the Kinect.

Drakengard 3 is a disastrous mix of high potential and very low execution.

Fun and frustrating at the same time.

While the game can drag after long periods of play, the overall fun and innovation of the game makes the effort a success.

All of the minigames in Game & Wario are decently fun, and some definitely have more long term gaming legs than others, but your enjoyment will ultimately come down to how much stamina you have for another minigame collection — because I’m honestly not sure if I have the stomach for any more.

It's a solid first effort from 1st Playable and Konami, but unfortunately it isn't something I can recommend to anyone other than an avid player of the TCG.

Its nice to see a launch title take advantage of all the bells and whistles of a new platform so well. Spider-Man 2 has really set itself apart from the long list of planned DS launch titles. I give it the thumbs up.

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

The worst part about Ape Escape: Pumped and Primed is that it is not "Ape Escape 3."

Bouncy Bullets can seem a bit easy if you’re not looking to three-star every level, but it presents a nice challenge for those who are willing to put in a bit of time and effort. The game is short, but that may be to its advantage as that difficulty can easily turn some people off in large quantities.

Zoids Wild: Blast Unleashed is great for younger kids and fervent fans of the anime series. While it won’t be endearing for anyone wanting a complex and competitive fighter, there’s enough here to please its intended audience.

If you're looking to expand your time in Mass Effect 3, the combat is good enough to enjoy, though it doesn't really earn its keep with a fifteen dollar asking price. If you want more Omega station, I'd suggest a replay of Mass Effect 2 instead.

Kinect Sports Rivals answers the question “What has Rare been up to?”. Sadly, the game falls short of the mark on almost every category, with the biggest hit being on fun. With three of the six included events ranging from unpleasant to unplayable, you get dragged through dialogue I’d never, ever want to hear again.

The game is fraught with issues that pop up cryptic error messages and sound bugs that should have been taken care of a long time before this was shipped.

Bratz Rock Angelz could be considered a snap-shot of the teen generation of 2005, and all that that implies. I don’t know about you, but I’m on the verge of weeping for the future.

Tempest is available for just $15 and it scratches an itch few other games do. It’s a capable, if somewhat buggy, pirate adventure that offers up challenging combat and an open world to explore. Customization and late-game challenges courtesy of legendary ships and mythical monsters help round out the title, making it worthwhile if a little frayed around the edges.

I do think that the gameplay is solid, and a couple of tweaks could make this a great game.

Ikai is a wonderful entry into the psychological horror genre. The story is intriguing and beautiful in its own way. The spooky music kept me feeling on edge, giving away no hint of any looming dangers, adding that much more to my sense of unease. I just wish there had been more of it.

While Drag x Drive breeds little contempt with its inspired concept, it fumbles the ball not merely with its paltry offerings but its demanding, and even frustrating, motion controls. An interesting novelty, but ultimately a clumsy showcase for Switch 2's mouse controls.

Fight Crab is a wacky, fun game. While it doesn't have much depth, the sheer silliness of it will keep you entertained for an afternoon. It does support multiplayer, and I found it to be a lot more fun when teamed up with my son. With easy to learn controls, and fast paced battle, you can't help but love Fight Crab.

Crash MOM isn’t a bad game, but it’s not a particularly good one either.

Unless you are a die hard Avatar fan who wants to explore the world of Pandora over and over, want to become a Na'vi without the makeup, or have a TV that supports 3D imaging, it's best to wait for the sequel to the movie.

Khaos Reigns doesn't shake up Mortal Kombat 1 as much as a chaotic regime implies. Instead, it sticks to what works, or at least what it thinks will work. More story mode, more ninjas, and more guest characters. For me, the ninjas steal the show over a weak story and an unexciting (although yet to be released) guest ensemble.

If you are curious about the card game and don’t mind the cartoon character interactions, then the excellent tutorial should provide a good explanation of the basics.

It comes off as boring and repetitive – and since the long game is combat in the co-op arena, you’re not going to find much more single-player value once you’ve completed the 6-8 hour story.

This game is long...and the ability to save is minimal.

The Bunker on Nintendo Switch is a little hard to recommend, but will certainly find an audience in those who love horror films and want something dreary and dark on their console. While visually impressive and ambitious, it unfortunately falters with its execution and replayability.

At the end of the day, this feels like a reboot that needed a little antivirus first.

Firefall is a massively-mixed bag.

If you have a child who is trying to get into video games or likes pets, it's a great buy. They'll have fun, they'll learn some basics about gaming and you won't have to feel embarassed to see it in their collection.

If you are dying for a course editor, then this might be your best bet at making your fantasy golf course on the go. Otherwise, the game is largely forgettable.

The framerate, bugs, and dopey AI put a damp cloth on the whole affair, but the graphics, outstanding storyline, and voice work all but make up for it.

The Metro franchise succeeds when it synthesizes imperfect elements into a glorious whole; the Faction Pack fails because it breaks Last Light into its inglorious components.