Clearly, Lord of Shadows wants to feel “cinematic” but it goes too far by sacrificing gameplay on the altar of visual splendor.

A sloppy, lackluster effort looking to cash in on nostalgia and familiarity rather than build a fan base with a quality product. Stay away from this one at all costs.

At its core, Rome II is not a bad game, but it does feel horribly rushed.

I can see the kids (the younger the better) enjoying some of the byplay between Hornball Harry and the jaguar, but if they manage to get that far with the awkward controls and loopy camera, then they’re pretty strong gamers for their age. Skip this one.

Do yourself a favor and reinstall “Grim Fandango” on your PC if you want to see what a top notch point and click video game adventure is capable of.

If the gameplay could match the options of the game, NBA 06 would be a contender for the playoffs.

There is an addicting quality to Hot Brain to try to do better, in a similar way to Brain Age. However, Hot Brain also suffered in the same way that Brain Age did, in that I lost interest in it.

While it sports an incredibly deep combat system, fun and complex hunting gameplay, and a lot of personality, it suffers from a lot of technical issues, repetitive grinding, and a cliched story that follows a two dimensional cast.

Endless Dungeon tries to do a lot and is largely successful. However, the mix of genres and focus on roguelite elements over tower defense falls a bit flat in the crowded roguelite space. It provides a few hours of fun, especially with a friend, but Endless it is not.

Scanner Sombre is a quick, beautiful and melancholic distraction with an interesting twist, but its main puzzle is navigating the caves, which can become confusing and frustrating due to everything being made of the same beams of light.

A fun fighting game with interesting new mechanics and touted as the definitive version of Street Fighter II, but it comes off as lazy and overpriced, padded with a lackluster buddy mode and an unnecessary and almost broken “Way of the Hado” mode reminiscent of the worst of the Wii era.

Enslaved is as ambitious as it is flawed. Those of you who can put up with mediocre gameplay and a lack of polish will find a touching, rewarding story heightened by top-notch cast performances. Others need not apply.

Without a strong multiplayer community behind it though, I would say skip the PS4 release and head straight for PC if you have the means.

While its story is clever, well-constructed, and filled with some great moments, Amnesia: Memories encourages players to not question or challenge the mistreatment they experience at the hands of their romantic interests, ultimately undercutting a lot of its standout moments.

The problem with Alganon is that for one, it's simply so 'ho-hum' and simply boring that it couldn't sustain my interest for very long at all. Second, the largest issue isn't that Alganon is broken so much as that it simply is unfinished.

World War Z GOTY edition doesn’t provide a whole lot to players that the standard edition already has done in way of free post-release content. In essence, you’re paying for character skins, and weapon skins and variants. While the variants help new players jump start their adventure, the upgrade for returning players isn’t all that worthwhile. The Marseille episode, while fantastic, can also be purchased as a separate DLC. In reality, the GOTY edition doesn’t have too many legs to stand on to suggest it’s completely worth the money.

As an anachronistic curio it fits well among a growing stable of small, simple experiences to take on the go. Getting it off the phone and onto dedicated game consoles lends it an air of importance that the game design doesn’t always back up, but it has an endearing style and gratifying challenge enough to warrant reuniting the two oft-imperiled blobs.

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden’s blend of turn-based tactical combat with stealth is interesting, but not always successful, and its story doesn’t take advantage of its unique setting. Although the ability to explore the world and sneak up on enemies adds a fun twist to the genre, it brings unwelcome complications and technical hiccups as well. I also ran into numerous performance issues, including game-ending freezes, that strained my initial fondness for the game.

Prey’s sound design and soundtrack are some of the best to come from a game this year. Unfortunately, a lot of the aspects surrounding that hamper the potential set up from the game’s impressive opening hour. The combat is a source of frustration, and the load times neuter exploration. But if you’re able to look past that, Prey can provide some thrills.

Turf Wars shows promise in its two hour story, but mostly sets up a more interesting third act with (hopefully) more interesting boss fights. At some points, it’s far too hard and the last fight is almost unfair. But the core of what made the main game so compelling is all still intact and is more than enough reason to pick up the DLC.

While Pro Cyclist Manager 2023 stands out as a commendable attempt in catering to a specific audience, its barriers to entry are undeniable. It's a game that requires persistence and a willingness to learn, making it a gem for simulation enthusiasts. Yet, the game's overwhelming complexity and steep learning curve can deter newcomers. Further, its outdated visuals and unintuitive user interface detract from its appeal. These aspects, when juxtaposed, highlight a game teetering between profound immersion and potential inaccessibility. However, when it hits its stride, the game is genuinely captivating, underlining why this series has retained its popularity for so long and is truly an unforgettable experience.

Dying Light: Platinum Edition is another impressive Switch port, but the game itself is just OK. Its design threw everything at the wall, often to its detriment. While it has some pretty high highs, they lie almost exclusively in the movement. If you do want to chase those highs you’re better off on other platforms until another patch or two comes along.

The art and style of Prodigy Tactics may have been worth the wait, but the overall package has to be a disappointment to the very people who gave and waited so long for it’s release. The gameplay is fun, but slow and repetitive to the point of monotony. The game also is riddled with lazy cut corners in displaying characters between the battles, and overall falls short of the high mark it set for itself by delaying release for years.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker sets up an epic story, expansive world, difficult combat, and lively characters, but all these elements eventually become tiresome. Its unforgiving difficulty and strict adherence to Pathfinder tabletop rules will likely turn away more players than it attracts, and while its kingdom management sim sets it apart from similar RPGs, no part of the game ever feels wholly original. Despite boldly putting players in the role of a king or queen, it never engages enough with the consequences of your decisions, or whether you have the right to make them at all.

It’s a nice distraction and even a good bit of fun depending on how much you enjoy space combat titles, but only if you go in knowing full well that this is a port a mobile game, absent of much the charm and detail we’ve come to expect from Sid Meier titles.

If you’re a fan of space strategy games, you might enjoy Ancient Space, otherwise, it’s not worth the frustration.

If firing a weapon in a first-person shooter game starts feeling like a chore, you know there's a problem. If a cutscene leaves you more confused than enlightened about the story of the game, there's a problem.

With all of its upgrades and love, Fable Anniversary really is the original Fable in a brand new suit, warts and all.