Perhaps with future content updates and tweaking, Free Lives can elevate Broforce from the good game it is to the great game it can be.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is an unbalanced experience. It’s an incredibly ambitious game with a colossal scope, but it doesn’t always hit the right notes.

Overall, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is a well-crafted game that has a lot of polish and a ton of quality content to enjoy. Each stage is large and full of different things to do no matter what kind of playstyle you prefer. There are many different roles to play whether you’re a ghostbuster or a ghost and the core framework of both roles offers a variety of mayhem to either solve or create. Changing up how you play each role is easy with upgrade chains and skill trees and it’s got a generous leveling up system as well to minimize grinding. It’s a good-looking game with room for improvement when it comes to reflections, but nails the sound design perfectly for a team-based Ghostbusters adventure.

Noby Noby Boy is weird, but that's ok. Less game than activity, there's no point other than what you decide there ought to be. [Summer 2009]

It’s a simple, basic, kid-friendly RPG that has a few good tricks up its sleeves, and makes a nice round of gaming even for experienced players when they just don’t want to think too hard.

Ride has far more good points than bad. As a motorcycle racer, it’s exciting and manages to stand out in a fairly crowded market. As a sim racing game, it’s accessible and plays like a dream right away.

Super Bomberman Collection is a pack filled with fun games from the Super Nintendo era that are still just as fun today as they were back in the day. Filled with variety, they can be a strong option to recapture the magic once again. The collection itself ends up a little lackluster, though, with online multiplayer not being part of the pack by default and the basic additions that don’t even allow for complete remapping. In the end, it feels like more effort could have been put into celebrating such a classic IP.

Melody of Memory succeeds as a fun, well-made rhythm game that successfully adapts Kingdom Hearts’ combat into the genre. The gameplay is fast, fluid and frantic, giving players a new way to experience the franchise’s excellent music. Though there isn’t much in the form of new worlds or music, it’s a one-stop-shop to listen to Yoko’s extraordinary music.

Though not as almighty a step up as some of the more recent sequels we’ve seen, Gravity Rush 2 remains a fun and intriguing place to return to.

Siege X is a much-needed update to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, but more could have been put into it. Dual Front is a gameplay overhaul that will keep veterans busy for a long time. The visual upgrades are solid, but aren't mind blowing as this is still an eSports title that requires high refresh rates and low latency. The audio overhaul will help players better identify locations and the experience truly begs to use headphones. This is still Rainbow Six Siege, though, so it's either going to click for players or it won't. There's a steep difficulty curve and it requires time investment. Yes, protecting a room in the final minute while using your tools to take down four people as the only survival is rewarding, but wasting 5-10 minutes trying to plan then getting shot through the floor with one bullet while no one on your team is willing to revive you is frustrating. The update is welcome, but it doesn't revolutionize the game.

However, there are some issues that have to be overlooked to fully enjoy Darkout. The lack of a story (at least an introduction of some sort), or any external motivation can lead to a situation where the player is mining just for the sake of mining, and crafting just for the sake of crafting, which can be fine for some, but not for all.

For all its early indulgence in balls (and the suggestion of which that line of “comedy” might head in), Ballhalla is still at its heart a clever little marble-rolling puzzler with plentiful moments of delightful frustration.

But at the end of the day, Another Perspective takes a cool little idea and executes it in a variety of ways without major hitches.

The Golf Club is a bit wobbly and unfinished.

Copycat perfectly encapsulates the feeling of self-doubt, fear and hesitance that comes with building a close relationship with another individual. Although the narrative is told through the eyes of a cat, its message is universal and urges players to accept love and nurture one another regardless of differences. The technical side of the game was buggy at certain parts of the story during my playthrough, but the game truly flourishes when it centers around storytelling.

The various mutants met with special skills can all be utilized for specific situations and provide the option to create a well-rounded team. Tactics-wise, Mutant Year Zero knocks those mechanics out of the park. Gameplay inconsistencies and forced grinding can wear one down, however, and keep the title from reaching its full potential. Overall, Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is deserving of attention and provides solid entertainment for tactics fans.

LEGO Horizon Adventures is a fun, albeit brief, romp through the world of Horizon. Its story, humor, world and gameplay may not fully match up to its source material, or reach the same heights as the best Traveller’s Tales LEGO games, but Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo have built a strong foundation for a new style of LEGO game.

Hopefully Wander is able to focus on getting the story right in his next effort, because there’s a ton of potential in A Case of Distrust. So much so that it’s worth checking out despite its flaws. Its art style alone could warrant a purchase and coupled with the animation, transitions and music, it has a really great noire feel to it. The story is just OK, but A Case of Distrust is cool and different, and it deserves a look.

Fans of the old school adventure games should definitely enjoy the combination of exploration and puzzles the game offers and Anodyne is a nice throwback to a type of game that you simply can’t find any more.

Despite not excelling at any single thing, the combined dungeon keeper with RTS approach does result in an interesting game that can be enjoyable once some time has been spent with it.

Skeleton Boomerang is a challenging 2D platformer with a lovely variety of levels, weapon variations and goofy enemies to battle against. There are times when design decisions negatively impact play, such as the choice to work with a cramped square screen resolution in the widescreen era. There are a few glitches as well, though nothing that likely can’t be ironed out with a patch or two. With that out of the way, you’re left with a charming — and tough — game with an awesome weapon to use in Hunter’s quest against evil.

If you can get past its more grind-y elements, Power Chord can still be a fun deckbuilding roguelike game thanks to its impressive blend of influence that makes great use of its “Battle of the Bands” setup. It’s something for every headbanger to check out, as well as fans of the genre who don’t minds banging their heads against walls as they gradually chip down each tough demon in their path. Not exactly worthy of a Platinum record, but it can still be an enjoyable listen.

Klang’s take on rhythm platformers is indeed a unique one, in both aesthetics and gameplay, and despite some frustrating moments and uneven difficulty holding it back, its variety of levels, attractive look and sound, and easy-to-learn-hard-to-master gameplay can still make for a highly fun experience.

It does a good job of recreating the atmosphere of those early 90s shooters despite having a very different play style. This title is geared toward a niche market and as such is not going to be a must play for everyone, but for those who love old school ultra violent and ultra challenging games, this is not one to miss. For fans of retro games, everything about Butcher screams 1993.

As a goofy little fighter for the Vita, Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus provides a solid amount of content and substance behind its shameless fan service, and as a result, transcends it.

Helldivers is at first a fresh, rewarding, challenging experience that stands up to any other game in terms of quality.

Dark Moon is a likable if flawed journey through an enjoyably spooky world, and while it may not hold up to a long-term residency, it’s certainly worth a weekend getaway.

In general, the good in No Man’s Sky outweighs the bad, but there are enough minor annoyances and curious decisions here to hold it back from being something special.

Rise of the Triad will never be confused for a great FPS, but it’s pure popcorn fun from beginning to end.

There are those who would call a game such as this "shallow", and with good reason: most games like this are. However, most games that subscribe to this concept don't allow you the freedom of movement or tactics that Stranglehold does. [Nov 2007, p.56]

It’s a fun game with a deep Career Mode and it still manages to do a good job of capturing stock car racing in game form. PC would be the visual preference, but with some other options on PC for stock car racing, it may take a back seat. The lack of an online community to race against on PC is also alarming.

Despite having an original story and setting, many elements of Samurai Maiden bring about a feeling a deja vu. Watching the relationships develop between the four heroes over the backdrop of slaughtering endless legions of the undead feels similar to a few other games. Nevertheless, despite some of the flaws mentioned like the dialogue not being the greatest or combat mechanics being too loose, this is a good execution of the formula. Hacking through the undead soldiers and the more-powerful demons and blobs can devolve into mindless button mashing, but the various assist commands from Tsumugi’s companions keep things from ever getting too stale. Nothing about Samurai Maiden is particularly exceptional, but everything comes together well enough where it’s a still a worthwhile title for fans of the genre.

Darkwood is one of those games where it’s easy to have a mixed opinion on it. The control mechanics leave something to be desired, which is never any more true than in combat. Once we get past that, Darkwood actually gets a lot of things right. The story is shrouded in mystery as bits of the narrative are gradually revealed as the player progresses through the game. The very nature of the game is puzzling, but without any hand holding the player can figure out what needs to be done and this feels rewarding. Tension is built through a constant sense of danger and the unknown, with a visual style and sound direction that contribute to the overall sensation of dread. The end result is a more psychologically-driven sense of fear and not one made by the cheap use of jump scares. The lack of direction and poor combat controls could be enough to keep some from entering Darkwood, but horror fans that are willing to forgive these aspects can find a rewarding and chilling experience within.

As a result, fans of action-RPGs will want to check out Valhalla Knights 3, while those who don’t enjoy the genre won’t find anything here that will change their minds.

Star Trek Online is a game that casual and dedicated Star Trek fans should check out. While it doesn’t beat out Neverwinter as far as mechanics goes, it allows players to inhabit a fascinating facsimile of the universe, exploring, undertaking complex missions and always boldly going forward (because we can’t find reverse).

It’s a long and dangerous road out of the realms between worlds, but with enough shooting and a nice selection of helpful new internal organs, you might just get strong enough to escape.

Lella’s journey is compelling, and the game itself is unlike anything we’ve seen before.

Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is a series mainly created for fans with the intention of drawing in more interested parties. Tactics is in the same vein, but aims at the fans looking for a way to experience the characters they love in a different environment. Although the story is simply recapping what was in the original show, it offers surprising depth to its combat with fun strategy that makes it an enjoyable romp. The story itself also isn’t terribly long, but offers replayability with a hard mode for players to take on looking for a bigger challenge. There’s also a simple story mode for those wanting to take it easy. Those who haven’t watched Age of Resistance will likely be lost on this title, but those looking to visit Thra and the many Gelfings they remember would enjoy diving into The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics.

Much of the fun of Deception IV comes from what you make out of it.

Back 4 Blood delivers the joy of zombie slaying in small bursts, but can become a slog the more prolonged the play session. This is blood you’ll want to return for because it’s fun to slay zombies with friends, just don’t stay too long.

Where is my Heart? is an enjoyable puzzle platformer romp.

People who want a portable experience are going to absolute require the Circle Pad Pro, in addition to a suitable explanation for your friends and family as to where you were for the month you disappeared and couldn’t be found.

Namco Museum Virtual Arcade is an impressive release from Namco Bandai that could have been even better.

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind has a great old-school beat-'em-up at its core, but it unfortunately finds itself buried under questionable gameplay additions at times. Still, for those who just want to experience the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers game in a well-done beat-'em-up, this is still easily recommended, as it easily nails down the spirit and fun of both the show and video games from the era. Let's just hope any sequels go all-out with the franchise's history, though...

The First Berserker: Khazan is a solid Soulslike that just doesn’t do anything special. Even though the developers do a good job creating skill trees to match each weapon, there’s a serious lack of variety when it comes to the arsenal and attributes. On top of that, while the bosses are a treat to fight, being a significant challenge that evolves with the story, the same can’t be said about the mission structure. These are lacking functionally and artistically in their design, creating less-than-compelling locales to fight through. Despite all of our issues with The First Berserker: Khazan, it still scratched an itch that many Soulslikes haven’t been able to.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered resurrects two of the most-celebrated games from the long-dormant vampire franchise. For immortals and the undead, a quarter-century isn't really that long, so it shouldn't be too surprising both games hold up well and are still enjoyable today, even if they do show their true age even with the upgrades. The improved visuals maintain the signature appearance of the original, but look much better on HD displays. In general, this collection found the correct balance between keeping the classics intact while adding just the right amount of new blood to help these games appeal to a modern audience. Hopefully this can lead to a greater resurrection of the Legacy of Kain franchise.

There’s a lot to love with Paradise Killer. From the cool cast of characters, to the open-ended nature of the investigation, players will find it easy to dive in. The vaporwave visual design may not be to everyone’s tastes, but those who enjoy it will love the world on display. The biggest disappointments are that there’s not more to the world exploration aspect. It’s also a shame that the open world nature of the gameplay does not carry over into the anticlimactic trials. Even so, it’s worth taking a vacation on Paradise Island. Paradise Killer is a bold first release from Kaizen Game Works and we’re looking forward to see what they create next.

Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer may not actually train the player to be an effective boxer, but it is a fun way to burn some calories and get the heart rate elevated. The targets seem to accurately track the punching movement when it comes to scoring, and the routines presented in the daily challenges are varied enough that getting in some cardio doesn't feel like a chore. Due to the nature of it being a game, the calorie counter is only an approximation and there's no real feedback on whether the player is using good form in their punches. It isn't going to be as effective as a real trainer, but it's an enjoyable and effective cardio workout that would be a great supplement to an existing exercise program or a good starting point for a gamer that wants to be more active.

It’s good to see that new life, by means of bizarre franchise combination, can be breathed into a nearly dead game series.

Love at First Sight subverts expectations with its genuine tale of high school friendship and romance.

Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile is a good mystery game that expands on a classic narrative with new elements due to the new setting and dual protagonist structure. The expansive areas to explore, however, are a double-edged sword as they offer good-looking visuals and may be compelling to explore for hardcore adventure gamers, but may end up being labyrinthine and hard to enjoy for a more casual playthrough. Fans of the genre are likely to enjoy the experience, whether they know the original Agatha Christie story or not.

Based on the current model of Monster Energy Supercross 5 that dates back to its inception, this may be the most complete version of the game despite its legacy issues. It still seems like the series is stuck in the past, but finally making it accessible with the Futures Academy and showing proper training with exercises should help the game garner new fans. When the racing works, it can be fun. The experience is still marred with other AI issues outside of the pacing and the collision detection still remains awful. This version still feels like a more competent racer than the others and while it retains its Career Mode, Compound and Track Editor with small new editions, nothing in the latest version makes it a must have as compared to previous versions. This also includes the outdated roster that I wish Milestone could figure out a way to add in a roster update as post-launch DLC. Players that do buy this title annually should find the improvements suitable and if you’ve wanted a Supercross game for the first time and had to choose one, Monster Energy Supercross 5 is be the best choice.

Had the initial forty-to-fifty hour campaign not delivered the level of bugs and problems present in the current build, you'd easily be looking at potentially one of the year's best all-round experiences in an RPG and an essential for everyone no matter your affiliation with the genre. As it stands, visually, technically and mechanically sound as its foundation is, Kingdom Come: Deliverance's performance is an unruly and occasionally unpredictable beast.

Pumpkin Jack has rough edges to it, but it still delivers a fun experience in spite of them. It’s very much a game that is greater than the sum of its parts. It has a wide array of gameplay styles to enjoy, with most well implemented. The action-platforming content is great, while the slower-paced tightrope-style sections are iffy due to some collision issues. Thankfully, the exploding puzzle sections help make up for this and the overall tone keeps things light-hearted and fun even with a dark, gothic look to the world and its inhabitants. It looks good and sounds even better and is a perfect pickup for anyone wanting a new 3D platformer who can accept less-than-perfect mechanics.

It is a definite step back from The Dark Descent, but even several steps back makes this better than almost any other horror game released in the past decade.

My Hero One’s Justice 2 continues the franchise’s trend of bizarre naming and sub-par story modes, but greatly improves on other aspects of the original. Combat pacing is faster thanks to an increase in mobility on the ground and in the air, while the mission mode has been greatly improved to add some RPG-esque mechanics to the core combat. Fans of the show looking for a way to recreate its action in game form will be satisfied, but due to its mid-season runthrough of storylines, the games remain a poor way for new fans of the series to be made. Still, if you don’t care about the plot and just want a great arena brawler, this is a good one to pickup for non-fans of the series as the bright character-based action helps transcend genres.

The journey itself Crisbell and co take doesn’t hit the highs the striking aesthetic conjures, but Cris Tales delivers on a satisfying-if-uneven twist to turn-based RPG affairs.

It might not break any new ground, but those looking for an old school shooter should take a look at this title, which is well worth the asking price of ten bucks.

The more die-hard fans of the first game may be able to get past the more frustrating elements of GONNER2, but others may be turned off by how cheap it can get at times. Still, the core gameplay is simple yet enjoyable, and like before, GONNER2 looks and sounds stunning. But the end result is like when you watch an older cartoon at a higher FPS: it’s faster, still pretty, and the content at the core is still the same, yet there’s still this awkward quality to it that’s just hard to ignore.

Disgaea was and still is a great game with solid mechanics and an enjoyable cast of characters, but this remaster will mainly be for those with the deepest of nostalgia for the original.

Mechanically-engaging and technically impressive when it wants to be, CYGNI: All Guns Blazing goes all in on spectacle with mixed results. Where its core energy-management system is an anxious-but-delightful thing to manage, it's most of what surrounds the gameplay that KeelWorks sadly don't fair as well on. Putting its immediate and dense introduction to one side, its lack of a stand-out musical or artistic identity, while not the end of the world, does mitigate a hefty chunk of how much enjoyment one can find. Particularly in such a visually-busy take on shmups as CYGNI is. Even so, a sufficient level of joy remains via those classically shmup-like moments of holding on to take down a boss or battling through an endless wave of hostiles and still coming out the other side unscathed. Its supposed unique standing doesn't always feel adequate, but CYGNI: All Guns Blazing still presides over an interesting-enough, modern-day take on the genre.

Playlink doesn’t get enough credit. At first it seemed like PlayStation simply trying to get on the Jackbox bandwagon, but they seem to be invested in the program and it’s working out well for them. Supermassive has done impressive things with the technology and thought of a new way to take advantage of it. Hidden Agenda tells a good story and is great for a fun night in with friends. It has problems in the graphics and writing areas, but it’s a fun and entertaining game in the end. $19.99 is a great value for the quality of the content throughout the five chapters and it signals exiting things to come for Playlink.

Between unlocking all the characters, getting every collectible and missions to complete, The Wonderful 101 gives more than enough reason for you a reason to dust off your Wii U or simply pick one up a little early to experience it.

While Koira's gameplay loop can be repetitive by the end, it's wonderful at telling a narrative. It's beautiful, stirring and overall a fantastic debut from the 2022-formed Studio Tolima. Hopefully they'll continue to focus on the connection between music and gameplay in their next title because it's a concept that has great potential to be expanded on.

A satisfying streak of action-platforming madness together with some great world-building; the intentions and executions may not always come across fulfilled or impactful, but Katana Zero at least is a game that will attract on its narrative substance, as much its dynamic pixel-art style.

Yomawari: Night Alone is a game that will be remembered more for its tone and story than gameplay, but that’s enough to recommend it. The PC port is clearly unoptimized from the Vita build, with issues like having to shoo the cursor off the screen every time you fire up the game, but the adventure of a little girl wearing a big red bow and a bunny backpack going out again and again into a haunted town is instantly engaging, hooking the player completely within the first couple of minutes.

Even so, Hominid's crazed charm shines through and makes it all worthwhile, and if it doesn't there are always several minigames to play with. [May 2007, p.68]

Looked at through the nitty-gritty of its stat-based party management, Bravely Default II is a commendable third outing that at its best reaffirms just how joyous the IP’s approach to both RPG gameplay and nostalgia remains all these years on. Unfortunately, with its inevitable transition to console comes a bevvy of technical stutters, questionable limitations on visual fidelity and a rather blunt necessity for extended periods of grind, those of which even the fond art-style can not hide for long. Which is a shame, as the beating heart of not just the series, but of JRPG’s storied history, remains as alive and as engaging as it’s always been. Something which fans of the 3DS releases will no doubt latch onto with dogged determination and eventual glee. Bravely Default II does have more than its share of bumps in the road, but it’s a road still worth taking.

Everything about it screams “knockoff” like a “ROLAX” watch, but don’t be fooled: if you’re a fiend for devious puzzles, Attractio is the real deal.

Fast & Furious: Arcade Edition is a good racing game at its core hurt by lackluster porting and a lack of content. While Raw Thrills' prior arcade effort, Cruis'n Blast, got a healthy increase in content going over to consoles, this game did not and it hurts the long-term lifespan. As an arcade racing fanatic, it's easy to get a lot of use out of the game for years, but casual racing fans will want to look towards a meatier arcade-style racing game.

Much like its title, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow — Mirror of Fate plays with multiple concepts attempting to garner widespread appeal, but would be better suited focusing on just one.

Nicktoons and the Dice of Destiny may not change the world with its simple gameplay and level design, but being the first proper Nicktoons crossover story in years is bound to let it worm its way into the minds of fans. While factors like a bizarre loot system and graphical issues hold the title back, anybody who is a fan of cartoons is bound to enjoy their time with this title. This may not be a Nicktoons Unite title by name, but it is one in spirit.

Pokémon Friends offers a fun, cozy puzzle experience overall. Though it’s geared towards children and its challenges can look deceptively simple, the time limit and extra obstacles can make things harder than they may seem at first. What keeps the game from truly standing out are its user experience limitations that, even at its most premium DLC-complete version, don’t let players actually have control over their progress.

Solas 128 is an intricate sprawling mass of puzzles, slowly building in intricacy from managing a single beam to untangling multiple colors and filters with only a handful of reflectors. The initial “guide the beam to the exit” eventually changes to “guide the color to the place to activate the trigger to get to the area while keeping an eye on three possible exits, all of which will be used eventually but in what order?” Meanwhile the neon-vector art style keeps the screen looking great even as the minutes tick by, and while the repetition of the soundtrack doesn’t fare so well in the long run, the steady beat of the synthwave music keeps the brain flowing along in a puzzley trance. There’s a lot to untangle in the depths of a corrupted machine, but when fixed maybe it can finally function again good as new.

Conflicks is like eggplant: it’s a taste that requires effort to acquire. Once the feathers get smoothed out, though, there is a robust, entertaining game to explore.

If you’re a returning player of the Payday franchise, you’ll like what Payday 3 offers with multiple heists and keeping its core gameplay design intact. Increased visual fidelity is a big bonus and adding cross-play to increase the player base allows for even quicker matchmaking when the servers are actually online. The first two weeks were difficult, but once in, the confined sandbox design of cooperative heist play is still fun and addicting. Going above those means and looking for something more will mean you will be introduced to the grind of unlocking skills and more guns, no matter how much money you make on a heist. When Payday 3 is clicking on all cylinders, it’s a proper upgrade to the previous game and you won’t care about the grind, but rather the fun that is had on each mission.

Bullet Soul is a fairly basic arcade shooter that gets by with hyperactive energy and lots of pretty explosions. It’s not the most technically impressive conversion available, being locked to 1280×720 even when running fullscreen, and the options menu is fairly bare-bones, but once I shrugged and moved on I had a great time blasting through the levels. Enemy and bullet patterns are well designed, each level is one set-piece after another and the action makes up for the nonexistent plot. Bullet Soul is a solid workhorse of a shooter, getting the job done with flair and style, and as fun to approach for seasoned veterans chasing score as it is for new players looking to dip their toes into a genre that’s frequently known for being unforgiving.

Darius Cozmic Collection does offer a lot of enjoyment for fans of shmups, regardless of which version is played. It can be criticized for being a cash grab attempt for splitting the arcade and console titles into two separate collections when combining them into one would still be comparable to many other retro collections. But those complaints aside, each collection does a good job at preserving an authentic classic Darius experience as there is something inherently fun about teaming up with a buddy to blast some robot fish. The Darius games aren’t readily available on too many other formats so it’s nice to finally be able to enjoy them on modern consoles. During the review process both collections were enjoyable, but if you were to only get one, the recommendation would go to the Arcade version unless you have specific nostalgic feelings for a console title like Darius Twin.

SCHiM is a game that initially shows a lot of promise with a truly unique concept that'a realized through expert-level design that makes the world around you feel believable and dynamic. It's a blast to hop around and enjoy the lazy afternoon tunes as you experience a quaint, if rather unremarkable, silent narrative. In the end, however, the game fails to squeeze all the juice out of this fantastic concept, offering far too much filler content to pad the experience and not enough unique puzzles, engaging platforming challenges and environmental gimmicks to justify the amount of levels present. The optional challenges and collectibles will appeal to some who are able to make their own fun, but overall, SCHiM feels like a wonderful proof of concept that fails to achieve its true potential.

Tachyon Project is for the people who have played that to death and want something else along the same lines.

This title is basically a celebration of twenty years of Atelier titles, and while it may not be the strongest entry in the franchise catalog, it’s a must play for longtime fans. Judging this title strictly on its gameplay merits would simply be a good game and nothing special to write home about, but the inclusion of so many past Atelier characters make this an enjoyable game for fans.

Regardless, the first episode of Resident Evil Revelations 2 is off to a solid start, but Capcom has a ways to go before convincing players that this is a good direction for the series.

Final Fantasy The Four Heroes of Light is a nice addition to the ever growing collection of the franchise. While not deliberate enough in it's efforts to be a numbered entry, it still represents the series as a whole.

If you’re looking for a fun, over-the-top fighter with a lot of charm, then Dead or Alive 5 Last Round has your number; it’s just too bad that the few new additions are far from compelling and there are some unfortunate bugs at launch.

Marathon is a shooter that gets better the more you play and the training wheels come off. Near the twenty-hour mark, there's a moment when the game opens up and everything starts clicking. The gunplay feels fantastic, the maps start getting good, your squad knows which Runner Shells to pick, the loot is fantastic and the risk-reward loop gets you. Getting to that feeling not only takes way too long, however, but is also offset by poor starting maps, grindy objectives and no narrative to really push you through those opening hours. Marathon is also held back by confusing decisions made by Bungie. Locking Cryo Archive behind arbitrary walls like making it only available on weekends, having poor options for solos and no permanent options for duos and only being able to play one contract per run are all choices that limit Marathon. It's unfortunate, because Marathon can be quite fun to play when everything eventually clicks. Bungie has built a good foundation with Marathon, but it's not quite the clean start it should have been.

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham struggles to maintain balance with its cast of characters constantly pushing one another from the spotlight, and suffers from many of the series’ routine issues. On the other hand, it brings to the table an experience DC and Lego fans will not-soon forget: an action-packed adventure, plenty of charm and moments of bona fide hilarity.

Odd as it may sound to recommend a game moreso on its story, Ninja Theory’s latest is an interesting, if flawed, entrant.

The Missing: J.J. Macfield and The Island of Memories does in the end succeed in telling an intriguing tale complimented with effective and palpable means of progressing it. It doesn’t always find the right way to present it, but as odd a pitch this masochistic, self-inflicted series of mechanics in a puzzle-platformer might seem, it’s no surprise that Swery and developer White Owls are the ones to not only make it work, but convince its players more so to see this human and engaging tale through to the very end.

It doesn’t reach the level of greatness of say Chrono Trigger or Persona 4, but there is enough going for it where it is worthwhile experience for fans of the genre.

Garden Warfare remains a colorful and entertaining experience no matter the platform and one we hope will continue to grow.

All that being said, Driift Mania is an ambitious product that suffers only from lackluster solo play and some unfortunate graphical decisions.

Played with one of the other supported controllers, though, Sky Crawlers will deliver all of the above, but nothing else new to the genre.

If you haven’t been fully committed to the series before now, however, this is a terrible point to jump aboard as there aren’t enough good features to attract non-fans of the show.

While many are coming to the game as a BL experience, it would better be classified as a pure horror visual novel. The fact that men have intimate relationships with one another is key to the plot, but it’s not a particularly positive or pleasant representation. The key thing that Sweet Pool has going for it is the unusual themes it presents players with. This is one of those games that you’ll end up thinking about even after you’ve finished it. Just be sure to go with the complete version if at all possible. The Steam edition is cut in such a way that it’s impossible to recommend playing without obtaining the patch.

The Big Con succeeds when, as its title suggests, you’re working on elaborate con jobs that provide clever puzzle ideas with a lot of open and fun gameplay. While the rest of it is fine, it never feels like the sort of epic cross-country adventure it should be, despite what its stakes would suggest. It still makes for a good adventure with well-done challenges, and that alone may be worth it, but don’t expect a grand score by the end.

It’s apparent that a lot of work went into Fairy Tail to ensure that it’s something fans would embrace. While its target audience is obviously fans of Fairy Tail its pacing and mechanics provide an engaging enough experience where those unfamiliar with the franchise would still find it a worthwhile experience. Taken strictly on the merits of gameplay without taking the license into consideration, it’s a good though unremarkable JRPG. Side quests were abandoned a few chapters in due to their repetitive nature, but the main story and character side stories are interesting enough to keep the player engaged to completion.

As the final season of The Walking Dead is brought back to life by Skybound, the narrative plot continues to shamble aimlessly like the zombies that inhabit its world. A few emotional chats between Clementine and AJ and a finale-prepping conclusion makes the journey worth continuing, but Skybound will need to go above and beyond to provide Clementine the send off she deserves and make the fourth and final season one worth playing.

Harvest Moon fans will find themselves enraptured all over again with the gameplay and world that these games create.