The cyberpunk world of The Ascent seems dazzling on the surface, but much like your standard cyberpunk world, the grime underneath all of the neon and futuristic landscapes ends up revealing a hefty mess once you go exploring it. The top-down shooter gameplay is fun on a basic level, but quickly becomes monotonous as it drags on in order to keep up with the RPG-styled length and ambitions, while the RPG side of things has a good story and some nifty gameplay tweaks, but its desire to keep the gameplay focus on being a top-down shooter means that any potential when it comes to depth and variety is never fully realized. If you’re a die-hard cyberpunk fan, don’t mind a lot of repetition or have friends to join along, there can be fun here as you ascend, but the rest might be better skipping the trip up.

Despite my many hangups with this collection, you can still have heaps of fun. The game is compelling as you set traps for your opponents, cast spell cards to improve your monster's ATK and DEF, and tribute your current beasts for stronger cards like the Blue Eyes White Dragon (which is also in Legacy of the Duelist). Playing Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championships 2004 sent a wave of nostalgia towards me, and if I had a Switch copy of this collection, I'd be playing it for hours, lying on my couch, just like my childhood. It's just a shame that this collection failed to modernize the classic games with better UI. The lack of save states is also frustrating, and the selection of games on offer may be a disappointment, especially because the Game Boy games are outdated. Also, I don't know about you, but Dungeon Dice Monsters might be the worst idea for the series, and that's unfortunately part of this collection rather than something like Duelists of the Roses. It's probably best to ignore this collection and check out the more recent Master Duel instead if you're not affected by nostalgia.

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.

Juiced 2 is a nice change from the hardcore, but ascetic, sims you might be used to. This one manages to find a nice mix between the two extremes while remaining fun. [Nov 2007, p.54]

Germinator doesn’t do a lot new, but everything it does is done really well. It uses the basic framework of a Bust-A-Move game and tweaks it to craft the most addictive puzzle game I’ve played this generation.

Kromaia Omega is a giant hyper-saturated burst of color, speed and heavy firepower, as stylish as it can be difficult, and it’s impossible not to forgive a few questionable design elements when the enemies are swarming and the action takes off.

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 Silver Case was a seminal example of an incredibly influential game creator’s early days while he is finding his creative footing. It still remains a flawed, but genius, masterwork.

The biggest disappointment about Ripples is that technical issues overshadow many of its positives. It’s an episode that is pure frustration not for its story, but for not fulfilling its true potential and arguably falling short of the standards expected from any gaming title, whether it’s triple-A or indie.

For the Gundam curious looking for a robot action game, this isn’t a terrible entry point, especially considering the library does a good job introducing the player to a series. As it doesn’t quite scratch the itch for a general Japanese mecha through its combat mechanics and gameplay, however, SD Gundam Battle Alliance should only be considered within the confines of its source material and those who have no interest in Gundam can skip it.

Everything in No Sleep For Kaname Date - From AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES is tailored to provide a new and unique experience in a world that's beloved by fans. Puzzles and trials are all new and fresh, making you think of new ways to solve the wild scenarios our characters have found themselves in. The writing isn’t perfect, but it remains in the same vein as the previous games, staying true to its roots by being serious when needed and lighthearted in between those more intense moments. While it isn’t recommended to play this as your first game in the series, it does avoid spoiling the games that take place before and after it, respecting players who may not have completed the first game yet. This won’t be the best starting point for the story, but it may be enough to get those new players interested in exploring the prior games as well.

While it lacks the same emotional presentation of games like Journey, or the same consistently compelling narrative of games like Gone Home or The Stanley Parable, Dear Esther’s exceptional writing and soundtrack help the title overcome these flaws, providing a worthwhile journey for those willing to take it.

The Rumble Fish 2 has developed a cult following since its release and it’s no surprise why after finally being able to play it. It can go toe to toe with any of the other fighting games of its era. The multiple gauge system brings another element of strategy to each match, but getting past that feature, The Rumble Fish 2 delivers a polished fight experience that includes the requisite staples of the genre. The roster of fighters features several interesting designs and varied fighting styles. As with any game being available seventeen years after its original release, it may not appeal to everyone, but this is one of the top contenders viewing it through a lens of 2005 gaming.

With The Official Videogame 6, The Monster Energy Supercross series from Milestone continues to feel like the pot on the back burner of all the racing series they develop and publish. They have the license and claim a bunch of updates every year, but the core racing experience remains troubled and inconsistent, especially in comparison to the MotoGP series of games. Having said that, I still feel this is the most fun I’ve had out of all the games in this series and that may be thanks to the AI changes and removing any assists. Still, each game comes out a year behind in its roster and track updates and it just doesn’t do the best job of replicating the sport. The Rhythm Attack and new Supercross Park are both welcome additions and cross-play will allow for bigger racing rooms online, but the fact that Milestone still sells the game for $10 less than normal retail won’t help justify it in the current generation as that price is now $60. They need to take a year off and develop specifically for current generation hardware and catch up its calendar year to the same year that it’s released.

The Casting of Frank Stone may be something for die-hard Dead by Daylight fans or those who truly love Supermassive's adventure games, and can even act as a good entry point for new players, but it can't help but feel like a disappointment. While the story is great and the camera mechanic is neat, the overall experience is dragged down by the likes of repetitive, bland areas and a few aggravating characters. Still, it's great to see a franchise with a lot of variety such as Dead by Daylight expand into other genres, but let's just hope that next time they bring along a lot more personality.

Labyrinth Legends desperately needs a patch to sort out it's control issues, but otherwise is one of the better arcade-style dungeon romps in a good long while.

There’s just so much that Snack World does right for a dungeon crawler that even without having any sort of serious story it manages to be one of the best in the genre with the sheer fun variety it offers. Anyone looking for a brand new adventuring title should give Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl – Gold their time as it’s surprisingly fantastic.

It’s fast, full of enemies, and has a sweet soundtrack to boot. It’s hard to ignore how powerful Crimsonland makes the player feel as they mow down copious enemies as blood splatters cover the entire field.

Simple as it may be, Alien Breed isn’t unenjoyable. It’s a bit easy and straightforward, sure, but it’s also a very good update of an Amiga classic. You run through corridors, shoot everything that moves, pick up all the goodies, then make a run for the exit to do it all over again. There’s no denying that Alien Breed is pretty mindless, but sometimes a bit of brain-dead xenomorph extermination is a nice way to kill an hour.

With period-authentic aesthetics and sharp writing, this point and click will keep you enthralled from beginning to end – and maybe teach you a thing or two about history along the way.

Serious Sam 4 is easily the richest game in the series, expanding on the character and his world while not holding back on the action that’s been the major draw from the earliest days. While it starts off gently and takes a bit to ramp up, soon enough rampaging werebulls charge in with a swarm of kleer, backed up by big green four-armed reptiloids tossing homing-spheres, plus a nice variety of new enemies to fill in the herd.

Genuine unintentional hilarity like this is rare in games, and it’s worth experiencing. Maybe not at the asking price, but if you see this in a steam sale, snap it up and have a good laugh.

The only thing complete about this is the amount of content stuffed in this small package. Complete comes with everything you may want from Disgaea 6, but what this has done to the franchise has been a huge disappointment. At least you can recruit some of the members of Hololive on your team.

The game does occasionally muster some remnant of satisfaction with the way its world and aesthetic is structured. But a case of artistic vision overwhelming implementation leaves Recompile with a muddled, at times horribly-frustrating sense of progression.

As a museum piece, it’s a wonderful effort that ensures the game will remain relevant for a new generation of players. As a game, it’s the definitive edition of a superb title that has a lot to offer even in 2014.

That’s kind of the crux of the problem: everything in The Charnel House Trilogy is too obvious. You see most of the scares coming a mile away, it’s super easy to see through the psychological tricks that it tries to employ and once you understand what’s going on with the train it doesn’t feel particularly ominous anymore, no matter what tone the graphics and music might otherwise set. Horror benefits from ambiguity.

n the end, you’d think a game with a see-through plot, derivative gameplay, a mess of bad cut scenes and stinky voice-acting would be a total turn-off, but that’s just not the case. There are times when Ninja Blade is just fun.

While the title does not have a quantity of gameplay, it sticks to its indie roots to make sure there is quality in what little there is. If you’re looking for a gripping, emotional science-fiction story, Deliver Us the Moon is waiting.

It’s still an enjoyable action platformer, and while there are some unique elements to help make the game memorable, it still falls short of some of the great titles that inspired it.

Battlefield 2042 should have been a triumphant return of the franchise and developer. In some respects, Battlefield 2042 delivers on its promises thanks to fantastic gameplay, a suite of new features and improvements, and a presentation that looks as good as it plays. Unfortunately, the game falls short just as much, if not more.

Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven is a quality, albeit quirky, JRPG. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and doesn’t dabble too much in the story department.

Root Letter is a strange visual novel, but one that keeps players interested throughout. If you feel you’ve received a rather lackluster ending then that’s cause to play through four more times to uncover the final truth. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t make expedite subsequent playthroughs. Still, there is a lot to like about a visual novel focused on the lives of thirty somethings rather than samey love-struck teenagers.

Warriors: Abyss is a massive combat action-fest that's got no interest in dumbing things down, and whether you're learning its systems or exploiting them, it's a fantastic brawl through Hell.

As adventure games go, The Tesla Effect is pretty average.

It's a bit strange that the best part is found in the mini-games, but SCT3 manages a decent all-around game that, while it won't set anyone's world on fire, won't disappoint the tennis fans either. [Oct 2007, p.62]

Deadlight is a mix between storytelling, side-scrolling, puzzle solving, and good old fashion survival horror. It reinvents nothing, but it successfully integrates components from each genre.

It’s just a shame that the whole thing comes in a package that looks like a rushed movie tie-in, as with more time to both polish the visuals and perfect the gameplay, The Bureau could have been more than just a throwaway shooter with strategy elements tacked on.

Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart offers great gameplay with the unfortunate caveat that you’ll need to waste more time than expected waiting on enemies to enjoy it.

The Falconeer is a resounding success in every major area. It’s a gorgeous game that plays like a dream and has more ambition than most games of its type. It has a nice, fair challenge to it and helps ease players into the action by wisely teaching you without going out of its way hold your hand beyond the early going. It’s got an intuitive design and is a must for anyone who loves games like Panzer Dragoon Orta or Crimson Skies. Anyone in the mood for a new dogfighting-style game will instantly fall in love with The Falconeer.

With a bit more polish and tweaking, Rollers of the Realm would stand out for more than its genre mixing.

Gal Gun Returns isn’t a bad game. Had we not been spoiled with the better sequels, one could even argue that it’s quite good for what it sets out to do: embarrass the gamer if they play it in front of other people while having some decent, if simple, gameplay. There’s enjoyment to be had, but with the sequels easily available, this is a title that can only be recommended to completionists. Someone jumping in fresh to Gal Gun Returns would be better served jumping ahead to one of the more fully fleshed-out entries.

The updates to gameplay make Bounty Hunter feel modern, fluid and accessible, though the legacy controls are still there for purists. It would have been nice to see a remaster or remake that fixed additional quirks and greatly improved the presentation, but as a $19.99 port, Aspyr has delivered enough changes and updates to make Star Wars: Bounty Hunter feel like the game it always should have been at launch. Star Wars: Bounty Hunter is one bounty you’ll want to bring in alive.

Moros Protocol is a fun and satisfying run into the alien-infested depths of a mission that's completely spiraled out of control, dismantling everything in your path with every weapon you can scrounge to get answers as to how it all went so completely and thoroughly wrong.

At its core, Genital Jousting is a decent and competent multiplayer game, but once you get your initial chuckles out of the way when it comes to its premise, it becomes clear that what you see on display isn’t really going to rise above “decent” and “competent.”

There are far better uses for both your money and your time.

It wouldn’t be surprising for Mafia III to emerge as the AAA game with the best story of 2016 as Lincoln Clay’s revenge tale, and its wonderful documentary-style presentation, are engrossing from beginning to end, with a host of unique characters that make New Bordeaux feel unlike anywhere else in video games. You’d be hard pressed to find a game that presents some of the most shameful times in our nation’s history in a more elegant way, though the realism that comes from being so on the nose is shocking.

When all is said and done, Goat Simulator 3 is a solid playground to have fun in and just be the worst goat possible. There’s tons of items to find, toys to unwrap and secrets to find. It’s a well-made silly thing to follow up a joke that went too far. Even after the credits roll, it’ll still be fun to try out new ideas to see what will work and what else is hidden. Even as I am writing this, I’ve thought of a couple of things that I’m going to want to do just to see if anything happens. Based on the rest of the game, the answer is probably yes. That alone shows that the spirit of the original has been captured while still being a more complete experience. Even the bugs, and admittedly crusty references, can be ignored when there is just so much fun to be had.

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.

MXGP 2019 is a welcome addition for fans of the franchise that can looks past the legacy issues and have an excellent feel for the games. This series requires a grind to get good and competitive as players will have to play with setups, learn tracks and overcome obstacles that can hamper the experience. The Playground is the place to play and learn how to ride and The Waypoint is a great addition. The Track Editor is a much-needed mode for the series as it allows endless possibilities for riders. Having the full 2019 FIM Motocross Championship is a bonus, but this is more important to a small demographic of people. This series doesn’t get the promotion that the Monster Energy Supercross Series gets in America and also begs the question of why Milestone has two separate motocross games and why resources can’t be combined for one game?

If Wizard Fu set out to make the most faithful of homages to the original Legend of Zelda specifically, Songbringer fits the bill with its hands-off approach to exploration-driven adventure. Unfortunately what the game initially builds up with its environments and keen visual style is partially swept aside by some unruly technical aspects.

What feels like the foundation for something ideally more substantial lying in wait, Arkanoid – Eternal Battle can only muster up a competent, but unimaginative, spin on the Taito classic in Battle Royale form. That’s not to say that its core mode doesn’t at least find a way to tempt you back for another round umpteen times over, but eventually the more you repeat its disappointingly shallow progression — and worst of all, its egregiously-difficult and frustrating final face-off — the more you feel your time is spent not cunningly plotting a course to victory, but instead merely wasted on a concept that should be better fleshed out. Eternal Battle is not without good ideas in spots, and while the effort on bringing another retro classic into the BR fold is appreciated, it’s far from the most emergent or compelling of takes in the sub-genre.

The difficulty curve is staggering, which may force you to find ways of completing a level beyond what they intended.

Lords of the Fallen is a divisive game that has all the charm in its presentation, but doesn’t follow through with its execution.

Ancient Space doesn’t live up to its marketing and could’ve benefited from some additional time and testing; it is, however, playable and cheap.

While the world is vast, it feels barren with an uneven difficulty.

There's a lot to explore and a huge amount of potential stat tweaking, but it would have been nice to get a proper explanation on how Legasista's systems fit together.

For everyone who has become jaded about tower defense, however, The Castle Game will just be another example of the category’s marketplace over-saturation.

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

You will die in Wasted. You will die a lot, it is a given. But thanks to its easy-to-learn, enjoyable gameplay, great use of roguelike elements and perfectly implemented Thunderdome-esque 1980s atmosphere, you will easily find yourself coming back again and again, ready to cough up more extra lives like the the arcade games of its era.

This episode is a step up from the previous one, starting up the halfway point of the Adventure Pass on a much higher note, but it falls short in longevity, proving that a character can be developed and well liked if focused on and given more tie as opposed to adding several characters that don’t necessarily add to the story.

The world of Shining Resonance Refrain is a joy to explore and the option to go through it a second time with villains on your side adds a good reason to play through again.

There are plenty of better examples in the field of boss-rush titles — games that go out of their way to make even the spectacle and world around you, as inviting as their nuanced, tension-building encounters so wonderfully carve out. This, however, is not one of them. For all its screen-popping color and promise of literal time as a vital mechanic for success, Godstrike is a shockingly flat and tedious attempt at standing out.

The gameplay is still far from perfect, and I’d be interested to see how FIFA develops its machine-learning AI and if that would be accessible for Madden in the future. Hits can be brutally nasty using the Hit Stick and seeing different tackles, catches or sack-evading animations will leave you impressed.

Overall, AEW: Fight Forever is a fantastic pickup for fans of the company who want to experience many of its roster in video game form for the first time, but it does lack the polish of not only past and present WWE games, but other Yuke’s titles as well. The foundation is solid, but the package is a bit bare-bones and match flow isn’t on-par with what one would expect for a roster full of talent known for epic matches. The core action is fun, as is the story mode — which is one area Yuke’s topples any modern-day WWE game in. Casual wrestling game fans are probably fine staying with WWE’s offerings, while those wanting a faster-paced experience will be right at home with Fight Forever.

Those who are able to look past the myriad issues will find themselves feeling like they are injecting dumb fun directly into their veins. It just won’t leave any track marks.

Surprisingly effective it may be at crafting a simple-but-enticing loop of gameplay, Exoprimal‘s shallow variety and unclear methods of progression land Capcom’s latest in a middle-ground of being both entertaining and heavily flawed. If nothing else, the studio’s foray into this form and model of PvPvE multiplayer is not without some merits. A splendid assortment of Exosuit classes to discover complete with an overall tone and delivery via its setting and premise that seems all too aware of its own absurdity and happily running with it. The latter of which aiding immensely in convincing you that one, two or five more matches won’t hurt. And it’s that replayability and direction in tone that just might be this game’s saving grace. As it stands, a non-existent campaign coupled with limited variety of content means Exoprimal‘s fate — like so many — will live or die by its post-launch, mid-to-long term support. As sufficient the foundation admittedly is.

The Wii Fit Balance Board is of little help, and only serves to complicate things further.

Like many of the B-movies that inspired it, Destroy All Humans! 2 – Reprobed isn’t something that will be considered great by a general consensus, but does have a certain appeal to the right audience. The game makes many attempts at subtle and not-so-subtle innuendos and while the intention is humor, many of them fall flat. Not because they’re offensive, they just mostly go for the low hanging fruit which may have been more risque in 2006, but nowadays just doesn’t seem that creative. There are sections of enjoyable gameplay, but these moments come as part of a greater narrative that’s difficult to care about. Fans of low-budget sci-fi are clearly the target audience, and for those this will probably be a good time, but there are better options available for the rest of us.

Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment isn’t just a bad game. With its awful story, tedious combat, and inexcusable translation, it’s an out and out insult to anyone who might buy it – fans of the series especially.

It shows its age in some spots but for the most part it’s enjoyable. People with fond memories of it would probably enjoy this update over the original if for no other reason than the visual facelift. Its style has as much to do with its legacy as the gameplay but this is one of the more memorable titles to grace the original PlayStation. In spite of the areas where this title has not aged well, MediEvil is still fun and darkly charming adventure, and like Sir Daniel this HD remake still shows there’s life left in this corpse.

Regardless, if you can get past the inherent creepiness that permeates Monster Monpiece on a number of levels, then there’s no denying that this is an intelligent, fulfilling card game.

Open Roads is a touching love letter to grief, the breaking of generational cycles and the complexities of family relationships. Dever and Russell’s performances are at once invigorating and heart-wrenching, demonstrating a genuine passion for acting throughout the game. The interactive environment feels lived-in and authentic to the early 2000s, adding another layer of immersion to the player's experience. While the voice acting is impressive, the characters’ appearance and facial movements become repetitive around the thirty-minute mark, diminishing some of the emotional beats in the story. Overall, Open Roads is a must-play poignant experience for fans of visual novels.

The most ardent JRPG fans will find much to like; though casuals be warned: this is a grindy timesink. Even the rock-solid combat mechanics can’t offset how much grinding is present. In fact, it’s hard to recommend to an audience other than hardcore Japanese roleplaying game aficionados because of how many great RPGs have just come out or are getting ready to.

It's too hard for its own good in places, making it far too easy to just exasperatedly credit-feed to see the end, but with a ridiculous amount of practice and ninja skills almost everything is (probably) survivable. Even with all that, though, Metal Slug XX is merely decent enough in its way and little more.

The difficulty in the later levels may be a turnoff for some, but that aside, Lichtspeer is highly enjoyable, action packed and a perfect blend of old-school action and new-school design. It hits the sweet spots of those that enjoy both fast-paced arcade gameplay and a cute sense of humor and is the type of game that can easily suck you in for lengthy periods of time.

An experience housing enough content to validate repeated play-throughs, Brut@l — despite its stripped approach to crafting and indeed to leveling-up — manages enough in its generative structure to add a distinct level of spice to make even the most minimal-looking of scenarios feel both exciting and enticing.

Edge of Eternity is a love letter to classic Final Fantasy and Xenoblade games. It doesn’t live up to the level of its influences, but given the small team and limited resources, it’s an impressive attempt. The story does rely on tropes and the characters aren’t all that likeable, and while the game comes close to reaching its ambitious goals, it never reaches its full potential. It does scratch the JRPG itch and fans of the games that influenced it will likely get a lot of enjoyment from Edge of Eternity, but ultimately it’s a good but not great JRPG.

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.

Vikings – Wolves of Midgard takes the formula made popular by the game named after the Spanish word for devil and makes it its own. I wouldn’t go as a far to say this is a Diablo killer, but this is one of the more impressive titles that follows that game’s template. The looting, crafting and killing formula is one that has been done many times over and it is no less addictive in this title. This interpretation of Ragnarok and Norse mythology creates an interesting campaign setting that’s not often used in games, and the visual and sound design make this an engrossing title once the player gets past the tutorials. For fans of action RPGs, Vikings – Wolves of Midgard is a must play.

Crystar pairs an original and compelling story with fairly average gameplay. The repetitive nature can become tedious, especially during the later parts, but the narrative concept is interesting enough to push the player to guiding Rei to the end of Purgatory. This is one of those games where the recommendation would have more to do with the level of personal interest in the story than anything else as that’s the most noteworthy feature in an otherwise good but unremarkable action RPG. The game taking place in Purgatory seems fitting since the enjoyment is a lot more pleasurable than Hell, but doesn’t quite reach the levels of joy that Heaven advertises.

Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds is a splendid brawler.

Teenage Zombies is pretty much the perfect platformer. [Spring 2008, p.52]

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.

Castle of Illusion is a welcomed change to the original remake formula, but it falls short in a number of areas.

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

Assault Suit Leynos is exactly what a remake should be. It takes everything that worked about the original and improves upon it with modern flourishes.

Automatron isn’t without its hiccups and it’s a huge downer that some users will have to grind quite a bit in order to build the robot that they desire, but it’s still nowhere close to a stain on one of the best games of 2015. What’s more, if this is a hint at the level of quality that users can expect from Season Pass content going forward, then the initial investment will be worth it.

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

Titles like The DioField Chronicle usually falter based on whether or not they have good stories, but it’s quite the opposite in this case. The boring story is disappointing, but the combat is so enjoyable it’s easy to forget about. Each map feels creative and diverse so there’s not too much repeat. It’s truly a shame the story couldn’t power through to ultimately make an impact, but there’s hope here for some other title to use a similar combat style with a better focus on understanding a more engaging story. The DioField Chronicle will not be for everyone, but those who see the combat and think it looks engaging may want to give it a try.

Say No! More is an odd little game that’s worth checking out, but only for its sharp satire, humorous moments and quirky cast of characters. When it comes to delivering an actual game, though, it falls flat, especially when it tries to create an illusion of any depth. Still, the writing alone, combined with its unique style, make this into a bizarre workplace tale you may want to hear, especially if you’re all too familiar with the awkwardness of the daily grind. Overall, maybe it doesn’t deserve the most enthusiastic “Yes!” but you shouldn’t say “No!” to this game either.

Criminal Girls 2: Party Favors isn’t a groundbreaking RPG, but does offer a decent gaming experience with an interesting story concept. The problem is it’s somewhat bland without the sexual aspects.

A great title for kids. Many of the plain jokes and goblin humor is not lost on the younger crowd.

The puzzle design misses the cleverness that made the previous chapters so much fun, rendering the penultimate chapter an extreme disappointment as a game, doubly so as the previous chapter was the best in the series.

Warner Bros. Montreal took a giant risk with Gotham Knights. Not only did the studio choose to forgo using one of the world’s most famous heroes, but also the top-rated Arkham series. What we have with Gotham Knights is an original setup filled with a great central cast and an intriguing tale of young sidekicks uncovering Gotham’s dark secrets and becoming knights themselves.

As a whole package, Rhapsody delivers a charming and entertaining tale about love and finding one’s happy ending.

It’s oh so close to achieving high marks from a gameplay perspective, but it’s also hurt greatly by a lack of polish that makes it a hard product to recommend at launch. In time, there’s a chance we’ll see some improvements that tighten up some of its loose ends and while that’d be unlikely to fix every issue the game has, it may result in it being a more complete experience. As it stands, it feels like a half-baked product that succeeds in spite of its shortcomings, but still needs more work to be a must-buy pickup for either fans of the show or brawler fanatics alike.

A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead takes an interesting concept and fails to reach the mark, fizzling out into mediocrity before even getting started. The goal of remaining quiet is portrayed well with several successful mechanics (opening doors slowly, watching where you step), but becomes boring as the game fails to create engaging challenges while plummeting in quality. Fans of the franchise will get a kick out of this adaptation for the first few hours, but it's hard to imagine many players sticking around until the ending.

Nights of Azure is a solid action RPG.