Dark Void winds up being less than the sum of its parts.

Nevertheless, a satisfying game in doses, Shadwen does enough to warrant repeat returns and while it lacks visibility beyond the central pillar that is its gameplay, it’s said gameplay that keeps the game from fading completely out of sight.

For an HD remake that no one asked for of a game that few people played, Cel Damage HD is actually pretty charming and entertaining.

Project Sylpheed costs forty bucks, making this a budget title, but it's hard to play unless you're playing in HD. [Oct 2007, p.56]

Since Aero Porter only resembles a traditional airport sim, it's hard to recommend for Aerobiz fans, but those with an affinity for fast-paced puzzlers will probably like it. It's certainly not a graphical showcase, but there's a lot of enjoyment to be had once you get past the crippling difficulty spikes. It's a lot more fun than a baggage-sorting game sounds, so If you've got the patience, give it a shot.

The story is too loose and doesn’t display a proper direction just yet. It’s not all bad as there is a rather striking moment halfway through the story, but if this is truly all that remains, then we’re in for a rough season.

Felix The Cat is a commendable effort to bridge the gap between the simplicity and complexity of video gaming's past and present. While it shines for speedrunners and retro gaming fans, its steep difficulty curve and some design choices may alienate casual players, although the rewind feature might be able to alleviate some of this. Nevertheless, for those willing to embrace its challenges, Felix The Cat offers a rewarding journey back in time, with enough modern twists to keep it engaging in today's gaming landscape.

While it's a solid and enjoyable game in its own right, Reynatis suffers from being unable to visually stand out. Animations in combat and cutscenes are sometimes stiff and robotic or even overtuned to the point where they look outright silly for what they're trying to accomplish.

When all is said and done, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a solid experience. It's flashy, pretty and entertaining, standing out through the combat and environments. It no longer feels like this sprawling world that we explore and save from the brink of destruction, but rather a small pocket that needs constant supervision. This is a more on-the-rails experience when compared to any of the past Dragon Age games. Considering the struggles that Bioware has undergone since Dragon Age: Inquisition, however, it's still awesome that we received a game of this quality. It doesn’t share much in terms of style and gameplay, but we do see characters we love again in a beautiful world and fun combat. It isn’t the most mind-blowing entry to the series and does play it safe, but it's still a good game. The combat and soundtrack are solid, the environments are gorgeous and the game is still filled with a ton of world-building.

Toren is very rough-around-the-edges, but there is some charm during the few hours it lasts.

Kingdom Hearts meets a boring MMO meets Tales, and the result is strictly for hardcore fans of the series. [Vol 3, Issue 2, p.61]

Postal 4: No Regerts is a return to form to the cult classic Postal 2. Unfortunately, while it does stay true to what made it successful among its fanbase, it doesn’t raise the bar in any area where it could be considered a great game. For a series known for pushing the envelope, Postal 4 feels like it plays things too safe. The gameplay mechanics are rough around the edges, while the attempts at edgy humor fall short. The potential is there, but regerttably the writers never push it to a level where it would be memorable. What we end up with is a game that is enjoyable but ultimately unremarkable.

If you already have a Beyblader in the house, there’s a good chance they’ll like Evolution, but the learning curve is too steep for newcomers to get much enjoyment out of it.

There’s a lot to love about Grow Home, and if controlling Bud was one of them then this would have been a truly fantastic adventure instead of the flawed platformer.

Anyone looking for a unique RPG experience that takes full advantage of the DS hardware should give it a shot. [May 2007, p.62]

Its methodical pacing will put some off, but those wanting a wrestling match simulator will welcome 2K15 with open arms.

A spiritual successor to Actraiser, SolSeraph is one of those titles that goes into the file of games we really wanted to like because in theory it had all the ingredients, good ideas and influence from great games of the past, but unfortunately comes together in an uninspired way. The basic elements of Actraiser are present but SolSeraph is an homage that fails to capture the spirit of the game that made players feel like a god 28 years ago, resulting in a pale imitation. That’s not to say there isn’t any fun to be had here, as I did enjoy playing it, but it failed to reach the bar set by the game it tries so hard to emulate. Despite being a new IP, the Jay Sherman quote “if it’s a remake of a classic go see the classic” is applicable in this case.

Still, it’s worth checking out if the concept intrigues you as and it’s a fine gateway game for those who are intimidated by the survival genre.

Elminage Original is a wholly unoriginal game in almost every aspect. It's perfectly competent in its gameplay, yet less than capable and enthralling in so many other ways that are significant.

On paper it’s wrong in far too many ways to count, but in practice it’s actually pretty fun overall. The strong battle system manages to salvage Neptunia’s faults, and once you fall into the game’s tempo, the story is light and fluffy rather than the cliched obnoxiousness it could be.

The game is not without some salvageable bursts of satisfaction, of which there are plenty to just about counter its middling level design and uneventful narrative alike. It’s for that reason why Sifu is spared from any less graceful a status than that of being inconsistent, rather than wholly underwhelming.

At its best, there’s certainly moments of appreciation and respect for the artistic detail Narita Boy lavishes in, with its pixel art and generally-eery vision of cyberspace run amok with corrupted foes. At the very least, the game’s somewhat-warped screen display and drenching in ’80s culture tropes is anything but off-putting. The problem then lies with its simplicity of delivery and the game’s general lack of appeasing those looking for something more than surface-level attraction. A world that too often feels unnecessarily padded on a level design basis; a combat system though not terrible, feels a little too undecided on what it exactly wants to be. And beyond that, a story/narrative the game really could’ve gone without given how little relevance or even impact it holds on a player’s progression. Venturing through the Digital Kingdom does spark some moments of delight. But beyond its art-style and fond execution on aesthetic, Narita Boy‘s unenthusiastic lack of originality and care for its overarching design, winds up carving out a satisfactory yet tepid debut for Studio Koba.

As comical and outlandish it remains, WarioWare: Move It! and its admirable attempt to add legitimacy to the Switch’s motion controls result in an experience that’s both inconsistent and at times simply all too unclear to work out. When it works, the ideas posed and the involvement needed do manage to draw a smile at the absurdity one is voluntarily offering, let alone being presented on-screen. If nothing else, the egocentric, narcissistic idea of Wario plastering his face across many a Microgame visual is still as satisfyingly-dumb as it’s always been. But it’s a feature so obviously mutual to the series across the board and while this latest entry attempts to be both familiar to fans of the series’ prior Wii outing, while unique all the same, the failings of its motion control-reliant inputs at times land WarioWare: Move It! in an awkward spot of feeling neither wholly enjoyable nor a complete flop. There’s fun to be had in parts — Microgames at their best when they’re both mechanically and visually a source of smiles. But in any way a worthy successor to Smooth Moves or even the handheld Touched all those years ago, this is not.

Unfortunately, this version is inexplicably and inexcusably broken, prone to game-ruining bugs and frequent crashes. If all you have is a PS4, then I’m sad to say you should give Hand of Fate a pass.

Superliminal has a unique concept for a puzzle game and nice and trippy visuals to accompany it, but alas, that’s the majority of what it has going for it. The short length combined with the lack of difficulty and any interesting story means that the game will barely leave an impact on you, and there really isn’t any reason to revisit it. And it’s a shame, because it starts out impressive, but then the novelty wears off quickly. While it may still be an okay game overall, there are many other first-person puzzlers worth checking out instead which do a better job of thinking outside the box.

It might not live up to Platinum Games’ sky-high pedigree, and you might be compelled to call it their first misstep, but The Legend of Korra is a good starting point if you want to see what Platinum Games are all about.

Star Wars Battlefront II is the epitome of taking a step forward, shooting yourself in the foot and then falling backwards in pain. It goes to great lengths to rectify the mistakes of the previous game but ends up opening a new can of worms. We finally got a single player campaign, but the story is lackluster and Iden never gets a chance to shine. There’s more content and depth, but the game is severely hampered by the lack of a progression system. What really stands out about Star Wars Battlefront II is just how terrible its Loot Crate system is, because it permeates so much of the game. DICE has stripped away an actual progression system and hidden away its contents behind overpriced microtransactions. With Credits and Crafting Parts doled out at such a low rate, Star Wars Battlefront II puts players in no-win situations in the hopes of making a quick buck. The sad thing is, there’s a lot of fun that could be had in Star Wars Battlefront II. Galactic and Starfighter Assault are fun, the game runs well, and servers are holding up, but there’s nothing rewarding to keep coming back for more. It really is a shame DICE took Star Wars Battlefront II to the Dark Side.

Online is buggy, but amusingly so. It’s hard to recommend MotoGP 14 to anybody but fans of the series curious to see how it shapes up on newer hardware.

Velocity Ultra is a bog standard vertical scrolling space shooter that is saved from being entirely forgettable by some fairly interesting traversal abilities.

While We Cheer is certainly no Guitar Hero, it would be deemed enjoyable to many who appreciate similar games in the music genre.

Despite its issues I kept on plugging away at Crimson Keep, not just to review it, but because it feels like if I can just figure out how to work around its shortcomings there’s a great dungeon crawl waiting to be found. When the random drops come together to provide a balance of food, weapons and health, Crimson Keep is honestly fun, even with the stiff combat. Get a few levels and choose the right perks and you can build a nicely powerful character, tough enough to survive the excellent variety of monsters if only you can remember to use all the abilities as they become available.

Rogue Stormers can be easily saved with some tuning from the developer, and considering how hard the people at Black Forest work, it probably will come around. In the meantime, it is not fun storming this castle.

One of those titles that takes awhile to get going, something that many folks will not be able to tolerate.

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.”

The game isn’t the visual masterpiece one would expect from a AAA production, but it isn’t without its charm. It’s with Wrecking Zone that Sumo Digital stretches their wings thanks to the chaos of destructible environments, but the glaring lack of content and missing features makes it more of a curiosity rather than a fully fleshed out mode.

Alien Rage is essentially the generic marine alien shooter that we’ve all grown accustomed to over the years and really has no aspirations of being anything different.

G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra brings one of the most popular cartoons of the '80s to life in a retro-inspired beat 'em up. The limited story development and virtually nonexistent dialogue, however, lead to G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra falling short of its potential. What could have been a nostalgic return to real American heroes thwarting Cobra instead feels like just another brawler wearing G.I. Joe cosplay. It's a decent enough beat 'em up that fans of the genre and franchise could find enjoyable, but die-hard fans will likely be disappointed in how bare bones G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra ended up being.

At $29.99, the game could be a fun purchase for those primarily into multiplayer, but its current price-point and lack of significant Wii U GamePad functionality add up to a release worth skipping.

Deep in personality, but shallow in mechanics, Apotheon is a classic case of style over substance.

If you grew up racing RC cars, then you might want to give HTR+ a chance. Otherwise, existing games in the genre will probably scratch the itch for you.

Betrayer faces interesting dilemmas. It has an intriguing story built from a great mystery and good gameplay to back it up, but feels unnecessarily punishing.

The continued issues with online play (least on Nintendo’s platform) as well as Ghost Town’s wilful dismissing of a properly-adapted single-player alternative will only go to dwindle the potential audience once more. An audience whom might not see much significant change from what is still essentially an unaltered recipe from previous, but will still find immense joy in partaking in when part of a group. Which is a shame, given how well-realized Overcooked 2‘s core, emergent style of play truly is.

POed: Definitive Edition is an excellent version of a middling game, with only some of its problems due to it being early days for the FPS. It's hard not to feel affection for what it's trying to do, though, and you can see as you play how it fits into the evolution of its genre. It would have been nice if the game had figured out an identity, either leaning into the weirdness or going for straight sci-fi action, but it's almost thirty years too late to fix that now. POed's legacy was almost nonexistent, that of a kind of ok-ish game that landed right in the middle of the FPS genre figuring itself out, and from a gaming history perspective that's more than a good enough reason to check it out.

I wish I was able to play the original Rune II to see how bad it truly was and get a better sense of how much Rune II: Decapitation Edition improved it. At its core it’s a fun Viking hack and slash looter, like a third-person Borderlands set in the Viking age. It doesn’t achieve true greatness as it stands, with the technical issues not helping matters. But those aside, Rune II: Decapitation Edition is a fun, accessible game that’s better with friends, with potential to improve with future patching. The degree Studio 369 has improved the game isn’t something that can be personally ascertained, but it can faithfully be said that they did turn it into a game that’s not without its issues, but one where a good time can be found.

If its use of nostalgic video game styles had been more deliberate and integral and some of its puzzles more essential to telling the story, Between Me and the Night’s art and atmosphere could have carried the experience.

Sunset is refreshingly original in putting players in the role of a housekeeper, but with poor instructions and no real choices, it never meets its ambitions.

The solid controls and reasonably-exciting gameplay make it fun for a while, but the modes are far too similar with only surface-level changes beyond the overall length of the events to set them apart.

Briefly enticing the mechanics governing Morale might be in and out of combat, Long Gone Days‘ inconsistent tone and unconvincing meshing of visual styles doesn’t pull through for a narrative deserving of a more refined focus. Good moments there may be sprinkled about its exploration, its party management and so too the longer-term deciding on whether to invest or save the Morale you’ve built up, a potentially interesting mechanic is all the game can muster. In an experience that doesn’t necessarily fail outright, more that it rapidly settles into a tepid though not terrible checklist to fulfill. For all its talk of high stakes and higher drama, Long Gone Days‘ questionable meshing of visuals, tone and crucial decision-making doesn’t reach the happy medium it’s aiming for.

Croc Legend of the Gobbos is a fun little platformer that was great during the PS1 era, but doesn't hold up to platformers to this day like Astro Bot. The levels vary and keep surprising you with their mechanics, but the environments themselves are basic and feel repetitive. There's also a steep difficulty curve in the middle of the game that hits you like a freight train and causes you to retry the levels over and over again. The lack of save states and a rewind feature would have resolved some of the quirks. Argonaut Games has done an admirable job of updating the graphics with remastered models and improved textures (for the most part), and it's a great to have the option to switch to the retro look if so desired. Despite annoying levels here and there, Croc Legend of the Gobbos is a 3D platformer worth revisiting.

EA’s NHL series feels like it’s slowly distancing itself more and more from the NHL and going more of the FIFA route for a wide variety of hockey around the world. Unlike soccer, though, the best hockey players in the world play in North America for an organized league. The focus on Chel and HUT continue to pull away from a true NHL experience as it feels less and less is incorporated on the NHL side to replicate the sport that people watch. While there are touch-ups to NHL 23, it doesn’t do enough this year to make it feel like an upgrade. Some of the gameplay changes are nice, but on the entire scale with the presentation and feel of the game, it’s mostly the same. The Franchise Mode offering the customization option with the ability to bring in Legacy Teams is a positive, but then modes like Be A Pro are left on the bench once again.

MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death is a good though unremarkable game. There are better dungeon crawlers available for the Vita, but fans of the genre will likely enjoy MeiQ in spite of its flaws. Being able to build up the Guardians and the elemental system are good ideas, but because of the simplistic nature of combat, neither idea lives up to its potential.

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.

LOST ORBIT is a mesmerizing sci-fi story that relishes in the freedom of its setting, and while its level design makes a number of missteps throughout the campaign, it’s a nice little indie project that’s good for the brief time it lasts.

NBA 2K20 was a fun and serious game of basketball to play. On the surface, I’m partial to the difficulty involved in shooting and the Advanced Pro Stick for NBA 2K21, as they can no doubt separate the great players from the average ones with endless combo possibilities. I like the idea of having to get better with shooting and while I’ve improved, the results are still too inconsistent no matter the player you have. What made last year’s version great with the new MyPLAYER designs are all here, but roughly not updated. The narrative in MyCAREER is enjoyable, but leaves a gaping hole at the end. The Neighborhood is also a nice change of scenery. It really comes down to the difficulty involved in NBA 2K21 holding it back from greatness. You’re not allowed to build up to it with confidence. Also, if purchasing the Standard Edition, the grind is worse when it comes to getting badges for your player or getting cards in MyTEAM. When the grind interferes with the gameplay, it becomes a major issue.

The story works well when it becomes serious, proving that the Chuusotsu! series could become a must-read set of visual novels in the near future as long as the writers don’t lose their focus.

Omega Quintet will be best enjoyed by those who know exactly what they want out of the game. The comprehensive battle system and simulation are well-executed and unique, even if the rest of the experience offers only wobbly support for them.

TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 seems to focus more specifically on the technical aspect of the bikes while touching up other areas. The physics are improved and realistic, which also leads to a hard learning curve. Upgrading the bike through the Seasons is key for not only more success, but also overall enjoyability of the game itself. Atrocious visuals and the lack of life on the track hamper the overall experience of the game, though. The best way to experience TT Isle of Man: Ride on the Edge 3 is on the PS5 to guarantee the DualSense works, as on PC I don’t have a way to verify if that works or not. Cruising the island can be fun, but I’d rather just take my actual bike out for a more satisfying experience. Having a virtual group to ride with on the island and race with would have upped this “open world” racer. It also retails for $49.99, which even at a discount, is asking a bit much.

Anno 2205 is functional and fun, but with the singular exception of its visuals, it either had so little ambition at the outset or was so scaled back in development that it’s regrettably a missed opportunity.

The engine may be aging and looking a bit ragged around the edges, but the game’s heavy emphasis on strategy and the persistent units in the campaign make for hours of scaling castle walls and slaying your foes.

If you’re looking for a game that will completely sell you on the Touhou series and turn you into a fan, Touhou Genso Rondo: Bullet Ballet probably won’t do it, as it really feels like a weak entry with a lack of substance that doesn’t show off a lot of Touhou’s potential beyond the ability to have a massive amount of bullets appear on the screen.

Overall, Quidditch Champions gets tedious quickly, but in short bursts, it can be fun. The different roles one can take are well done, especially with the seeker, but the lack of skill shots or moves does hamper the enjoyment. Getting new unlockables might be the lifeblood of the game as they feature fun references to the movies for the fans. Hopefully, that will be enough to keep the game forward with a solid player base, despite its repetitive nature.

DIRT 5 is a new terrain for Codemasters and it’s hard to say that it follows in the line of the previous series. This is meant for casual players to pick up and play and have fun. In this regard, it mostly works.

For series fans, Corpse Party: Blood Drive is simply a must play.

While ultimately not a disaster; Tharsis compares to getting to the final round and failing due to a slight miscalculation.

There is enough to like here, namely its themes and world-building, to warrant a playthrough at some point down the line, but those who have been waiting for the full console release to dive in might want to look elsewhere for the time being.

Ubisoft’s attempt to blend two disparate genres together backfires, creating massive balancing issues and diluting both experiences. Its lack of polish on the server side leads to outright aggravating and uneven experiences. Finally, while XDefiant is free-to-play, the fact that there’s little earn and outright unlock leaves little incentive to stick with the game beyond a couple of matches occasionally. XDefiant provides that solid, fun FPS action in small doses, but is sorely held back by a lack of focus, polish and earnable content.

On one hand, the mechanics are satisfying as timing counters and ground passes are down to precision. On the other hand, this is a light package that contains unpolished gameplay.

Ray’s the Dead is a mixed bag, but it’s a unique one with a lot of heart. Just be aware going in that it’s going to take effort to like the game as much as you wish you could.

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.

There's a lot of good and a lot of bad with Project Motor Racing. The handling is unique and challenging, while the Career Mode and online ranked license system are different and unique. The range of cars is great for fans of racing over the years. More will come with DLC in the future, but the various physics elements for the different cars provide something most console racers haven't experienced. The development team really wants to make this as close to the real experience as possible, but unfortunately, the LMDh class is broken and undriveable. The ultimate immersion breaker is just how frustrating and atrocious the AI is, and they can't even be bumped out of the way, all while pushing players around. The online races are fine before release, and having a custom lobby system will be a plus. It's also cross-platform, so the lobbies and races can have the maximum possible players. Project Motor Racing has big issues that hinder the experience, but the GT Cars are worth experiencing.

It’s outrageous that a slice of life game that actually makes an effort to create a great backstory and memorable characters still ends up with a beginning that drags. Luckily, both audio and visuals are outstanding, showing that a lot of care went into creating this visual novel.

If you’re looking for something to scare you for an hour or two on a dark night, then this is a title you should consider picking up. If you’re looking for the next great horror title, however, your efforts will be better served elsewhere.

It is positive to note that Sixty Second Shooter Prime is extremely tough (and well-priced), but the lack of goals and a poor level system leave little to be accomplished after the first couple hours of gameplay.

As a five-dollar indie game, The Legend of Kurasaki is a competent time-waster, but nothing more than that. While a neat concept, charm and simple yet nice gameplay might draw you in, the short length, repetitive elements and frustrating moments made worse by a lack of explanation (even after beating the game, I still don’t know how the level system works, not that it was apparently needed) hamper what could have been an adorable little homage to a legendary Nintendo series.

Battlefield 1: They Shall Not Pass feels like it shouldn’t have taken as long as it has to release. While it feels good to finally have something new to sink our teeth into in Battlefield 1, They Shall Not Pass feels like content that should have been there at launch or earlier in the lifecycle. Three of the new maps are fantastic and stand strong when compared to the base maps, but there’s a strong sense of déjà vu about them. The final map, while good on paper, is ultimately brought down by poor design decisions, and the new weapons, while fun, are locked beyond arbitrary walls. There’s a decent amount of content here, but it doesn’t justify the asking price, or how long it’s taken to actually get a substantial amount of new content in Battlefield 1.

This game really is only for the most patient, be that because death is frequent and sometimes unfair or because grinding is the path to victory, Evil Hazard is only for players with a tolerance (or love) of titles that are complete jerks.

Unfortunately, even a stable framerate can’t save it from faulty mechanics, kicks that cross players without landing, some iffy visuals and weirdly ’90s animations.

Gabriel Knight is absolutely a must-play game, but this is the absolute worst way to play it.

With some tuning of the initial time mechanic and a rework of the characters, Atelier Firis could have been the best the series has seen. Still, it can boast the best world the franchise has offered to explore, and that is saying something.

Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy is hard to recommend because of its dull gameplay, sloppy combat, repetitive enemies, uninspired dungeons and lacking plotline. It does have a few bright sparks within its three main characters and anime aesthetic, though. For some reason, this game keeps bringing you back, so it must be doing something right, despite all of its downfalls. It's just hard to figure out why. It may be the camaraderie between the characters and wanting to see them succeed in their adorable, magical academic journey.

Tartarus doesn’t quite deliver the experience it’s aiming for. It’s light on story, but manages to make Cooper interesting and easy to identify with. Frustrating stealth segment aside, this can be recommended to those who enjoy feeling computer savvy or are just looking for a different kind of puzzle experience.

Most interested in Mad Father, however, should wait until confirmation of a new patch which resolves these massive issues before diving in.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a solid throwback FPS that makes up for being too generous with the resources by its excellent weapon, monster and level design. The world of Warhammer 40,000 translates fantastically well to this type of game, with decades of lore and design to draw from to create a fully-realized backdrop. The enemies come in a variety of styles from various normal humans to huge and deadly aliens, and they all mix together well to create firefights that need just enough in the way of tactics to keep the brain a little bit active. The only real challenge, though, comes from the game encouraging sloppy play in its frequent less intense sections, so when it’s time to pay attention it can be easy to get caught off guard using bad habits. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is an oddly slow burn, but when it finally fires up in the latter half, the action feels worthy of the righteous might of a Space Marine.

With its almost complete lack of Bond flair past the voice acting and character models, the game just comes across as a Bond-themed run and gun shooter that lacks the suave sophistication of a secret agent.

The Golf Club 2019 brings improvements to the table including the PGA Tour license and a Career Mode, but that should be taken with a grain of salt as these features are severely lacking. The most important aspect of the game is that the golf mechanics and atmosphere are great, even though the gameplay could be more approachable. With 2K now producing the game, things could change in the future for the franchise, and more courses will be added at some point. The Golf Club 2019 features a lot of positive and raw aspects with potential.

Sacred went from a varied Diablo clone to a Gauntlet clone, but doesn’t live up to either.

Bloomtown: A Different Story is a textbook case of a promising start brimming with such wow factor, inevitably undone as soon as you get past the introductory phase. An introductory phase that does a great job at not just setting up the world and its stakes, but making you voluntarily want to remain in said world for more than its obligatory main quest demands. Indeed, the life-sim leanings and simple pleasures of moving out and around the titular setting -- scheduling allotted time to certain activities -- may just be its stand-out element. A fitting accompaniment to the otherwise supernatural, abnormal dungeon vibes, complimented by enemy/sprite work and a soundtrack unashamedly upbeat and confident in its stride. But it's the lackluster, often tedious, execution of combat that lets it down -- faltering at the most critical of moments. Not bad, but not as great as its intro so effortlessly implied, Bloomtown: A Different Story is a flawed, at times frustrating but fascinating-enough blend of role-playing staples, old and new.

While Until I Have You has some bright spots when it comes to presentation, story and a few bits of gameplay, the rest contains a cavalcade of cheap deaths and notable spikes and drops in its various areas of challenge that would be enough to turn off more than a few gamers.

It’s fun, it’s mindless, and if you really hate it, it’s over in about ten minutes. In fact, that’s the game’s biggest problem; there just isn’t a whole lot here.

Back to Bed’s main mechanics are sound and well-demonstrated, but it rarely uses its surreal aesthetic as anything more than eye candy

Sword Art Online: Lost Song has so much going for it. The battle and flight systems are top-notch entertaining time sinks, the artistic style is nothing short of gorgeous and being able to hang out with characters from the show, with dialogue written by the creator, is an engrossing experience.

With solid shooting mechanics, well-designed environments and a tense atmosphere, it’s a fine first-person shooter, but its repetitiveness, glitches, substandard graphics and insubstantial story make it a far cry from anything close to matching the prestige of James Cameron’s beloved film.

Had there been some polish in some of the controls, an added depth to the story mode and more matchmaking online, Scourge: Outbreak would have been one of the biggest downloadable surprises this year. Still, for around $10, it’s worth playing — especially with friends.

Those looking to explore a lore-filled world heavily inspired by Norse mythology and packed with gorgeous hand-drawn animations will be hard-pressed to find better. But with the limited scope for the interactive aspects of both the exploration and combat, Jotun never quite reaches the heights of Valhalla, instead providing a mediocre experience that inspires as often as it bores.

The sequel builds upon the foundation of the 2014 original in both gameplay and small additions in its artistic strides, but in the end, Q.U.B.E. 2 does little (if anything) with its visuals to warrant this a wholly-expanded sequel, pleasing as its puzzles may be.

While the gameplay found in Featherpunk Prime does offer some momentary enjoyment on each of its self-contained floors, the frustrations lie with how reliant the game feels on the same design structure aspects and same layout in each of its floors; the repetitiveness eventually begins to grate.

Without the progress gating and fewer technical issues, we’d be left with a shorter, more intense action-platformer featuring a solid movement system. There’s something slightly enjoyable about ReCore‘s color-switching combat mechanic, despite it taking place in such a lock-on heavy shooting system and the friendship between Joule and her robot pals Mack, Seth and Duncan can be charming. While not lackluster enough to be considered a bad game, there are enough stumbles and hiccups here to prevent this effort from Armature and Comcept from living up to its potential.

The biggest problem, though, is situated in the systems outside of the gameplay. Load times are just horrendous while the forced online functionality had us kicked back to the main menu numerous times, something that shouldn’t occur in a single-player centric release such as this. It’s these various setbacks and the short experience of the first episode that make it difficult to recommend Hitman as it is. Things could get better in the future, but the opening to Hitman is a rough one.