All the clever levels in the world won't do much good, though, after the dozenth aggravating death by hidden trap makes you toss the game aside. [July 2007, p.60]

These games are all masterpieces and as such deserve a better collection than this. In spite of the flaws it can still be a fun nostalgia trip for old fans or a good way for newer fans to discover the games before Grand Theft Auto V, but between the dated mechanics and inconsistent visual performance, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition is far from perfect.

2D platforming fans may still want to check it out, but unlike Shovel Knight, Roving Rogue isn’t so good that it becomes a must-play for everyone.

It may appear to be a little minimalist on the surface, and the game doesn’t really teach you all you need to know about its battle system. But for those who enjoy this kind of passive and vague role playing experience, especially with a battle system that has you assume the role of a chess player and nothing else, then Deity Quest might be your little niche.

I love playing fighting games on PS Vita and I can’t say I didn’t have fun playing Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition on it. Unfortunately, it’s a criminally lazy port.

The Crew is an overly ambitious project that just doesn’t go the full mile.

The music isn't bad and the gameplay is fun enough, but the track list is fairly short with only ten pieces. [June 2007, p.69]

Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP is a fun way to revisit a cult classic, but ultimately doesn't do much to improve it. It's a remaster, not a remake, so fans should temper their expectations going in that this is pretty much the same game they played over a decade ago. There are new cosmetic items to get and the new RePOP mode offers a different visual style for the game, but there are a few missing costumes from the original and the iconic soundtrack has been completely scrapped. Being able to play on modern hardware is nice and having a new achievement/trophy list to unlock can be appealing to some, but saying this is an improved version is a tough sell. Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP can be a fun way to experience the game, especially for first timers, but overall, the original release is the better version.

As Dusk Falls -- if a little hap-hazard on execution and relatively safe on the gameplay front -- does fortunately get the basics right. Not quite a game-changer by any stretch, but one salvaged by some commendable character performances and a narrative guaranteed to keep players guessing and intrigued to see events through.

Only If, for all of its conflicting ideas, is still worth playing, and considering it’s free to play on Steam, you really have no excuse not to. Just try not to think of what could’ve been.

Outlands doesn’t change anything up in a meaningful way, doesn’t find a way to mix its two distinct styles of gameplay into something altogether more fun and doesn’t even fix the original game’s unfortunate frame rate issues. In every sense of it, Outlands is just “more TRON RUN/r.” That’s too bad, but it’s also not the worst thing to be.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is the epitome of the phrase, one step forward, two steps back. I hate comparing it to Human Revolution as it was something special, but Mankind Divided feels like an underwhelming, repackaged experience.

Fans have waited a long time for Rodea the Sky Soldier, but unfortunately the final experience never comes within range of Yuji Naka’s past masterpieces.

It may not be refined enough for adult gamers to enjoy, but it’s a fine choice for a generation of gamers that are tragically growing up without games of this type.

Should you be looking for a brief distraction or simply a game with a bare input to see most of what it has to offer, Beyond Blue provides a quaint, if a touch short, detour away from the regular catalog of current-year releases. While everything around the core presentation is not exactly extravagant or worthy of anything but a passing glance, that’s not to say E-Line Media haven’t at least made the feeling of moving about bodies of water one you can easily immerse in. An immersion that doesn’t bang you over the head with some last-minute lecture. Aided more appropriately by a well-integrated, ethereal score — complete with a tasteful selection of licensed tracks alike. The educational side of the content will naturally live or die by the player’s own personal interest on real-world sea-life. It may be far from the most complex of voyages, but Deep Blue‘s more laid back and meditative (if unremarkable) envisioning of life under the sea is sufficient enough in its intentions.

As should probably be expected of what’s basically a port of the Wii U version, this iteration of Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water offers a decidedly average horror experience. The story of Mt. Hikami and those tied to it is rather intriguing, and it is able to create a heavy, disquieting and even chilling atmosphere at times.

Looking back there is fun to be had sprinkled throughout, but the finale is so sour that it’s hard to see those moments.

When everything runs as it should, Echoes of the End is visually pleasing, but the actual gameplay and animations are lacking. What the game does end up doing well are the variety of ways you can handle the combat as you progress. Many of the issues lie with how the combat itself has been handled, with animations from both your main character and enemies being sluggish and hard to read at times. With proper love and attention to ironing out those edges, Echoes of the End has the potential to transform into an amazing title.

Slender: The Arrival boasts some genuinely scary moments, but offers little beyond them.

Re Mind rehashes so much Kingdom Hearts III that, when stripped away, leaves little new and worthwhile to dig into. The base game remains as fun to play as ever, but players don’t need to pay extra money to enjoy that. The new Limit Cut battles are a highlight that displays the complexity of the mechanics, but the other new additions aren’t anything special. Scala Ad Caelum and the Final Fantasy characters are deeply disappointing. The new cutscenes are nice, but they don’t answer many of the lingering questions. Kingdom Hearts III remains an excellent game, and Re Mind does allow players to jump back in for a few hours, but $29.99 is too much to ask for a DLC that barely adds anything new.

Skyrim offers the most complete VR experience on PlayStation 4, but it comes at a cost. While RE7 might have been done better, it wasn’t for everyone. The nausea issues with Skyrim VR are going to be an issue due to the amount of time needed for grinding and exploration. Every piece of content that’s been released is included, but it’ll be hard for fans to shell out more money for a game they already own. Nobody should have to buy the same game three or four times to get enhancements. After playing through a game of this scale, is it worth doing again especially with the threat of sickness?

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

Resident Evil Revelations was a step in the right direction five years ago, but has since worn out its welcome. The game is enjoyable and features a undeniably spooky atmosphere, but at the end of the day, it's a five year old 3DS game on its third life.

The game itself does work as an introduction to the series, giving the briefest of glimpses as to why it’s so popular, and piling on the fan service with countless playable and support characters. Neither good nor bad, it exists. That will be enough for many fans.

New Retro Arcade: Neon had everything going for it, including a tremendous amount of goodwill thanks to the original proof of concept on Oculus Rift. While this paid version adds new features and more reasons to play, there’s still a feeling that something is missing.

Deadfall Adventures rises above its issues and somehow becomes an average bit of adventuring, and while that may not do it any favors during a crazy-busy holiday season, it’s still not a bad way to blow off a couple night’s gaming.

When you take all of the flaws and advancements with the game, The 40th Day really just balances out to be equal to if not slightly behind where the first one started.

fault milestone two side:above teases fans with a taste of what’s to come but in the end doesn’t provide enough for long-term satisfaction.

Earth’s Dawn has many good ideas going for it, but unfortunately doesn’t execute them in a way that brings excellence to the action RPG genre. It’s a good game but doesn’t reach any level of greatness; it is entertaining but not enthralling.

It’s shocking how little content there is in Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash. As much as we’d love to explore the title further, the rabbit hole doesn’t go any deeper.

I'll be honest here: Data Squad really isn't going to make a lot of converts. [Oct 2007, p.60]

As it stands, FK Digital’s latest title feels like it simply needed more time in the oven. Because of that, Chaos Code will probably come off to most as a forgettable title amidst a genre that has far better games for one to spend their time and money on.

So, players with a strong sense of patience and more forgiveness than should be required in their souls should check this out. There are jewels among the rubble of this tower.

Payday 2: Crimewave Edition isn’t broken to the point of being unplayable, but it has just enough issues to make it annoying.

.hack//G.U. was a flawed but ultimately entertaining JRPG when it rolled out on PlayStation 2 and the same can be said about Last Recode. The story is adequate enough to keep you interested and it helps it’s populated with a fun and highly diverse cast of characters. Unfortunately, you have to weigh your interest for an intriguing story against the dated gameplay. Even in the later parts of the game, the combat remains stale and repetitive to a degree of anguish, with the idea of environmental variety being non-existent. There are quite a few side quests to partake in, some with their own unique quirks, but they are based on a system that will have a tough time holding your attention. It helps that the new volume concludes things in a more satisfying manner, but it should have been a more fleshed-out piece of content, especially considering it will last most players only a handful of hours. At the end of the day, if you can put up with all of the baggage, and there’s a lot of it, you’ll find a world worth venturing.

Unfortunately, the game comes up short in a few areas. The story is terrible and the way it forces players to unlock it through Memoria feels more to do with padding than anything else. NT doesn’t provide enough content to support the robust gameplay on offer and much of it is recycled from the more feature-rich PSP games. Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is a well-presented package with excellent gameplay, but doesn’t pack enough new in to support it.

Dust & Neon has all of the tools and gunslinging gameplay needed to offer up a good time, but it’s hindered by a lack of story or characters to be invested in, bad AI on occasions and a structure that just ends up dragging things out for too long. There’s still fun to be had here in successfully beating enemies to the punch with it comes to being the quicker draw, and maybe those who are more patient will find something to truly enjoy, but for those looking for a good twin-stick shooter, roguelike, or both, there are many better options out there.

With some fine-tuning and a more effective blending of old mechanics and newfangled, newcomer-friendly ones, Gust may have a top-notch JRPG hit on their hands next time — but only next time, because this time they’ve missed the mark ever so slightly, despite their intentions being in the right place.

Kung Fury: Street Rage doesn’t do much, but what it does is done well.

While Monopoly for Nintendo Switch doesn’t feel like a big enhancement of the three-year-old iteration that came before, the flexibility of options it retains does incentivize those initially put off by the game’s infamously, never-ending demeanor. Unfortunately the questionable frame-rate levels, wonky online experience, not to mention the plague of lengthy load times one can suffer through at unknown times, ultimately stop the game far short of being considered an essential Switch library addition. Charming and surprisingly effective moreso with its strategic elements it might be, the issues present will require anyone going into this to be just that bit more wary.

MLB The Show 26 retains the series reputation as a fun game of baseball. If you've never played a baseball game before, you won't be disappointed. If you have, it's hard to ignore the shortcomings. The visuals are dated and need an overhaul, which hopefully will come in the next generation of consoles. The hitting with the Big Zone Hitting and adjustable zone speed is some of the best in the history of the series. The Bare Down Pitches don't really serve a purpose other than implementing the Depth of Field addition to the game. This also looks strange when hitting, but can help identify the ball off of the pitcher's hand. RTTS is a slight improvement thanks to its early game updates, while Franchise gets a slight boost with the new Trade Hub and logic updates to help keep players engaged. No longer is there a March for October mode, and Diamond Dynasty only ends up getting World Baseball Classic players and gear. MLB The Show has transitioned more towards a closed sandbox of a baseball game offering players a few of the same options each year to play, but won't expand beyond this.

Mario Party 10 takes tantalizing strides towards the innovation players have been calling out for, but its lack of commitment to any of its modes ultimately sees it fall flat.

By the end of What We Deserve, Michonne and her companions find themselves basically right back where they started, right before the credits roll with a song that actually fades out before all of the names even finish rolling, creating an uncomfortable silence. Yes, this episode almost literally goes out not with a bang, but with a whimper.

High on Life 2 is a sequel that takes meaningful steps forwards with its storytelling and variety, but also many steps back with its gunplay, level design and lack of refinement. It's an ambitious sequel that's fun in doses, but this comedy bit off way more than it could chew.

From a technical perspective, Crysis Remastered looks fantastic when taking in the sights, but that presentation is ultimately marred by consistent and noticeable framerate hiccups and technical issues. Crysis Remastered manages to outshine the PS3 and Xbox 360 console versions and stands as a solid return to the Crysis franchise. It just feels like too much was sacrificed to get such a demanding game running on the Switch.

Where Knights and Bikes meets the pass-mark for a sufficient, story-focused adventure title, it unfortunately falters with its insistence on a gameplay front that’s ultimately lacking and too often reliant on a repeated formula. If you can look past its formulaic moments of enemy-routing and the dead air that are its A-to-B travel, the tale being told in Knights and Bikes is pleasant enough and one that’s sure to raise a smile or two.

If you’re smitten by the style and want a casual dual joystick shooter to plow through in an afternoon, AIPD isn’t a bad purchase. But if you’re hoping for a shooter with some real meat to chew on, AIPD will leave you wanting.

The price is far too steep for what you’re getting, but Boss! is still worth checking out at some point if you’re interested in simple, mindless fun.

The only ones that should give this a look are those who have exhausted all of the other games of this genre and are still clamoring for another traditional monster-gathering RPG.

Its interesting polygonal graphics spawn original PlayStation-era nostalgia, but its archaic shooting mechanics feel just as dated. The campy dialogue should provide players with a few smiles, but there simply isn’t enough of it.

For a first attempt at the genre, Bat Country Games shows a clear understanding of how to integrate the player’s abilities within the level design, coercing players into switching between them in a rapid-fire fashion. Despite this, Dye still stumbles at the finish line by eliminating any sense of motivation to progress further, as uncontrollable, frequent deaths and infrequent checkpoints raise the challenge beyond what is necessary, or arguably feasible. Dye will still likely find an audience among speedrunners, as well as equally dedicated gamers who can put up with the repetition, but with plenty of challenging platformers already available that offer a more attainable rate of success, it will be hard for Dye to have that same rate of return that these demanding platformers so often rely upon.

While not the most substantial of releases, even in the context of this sub-genre of theme-injected side-scrolling platformers, one can’t help but hope to have discovered more in an experience like this. The origin of some parts and the reasons for others; strong and as impactful its opening remains, the game’s eventual unraveling sadly falls short of delivering on that early, promising, cleverly-distorted appearance. Pleasant that visual style and detail with its imagery remains throughout — a couple of instances where that combining of color and complexity does strike one or two favorable moments — Minute of Islands‘ unaltered, more-of-the-same approach to everything other than its imagery feels fated to be easily forgotten the moment the credits roll.

In spite of the preconceived notions and occasionally frustrating execution, Thief provides an intriguing and occasionally exciting foray into the shadows. It’s an experience that ranges from exceptional to entertaining — despite being as closeted as it is, and there’s enough to justify delving in if you can ignore a majority of its elements in favor of its superb stealth.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 was an entertaining but flawed game when it was released last year and it remains such on Nintendo Switch. If anything, this port feels like the worst version to pick up, with numerous graphical sacrifices and severe frame rate issues in the hub city whilst playing on the handheld mode. It does include the main story quests from the first game so newcomers won’t miss out on anything (even though the sequel’s story is similar), but the newly-added motion controls, while a novel idea, are far from the ideal way to play the game. The only appealing aspect for someone who has already enjoyed Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is that this version allows you to play it on the go, but even then it’s a messy port. For those new to the series, this is a solid entry point, but don’t expect it to set your world on fire.

There’s nothing wrong with a fluffy, simplistic story, but it’s a shame that it rarely manages to actually capture genuine interest because of how it plays so closely to trope conventions.

With a short run time, South of the Circle isn’t meant to be for someone looking to stretch their gaming dollar. It’s meant to be an expression, a mature tale rife with grown-up themes. This is something that the gaming scene could always use, especially as the existing audience grows older, and newer gamers have their own titles tailored to them. State of Play created an interesting story, something that does pull the player through to the end. Despite the graphical hiccups, it would have been an easy recommendation. How the actual interactive elements shakes out at the end, though, drop kicks the experience in the teeth. If it was a sub $5 price, it would be worth checking out, as it’s intriguing even when it falters. Anything more than that will likely leave the player cold.

Madden NFL 21 is a mix of missed opportunities. While it’s the best-looking version we’ve seen to date, EA Tiburon seems to have swayed the game in a different direction with new modes that keep you busy rather than engaged. The Yard is a mode that nobody asked for, and even if worth a shot, ended up shortsighted in its execution. Face of the Franchise continues to improve, but the fact an entire game has to be played on both sides of the ball just to extend the life of the mode is aggravating. Load times and transitions seem to be slow and it makes going through the fluff of MUT annoying. While the marketing has changed as the game lacks that true NFL feel, I do think the introductions are cool. The team also removed stats before starting a game. There are still legacy issues and bugs including Cam Newton being introduced as the Panthers quarterback even though it’s stated he’s on the Patriots. The gameplay is faster and the running game is more overpowered and that goes along with Superstar X-Factor 2.0. It’s hard to say where the franchise stands now in what it’s trying to accomplish with Madden NFL 21, but hopefully a new generation will bring a new experience.

LEGO Dimensions felt like much-needed innovation for a game series that has seen little change since its inception in 2006. Unfortunately, LEGO Marvel Avengers didn’t take many of those innovations to heart.

Wait for this one to show up in a bargain bin because the few things added into the series at this point do nothing to make up for its shortcomings.

For such a short game with so many issues, it seems crazy to recommend No Straight Roads. The story is overly drawn out, almost feeling like it was intended for a longer game, the levels are to be endured and the underlying systems meant to bring depth are just kind of there, staring at you, begging you to yell “Freebird” so it can go on a long tirade about jerks in the audience. Even the climax of the game felt tacked on. The boss fights, however, show flashes of well-designed brilliance. The game is designed to encourage experimentation to get the most of these parts, and then pushes the player into more elaborate variations that add to the challenge and fun. These parts make No Straight Roads an easy buy when it’s on sale, but it’s too bad that there’s more filler than killer here.

Runaway: The Dream of the Turtle starts off as a great adventure game, with plenty of potential, but basically throws it all away. [June 2007, p.58]

Ryse: Son of Rome has the visual fidelity of the future, while its gameplay and storytelling are stuck in the past.

It’s decent survival horror, but Silent Hill fans will be disappointed.

Enjoying Ragnarok Odyssey: ACE hinges on enjoying the original, because this is the same game that was released in 2012 with more content.

Far from the most complex, in-depth or even immersive game it may be, Chronos: Before the Ashes‘ straightforward, if a little dry, non-VR trip does avoid overstaying its brief, pleasant-enough welcome.

As it stands, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days proves to be the perfect weekend rental. In that weekend you can plow through the campaign with a friend in an afternoon, and get as much as you want out of the multiplayer.

Despite its shortcomings, it’s enjoyable, but only for hardcore JRPG fans.

Amazing Princess Sarah is well-worth five bucks if you love old-school gems like Castlevania but if you’re not into that classic retro scene, Amazing Princess Sarah will do as much to convince you of the genre’s flaws as it convinces you of its strengths.

Unfortunately, there's just too much about the game that doesn't work to counter-balance all of the good stuff. It's impossible to recommend when an RPG fan could be playing better things instead. [Oct 2007, p.58]

As it stands, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days proves to be the perfect weekend rental. In that weekend you can plow through the campaign with a friend in an afternoon, and get as much as you want out of the multiplayer.

While Aaero’s challenge is enticing to tackle, the unfortunate string of performance and gameplay issues add detriment to the overall package. Outside of its confined choice of soundtrack and noticeably similar level design from beginning to end, enjoyable as it may be to rack up as high a score as possible and even push one’s self to higher difficulty modes thereafter, Aaero doesn’t quite demonstrate the same degree of intrigue or immediacy that past and even fellow contemporary efforts within this genre have so clearly shown. A few interesting mechanics here and there, the majority of the game’s run-time is spent retreading the same loop — perhaps worrying more so on when the next game-breaking hiccup will pop up next.

It’s hard to fully recommend a game when so much of it is waved aside with “you’ll get used to it,” but once you fall into The Witch and the Hundred Knight‘s peculiar tempo, it’s not a bad way to dominate the world.

As it stands, Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days proves to be the perfect weekend rental. In that weekend you can plow through the campaign with a friend in an afternoon, and get as much as you want out of the multiplayer.

The fact that this was designed as a portable game ultimately is this version’s weakness and why the handheld version remains superior.

Furi is going to find its audience, that much is certain, but the real shame here is that with a couple of tweaks, that audience could have wound up being far larger than what it likely will be.

Those who enjoyed past entries will enjoy this one and get a kick out of the new right-stick jumping and aiming mechanic. Beyond that, there hasn’t been much added to the mix beyond superficial customization options.

If you’ve never played Indigo Prophecy before then you ought to give it a try, but you’d be better off digging up a PS2 copy than playing this mess.

Predator: Hunting Grounds is bolstered by its unique gameplay dynamics and beloved license, but falls flat thanks to unbalanced and repetitive matches as well as a general lack of polish. Some matches manage to capitalize on the thrill of hunting prey and surviving alien encounters, but the overly-simplistic Fireteam gameplay and the unnecessarily complicated Predator mechanics lead to matches that end far too quickly to feel satisfying for either side. With some post-launch balance refinements, additional polish and a proper Fireteam tutorial, the title could re-emerge as an imperfect but more frequently enjoyable experience thanks to its strong fundamentals. But as it stands, Predator: Hunting Grounds is tough to recommend at launch to those who don’t consider themselves diehard Predator or asymmetrical multiplayer fans.

There have been a slew of movie franchises that have gone with cooperative multiplayer experience in recent years. Aliens: Fireteam Elite goes deeper and offers a lot for those that like grinding. The game just lacks a hook to keep players engaged as missions are long and redundant. The weapon unlocks and adding perks helps to keep things going, but the means of the game is separately leveling up each of the five classes across twelve long missions. Hardcore Aliens fans that liked the action-focused movies that differ from the original may find this right up their alley. The audio aspect could be amazing if there was a way to mute the comms narrative that ruins the atmosphere of the game. Ultimately, Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a functional cooperative third-person shooter that’s an improvement to Colonial Marines, but doesn’t supersede Isolation.

The scale of one’s enjoyment with a game like B.I.O.T.A. depends entirely on what kind of game you’re expecting and more importantly, what area of game you end up gravitating towards coming out of it. For those in the Metroidvania camp, the game is an inoffensive if not entirely unique interpretation on the template. But on the platforming side, fortunes are far more favorable, playing host to sequences that are both well-executed and challenging on top. The fact these bright spots are so tucked away, though — caught between needless back-tracking and a general world design that can feel too linear — can lend itself to B.I.O.T.A. feeling too uneven and demanding on one’s patience to warrant seeing it through. Even so, it’s these precision platforming sequences, working together with the hyper-retro leanings, that just about pulls it from out the doldrums. It might not be posing any original ideas, but for better or worse, B.I.O.T.A.‘s know-how on old-school traits just about keeps it afloat.

It’s a nicely dystopic future, but needed to walk the mean streets of development a few more weeks before busting out to the big time.

Despite all its issues I honestly enjoyed SmuggleCraft. The tracks are a bit lonely, the challenge level is fairly low even when a mission says Death Trap and the menus desperately need another round of polish, but the courses are beautiful and fun to fly through in their detailed, low-poly way. Zipping through a canyon at mid-day looks very different from dawn, and weather effects dress up the scenery as well. Most sections can be done by tearing through at high speed but every once in a while you need to let up on the gas during the thin, guard rail-less sections, and while it’s eventually unlikely you’ll fall off the edge failure is still a possibility. There’s a lot of work left to do to get SmuggleCraft to become the game it should have been on launch, but if it can get there it’s going to be a fantastic chase through gorgeous low-poly worlds.

Legend of Kay Anniversary reworks a solid PS2 game onto more modern hardware, but doesn’t do much with the hardware to make the game better.

While an undeniably beautiful game to look at, the underlying technical issues hamper the presentation. Godfall stands as a decent first attempt at a new IP with solid ideas and great combat, but doesn’t stick the whole landing.

Randal’s Monday doesn’t do everything right, but the things it does do right are daring, and in a genre that’s been lost to the ether for years, that’s definitely something.

Destiny: Rise of Iron is a big step back from The Taken King. While The Taken King was willing to push Destiny forward with brand new ideas, features, and a ton of new content, Rise of Iron is perfectly fine with recycling what has been run into the ground.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is, at best, a minimal improvement over its predecessor while sharing a lot of the same issues, but there’s just something so endearing about how it all came together.

For this particular game to have truly shined, we would have needed to see a much better narrative and a more varied set of missions. Unfortunately for gamers far and wide, Mad Max is far more likely to frustrate than entertain.

It’s hard to fathom what Ubisoft plans for this series going forward, but they should figure it out sooner rather than later, because continuing to release the core game for the Wii and ignoring the potential of the streaming service seems like a sign of regression. As for the core game itself, there’s an innovative new mode on the Nintendo Switch version, the interface is easier to navigate and the song list is decent enough, if typically underwhelming. There’s hints of Ubisoft doing the right thing, like throwing in a song or two from an unknown artist and trying out new modes, but they never see it all the way through. Frankly, it’s time for a reboot if Unlimited isn’t the future of Just Dance.

Tokyo 42 has a lot of potential, and moments of greatness where it can deliver satisfying action, but unfortunately gets bogged down by an annoying camera and notable structure issues and technical snafus. There’s still fun to be had in the candy-coated world of a futuristic Japan, especially when it comes to exploration and the occasional parkour, but those looking for a more focused and more effective action game would be better off checking something else instead. So in the end, it’s sadly less Blade Runner and more Johnny Mnemonic.

The best word to describe Fork Parker’s Holiday Profit Hike is “finicky.” Collision detection is imprecise and inconsistent, and the controls feel overly slippery, even for a game largely about running around on ice.

One step forward and two steps back for the XIII saga and will only attract those looking for fan-service or high-octane combat.

At the end of the day, SlashDash doesn’t go beyond being just a neat little idea that’s fun for a couple of sittings.

If Super Pixel Smash was one part of a larger collection of mini-games, it would be a standout. Things can get a bit hectic and there is some skill required, but it doesn’t manage to extend past feeling like a mini-game.

Calling in powerful weaponry and vehicles to blow up bases of enemies rarely ever gets old. Traversing the distinct biomes while swapping between the wingsuit and parachute remains a fun way to get across the world. On the other hand, the terrible enemy AI quickly turns combat into a real bore and the redundant objectives strip the game of what makes it a blast in the first place. It also doesn’t help that, aside from the supply drops, the game’s signature features never live up to their potential.

Lionheart gets a couple things right, but overall results in a rather forgettable and generic experience. The best comparison I make to the game is vanilla ice cream; it’s not something that is going to cause a visceral reaction of outright disgust and repulsion, but it isn’t anything to get excited about it. The dialogue between characters is entertaining and does provide some distraction to how lackluster the story is. The combat is fun, but because of how formulaic each dungeon is going through one or two of them in a sitting is plenty. It’s a mediocre game that wouldn’t bring about buyer’s remorse, but also isn’t a must-play. This is an ideal title for people who revel in the idea of being entertained by snarky character banter enough to settle for average gameplay — approximately 50-100 hours of it. For those who enjoy JRPGs and visual novels, this may be an enjoyable experience that provides a good bang for the buck, but this title does not excel on either front.

A little more variety in victory conditions or evolving complexity through the campaign or in skirmishes would give the game a better chance at a longer life on the hard drive.

Desync is not the worst first person shooter I have ever played, but it just doesn’t bring anything to the table to make it that worthwhile either. It does a good job at recreating how the ’80s tried to create something that looked futuristic, but this stylized homage to that decade is definitely style over substance.