In a genre where games need to be well-oiled machines to be enjoyable, this one sadly doesn't make the grade. [June 2007, p.56]

Don’t let these voluptuous young women seduce you: Onechanbara Z2: Chaos is flawed beyond measure with its only redeeming quality being competent combat mechanics.

Arguments could be made that the inception of this title was well intentioned with some great plans, but the execution is where everything falls apart like a Formula One racer held together with Silly Putty.

Most of this review was spent pointing out where John Wick Chronicles fails fans of the movie, and that is a major issue. While it doesn’t always work out, even the worst licensed game still has hopes of trying to capture the feel of the franchise it’s using. Outside of the Continental, this game doesn’t. One cannot help but think that there were some grand designs for what the game was going to be before the deadline in the form of the sequel’s release reared its head. Anyone who can put that aside and wants a decent gallery shooter can have a good time with John Wick Chronicles. The targets are plentiful and the game likes to use all 360 degrees around the player for their spawn points, meaning it takes advantage of the ability to turn around, something that some other similar titles can’t even state. So, while John Wick Chronicles cannot be recommended at full price, it’s worth snagging when a proper sale comes around.

The House of the Dead: Remake had a lot working in its favor going in that didn’t pan out in the end. The main problems lie in the controls, which never work as well as they should, at least at launch. It’s entirely possible like with the Panzer Dragoon Remake that improvements make the post-launch experience better, but as it stands, it’s hard to recommend this for serious light gun fans or those just looking to see what all the fuss was about in the genre 20-30 years ago. Playing the game varies from being fun when things work to being frustrating when they don’t work well — and that happens more than it should. It’s not a great-looking game, but does sound great and will hopefully receive post-launch support to improve the experience overall.

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.

So much of Armikrog feels neglectful and lazy, lacking anything to make it stand out. Even the claymation look of it doesn’t save it from the carelessness put into it. It’s hard to see where that million dollars went. All of that said, it isn’t terrible, but if you’ve never had the pleasure of playing The Neverhood, do yourself a favor and pick that up instead.

All in all, Nether is a great time. It’s a highly engaging and realized survival experience; something we need more of.

Dead Island: Riptide is a game where enjoyment hinges entirely on personal satisfaction of repetitively killing thousands of zombies and having friends with the same passion. For these select people, Riptide can be a whole lot of fun; but for anybody going it solo or demanding more from a game than just mindless violence, however, it will prove increasingly tedious.

Gungrave G.O.R.E. marks Grave’s return to blasting everything in sight. Fans of the earlier entries in the series will be happy to see the gameplay has remained largely the same, which is charge into battle with guns blazing for pure action-packed carnage. Mindless mayhem and destruction can be a good time and that’s exactly what this title delivers, which works as a double-edged sword for Gungrave. Because of how basic and repetitive the gameplay can be, it’s easy to lose interest after a few levels and not find the experience of playing it fulfilling. On the other hand, there are times when it’s good to just turn the brain off and have fun, and when that mood strikes, Gungrave G.O.R.E. is just what the doctor ordered.

It may have nothing new to offer, but the combination of tried and tested mechanics with a dash of teen-soap drama turn its eleventh-hour attempt to organize humanity’s last line of defense into an adequate diversion.

For all the promise Pixel Pi shows amid the early phases, Pulse sadly delves little further into evolving from out its basic foundation — new ideas introduced later on feeling out of place and poorly executed, it’s hard to see them as anything other than square pegs forcibly shunt into round holes.

Simplistic and often jarring its intended design may seem, Soul Axiom is a game that requires, as much cunningly desires, the player’s warranted need to look beyond the surface that’s initially presented. Whether that be in its puzzle design or the ample conflict of environments, Wales Interactive do just enough with the overarching themes of simulation and replication to make its superficial locales feel that extra bit suspicious.

Cat lovers in particular are likely to get more enjoyment from stepping into the paws in this cat simulator and hunting down the various cat pictures than those who do not enjoy feline companionship.

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

Epic Dumpster Bear isn’t terrible. It runs smoothly with no frame rate hiccups or annoying glitches, but the controls are counterintuitive and the first few worlds are a bit of a drag. You’ll start to have some fun if you can manage to hang around until the fourth world, but the game hits its stride too late in the adventure, making it nearly impossible to warrant a replay.

The basics of TombStar are well done, with nicely-frantic action that keeps the bullets flowing at a good pace. The variety of enemies makes each encounter use all the skills and perks you’ve got available, dodging and taking cover while hoping there isn’t someone off to the side about to spring an unpleasant surprise. It’s a good combat flow, but the bits that make it better come slowly or run out just as you’re starting to enjoy them. For an action-roguelike, TombStar nails the action but moves too slowly on the roguelike, leading to a twin-stick shooter whose best bits never last long enough to make it great.

It’s far from bad and that’s frustrating because you can see it achieve great heights — it just doesn’t do it as often as it could if they fine-tuned the concept instead of trying to throw everything into the stew at once.

Tough racetracks and quick losses lend themselves very well to short bursts of gameplay, but in a world where Jet Car Stunts 2 exists, alongside other, more polished challenging games, it simply doesn’t hold up.

Wanted: Dead is a punishingly-difficult bloodbath that’s a joy to play. The stages are a brutal mix of swordplay and gun battles with a combat system that’s rewarding once the timing is mastered. In between stages there are several minigames that offer a sense of levity to help break up the violence against the corrupt corporate overlords, whether it be through karaoke, an eating contest or a good old fashioned arcade game. The style of gameplay feels like a modern take on third-person action games from the early 2000s which isn’t a bad thing at all. Wanted: Dead pulls no punches when it comes to challenging the player, but that’s what makes finally completing it feel so satisfying.

Mugen Souls Z isn’t a great RPG, but it’s an entertaining one, and there’s enough meat on its bones to keep you playing for a good long while.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon may not be a truly complete experience, but it's just that: a good time. At their core, I think that's what games should be all about.

Dawn of Mana is a hodgepodge of ideas that range from nonsensical to decent, all smooshed together in a failure of a game. [June 2007, p.54]

A failure on essentially every front, Submerged is likely best left at the bottom of the ocean its overgrown setting takes place in, which is truly a shame.

It looks good and sounds creepy and unsettling and though Renegade Kid has tweaked the gameplay and systems to make it friendlier, Dementium Remastered is still a victim of some awkward controls, borderline bland level design and an overall feeling of repetition.

The host of technical issues mean that Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command ultimately feels like a bad joke played on anyone who expected it to provide a compelling strategy experience.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown offers up a lot of fun both on the track and in its simulated world. A lot of work was put in to make Hong Kong Island feel like a realistic place with far more exploration than one is used to in a racing game. Some of those elements don't hit perfectly, but the on-track performance is what counts the most and Solar Crown largely succeeds there. Races are fun and even on-foot exploration offers up something that helps Solar Crown stand out. Unfortunately, the online-only component of things complicates far more of the experience than it benefits and causes odd problems to occur that makes it tough to fully recommend Solar Crown.

It’s a mediocre brawler, an interrupted open world adventure, and a decent visual novel, but ultimately the game lacks the confident quirkiness the initial idea clearly had in spades.

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

It’s rare to see a title with so much promise wasted. This is a game that needed some sort of oversight. Somebody needed to step up and explain that things were getting way out of hand with the currencies, that the mysterious appearing enemies style of challenge doesn’t fit with the mechanics as designed, that surprise instant death isn’t fun within the confines of a cover shooter. That didn’t happen. Instead of being pulled back from the precipice, MercurySteam merrily stepped over, embracing oblivion. The splatty mess that resulted was scraped up and released for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. The actual talent that went into this game dripped through the crack in this Broken Planet.

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.

While it can be enjoyable, Jump Force’s power level is nowhere near 9000. This is unfortunate, as the concept for Jump Force is a good idea at its basic level and it’s clear the developers are passionate about the source material but the title ultimately does not live up to the idea’s potential. The story fails to really explain what’s going on and who all these characters are, but also is able to do so in a way where you don’t really care that you’re missing out on what should be pertinent information. The gameplay itself is enjoyable though not groundbreaking, and while there’s a fair amount of fun to be had here, there are more worthwhile options out there.

In the end, Velvet Assassin is definitely worth a playthrough.

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

At its core, Surgeon Simulator: A&E Anniversary Edition on PS4 is still effectively the same game as it was on PC, just with a few more additions.

The Technomancer in the end, if ambitious, doesn’t quite meet the standards of its seniors it so desperately vouches to meet.

A fleeting handful of positives to share, for Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood is a predominantly dull and tonally-misguided addition to the World of Darkness property.

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.

Gyruss never managed to attain the popularity of other shooters of the time such as "Galaga", but it deserved better. [July 2007, p.69]

It’s fun and challenging enough to keep Pokémon and puzzle fans entertained.

Infinity Runner has a fun, unique concept that isn’t utilized to the fullest.

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

Despite technical hiccups and awkward moments, the gleefully bizarre characters, twisted and intriguing story, quirky dialogue and loads of fun content to fiddle around with in Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise provides an experience worth checking out, albeit one you may find yourself questioning at certain points.

Neptunia Virtual Stars is a good game in the long-running series, but does fall short in terms of being a great gateway game. The shooting action is solid and the hack and slash combat is rewarding, but the camera does get in the way too often and the lack of an English dub will make this tougher to get into for newcomers. For longtime fans, it’s a completely different change of pace for the cast and feels like a nice shot in the arm from the norm. It also has a pleasing visual style and uses a far more modern graphical styles than one might expect from what’s normally a low-tech series that isn’t known for pushing visual boundaries. The soundtrack is a lot of fun and keeps you humming and tapping your toes to the songs.

Dragoneer's Aria is so RPG it hurts. It's solid, it's hard, and it somehow manages to look like a PS2 game on the PSP. It just doesn't have that one unique oomf that pushes it to the top. [Vol 3, Issue 2, p.59]

Mega Coin Squad is a fun, frantic and wholly unique action platformer with all sorts of crazy ideas and mechanics built around a clear and engaging objective of collecting and banking as many coins as possible.

The Mean Greens has a strong core concept, but wrapped around it is a game that feels a few major patches short of its potential. Levels are clever and gameplay modes are varied, but the shooting is imprecise and lackluster and without specializations or level incentives, there isn’t much reason to keep playing.

In the end, Rise of the Tomb Raider: Cold Darkness Awakened ends up being a forgettable experience

Everything about this game clicks, even though it probably shouldn’t work in theory. Anyone who loves a casual golf game should check it out.

Given the number and diversity of titles in the survival sandbox genre, there is little reason to explore the world of Shattered Skies and plenty reason to give it a miss.

Perception isn’t great, failing to clear every benchmark that it set out for itself by a healthy margin. It could fall back on the fact that it was trying something experimental as an excuse for what went wrong, but there are too many experimental games in today’s day and age for me to cut any slack for the mess that is this game. With the pedigree of the team that created it and the lofty expectations that it set out for itself, it fails to live up even to modest expectations. While it’s noble to attempt to tackle representation in interesting ways, Perception isn’t a poster child for what games of this persuasion should strive to be.

ENIGMA: is a surprising visual novel in how well it brings together humor, mystery and drama. It takes skillful writing to make this work as well as it does here.

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

As a big fan of the developer, I’m sorry to say that if you’re not feeling nostalgic of the original, stay away from Superfrog HD. It isn’t good, but worst of all, it’s not fun.

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.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III has its moments of triumph, but they are few and far between. There’s still fun to be had in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, but this year’s entry feels like a stopgap while we wait for the next major release.

All said and done, while Gameloft may have had some good intentions with Texas Hold’em Poker – a family-friendly game of Texas Hold’em with online play to boot – I simply can not recommend this game to anyone outside of those looking strictly for a Wii poker experience.

It’s not Suda’s best, but it’s ambitious, and there’s a lot to be said for that. If you’re looking for your next unique and obscure experience, you’ve found it.

Bound by Flame is a charming RPG that’s fundamentally and mechanically flawed.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint is a good game overall. The biggest complaint is that it generally feels like a mashup of other recent Ubisoft shooters and even with some attempts at forging its own identity, it seems like a game we’ve already played recently. In spite of this, there’s quite a bit of fun to had and people who can’t enough of Wildlands or The Division 2 would likely find the same excitement here. If expectations are tempered for a familiar game that is derivative of previous contemporary titles, there’s a lot of fun to be had on Aurora in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, but players expecting something drastically different and new will be looking a long time on the island.

Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded is just like the original, but bigger, longer, harder and the perfect vehicle for Larry’s second coming.

BeatBlasters III encourages excitement and the party vibe with its aesthetic, but its design does nothing but slog around obnoxious escorts and defense missions that instantly overstay their welcome.

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.

For all the temporal distractions, the near-mandatory attitude and dictation its open-World formula ends up presenting may end up dealing a blow to Sniper Ghost Warrior 3‘s small and hidden joys of explorative distraction. But the heaviest of blows will no doubt come from its near-constant technical issues that are varied in scale but frustratingly, persistently present throughout.

This is the definition of a niche title. Fans of either series are going to dig it...other gamers, maybe not so much. It's fun for a little while, but not really that great. [Vol 3, Issue 2, p.66]

This would have been a great game for $39.99, but is very hard to recommend at $60. [July 2007, p.59]

Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles was a staple for many gamers’ childhood. Despite the rough nature of the original PlayStation release, the game’s fast-paced, co-op action managed to find a place in many hearts. While it would have been great to see a proper remaster that smoothed out all the game’s rough edges, Aspyr Media has done an admirable job with this port. The studio has managed to preserve the fun, couch co-op beat ‘em up adventure all while modernizing the controls, smoothing out platforming, and unlocking all content from the start. While it would have been nice to get some other modern quality-of-life features (i.e. online co-op, better vehicle controls) and a massive enhancement to the game’s presentation, what we do get is the most accessible, fair, and fun version of Jedi Power Battles ever released.

Haze can be enjoyable, but it's far from the PS3's killer app.

To be fair, however, Humans Must Answer is a good example of a specific sub-genre of shooter, but it’s just not one that happens to be much fun.

What originally comes off as something completely mindless ends up turning out to be an incredibly exhilarating action games that truly tests your skills…and also happens to have a lot of fun moments that are completely mindless.

Crimson Dragon is an impressive game that falls short of Panzer Dragoon‘s lofty heights.

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.

What could have been a good game inspired by the great "Warioware" series instead is nothing more than a poor imitation. [Nov 2007, p.62]

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.

Any gluttons for punishment or those with an open mind for SRPGs should enjoy it. [July 2007, p.65]

Go in just wanting a good time and Grease can be fun.

What Monochroma gets right, however, is tone and gameplay. The puzzle platforming is fun to solve once you get the feel for character movement, there’s a lot of variety in puzzle design, and some very clever level layout ties everything together.

It’s finicky, but worth your time if the concept intrigues you.

Had Bullet Witch been a launch title, this bitter pill could've been swallowed, but with so many other great choices out there like "Gears of War" or "Lost Planet," there's simply no reason to play this. [Apr 2007, p.54]

For all of its noticeable issues, Acquire’s risk to try something new in Akihabara pays off. Akiba’s Beat is a superb game for players who want an anime imbued, character driven experience that refuses to take itself seriously. The very enthusiasm that the makers obviously have for their subject pulses through the title, giving it a true personality that helps it stand on its own. It keeps the rhythm like me behind the drum set: the heart is absolutely in it but the sticks get dropped a few times. Fans of the Persona series and those who enjoy otaku culture and its trappings will find plenty of reason to groove to Akiba’s Beat. Just be prepared for the parts when it loses its tempo.

Zack Zero could have shot for the star of “inoffensive mediocrity” and gotten higher marks for the effort. What’s on display here, however, is the product of a game development fiasco that dragged some seemingly good people through a gauntlet of emotional and financial insanity.

Bombing Bastards serves its purpose well, which is to be a Bomberman game in everything but name — and even there couldn’t steer clear of the influential series completely.

Originally conceived for touch screens, the game still plays better with finger swipes than mouse control.

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.

It’s not perfect, but this game fills a niche in the VR market with its entrancing environments and fun take on a compulsive literary tale. Alice VR is best experienced with a set of goggles, but it’s a great experience for anyone.

This is not to say that Criminal Girls: Invite Only is inherently broken; it certainly functions and offers over twenty hours of gameplay, but there’s better JRPGs available.

The framework of what could be a solid title is in place; perhaps even the talent to see it through. But as it stands, DreadOut is plagued with poor design choices and a small budget.

If you like challenging platformers with some minor puzzle elements thrown in, you’ll probably love Alien Spidy. The control issues make it hard to recommend at full price, but it’s an easy recommendation to try out when it goes on sale at some point in the future.

Mugen Souls is a fun, fast-paced RPG with a goofy sense of humor and a million interlocking gameplay systems, and both makes fun of and feels like a throwback to a more traditional style of RPG. Ignore the character art and dive in - you'll have a great time converting the world to minion-hood.

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

Saint Seiya: Brave Soldiers feels like a rushed game with a very small budget.

Unfortunately, Calvino Noir doesn’t meet the expectations that come with this genre and style.

A.W.: Phoenix Festa attempts to combine an action RPG with a dating sim and is actually able to pull it off.

While Homefront: The Revolution had potential to be great, its mediocre gameplay, lackluster story and myriad of technical issues make it one of the biggest disappointments of the generation. The PC’s iteration’s disastrous framerate and texture streaming follies take what could have been a halfway decent game and make it a pure test of patience on the part of the player.

The most insidious thing about Moebius is that you don’t know how wretched it truly is until the very end.

Despite nailing the feeling of flying around in its Javelin suits and crafting a beautiful world, there’s nothing in Anthem to hold a player’s interest. It all gets old quickly thanks to bland encounters, dumb enemies, a borderline empty world and a dull story. Add to that a general sense of technical instability, loading issues, non-existent end-game and utterly boring loot, and the result is a game that feels unfinished, underdeveloped and wholly unsatisfying. Maybe check it out a year from now, but don’t even bother otherwise. There are many other games that offer a similar experience and they all do it better.

Knack’s not perfect, and shouldn’t be your first priority when picking up a PS4, but if you miss the old days, or want to share a bit of them with your kids, it may very well be worth your while.

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.