It’s strange to see that a follow-up that is in theory better wind up being less fun than the first, but that’s the case with Gear Club Unlimited 2. The game needed a bit more time in the oven and it’s evident in the final product.

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.