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.