It might not get the balance right when it comes to deciding when and when not to teach players the rules in place, but for those willing to look past these frustrations and bear the brunt of a grueling introduction, BELOW‘s simplified stylings and anxious trek downward offer up a decent-enough spin on survival and roguelike exploration alike.

Even with the annoyance of the narrator being so utterly clueless, there’s no question that Maquette is effective at illustrating the pain of a good relationship gone bad. The integration of puzzles and story never gel as it should, with only the setting feeling like it was at all related to the narrated events, but even so the pace of each was strong enough that it never feels like things lag — solve puzzle, get story. Usually just a few lines at a time, hovering over a wall or other piece of environment, but it still felt like a nice way to mark progress as one solution flowed into another. Without the story Maquette would still be a nicely-intriguing puzzler, and the scaling of the environments made for truly enjoyable moments when what seemed like a small irrelevant detail on a prop turned into the solution to a whole area. At this point it should be clear that I’ve got mixed feelings on Maquette, but there’s no question that I’m glad to have played it and won’t be forgetting the game any time soon.

The problem is that. at press time, Castle Crashers is as glitchy as it gets. [Fall 2008, p.54]

Although it provides fun in small doses, the difficulty quickly ramps up in a way that requires patience to progress. Hardcore puzzle fans, however, should not pass it up for exactly that reason.

Wolfstride has its flaws, but if you’re willing to get past them, it ends up having a unique charm in its story, characters and combat that’s worth checking out. Sure, the giant anime mech battles may be a main draw, but you’ll stay for the clever bits of character development and glimpses into the history and personalities of these rascals as you get to know them. Wolfstride doesn’t always land with a huge mechanical blow, but it can still deliver a decent hit overall.

If you needed proof that some games end up putting out what you yourself put in, WRC 7 is likely the closest the series has gotten into successfully drawing in the more casual players, all the while maintaining the series’ raw and challenging simulation edge.

Underwhelming visual style notwithstanding, Son of Scoregasm is a well-designed shooter tailored to players who have grown weary of the rut that the genre has worn into the road. The mechanics are unique and enticing while the stage design thoughtfully uses these tools to craft a compulsively-playable title. It’s just different enough to feel completely fresh while hewing to a simplicity that allows for easy understanding. This is a fantastic game for score chasers and those that simply want to challenge themselves.

Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back may not be perfect, but it’s easily the best Bubsy game ever made.

Even though its story will leave most players unsatisfied and its open-world design is questionable at best, its phenomenal side stories and often entertaining gameplay will prevent distaste. This isn’t the next The Last of Us, and its narrative comes nowhere close to Telltale’s The Walking Dead, but the framework is in place for a generally good time.

The difficulty curve is staggering, which may force you to find ways of completing a level beyond what they intended.

While it won’t blow anyone away, Mary Skelter: Nightmares is a well put together, enjoyable experience and a worthy addition to any dungeon crawler RPG fan’s collection.

There’s a lot to like about Carrie’s Order Up! The charming concept and visuals enhance its core frantic arcade gameplay. Serving customers is hectic fun and failures usually seem fair. Completing the main mode might not take very long, but the game continues to add value with additional modes and challenges.

The gorgeous locales and emotional storytelling shine through exceptionally well via PSVR. With that said, it seems that virtual reality was not in the design plans from the get-go. Sure, it doesn’t get players motion sick, but there’s often a feeling of being lost when playing in VR that isn’t there during non-VR gameplay. [Tested with PSVR]

The moments in-between -- especially those the game deems most critical to plot and progression -- may not have the same punch, but Ghostwire: Tokyo though briefly just about shines through where it matters. A journey you will actively and quickly decide against sprinting through.

Kane & Lynch is more "Freedom Fighters" than "Hitman", so it should appeal to action junkies looking for their next fix. [Dec 2007, p.67]

If you played and enjoyed Knee Deep, Act 1: Wonderland then there’s little doubt you will also dig this latest release. Just don’t expect to learn much more about the whole situation before this episode wraps up.

Song of the Deep could have been downright outstanding, but there’s enough flaws here to bump it back down into the realm of simply good. If you’re looking for a title with a touching story and gorgeous art-design, you could do a lot worse than Insomniac’s underwater metroidvania adventure.

While its lacking narrative and world-building comes off a missed opportunity that, despite momentary hints, never properly materializes, Hauntii and Moonloop Games' admiration and understanding of collectathon-styled adventures is what keeps this latest journey through the afterlife feeling anything but lifeless. The two-tone aesthetic and use of light-and-dark contrast, specifically in the context of level design, is where the game is at its most cleverly-orchestrated. Despite its minimalist appearance, this is a game whose subtle suggestions to maybe venture off the beaten path now and again is never too far away. Complimented along the way by a possession-based mechanic that plays host to challenges, mini-games and even a couple of set-pieces providing just the right amount of variety. It may not go down as the most memorable or indeed the most fulfilling example of its genre or indeed this style of game, but Hauntii still proves that even flawed creations can still bear a welcome level of enjoyment.

The use of mouse, while functional and serviceable, takes away from the true potential of the gesture-heavy gameplay. As it stands now, though, Fearless Fantasy is still a nicely streamlined role playing battle marathon.

While you may have to be prepared for a slow start and a grind, there’s fun to be found in Crown Trick, thanks to its unique turn-based take on roguelike dungeon crawlers, its enjoyable and deep mechanics, and the vibrant world of the Nightmare Realm. Whether you’re a patient player, a strategy buff or just someone looking for something different, NEXT Studios have something for you that might not be an absolute dream, but will be an interesting little fantasy.

World of Final Fantasy is comfort food for any traditional JRPG fans. What it lacks in some key aspects, it makes up for by leaps and bounds in the design and charm put into its nostalgia-tinged landmarks and characters.

NHL 24 does do some things that make changes to gameplay in a positive way. The checking is improved and going with the Total Control scheme allows for some more simplistic gameplay while netting advanced results. The Exhaust Engine is a nice addition that’s really only achievable to its maximum during power plays as it’s difficult to keep the puck in the offensive zone for two minutes straight, especially with this A.I. being so aggressive and overkill, once again. HUT Moments are the shining mode addition this year, but these classic moments to relive are locked behind HUT thus requiring an internet connection. Otherwise, outside of cross-play for that and CHEL, the rest of the game is mostly untouched and once again feels familiar.

As a standalone game, God Eater Resurrection is a decent time.

Though not quite matching the Everest-high peak of its contemporaries, Creepy Castle delivers enough charm and quirkiness to leave a satisfying impression. Satisfying enough to look past the aspect ratio, put it that way.

EA Sports UFC 2 still has some kinks to work out, but the overall experience has improved over its predecessor.

It has its share of issues, but DW7: Empires turns out to be an incredibly addictive experience.

Still, if you’ve got an itch for post-apocalyptic worlds and a need to try and see how well you’d do in surviving them, it’s a quality game that can be recommended. Just make sure to keep plenty of hinges handy.

There's a video gaming trope that some of the most fondly remembered games are 7 out of 10 and Rusty Rabbit could be the poster child for this. From a gameplay perspective it's good, decent, not a bad way to spend a surprisingly large number of hours if you want to unlock everything, even if it can't quite live up to its ambitions. The game isn't just the gameplay, though, and when taken as a whole, Rusty Rabbit is the type that sticks in your brain and will be remembered more fondly than actually playing it might justify. The secrets of the history of the rabbits' frozen world are buried in the caverns of Smokestack Mountain, but Rusty knows they'll take care of themselves while he deals with a base filled with hostile rust beasts, chasing after the far more important goal of reconciling with the only family he's got left.