Those who are able to look past the myriad issues will find themselves feeling like they are injecting dumb fun directly into their veins. It just won’t leave any track marks.

Taking a year off truly helped the core experience of Monster Energy Supercross 25, but at the sacrifice of cut content. The change to the Unreal Engine 5 provides a different experience than in the past. The updated riding physics makes the game both more accessible and more difficult. Tight cornering and fighting for grip is the biggest hurdle. The Neural AI in the fantastic Career Mode is great, something that other racing series could use. The removal of the Compound hurts, but the Rhythm Section mode helps to make up for that loss. Mainly, fans of the series looking for a current Supercross experience finally get it in 2025, as the game is finally set in the year it releases.

Small Radios Big Televisions isn’t the type of two-hour indie experience that’s going to blow your mind, but there’s something oddly relaxing and engrossing about navigating through its creepy factories. Despite its story falling short as a whole, there’s enough context given here to create the foundation for a special experience, but it doesn’t quite cross the finish line. It’s a pretty, atmospheric title that doesn’t shy away from how truly weird it is.

Unepic is an enjoyable retro style action RPG. It has not gotten the attention or acclaim of some more recent retro style 2D platformers such as Axiom Verge or Shovel Knight, but fans of that style of gameplay should give this one a look.

There are pros to picking up Deemo: The Last Recital on Vita. This single purchase opens you up to tons of what the mobile game has to offer without any need of DLC purchases. The width of the Vita itself, however, might inhibit comfortable gameplay for some out there when compared to thinner smartphone screens. No matter which version you play, though, there’s still some gameplay design decisions which don’t make total sense to music game fans. Fortunately, the highly varied soundtrack makes grinding mostly bearable as players pursue growing a magical tree to its fullest. In a rhythm gaming dearth, Deemo: The Last Recital stands as an imperfect, but mostly enjoyable, title to spend time with.

There are grand moments that will leave you enthralled, from the Knives Out-esque murder mystery to skydiving to one of the tallest buildings in Dubai. The environments are also a highlight as they’re not only a visual treat, but contain an incredible amount of detail that encourage creativity from the player. Unfortunately, there are hang ups that drag the experience down. The focus on the rushed story has taken a toll on at least two missions, while the CG cutscenes are awkwardly done. The decrease of Mission Stories down to between zero and three is a huge blow as they used to offer some of most entertaining ways in getting close to your target. The whole point of the Hitman games is replaying missions over and over again, but after completing one a couple of times, I felt like I experienced everything it had to offer, which isn’t something I had a problem with in the past. There are standout moments, but Hitman 3 just doesn’t have the same charm it did in the last two games, and the limitations only contribute to this. It’s more Hitman, but at the same time less of Hitman.

Anyone who grew up loving action-platformers will find a lot to enjoy here. Genre newcomers may be in over their heads, but the game does teach you its core mechanics reasonably well, so it shouldn’t feel too overwhelming.

Bokeh Game Studio’s Slitterhead shows a lot of promise in terms of its unique possession action gameplay, direction, music and overall plot. It’s fun, electric and unlike any other game. New IPs are the lifeblood of the industry and the game is a key example of keeping that saying alive.

What Did I Do to Deserve This, My Lord!? 2 is a good buy for those who loved the first game, but newcomers to the series should probably pick up the newly-discounted original game, as the complex and unpredictable gameplay certainly won't be for everyone

Circles is a relaxing puzzle game that can still be surprisingly tricky, sometimes exasperatingly so. Making precise movements while taking the level’s rotation into account and also keeping the speed up because the circles in the level grow larger the faster you move can take more than a few tries to get past, but those sections are the exception to the move laid-back nature of the rest of the game. Try, fail, try again, experiment a bit, win, move on to the next puzzle, and repeat. It’s an easy and comfortable rhythm to fall into, as you’re gently carried along by the mellow soundtrack past one level to the next. Circles switches from relaxing and thoughtful to twitchy and precise over its visually-arresting stages, and its hard to stop playing until you’ve seen everything it has to offer.

While I found my playtime kneecapped by the physical hardware, Loud has nice tunes playing in sync to plenty of fun note tracks. Astrid’s tale isn’t particularly deep (what happened to her band?), but she’s a likeable character who grows into her music over the three years of the story. The twelve tracks have plenty of replayability thanks to the multiple difficulty levels, and there’s even an extra-hard bonus tune awarded in the free-play mode after game completion. Loud is a capable little music game with a lot of heart, but be aware you need either small hands or maybe a Pro Controller to get the most from it.

The story itself is a highlight thanks to the insane villains, although it takes a few chapters before things pick up. It’s disappointing that the remaining activities are so repetitive and lack the imagination of what Volition is known for, and with a myriad of technical issues, it feels like Agents of Mayhem was shoved out the door earlier than it should have.

While the physical limitations of its content are clear, it takes little away from the intrigue and challenge Earth Atlantis generates through its fusion of explorative design with the shoot-em-up mechanics that it unquestionably pays homage to. The variety of boss designs (and the way the hand-drawn, sharp-lined visuals give them that added bold presence) and encounters are offered in just the right doses, and while they may feel at times like a chore just to arrive at, they come across as satisfying to partake in. Everything else surrounding it, if not startling or visually depth-inducing, does complement to a sufficient manner, ultimately shaping the journey through Earth Atlantis into one that can be savored but is easy enough to resume on later playthroughs.

If publishers are willing to take the risk of keeping the spirit of classic games alive, it's a shame the same courtesy isn't extended to budgets and development windows. With tried and true elements combined with attractive new features, Spy Hunter is a blast throughout its meaty campaign. The fact that such a poor presentation doesn't completely hinder the enjoyment of the title speaks volumes to the strength of the gameplay. As it stands, fans of arcade-style mayhem will adore Spy Hunter, but its low rent appearance will prove a nagging reminder of missed opportunities.

Ode is a unique mix of platforming, exploration and music. It’s accessible to everyone and can be enjoyed by casual and hardcore gamers alike. As much as it succeeds at providing a unique experience, it also fails to scratch a lot of the common gaming itches. Ode is short enough to not overstay its welcome and simple enough for something to pick up and play when you’re in the mood for something different. It’s not a title most people will want to play all the time, but every now and then it can be the perfect title to break up the repetition of more traditional titles.

SaGa Frontier Remastered is the definitive version of the cult classic, but like all cult classics, there are aspects that prevent it from achieving greater success to a wider audience. Those who enjoyed the original SaGa Frontier and were looking forward to this remaster should go out and buy it because the new content makes it worthwhile. For everyone else, however, some of the ambitious ideas in the title sounded intriguing in the abstract, but didn’t quite come to fruition during the execution. The Free Scenario concept is interesting, but ultimately SaGa Frontier suffers from lack of cohesion. The relatively short scenario campaigns by RPG standards do make playing through each character’s scenario more accessible, but with the exception of diehard SaGa fans, most players will want to move on after completing a few characters.

Forma.8 is an interesting (if flawed) take on the concept of lone exploration in its most pure and absolute sense. It’s not pretentious to talk kindly on the use of color and geometric abstraction to give meaning to one’s World, because the way MixedBag manage to conjure intrigue with such basic structures alongside their chosen tones and particularly hollowed-out level design deserves a warm reception. Though skating a little too precariously in its more long-winded moments, Forma.8 ends up being an enjoyable alternative to the Metroidvania thesis.

The new features, particularly the Resolve system, are cool, but the title still manages to feel incomplete. For those elite, it’s best to wait until the next version.

No element of Harvestella’s gameplay is exceptional, but somehow all this imperfect and mismatched elements come together to in a way where the overall package ends up being greater than the sum of its parts. The farming system is simplistic and the combat is mediocre, but in spite of itself it’s easy to get caught up in the lives of the villagers and fall into the trap of wanting to play for just “one more day” which turns into half a season.

Operation Abyss: New Tokyo Legacy is a fine DRPG. It has all the facets one would expect from a game of its genre and manages to implement those features effectively. What it does not do a lot of, however, is think outside the box in big ways.

Nike+ Kinect Training is not a fun game, but then again, it was never meant to be about entertainment. It's a game that will push you to your limit and make you break down if you don't know what you're getting yourself into. It feels more realistic in routines and schedules than something like Your Shape, but lacks in presentation with an unresponsive user interface and poor objective and calorie counters.

Pizza Possum delivers a clever twist on classic arcade gameplay with its simple and fun stealth-based gameplay, and it has a ton of charm in its colorful visuals and appealing take on an Italian landscape. But a lack of content and awkward handling of power-ups provide a sour taste, though there’s still enough here that you should at least consider sampling a bite of it. If it’s good enough for our possum buddy, after all…

It’s cute, approachable by all, and most of all its addicting and creative gameplay can get its hooks in you pretty deep if you let it.

While Pixel Star has its issues, it also has a fantastic feeling of playability. The ship is a zippy little thing, capable of fast and nimble maneuvers but also flailing into trouble if you aren’t careful of controlling its speed.

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.

The Evil Within 2 is a more coherent and purposeful journey, strengthened by its voyage into non-linear level design, while at the same time reinforcing the foundation with which the original’s gameplay often shined through on. That’s not to say the sequel doesn’t throw up a few too many unfair fail states — be it in and out of stealth mode — not to mention the occasional performance mishaps that show up. It’s during combat where the biggest flaw unfortunately shows itself, ultimately preventing the sequel from achieving a higher level of success.

While a property as strong as The Avengers warrants more than a Kinect game, Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth rises above the movie-tie in it would have likely received instead. A great opportunity for fans to step into the shoes of their favorite heroes, it's a fun fighting title that makes great use of the Kinect with multiple characters, modes and an impressive amount of polish. Unfortunately, it's not a deep game and the limited combat options will disappoint hardcore fighting fans and hurt replay value with casual ones.

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.