It’s a blast from the past in more ways than one and you should check it out.

Even with these blemishes and moments where the admiration for what’s come before gets in the way of basic consistency and much-needed fluidity, OverBorder Studio have at least landed in a much better position with a foundation that’s challenging and entertainingly so.

This is a good sports game for people who don't like sports games, i.e. me. [Vol 3, Issue 2, p.62]

Tumble VR improves upon the original Tumble with all manner of new puzzles and a cute versus mode. It’s also a game which makes total sense for playing within the PSVR. There’s something about placing blocks with your own “hands” that just feels better than other puzzlers. The caveat, of course, is if your controller also exhibits the weird shakiness in-game from time to time, which makes it totally annoying rather than an amusing experience.

Earth Defense Force 2025 is a fantastic example of everything that makes pure action gaming so much fun, packed with replay value and over the top set pieces, and a more than worthy sequel that tops its predecessor in every way.

Icon is a fun ride, but it's got some pretty deep shoes to fill. It is fun and the music features are pretty cool, so give it a look. [Apr 2007, p.46]

What’s there is fun, and DLC is on the horizon, but the package is on the light side.

In a perfect world Oblitus could have been a timeless legend, but even as it is now, Oblitus is a refreshing departure from indie norms in every way.

Void Terrarium is a strange and beautiful dungeon crawling RPG, and despite the familiar genre, manages to feel like there’s nothing else out there like it.

Despite the addition of retro 2D events and a story mode, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 does little to improve the franchise thanks to middling minigame design and an empty, lackluster campaign. The more creative and deep gameplay arises in the story and dream minigames, but convoluted controls and brief runtimes hold back the majority of the events from entertaining players for more than a couple of attempts. The simplistic story will likely amuse fans of a younger age, but for most Mario, Sonic, Olympics and minigames fans, this crossover continues to disregard its potential and does little to justify its $60 price tag by offering only a few hours worth of polished but mostly mediocre minigames.

WrestleQuest does an excellent job at combining pro wrestling legends with a turn-based combat system that takes the best kind of cues from Nintendo’s more-interactive Mario RPGs over the years. Having so much real-time interactivity during battles makes them more engaging and fun, and while the game does suffer from small sprites and a soundtrack that’s weak given the legendary cast, what’s here is done well. This is a fantastic pickup for any pro wrestling fans looking to get into JRPGs or for JRPG fans looking for an excuse to play something involving pro wrestlers.

Overall, Jack Keane is a rather fun adventure game, even if it does suffer a little in minor details. If you’re a fan of the genre at all, it's well worth the effort.

Arslan: The Warriors of Legend takes the Warriors formula and franchise in a new direction, but the core gameplay is largely familiar.

Sword of the Stars: The Pit — Mind Games is incredibly difficult — sometimes unfairly so — but along with that comes fun.

As a five-dollar indie game, The Legend of Kurasaki is a competent time-waster, but nothing more than that. While a neat concept, charm and simple yet nice gameplay might draw you in, the short length, repetitive elements and frustrating moments made worse by a lack of explanation (even after beating the game, I still don’t know how the level system works, not that it was apparently needed) hamper what could have been an adorable little homage to a legendary Nintendo series.

The episode doesn’t really close out the story of the Order of the Stone as a whole and really only makes it an addition to one of the many adventures that Jessie will have.

.hack//G.U. was a flawed but ultimately entertaining JRPG when it rolled out on PlayStation 2 and the same can be said about Last Recode. The story is adequate enough to keep you interested and it helps it’s populated with a fun and highly diverse cast of characters. Unfortunately, you have to weigh your interest for an intriguing story against the dated gameplay. Even in the later parts of the game, the combat remains stale and repetitive to a degree of anguish, with the idea of environmental variety being non-existent. There are quite a few side quests to partake in, some with their own unique quirks, but they are based on a system that will have a tough time holding your attention. It helps that the new volume concludes things in a more satisfying manner, but it should have been a more fleshed-out piece of content, especially considering it will last most players only a handful of hours. At the end of the day, if you can put up with all of the baggage, and there’s a lot of it, you’ll find a world worth venturing.

The core platforming and action-oriented combat work well, as does the seasonal shifting mechanic. There’s a natural flow to the levels and exploration is rewarded — resulting in stages that are usually fun to play through again. The RPG mechanics are a bit too girnd-heavy for a platformer, but allow you to extend your skills beyond most games in the genre while the rich graphics and robust sound deliver a satisfying experience for the eyes and ears.

Those looking for something more fleshed out and demanding of a deeper trudge through its own brand of desolation may feel short-changed, but The Tarnishing of Juxtia just about manages to stay the course and avoid getting too indulgent in its blatant inspirations. A committed action-platformer that doesn’t outstay its welcome.

Briefly enticing the mechanics governing Morale might be in and out of combat, Long Gone Days‘ inconsistent tone and unconvincing meshing of visual styles doesn’t pull through for a narrative deserving of a more refined focus. Good moments there may be sprinkled about its exploration, its party management and so too the longer-term deciding on whether to invest or save the Morale you’ve built up, a potentially interesting mechanic is all the game can muster. In an experience that doesn’t necessarily fail outright, more that it rapidly settles into a tepid though not terrible checklist to fulfill. For all its talk of high stakes and higher drama, Long Gone Days‘ questionable meshing of visuals, tone and crucial decision-making doesn’t reach the happy medium it’s aiming for.

Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy is hard to recommend because of its dull gameplay, sloppy combat, repetitive enemies, uninspired dungeons and lacking plotline. It does have a few bright sparks within its three main characters and anime aesthetic, though. For some reason, this game keeps bringing you back, so it must be doing something right, despite all of its downfalls. It's just hard to figure out why. It may be the camaraderie between the characters and wanting to see them succeed in their adorable, magical academic journey.

There’s no gameplay hook to latch onto and the writing and pacing both leave a lot to be desired.

This game feels as if Konami wanted to do a Bomberman RPG, but they didn’t fully commit to that idea. Instead, you’re given a mediocre title that can’t seem to decide its target audience. Super Bomberman R 2 does at least provide a lot of couch cooperative fun in an era that still craves local/offline play. If players can look past the bland and tedious story, Super Bomberman R 2 still provides the great party play that the series has always been known for.

Much like The Lego Movie is a surprisingly great film, The Lego Movie Videogame is a surprisingly good game. Unlike the former, unfortunately, it falls notably short of greatness.

Thunder Wolves is a game that knows what it wants to be, and cuts through any of the other filler to give an experience that is as pure as possible.

The UI leaves something to be desired and backtracking to previously explored areas is not terribly exciting, but neither of these issues ruin the game and there are more than enough positives to offset those imperfections.

Octodad: Dadliest Catch is hilarious, silly, annoying and engaging all at once, and that’s ultimately what makes it a game worth playing.

Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain may be a different type of EDF but its heart is powered by the epic bug-blasting, kaiju fighting combat that has always been the hallmark of the series’ incredible combat.