Though not as almighty a step up as some of the more recent sequels we’ve seen, Gravity Rush 2 remains a fun and intriguing place to return to.

Siege X is a much-needed update to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, but more could have been put into it. Dual Front is a gameplay overhaul that will keep veterans busy for a long time. The visual upgrades are solid, but aren't mind blowing as this is still an eSports title that requires high refresh rates and low latency. The audio overhaul will help players better identify locations and the experience truly begs to use headphones. This is still Rainbow Six Siege, though, so it's either going to click for players or it won't. There's a steep difficulty curve and it requires time investment. Yes, protecting a room in the final minute while using your tools to take down four people as the only survival is rewarding, but wasting 5-10 minutes trying to plan then getting shot through the floor with one bullet while no one on your team is willing to revive you is frustrating. The update is welcome, but it doesn't revolutionize the game.

However, there are some issues that have to be overlooked to fully enjoy Darkout. The lack of a story (at least an introduction of some sort), or any external motivation can lead to a situation where the player is mining just for the sake of mining, and crafting just for the sake of crafting, which can be fine for some, but not for all.

For all its early indulgence in balls (and the suggestion of which that line of “comedy” might head in), Ballhalla is still at its heart a clever little marble-rolling puzzler with plentiful moments of delightful frustration.

But at the end of the day, Another Perspective takes a cool little idea and executes it in a variety of ways without major hitches.

The Golf Club is a bit wobbly and unfinished.

Copycat perfectly encapsulates the feeling of self-doubt, fear and hesitance that comes with building a close relationship with another individual. Although the narrative is told through the eyes of a cat, its message is universal and urges players to accept love and nurture one another regardless of differences. The technical side of the game was buggy at certain parts of the story during my playthrough, but the game truly flourishes when it centers around storytelling.

The various mutants met with special skills can all be utilized for specific situations and provide the option to create a well-rounded team. Tactics-wise, Mutant Year Zero knocks those mechanics out of the park. Gameplay inconsistencies and forced grinding can wear one down, however, and keep the title from reaching its full potential. Overall, Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is deserving of attention and provides solid entertainment for tactics fans.

LEGO Horizon Adventures is a fun, albeit brief, romp through the world of Horizon. Its story, humor, world and gameplay may not fully match up to its source material, or reach the same heights as the best Traveller’s Tales LEGO games, but Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo have built a strong foundation for a new style of LEGO game.

Hopefully Wander is able to focus on getting the story right in his next effort, because there’s a ton of potential in A Case of Distrust. So much so that it’s worth checking out despite its flaws. Its art style alone could warrant a purchase and coupled with the animation, transitions and music, it has a really great noire feel to it. The story is just OK, but A Case of Distrust is cool and different, and it deserves a look.

Fans of the old school adventure games should definitely enjoy the combination of exploration and puzzles the game offers and Anodyne is a nice throwback to a type of game that you simply can’t find any more.

Despite not excelling at any single thing, the combined dungeon keeper with RTS approach does result in an interesting game that can be enjoyable once some time has been spent with it.

Skeleton Boomerang is a challenging 2D platformer with a lovely variety of levels, weapon variations and goofy enemies to battle against. There are times when design decisions negatively impact play, such as the choice to work with a cramped square screen resolution in the widescreen era. There are a few glitches as well, though nothing that likely can’t be ironed out with a patch or two. With that out of the way, you’re left with a charming — and tough — game with an awesome weapon to use in Hunter’s quest against evil.

If you can get past its more grind-y elements, Power Chord can still be a fun deckbuilding roguelike game thanks to its impressive blend of influence that makes great use of its “Battle of the Bands” setup. It’s something for every headbanger to check out, as well as fans of the genre who don’t minds banging their heads against walls as they gradually chip down each tough demon in their path. Not exactly worthy of a Platinum record, but it can still be an enjoyable listen.

Klang’s take on rhythm platformers is indeed a unique one, in both aesthetics and gameplay, and despite some frustrating moments and uneven difficulty holding it back, its variety of levels, attractive look and sound, and easy-to-learn-hard-to-master gameplay can still make for a highly fun experience.

It does a good job of recreating the atmosphere of those early 90s shooters despite having a very different play style. This title is geared toward a niche market and as such is not going to be a must play for everyone, but for those who love old school ultra violent and ultra challenging games, this is not one to miss. For fans of retro games, everything about Butcher screams 1993.

As a goofy little fighter for the Vita, Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus provides a solid amount of content and substance behind its shameless fan service, and as a result, transcends it.

Helldivers is at first a fresh, rewarding, challenging experience that stands up to any other game in terms of quality.

Dark Moon is a likable if flawed journey through an enjoyably spooky world, and while it may not hold up to a long-term residency, it’s certainly worth a weekend getaway.

In general, the good in No Man’s Sky outweighs the bad, but there are enough minor annoyances and curious decisions here to hold it back from being something special.

Rise of the Triad will never be confused for a great FPS, but it’s pure popcorn fun from beginning to end.

There are those who would call a game such as this "shallow", and with good reason: most games like this are. However, most games that subscribe to this concept don't allow you the freedom of movement or tactics that Stranglehold does. [Nov 2007, p.56]

It’s a fun game with a deep Career Mode and it still manages to do a good job of capturing stock car racing in game form. PC would be the visual preference, but with some other options on PC for stock car racing, it may take a back seat. The lack of an online community to race against on PC is also alarming.

Despite having an original story and setting, many elements of Samurai Maiden bring about a feeling a deja vu. Watching the relationships develop between the four heroes over the backdrop of slaughtering endless legions of the undead feels similar to a few other games. Nevertheless, despite some of the flaws mentioned like the dialogue not being the greatest or combat mechanics being too loose, this is a good execution of the formula. Hacking through the undead soldiers and the more-powerful demons and blobs can devolve into mindless button mashing, but the various assist commands from Tsumugi’s companions keep things from ever getting too stale. Nothing about Samurai Maiden is particularly exceptional, but everything comes together well enough where it’s a still a worthwhile title for fans of the genre.

Darkwood is one of those games where it’s easy to have a mixed opinion on it. The control mechanics leave something to be desired, which is never any more true than in combat. Once we get past that, Darkwood actually gets a lot of things right. The story is shrouded in mystery as bits of the narrative are gradually revealed as the player progresses through the game. The very nature of the game is puzzling, but without any hand holding the player can figure out what needs to be done and this feels rewarding. Tension is built through a constant sense of danger and the unknown, with a visual style and sound direction that contribute to the overall sensation of dread. The end result is a more psychologically-driven sense of fear and not one made by the cheap use of jump scares. The lack of direction and poor combat controls could be enough to keep some from entering Darkwood, but horror fans that are willing to forgive these aspects can find a rewarding and chilling experience within.

As a result, fans of action-RPGs will want to check out Valhalla Knights 3, while those who don’t enjoy the genre won’t find anything here that will change their minds.

Star Trek Online is a game that casual and dedicated Star Trek fans should check out. While it doesn’t beat out Neverwinter as far as mechanics goes, it allows players to inhabit a fascinating facsimile of the universe, exploring, undertaking complex missions and always boldly going forward (because we can’t find reverse).

It’s a long and dangerous road out of the realms between worlds, but with enough shooting and a nice selection of helpful new internal organs, you might just get strong enough to escape.