Sorcery! is one of the best games that this reviewer has played on the iPhone and iPad, offering a plethora of options and an excellent story.

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.

Deadly Premonition: Director’s Cut won’t win any awards for its visuals or mechanics, but the player will be completely immersed within a world just brimming with life thanks to the intriguing storyline and highly likeable cast of characters.

As a whole, Mars: War Logs is a game well worth checking out for RPG fans and, at only twenty dollars, there’s no reason not to. Although frustrating at times, the developers’ ambition puts it above other indie RPGs which seem happy to settle for less considering their price.

Papo & Yo is about growing into a person who can escape an abusive family situation, and that’s a theme powerful enough to overwhelm any number of small problems, if pulled off properly. The best parts of the game are when this theme is integrated directly into the action, whether that’s running from an enraged Monster or engaging in escapist fantasy with the platforming and landscape manipulation.

If you’re a newcomer to Dragon’s Dogma, then this is the edition to get; otherwise, you’ll have to be an incredibly dedicated fan as there isn’t enough here to justify an upgrade.

It’s a shame the experience is so brief, but because this is an arcade title that only costs fifteen bucks to scoop up, it’s a nice amount of depth and a completely absurd amount of fun. It’s just funny that this may turn out to be one of the better things released this year and it started out as a joke.

If you played through the entirety of the first game and didn’t have a problem with it, this may be your thing. While the collision detection, and some other things have taken some serious hits, there’s still a good story to be found. Otherwise I would skip this and wait for the inevitable sale.

Until the bugs are ironed out, it’s just not worth the headache.

It’s a charming, charismatic adventure that will leave you with a smile across your face for the duration of your play.

Moreover, if you love testing your skills against others online, this game isn’t for you, either. If you like playing fighters by yourself, huddled up in a corner in some depressingly dark room, then sure, Guilty Gear Accent Core Plus R is the thing for you. It’s just a shame that such a terrible, terrible decision can hold back such a wonderful game.

Unless there’s a major update in the near future, you’d be better off waiting until it inevitably becomes part of an indie bundle so that you can briefly jump in and enjoy its first few hours. Until then, your money and time should be spent elsewhere.

Surgeon Simulator 2013 isn’t all bad and I’m surprised I liked it as much as I did. There is a bizarre sense of exploration you get from just goofing around and seeing what exactly you can do, and at times it feels like an odd sort of point and click adventure game, where every puzzle is to use a sharp object on a man’s face

It falls completely on its ass in every category. Generic shooting, incredibly poor artificial intelligence and glitchy bug-ridden gameplay amounts to nothing more than a meager attempt to cash in on next month’s film.

God Mode may be a shallow action romp that’s got the longevity of a fruit fly, but with a decent group of allies and some proper teamwork, there’s a good bit of run & gun gaming in there while it lasts.

The anime and magna iterations of Black Rock Shooter are so enjoyable because they’re crazy, over-the-top Japanese awesomeness. Unfortunately, not much about the video game take on the series is all that awesome, or even very good.

Dead Island: Riptide is a game where enjoyment hinges entirely on personal satisfaction of repetitively killing thousands of zombies and having friends with the same passion. For these select people, Riptide can be a whole lot of fun; but for anybody going it solo or demanding more from a game than just mindless violence, however, it will prove increasingly tedious.

While some of the controls can be a bit bothersome, the overall gameplay mechanics and sense of enjoyment is overwhelming. Mix one of the most gratifying cooperative campaigns in recent history with an absolutely charming cast of characters, and you have an addictive upper echelon independent game.

This is the video game equivalent of Rebecca Black’s Friday, something so terrible that its existence is nothing short of a miracle.

It’s hard to think of another Big N game that has its heroine munching on monster flesh, so here’s hoping that Nintendo recognizes what a fantastic action-roleplaying experience they missed localizing and gives stateside players more of this kind of mature title in the future.

In 2013, this sixteen-year-old game feels fresh, revitalizing and just downright good. That’s an accomplishment all of its own.

With a solid fighting engine, plenty of room for customization, a copious offering of modes, delightfully oldschool graphics and sound and some solid controls, Battle Grounds is a game that should be played by anyone who loves nostalgic beat’em ups, especially ones that are very stylized and very Japanese.

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.

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.

People who want a portable experience are going to absolute require the Circle Pad Pro, in addition to a suitable explanation for your friends and family as to where you were for the month you disappeared and couldn’t be found.

Terraria was utterly fantastic on PC, and has made a near-perfect jump to console.

Guacamelee! is a rich, fun, free-scrolling action platformer with a fantastic fighting engine, some truly tricky platforming challenges, and a vibrant style all its own.

Evoland is a unique game in that it’s impressive to see the scale of references and care to detail that is present within it. Despite several surprising flaws, it’s not often in a game where one can relive some of the greatest game-playing experiences from Final Fantasy and Zelda in a couple of hours and the combination of the two games is almost seamless in their execution.