While the gameplay found in Featherpunk Prime does offer some momentary enjoyment on each of its self-contained floors, the frustrations lie with how reliant the game feels on the same design structure aspects and same layout in each of its floors; the repetitiveness eventually begins to grate.

Those looking to explore a lore-filled world heavily inspired by Norse mythology and packed with gorgeous hand-drawn animations will be hard-pressed to find better. But with the limited scope for the interactive aspects of both the exploration and combat, Jotun never quite reaches the heights of Valhalla, instead providing a mediocre experience that inspires as often as it bores.

From the presentation to the deep franchise mode, NHL 17 has everything away from the on-ice action nailed down to a T. If the experience of playing the game fell into the same pristine category instead of being too overbearing for its own good, this would be a near-perfect game of hockey.

While the mechanics are stiff compared to modern games, it’s a blast from the past that will invoke nostalgia for those who haven’t played it since its initial release in 2005.

A modern JRPG masterpiece. It is the perfect blend of the classic JRPG formula mixed with contemporary features. Almost everything this title does has had some equivalent seen in RPGs that came before it, but they have been tweaked where the experience still feels fresh.

The atmosphere, music and overall writing of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice are spot on. While there are a lot of callbacks to previous games, it never feels like they are there just for nostalgic purposes, yet the experience seems reminiscent of the original trilogy in the best of ways. The game is not recommended to those who have never played the Ace Attorney series.

A glorious return to form for the series. It takes what was previously a gaming device-only franchise and transitions it successfully onto mobile platforms. While it would be nice to have traditional controller support, the touch-only setup here works fairly well. Visually, it’s about on-par with the full-fledged console entries, but does have some slowdown when it comes to moving from level skin to level skin.

If you’re looking for a game that will completely sell you on the Touhou series and turn you into a fan, Touhou Genso Rondo: Bullet Ballet probably won’t do it, as it really feels like a weak entry with a lack of substance that doesn’t show off a lot of Touhou’s potential beyond the ability to have a massive amount of bullets appear on the screen.

Pan-Pan may provide a short journey in the end, but it’s definitely worth setting out on. If the absolutely stunning graphics and art style don’t draw you in, then hopefully the intriguing world and enjoyable puzzles will.

Madden NFL 17 isn’t leaps and bounds ahead of what EA Tiburon was able to accomplish last year, but it builds on a very solid foundation with only a few hiccups and annoyances to speak of.

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.

It’s outrageous that a slice of life game that actually makes an effort to create a great backstory and memorable characters still ends up with a beginning that drags. Luckily, both audio and visuals are outstanding, showing that a lot of care went into creating this visual novel.

Every moment is pure destructive joy, the likes of which absolutely must be played. It is something that I never thought would be seen again: a AAA isometric shooter. With likable heroes, overwhelming villains and engrossing story and gameplay, Livelock sets a new standard for the genre. No bugs could be found, either, with the exception of the mechanical ones that are supposed to be shot. Publisher Perfect World Entertainment proved that they knew what they were doing when they picked this up to release as their first non-free to play game. This is a masterpiece.

The Final Station does a remarkable job at leaving a mark with its chosen aesthetic and subtle narrative — peaking one’s interest with this particular post-apocalyptic not-zombie infested World, it’ll be easily remembered above the mediocre allotment of survival titles out there at present. Overall, The Final Station is a welcome breath of fresh (if desolately murky) air and stands out through its interesting mix of platformer and survival mechanics — carving out a game that’s entertaining but cunning too.

In an age where many mainstream games offer countless distractions to constantly pull the player in all sorts of directions, Hue’s straightforward and relaxing presentation offers a nice, brief reprieve to play in between some of today’s lengthier titles. With a reasonable set of expectations, Hue can provide a pleasant adventure for players willing to give this unique game a shot; just don’t go in expecting it to stick with you beyond its playtime.

Whether you’re in it for the gameplay or find yourself drawn in by the looming mystery that steadily simmers over in due course, The Turing Test (minus the occasionally hard-to-decipher audio) is a smartly-structured and delicately-arranged puzzle game that knows its boundaries and leaves it to the player to fill in the missing gaps.

If you’re planning on tackling it solo, Federation Force is a much tougher pill to swallow, with its prohibitive level of difficulty. On the other hand, if you have a friend or two who are willing to take the plunge with you, Federation Force can make for a good time, especially if you’re all playing together in the same space.

With the lessons that Digital Dreams has clearly learned, it’s going to be fascinating to see what the small studio does next. After all, this is a team that clearly understands how to improve over time.

In the end, what we’re left with is another enjoyable release in the Project Diva series even though this isn’t the game that will convert everyday folks into Miku diehards.

Cat President ~A More Purrfect Union~ gives us all a chance to step back from potential fears of the actual impending election and have a laugh at the whole process.

While not without its issues, Omega Force did a really good job bringing Attack on Titan into the realm of gaming.

While this reboot of the classic Master of Orion series isn’t perfect, it packs massive amounts of replayability, with endless tactics and strategies to be explored.

Hitman – Episode 4: Bangkok has a lot of good going for it, but doesn’t quite live up to the excitement that has been established in the past.

Granted, it’s easy to see this unique take on the first-person experience fall by the wayside, especially when you consider its initial technical follies and weak player onboarding, but flaws aside, Valley has the potential to serve as an introduction to the first-person adventure genre for players who are used to more combat-heavy experiences.

Anyone wanting a single player experience should probably wait for a sale, but everyone else would be well served snagging a copy as soon as possible.

Zombasite may only require roughly a third of gig of hard drive space, but it crams a lot of substance into that small section of hard drive space.

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.

For the asking price of ten bucks, it would be difficult to find more enjoyment.